Po Valley Campaign - The Battle of Piacenza

After rattling through April and May map moves and the Battle of Parma last week, I was slow getting down to the Battle of Piacenza. Finally I got it done today.

This was another hard fought contest in terrain with lots of obstacles and cover. It was mostly an attritional slog in which the superior numbers of the Austro-Piedmontese prevailed.

3 turns in and the opposing columns are still marching up to compete for advantageous ground. (Bourbons from the left, Austro-Piedmontese from the right)

On the Bourbon left, infantry from Modena have occupied the Cascina and line of the stream. To their left Spanish dragoons have bounced Austrian cavalry who had crossed through the tree line.

Austrian foot in the centre have occupied a built up area with enclosures. Their brethren to their left have been battered by the Spanish guns in the foreground.

Turn 14. The Piedmontese (on the left of the Austrians) have finally formed up opposite the Neapolitans and both sides slugged it out for SEVERAL more turns.

Also turn 14. The Austrian advance in the centre has been shredded (note more the casualty markers on the right compared to those on the left of the picture). Despite this the two units centre right were to survive until the end. Across the tree line the combined Austrian grenadiers slug it out with Spanish infantry all game.

Another contest without decisive result. On the Austrian right repeated cavalry attacks fail to dislodge the Modenese infantry from the stream. I think I might upgrade the Modena troops following their experience.

After 25 turns the Neapolitans have broken. It was touch and go. Despite being outnumbered they made good use of the enclosure, inflicted as many hits on their Italian cousins from the north. The Piedmontese were the first to face a Wing Morale test but passed. Alas, King Carlos' men failed theirs. With stalemate in the centre and other wing, I called it a day and decided the Bourbon forces would retire in reasonable order and due to the terrain and losses on the Austrian cavalry, there would be no pursuit.

Following the game I diced for recovery of lost brigades and hits. The net outcome in terms of permanent losses are given below.

Bourbons

Neapolitans: Lost 1 brigade and 2 further hits on the remaining brigade.

Modenese: No hits

Spanish: lost 2 brigades inc the guards plus 2 further hits, no further hits on the cavalry

Austro-Piedmontese

Piedmontese: Lost 2 brigades and 3 further hits.

Austrians: 2 hits on cavalry, lost 1 infantry brigade, and 1 further hit. No further hits on artillery.

I'll work out what happens next in the campaign. I'm slightly concerned at the rate of attrition, especially for the Bourbons. Will they make it until the end of the year? Maybe the Bourbons need to lick their wounds and wait for winter for reinforcements. But can they do this without giving the Austrians a free hand to mop up Bourbon-aligned fortresses? It certainly looks like the Austrians are free to continue their siege of Piacenza. Will the Infante Felipe and Prince of Conti show their faces east of the Alpine passes again before the end of the campaigning season?

Po Valley Campaign - the Second Battle of Parma, 1742

The campaign finally kicked off today. The King of Sardinia with his Piedmontese army swiftly advanced on Ivrea to the north of Turin, on hearing of the combined Franco-Spanish army climbing the Alpine passes. Meanwhile the other Spanish army led by Montemar started crossing the Apennines on the route to Parma. The Bourbons (Spanish and allies) hoped to perform a two-pronged advance on Parma: Montemar from the south and the King of Naples and the small Modenese force under Francesco d'Este came from the east.

The cunning General Traun with his Austrian army based in Milan forestalled the Bourbons and arrived at Parma first. The Neapolitans and Modenese advanced slowly so as not to get caught by the stronger Austrian force. Montemar moved around Parma and attacked the Austrians from the north, hoping the King of Naples et al would arrive soon to back him up. The 30,000 Austrians turned to face Montemar (less than 23,000) who found he had to spend the first couple of hours on his own. [I diced to see whether the Italians would arrive for the start of the battle (no!) and then during the game from turn 7 on].

The situation after 2 map turns

I used the map for the actual Battle of Parma, 1734, where the Austrians faced the Franco-Piedmontese. The two opponents were placed roughly where the historical forces were (read Spanish for Franco-Piedmontese). Blogger is playing up and won't let me load the historic map for Parma, but the following are photos taken during the game played this evening.

Spanish to the north of the Piacenza road (E-W) and north east of the Cremona road (SE-NW). I've used 'earthworks' to denote the road is raised. 

The field is rather cramped with streams and rows of trees marking small tracks and field boundaries. No crops shown as it's early April. The Austrians outnumber the Spanish 6:1 in cavalry (all the Austrian cavalry are to the south east). The Spanish had a slight advantage in numbers of infantry and better quality with 12 battalions of guards. The Austrians had the upper hand in artillery.

