Etudes Militaires
Special Study Nr. 5

A Module for 1807:
The Eagles Turn East

Roads Across Poland - A Survey

by Nicola Prandoni

1. Across this area there passed no metalled road; the best of the communications were mere banks of earth, not even revetted except where their passage across marshes rendered it impossible to maintain them without artificial support. 2. By the droughts of summer or the frosts, of winter, these so-called roads were hardened to a consistency which allowed of the passage of artillery. 3. When soaked with rain or dissolved by thaws, they became almost impassible.

The best of the roads were such as have been described. The four principal roads between the Vistula and the Pregel were1.

From Danzig to Warsaw by the right bank of the Vistula. 2.

From Danzig to Koenigsberg by Dirschau, Elbing, and Braunsberg. 3.

From Warsaw to Koenigsberg by Sierock, Pultusk, Makow, Prasznitz, Willemburg, Bartenstein, Preussisch Eylau and Kreuzberg 4.

The road from Pultusk to Ostrolenka, Lomza, and thence towards St. Petersburg.

The above is quoted from F. Loraine Petre, Napoleon's Campaign in Poland, pp. 52-53.)

OPTIONAL RULE:

For those who feel it's OK to have four types of roads, you can make distinctive the four principal roads mentioned above. These roads (R1 -R4) should be outlined on the map in red or some other color. On these Red Roads, mud does not affect Communications, Dispatch Distance, or movement. - K. Zucker

R1. Warsaw-S-0123
R2. Tilsit- Koenigsberg - C-010 1/N-0135
R3. Kdnigsherg-Pultusk-Warsaw-S-4336
R4. Pultusk-Ostrolenka-S-6104

The following roads are military roads: During Mud, Communications and Dispatch Distance is reduced by 1/4; Infantry slowed by one-half, i.e., such roads count as 1 MP.

M1. Sochacew-S-0132
M2. Gabin-Plock-Biezun-Lautenburg
M3. Warsaw-3827-Plonsk-Soldau-Osterode-SaalfeldC0106 (The road from 3926-4327 is a regular muddy primary.) This military road gets upgraded to a principal mad between Warsaw and Osterode in March/April.
M4. Pultusk-Nasielsk-Plonsk-Wyszogr-od (Doesn't go to S-2632)
M5. Pultusk-Neidenbur-g-Allenstein-GuttstadtWorradittMehisack-Braunsberg
M6. S-4005-Mlawa-Neidenburg-Hohenstein-OsterodeIbbau-Deutsch Eylau-C-0125
M7. Oertelsburg-Neidenburg-Soldau-Strassburg
M8. Gollub-Strassburgml)eutsch Eylau-FinkensteinC-0910
M9. Neidenburg-Gilgenburg-Gurzno
M10. Christburg-Pr.Holland-Elbing
M 11. Braunsberg-Pr. Holland-Saalfeld
M12. Bartenstein-Rastenburg-Oertelsburg-Allenstein Liebstadt
M13. Osterode-Liebstadt-Guttstadt-Heilsburg LandsbergEylau-Wehlau-Insterburg-Tilsit. The road to N6118 is an military road.
M14. Lobau-C-1023
M15. Bischofsburg-Allenstein
M16. Hefisburg-Bischofstadt-Seeburg-Rothfleiss
M17. N-3831-C-3502
M18. Wehlau-Tapiau-N-4311
M19. Tapiau-N3414
M20. C-1105-C-1309

All other primary roads are "muddy" as before. i.e., during mud each hex counts as 1 hex for LOC, as 1 MP for Dispatch Distance and infantry movement.

UPGRADING ROUTE M3

This road was upgraded during March to a principal road. The road is up graded with a construction unit starting from Warsaw on March 18. This French construction unit may improve 5 primary road hexes into principal roads each turn. Use it like a "railhead" marker. Road improvement is prohibited during frost.

Etudes Militaries: Napoleon's First War Against the Tsar 1807

Back to Art of War Issue # 26 Table of Contents
Back to Art of War List of Issues
Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List
© Copyright 1997 by Clash of Arms Games.
This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web.
Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com