Recently, the members of the Wargame Section of the MFCA met at Bob Wall's house to refight the Battle of Austerlitz. This group holds a big wargame every 4 to 5 weeks, with each member serving as host and umpire. The rules and situations were worked out by Bob Wall, and his gracious wife, Marian, served some very delicious pizza rolls.

Scenario Set Up

INSTRUCTIONS TO THE ALLIED COKIAINDER (Charlie Youngblood)

The date is Dec. 2, 1805, and you are Tzar Alexander I. You command a mixed army of Austrians and Russians. Most of the Russians have never been under fire and the Austrians have suffered two defeats earlier in the Campaign. You have consolidated your forces and now outnumber the French in your area by a margin of 8 to 5. Napoleon appears to be withdrawing and has abandoned the choice terrain of the Pratzen Heights to you. The Pratzen commands the entire area and, if properly defended, is almost impregnable. If you hold Napoleon in an indecisive action, you still win, for Prince John (90,000 men - 300 figures) will fall upon Napoleon's rear. If you can defeat Napoleon at Austerlitz, of course his campaign will collapse into confusion and failure, Prussia will then join your coalition, and united, France cannot withstand you.

Beware however, for your informants in France and the Austrians claim. Napoleon has forged a new type of Army. They council Caution. On the other hand you outnumber Napoleon 8-5, outgun him 2-1, have a larger cavalry force and hold the better terrain.

Note: 1 figure on the game board represented 300. A bit of rearraging was done by Bob to make a more uniform battle.

ALLIED ARMY

Mike Ferguson

Kienmeyer - 5,100 cavalry (17)
Doctorov - 8,500 infantry (28)
Langeron - 11,700 infantry (42)

Charles Youngblood

Prbzyswski - 10,000 infantry (33)
Kollowrath - 23,900 infantry (80)

Bob Melillo

Constantine - 3,500 Guard infantry (16)
Lichtenstein - 4,600 cavalry (17)

Carl Johnson

Bagration - 13,000 infantry
Artillery - 6 field guns (4-man crews on the gameboard)

INSTRUCTIONS TO THE FRENCH COMMANDER (Dave Geisz)

The date is Dec. 2, 1805, and you are the newly crowned Emperor Napoleon. You have postponed your plans to invade England when attacked by the Austrians and Russians. You have driven relentlessly down the Danube to Vienna and won two major victories. The enemy has constantly slipped out of your traps and are still intact. You must win a decisive victory now or your campaign will disintegrate.

You know your Army is the finest in Europe and you have laid a trap to entice your cautious enemy to give battle. You have given up the Pratzen Heights to the enemy which commands the entire battlefield. You have a better army and will probably beat them if you can get them to stand and fight.

When all of your reserves reach the board they will only outnumber you by 8-7. The mobility and morale factors are in your favor.

FRENCH ARMY

Geisz

Lannes - 19,200 infantry (64)
Guard - 5,500 Guard Infantry and Cavalry (16) and (6)
Murat - 5,600 cavalry (24)

Ed Miller

Bernadotte - 13,000 infantry (43)

Jerry Hedges

Soult - 23,600 infantry (73)
Davout - 6,600 infantry (21)
Artillery - 3 horse guns (8-man crews on the Gameboard)

RULES

1. Movement

Allies
Infantry: 3" in line, 5" in column, 1" addition on road
Cavalry: 6" open order or line, 8" in column, 2" additional on roads
Guns: 3" at all times, except 4" on roads. May move or fire, not both. Lose 2" for uphill, lose 1 turn for crossing streams

French
Infantry: 4" in line, 6" in column, 1" addition on road, 6" at all times for Guards and Legere
Cavalry: 7" open order or line, 9" in column, 2" additional on roads
Guns: 6" at all times, except 8" on roads. Lose 2" for uphill, lose 3" for crossing streams. May move 4" and fire once. May move 3" and fire twice.

Column - 3 stands deep

2. Musket Fire

Range equals 10" same
Effectiveness: see table
Allies: Move 2" and fire
French: Move 3" and fire

3. Artillery Fire (24" range)
Estimate distance, indicate direction, you call it, you get it.
Maximum killed by round shot is one figure
Allies: Fire one round per turn
French: Fire two rounds per turn
Allies: Each gun is supplied with 10 rounds: 5 solid and 5 canister
French: Each gun supplied with 20 rounds: 10 solid and 10 canister
Both: Must indicate what's loaded on orders
Firing is line of sight
Hits against troops on hill must be confirmed with 2/4/6
Hits against troops in villages must be confirmed with a 6

Note - a template, v shaped was used for canister.

5" 5/6 saves
4" 4/5/6 saves
3" 3/4/5/6 saves
2" 2/3/4/5/6 saves
1" automatic kill

4. Melee

count point value of troops and multiply by the die roll
Loser loses 20% (minimum 1 figure). Winner loses 10% of loser's total.
Winner can pursue without reforming
Troops which have lost a melee must continue to retreat as long as they are pursued unless reinforced by fresh troops (25%) or reformed by a staff officer.

5. Point Values

Unit	Allies	French
infantry	1 point	1 point
cavalry	1 1/2 points	2 points
Guard	2 points	2 points
guns	0 points	0 points
artillerymen	0 points	1/2 point

Note - a maximum of 3 figures may occupy a village. They have supported fire and each will kill one enemy by rolling a 6 on the die. They are counted double in melee and cannot be attacked by cavalry. A Maximum of 10 figures may attack a village. Hits against a village must be confirmed with a 5 or 6 on the die.

