Austerlitz (1805): Refighting Napoleon's Greatest Battle

I staged a refight of the battle of Austerlitz in 6mm scale at the War Room last Sunday. The battle had inspired me to get into wargaming in the mid-1990s, after reading an article by Robbie Roddis on his refight in Miniature Wargames magazine.

The French players were Alex and Pete (who was Napoleon), while the Russians and Austrians were Rob (Kutuzov), Trevor, and me. The game was a historical deployment, using my Coup de Grace rules, and almost 5,000 figures from Heroics and Ros.

Pre-Turn

Rob (Kienmayer's advance guard, Dokhturov's I column, and Langeron's II column) made a 3-turn successive move to simulate the Allied columns advancing over the battlefield towards the French in early morning fog on 2 December 1805

I did likewise with Kollowrath and Miloradovich's IV column in the centre...

Turn 1

On the French left, Alex began to move up Lannes' corps and Murat's cavalry corps...

Pete got Soult's infantry rolling towards the Pratzen Heights, in the French centre; an imaginary rising sun glinting off their serried ranks' fixed bayonets...

Pete also deployed Davout's troops supplemented by Legrand's division from Soult's corps on the extended French right, anchored on Sokolnitz castle

Rob continued to push forward his three columns on the Allied left

As did I in the centre

While Trevor moved up Liechtenstein's V (cavalry) column, and Przebyszewski's III column, on the Allied right

Turn 2

The general advance continued...

I deployed into squares on the Pratzen Heights with Pete's cavalry in my vicinity. My commands contained no cavalry!

Thankfully, Trevor deployed Liechtenstein's cavalry into line, to my right

Turn 3

The French won the initiative again, and two units of Alex's cavalry from Murat's corps advanced on Holubitz village

Meanwhile, Soult's corps (divisions of Vandamme and St. Hilaire) advanced on the Pratzen Heights in a bid to split the Allied centre...

Passing Aujest Markt, and the legendary frozen lake, Rob began to pressure Davout's command on the far left of the Allied line by the Goldbach stream

Pete now launched Bernadotte's corps in support of Soult's corps, both French corps advancing against my two commands in the centre, colours flying...

But Trevor formed a line composed of Liechtenstein's cavalry, consolidated artillery batteries, and Przebyszewski's infantry, linking with my centre, and began to move against Alex

Turn 4

The Allies won the initiative for the first time, and Rob launched four Cossack units against Pete's infantry unit and Bourcier's French dragoons.

Three of the bold Cossack units were repelled 12" and one was destroyed by the French heavies...

Trevor moved Bagration's cavalry up on the Allied far right against Alex. The Russian Imperial Guard moved up to the left of Holubitz

Back in the centre, Vandamme's division began to fire on my third-class foot from Miloradovich's column, causing casualties, while my artillery there saved

Whereas Bernadotte's corps continued its advance

Turn 5

Allied initiative. I had been failing to activate my columns due to poor rolls for average commanders, and using one of my six player initiative points each turn to get them to keep advancing...

But I duly got Miloradovich's column to turn into line to face Vandamme's arriving division

Rob now began to roll up the French right with Kienmayer, Dokhturov and Langeron's commands looming over Pete's outnumbered forces...

On the Allied right, Trevor opened proceedings against Alex's cavalry with a charge by two units near Holubitz...

Pete countered Rob by charging with his dragoons against the Cossacks and destroyed two artillery batteries

The cavalry battles at Holubitz on the Allied right continued frenetically. The French had the advantage, with two Russian Cuirassier and one Cossack units pushed back...

But Rob was taking considerable losses from the French (partly because we had forgotten that the artillery could fire on a closing enemy if passing a morale test!)

Back in the centre, I lost one infantry unit to French fire and another retreated. How long could I hold out in the face of Pete's superior French spearhead?

Turn 6

Indeed, two of my artillery units fell back in the face of Pete's French infantry fire...

Meanwhile, Rob had now lost six units on the Allied left. Still, Rob made progress with Langeron's column, which crested the ridge facing Legrand's division on the French right

Alex's infantry of Lannes' corps had been advancing on the French far left, where one of Suchet's infantry units formed square at the last minute and destroyed one the Trevor's cavalry units in melee, possibly saving the entire division...

Back in the centre, I managed to get Kollowrath's Austrian infantry into line and moving, while Miloradovich's Russians fired on the encroaching French infantry

Rob and Pete's flank duel continued, and it looked grim for the Russians there, according to Kutusov...

