The Fleches at Borodino: Second Attempt!

Yesterday I posted about an "unconventional" assault plan to capture the Fleches at Borodino using Scenario #15 from One Hour Wargames (OHW).  Martin Rapier posted a comment about attempting to take the second redoubt first (!).  I admit I was intrigued by this and wondered if it was feasible. I will be using the prototype "Eagles & Hexes" rules, themselves inspired from Peter's Square Eagles which are inspired from a set of OHW-styled Grand Tactical Napoleonic rules we used to use many moons ago which I helped in the development of. (there will be a post coming up on "Eagles & Hexes" if interested)

Today's battle would see Davout's I Corps more closely following the traditional attack route he used during the real battle with infantry flooding the woods and popping out near redoubt 2.  Could I pull it off?  Scenario 15 is a tall order and the Russians are "dug in like ticks".  Then again, you have the confidence of a "Second Wave" (Ney's reinforcing attack) so let's see what happens...  I took notes this time around so you can see more of how the action unfolds.  I'll try to focus on important or noteworthy actions that occurred during the battle.

Turn 1

French 1 Order / Russians 4 Orders - French have Initiative

The French open the battle advancing up to the woodline with their lights and line infantry.   They next order a bombardment from their guns but fail to cause any damage.  The Russian Jagers in the woods fire and score 3 hits (ouch) which would normally force the infantry back (from casualties and disorganization) but Davout is with them and so they remain in place.  Davout is not harmed from the skirmishing (leader attached to a unit you roll 2D6.  if a "2" comes up - the leader is a casualty - this costs 1D3 taken from your morale clock).

Fighting in the woods on turn 1

Russian units starting to pull back towards Redoubts 2 as French units look to enter the woods.

Skirmishing with Jagers in the woods - Davout's infantry stand their ground after taking 3 hits.

Turn 2

French 1 Order / Russians 1 Order - (Doubles and so we roll on the events table - It's a "Red Ammo Shortage D3 units" - the Russians have 1 unit low on ammo and randomly select the unit and it's actually the Jagers!  So the Jagers in the woods are low on ammo from their shooting last turn.  I re-roll the orders.  French 3 ORders / Russians 5 orders and the Russians steal the initiative from the French.  

The Russians begin moving units back towards redoubt 2 seeing that the fight is going to be there.  The French advance is slowly gaining steam.

French forming their attack line while Russians re-position themselves closer to redoubt 2 (middle-center)

Turn 3

French 4 Orders / Russians 1 Order.  Russians have initiative.  

Russian Artillery bombards.  The French infantry assault the Jagers in the woods and destroy them.  Russians get "2" on their morale clock (total 14).

Russian bombardment scores 2 hits (note the Guards orienting themselves towards the oncoming french in the hex next to the redoubt)

The Brigade Davout is co-located with pushes up into the woods!  They lose 1 dice for assaulting into cover but the Jagers are in worse shape with only 1 hit remaining.  The French win the assault and I Corps has a lodgement to begin the offensive towards Redoubt 2.

Turn 4

French 1 Order / Russians 3 Orders   Russians still have Initiative.

Both sides maneuver now to reorganize their forces near redoubt 2.  The French have a slow slog through the woods (line infantry move half) while I leave the lights behind due to lack of orders.  The Russians meanwhile move their Cuirassiers closer to redoubt 2 to counter attack. There is general skirmishing up and down the line as units close to within skirmish range of each other.

French Cavalry is getting anxious to charge and so is the Russian Cavalry!  Note the French lights still back to the south.

Turn 5

French 6 Orders / Russians 1 Order.  Russians have the Initiative.

The Russians bombard the French Cuirassiers in the center and cause more hits on them but it's the French this turn who desperately needed to orders to move and rally/reorganize their forces.  The French light cavalry over-runs the Russian battery (minus another unit  and 2 more off the Russian morale clock).  The French Cuirassiers rally a hit off and Davout rallies another hit off the infantry in the woods.

French light cavalry over-run the Russian guns.  They were no longer ordered (bombarding instead during their operations phase) and so they were helpless to absorb the charge by the Hussars.

