AAR 3

From: Jim Graham (JimGrIII@aol.com)
aka Napoleon

I'll start with kudos to Jodie, Pete, Nigel, Tom and Frank for putting on a great weekend. I've had a ball every time (even Arnhem:-), but this one was the ultimate. I suspect this was largely due to being able to handle two roles and not having the usual frustrations of cocked dies, frayed tempers, and rules arguments. At this point I think I can say, that time and money permitting, I'll go anywhere, anytime to get a chance to play with Carnage and Glory rules. Now onto the AAR...

Preliminary Plan

The south board with Allen as Davout was to hold and try to keep casualties down while occupying as many troops as possible. The North with Mike as Lannes was to be a diversion to draw in the most enemy troops possible, and the Center was to be our main thrust with Bernadotte (Fred) trying a push up the road to turn the Russian right flank on the heights, while Bruce as Soult pinned the enemy troops along a broad front. In reserve was Murat's cavalry, Oudinot's grenadiers and the Guard. The strategy for the reserves was to wait and counter the commitment of the Russian reserves, with the Napoleonic maxim that he who commits his reserves last (or not at all), wins.

RESULTS

Napoleon never visited the southern board, so I had little information on the activity there. Having a tactical command in the center was also a deterrent to hopping from one table to another. The bottom line in the south is that Davout did his job and kept a significant part of the allies busy. He also did not whine for the reinforcements he needed more than anyone, and which I was guarding somewhat jealously. For this he received my vote for most valuable French player. Every one of my Marshals did an outstanding job and deserved this award, but Allen had the most thankless job.

In the north, the attack was launched, almost TOO exuberantly in our attempt to create a diversion as the main thrust of the French assault. When the Russian cavalry was committed to this board it was a rough fight to hang on until about 1/2 of Murat's cavalry was committed to stabilize that front. Murat and Lannes did a wonderful job in defeating what from my perspective at least was a superior Allied force. The only complaint here was allowing a few Cossacks and a regular cavalry unit onto the centerboard, which caused problems way out of proportion to their numbers. I suspect nearly half the French casualties were caused by these marauders under Pete's command.

In where most of the good weather and troops were, and was where Napoleon spent the majority of his time. Our initial assault was poorly timed and thwarted. With initiative choices early on we had, and squandered a marvelous opportunity to slam into the defending Austrian column before they could form line. Unfortunately, Van Damme did not receive or pass on his orders to attack due to a morning of carousing and drunkenness. He was dismissed and finally able to attack, but the opportunity for swift victory on the heights was thwarted, as the Austrians were able to concentrate their artillery alternately on the French divisions. Fortunately the constant use of the guns and infantry wore them out, making them vulnerable to coordinated attacks by Soult's cavalry and a division of Murat's cavalry. This assault swept all the Austrians from the field save one square protecting KUTUSOV from capture or death. At this point the entire Russian Guard showed up. The [RUSSIAN GUARD] infantry was stopped cold by the outstanding defense of Marshall Bernadotte (Fred) on the left of the Pratzen [Vinrady] heights, and he was prepared to take the offensive on that flank. Soult (Bruce) after fighting hard all morning fell back to a defensive position, while Napoleon commanding VanDamme's division cotinued the assault on the right of Pratzen [Vinrady] heights slowing the relief column from the southern board as they attempted to reach the high point on the Pratzen [Vinrady] heights.

CONCLUSIONS

As the game was called, 2 divisions of the Guard infantry, the Guard Cavalry and a division of Murat's cavalry were in position to sweep the rest of the allies from the heights, and complete the battle AT LEAST as decisively as the original! (Or at least that's my take on the ultimate outcome. :-)

Editorial Note: It was not the actual "Pratzen Heights" referred to here, but the "Stare Vinrady" [sic] heights on the Center table, the between Blaswitz and Pratzen. The actual "Pratzen Heights" were south of the town of Pratzen... on the south board. (neither the Pratzen, nor Vinrady were occupied at 1400 turn [7 hours (28 turns) of the French main assault.] :)

From: Pete Panzeri (peterpanzeri@yahoo.com)
aka Kutusov

Napoleon is right, the Russian Guard Infantry Counter attack was stopped, and with drew to defend the heights, and the Russian Guard Cavalry didn't ride down more than a handful of French Regiments...

ALSO CORRECT:
"2 divisions of the Guard infantry, the Guard Cavalry and a division of Murat's cavalry were in position" [uh.. well, no mention of the SIX Russian batteries and 10 Fresh Battalions holding the heights at ENDEX? Thus the tenacious defense of the heights may have taken awhile, and cost many lives to both sides [better French Guard than Line anyway]. hmmm .... We do have digital pictures of the battlefield at endex/AAR, and maybe NIGEL saved the computer data I think? We should finish this one off at HISTORICON OR SOMETHING! [even in 15mm] then we'll see who gets bragging rights!!

Or we'll wait until BORODINO 2002 to decide who can suck up the most dead.

-KUTUSOV