Craig Taylor passed away

From a post in the Napoleon's Battles Yahoo Group

"Bob Coggins asked me to let everyone know that Craig Taylor passed away this week. Cause of death was undetermined at this time, but will be available later, I'm sure. Bob's computer is down at the moment so he will not be able to respond to any questions on line. We will let everyone know more details as they become available. Craig was a prolific and successful miniatures and board game historical rules writer and co-author of Napoleon's Battles. I've known him since his Avalon Hill days when I was one of the staff playtesters on Avalon Hill's version of the Austrailian Napoleonic game "Empires in Arms," which Craig sheparded through the redesign effort and publication. His integrety and willingness to go the extra mile in game development was well known. He was an amazing game designer and developer with a long list of titles to his credit. The hobby has lost a true professional, a true friend. He will be missed."

The above is the Craig's signature in my Napoleon's Battles (3rd. Ed) copy.

Requiescat In Pace!

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The start of the Campaign of Salamanca (1812)

Two hundred years ago, started the Campaign of Salamanca. After the fall of Ciudad Rodrigo and Badajoz and the breaking of Almaraz bridge on the Tagus, Wellington entered again in Spain. Always a cautius general, his flanks were well guarded. In the right, Hill watched Soult wehereas in the left the Portuguese militia attacked Zamora and the Spanish army of Galicia laid siege to Astorga, thus threatening the Marmont's right flank. Finally, the Royal Navy in the Cantabrian coast, supported the Spanish semi-regular keeping in check the French rearguard.
On June 13, Wellington with 47,000 Anglo-Lusitanian and 3,000 Spanish, began the advance. Marmont, with 40,000 men, tried to delay the Allies, leaving a garrison at Salamanca (which resisted until June 27) but, conscious of his numerical inferiority, he retired to Tordesillas on the Douro, closely pursued by the Allies. From there Wellington and Marmont played a cat-and mouse game, until the 22 July. That day saw the battle of Salamanca (Los Arapiles in Sapin and France) which ended with Marmont wounded and the crushing defeat of his army.

The above picture is taken from a brochure edited by the Diputacion of Salamanca, and can be seen in the blog of Miguel Angel Martin Mas, the soul behind the Historic site of Los Arapiles.

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Ireland fans sing "The Fields of Athenry"

Euro 2012: Ireland fans sing "The Fields of Athenry" as their team falls to Spain
It was one of the greatest moments I have seen in football. All others fans in Europe can learn something from the Irish.

My respect!

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Kösen 1, 2, 3, 4

The next thing will be a re-fight of Kösen. The scenario is an adaptation of the C.S. Grant’s ‘Crossing Point’ scenario of his book ‘Programmed Wargames Scenarios'(Wargames Research Group, 1983). The General situation is as follow:
"Blue has a small force, which has moved north at great speed to secure the crossing point and arrived there in the early hours of the morning. They know that a Red Force is on the way to seize the crossing and is likely to start arriving from the north shortly after dawn. Blue has reinforcements on the way but they are being hastily assembled and may arrive at any time during the day and in any order. Dawn is 0630."
The historical background is taken from G. Nafziger's 'Napoleon at Leipzig. The Battle of Nations 1813’(The Emperor Press, Chicago, 1996) and is located after the Napoleon's defeat at Leipzig and his western retreat:
"On 21 October Napoleon sent General Bertrand with a strong force to attack and destroy the bridge by Kösen [on the Saale River], in an effort to cover the French withdrawal from attack by the allies via that avenue. On the left bank, where Neu-Kösen lay, the road crossed a nearly unclimbable ridge, an important tactical position to seize as to stop the allies, who were advancing through Naumburg in their pursuit of the French”.

