Retreat from Moscow 1812 . second part of our campaign concluded

Boney - get the hell out of Russia!

So Napoleon and his Grande Armee had reached Moscow during the first part of our campaign, and now it was time to retreat... set simple objectives:

• Napoleon (me) would win if he could get 2/3 of his force beyond Berezina river in 5 campaign rounds
• Alexander (Jaakko) would win if Russians could annihilate more than 1/3 of the Grande Armee 

Rules for the retreat phase (adapted Dawns & Departures by Too Fat Lardies)

• We skipped rules for supplying the forces
• Grande Armee groups would suffer shock equal to Round number - (D3+1)
• Russian Groups would suffer shock equal to Round number - (D3)
• +1 would be added to the D3 roll if there was more than 60p. in the column or if the column moved more than one area 
• Russian forces were 4 divisions of 60 points
• Grande Armee was a total of 180 points

French starting moves 

We individually informed Marko, our Umpire, about our scouting and movement plans, he then proceeded to roll the dice for initiative and movement (terrain impacting). He then announced how we succeeded and where forces collided and battles erupted. Muchos Gracias Marko! 

Stuff painted for retreat

One of key motivators for this campaign was to get my Perry Retreat from Moscow miniatures finally painted. I painted quite a few, but not all... next time the rest

This Russian village church finally got finished with the roof done

Perrys getting varnished

Marksman

Army morale counter and holders for shock dice / tokens

Napoleon's sledge also got finished

Round 1. No battles

Napoleon split his forces into two columns, 120 points lead by himself moved towards Tula unhindered and 60 points lead by Marshal Ney headed south to Borodino hills, also unhindered.

Two Russian columns (A & B) moved on the map, while C & D held their positions in Smolensk and Vitebsk 

 

Round 2. Napoleon is attacked in Tula, while Ney meets Russian forces in the forest

French plans

Russian moves

Ney's rear guard action

As the main force was already marching, a rearguard was left to stop or at least delay Russian forces harassing the column. Defences were hastily built in a small hamlet and some skirmishers sent forward to ambush the approaching enemy cavalry.  

AMBUSH!

Russian cavalry horde

Overly eager cossacks were badly shocked by the flank fire and 

soon fled! Huzzah!

My cavalry reserve approached cautiously. 

Angered by the cowardly (and expected) retreat of cossacks

Russian Hussars chased my skirmishers away, whom managed to evade

As Moscow opolcheniye approached in a column (silly of them), fire was opened from 

barricades

And my cavalry reserve moved in from the flank

And charged into the flank of enemy Hussars, whom had vainly

chased after ever evading skirmishers - a trap!

After these losses Russian forces were practically broken

and started to leave the field

Even my ambushing skirmishers managed to escape!

Soon most of the Russian forces were in full retreat with their noses blooded 

- significant victory for my rear guard!

Napoleon was attacked by Russian forces from behind in Tula

Game played 29.4. 

French 80p. moving through the table 

Russia 60p. moving in from two deployment points, from two different table edges

French goal: escape the field  with as many units possible

Russian goal: destroy as much French forces as possible

This is what I posted in Instagram about the game:

Most dynamic #sharppractice game last night with @jamopower whom was leading 60 points of #russians against my retreating 80p. of #french as part of our #mapbasedcampaign We invented our scenario as follows: French needed to push through 2/3 of the battlefield and exit at least half of their units to win, while Russians deploying in a #pincermove from both flanks trying to stop them. Often our games have been quite static with formations firing at each other throughout the battle. Now I needed to move... unfortunately one of my formations was hit by several enemy salvos and 5-6 shocks stopped them from moving... My #napoleoniccavalry pushed through and #curassiers did their work as usual. Unfortunately too many of my infantry units were bogged down and as our time limit was closing, I knew I had no chance reaching scenario objective... I focused on trying to crush enemy morale and did quite well; in the end I “won” on morale 8-4. Exciting game as always! 

