Second Helmstedt – Move 4

1100-1200 1 August 1813

Table at the start of move 4

3^rd and 4^th Prussian corps approach V French corps

On the left Prussian hussars have pushed enemy cuirassiers back

1st Prussian corps on far right have halted just within artillery range of VI corps

1^st Prussian corps

General Yorck (Gifted) – Halt – 6CP

Artillery fire (4) on cavalry and miss

No other action

Poor Card

Prince Blucher (Average) – 6CP

Move to 1^st corps and change orders to Hold

Return to 4^th corps

VI French corps

Marshal Marmont (Average) – Hold – 6CP

No target in range of their 9pdr guns

Cavalry retire 6” behind hill out of angle of enemy 12 pdr guns

Artillery limber and redeploy to engage 4^th Prussian corps

Marshal Davout (Gifted)] – 5CP

No orders required

3^rd Prussian corps

General Bulow (Engage) – Move – 5P

Artillery fire (7) and miss 18 French

10 brigade form column from square and advance 3”

Bulow moves within command range (8”) of hussar brigade

Hussars charge shaken cuirassiers

Hussars have to pass within 3” of square

Square fire (7) and cause one casualty

Despite musket casualty hussars win melee

Cuirassiers lose one casualty and rout

Hussars test (2) to pursue, make morale and halt disordered

French square test morale (1) for rout, fail and become shaken

V French corps

General Laurison (Average) – Hold - 5CP

Artillery fire at close range (6) on 12 Prussian and hit

12 Prussian test morale (0), fail and rout

10 Prussian test morale (1) for nearby rout, fail and become shaken

11 Prussian test morale (5) for nearby rout, pass but are disordered

17 brigade test morale (3) for shaken, pass and become disordered

4^th Prussian corps

General Tauentzien (Poor) – Move – 4CP

Change orders to Halt due to Poor Card

Artillery fire (3) on 18 French and miss

Game Notes

Disappointing move for Prussian army

3^rd corps started the move poised to take advantage of winning cavalry melee

End with one brigade in rout and one shaken and cavalry disordered behind French position

4^th corps changes orders to Halt due to Poor Card

Both attacks are stalled within short range of V corps artillery

Wargame rules can be found at

http://napoleonicwargamerules.blogspot.com/

Second Helmstedt – Move 3

1000-1100 1 August 1813

Table at the start of move 3

French V and VI corps deployed in defence

3^rd and 4^th Prussian corps have advanced, 1^st corps has halted in square

4^th Prussian corps

General Tauentzien (Poor) – Move – 3CP

Artillery fire (8) and hit 18 French

18 French test (4) morale for second casualty and pass

14 and 16 brigade advance 6”

1^st Prussian corps

General Yorck (Gifted) – Halt – 6CP

Artillery fire (7) on cavalry and miss

No other action

Poor Card

No effect as poor commander has already moved

3^rd Prussian corps

General Bulow (Engage) – Move – 6CP

Artillery fire (8) and hit 18 French

18 French test (5) for third casualty and pass morale

11 and 12 brigades advance 6” towards enemy

10 brigade 3” and form square

Hussar brigade charge French cuirassiers

Cuirassiers test (4) and pass to counter charge

Hussars roll (9) and win melee

Cuirassiers withdraw 8” Shaken

Hussars halt Disordered

V French corps

General Laurison (Average) – Hold - 7CP

Artillery fire at close range (2) on 12 Prussian and miss

17 brigade form square due to cavalry melee

Laurison moves to centre of corps

24 brigade form line from square

Laurison returns to command range (8”) of shaken cuirassiers

Marshal Davout (Gifted)] – 6CP

No orders required

Prince Blucher (Average) – 5CP

Change 4^th corps orders to Engage

VI French corps

Marshal Marmont (Average) – Hold – 6CP

No target in artillery range

Game Notes

Light cavalry charging have the same combat factor as heavy cavalry counter charging.

Hussars rolled 9 with 2D6

On Engage orders cuirassiers retire 8” Shaken

On Attack orders the cuirassiers would have retired 8” Shaken with two casualties.

Rule 14 covers cavalry v cavalry combat

At close range the French gunners need 6 with 2D6 for a hit

V corps gunners rolled 2

Rule 7 covers artillery fire

Wargame rules can be found at

http://napoleonicwargamerules.blogspot.com/

Second Helmstedt – Move 2

0900-1000 1 August 1813

Table at the start of move 2

French V and VI corps deployed in defence

3^rd and 4^th Prussian corps have advanced, 1^st corps has halted in square

VI French corps

Marshal Marmont (Average) – Hold – 6CP

Enemy all out of artillery range

3^rd Prussian corps

General Bulow (Average) – Move – 7CP

Artillery advance 4” and unlimber

Infantry advance, but open gap between brigades

Cavalry advance level with the leading infantry brigades

Prince Blucher – 6CP

Moves to 3^rd corps and change orders to Engage

Returns to 4^th corps

V French corps

General Laurison (Average) – Hold - 7CP

Artillery fire on artillery (6) and miss

Bounce through on infantry behind (4) and also miss

4^th Prussian corps

General Tauentzien (Poor) – Move – 6CP

Artillery advance 4” and unlimber

Infantry advance, but open gap between brigades

Cavalry halt out of artillery range

Marshal Davout (Gifted)] – 7CP

Move to centre of both corps

Both corps on Hold orders, no need for any further orders

Poor Card

No effect, the poor commander has already moved

1^st Prussian corps

General Yorck (Gifted) – Move – 5CP

Artillery fire on cavalry (7) but miss

Manhandle artillery 1” towards enemy

Change orders to Halt

Game Notes

There have been comments on the forum supporting the use of the Poor Card.

