Clash at Sippitz Bridge, 1812 - Part 3 (Blucher BatRep)

Here is part 3, the final part, to the Clash at Sippitz Bridge AAR for Blucher. Take note this battle was played SOLO. If you haven't read the previous parts, here are the links below.

Part 1
Part 2

As the fighting had lulled over near the bridge, drums were beating on the Saxon part of the field. Knowing full well their orders to "...defend the gap at all cost" was about to be put to the test, the Saxon commander made a bold choice. Upon seeing the Russian columns of infantry pause their advance upon them, and taking on the example of the French dragoons, the orders were issued to advance on the enemy before them! Defensive posture abandoned, the white columns began their advance. Cannon let loose the final volley, and the drums beat a quick pace. The Russians would be caught flat-footed with such surprise.

The Saxon counter-attack!

The Bridge is Taken!

The battle at Sippitz bridge was getting pretty desperate at this point - at least from the French perspective. Having been pounded heavy by the Russians, the French units close to the fighting at the bridge were worn. SO sudden was the attack there by the Russians that the French command could not react quick enough to support the immediate defenses. There was little standing in the way of the green-coats as they sent fresh troops to seize the bridge itself. The time had arrived for the Russians to take advantage of the French withdrawal from the bridge.

However, not all was lost. Just as the Russians began crossing the river, the arrival of a brigade of dragoons rushing on from the right bolstered the French defense at the river line. As the French infantry along the river began shifting to their left towards the bridge itself, the fresh dragoons were falling in place in preparation of a valiant charge on the approaching columns of green-coats - still wading through the rough waters.

Almost like a well orchestrated symphony, the French infantry and dragoons separate but effective attacks on the approaching Russians. Although the infantry assault against the grenadiers at the bridge was repulsed, the dragoons were most effective, routing many of the Russians in mid-stream. Bugles sounded countless charges on the green clad infantry laboring to cross the waters and get a foothold.

Though the bridge had been taken and held by the Russian grenadiers, those crossing the river made no success on the enemy. The French dragoons had held them back, preventing a total rout from the field. But all was not lost. If the bridge could be held and the Saxons broken, the path would be clear to the enemy supply lines; a rout would ensue.



The Russian grenadiers moves up and captures the bridge. The Russians begin shifting their artillery towards
the Saxon position.

The French make one final push to retake the bridge. To the far right can be seen the Dragoons charging headlong in to
the Russians as they are caught midstream.

Although the French infantry were repulsed, the dragoons soundly defeated the Russians crossing, driving them
from the field.

The Saxon Counter-Attack...

The French dragoons launched hard in to the enemy cavalry which had up till now been re-grouping in front of the field. However, the sudden shock and surprise of the dragoons had left their line in shambles. Many had withdrawn in to the field itself seeking better positioning. Unfortunately this exposed the Russian infantry columns to a vicious flank attack! by both the dragoons and Saxon infantry. This was a mistake the Russians would not recover from. Even with a brigade of grenadiers sent from reserve to support them, it was too late. All along the front the Saxons pushed forward with great success. The Russian columns were falling back!

As the left flank of the Russian battle-line began to crumble, French dragoons began piercing deep through the gap, making their way to the enemy supply lines. The Russians had no way to counter this sudden assault. It was only then, with the failing of the river crossing near the Sippitz bridge, and the sudden counter attack launched by the Saxons, that the Russians began to call a withdrawal of their forces. Reserves meant to bolster the attack, were instead given the task of rear-guard! The battle was all but lost. The assault of the Sippitz bridge had failed, even with the bridge being captured. The field could not be held.


The French dragoons defeat the enemy cavalry, pursuing them through the fields. The Russian advance begins to falter
and fall back from the oncoming Saxons.

As the Russians commit a brigade of grenadiers to stiffen the defense, the Saxons launch an attack, supported by the
dragoons hitting the flank!

Thr Russians line begins to collapse as the Saxons and dragoons turn the flank of the Russian line.

