The battle of Hagelberg. Preliminaries

I have started the re-fight of my version of the battle of Hagelber using divisional Napoleon's Battles (NBd). After laying the terrain and enroling the units (finding incidentally than I have not sufficient Landwher figures for all required battalions and that Line Prussian figures must be used instead) I have played three NBd turns, i.e. approximately one Napoleon's Battles (NB) turn.
I have found the first and expected problem: the artillery is too powerful. In around 30 minutes, the French guns have dispersed two Landwher battalions whereas Russian artillery has routed and expelled a Croatian (pro-French) battalion from a loopholed farm.
The conclusion is obvious: the artillery hitting power must be decreased. In the next turns I'll apply the same rule than for skirmish fire: "a two-losses results is converted to one-loss, and a one-loss result is a miss".
I'll continue the play during the week but until the next long week-end (thursday to sunday) the battle will be not finished. Until then, you can see Girard on the Windmühlberg hill as he's watching (with some apprehension?) the approaching Prussians.

Hagelber battle in the Digby's data book

Taken from the oustanding and massive reference work of Digby Smith (a.k.a Otto Von Pivka)

SX Hagelberg, 27 August 1813, clash
A village in northeastern Germany, 50 km southwest of Postdam, just north of Route B246 and 5 km west of Belzig. Known to rhe French as "Lübnitz", a hamlet 5 km north of Hagelberg.
A Prussian victory over the French.
French forces GdB Baron Girard commanding: 18e, 56e and 72e RIdLi; 1st Croatian IR, 1e Carabiniers, 13e HusR (4 sqns); 4 x march sqns.
French total ca 10,000 men, 22 guns
French losses 2,000 killed and wounded; (GdB Baville killed); 140 officers; 2,000 men surrended to the Prussians with 5 guns and 2 howitzers, a further 1,700 with 1 gun and 3 ammunition waggons were taken by Tschernitcheff's Cossacks. The division was effectively destroyed.
Prussian Forces The Corps os Magdeburg and the Lower Elbe of the Army of the North. GM von Puttlitz, GM von Hirschfeldt: 1st Res IR (3 bns); 3rd Kurmark LWIR (2 bns); 4th Kurmark LWIR (3 bns) ; 6th Kurmark LWIR (4 bns); 7th Kurmark LWIR (2 bns); Elbe IR (4th Bn). Cavalry Obst von Bismarck: 3rd, 5th and 6th Kurmark LWKRs (4 sqns each); 10 x Russian, 1 x Prussian guns.
Prussian total ca 16,000 men
Prussian losses 39 officers, 67 NCOs, 913 men killed and wounded.
Tschernitcheff's Cossacks Lt Col Prince Lapuchin: Pulks of Illowasky IV and Diätschkin. GM Illowasky IV; Pulks of Vlassov III, Balabin II and Rebrikov II. Col Melnikov V; Pulks of Melnikof IV and Melnikof V; Col Bekendorf; Pulks of Sissojev III, Giroff and Grekov XVIII, GM Count Narischin; Pulks of Andrejanov II and Lotschilin I.
Cossack total ca 4,000 men
Cossack losses Not known exactly but very light.
Sources Plotho, Sporschil, Martinien.

A wonderful diorama... and video

Hi
Watch this wonderful video about the Hans Slaager's Waterloo diorama. The video was made by Benno de Groot and it is shown in his web site

The battle of Hagelberg (August 27, 1813)

This battle was fought between the French Girard’s Garrison - or Division- of Magdeburg and the Prussian Hirschfeld corps. Whereas the goal of Girard’s force (composed by some French 3rd battalions and Rheinbund troops) was to join Oudinot in the advance towards Berlin, the Hirschfeld's force (Prussian Reserve and Landwher and Russian Cossacks) was posted to the right wing of the Bernadotte’s Army of the North to cover that flank watching, precisely, the approach of the Magdeburg Garrison.
The Scenario is loosely based on this battle and is intended for Divisional Napoleon’s Battles (NBd). The order of battle and maps are adapted from the George Nafziger’s book ‘Napoleon at Dresden. The battles of August 1813’ (Emperor’s Press, Chicago, 1992).

