7 April 2024: The Russian Invasion of 1812 - Other engagements

Preliminary preparation part

"Never say never..."

The thought of what to do with all those Russians has been niggling at me for a couple of days now. And so I figured why not check out other battles of the Russian 1812 campaign. And happened across this smaller action between a combined Franco-Bavarian force comprising the French II Corps (Oudinot) and the Bavarian VI Corps (St-Cyr) up against the Russian I Corps (Wittengstein).

Compared to Borodino this should be a stroll in the park, right?

I have picked this action primarily because I have plenty of Bavarians whom I was collecting for the 1809 Danube campaign but who have now been roped into this 1812 mis-adventure. But first I have to convert the actual troops numbers to tabletop unit size. Still using FoGN2 simply because I know it well enough now, ie I know the drill, so to speak. 

Below is the OOB extracted from an online source - Mr Thierry Legrand - from a familiar Napoleonic website that's been around for a long while now. 

Commander rating. I will be giving everyone a Competent rating with one - Oudinot - getting the Charismatic Competent rating because anyone brave to suffer so many wounds as he did over the course of his military career has to be charmed somehow. Not charming like those TV witches from Murica; wrong sense of the word. 

Russian forces

Overall Commanding General (OCG) will be Wittgenstein.

Russian I Corps - d'Auvray*

* d'Auvray filled in for Wittgenstein, the normal commander of the I Corps, on the day of the battle. 

Advance Guard - Kazatchkowsky

• 1 small unit (4 stands) consisting of Jagers with Horse and Artillery attachments. So two stands of Jagers, one stand of Dragoons, one gun stand.

First Line - GM Berg 

• Bde Kazatchkowsky - comprising two small units of infantry (4 stands each)
• Bde Prince of Siberia - 2 small units of infantry, 1 small unit of Gd heavy cav, 2 med arty btys (4 guns)

Second Line - GM Sazonov

• Bde Lialin - 1 small unit (4 stands) of infantry
• Bde Harpe - 1 small unit (4 stands) of infantry & jagers
• Artillery - 1 light arty bty (2 guns) & 1 med arty bty (2 guns)

Reserve - GL Kahhoffski

• Grenadiers - 1 small unit (4 stands) & 1 large unit (6 stands)
• Dragoons - 1 stand
• Artillery - 1 light gun stand, 1 med gun stand

NB: Large unit comprising grenadiers from six regiments while the small unit is the Converged Grenadiers from the 14th Division even though the listing says that unit comprised two battalions.

Troops under GM Helfreich

• Jagers (2 stands)
• Grenadiers (2 stands)
• Hussars (4 stands)
• Cossacks (1 stand)*
• Guard Cavalry (3 stands)*
• Artillery (2 stands)

* Combined to form single unit

Near Pridouisk - GM Balk

• Jagers (8 stands - 2 small units - 24th and 26th)
• Cavalry (4 stands - 1 small unit of mixed types - Dragoons & Cossacks)
• Artillery (2 stands - 1 small unit of light)

Near Belmonte - Albrecht

• Cavalry (2 stands - Hussars & Cossacks)

===============================

Note: I am going with making all French line infantry regiments veterans in keeping with my earlier assessment or view the force that crossed the Niemen were largely the best of the best that could be spared. The only doubtful part would be the quality and loyalty of some of the various German and Other Allies participating in this grand adventure so I have chosen to make them - with certain exceptions that are known - average drilled which is neither great nor awful.

Franco-Bavarian forces

The Franco-Bavarian forces are under the overall command of Marshal Oudinot whom I've rated as Competent Charismatic simply because he was a wound magnet for such a long time and seemingly led a charmed life. 