With the Russian infantry pinned, the dragoons break through! In the distance a brigade rides deep towards the enemy
supply lines - the objective.

 

The Rear Guard Fights On...

With all of the Russian reserve committed, there was only one alternative at this point: slow the Saxon advance! The late arrival of the grenadiers meant they themselves would fill that role quite nicely. Although not their original intent, a slow reacting Russian high command fit them in that role.

The combined French dragoons and Saxon infantry took advantage of their ideal positioning to launch headlong into the grenadiers, flanking them. However, the resolute grenadiers held their ground, as unprepared as they were for the assault. Time was bought, the Saxons were repulsed, and the army would indeed escape. The battle was indeed over. Sippitz Bridge would once again fall to the control of the French.

As the Russians battle-line falls apart, only the grenadiers remain to slow the advance of the Saxons.

A final assault on the Russian grenadiers is launched...

... but to no avail! The Russians would escape as the rear guard of grenadiers holds off the attack.

Post-Battle Thoughts...

After 27 turns, the battle had come to an end. Although the Russians had managed to capture the bridge, they could not secure the open ground to the right of the forest and river. The Saxon's counter-attack, combined with confusion in the ranks of the Russian high command, could not muster the effort needed to secure the open ground. The bridge itself was a hard fought reward for the Russians, but it was to no avail in the end. Casualties were very high in the end, high enough to cause much concern among the Russian generals. No, the bloodshed would end, and battle would be fought under more favorable conditions - not here.

A look at the at the battlefield as the Russians count their losses and begin to withdraw, having been defeated by the
combined French-Saxon force. The Russians would abandon the bridge by day's end.

What an exciting battle this was! As you can see, there were a few very memorable moments, full of drama. The fight at the bridge was dramatic, and was followed as dramatically by the final capture and crossing of the Russians. I imagined the Russian columns beating drum as they marched with banners brought forward over the river. Only the grenadiers attacking the small hill to the left of the bridge was a let down for the Russians. In hindsight, that one weakened unit of cavalry managed to keep that French infantry pinned on that hill, thus effectively taken out of the fight once the grenadiers were routed.

It goes without saying that the fight on the French right was as exciting as it gets. The French had little hope of regaining the Sippitz bridge at this point, but had a chance to cause some great casualties among the Russians with a bold counter-attack. A bold counter-attack is just what they did, supported by the French dragoons of course. In fact, if it wasn't for the French defeating the Russian cavalry in this flank, I don't think the Saxons would have been as successful.

Tactics-wise, I really made poor use of the Russian artillery. They were really needed to support the attack early on, but me forgetting to reserve move them was definitely a mistake.

Something must be said of the Russian MO rolls - or card-draws in my case, as a couple times they ran out of MO on the third draw of the cards (equal to rolling "snake-eyes"). They really couldn't get a break regarding limited MO in the second half of the battle. Such is fate. In such cases it is best to be effeciant in choice of orders to carry out. Lesson learned!

Check out the Blucher rules here.

Clash at Sippitz Bridge, 1812 - Part 2 (Blucher BatRep)

Here is part two to my SOLO battle using the Blucher rules. If you missed part one, click the link below to have a read of that first :)

Clash at Sippitz Bridge, PART 1

Blood at Sippitz Bridge...

(Rules Note: the colored chips represent objective markers in this battle. The blue ones show French control, while the white represent Russian control.)

The fighting at the bridge was intense. Four Russian brigades - including Hussar, musketeers, and grenadiers - pushed forward at what seemed all cost. All around the bridge, Russian columns entered the river and engaged the French. One dramatic moment was to the French left portion of the bridge defense. The French had moved a brigade of infantry to a strong position atop a small hill overlooking the Russian crossing point. These Russians were slowed by the efforts of a small brigade of Hussars who engaged the enemy cavalry making the crossing. Although doing little damage, it did slow the advance. Those brave lads would then withdraw beyond the hill, well out of sight of the Russian advance. All was well, the time bought allowed the French to take up a strong defended position upon the slopes.