Russian morale clock is up to 4 now 

Turn 6

Doubles - Random event rolled for.  Both sides rally D3 hits from 1 unit.  The French rally the unit Davout is co-located with and remove all but 1 hit.  The Russians have no units with hits as all are either full strength or destroyed.

Re-rolling for orders - and Initiative - the Russians steal initiative away from the French!  They launch their Cuirassiers against the flank of a French line infantry brigade who is approaching redoubt 2 - but they enter multiple ZOCs and so must halt.  Damn!  Insert Russian curse here!

Meanwhile the Russian Cuirassiers are not the only ones making bad decisions here.  The French Cuirassiers charge the Grenadier Guards next to redoubt 1.  It's worth noting they had some serious hits already and compared to the immense combat power of the Grenadier Guards, it was a foolhardy decision.  The Cuirassiers evaporate in the Guards pre-morale volley (the Russian guards had an unused order and so have the option to fire a volley (3D6) or melee with yet ANOTHER D6 - they volleyed).  Worth noting that the Cuirassiers did their job and are still able to put some hits onto the guards.

Seeing the destruction of their comrades, the French lights charge the Grenadier Guards in the rear and the Guards Brigade ABSORBS the hits and counterattacks resulting in the destruction of the light cavalry as well! The Grenadier Guards are seriously hurt, but not destroyed.

The French end Turn 6 with 4 more applied to their Morale Clock.

Russian Cuirassier charge is halted by the ZOCs...  THey did not have the movement to enter the French unit with 3 hits' hex.  Too bad, too, because Cuirassiers receive +1D6 for charing, and would have received another +1D6 for charging a flank.  Hitting on 3+ in their powerful charge, a heavy cavalry charge can be brutal.  With only 5 strength points, though, they cant stay in sustained combat and are probably only good for 2 or 3 charges themselves.

French Cuirassiers charge the Grenadier Guards only to be eliminated in their charge. 

Turn 7

French 1 Order RUssians 2 Orders.  Russians have the initiative.

to the North of the woods near redoubt 2 - the Russian Cuirassiers see a more attractive target and charge the lights who have emerged from teh woods headed towards the redoubt!  They steamroll over them but from a result of all of the shooting last turn (they were within skirmish or volley range of multiple line units) they are themselves destroyed while over-running the French lights.  So the French lose 2 more off their morale clock.  Since the Russians won the melee, (even with their unit destroyed) they do not.

Incredibly, the Russian Guards assault a French line unit who has 5 hits already but are beaten back!  (this is exactly why I love these rules)  Perhaps the Russian Guards are getting too greedy?   The glory is short lived as shooting knocks out the French unit and once again, Napoleon is starting to get nervous.  He looks over at Ney's aide on horseback, who sees him then immediately and averts eye contact.  The aide stares at the ground and fiddles with a button on his cuff...

Meanwhile, another of Davout's Brigades retreats from intense small arms and artillery fire coming from the redoubt.  Retreating really represents heavy casualties and disorganization leading to a flagging of unit morale.  The situation is so bad (receiving 3 hits in one single volley) 2that the unit withdraws to reorganize itself (1 hex).  This costs a point on the morale clock when it happens.

Russian Cuirassiers charging the French lights

The lights put up a serious fight and inflict 2 x hits on the cavalrymen who are also wiped out.

Meanwhile, the arrogant Russian Guardsmen charge a French line brigade with 3 hits.

And are repulsed!  The French tie them and the attacker must retreat from an failed assault!  

Glory is short-lived though - the French Brigade is combat ineffective after devastating volleys during the shooting phase and evaporates.

Turn 8 French 2 Orders / Russians 4 Orders.  The French steal the Initiative.

DECISION TIME.  Napoleon decides to allow Davout's attack to continue one more turn...

Things are NOT looking good here for the French.  The Russians are still comfortably dug into both redoubts with few hits.  Davout knows maximum effort is required now.  The attack from his Corps is almost spent but the Infantry still have the hits for one more assault.  Ney's Corps will go in on Turn 9 but the first wave needs to set conditions for Ney's attack to succeed.

