Lutzen 1813 - Batrep Part 1

As announced in the last post we are playing a biggie on our new table. Lutzen is a classic objective based battle of escalation with more troops arriving all over the place. These include both the French Imperial Guard and Allied Life Guard Corps, so there is some choice kit amongst the dross.

Looking epic already! 

The full order of battle and scenario is taken from Steve Shann's article in Wargames Illustrated issue 40. Maybe I'll reproduce them here later in this series of posts.

This is not a history lecture so I'll spare the full blown narrative; in short Blucher comes across elements of Ney's III Corps camped near four key villages and unsupported - a tempting prize, far too tempting for the hot headed old warhorse Blucher. Sending news to the Allied supreme command to send reinforcements he orders an all out attack. The French General de Division Souham, realizing his extreme predicament, calls for help from Marshall Ney who marches with the rest of III Corps to rescue him. Ney in turn calls for Imperial support. Napoleon calls in the Corps of Marmont, Bertrand, MacDonald, Latour-Maubourg and marches with the Imperial Guard to the sound of the guns.    

The French start in possession of the field but only with the two brigades of Souham's Division. These are deployed within and around Gross Gorschen and Starsiedel. Everything else arrives later or much, much later at various entry points. Souham starts on hold orders.

The Allies start with a numerical superiority in infantry and a marked advantage in cavalry. Allied reserves arrive quite late from the rear table on the Monarchenhugel (a big hill).

The Allies go first. They may start with as many formations on assault orders as they like.  

The field of Battle

The Allies deployed on the Monarchenhugel in the far distance, ready to descend on Souham's scattered brigades.
Marmont's French reinforcements will arrive top right at Starsiedel.

The French rear; further reinforcements arrive via the two villages of Meuchen and Meyhen.
The river is fordable along its entire length.  

These four villages are the objectives for both sides.
Gross Gorschen with the tower - left. Klein Gorschen by the bridge - centre.
Kaja with the balcony - right. Rahna - top

Klein Gorschen with Gross Gorschen and Kaja behind.

Prussians and Russians descend from the heights of the Monarchenhugel to assault Gross Gorschen.
We set up a side table with duplicate foot prints of all four villages to show precise positions of garrisons.    

Hordes of Russian cavalry mass for the kick off.
Those are Foundry renaissance Cossacks nicely painted by Blue Turkey, hi Alan!
They need lances and the bases need finishing, I'll get on it I assure you!  

Some of the toys

Calpe Prussian dragoons painted by Tony Laughton for me, need to finish the bases again.

Prussian Reservists, Foundry models painted by Barry Hill for me - properly based for a change! 

Perry plastic Prussian Guards painted by Barry Hill for me, very pretty GMB flag.

Saxon grenadiers await the onslaught. Tony painted these for his new Saxon Division. These are either Perry or Foundry?
(They need a pretty flag mate). 

The same from behind, I hadn't looked at the generals properly before - they look excellent.

Ney arrives with a small cavalry brigade and the first of the infantry.  

The first of Marmont's brigades arrive at Starsiedel.

Yorck and the Russian cavalry approach Starsiedel. Those are 12lb cannons. Gulp!!!

There are lots of Allies here with lots of cavalry.

Yorck attacks Marmont.
Calpe limber, Elite Miniatures guns and crews.  

Give that boy an apple.

The storming of Gross Gorschen

Blucher directs Winzingerode's Russians from the front...
"CHARGE!"

These are Winzingerode's Russians attempting to clear the right flank of Gross Gorschen.
Klux's Prussians would carry out the actual bayonet assault of Gross Gorschen. 

This Russian 12lb battery and that Prussian 8lb battery should help. Powder cart behind.
The Russian limber set is painted by Tony, Perry models.
An excellent vignette. We're trying to use more of these "extras" as they make for pretty scenes like this.   

Prussian veterans under Klux grit their teeth before storming the village.   

To the left of the village Ziethen's Prussians take the pain from the Saxon battery just around the corner.
Dolff's Prussian cavalry tear off into the distance  

The thin red line.

Despite top brass watching & the whole advance relying on them these jaegers failed to kill a single Saxon.
Poor show chaps.

The French comeback kids 

The sleepy village of Mayhen, one of the French entry points.
Looks pretty enough to me, note one of those laser cut mdf wagon, really excellent.  