Intense fighting around Sippitz bridge. The Russian columns cross the river and assault the flanks of the bridge.

The Russians crossed relentlessly. It was obvious that the French defenders on the bridge itself were not going to just wither away. The assaults on the flanks of the bridge must prevail if the bridge was to be taken.

As the drums beat, and the trumpets sounded, the Russians on the French left forced the crossing and began a desperate assault on the French overlooking the river from the hill. Well positions, the French fought long and hard. On the Right of the bridge, Russian cannon fire pounded the French defenders. The combined fire of cannon and musket were having great effect on the defenders, who began to waver. The Russians were forcing them back!

On the hill itself, the Russians met with little success. The grenadiers, supported by cavalry could not break the well positioned defenders and they were forced back across the river; the grenadiers were defeated!

On the left can be seen Russian grenadiers and cavalry assaulting the French flank guards on the hill - an attack that would fail. To the right of the bridge however, the French positions were abandoned.



As the afternoon worn on, the effectiveness of the Russian guns was apparent. A huge gap to the right of the bridge appeared as the French withdrew from the river defense. Only a lone brigade remained holding the line. The Russians had forced the enemy from the bridge! Only on the French left did the Russians fail to gain ground. The time was ripe for the Russians to move forward with what reserves they had and seize the Sippitz bridge!

 

(Rules note: The Russian cannon were not used much in fact. Early on I had forgot to move them in range with a nice reserve move! I ended up moving them slowly off the hill and forward quite a few turns. In addition, Russian MO was limited a few times and I never had the chance to fire them when I needed to. However, near the end they DID manage some effective fire on the French brgade directly to the right of the bridge - which proved decisive.)

 

The fighting died down near the bridge as both sides began to adjust to the circumstances. The Russians advanced another brigade of fresh grenadiers from reserve to take the bridge proper, as the French withdrew. Only on the slopes of the hill on the French left did the Russians find difficulty. The Russians would hold their cavalry here and pin the defenders on the hill - which was of no value at this point, as the Sippitz bridge was the real objective.

 

The bridge area has been cleared. The French begin to fall back from the intense fighting, and the Russians following up. Russian grenadiers coming from reserve have moved on to the bridge itself.

The smoke begins to clear, as the forces reveal themselves. The Russian grenadiers on the bridge have little opposing them as they move to secure the Sippitz bridge.

The fighting at Sippitz bridge has died down. The Russians have committed their last reserve brigade to the securing of the bridge itself; fresh grenadiers move up!

The French Dragoons Take Action...

With the fighting at the bridge slowing down, both sides took stock in their forces. The Russians would begin a push to cross the river once again and drive what remains of the French defense - the French having no remaining reserves in the area. However, not all was lost. Musket fire could be heard on the French right where the Saxons were holding the only route, free of the slowing river waters, to the French supply lines beyond.

The French reserve cavalry were not unaware of the events happening at the Sippitz bridge. In fact, a full brigade of dragoons had been dispatched to cross the river and lend aide to the defenders. Would they arrive in time to support a counter attack on the Russians and re-take the bridge? Would it even be enough to turn the tide?! Such questions would have to wait, fore at the moment the Saxons were about to write their own little piece in this story of battle.

On the French right the fight is just beginning! The French dragoon brigades from reserve are rushing to the flank of the Saxons to prevent a Russian break through. Also note to the far left a brigade of dragoons is moving to cross the river and support the defense at the Sippitz bridge!

The Stage is Set...

Much had transpired in the Saxon sector as the fighting at the Sippitz bridge was going on. Both sides had fought a great cavalry battle on the right of the position. Initially the Russian horse had won and drove the French Hussar before them. Pulling back to regroup, the French through forward their dragoons held (Rules note:previously in reserve. Such was a necessity in order to preserve the Saxon right flank. However, this was not just a defensive movement on the part of the French. Instead, as word of the fighting near the bridge had reached the commanders here, thoughts of a counter-attack prevailed. The Saxons would advance, supported by the attacks of the French dragoons!

