Spring 1813 Campaign, Opening Moves

 

GM Michael Seibert gives an introduction to the Campaign and today's event.

James Sulzen gives his usual excellent capsule review of the Snappy Nappy rules, by Russ Lockwood. 

Coffee, doughnuts, and councils of war!

Table 15 - left is Prague with Schwarzenberg's Austrian Corps, neutral at the start of the Campaign; right is Torgau,  with 2 units of Saxon infantry, also neutral at this point. 

Close up of Prague...

and Torgau.

Von Bulow's Prussians start at Grossbeeren.  Potsdam is in the upper right.  

Table 11, Wittenberg. Snappy Nappy rules author Russ Lockwood, aka von Yorck and Russian General Berg (aka Kevin Roller) prepare to move out.  

Berg and Yorck on the march at Wittenberg.

A mass of French, including the two components of Ney's Corps (Girard and Souham) emerging from the Thuringerwald and crossing the River Saale at Jena, whilst Mortier's Imperial Guard infantry crosses the Saale at Saalfeld. 

French troops, lead by Matour-Maubourg's cavalry Corps, crossing the Elbe at Bernberg. 

French at Erfurt and Weimar; Bessieres and the Imperial Guard cavalry in the lead, followed by General Bertrand's Corps.

The Emperor himself appears!

Marechal Oudinot's French and Bavarians marching through Hof. 

Table 13, Bautzen, with the Russian Reserve Corps under Tormasov (Brian Carmody)

Tormasov on the march out of Gorlitz and Bautzen. Note the supply marker at Gorlitz; that is the road to Breslau, the Russian supply route!

Allied C-in-C Michael Kneis, aka Wittgenstein (Kutusov dies right as the campaign commences, causing command problems on the Russsian side) and a horde of Russians, including Winzingerode (Peter Villani) at Altenburg, Table 4.

Brandan Shaw, aka Prussian General von Bulow, at Grossbeeren

Rolando Pantoja, aka Russian General Milleradsovitsch, at Dresden, Table 10

Russians prepare to move out of Dresden.

Left to right,  General Girard (William Neyland), Marechal Ney and General Souham  (Mark McLaughlin), and Marechal Mortier with the Imperial Guard Infantry (Bennet Kneis), at Jena, table 2.

Emperor Napoleon (James Carmody), Bertrand (Nate Seibert), and Marechal Bessieres (Mitch Abrams) with the Imperial Guard Cavalry, at Weimar, Table 1. 

The blue poker chip indicates French control of Weimar, which is also a supply center for the French (green and brown marker). 

The well dressed Marechal Oudinot (Rob Painter), and Marechal Marmont (James Sulzen), en route from Hof, table 3.

All quiet at Prague and Torgau. 

At the beginning of the game, I played 2 swarms of annoying Cossack scouts and raiders for the GM; here is one group scouting Lutzen and Naumburg (Table 5). The Cossacks could change a supply site (poker chip) to neutral from French, but not to Allied. As in the actual campaign, the French were every short of cavalry, so chasing off these annoying gnats was not so easily done. 

The other Cossack group is at Zweikau,  a "Transit Table", a new concept for this campaign, that GM Mike adapted from an Australian Peninsular Snappy Nappy Campaign in a Day.  Some roads exiting a table will direct a players forces to one of these transit tables, usually with a 5 - 10 minute delay, after which the troops usually have at least 2 choices of where to proceed to (as well as withdrawing from whence they came). If an enemy force enters, the larger force will ordinarily push the smaller force back out of the Transit table. 

The flip side of the Zweikau (not to be confused with the lesser, Einkau) Transit table, only turned after the requisite delay, reveals options for departure. 

Some Prussian Dragoons on the more complex Bad Duben transit table. 

Cossacks scout Hof and see Frenchmen off in the distance!

Cossacks scout the Lutzen table and find it empty. 

More Cossacks in transit through Zweikau. Eventually I turned these horsemen of the steppes over to local Allied commanders who could use them. 

French (and Baden) vanguard under General Girard arrives at Altenburg... and finds a great many Russians, joined by Prussian Feldmarchal Blucher (Kevin Carroll, left).

Von Yorck marching on the Halle Table, #6

On this earlier table map, the road from Mersberg to the East is not shown. 

All roads lead to Leipzig!  Prussian General von Bulow, Russian C-in-C, and Russian General von Berg

arrive at the large Saxon city. 

My Cossacks discover (and retreat from) a French Corps arriving  at Chemnitz. The Cossack leader composes a brief missive to his C-in-C, advising him of the French advance. In this campaign, due to the roving Cossacks and the poor numbers and quality of French Light cavalry, there was a significant chance of French messages being intercepted - I think 25 - 30%! Communication between players, especially to and from the C-in-C is vital in these events, and an exchange of messages can take 20 - 30 minutes real game time. Ouch!

Marechal Ney on the march from Jena, Table 2.

Generals Latour-Maubourg's cavalry corps ( Karl Newbauer) left,  and  Prince Eugene/Lauriston (Sean Seibert), right, marching on the Bernberg table, #7. Bertrand is working on a pontoon bridge across the Elbe; although both sides had 2 Pontoonier/Engineer units, this would prove to be the only bridging operation attempted during the Campaign!

Marmont's Corps advances upon Chemnitz, as the Cossacks scurry off.

Prussian and Russian forces secure Leipzig. 

Marmont detaches an infantry Brigade to... ?

Generals von Bulow and Berg at Leipzig. 

Prussian General von Yorck is displeased to see the arrivals of  three French commanders at Halle:  General Bertrand, Marechal Bessieres, and  Marechal MacDoanld (Steve Tarro). 

The allies deploy at Altenburg, threatening a warm reception to any arriving Frenchmen (and their Rhine Confederation lackeys). 

Marechal Ney directs the deployment of the arriving French and Badeners. 

As General Lauriston's conscript heavy Corps exits from Bernberg, General Reynier's  (Rich Moore) weak Corps (no Saxon troops at this point), picks up some odd Polish and Westphalian garrison troops to improve his combat potential, and march off to a different drummer. 

Marechal Marmont holds Chemnitz, and dispatches brigades of infantry in many directions to gather information; he is severely feeling the lack of any Cavalry to perform these duties!

"Cows may safely Graze" at Bernberg - the French have left. 

Funfkau! They will not be made in to Boeuf Bourguignon today!

The French have left some conscripts to garrison Jena and environs.

Wurttembergers in garrison at Lutzen.

Latour-Maubourg arrives at Wittenberg.

Two French Corps converge on von Yorck at Halle; perhaps discretion is the better part of valor. But what will the Allied C-in-C have to say about it?  Note the road signs, made by GM Mike!

As general Milleradsovitch prepares to depart from Altenburg, a new French force under Marechal Oudinot arrives via a different route!

Overview of the tables circa 12 noon. 

Latour Mauborg's French Cavalry Corps on the march through Wittenberg.

Napoleon himself visits to assess the developments at Halle. 

French Infantry and Cavalry at Wittenberg. 

Prussians under von Bulow and Russians under General Berg at Leipzig. 

Marmont's scouts encounter the Russian Imperial Guard and reserves under general Tormasov at Dresden!

French Infantry (MacDonald) and Cavalry (Latour-Mauborg) marching from Wittenberg; note the green chip denoting Russian control of Treuenbreitzen for supply purposes; that will not be the case much longer!

The Allies have departed from Leipzig, leaving a small garrison. 

Milleradsovitsch's Russians march back towards Altenburg, as the battle there is well under way, with four French and three Allied players engaged!