Borodino Part 2

After a longer delay than I anticipated (sorry about that! Real life and everything, you know...), I give you part 2 of our Borodino game, comprising the rest of the first evening's play and part of the second day. After IV Corps gets into action, the rest of the action on the board takes a bit of a back seat, or only appears in disjointed chunks as and when I had time to lift my head up from what was immediately facing me.

Still, the action I left hanging in the first post reaches its climax, and James and I manage to get some moves in as well.

So, recapping the last post, the forces of Marshal Ney had taken the fleches and were awaiting the counter attack from the Russians, ably led by Tony. It was a touch-and-go proposition, looking like it was to head in the direction of the historical battle with one side, then the other, taking possession of the fleches.

The Russian counter-atack builds...

...while the French rush reinforcements to bolster the defence

With the table directly behind the fleches added, you can see the depth of the French reinforcements

Still, if the Russians broke through the front line, they'd cause havoc with the units behind.

And in they go!

Crash! The French meet them...

...including the cavalry on the left flank, which proved to be a winning move.

Poor dice rolling on Tony's part, plus the added advantage of having cavalry on the attacker's flank resulted in a minor loss...

...and the Russian attack failed with losses, disorders and a reitre!

Time to consolidate the front line; Jaegers reform and retire from the woods, leaving them in the Wurrtembergers' possession.

Similarly, the jaeger screen in front of the main Russian line retires, to leave a clear field of fire for the artillery, as the French consolidate their gains. The Russians were ordered to dispute the fleches if they felt it worthwhile, otherwise to fall back and consolidate. After the failed counterattack, the later option was chosen.

Meanwhile, IV Corps had fulfilled its orders by taking Borodino and establishing a devensive line to the north.

What I didn't do was to establish a bridgehead across the Kalotscha, so after occupying Borodino, I gave James (Broussier) the orders to cross the river.

Jim's 2 divisions of I Corps wait in reserve behind Borodino.

Broussier readies to cross. Unfortunately, I should have specified that he cross with a stronger brigade, or at least not lead off with the Spanish of the Joseph Napoleon Regiment, the weakest in the whole Corps!

While the rest of the Corps maintains the defensive position, the Corps artillery moves towards Borodino in anticipation of crossing behind Broussier.

What's this? The Russians don't look like they're going to let us cross without something to say about it!

The 2 battalions of the JN Regt. cross the bridge with disorders and are immediately met with artillery and skirmish fire, while infantry and cavlary ominously mass! 

Can the JNR hold out til additional forces arrive to help out?
Units follow immediately behind. There's an ominous backup of traffic on the bridge.

The answer is most definitely "NO!" Russian cavalry charge the tiny, battered JNR 1st btn which is immediatley sent flying back across the bridge, further disordering the units behind it.

After the cavalry do their worst, the Russian infantry join in the fun sending the French and their useless Spanish allies reeling back across the bridge.

The bridge is cleared and the brigade is repulesd. They have been pushed beyond the now empty Borodino where the mass of red disorder dice can be seen.

The victorious Russian infantry blocking the exit on the headland.

Strategy changes; I form a Grand Battery to outflank the artillery on the peninsula, though the earthworks protect them from the worst.

Things as they stand on the northern flank after Broussier's repulse. What to do next?

The battered brigade still routing through Borodino. 

Here's a surprise: Napoleon still was expecting an attack on the northern flank at some stage, so he sends the Young Guard to assist!

They arrive to take the reserve position recently vacated by the I Corps division which I commanded to move further forward.

I'll leave you with a couple of atmospheric photos showing the mass of colourful troops that made the table such a delight to look at.

STILL MORE TO COME!

Borodino - First Day's Action

After the last teaser post using my phone's Blogger app, I give you the first of several posts documenting our club's Great Big January Game; Borodino!

Andrew S. (Marshal Ney and Umpire) made these rough calculations regarding total numbers of figures:

Infantry                 - 3147 figures

Cavalry                 - 963 figures

Generals                - 258 figures

Artillery                 - 1212 guns in approximately 135 batteries

My contribution for IV Corps alone amounted to 384 figures, excluding artillery bases and generals.

We were fortunate enough to have James from the Avon Napoleonic Fellowship visit, so if you haven't already, check out his pictures of the weekend. As he got to see more of how the rest of the game progressed, he'll be writing a more in depth report of the fighting further south, especially around Utitsa, which might as well have been on the moon for all that I could follow from the other end of the table!

As IV Corps was one of the few French units to start the game on the board, I was offered the choice to compress time and have the northern end of the board start in the historic positons until turn 15. I accepted this offer, then found that my orders form Napoleon sent me off to guard the northern flank. So instead of my left flank anchoring on Borodino and the bulk of the corps facing south-east, my right flank rested on Borodino and the corps faced directly east. Robin, as Napoleon, was expecting a big push against IV Corps in the north (more on that later). For the rest of the first 15 rounds I was an observer of the developing struggle to the south. That's what this post and the following one will be about, then my focus narrowed somewhat as the bridge over the Kolocha absorbed most of my attention, but more on that later...

IV Corps with Morand's and Gerard's attached divisions from I Corps furthest from camera.

Same view from different angle

The Grand Redoubt with part of Bagration's command behind in support

The view down the table from the North

Ney and Davout in deep discussion, while Borodino has been repopulated with buildings after the church has been removed

The "Grand" Redoubt! In this scale it doesn't look that much, but it still packs a punch!

       

The French view of the Grand Redoubt. Special rules regarding compressed artillery frontage were required.

Ney's and Davout's front divisions enter the table

Morand, Gerard and part of the Cavalry Reserve

IV Corps with attached divisions from I Corps

IV Corps Light Cavalry in their starting position, scouting ahead of the main force. This is how they spent the weekend, except in skirmish order to maximise their coverage.

IV Corps and part of the Cavalry Reserve form up between Borodino and Bezzubova, as per Napoleon's orders, then spend 15 turns waiting!

The Russian view of IV Corps dispostions with the Gorki plateau, the Kolocha and Sachavino in the foreground.

Morand and Gerard in reserve behind Borodino

Meanwhile Ney's forces mass in front of the fleches.

Artillery batteries link the two fleches, forming a wall of guns facing Ney's advance

Between Ney's forces and IV Corps, the Wurrtemberg Jaegers dispute the woods with their Russian counterparts.

Behind the fleches, the only close support is a line of jaegers which follows the contours. In the distance some converged grenadier battalions rush up in support.

Andrew S. starts Ney's attack on the fleches after forcing the supporting guns to retire.

The attack goes in...

Meanwhile, behind the Gorki Redoubt, Kutuzov and his toadies eat chicken and drink champagne!

Andrew's attack goes in at an angle to avoid the worst of the artillery fire, while the rest of his forces wait in dead ground. Just in time, too, as the Russian Grenadiers are fast approaching! 

The attack was successful and the fleches are taken. Now the job is to hold them against the oncoming Russian counterattck!

The Russians close in!

French support moves up.

Andrew marshalls his forces to face the counter attack

Infantry and cavalry move up in support

The Russians move stoically forward...

MORE TO COME!