I do not normally use it when there is only one poor commander.

In view of these comments I have introduced an amended poor card

The next poor commander to move after the Poor Card has been drawn will have to change his orders to Halt.

Rule 4 covers Halt orders

General Yorck has halted his corps out of enemy artillery range.

He has pinned half of the enemy already, so there is no need to move closer

Because he has 12 pounder artillery he can fire on them, but they can not fire back

Rule 4 covers different corps orders

3^rd and 4^th Prussian corps are moving into artillery range

They have opened the gap between the leading and supporting brigades to 5”

This is to avoid bounce through casualties from enemy artillery fire

Rule 7 covers bounce through casualties

V Corps cavalry appeared to be out of angle of fire from enemy artillery

However the Prussian gunners seem to have better judgment than general Laurison

Rule 7 covers angle of artillery fire

Wargame rules can be found at

http://napoleonicwargamerules.blogspot.com/

Second Helmstedt – Move 1

0800-0900 1 August 1813

Table at the start of move 1

French V and VI corps deployed in defence

3^rd, 4^th and 1^st Prussian corps ready to advance to engage them

3^rd Prussian corps

General Bulow (Average)) – Move – 5CP

Corps advances 12” towards enemy

Cavalry form line on the left flank

4^th Prussian corps

General Tauentzien (Poor) – Move – 5CP

Corps advance 12” towards enemy

Cavalry form line on right flank

Prince Blucher – 5CP

Moves with 4^th corps

All corps on orders to move towards the enemy

No need to issue new orders

1^st Prussian corps

General Yorck (Gifted) – Move – 7CP

Corps advance 12” towards the enemy

Both infantry brigades form square

Artillery unlimber

V French corps

General Laurison (Average) – Hold - 5CP

Artillery fire on infantry (5) and miss

28 brigade form square

VI French corps

Marshal Marmont (Average) – Hold – 7CP

Enemy all out of artillery range

23 and 24 infantry brigades form square

Marshal Davout (Gifted)] – 7CP

Move to VI corps

Take command of cavalry brigade

Position them behind hill to protect them from artillery fire

Game Notes

Because there is only one Poor commander in this game we are not using the Poor Card

Rule 3 refers

All Prussian corps have made multiple moves because they are still more than 16” from the nearest enemy

Rule 7 refers

They have also taken advantage of corps moves to make maximum use of available CP to move closer to the enemy

Rule 3 refers

A commander in chief can take command of one brigade each move

He can then only issue orders to that brigade

Rule 2 refers

Wargame rules can be found at

http://napoleonicwargamerules.blogspot.com/

Second Helmstedt – Set Up

0800 1 August 1813

Campaign Background

Having rested one day after his victory at Wolfsburg, Davout is marching south with V and VI corps to take Helmstedt and cut the Prussian supply route.

Blucher is trying to reorganize 1^st and 4^th Prussian corps to hold the town. Unknown to Davout he has also ordered 3^rd corps to abandon their pursuit of XIII corps on the Hanover road, and join him at Helmstedt. Their march will be screened from the French by the hilly ground in L7 and woods in K7.

Table at start of game

Helmstedt is the town at the bottom left

Blucher has deployed 3^rd corps on the left, 4^th centre and 1^st on the right

Davout has positioned V corps on the left and VI corps on the right

3^rd Prussian corps

Bulow has all of his brigades, and only light casualties

4^th Prussian corps

Tauentzien also has all of his brigades, and only one casualty

Blucher has joined this corps to support its poor commander

1^st Prussian corps

Yorck has only his artillery and two infantry brigades

V French corps

Laurison has lost one of his infantry brigades to escort POW

VI French corps

Marmont has lost his best brigade to make up casualties throughout his corps infantry

Game Note

Because all five corps have deployed during the day, and remain stationary throughout the night, both commanders have been able to concentrate most of their casualties in one brigade where necessary.

We will not use the Poor Card in this game, because there is only one poor commander involved.

Wargame rules can be found at

http://napoleonicwargamerules.blogspot.com/

Campaign Move 27 – Calm before the Storm

1600 - 2000 31 July 1813

Blucher inspected 3^rd corps in the main square of Helmstedt as soon as they arrived from Brunswick. Just eight hours earlier their commander general Bulow had been surprised to receive an order from Blucher to abandon his pursuit of XIII French corps and march at his best speed back to Helmstedt. They arrived tired and dusty just as day was fading, and received an inspiring address from Prince Blucher.

All was now in place for Blucher to turn the tables on Davout. The previous day the Prussians had received a serious defeat at Wolfsburg. 1^st corps had been smashed and lost half of their infantry and all of their cavalry. Their frantic retreat south to Helmstedt was covered by 4^th corps.

Delighted with his victory Davout ordered V and VI corps to follow the broken Prussian army south. He was confident that they would make a stand at Helmstedt, he was also confident that he could defeat them again – just as he had at Wolfsburg. This would sever the Prussian lines of supply to Magdeburg, and would force them to abandon their pursuit of XIII corps. It would thus save Hanover, and guarantee victory for the French.

As soon as 1^st corps broke and ran at Wolfsburg, Blucher was aware that he was in great danger of losing not only Helmstedt but also the whole campaign. He must hold Helmstedt to secure his communications with Magdeburg. Even as he attempted to rally his shattered 1^st corps he sent orders for general Bulow to abandon his pursuit of XIII corps and his advance on Hanover.

3^rd corps must retrace their steps to Helmstedt and arrive no later than nightfall on 31 July. Their march east would be screened from Davout by the hills in L7 and the woods in K7. XIII corps would report their march to Davout, but by the time he received news it would be too late to avoid battle on 1August 1813.

The scene was set for the second battle of Helmstedt.