More of Ney's boys march on via Meuchen. Here Swiss lead 2nd class French muck.
Brigade staff wave them along.

More French infantry and the light cavalry, seen here fording the River Flossgraben.
They are heading off the stop the advance of Ziethen and Dolff. 

Ney observes yet another brigade, this time marching into Klein Gorschen.  

Local Spanish(?) women lament the coming carnage.  

Souham's battery outside Gross Gorschen.
These are from Tony's new Saxon Division. He used Perry miniatures to create this amazing vignette of a deployed battery behind gabions with caisson and people messing about, note the slacker taking a piss on the tree stump. The supporting square is the von Sahr light infantry regiment. The carabinier company have head swaps. This is very much a semi fantasy Divisional formation inspired by Saxons so we don't want button counters pointing out the errors of our ways thank you.      

The first of Marmont's brigades arrive represented by 4 battalions of mixed allies and a battery.
(Bases need dry brushing.)

Elite Miniatures Prussian 12lb battery painted by Elite Miniatures proprietor Pete Morbey, based by me.
Calpe limber painted by Perry Pender, wander wherever he got to?
These are with Yorck bombarding Starsiedel.

More of Marmont's boys arrive, Swiss and Neuchatel seen here marching through the mean streets of Starsiedel.
Gross Gorschen burns in the far distance.

Bavarians with limbered battery represented by the Perry caisson.

The New Russia Dragoon Regiment.
32 Wargames Foundry models painted by Tony.
Very nearly destined for greatness - remember that for the future.

Rich's order writing and casualty records are long overdue an award for fictional writing. 

Marmont spills out of Starsiedel to confront Yorck.
Dice left on the baize - sloppy habit Chris
.

The storming of Gross Gorschen by Klux.
Ziethen & Winzingerode support by attempting to clear the French from the flanks.  

"Down among the dead men."
Ziethen's brigade advances to clear the Saxons away from the left side of Gross Gorschen.

The Prussians are triumphant! They force the Saxon garrison out, cut them down and occupy the town.

An over view of the forces arrayed against the thin red line of Saxon Grenadiers. The Russians simply couldn't cause casualties or close, even Blucher lost interest and rode off to celebrate with the Prussians in Gross Gorschen.   

Trying to get out of Starsidel and deploy proved difficult and time consuming, especially when Marmont's second brigade arrived, this was messed up further when Yorck's Prussians sent some of Souham's lead battalions packing back through them causing disordered units to become unformed - bah!  

"Vorwarts meine kinder! For today I am a glass elephant!"

Miniature masterpieces by Nigel Cox, based by moi.
Foundry staff, Perry gun I think...

Russians failing to even verbally abuse the Saxon Grenadiers!
This is a nonsense.

Storming foot batteries is bloody but sometimes necessary work. Ziethen's Prussian veterans show us how.
They just keep walking through the storm of canister and take the pain. 

The French 5th Hussars crest the ridge and espy the black clad Leib Hussaren in the distance...
"We'll have them for starters!"

The above mentioned black clad Leib Hussaren are oblivious to the 5th Hussars.
Brandenburg Uhanen support them as they ride around the square of the von Sahr and past Rahna.

Much needed help arrives for Souham, I would have used the bridge personally!

More help for Souham on the march. 

Turn 7 and the battle is building nicely.

Calpe Prussian Dragoons menace a Saxon square who look rather nonchalant! 

Cossacks screen Russian cavalry as they advance. There are 129 cavalry models in this formation. Cool.

Ney sends one brigade along the east bank of the River Flossgraben to fall on the flank of Winzingerode.
Basically a stroll in the country.

The French Guard cavalry under Walther arrive.
These are reduced units of 20 each as required by the scenario. A bit too skinny for me.

Front Rank models brilliantly painted by Tony Laughton for Rich's collection.

The Emperor arrives at Meuchen with Guard Cavalry as his escort, the French now have two C-in-C's to play with.
This is Foundry set I picked up on ebay ready painted and based as pictured.

So we leave the game on turn 7. It is building nicely; the allies have surged on and taken Gross
Gorschen by storm. French rescuers are on the way and trying to sort out a counter attack. Plenty more troops are available to both sides, they will arrive over the coming turns. We plan for 24 turns unless it finishes before. I hope you enjoyed this and feel able to comment, pop back for part 2 soon. Best wishes, JJ