With only 2 orders (along wiht Davout's automatic order), Davout launches every unit against the redoubt during his turn.  Unbelievably, the assault succeeds!  With the Russian Guards watching from their hex, a French Infantry Brigade is sent against redoubt 2 and captures it, routing the defenders!

Davout personally oversees an assault by one of his infantry Brigades against Redoubt 2

And it is overwhelmingly successful!  The Russian defending brigade is destroyed along with their position battery.

The Russian clock should be "8" in this picture.

Turn 9 

French have the Initiative.  Ney's Corps Goes in.  All of Davout's units disappear.  Unfortunately the celebrating is short lived as per the scenario, when the second wave comes in, the first wave goes away.  Still though, Davout's troops did all that was required of them and severely depleted the Russian defenders.

The second wave of the assault goes in now.  Redoubt 2 is now unmanned but Redoubt 1 still has its position battery and an as-of-yet unharmed infantry brigade.  Ney sends the lights and an infantry brigade and guns against Redoubt 1.  Meanwhile, a French Infantry brigade moves towards redoubt 2 to engage the Guards who are still there but badly depleted.  The French will need to knock them off balance as they'll surely start rallying the hits off.  (plus, Guards get a +1 to rally, and they receive a +1 for being in cover.  Rallying requires a roll of 4+ to knock off 1 hit.  A roll of "6" knocks off 2 x hits.

The Russians occupy Redoubt 2 with the Guards...

The second wave arrives.  Ney's Corps. White dice are order markers.

Ney's men surround Redoubt 1 and will start shooting this turn.  The Russians send their last reserve brigade to support redoubt 1.

The Russian Guards immediately occupy Redoubt 2 with the Guards.  They begin rallying next turn.  Worth noting here that the position batteries are gone once the initial defending unit is destroyed.  Now it's only the Guards redoubt 2 (a formidable force on their own).  I allowed an extra D6 to volley fire to represent the position batteries in the Fleches.

Turn 10

French 5 orders, Russians 3 orders.  Russians steal the initiative from the French.  

The Russian Guards rally off another hit in Redoubt 2.  Meanwhile the French begin assaulting the supporting infantry next to redoubt 1 and destroy them, moving to occupy the hex.  Redoubt 1 is half surrounded now.  During the shooting phase, more hits are placed onto the Russian unit defending Redoubt 1.

Redoubt 1 with lots of French units around it.

Turn 11

Russian 6 Orders French 1 Order Russians have Initiative

The Guards rally 2 more hits in redoubt 1 and are almost down to 1 hit. (rolling a "6" is 2 x hits off.  However in cover or with an attached officer is +1 to rallying.  I never let a unit rally off its initial hit)

The French decide to try a different strategy against redoubt 1 and decide to use volley fire instead of storming the position.  The lights inflict an impressive 2 hits against the defending Russians and their unit breaks, reaching 7 hits.  With no surrounding Russians, the French will take Redoubt 1 next turn.  I place the lights in there now to celebrate...

Can they take redoubt 2 in time?  There are 4 turns left.

 French Lights in Redoubt 1!  Units are moving with all possible haste to redoubt 2 now.

Turns 12-13

The lone French Brigade at Redoubt 2 is volley-firing with the Guards in the redoubt.  They end up retreating from the fire, putting the French dangerously close to their breakpoint.  Remembering how things went yesterday, the French being to move all infantry and artillery towards redoubt 2.  The Russians are now only using their order to rally hits.  The morale clock is tied at 10 each.  4 more on either army and they're toast.

tied morale clocks at 10 at the beginning of turn 12.  Any retreating french brigade will put the french at 11.  While Ney wants to assault with everyone, if he fails the assault, that will add more to the clock.  each failed assault will be 1 on the clock which runs out at 14!  A destroyed unit will add 2 to the clock.  Another decision to make!  Volley fire?  Or melee?

Ney moves everyone up towards the redoubt and skirmishes with the guards.  He will go with a mixed approach here.  Assault with one brigade, then shoot with the others.