French II Corps - Marshal Oudinot

6th Division - Legrand

• 1st Bde - Albert (ill in Polotsk) - 1 small unit of veteran drilled (26th Lt)
• 2nd Bde - Moreau (Competent) - 1 small unit of veteran drilled (56th Ln)
• 3rd Bde - Maison (Competent) - 1 small unit of veteran drilled (19th Ln)
• 4th Bde - Pamplona (Competent) - 1 small unit of Portuguese/Hanseatic poor conscripts (3rd Portuguese/128th Ln)
• Artillery - 1 small unit foot (2 guns), 1 small unit horse (2 guns)

8th Division - Verdier

• 1st Bde - Vivies (Competent) - 1 large unit of veteran drilled (2nd Ln); 1 large unit of poor conscripts (11th Lt)
• 2nd Bde - Pouget (ill in Polotsk) - 1 small unit of average drilled (37th Ln), 2 stands of Dutch poor conscripts (124th Ln)
• Artillery - 2 small units (1 each of foot and horse)

9th Division - Merle

• 1st Bde - Candras - 1 small unit (Swiss) - veteran drilled (1st/2nd Swiss)
• 2nd Bde - Amey - 1 small unit (Croat/Swiss) - average drilled (3rd Prov Croat/4th Swiss)
• 3rd Bde - Coutard - 1 small unit (3 Swiss/123rd Ln Dutch) - average conscripts
• Artillery - 1 small unit 
• 5th Lt Cav Bde - Castex - 2 small units (Chasseurs each)
• 6th Lt Cav Bde - Corbineau - 1 large unit (Chasseurs/Chevau-legers)

3rd Cuirassier Division - Doumerc

• 1st Bde - Berkheim - 1 small unit (Cuirassiers) - veteran drilled
• 2nd Bde - Lheritier - 1 small unit (Cuirassiers) - veteran drilled
• 3rd Bde - Doullembourg - 1 small unit (Dutch cuirassiers/Chevau-legers) - average drilled
• Artillery - 1 small unit (medium)
• Reserve Artillery - Lavoy - 1 small unit (heavy)

Bavarian VI Corps - Saint-Cyr

19th Division - Deroy

• 1st Bde - v. Siebein - 1 small unit (average drilled)
• 2nd Bde - v. Raglovich - 1 large unit (average drilled)
• 3rd Bde - v. Rechberg - 1 small unit (average drilled)
• Artillery - 1 small unit (2 guns)

20th Division - v. Wrede

• 1st Bde - Vincenti - 1 large unit
• 2nd Bde - Beckers - 1 small unit
• 3rd Bde - Habermann - 1 large unit
• Artillery - 1 large unit (3 guns)

Note: I may be missing the mark by rating the commanders the way I have. But for now these rating will suffice and will no doubt change over the course of the campaign as the commander improves or declines accordingly. But on a more practical note, each commander is rated competent so that they get at least one command pip to use for the various tests that will happen during the game.

Cheers....

==========================

8 April 2024: Postscript

Further reading reveals that Swolna was not a battle but more a clash of forces as both sides tried to outflank one another and/or prevent the same happening to them. 

The list above shows the total forces AVAILABLE to either commanders during their detached operations. Oudinot's mission was part of the larger plan by himself and others to protect Napoleon's left flank.

13 April 2024

The unit sizes are very small for Swolna and consisted of only forward elements of Oudinot's corps encountering the Advance Guard of Oudinot's command. The outcome saw the Russians push hard and capture the forward village outpost and press the French back to the river crossings. The intervention of Doumerc's heavy cavalry helped stabilise one front being assaulted while the other river crossing was stoutly defended by the lone French infantry unit holding that sector. In the end, it was a Russian victory. 

This skirmish engage with the ruleset which I openly confess still throws up lots of page-turning moments. Which is par for the course for a declining memory, and not confined to just FoGN 2.

Anyway, I will refight Swolna some time later in the year on a small table. In the meanwhile I will continue to search for a suitable larger engagement to involve my Borodino collection which is what I will now rename this part of my larger Nap collection. And thus allow me the opportunity to finally table my other favourite Napoleonic nation - the Empire of Austro-Hungary.

Cheers.

=======================================