French deployment

My cavalry was planning to outflank, but they got bogged down for

several "turns"

First wave of Russians

Curassiers move forward to be ready to make a decisive charge…

Dismounted Dragoons make a daring move to get a flank shot

Orthodox priest helps Russian infantry to hold the line

More Russian cavalry (Cossacks) enter the battle, after Hussars have been

driven away by a volley of musket fire

Dragoon’s on foot evade from Russian Grenadiers charging at them

Curassiers make a flank charge on some Russian Jaegars 

and devastate them as expected

Unfortunately French infantry is far too shocked to be able to get moving

Even as Curassiers work hard to clear the path for them!

Light infantry keeps Cossacks at bay with their accurate shooting

March out of Russia continues painfully slow, even if morale of Russian attackers has been

broken for now…

Conclusion: scenario victory for Russians (I couldn’t get enough units out of the field), morale victory for me, which luckily is the factor impacting the initiative roll for our next moves…

Round 3. 

As Round 3. started Russian divisions were moving towards my forces from all directions!
Napoleon and his divisions finally got moving from Tula, but met with Russian forces moving in from Borodino in the country side. In the mean time Ney chased after Russians, that he had won in the wooded area and fought them again in Vitebsk (stopping them form moving to the area, where Napoleon moved to) 

Battle in the country side 

Game played 11.5.2021

France 120p. with Napoleon

Russia 60p. + 60p. Divsions A &B

(second 60p. marching to the sound of guns and arriving with a delay)

French goal: escape the field  with as many units possible

Russian goal: destroy as much French forces as possible

This is what I posted in Instagram about the game:

Our #retreatfrommoscow #campaign continued as two forces of #russians tried to block #napoleon ‘s forces movement towards Vitebsk. #french forces were faster in deployment and Russians units deploying were met with a very warm welcome! While #frenchlightinfantry and #napoleonicartillery held the enemy at bay, other units moved down the road and exited the battlefield, winning me the game vs. @jamopower

Form a battle line!

Napoleon's commander card came up first, so I was able to deploy and form a battle line with light infantry and some skirmishers, facing the Russian deployment point, while my Old Guard prepared to march away in a column.

Russians arrived too and my artillery too, providing a warm welcome to the enemy

More and more Russians marched to the field, threatening to flank me... 

So Cuirassiers were sent in to drive away the flankers 

But this brave attack was their doom also...

These sacrifices and early successes had given my other units

time to speed march along the frozen mud road.

My Old Guard and some skirmishers acted as the vanguard, forming into a line to face the 

second Russian division expected to arrive soon (already delayed!)

And arrive they did...

But too late as most of my column had already quit the field! 

Rear guard fire fight continued, but the game was already won by the French!

Round 4.

Napoleon gave Murat an order to make a counter attack towards the woods to help his and Ney's divisions to make their escapes...  Luckily for Ney., Russian divisions C & D moved to a wrong location

Murat’s raiding party 

Game played  24.5.

Post on Instagram about this game:

Another exiting #sharppractice game in our #retreatfrommoscow #campaign with @jamopower #fatique was starting to slow my #grandearmee down as they were now reaching the banks of Berezina river. #napoleon had ordered #murat to make a counter attack against #russians approaching from the west, while the main army would try and escape... my goal was to break the enemy and capture their baggage to get provisions. My depleted #dragoonsonce again outflanked the enemy and almost reached the goal! If only my #lightinfantry would have gotten the salvo into the #cossacks whom first foolishly did some feinting manoeuvres in front of my battle line... but the Cossacks escaped that fate and sped back to behind the Russian lines to secure the baggage! My battle line was slowly grinding the enemy with their accurate musketry but it always takes it’s time and the night fell before that happened. Russian victory this time, both in scenario objectives and narrowly in morale 6-5. 

Skirmishers are sent forward to scout

Loot!

Cossacks making their manoeuvres in front of my battle line

But finally they have the sense to return to protect their division baggage

Which my depleted Dragoons were already approaching

As has been the way in our campaign, my French really struggle (except Curassiers)

to win fisticuffs against Russians… again I had more dice, but scored only three kills…

While all Dragoons were skewered by Cossack lances!

Without further cavalry assets Murat is unable to break through Russian lines, even if 

there was some success with skirmishers, but them too were eventually driven away

My Marksman wasn’t as efficient as I had hoped for

Russian victory.