Risking one more assault, the French send in a brigade to cause casualties and wear down the Russian Guards.  While they lose (1 more to the morale clock!) they inflict a WHOPPING 5 hits on the guards (the guards have an impressive 8 strength points).  The Guards are one more from breaking.  Ney knows this is a good time to bring in the lights again - from the same Legere unit that stormed redoubt 1.

During Turn 13, the lights move into position and fire, eliminating the Grenadier Guards and enabling the seizing of the position on Turn 14.  The game is over!

Ney's light detachment ends up seizing both redoubts for him.  Battle Honors to all!

That was fun.  Lots of unexpected things happened in this battle and I'm not going to lie, at the end of turn 8, I was not thinking this plan was going to succeed.  Martin - if you're reading this - well done.  It was a gusty plan and it worked, even though it was riskier than I would have liked. 

Davout sending in that Brigade on Turn 8 seems to have been the deciding moment of the battle, because not only did it wear the Russian defense down, it actually eliminated another unit from their defense plan.  If the guards were able to support redoubt 1, I'm not sure the French would have had adequate time to carry out their plan.  THey'd have been stuck trying to kill the guards by redoubt 1.

So victory requires skillful timing and decision making, and a little bit of luck!

Going towards redoubt 2 first as a plan works but I'm not sure I'd have gone through the woods again.  It's a chokepoint and if the Russians had moved more units over this might not have worked.  Another thing - with the "redoubt 2" approach, you will need to have nerves of steel.  Whether you go through the woods or not, you'll have to deal with the majority of the Red forces instead of focusing on the redoubt (much easier to do going for redoubt 1 which is closer to the line of departure (LD).

So all in all, a nail-biting but extremely fun finish to a great scenario.  I have had a great time experimenting with my Napoleonic figures and the "Eagles & Hexes" rules.  I do think it's time for something different - perhaps time to break out the WWII figures again?  I still want to try these rules with a "Commands & Colors: Napoleonics" Scenario to see how they fare with more units on the table.

Thanks for stopping by!

THE BATTLE OF BORODINO: THE FLECHES

 Wanting to play some "low maintenance" Napoleonics I thought I'd throw down a game of what I'm now calling "Hexes & Eagles" to get my 10mm Russians some time and action on the table.  The resulting battle did not disappoint.  Reading about the meatgrinder fight for "the Fleches" at Borodino, one and only one simple wargame scenario came to mind to model this epic clash in a simple way - Scenario #15 "Fortified Defense" from One Hour Wargames.  From what I remembered about the scenario, it fit the bill almost perfectly for this (in)famous engagement from the overall Battle of Borodino.  Punch, counterpunch and second wave.

Excellent image from the "Napoleonistyka" site. that shows what I mean.  There are even woods to the south.  Used without permission.  The map gives an excellent impression of what we are dealing with.  How would you have liked leading a regiment in this attack in real life?

I put some custom redoubts together to represent the Fleches - tough nuts to crack!

My original plan was to do a series of posts on how I would model the scenario but figured I could wing it and throw everything into one big, fun post.  It's not often I get a day off to myself!  

French arrayed along the bottom of the table in a glorious line ready to begin the attack.  The white dice are orders.  These are my homemade 4" hexes also.  Not too shabby!

Anyways the scenario (#15) from OHW has pretty much what you need - multiple strongpoints (with weapons!  In this case perfect for extra artillery firepower or position batteries) and even a second wave to represent Ney's attack.  Using an old homebrewed set of rules I used to play from time to time, but modified heavily for hex-actions and with a dash of morale added in courtesy of my "3D6 Ancients", I set about seeing how my very own slice of Borodino would go.  (I'm working on putting a QRS together for Hexes & Eagles but it's definitely not ready for prime-time.  Hopefully from this write up you get an idea of what's going on from the description of the battle).  

We start off with Davout's I Corps attacking on Turn 1.  French automatically have initiative.  French rolled 4 x orders, Russians rolled 3.

French have 4 x orders along with Davout's order, so 5 units advance.  Note the left - the redoubt is crowded by the French light infantry and a brigade of line (with Davout himself attached).  The guns and light cavalry are still on the starting line.