The battle finished with the rout of the French, an unusual fact because that rout was at the hands of a force consisting in Prussian Landwehr, which only recently had changed their pikes by muskets, and Cossacks. The main reasons lie on Girard which was fulfilling his first independent command and also in the high motivation of the Prussians fighting in their country against an unmotivated French force formed by conscripts and war-tired veterans. The Prussian loss were 1800 men (a 20%) claiming around 5000 French losses including 7 guns and the entire divisional wagon train: the Magdeburg garrison was virtually wiped out.
Find the Scenario and map (and some more things) at my web-site
Next week the battle as fought!

Divisional Napoleon's Battles or 'A heresy. Part 3'

Brigade commanders and other Generals
Because of the modification of scale, NBd needs now the inclusion of Generals de Brigade for the combat units as a last step in the command chain. Brigade commanders will have a reduced Comand radius extending only to his own brigade and to the divisional battery and their remaining abilities will be assigned according those from the actual brigade generals when known. To calculate the points value of Generals, consider NBd Brigade Generals like NB Division Generals and NBd Division Generals like NB Corps General but without any drop.

Assignment of casualties
The proposed modifications of the scales of men and time approximately (exactly?) cancel each other, so initially there is no need for further change in the assignment of casualties, because the product [men (or guns) x time] remains near constant.
The main danger of this approach could be an excesive hitting power for artillery resulting from the great number of batteries, so this effect can be further researched.

Change of formation
In NBd a turn expands only 10 (7.5) minutes, a time-length similar to the taken by almost all the formation changes carried out by battalions or cavalry regiments but a brigade taken many more time (see Jeffrey G., Tactics and Grand Tactics of the Napoleonic Wars, Ed. by Ned Zuarko, The Courier Publishing Co., 1988).
In NB that is abstracted by substracting the time of formation changes from their lesser Line movement allowance. The net result is that only very well drilled brigades, have any additional mowement allowance left after changing formation.
The simpler way to model that in NBd is to consider that all formations changes of individual combat units take a turn to complete, i.e. 10 (7.5) minutes. Brigade evolutions are then made by the individual units using their new movement allowances.

Evidently, all these thoughts and wonderings must be carefully play-tested and the next step will be the design or adaptation of divisional Scenarios.

Divisional Napoleon's Battles or 'A heresy. Part 2'

The fire problem
In NB, the so-called infantry fire of the Fire Phase is a combination of the fire of both skirmishing infantry and light divisional guns. That combination is abstracted and neither skirmish infantry nor divisional artillery are represented in the tabletop. However, the use of a bigger terrain scale in NBd implies the use of 'real' divisional gun models and skirmish figures.

Divisional guns can be represented and treated in a similar way to NB heavy and horse 'normal' batteries: they will fire during the Fire Phase and, like normal combat units, will need to be in command in order to move or change formation. Divisional guns can be commanded by their divisional (or brigade) commander applying the habitual NB command rules. No modification is needed beyond their inclusion in the OOB's.

The skirmish screen extended from the main firing line until a distance of 100 or 500 yards depending on the skirmish ability of the troops. In NBd, skirmishing figures will be placed on the tabletop scattered into the fire area of the brigade, i.e. from the base front of their accompanying formed infantry until a distance of 4-20 inches or 10-50 cm. However, in no case they can enter in contact (touch) with enemy formed units. The skirmishers can be represented by normal infantry bases scattered in a similar way to the NB open order or by special open order bases.

The real effect of the skirmish fire is (and was at that time) an arguable matter. The number of resulting casualties was small and the main achievement of skirmishers was to disorder enemy formed units whereas simultaneously protecting the own from the enemy. To model the effects of skirmishing at divisional scale, I'll try one of the solutions pointed in my Modifications of Napoleon's Battles page. These skirmish house-rules (discused in the Yahoo napbattles group were used in my NB Scenarios for the Peninsular War (see the link for Scenarios at righ menu) and arosen from the need to discount the effect of divisional guns. The possibilites can be summarized as:
1) Use an additional negative modifier (“-3”?) to Infantry Fire Factors, OR
2) Modify the ‘Resolving Fire’ Rule so a ‘two losses’ result is converted to ‘one loss’ and a ‘one loss’ is a miss, OR
3) Carry out the infantry fire as usual without any modifier. The resulting losses are not marked on the target unit, but are only used to cause disorder
The last option can be discouraging: too many die-rolling for nothing! and the first one will need further research to find the optimum factor so initially I'll use the second: A ‘two losses’ result is converted to ‘one loss’ and a ‘one loss’ is a miss and the disorder in the target unit is assigned as usual.
All above considerations also apply to cavalry skirmishers.

