Scenario Notes and Setup

I based this scenario somewhat on the historical action. If you want a different type of game or don't agree with something, feel free to change it. The orders of battle listed above aren't historical. I decided to adjust this scenario to make it more balanced for the Danes and cover the initial Prussian landing of 2000 men.

The historical landing wouldn't be that fair with only two Danish companies defending the beach. Therefore, I allow of the Danish companies to set up on the beach if they want to.

I was not able to find the names of any Prussian infantry battalion commander. If you have the names, please write a letter to the editor of this journal. Also, I couldn't find the number of Prussian batteries firing at the Danes across the channel from the Danish mainland. Four batteries sounded reasonable. If you have information, let me know. This artillery fires at the Danes at long range.

I decided to follow the historical Prussian landing and have them land north of Kjaer creek and set up the fourth regiment North of Kjaer. If you want, you can let the Prussians decide where they want to land and have the Danes set up anywhere on the shoreline of Alsen.

As some of you might remember, I use Principles of War rules available from England for this period. I reviewed these rules in a past issue of this journal. I allowed the Prussian boats loaded with troops to move the infantry line movement rate which is 4". This sounded about right.

The scale of the game is up to you. Danish regiments had two battalions and Prussian regiments had three battalions. Each battalion had four companies. The standard Principles of War size unit is a battalion. Since I have huge armies and like bigger games, I played the game at the company level. If you prefer, play the game at the battalion level.

The Prussians set up their boats 32" from the side of Alsen where they invade. The 24th regiment will be in the first invasion wave. The 64th Regiment will follow in the second wave 16" behind. This will give the Danes 8 turns of fire from their four batteries on the 24th regiment. The Rolfe Krake sets up 16" Northeast from the tip of Alsen.

To introduce uncertainty, I used the 5th regiment south of the 4th to come on as reinforcements. When the Prussians land, roll a D6 needing a one for the 5th regiment to arrive. The units arrive from the South edge. If they fail the first turn, decrease the die roll needed by one each turn.

If using Principles of War variable unit strengths, start each Danish company with 4+D10 strength. All Prussian infantry companies start with 6+D10 strength. All artillery start with 4+D6 strength. The Danish artillery is rifled and the Prussians are steel pieces. Arm the Danes with rifled muskets. Of course the Prussians have the needle gun. The leadership ratings of the commands correspond directly to Principles of War. I'm not sure if other period rule sets like They Died for Glory have leadership. Anyway, this scenario should be easy to adapt for other rules.

Regarding landing rules, Prussian infantry in boats aren't allowed any fire. Infantry in boats receive a one column shift to the left on the Principles of War combat table due to being low in the water and the armor effect of the wood. In other rules, treat the infantry as being in light cover. Units from a boat can melee in the phase they land with a one shift to the left on the combat table. Units in Principles of War get defensive fire and will receive one shift to the right on the combat table when firing due to the infantry landing.

Speaking of figures, most of you should know where to get the Prussians. I mentioned a good substitute for the Danes at the beginning of this scenario if you don't want to paint up a new army. If you to paint up a Danish army, 19th Century Miniatures is the only specific range I know of. If you have spare Union ACW figures, use them since the Danes wore a similar uniform with a kepi.

I didn't bother with model rowboats for the Prussians and set the figure bases directly on the blue felt I used for water. I used one of my friends sailing ship models for the Rolf Krake since it did have masts. Of course, you can always buy models or scratchbuild.

Victory Conditions

The Prussians win a minor victory if they establish a beachhead and a major victory if they exit eight infantry companies or equivalent off the southern board edge. Barring that, the Danes win a minor victory because the strategic situation was hopeless. If the Rolf Krake is sunk or surrenders, the victory level goes up by one level in the Prussians favor.

Conclusion

When I tried this scenario, the Prussians had a hard time landing and took some losses from the Danish fire. However, once they landed, the Prussian needlegun fire was too overwhelming. The Rolf Krake sunk a few infantry companies but later retreated due to damage. The Danish 5th infantry regiment arrived four turns after the Prussian landing but was shot up as it counter-attacked. To make matters worse, the Prussians exited eight units of the South board edge. As you probably noticed, I have written this scenario to be more of a guide instead of being set in stone. Wargamers know what type of game they enjoy so I have left it up to you.

I was thinking about gunboats rules and I remembered Ironclads and Ether Flyers from GDW's Space 1889 system. I was surprised that the navy list had data on the Rolf Krake. (I'm not, Frank Chadwick is nothing if not comprehensive…in fact, I volunteered to look that info up, and save Scott some trouble, knowing exactly where to find it… Ed.)

Below are the abbreviated rules. The full rules are quite simple. I've simplified some areas and removed critical hits. The armor on the Rolf Krake isn't thick enough to stop the Prussian shells. If you have your own naval rules, feel free to use them.

Gunboat Rules

The Rolf Krake (st right) has the following stats assuming rowboats move 4":
Movement: 12"
Hull Boxes: 25. When all hull boxes are lost, the Rolf Krake sinks.
Armament: Two turrets, each with an older 64 lb. Gun. One turret can fire out fore and aft. Both turrets can fire a broadside. Also, two quick firing guns for each broadside.
Movement Rules: Per 4" of movement, the Rolf Krake can turn 45 degrees for free. It can turn a total of 90 degrees for the whole turn.

- FINIS -

More Prussian Amphibious Assault on Alsen Island 29 June 1864

Alsen 1864: Background and Order of Battle
Alsen 1864: Scenario and Special Rules
Alsen 1864: Large Map (slow: 106K)
Alsen 1864: Jumbo Map (very slow: 223K)