On the right, 2 infantry brigades and a heavy cavalry brigade advance into the teeth of the Russian guns towards the second redoubt.

Meanwhile the Russians move down their Grenadier Guards (never fellows to back down from a challenge)

The Russians also bring down their Cuirassiers who are cleverly disguised as the Korland Dragoons...

End of both French and Russian operations for turn 1 - getting ready for shooting phase now...  Note the Russian Guards creeping down from the top left of the pic.  Russian artillery is also going to be a tempting target for Davout's Cuirassiers on turn 2.

OUCH - the Brigade Davout is with takes 3 hits from the infantry in the redoubt.  Automatic retreat 1 hex and a retreat will put 1 hit on the French "morale clock" (7 units x 2 = 14 breakpoint for both sides).  I actually played it incorrectly because Davout's presence is supposed to cancel the retreat.  Oh well.

Turn 2 - Russians get 5 x orders to the French 2.

and they also steal the initiative!  Russians now go first until the French can beat them by 2 in the initiative roll...

The key to this scenario (in my humble opinion) is actually focusing on 1 position with the first wave, then passing off the attack to the second wave to focus on the 2nd redoubt (Scenario 15 allows a "refit" once in the game where you remove all blue units and replace them with fresh, carbon copies of themselves.)  The rub is when to do this.  The second wave should ideally focus on the second position.  It should not have to waste time with the first position.

Instead of massing on one position, Davout's I Corps attacks along a wide front, dedicating the light infantry and an infantry brigade to storming position 1, while 2 more infantry brigades attempt to storm position 2.  Truthfully I've never played it this way and wanted to give it a try.  This plan is risky and you really need everything to come together for it to work.  I mean everything.  shooting needs to be hitting hard, orders need to be plentiful and assaults need to be successful to get your units into the redoubt.  Most of you probably see where I'm going with this...  Murphy was a wargamer, afterall.

Lots of excitement but the French are not getting the orders they need and I'm consistently rolling "1"s or "2s" for them each turn.  The attack isn't going well.  Davout's units are barely making a scratch in the units in the Fleches.

Russian Cuirassiers charge the French Cuirassiers.  The French heavy horse have an order, so they may countercharge - which is really just melee'ing with an extra D6.

Note the yellow d6 which is simply a marker to remember the French horse need to take a morale check from shooting casualties during the morale phase.

the Russians and French tie the combat.  Which technically means the French win (ties to the defender) but the French cavalry are no longer an effective fighting unit and so they leave the field.  The Russians have "lost" the combat even though a French unit is toast.  The Russians lose 1 off their morale clock.  The French do not lose 2 points because they won the combat (even though they were eliminated).

After the battle - the Russian horse lick their wounds, with almost 5 hits they are in rough shape.  I love how cavalry are great in this game for one or to charges and then they're used up - unless you manage them by sending them off to rally! 

The Russian Jagers who own the woods slide over and skirmish with the French infantry brigade's flank.  

Russian position batteries and infantry forced a French brigade to retreat.  This is no picnic for the French!

Meanwhile at the first redoubt, the French are outgunned and fighting for their lives.  Davout's infantry have masked his guns.  "What general blocks his own artillery!?" Napoleon raged from atop his horse.  Red dice are hits.  The D10s on the left are marking hits to the morale clock for each side.  The guns in the redoubt are basically a free, extra volley.  Once the unit is eliminated in the redoubt, the guns go away.

To relieve some of the pressure, Davout assaults the supporting Russian infantry next to redoubt 1.  In heavy fighting the Russians are eliminated!  Their commander survives and joins the Guards who have arrived to reinforce redoubt 1.  The Russians, as usual, are all-in.

French steal the initiative back.  Both sides are tied on their morale clocks but things are about to get really ugly!

Trying to run out the Russians' morale clock, the French light cavalry assaults the Russian battery and eliminates it but takes a brutal 3 hits from double-cannister!