Next time about command radii, casualties and changes of formation

Wondering about scales

I am trying to find a Napoleonic rule-set to play minor, i.e divisional, engagements occuring at the Campaign of Leipzig or in any other Napoleonic Campaign. I could use a commercial tactical rule-set (Shako, General de Brigade...) or a free downloable set such as Eagles and Glory or Serrez les Rangs or one of the myriad of free sets available at the Freewargamesrules site. However, I don't want to waste my quickly diminishing neurons so I pretend to use Napoleon's Battles (NB) at divisional scale (NBd).
Yes, NB is a grand tactical rule set so (1) all the scales (men, terrain and time) must be changed, (2) some things abstracted in the original NB (skirmishers, artillery fire...) and (3) other new arising problems (brigade/battalion/regiment commanders and their command radii...) must be resolved.
A query to Napoleon's Battles community in the Yahoo napbattles group was quick and kindly answered by Paul McAndrew and Luke Willen. From their suggestions I have decided to use initially the following scales
Green numbers imply a non definitive decision

- Men 1/30
- Terrain 1/900 (1 in. to 25 yds.)
- Time 10 min per turn (or 7.5 min)
- Artillery 1 model/4 guns

The general picture of a NB battle is almost maintained in NBd although the combat units are now infantry battalions, cavalry regiments and batteries. The global effect is a MAGNIFICATION of both battlefield (4:1) and time (3:1 or 4:1? ) resulting in

1) A NB infantry 4-figures stand becomes a NBd company (120 men) so a typical infantry battalion will have 4-7 stands
2) A NB cavalry 4-figures stand becomes a NBd squadron
3) A NBd artillery battery is composed from 2 or 3 gun models (according to the strenght of the original)
4) All fire distances and command radii must be multiplied by 4
5) The movement distances remain un-changed since the modifications in terrain (space) and time scales approximately (or exactly) cancel one to another.
For example: a movement of 10 in. in NB implies a speed of 1000yds/30min. In NBd an unit at that speed will march in a turn of 10 (7.5) min. a distance of 1000*10/30=333.3 yds (1000*7.5/30=250 yds) or a tabletop distance of 333.3/25=13.3 (250/25=10) in.

In that way the general vision of a NB battle will be loosely maintained and the next question to resolve will be the assignment of casualties.

French Auxiliary troops

The presence in the table-top of wheeled material (wagons, ambulance, field forges, pontoon trains...) increases the visual appeal of a wargame with miniatures and moreover allows to represent the Corps or Army assets that always accompanied the troops in the field in the Napoleonic era. That material was accompanied, at least in the French armies, by an array of Service troops including sanitary, armorers, drivers...
The american company HAT has launched a comprehensive range of French wheeled material. See my version of the available kits

Baggage Wagon

Ambulance
Wurst wagon with surgeons and 'Infirmiers'

Field forge with 'ouvriers'

All the history, with more pictures, is at my web-site

Internet (free) resources for the Campaign of Leipzig

Below there is a list of free resources related to the Campaign of Leipzig (1813) that can be downloaded (free!) from the web. Many of the files were found thanks to the services of members of the Napoleon-Series forum, particularly Steven H. Smith, whose dedication to dug in the Google books or Gallica services is invaluable. Other files came from different U.S. Army servers (because the Campaign of Leipzig is a succesful example of coalition warfare) and can be easily downloaded after an exact query in Google.
As for the previous post, all this information is also available at my web site through the Leipzig Project page.

Title La Campagne d'automne de 1813 et les lignes intérieures
Author, year AG, 1897
Source Gallica

Title Précis militaire de la campagne de 1813 en Allemagne
Author, year Brockhaus, F.A., 1881
Source Google books

Title Commentaries on the war in Russia and Germany in 1812 and 1813
Author, year Cathcart, G., 1850
Source Google books

Title Histoire de la guerre de 1813 en Allemagne
Author, year Lt. Colonel Charras, 1866
Source Gallica

Title Old Maps
Author, year DigAM digitales archiv marburg
Source http://www.digam.net/?str=177