Confusion began to fill the ranks of the Russian command. Their attack against the Saxon position began to falter and slow just as the Saxons began to sound the advance. Up until this point, the infantry of both sides had been content enough to sit back and commence a musket/cannon dual - having little major effect; the Saxon guns having wasted much ammo. Smartly, the Saxon gun commanders held the last of their ammunition for the defense of the position - or in this case, the counter-attack!

(Rules Note: The Saxon cannon proved very ineffective up to this point. They fired many times at long range on the advancing infantry columns with little if any success. I decided it would be in their best interest to save at least one or two shots for defense/canister fire. Useful as the Saxons were about to counter-attack.

Prior to the counter attack, I had all the infantry "prepared", which is very useful against a mounted enemy. Of course the Russians had no artillery in this area, so I kept them prepared even against the advancing Russian infantry.)

As the Russians columns advance, the Saxons break from their prepared positions and begin a counter-assault, supported by the advancing French dragoons.

The Saxons take the offensive against the oncoming Russians. The stage is set!

Thus concludes part two of this battle. The stage is indeed set for the deciding moment of this little battle. Everything depends on what happens on the French right as the Saxons and French dragoons launch a counter-attack on the advancing Russians - who seem to be left out to dry! No artillery support? Where is their reserve? We shall see. Stay tuned for part three :)

As it stands, the Russians have brought the French to about half way to their army break point. However, the Russians have also suffered some loss. Both sides also made use of the retirement rules to remove units on the verge of breaking. Smart moves actually. If the Russians can capture the Saxon objective they will secure a win at the end of the day (30 turns). Otherwise, unless one side withdraws, the battle will be a draw. It IS possible for the French to gain a win as well by capturing all the objectives at the end of the battle as well, but that doesn't seem likely at this point. But, you NEVER really know. Lets see what happens next! :)

Here is the FINAL part
... part 3

-Kurtus

Clash at Sippitz Bridge, 1812 - Part 1 (Blucher BatRep)

I had some free time tonight to do some more demo games of Blucher, and so far it is a blast. Very impressed by how well the rules play, and the feel of a Napoleonic battle it provides. Of course, I am playing this one out solo again. Also, I am using 3 cm BW for this battle, played on a 2' x 3' area. Hope to get some bigger unit battles in later when I am more use to the rules. For now this is perfect for testing out the rules.




A grand look at the forces deployed. French are the defender holding the BLUE markers; Russians hold
the single white objective.

Small battle really. Just decided to throw down what seemed interesting. A basic rundown is as follows:


French

-Cavalry Corps: 3 x Dragoon and 2 x Hussar brigades

-Infantry Corps: 5 Infantry brigades, 1 x Hussar brigade, and a massed battery of foot guns

-Saxon Corps: 3 x Infantry brigades and a massed battery of foot guns

 

Russians

-Cavalry Corps: 3 x brigades of cavalry

-Infantry Corps: 6 x Infantry brigades

-Infantry Corps: 2 x Infantry, 2 x grenadier, and 1 x cavalry brigades

-Massed Artillery: 2 x massed batteries of foot guns

Once again I was using a deck of 12 cards instead of rolling dice for each sides MO dice. A nifty SOLO rules I picked up from the Honour Games forum. Small battle, so instead of rolling 2d6 for each sides MO I drew the proper number of cards instead. One Joker was in the deck: if drawn the MO has been reached and the Move phase comes to an end.

The Initial Moves...



The French infantry corps along the river bank.

 

The Saxons deployed and looking on. The French cavalry corps can be seen in reserve.

 



The Russian cavalry corps rides forward to screen the infantry advance while scouting the enemy positions.

On the Russian right, the infantry advance on the bridge while under the guns of the French, grenadiers in reserve.

 Cavalry Clash!

