"Castiglione 1796" (to be published by Clash of Arms) is the current project heading toward final draft status at the moment. This detailed look at the Campaign of July 29th to August 6th will benefit our full-scale "Bonaparte in Italy" (OSG) which is waiting just behind Castiglione: BiI commences with the Castiglione operation and also includes Wuermser's second advance, Alvintzy's two offensives (Arcole and Rivoli) and so covers a six month period at 2 miles per hex.
Castiglione uses the "6 Days of Glory" system, and is closer to "1806" than "Last Days of the Grande Armee." Leaders have individual initiative ratings. Unlike all three prior games in this series, however, the scale is 720 meters per hex and not one mile, with two hour turns instead of six; eight turns per day and not four. Night March will be allowed, not merely night disengagement.
The change in scale is due to the extremely low counter density: we have dropped down to brigade level and even still there will be only 140 counters. This game will be the ultimate in LCD. A scale of 720 meters is pushing it a bit for brigades of 3,000 or 5,000 men, but in the flat plain these armies did spread out a bit. On the other hand, in the hilly country, enemy units were known to pass right by each other unawares. Units will however keep their ZOCs in hilly country.
The main challenge has been to create a "March Table" for each of the opposing armies. This is a table with each of the major formations (divisions for the French, "columns" for the Austrians), and a line for each day of the campaign, allowing us to trace the morning positions of all the forces throughout the ten day period. This also allows us to create initiative ratings for the leaders based upon their actual performance. (A similar table for each army is included in "1806.") I must add that Bernhard's book on Castiglione was invaluable in the creation of the march tables.
The final tables bear almost no resemblance to an earlier draft ('92) based on available sources prior to the appearance of the Austrian book, in particular with respect to unit locations, and not merely for the Austrians but the French as well. That is so despite the fact that I had access to at least one of Bernhard's main sources, "Bonaparte vor Mantua" (Bonaparte Before Mantova).
It is a seemingly bewildering campaign, but it helps to note the aims of Bonaparte and Wuermser. The Austrian sought to lift the siege of Mantua, at least long enough to destroy the French siege works and restock the supplies of the fortress. Bonaparte's initial aim was to cover the siege.
However, the Austrian right pincer under Quosdanovich, emerged from the mountains onto the French LOC and captured the supply depots at Brescia. When he realized the siege would have to be lifted, Bonaparte ordered Serurier's forces out of the trenches and back to Marcaria, his alternate supply source. He then assembled a force to retake Brescia, while simultaneously threatening Quasdanovich's line by Salo. The Austrians on this wing could not retake Salo and thereupon withdrew. Bonaparte thereupon turned about and concentrated four of his six divisions against Wuermser's second and third columns, and defeated him at Castiglione.
The French player's forces are arrayed at start in the middle of the map, halfway between Quasdanovich's and Wuermser's two pincers moving from opposite corners of the map. Thus it is for the French Player, as it was for Bonaparte, a very tense situation; and - if Quasdanovich's first column manages to hold both Brescia and Salo as Wuermser approaches toward Castiglione - a very tight space.
Back to OSG News September 1999 Table of Contents
Back to OSG News List of Issues
Back to Master Magazine List
© Copyright 1999 by Operational Studies Group.
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