As faithful podcast listeners know, I am in a second Play By E-Mail (PBEM) campaign hosted by Wendy. And as everyone, including my opponents know, I am commanding the Bavarian army, which formed Napoleon's VII Corps.
I will endeavor to keep this updated more frequently.
Theater of campaign |
This time I dutifully read my briefing and spent the week pondering my initial deployment. My analysis, as I outlined to Napoleon's HQ, was that the threat to Davout around Ratisbonne was greater than the threat to Munich. So I deployed my infantry divisions to cover the three northern crossings, while the cavalry screened to the south and burned bridges.
Initial deployment 16 April 1809 |
The first communication from the Emperor, which fortunately arrived at 8 am on the first day of game time, promptly turned this upside down. "Defend Munich!" were the orders. And he outlined a grand strategy of crossing at Munich and taking the Austrians in their left flank.
Gallopers are thus dispatched hither and yon, and the closest divisions begin marching immediately, or noonish, allowing time for orders to arrive, camps to be struck etc.
Moves afternoon of 16 April |
Because my divisions were scattered, my control over them was not immediate. I sent orders for the next two days. My map skills told me that 12 hour marches on the 17th would get me to here:
Ordered movements for 17 April |
The Cavalry Division should be at Landshut to cover my northern flank. 1st Div also at Landshut en route to Moosburg. 2nd Division at Moosburg en route to Freising. And 3rd Division about a 4 hour march from Munich.
That was the carefully thought out plan, at any rate.
A turn or so later, I am informed that 3rd Division at Landshut, has been threatened by at least a Corps since 6 am. More gallopers are dispatched. Everyone is told: "Move. Move now!" I don't expect to stop the crossing, but if 3rd Division can delay and then retire towards me, that'd be great. Then I'll have all 3 infantry divisions together threatening the Austrian flank.
Hopefully, the cavalry division can circle around the Austrian bridgehead and join me by the 18th.
I'm getting reports from cavalry patrols all day (stalwart chaps those Bavarian troopers) of large Austrian columns crossing at Moosburg and Freising.
But 3rd Divisions holds out heroically at Landshut and I reinforce them with 2nd Division as evening falls on the 16th. "Super!" I think.
The 17th dawns quietly only to find that a Corps of whitecoats have marched up from the Moosburg crossing.
Well poop.
I manage to extricate myself, thanks to Imperial troops marching twice as fast as the Austrians and I get all four of my divisions together on that unnamed Y-junction just to my north east. The Austrians pursued. I elected to "fight a delaying action" which forces the enemy to deploy and then while they regroup I'm getting out of there. Stupidly I designated my cavalry as rearguard, thinking their horses would allow them to elude the whitecoats easily.
Being exhausted and attacked by Austrian heavies, they broke and galloped up the Isar river like a pack of panicked sheep. I took the rest north towards Ratisbonne and Davout, fighting a second delaying action around Neufahrn as I went. I then stopped at Eggmuhl and sent staff officers to gather in my cavalry. They finally arrived in the small hours of the morning and needed 24 hours rest to be ready to fight again.
So I spent the next campaign day, at 2 hour weekly turns, sitting at Eggmuhl, patrolling south, east and west while my cavalry recovered from their fit of vapours. I was briefly menaced by some Cuirassiers and Grenadiers, who then sloped off westward after making rude gestures at my pickets.
All this day I'm getting no dispatches from Davout or Imperial HQ or anyone and I'm just alone in the dark wondering where the war went to. Late in the day I heard some artillery fire from around Abensberg as Vandamme, and possibly Davout, set about thrashing the Austrian 2nd Korps.
After 24 hours of sitting on my hands, I decide "Right well, since everyone seems to have forgotten me, I'll push south to Landshut and try to get in behind the Austrians!" After four hours of marching I bump some Austrians.
So I sit and wait, figuring I'm at least keeping these divisions from heading north west to the big fight around Abensburg. I finally get some messages as well. Vandamme and Davout are going to be pushing the Austrians towards Landshut and can I be ready to pounce?
Morning of the 20th I attack a Division of Cuirassiers and a Division of Grenadiers guarding the Landshut bridge.
1er Div west | 2e Div center | 3e Div east |
west | center Cuirassier Lichtenstein | east Grenadiers |
Orange squares are battle sites. As you will note, there's an awful lot of Austrians waiting for me at Landshut. |