6. Winner of the Game is determined as follows:

1 point for each man alive on your side
1 point for each enemy killed
5 points for each village held
10 points for holding Bosenitz Hill
10 points for holding Santon Hill
20 points for holding Pratzen Heights
5 points for each captured Standard

If there is not a 10% difference in favor of the French, the Allies win

Wargame Battle Replay Narrative

Game starts at 4:30AM, half move, then each move takes one hour. Finishing time is 6 pm or a total of 15 game moves.

As the dawn lifted on that cold morning of December 2, 1805, the sound of weary feet were heard by the picket lines of both Armies. With the rising of the sun at 5AM a sudden fog descended in the vicinity of Goldbach Stream, hiding both Armies from each other. Where were they? What was happening? When would the fog lift and when it did, what would you find?

At 7AM the fog dissipated and the Allies on the Pratzen Heights could make out the columns of Lannes V Corps in long columns advancing towards the village of Blaswitz. The Guard, Horse guns, and a mass of Murat's cavalry with the Guard cavalry were advancing towards the Pratzen. Off in the distance Bernadette's I Corps could be seen on the road up back of Bosenitz Hill. Soult's IV Corps was now across the Goldbach Stream stretched between the villages of Teinitz and Puntowitz.

The 22,000 infantry of Doctorov and Langeron, backed by half the artillery and Kienmayer's Austrian cavalry, moved downward and off the crest of the Heights to give battle to the blue and brown coated IV Corps. There were rumers of Davout's III Corps approaching from the SW, but as of 9AM they were not in sight.

Krenowitz and Przbyawaki with 33,900 infantry formed a long triple line in the middle of the Pratzen with the Guard infantry and Lichtenstein's 4,600 cavalry in reserve by the town of Krenowitz. Two batteries were formed in the front lines to give a solid reception to the oncoming French, Bagration's 13,000 infantry and one battery held the junction of the road to Austerlitz and Olmutz. If Lannes' V Corps attempted a flanking movement on to the Pratzen then they in turn would be taken in flank.

Scattered firing broke out around 9AM. Dense clouds of smoke from the long firing lines of the Allies on the Heights as the french Guard and cavalry started to crest the Pratzen covered the battlefield. Suddenly St Hilaire's Division of the IV Corps joined the right flank of the French Guards. Murat's cavalry turned left and headed towards Bagration's Russians. It was too late. A Division of Lannes Corps, 6,300 strong with the 7,400 cavalry struck home--and sent part of the Russians to the rear in full flight!

A brigade attacked the village of Blaswitz and drove out the Austrian battalion in confusion. The Russian cavalry and Guard moved ifato position to check the masses of French Cavalry. The Allies on the heights shifted their lines and pulled tack about a half mile to try and outflank the oncoming French.

Soult, under orders, began pulling back towards the stream as he was outgunned in the firing line by 7 to 5 in infantry, 3 to 0 in artillery, and had no cavalry reserve. Davout's III Corps was in the distance and he needed the 6,600 men to support his line. Losses were mounting on both sides, but the French were getting the worst of it and could not afford the loss of life.

As the French Guard moved forward the Horse batteries unlimbered and opened fire with canister. St Hilaire's Division on their right flank were being shot down left and right, but the gave protection to the batteries. For three hours the fire poured forth from the guns of the French and decimated the ranks of the Russians, Austrians, and the Guards.

Murat's cavalry charged again, and again the Allies retreated before the flashing blades of the Cuirassiers. As the Horse guns advanced firing and the infantry closed, the smell of death filled the air. Three standards were captured by the French on the Pratzen Heights, along with the overrunning of two gun batteries.

Soult with Davout's Corps were being whittled away by the long Austrian firing lines. Keinmayer's cavalry crossed the stream and advanced towards the back of Bosenitz Hill. Bernadotte' I Corps took positions in the towns surrounding Bosenitz Hill and advanced a Division to meet a Division of Austrians from the middle of the Pratzen Heights, in front of Puntowitz. At 3PM Soult began the long retreat as he was now outgunned by 2 to 1. The Austrian cavalry were roaming on their flank and hie troops were needed to fight another day.

As the Pratzen Heights were being cleared by the French, part of Lannes' infantry and Murat's cavalry closed with the remaining Russians on the Austerlitz road. The Russian battery caught them in the flank with canister and the Russian infantry met the ill fated charge, drove it off in confusion, and presented the captured standard to their General.

It was now 4 PM and darkness was near. It was decided to access the battle at this point and if two more moves were needed, to continue for two more moves or until darkness fell at 6PM. At this point the Allies were ahead by 21 points and were declared the winners.

CONCLUSIONS

A discussion was held and the following observations were stated.

1.) The French Commander, Geisz, should not have feinted with his cavalry and guns, but run right down the road and defeated the Russian Corps in detail, then turned on the flank of the Heights. When he had the Russians on the run he should have pursued instead of turning his cavalry towards the Austrians. Of course, the enemy cavalry and Guards were on his flank, but that's the ballgame.

2.) Soult, Hedges, should have put Davout's infantry into the firing line, instead of keeping them in column and he with the faster light infantry could have kept himself out of range of most of Mike Fegurson's long firing lines.

Map