The Austrians

The Spanish. Guards and cavalry on the right. The plan was to refuse this flank and attack in the centre through the farms and village of Crocetta (top left)

Battle is joined. The Spanish have seized Crocetta. The two sides would fight for hours around this area with musket and bayonet in a slow attritional struggle.

The city of Parma behind its walls to the east of the battlefield.

Finally the King of Naples arrives with his contingent in turn 10 (c 2 1/2 hours after the battle started). 

The King's arrival with 10,000 men evened up the numbers. Also marching to the sound of the guns is d'Este and the 5,000 Modenese. It would be a few more turns before they arrived, and tipped the numbers in favour of the Bourbon cause.

The end of a slow attritional battle. 

The Spanish in the Crocetta area had resisted manfully until the Austrians brought their heavy guns to bear and tipped the balance. Even then it was several turns before they were turfed out. On the left the Spanish almost turned the Habsburg position. Centre right saw a very lengthy firefight between the Spanish guards and the Austrian line infantry. Losses slowly mounted on both sides and the Spanish gradually retired to avoid being flanked by the Austrian cavalry. Talking of cavalry, other sides were underwhelming. The trees hindering movement and even then there were several refusals to charge by both sides. After 20 turns I called it a day. A slight advantage to the Austrians tactically and in terms of losses. But strategically they have failed to force the Habsburgs away from Parma. They cannot besiege the city under these circumstances. What will happen next?

Close up of the right centre at the end. Spanish nearer to the camera.

Post game thoughts.

Well that was quick to get to a battle! Which is what most wargamers want. I had to add a couple of rules to the campaign. I hadn't through the sequencing enough but that's the beauty of solo play. Gap plugged so that's an improvement!

During the battle I was highly conscious of the need to live to fight another day. Montemar had got himself in a bit of a pickle in the first place, but as this was almost exclusively an infantry battle things didn't work out too badly. I called it at 20 turns rather than wait to one side or the other to start to lose 'wings' in the normal Twilight of the Soldier Kings way. I thought it more realistic for the Spanish to disengage as they were closer to breaking. I also remembered I needed to add a rule for post-battle recovery of losses and imported one from another set. Basically because neither side had really chased the other from the field, and there was no pursuit, I gave each side an equal chance of recovering losses. The Habsburgs did better in this respect so the overall numbers left will be closer.

The next challenge is to decide who does what after the battle. There are no easy options for either side. And then there is the question of what the Gallispans coming from the Alps are to do faced with a Piedmontese army almost as big as theirs sitting under the guns of a fortress. Would a retreat back the way they came and debouch into Piedmont from one of the other passes be the best option?

More on the Po Campaign Rules

Following on from the last post, I organised the lettered beads into coloured groups, each representing 1 of seven 'factions'. Each commander (between 1 and 6 general officers per faction) had his own lettered bead and a duplicate goes in the 'activation hat'. Thus forces will be activated randomly each turn.

The seven factions are in two main camps:

Austrians and their Piedmontese allies (with occasional British involvement/interference);

Bourbons: Spanish, French, Neapolitans,  and their friends in Modena and Genoa.

I reviewed the 'guideline' rules I'd sketched out a couple of months ago. And they were rather sketchy, based on a couple of hex-mapped campaigns I did for the War of the Austrian Succession. So I spent quite a lot of time honing these into something more usable and considerably tightened up. Tightened up is a relative term here; bearing in mind this is for a solo game, the rules wouldn't pass muster for a competitive game. They still don't cover 5 pages in Arial font size 12.

The rules cover:

• Unit Types
• Activation
• Movement
• Supply
• Replenishment
• Battle
• Sieges
• Events
• Victory Conditions

In addition I have: a turn tracker (a turn now being a week and not a day!); orders of battle; table of commanders; and will have a schedule of towns and who controls them.

Here are a few samples of rules:

Sieges are abstracted, but I might try the Siege Works rules for a bit more fun, time permitting. 

There are 12 random events that can be diced for each month (April-November) with 5 favouring the Austro-Piedmontese, 5 favouring the Bourbons and 2 neutral. Amongst the neutral events is the interdiction of a Supply Train by Pandours - unless it is countered by an Escort! Some events can only happen once, e.g. the death of Felipe V, for obvious reasons. Nearly all the Events are based on real occurrences so they are not so out there that they are not plausible. However, it's just occurred to me that I omitted one that could have happened with all these troops marching around the country - Plague!