On our other flank, Trevor was holding his own around Holubitz however, and moved up Bagration's command on the right

Trevor also activated Liechtenstein's cavalry which began to come to my aid in the centre, initially moving towards Bernadotte's corps and St. Hilaire's division of Soult's corps...

Turn 7

The decisive turn opened with French initiative. Bourcier's battle-scarred dragoon division was still holding the French right against encroaching Russians...

On the Pratzen Heights, Pete now charged three first-class French units (St. Hilaire) against three of my third-class Russian infantry, and mine all fled!

Rob had been using his 8 points to help with the initiative, but had previously failed to activate his various commands on five occasions. He did make more progress with Langeron's column though...

Liechtenstein's cavalry (four Austrian cuirassier and four Russian light cavalry units) now made a decisive intervention - forcing most of Soult's and Bernadotte's infantry into squares, then forcing two French infantry units back after melees, and destroying one artillery unit!

Although the French had lost much momentum, I still lost another infantry unit on the Pratzen Heights, which now looked threadbare...

Alex and Trevor, who were having a laugh on the flank throughout the game, continued a fierce massed cavalry battle. At one point a French cavalry unit broke through and destroyed a unit of Constantine's Russian Imperial Guard infantry...

Rob, stirred not shaken, began to consolidate and close on the French at Sokolnitz, after all...

I suffered more infantry losses from Miloradovich's command, despite destroying one French unit from Vandamme's division. Soult's men had almost pushed me from the Heights...

On the Allied right, Trevor began a general advance with his infantry in line supported by cavalry against Murat's six-division-strong cavalry corps which was in disarray

Meanwhile Liechtenstein's cavalry lost a unit from Pete's fire in squares but destroyed one infantry unit in return

Bernadotte's corps, under threat from Liechtenstein's cavalry, was fully in squares now, its advance on the Heights totally disrupted...

By now, just one French infantry unit was on the Pratzen Heights facing my weakened command of Miloradovich - the rest of the French infantry having been forced into squares by Liechtenstein or halted further back...

Turn 8

The final turn began. The French had reached their zenith on the Pratzen Heights after fierce resistance by Miloradovich's infantry (me) and Liechtenstein's cavalry (Trevor). If only Murat's cavalry had supported the French!

Elsewhere, Alex's cavalry managed to repel some of Trevor's, but the Russians were still holding firm on the Allied right, with Lannes' infantry hemmed in on the French far left around Bosenitz village in a giant hollow square...

The tides of battle had definitely turned on the Allied left flank however, where Rob had consolidated his remaining forces and was making renewed progress

My Russian infantry in the centre lost another unit, with one more pushed back. Had the game gone on, I would have been swept away by Pete's French infantry poised to advance...

Rob now destroyed one of Pete's dragoon units. Pete's defence of Sokolnitz village and castle had been stout, but at the loss of most of Friant's division... Most French casualties had been incurred on this flank

Finally, I destroyed the last French infantry unit on the the Pratzen Heights, but four more French units were moving up...

The game ended after 4pm.

A view of the battlefield at close of play

Conclusion

Our game ended with the French checked at the Pratzen Heights (unlike what occurred historically). If anything the Allies were winning tactically by the end. However, they lost 14 infantry, 6 cavalry, and 3 artillery units, compared to the French loss of 6 infantry, 3 cavalry, 7 artillery and 4 skirmisher units. The Allies incurred higher casualties in the historical battle (27,000 Russian and Austrian, to 9,000 French).

We had a great day at the War Room. My thanks to Rob for help with setting up, lunch, and a much-needed lift home after the game with multiple boxes. Thanks to Rob, Pete, Alex and Trevor for playing. The rules were fastplay (just 5 pages long), and liked by Alex and Trevor in particular, though we could have done with a few more players to handle the 82 French and 92 Allied units! The French Imperial Guard and Oudinot's grenadier division had not even been deployed. Still, the game was completed in around 5 hours, and everyone liked the figures and enjoyed the spectacle.

I really enjoyed researching Austerlitz, painting the figures (about half of which I'd painted years ago), and devising the scenario. I think the game successfully simulated the historical events, including the Allied difficulties with command and control, which rendered Rob's advance challenging, and my commands unresponsive. Historically the Allied armies had no permanent organisation above regimental level, and this made the ad hoc columns unwieldy (simulated by few commanders for many units, all subject to variable command radius) and hard to manoeuvre. The French, in contrast, had far more commanders, many excellent, besides superior troops, and Napoleon himself of course. With Austerlitz satisfyingly ticked off my bucket list, I hope to put on more very large, very quick, Napoleonic games, with bespoke scenario rules, in the future... Leipzig anyone?