ALL OUT ATTACK!

Battle played 2.6.2021

Instagram:

Another battle in our #sharppractice #1812 #campaign #russian forces had #forcemarch to reach #napoleon in Vitebsk, so both armies started with some fatique. I was fortunate to get most of forces to the field quite soon, even if our scenario ( All out attack) used a delayed deployment rule (units would only deploy on 4+ roll). @jamopower once again made the mistake of deploying his #cossacks too close to my #battleline and I was able to score enough shock on them early on. On the other flank #russiangrenadiers took a risk and tried to charge my #imperialguard but came short and I was able to shoot them to pieces. Russian #hussars managed an #outflank and bulldozed through my half a unit of #curassiers whom still saved my deployment point as they stopped the enemy and bought time for my #fusiliers to about face and blast the hussars into oblivion with a close range volley. Final #nailinthecoffin for Russians was my artillery arriving and delivering two #canistershot at the approaching #russianinfantry shocking them badly. At this point there was no chance for Russians anymore - my morale was at 10 and theirs at 4, and my opponent ceded the game.

Russian Grenadiers failing their charge 

French artillery deploys to hammer the enemy line 

Enemy hussars outflank to try and reach

French deployment point

French VICTORY

Final Round 5.

Ney was already safe beyond Berezina and rest of divisions were scrambling forward to reach this relative safety too... but Russians were relentless and attacked my forces like hungry wolves in the winter!

Last Battle in Russia

Game played 11th of June

Instagram post just before the battle:

All good things come to an end. About a year ago we agreed with @jamopower that we would do a #1812 #campaign on #napoleon ‘s picnic to Moscow and back using #sharppractice rules. Tonight we play our final battle taking place on the banks of Berezina river.

So it was Murat's raiding party, that would fight the last battle...

Closing ceremonies

Almost a year of campaigning was coming to an end. As this event was close to my dear opponent Jaakko moving to another part of Finland, some celebration was due.  Don't get me wrong, we're not happy to see Jaakko leaving the club, but the campaign has been awesome!

The Battle

There were 2 depleted Russian divisions attacking Murat's rearguard, so Russians had about 100p. vs. my 55 or so... 

My Cav was first to deploy to my left flank


Only some French skirmishers holding back the Russian battle line...




Then my line infantry arrives, while my cavalry moves forward to challenge enemy cossacks. Some Russian Jaegers try to outflank my battle line




My brave hussars beat the enemy Dragoons and slaughter them all!

Trap! New enemy forces arrive!


More enemy cavalry deployed... my Dragoons decided, that this would be too much for them to chew! 

My Hussars retreated after being shocked by enemy shots - behind enemy lines! 




That icy road presented the River Berezina and first of my units had just escaped across it (as per our scenario objectives)

Due to one or two rounds of inactivity on my Dragoon's part, enemy Cossacks were unfortunately able to reach them just when they were crossing to safety!  


My dismounted dragoons try to fend of outflanking Russian Jaegers


While sad remains of my skirmishers to safety




Overview of the battlefield at the end


Score at the end: French victory 9-7

Conclusions

Two of my three divisions (of 60p.) had made it beyond Berezina at the end of Round 5. Unfortunately they both suffered some casualties and hence I didn't quite reach my victory condition. Russians didn't manage to annihilate 1/3 of my forces either, so our second phase ended in a

DRAW 

To be quite honest, I think the Russian victory condition was quite hard to reach, as not too many of the soldiers actually die, when rolling in the aftermath fate of casualties table (Dawns & Departures), especially when I had physicians in two of my divisions. Maybe French should have had more limited access to physicians or negative modifiers to the chart...

...then again, I did won most of the games played.

Winning or losing, wasn't really the main thing in our gentlemanly campaign. We got to play several good and dynamic, even dramatic battles on beautiful tables, using well painted, awesome miniatures - one of my goals was to get my Perry Miniatures Retreat from Moscow range miniatures painted. Lots f them did get painted, while few still remain unpainted.

I already thanked our Umpire Marko and as a final conclusion I want to thank my opponent Jaakko for coming up with the idea for playing this campaign and being such a nice and laid back fellow to play with. Awesome times!