Ultimately Victory is going to be about capturing and holding Fortresses. The rival dynasties, Habsburg, Bourbon and Savoy, have got expansionist aims. How very modern! Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose.

Saxony 1745 Campaign - The Battle of Plauen, 13th December

A dramatic battle was played out in the early afternoon and late evening today. Play was interrupted when the Margravina returned from her supervision of the gardens of the Invalidenhaus. Your correspondent, ever the attentive spouse, attended upon his lady until she retired for the night.

So here, with text beneath the pictures, is an account of the battle fought near Dresden.

The view looking north along the Weissritz from Eckersdorf to Plauen (where the channel splits at the top). The Prussians under Leopold von Anhalt-Dessau are advancing from the west. The hills in the middle distance on the right become steeper and inaccessible to cavalry where the snow covered trees are. Grünne's Austrians guard the southern flank on the high ground.

Closer view of the main Prussian lines

The Saxon position in the centre

The Prussian left's view. Plauen in the background.

Looking along the main Saxon lines

Turn 10 (4 turns = 1 hour for campaign purposes, with a maximum of 8 hours). Action is joined in the centre as Prussian cavalry sweep round on the right. Prussian infantry and cavalry crossing the Weissritz is engaged by Saxon chevauxlegers.

Austrian hussars join in the attack on the Prussians crossing the stream.

Turn 13. The action becomes more general along the stream. Losses are beginning to mount on both sides (note the round bases). The Prussians have successfully crossed the stream in the south (at a cost). Firefights along the banks of the stream will go on for most of the battle.

Close up of the centre. The Austrian hussars have been repulsed (right) but are keen to have another go.  A face-to-face fight is going on between the Prussian musketeers and Saxon guard and grenadiers (centre) which the Saxons will win.

Turn 15. Overall, losses have been even, trading brigade for brigade as the trans progress. It is slow going for the Prussian cavalry trying to cross the hills in the south (foreground) but the Saxon position is beginning to look vulnerable on this flank.  In the centre however, the Prussian infantry is on the verge of disappearing. This will present Rutowski with a great opportunity to roll up either flank of the Prussians. However, will he be able to take advantage before the Prussians roll his army up from the south? 

A close up of the hole emerging in the Prussian centre. Each circular base represents a loss. 3 losses and an infantry brigade (2 bases) is removed from play. Incidentally, I had to pad out the Saxon foot with Bavarians (hence the light blue coats). Cavalry is represented by Austrians and Prussian Bosniak Lancers (as Uhlans).  I have enough Saxons for the SYW but I clearly NEED many more for the WAS.

Next turn, that gap in the Prussian line has become more obvious as the forward unit has been chased off.

But over on the right only 1 battered Saxon cavalry unit remains. What is left of Grünne's wing is retreating across the hills. This wing survived a couple of Wing Morale tests before finally crumbling.

Turn 18. Whilst 2 Saxon infantry brigades cross to the Prussian side of the stream to exploit the gap, the guard/grenadier brigade has been attacked in the flank by Prussians and has been routed.

Soon after, the Saxon centre fails a Wing Morale test. Grünne's Austrians are making their way to Dresden, when their morale also fails. They must have been spooked by the collapse of the Saxon centre.

2 wings down out of 3 and the Saxon army must take an Army Morale test. A failure! Here we see just the Prussians remaining.

The Saxon losses. In the box, bottom, are the units removed through cumulative losses/routing. The ones outside the box are those units who routed following failed wing/army morale tests. In campaign terms the majority of the latter are eligible for use again, whilst smaller proportion of the latter will return.

Prussian losses inside the box top. Most of these would be available again in the campaign, but the Prussians would lose a couple more bases for losses still on the board.

So overall a decisive victory for Leopold in 'not quite Kesselsdorf'. Will it be enough to win the campaign. I've assumed many of  the Saxons and Austrians make it in to Dresden. Elsewhere, Charles is 2 marches away with 18,000 Austrians and Saxons, but so is Frederick with another 30,000 Prussians. The Prussians have a clear advantage in numbers now. I'll run through some more campaign moves tomorrow (1 January).

Which just leaves me to wish you all a Happy New Year, and thank you all for following, commenting and supporting during 2025.

Saxon 1745 Campaign - The Action at Leube, 25th November

I fought out the small scale action midday today. It didn't last even as long as I expected.

First, the Saxon cuirassiers acting as a rearguard are charged from two directions by the Prussian hussars. The Saxons stand for the first charge and do not buckle with the initial impact, but as the ranks break down into a series of individual combats, the superior numbers of hussars overwhelm the Saxons. The Saxon cavalry break. 