The fight on the French right was interesting. The Russians advanced all their cavalry up to scout out my Saxons. In response, I sent up the Hussars from reserve to screen them. This resulted in some grand melees in the center between both sides cavalry. The Russians managed to win this, out numbering the French 3:2. However, the Saxons were able to put down some good musket and cannon fire in support. The French were forced to commit another unit from the cavalry reserve - Dragoons in this case - in order to cover the Hussar withdrawal and prevent the Russian horsemen from flanking the Saxon line. On top of this, the Saxon guns had wasted a great deal of their ammo firing at these cavalry. Not a good thing as the Russian infantry - three brigades worth - were about to get in range! The fight here would be interesting in the upcoming turns. But at the moment, the Saxons were firmly in control of the objective, backed up by the French dragoons.

This stage of the battle also saw the first loss of the battle: a French Hussar brigade was broken - and the second about to be retired!

French Hussars move up to screen the Saxons.

 

The opposing cavalry skirmish each other as the Russian infantry close in. The Saxon guns engage the Russian cavalry
with some success.

 

The Russain cavalry strikes! A swirl of horseman engage, the French out numbered.

The French withdraw what remains of their Hussar brigades. The Russian numbers were too much.

With the Russian cavalry exposed, the Saxons open up with close range volley fire, causing considerable discomfort
 to the enemy. Note on the far right some French dragoons have moved from reserve to cover the Saxon flank
and retreating Hussars.

Attack on the Sippitz Bridge

Meanwhile, over on the French left, the battle was heating up! The Russians made a few mistakes and couldn't get their cannon in range quick enough to support their advancing infantry - I forgot to use the reserve move for them!

 

The Russian musketeers advanced quickly to attack the bridge directly, supported by grenadiers in the rear. A brigade of Hussar threatened the French left of the bridge. This forced the French to show their hand and commit their reserve to prevent a break through on the left of the bridge.

 

At this point the Russians moved up more infantry to engage the French all along the river itself. Although the Russian cavalry attempting to out-flank the French by crossing the river early was repulsed, the battle could go either way in this sector. The next few turns should tell what will happen next

Intense fighting at the bridge!

Note the French hussars cover the left flank of the bridge, spotting the enemy cavalry and a brigade of grenadiers
 advancing.

The Russians keep up the pressure by sending forward more infantry to support the assault on the bridge.

The French defense along the river is engaged on all fronts.

A look at the battlefield after 8 turns.

After eight turns, and both side having completed four each, the French only have a reserve of TWO dragoon units - backing up the Saxons; the Russians have a couple infantry units - at least one is grenadier. The battle is now well underway, and the next few turns will be bloody.

Here is the link to PART TWO of this battle. :)

Stay tuned for the next few turns to follow :)

Representing a BIG Battle with Blucher

The versatility of the Blucher rules is very refreshing after playing so many sets of rules over the years. One area that really is appealing to me is how easy it is to fight a battle on a small area with fewer miniatures - and I am talking about big battles here, not small actions.

French Brigades mounted for the Blucher rules.

Over the weekend I fought out several large engagements featuring at least three to four corp per army - French v. Russia in this case. To show off some of the scaling options available to Blucher players, I used a BW of 3cm with infantry units two stands strong, artillery and cavalry one stand strong. Each unit of course representing an historical brigade of 1,500 - 3,000 men. With such a small BW to be used for the battles, a small play area was required. In my case this was a 2' x 3' board - PERFECT.

A French corps deployed for battle. 6cm BW is my standard, with 4-6 stand units. Perfect for a 6' x 4' table-top.

The same French corp represented with 3cm BW's. Units are basically half sized, and thus half the table space is required.

The changes of course had no effect whatsoever on the game-play. The only change was the size of the units on the table-top and the basic measuring distance for all shooting, movement, etc. Normally I would be using units of six infantry stands and four cavalry/artily stands for each unit, and the BW would be 6cm on a 6' x 4' table. Such a larger representation of units looks fantastic, giving that "mass" feel and look to the battle. But that isn't the only way to play of course, demonstrated here.

