CAMPAIGN BACKGROUND
Our campaign is based on the confrontation between Napoleon and the Russian Army in Poland in 1807. We started after the bloody stalemate at Eylau. Readers may recall that some years ago I wrote up another battle account related to this campaign entitled 'The Relief of Danzig' (Vol. III, No. 5). Our campaign has progressed since then in fits and starts, as seems to be the case with so many wargame campaigns. However, we resume with the return of the Emperor Napoleon (Ralph Reinertsen) from his two year assignment in Egypt.
Danzig has fallen. The last significant Prussian fortress left untouched is Konigsberg (see campaign map). Graudenz holds out but I (the Russian General Bennigsen) have no way to relieve it.
I have decided to launch a counteroffensive designed to catch the French still dispersed in winter encampments. Cossack scouting parties indicate that Lannes' isolated corpscan be advantageously attacked at Deppen. Accordingly I direct my army upon that point.
Arriving at Deppen with four of my six divisions, I find that the French are apparently massing all too quickly. From a small knoll I can make out at least two French Corps. Prisoners indicate that they are from Lannes'and Ney's Corps. My campaign plan to date has been to avoid combat with Napoleon himself (anticipating the Allied policy of 1813) and attack his Marshals. Although the French are here in greater strength than I had hoped, I will attack.
Having committed my army to combat (in our campaign system both sides must make this decision before a tabletop action is fought), I learn, to my horror, that the Emperor Napoleon himself is present. In our campaign rules this means the opponent must set up first, then Napoleon sets his forces on the table. This approach tries to reflect Napoleon's superior genius.
My tactical position is not unlike that facing Bennigsen at Friedland; an unfordable river separates my two wings. I must defend the entire front because any French unit that reaches my baseline prompts an immediate Russian die roll to determine randomly which equal sized Russian unit countermarches off my baseline to secure my line of communications. This rule reflects the presence of my train (supplies, baggage, etc.) at this battle (had I marched here without my train I would have suffered greater march attrition).
I judge that my best chance lies in quickly seizing the initiative; the French have superior grand tactical mobility (road column speed is tripled, Russian is only doubled) and set up after they see my dispositions. If I defend myself passively, Napoleon will pounce on one of my wings, destroy it, and then mass against my remaining forces. If I can grab the initiative and force him to react to my assaults, this will negate his advantages. God Save the Tsar! Attack!
THE FRENCH VIEW
"Ney's patrols confirmed the Russian Army lay to the front and in considerable strength. Clearly my personal reconnaisance would be necessary to make the final dispositions for the destruction of the Czar's intruders. A swift ride along the front with my escort gave me confidence. The Russians formed across the entire front. I ordered Lannesto close up his corps on the town and to garrison the walled village. These would be the rocks upon which the Russian advance would break. Next I supervised Ney as he deployed his corps. At first light this force would launch themselves into the Russian right flank to pin it in place. Meanwhile Dupont would be sweeping deeply around the flank. When I see the dust and smoke of Dupont's advance turn I will orderforward my reserves - Grouchy and my Guard - to ensure the victory. The Russian will lose but I need a major victory to ensure Alexander will come to terms."
THE FREE KRIEGSPIEL
Paddy Griffith has written about the mechanics of 'free kriegspiel'. This technique is best employed by two friends standing outside gazing over some rolling terrain and maneuvering their imaginary armies. Foiled by Virginia's 90 degree heat, we took our free Kriegspiel indoors to play out the results of Ney's reconnaissance mentioned in Napoleon's report. It went like this (R=Russian; F=French):
- R: "you enter a defile (see game map SW corner) and see a chain of cossacks across the road" (my force is one cossack regiment and two companies of jagers).
F: "one squadron of chasseurs a cheval moves in column along the road toward your cossacks; behind it you see some infantry (French force has 4 squadrons, two companies of voltigeurs, and one section of horse artillery).
R: "on the road my cossacks fall back exposing a line of infantry across the road. On the heights you see more cossacks."
F: "a squadron of cavalry climbs the slope on both sides of the defile while some horse artillery unlimbers next to my cavalry on the road."
R: "my cossacks on the hills fall back to the flanks of my infantry."
F: "on the hills the chasseurs press against the cossacks; on the road the guns open fire."
R: "the cossacks try to hold and fail (we used a die roll for this, assigning it a one-third probability), the jagers form column and withdraw."
F: "seeing the infantry withdraw the guns limber up, escorted by the voltigeurs, and the cavalry squadron on the road charges; the fourth cavalry squadron remains in reserve."
R: "the jagers try to form square (hasty square in our rules, pass with a 60% probability), the cossacks flee. A courier is dispatched to summon help from the cavalry encampment."
F: "the guns unlimber and resume the bombardment."
R: "after 10 minutes (die roll used for effect of artillery on square) the square begins to show signs of wavering."
F: "one squadron tries to charge the jagers directly up the road. it is repulsed (die roll effect of cavalry vs. shaky square under artillery fire, 50% chance square holds)."
R: "jagers form column and withdraw, continuous artillery fire causes them to break. Russian dragoon regiment is approaching from cavalry encampment. It started before courier arrived, having mounted up and ridden to the sounds of the guns."
F: "the Chasseur colonel reaches a position overlooking the plain. He sees extensive campfires indicating that the Russian Army is here in strength. Noting the approach of the Russian Dragoons, he orders a withdrawal. He sends a report to Ney who forwards it to Imperial Headquarters. This report decides Napoleon to personally attend the next day's battle."
Results: Because of the cossack's poor performance, the Russian was unable to screen the Russian Army's position. Furthermore he had to summon help from the already tired dragoons. Consequently a Russian tactical and strategic defeat. The Chasseur Colonel accomplished everything he wished. Losses: 47 jagers (25 captured) and 16 cossacks (4 killed, 7 wounded); 15 chasseurs.
This scenario, which set the stage for the main battle, could have been handled as a skirmish game with multiple commanders. The free kriegspiel system worked well, consuming 15 minutes of players' time and produced the important result that Napoleon decided to ride to the battlefield the night before the battle began. His unexpected (from the Russian standpoint at least) intervention allowed the French, as I mentioned, to see the entire Russian tabletop setup before putting the French forces on the table. For the free kriegspiel we used our normal tabletop rules to resolve the several die throws we felt were important and otherwise handled the entire combat according to the gentlemanly spirit of free kriegspiel.
To summarize:
1. Lannes' scouts detected the Russian approach and reported to Napoleon; Russian scouts detected Lannes' isolated Corps. This was done on the campaign map.
2. Napoleon ordered Ney to conduct a reconnaissance. The Russians massed for battle.
3. Ney made his recon (using the free kriegspiel), reported to Napoleon that the Russian Army was present, and Napoleon decided to commit to battle.
These events led to the Battle of Deppen.
More Campaign in Poland
Back to Table of Contents -- Courier Vol. VII #2
To Courier List of Issues
To MagWeb Master Magazine List
© Copyright 1986 by The Courier Publishing Company.
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