Then, disaster strikes as the Russians fire a devastating volley from redoubt 1 eliminating the brigade that Davout is with.  The subsequent check is, of course, a 1.  Davout is gone.  We dont know if he's dead, wounded, or captured - I didn't ahve the heart to find out!  But I rolled a D3 and wouldn't you know it - the French remove 3 more from their morale clock.  This was an expensive turn, taking 5 off the French clock now.  Napoleon panics and sends in Ney's wave on turn 5. 

"Sire isn't it a bit early?  You fool - you want to spend the winter here?   Move your Corps in, NOW!"

Davout had whittled down the redoubt significantly and they were ripe for Ney's infantry to take the position by storm.

Turn 6 sees all of the French disappear on the battlefield - with Ney's fresh Corps at the startline.  They'll do it a bit smarter than the "Iron Marshall" this time but Davout did do them 2 critical favors - he destroyed the Russian guns and put hits on redoubt 2.  Ney launches an all-out assault against redoubt 1 and captures it quickly.  But the Russians were prepared - no - actually they were welcoming this development!  Because Ney's infantry storm the redoubt only to come face to face with the Russian guards grenadiers!

Ney's victory would be short lived in the redoubt - for the Russian guards are waiting for them just over the rampart!  A massive 9 dice, minus 1 for fortified position means 8 dice rolled in anger.  The line infantry commanded by Ney himself didn't stand a chance and they evaporate.  The Russians are back in control of redoubt 1!  Ney passes his casualty roll and moves to another unit.

Redoubt 1 changes hands again.

Ney switches his strategy a bit.  He realizes he cant storm the guards without whittling them down a bit and brings up the bulk of his infantry.  Knowing he has to keep killing units to run the morale clock down, the Russian heavy horse are attacked by the French lights.  Even though they're penalized for attacking heavier cavalry, the Russians are weakened and have failed to rally to the extent they would need to.  The resulting charge runs down the tired Russian troopers and puts another 2 on the Russian morale clock.

The same turn (8), Ney's careful approach pays off and the Guards are eliminated after a lengthy firefight with almost an entire division of french.  While the Russian commander escapes the deathtrap of redoubt 1, that's 3 points off of the Russian morale clock (loss of guards or veteran troops is -3), putting the Russians really close to the end).

French Lights assault the Russian Cuirassiers

French victory on turn 9 as the morale clock turns 14 for the Russians (red dice).

So technically the game ends a French victory at the end of Turn 9 as the Russian Army's morale has broken, 14 to 12.  It was a very close-run thing.  Had the Russians won initiative on turn 9 or won the heavy cavalry battle in the game's beginning, it very well could have been the French who lost.

Final Thoughts

The "Eagles & Hexes"  rules worked great, delivering a fun, tense game that I think would have been even better against a live person.  The additions to my old favorite "Eagles" rules were outstanding. 

Again - I will post a QRS for everyone to review but suffice to say the addition of morale rules and a morale clock, better capabilities and a role for light troops and more static commanders worked as fun additions.

The addition of a morale clock makes you really think twice about assaulting or charging a position - as retreats cost morale points.  Also making a "morale check" on a unit that has taken casualties from fire or losing a melee is a nice touch - representing those units breaking off the line to reorganize.

Taking a page from Martin Rapier's grand tactical Napoleonic OHW rules, lights now ignore enemy cover, always shooting 3D6 (but still hitting on a 5+) which gives them a nice use in attacking units in cover.

This game was great fun.  It had a wonderful feel to it much like reading the Borodino battle accounts from the link above.  Units would storm a position, only to find themselves kicked out and redoubt 1 changed hands quite a few times before the French finally subdued it. 

These rules are very much "grand tactical" rules which still take firepower into consideration, but deal with the movement of Brigades making you their Corps or Division commander.  In that regard I think they work very well and deliver a great result with much less rules overhead than lots of commercially available rules.  Brigades have unique capabilities that can be wielded (assault, firepower, skirmish) and light infantry will make their presence known in terrain or in front of enemy positions.  Setting an enemy up for a grand cavalry charge is also possible, after you've whittled him down with shot and shell.

My next endeavor is to try these rules out with a bigger "Commands and Colors" scenario to see how that goes.  In the meantime thanks for reading!