A smaller practice battle in preparation for the weekend using the smaller scale to represent units - 3cm BW.

This versatility is wonderful. It means I can have somewhat faster moving battles on a much smaller table-top without sacrificing any of the rules used in Blucher.



Some of my  Blucher DIY cards I down loaded from the Honour Games website.

Of course, Blucher is only one part of my journey through the Napoleonic wars. Other fantastic rules are in my clutches and not only are great reads, but wonderful games as well. 2016 will be a wonderful year of battle, to be sure.

Just Made Some Dice Pods!

The other day I spent some time making some little "dice pods"; small 20mm bases textured with a pocket to hold a small micro-die. Handy to say the least! I can use these little gems with most of the rules I play, including L'Art de la Guerre, Black Powder, GdB, and Blucher. Although I am no fan of blatant markers on the tabletop, I can't deny the usefulness of these little guys. Perhaps I will make some with casualty models on tem, or broken wagon wheels, etc. For the moment these work just fine.

The little 5mm sized dice fit snuggly in the "pod" so they won't get lost.

Different colors of dice work perfect. I also like the bases being flat/square so that they fit along side units.

Random Thoughts on Napoleonic Rules

(NOTE: Random thoughts alert! I am writing this way too early in the morning for me.)

For anyone that follows my other blogs - or YouTube channel - you will know that the Napoleonic period is new to me in terms of wargaming. Not that I am new to the history, as new to collecting and fighting battles on the tabletop. However, I did read quite a few rules sets back in the day, such as WRG 1685 rules, Napoleon, Napoleon's Campaigns in Miniature, Empire V, Tricolor, etc. I even played a few battles with my 1:72 scale plastic toy soldiers. However, this exposure led me to believe that I would never be able to afford all the real painted -up minis the period seemed to suggest I needed. I mean, back in those days you needed hundreds upon hundreds of painted miniatures to fully appreciate the era. The research was no big deal, although that could also be somewhat intimidating.



My growing collection of 10mm Napoleonics.

As time went by, I soon got distracted by other periods, and other rules. Now a days I am a big fan of WW II history and wargaming, as well as another long time favorite of mine, ancients! Such wonderful periods to collect and play. However, it wasn't until I explored the wonderful scale of 10mm miniatures that I actually considered going back to that wonderful horse & musket era we call Napoleonics!. Oh boy!

I have been madly painting and collecting my new found love - 10mm miniatures - for the armies of France and Russia during the 1812 invasion of Russia. While doing this I have also been looking deeply at a whole slew of rules sets currently on the market. Surprisingly, I have found very few that stand out for me. Keep in mind, wargaming to me is a very personal thing. I have my likes, and my dislikes, which you may agree with or not. Doesn't really matter since this is my hobby, as much as it is yours. We all have our own likes and dislikes, and that's all well and good.



A mass of French on the march!

The rules that do stand out for me at the moment are General de Brigade - it has the tactical old school feel of Napoleonic battle, Blucher - because of its really well written, easy to play, and grand flavor I like -, and  Black Powder - due to its simple nature and "tool-box" like usefulness. There are a few others I can see myself playing as well, or at least having a go with just out of curiosity: Lasalle, Elan Deluxe, R&E, and Napoleon's Battles IV. I am still not fully convinced on any of these rules except for the three I first mentioned above.

Saxons!

One thing I also intend to do is try out all those old sets of rules I explored in my early days of wargaming - like WRG 1685, and Tricolor. Why? Because of the nostalgia, if nothing else. I have heard good things about some of these rules, and some folks still play these rules to this day! Says a lot about them to be sure. But for me, it is more about going back to a time when I thought I would never be able to afford the massive collection I am working on today. Back to a time when I would read these rules sets and just dream... and dream. Now, here I am, and I can actually play these rules! Imagine that?!? Ahhh... dreams do come true, now don't they?!

BatReps to follow! Onwards my friends.