Title Narrative of the war in Germany and France in 1813 and 1814
Author, year Vane, C.W. Marquess of Londonderry, 1830
Source Google Books / Microsoft

Title Etude sur les operations du Maréchal Macdonald (du 22 août au 4 septembre 1813. La Katzbach)
Author, year X, 1910
Source Gallica

Title Bautzen. Une bataille de deux jours
Author, year Foucart, 1897
Source Gallica

Title Failure in independent tactical command: Napoleon's Marshalls in 1813
Author, year Keefe, J.M., 1994
Source U.S. Army Command and General Staff College

Title Coalition tactics on the Napoleonic battlefield and their influences on unity of effort
Author, year Kuehn, J. Trost , 1997
Source U.S. Army Command and General Staff College

Title Operational Art and the 1813 campaign in Germany
Author, year Kuehn, J. Trost, 1998
Source U.S. Army Command and General Staff College

Title The reasons for the success of the sixth Coalition against Napoleon on 1813
Author, year Kuehn, J. Trost, 1998
Source U.S. Army Command and General Staff College

Title An analysis in coalition warfare: Napoleon's defeat at the battle of Nations-Leipzig 1813
Author, year Leavelle, C.M., 1998
Source USAWC Strategy Research Project

Title Passages from my life together with Memoirs of the Campaign of 1813 and 1814
Author, year Müffling, 1853
Source Google books

Title Napoleon's last campaign in Germany
Author, year Petre, F.L., 1912
Source Google books

Title Napoleon's Cavalry: A key element to decisive victory
Author, year Shoeffner,T.A., 2002
Source U.S. Army Command and General Staff College

Title Memories of Marshall Oudinot
Author, year Stiegler, G., 1896
Source Google books

Title Complexity in coalition warfare. The Campaign of the Sisth coalition against Napoleon
Author, year Turner, K.A., 2003
Source USAWC Strategy Research Project

Title Service of Atoine-Henri Baron de Jomini in 1812-13: A new retrospective view
Author, year Vovsi, E.V. , 2006
Source The Florida State University

Title Relation der Jriegserignisse von 22 bis 30 August 1813 bei Dresden und Kulm
Author, year X, 1823?
Source Google books

Title Campagne de 1813. La Cavalerie des Armées Alliés
Author, year Weil, M.H., 1886
Source Google books

Leipzig bibliography

I am back from the Pirineos. No painting but many time to walk and read (mainly SF and wargaming and Leipzig books). I was also able to make a relation of my books about Lepzig and the 1813 Campaign in Germany.

Title Alison's Atlas of the Wars in Europe 1792-1815
Author Alison, Archibald
Published by Worley Publications, Felling, 1994 (Facsimile Ed.)

Title Historia de un recluta de 1813
Author Erckmann-Chatrian
Published by Ferni, Geneve, 1978

Title A Military History and Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars
Author Esposito, V.J. and Elting, J.R.
Published by Arms & Armour Press, London, 1980

Title Lützen & Bautzen 1813. The Turning Point
Author Hofschröer, Peter
Published by Osprey Publishing, Oxford, 2001

Title Leipzig 1813. The Battle of Nations
Author Hofschröer, Peter
Published by Osprey Publishing, London, 1993

Title Memoirs
Author Marbot, M.
Published by GreenHill Books, 1988

Title The Campaign of Leipzig
Author Maude, F.N.
Published by Leonaur Ltd , 2007

Title Lutzen & Bautzen. Napoleon's spring Campaign of 1813
Author Nafziger, George
Published by The Emperor Press ,Chicago, 1992

Title Napoleon at Leipzig. The Battle of Nations 1813
Author Nafziger, George
Published by The Emperor Press ,Chicago, 1992

Title Napoleon at Dresden. The Battles of August 1813
Author Nafziger, George
Published by The Emperor Press ,Chicago, 1994

Title The Campaign of Leipzig 1813
Author Parker, Jeff and Gilder, Peter
Published by Osprey Publishing, London, 1979

Title Napoleon's Last Campaign in Germany - 1813
Author Petre, F. Loraine
Published by Arms & Armour Press, London, 1978

Title Napoleon's Grande Armee of 1813
Author Scott, Bowden
Published by The Emperor Press ,Chicago, 1990

Title 1813 Leipzig. Napoleon and the Battle of the Nations
Author Smith, Digby
Published by Greenhill Books, London, 2001