Monday 29 July 2013

Guest Blogger: Battle of Lützen 2nd May 1813


Since becoming part of the “blogosphere” we have become acquainted with numerous wargaming e-friends. It’s marvellous to see the figures that other people have painted, the games that they have played and to receive kind comments about our own “offerings”.
Today I am going to take this a step further and introduce a guest blogger to the ANF blog. Welcome Phil, who hails from another York; the original actually, in the UK.
Like us, Phil wargames principally in 20 mm using 1/72nd plastic figures. Also, like us (and numerous others), he has focussed (and is focussing) on the battles of the Napoleonic bicentennial years for many of his recent wargames. I have been corresponding with Phil following a post of his on the Hat forum. In the course of discussions he told me that he’d been doing bicentennial games, solo, and sent me some photos of his games. Not having a blog of his own I suggested that he might like to post them on ours and he kindly agreed.
Over to you Phil!

I set-up my game of Lützen on a 5’ x 8’ (ish – I lose a bit under the chimney breast) table. I recreated the battle using Volley & Bayonet rules so there is no specific scale but a Brigade in my version is represented by 2 stands of 8 figures (3 for cavalry). The army lists came from the Volley and Bayonet Website but were cross-referenced with Hofschröer’s from his Osprey book on Lützen and Bautzen. I use my own adaptation of Volley and Bayonet rules for my solo Napoleonic wargaming.
The battle is still under way with only two turns actually played so far as play was interrupted by a domestic crisis and has not been able to resume owing to the unusually hot (for North Yorkshire) summer weather making the loft space unusable.
So far Souham’s cavalry have been driven off and Blucher has launched an all out assault on Gross Görschen but has been unable to take the town.
Here are a few photos from the game to date.
Situation at the beginning of the battle. Souham’s division around Gross Görschen in the centre of picture, Blücher’s Prussians on and around Monarch’s Hill to the right, Girard’s division and Dolff’s Prussian cavalry in the foreground.
Souham’s cavalry (Laboissière), 10th Hussars, Baden dragoons and Württemberg chevau-légers, near Gross Görschen
Troops from Blücher’s Prussian I Corps descend from Monarch’s Hill to attack Souham’s isolated troops.
Another view of the same.
von Pirch I’s Upper Silesian brigade and von Klüx’s Lower Silesian brigade attack Souham’s men around Gross Görschen
Close-up of some of Souham’s troops
The Hessian Lieb Regiment of Marchand’s division of III Corps
Badly needed reinforcements, Régiment d’Artillerie de la Marine (RAMa) of Marmont’s corps
Close-up of the same.
Eugène of Württemberg’s Russians advance in support of the Prussians
Close-up of the Russians
von Röder’s Prussian guard
Laboissière’s cavalry suffer a disorder result (note yellow flag),
... and retreat.
Gallitzen V’s Russian cuirassiers and guard cavalry move up in support
In close-up.

Well done on staging such a great looking game Phil and thanks again for allowing me to post the photos and report of the game thus far on this blog.
We look forward to seeing more photos from the remainder of the game in due course!

13 comments:

  1. An impressive looking battle and a fine collection of troops. Well done Phil.

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  2. I enjoyed the narrative and pics of the game so far. I especially liked Phil's Baden Light Dragoons, a unit I keep meaning to add to my own collection!

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  4. Thanks for your kind comments. The Baden Dragoons are Revell Lifeguards with converted Esci Scots Greys as command I think they pass mister at a distance.

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  5. On Baden dragoons, were they light or heavy dragoons? Knötel represents them with heavy cavalry boots and sabre, but more modern representations tend to have them with a curved sabre and knee-high boots? It's not a crucial question, of course, but I wondered whether either of you, Peter or Phil, or perhaps anyone else reading this has any info. about them?

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  6. As I understand there were two formations - the first was lost in Russia and the second was raised hastily in 1813 on Napoleon's insistance.

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  7. Just to add to the above. It seemed I was misremembering slightly. The regiment at Luyzen were the 2nd light dragoon regiment who were formed to replace the hussar regiment lost in Russia. Both regiments are referred to as light dragoons.

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    1. I thought that you were probably referring to the Baden hussars that were wiped out at the Berezina along with the Hessian chevau-legers. The dragoons did not go to Russia.
      There's an interesting post about the dragoons on the Napoleon series from a thread started by Rafa (Project Leipzig blog)
      http://www.napoleon-series.org/cgi-bin/forum/archive2007_config.pl?md=read;id=81973
      I have downloaded a pdf of the book referred to in one of the answers to his question from archive.org.
      http://archive.org/stream/handwrterbuchde05potegoog#page/n9/mode/2up
      I am hoping that Julian can translate the section about Baden and see if it reveals anything about the units

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  9. I have been able to play a couple more turns at last. The Prussians have finally taken Gross Gorschen and the cossacks are raidind villages on the French left at will. The allied cavalry have been wreaking havoc on the French sector but the advanced units of 4th Corps have been seen in the vicinity of Pobles,the jaws of the pincer are beginning to bite. There should be some pictures at some point.

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    1. That's great Phil. We can look forward to posting some photos in due course then!

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