I decided to give my Command and Colours Napoleonics some love, as a fast way of getting acquainted with some of the more obscure battles of the period. I chose the second scenario from the Austrian expansion, Gunzburg. This was one of the actions of the Ulm campaign, when General Mack ordered General D'Aspre to find a way across the Danube so that Mack might extricate his forces from Ulm. At the same time, Ney had ordered his Third Division under Malher to seize the bridges. The battle is brilliantly described by Jeff Berry on his Obscure Battles blog here.
It’s an interesting battle because the two forces were evenly matched, about 7500 per side, and faced each other across a stretch of the Danube with four bridges, two of them leading on and off a small island in the centre. There is also a ford near the left most bridge, though I just noticed that when I set up the board I mispositioned the ford tile closer to the centre, which may have disadvantaged the French.
Here’s the board set up. As you can see, the ford should have been two hexes to the left, screened by the woods. As it was, it was covered by Austrian troops on the hills, and the one attempt of the French to cross there was badly shot up.
It’s an interesting tactical problem for both sides. The scenario gives the Austrians a temporary victory banner for holding three of the four towns, but both sides get temporary banners for holding bridges and for pushing troops across the Danube (not counting the island). Either side can win the game if they choose to attack, though the more tempting approach is to let the other side try to cross and then punch them hard when they reach a bridge or ford.ave
In the game I played solo, the French tried to advance, but a big (5 block!) Austrian line infantry unit smashed into the French light infantry on the right most bridge and threw them back. That was pretty much how it went from then on as the battle became attritional.
The game ended with a 7-3 Austrian win and the French bled white after chasing an illusory success on the left wing. In retrospect I should have tried to mass troops at several crossing points before committing to an assault.
Sharp-eyed CCN players will have noticed that I was using the Tacticians cards from Expansion 5, Generals, Marshals, and Tacticians. I like extra opportunities that these cards provide, though I suppose some purists might complain that they make the game a little too “gamey”, like the cards in Sam Mustafa’s Longstreet. Throwing down the “Break the Square” card when you charge with your cavalry might be gamey, but it is very satisfying.
Death of Colonel Gérard Lacuée at the battle of Günzburg, on October 9, 1805. Oil painting by Georges Moreau de Tours.
“They rolled two sabres for Leader Kill! Damn them!”
I knew nothing about this battle before playing the game, so I learned something, and would consider lifting the victory conditions from this scenario to apply to a 6mm miniatures version, since my collection is mostly French/Austrian, though I would need to improvise to get enough river sections. It would be a fun project. Visiting Gunzburg and seeing the Legoland there would also be a fun project.
Thanks for reading and blessings to your die rolls! MP+