The Saxon infantry manage to get across the Steinbach and are marching through the village of Feld Leübe when they are caught in column. After a brave resistance the Saxon infantry crumble under pressure from Prussian hussars in the north and cuirassiers in the west. 

The victorious Prussians swarming round Feld-Leübe.

Ziethen leads the Prussian cavalry regiments from the west.

An unsurprising result, but more of a walkover than I expected.

After the tabletop game I made several campaign moves and stopped at the next major combat. Of that, more anon.

Minden, Take 2 - the Account

This was another close run thing! I got an hour in before lunch and a couple of hours (if that) in this afternoon and finished the game. Below the battle is told through pictures and captions.

Several turns in the French columns have almost reached their deployment areas.  The allies are yet to move. But it gets slightly trickier for the French now as they have to start changing directions and forming up in line. At this point Broglie's infantry have already been slightly held up.

9 turns in the French are getting into position and the allies have finally got going. I made a mistake with getting Sackville on too soon (in the village far left), so I moved him back again.

The French are almost in position. In fact their front lines are and Ferdinand's columns in the distance are still marching up. This is an opportunity that Contades seizes!

Turn 14 (06:45) and Contades launches his cavalry towards the approaching Anglo-German foot. But at least Spörcken with his Anglo-Hanoverian column has got into line in time! Wangenheim sends his cavalry forward (centre right) in a spoiling effort to buy the infantry time. In the foreground Broglie is fully formed up.

Turn 17: disaster strikes Spörcken! His first brigade is routed by the French cavalry in front of the woods in the centre. History 0; Refight 1. Centre right, Ferdinand's cavalry is moving I to counterattack. Centre left, Wangenheim's (light blue coated) Prussian cavalry has taken the opportunity to route a French infantry brigade and charges into a second.

The French cavalry getting ready to attack Spörcken's second brigade.

Turn 19: Sackville finally gets going and accepts his order to swing to the left where Ferdinand is under pressure. Top right, Anhalt is slugging it out with the French in Hahlen.  In the centre Spörcken's 2nd brigade has been routed and cavalry slug it out on the left. 6 British regiments will not be celebrating August 1st in this alternate universe!

A close up view of the centre at the same time

Another view of the centre looking south towards the village of Hahlen.

On the allied extreme left, seeing that Broglie's cavalry is engaged in the centre, Wangenheim's infantry launches an attack on Nicolay (right of picture) 

In rapid succession, the French centre lose a few cavalry and infantry brigades. This takes them down to 50% of units engaged and they score a 3 on the 'wing morale test': a 5 or 6 is needed. A large gap opens up as a result of the retreat of the French centre.

A few turns later Guerchy finally defeats Anhalt and swings the rest of his column north to face the allies in the centre. Sackville has arrived in the centre in time to see Scheele and Holstein infantry finish off the first of Guerchy's infantry brigades on the French left. 

On the left Wangenheim has finished off Nicolay and turns on Broglie. In the distance Broglie haas sent 3 brigades including one of the Grenadiers de France to assault Wangenheim's positions. Both sides stubbornly slogged it out right to the end. The allies, including the British and Hanoverian grenadiers held on by their fingertips and were 1 'hit' away from breaking.

Sackville's column with the 2nd Royal North British Dragoons (aka the Scots Greys) in the foreground.

Broglie is reduced to 50% of his strength but passes his first Wing Morale test.

The allied centre is teetering on the brink. 1 more brigade lost and they will have to test morale.

Just in time, on turn 29 (10:30), Broglie fails the wing morale. 2 corps out of 3 down and Contades has an Army Morale test and fails. It's all over. After a poor start the allies have won!

Post game thoughts

Well that was more interesting from my point of view. Pulling the start back to the French columns having just crossed the Bastau opened up more of an opportunity for them to catch the allies un-prepared. If the allied centre lost 1 more brigade before Broglie they would have faced a morale test This would have left Sackville all alone on the allied right against several French infantry brigades. To avoid outright defeat Ferdinand would have had to order Sackville to keep out of reach of the French (a relatively easy task since the French cavalry was all gone).

I think it's the brittleness of cavalry that was ultimately the undoing of the French. Whilst they were quick to get cavalry into action and gain some early advantages, the lack of foot support in time caused them to ultimately fail. This is ever the danger in warfare when cavalry/armour gets too far ahead of the PBI. It's the old quandary of exploiting victory versus not outrunning the footsloggers.