The real combat involved elements of the Austrian 3rd Armeeabteilung under FZM Gyulai and the remaining rests of the Bertrand’s polyglot IV Corps (comprising French, Wurttemberg and Italian units). The O.O.B's were modified and adapted from the Nafziger's book cited above as well as from “The Greenhill Napoleonic Wars Data Book” (Greenhill Books, London, 1998) of Digby Smith. The Napoleon Series web-site (Allied OOB at Leipzig and French OOB at Leipzig) provided the names of the brigadiers. I have also added a division of French Young Guard Cavalry under Lefebvre-Desnoettes to add some color to the French units. The final OOB's, used in the previous fight with my divisional home-version of Napoleon's Battles were:

Austrian 3rd Armeeabteilung (Blue force)
13 Battalions/2 Regiments/3 batteries; Army Moral 47 Break point 16

C-i-C Gyulai (-/¶)

Light Division Crenneville (-/-)
Infantry Brigade Hacht (-1/¶)
Waradisner Grenz R/I/SK2 +
St George Grenz R/I/SK2 +
7Jaeger R/E/SK2
Cavalry Brigade Kopp (-1/-)
Chevauleger No. 5 R/E/Pu +
Chevauleger No. 7 R/E/Pu +
6pdr Horse Battery Horse/2 cannon/Medium/1 Howitzer

2nd Division Murray (-/*)
1st Brigade Lamezan (-1/-)
1/Erzherzog Ludwig-Josef IR 8 R/E/SK1 +
2/Erzherzog Ludwig-Josef IR 8 R/E/SK1 +
3/Erzherzog Ludwig-Josef IR 8 R/E/SK1 +
1/Kurfurst von Wurzburg IR 7 R/E/SK1 +
2/Kurfurst von Wurzburg IR 7 R/E/SK1 +
3/Kurfurst von Wurzburg IR 7 R/E/SK1 +
6pdr Brigade Battery Foot/4 cannon/Medium
2nd Brigade Lowenwarth (-1/¶)
1/Mariassy IR 37 R/E/SK1 +
2/Mariassy IR 37 R/E/SK1 +
1/Gyulai IR 60 R/E/SK1 +
2/Gyulai IR 60 R/E/SK1 +
6pdr Brigade Battery Foot/4 cannon/Medium


French IV Corps (Red force)
14 Battalions/3 Regiments/3 batteries; Army Moral 44 Break point 15

C-i-C Bertrand (-1/*)

12me Division Morand (+1/*)
1st Brigade Belair (+1/-)
1/8e Légère R/E/SK2 +
2/8e Légère R/E/SK2 +
2nd Brigade Toussaint (-/*)
1/13e Ligne R/E/SK2 +
2/13e Ligne R/E/SK2 +
3rd Brigade Hulot (+1/-)
1/23e Ligne R/E/SK2
2/23e Ligne R/E/SK2
1/137e Ligne R/A/SK1
2/137e Ligne R/A/SK1
1/2 Foot Artillery Foot/3 cannon/Medium/1 Howitzer
2/2 Foot Artillery Foot/3 cannon/Medium/1 Howitzer

38me Division Franquemont (-1/*)
Wurttemberg Converged Line R/E/SK1
Wurttemberg Converged Light R/E/SK2

15me Division Fontanelli (-/-)
Italian Converged Light R/A/SK1
1/Converged Line R/A/SK1
2/Converged Line R/A/SK1
3/Converged Line R/A/SK1
Italian Sapper Company

2me Guard Light Cavalry Division Levebvre-Desnoettes (-1/*)
Young Guard Lanciers V/A/La +
Young Guard Chasseurs V/A +
Young Guard Grenadiers V/A
5/Old Guard Horse Battery Horse/2 cannon/Medium/1 Howitzer


The Grant's book presents always several alternatives for deployments, orders, goals and reinforcements for both sides, thus opening an almost infinite variety of Scenarios, that are randomly chosen (i.e throwing several D6 dice). With the help of an EXCEL worksheet, I have designed four Scenarios... but only one will be fought.

Follow this thread!

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