The Battle of Naseby 14 June 1645 Redux Wednesday, Jul 1 2009

The battle of Naseby resulted in a decisive victory for the Parliamentarian New Model Army over the Royalists, effectively ending their capacity to win the first English Civil War, which ended in May 1646 with the surrender of King Charles I to the Scottish Covenanter Army.

The battle sequence is shown as a Powerpoint slideshow.

The table for the wargame re-enactment shows a simplified view of the ground over which the battle was fought, near the Northamptionshire village of Naseby. Note the two facing hills, with physical barriers running parallel to the road in the form of the Sulby Hedges and the poor ground. Both of these are unsuitable for cavalry to pass over.

Rules used in the games can be found in this link.

Using 1 figure to represent 100 men, and 1 mm to metre, the scale of the battle is close to the original. The Royalist and New Model Army initial troop dispositions look like:-

The Royalists are at the top of the picture and the Parliamentarian New Model Army at the bottom.

This shows a close up of Sir Thomas Fairfax, close to his regiment.

Oliver Cromwell is amongst his Ironsides, hoping his gambit on sending the Dragoons under the command of Colonel Okey into the Sulby Hedges for a flank attack works.

On the Royalist side, Prince Rupert holds conference with King Charles I.

Lord Astley offers a version of his famous prayer before his troops.

“Thou knowest Lord, how busy this day I must be.
If I forget thee, do not forget me”.

The battle begins.

10:00 am

Okey’s Dragoons begin an enfilade fire on the Royalist right flank. Their cavalry are out of pistol range and so suffer this fire, being unable to return it. Prince Rupert scurries away to his command to exert his control, leaving King Charles I with his Lifeguard at the rear of their lines. The Parliamentarian artillery opens fire and the Royalists reply in kind, with little damage being caused. Whom will Fortuna Belli favour? Time and the realm of chance during combat will tell, for what is a battle but the outcome of each struggle, accreting into a collective decision?

10:15am

Constant harrassing fire from the Dragoons has driven one of Prince Rupert’s cavalry regiments from the field. Like a bear stung by wasps, he takes his men forward in an angry lunge. In the centre of the Royalist infantry, one regiment has also been disrupted under artillery fire.

10:30am

Prince Rupert’s cavalry has reached its goal and engaged Henry Ireton’s waiting cavalry. In the initial stages, the Roundheads are having the worse of it, with one unit routing and another disrupted. Fortuna Belli half smiles at the King’s men, but she is capricious in her favours.

Lord Astley takes his own command forward and the Royalists march towards the thin red line upon the hill awaiting them.

Marmaduke Langdale, commander of the Royalist cavalry on their left flank has also moved forward to engage Cromwell’s Ironsides, who wills them nearer. He’s been praying for what happened. A Royalist general attack by right echelon, triggered by a flanking move!!

“When I saw the enemy draw up and march in order towards us, and we a company of poor ignorant men, I could not riding out alone about my business but smile out to God in praises in assurance of victory”.

Let’s see if he’s right.

10:35am

The cavalry fight between Rupert and Ireton continues apace, with Parliament more likely to break. The infantry regiment at the extreme left of the Royalist line has become disrupted under artillery fire.

10:40am

The Royalist cavalry under Langdale continues to advance towards their destiny and Cromwell, who draws his sword, ready to lead the counterstrike.

On the other wing, the cavalry fight between Rupert and Ireton continues; again the Parliamentarian line barely holds. One more push and the Royalists will break through, if Fortuna Belli continues to smile.

The Parliamentarian Forlorn Hope readies to fire and retire, hoping to slow down the Royalist infantry advance.

10:45am

The Forlorn Hope’s volley fails to make any impression on the Royalist advance, so they retire towards their own waiting troops.

Ireton’s men stabilise their line against Rupert. Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, puritan steel cuts through Langdale’s troopers, and they begin to break at once.

10:50am

Disaster strikes the left flank of the Royalists as Langdale and his men flee before Cromwell and his Ironsides. On the right flank, Rupert’s men begin to retire from the fight. Only in the centre, where a fierce fight takes place are the Royalists holding their own, with push of pike and musketry. Has Fortuna Belli decided where her favours lie?

10:55am

Things go from bad to worse for the King . His flanking cavalry are in full retreat, and seeing this he begins to retire himself, leaving his loyal infantry to their fate. To help aid his retreat, he sends forward Rupert’s Bluecoat infantry for cover.

For the Ironsides, with Isiah 41 ringing in their ears …

‘They that war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing of naught.’

… Cromwell’s men divide like the Red Sea; some pursue the fleeing Royalists, the rest led by Cromwell turn to attack the King’s infantry. The nearest Tertia forms a defensive ‘hedgehog’ of pikemen against the onslaught.

The rest of the front line of Royalist infantry begin to get disrupted against the New Model Army’s onslaught.

11:00am

‘Thou shalt fan them, and the wind shall carry them away, and the whirlwind shall scatter them’…

The Royalists are now broken, infantry fleeing for their lives before the Ironside cavalry, Langdale’s men almost gone. Only Prince Rupert’s cavalry has the stomach for a fight, and they disrupt some of Ireton’s men. Fortuna Belli nods to Nike that victory belongs to Parliament.

11:05am

The New Model Army advances, victory assured. The Royalist infantry run. How many can escape the field of combat without becoming a casualty or being captured?

Prince Rupert’s cavalry have driven their Parliamentarian foes back. Will he charge into the mêlée, or retire?

11:10am

The Royalist infantry are all routed, apart from one regiment that retires in good order. Maybe keeping a cool head will allow them to escape, but for the rest, things look grim.

11:15am

Something stirs Prince Rupert, and he leads his men forwards once more. But what to do? Royalist infantry are surrendering in droves underneath the hooves of the Ironsides.

11:20am

Prince Rupert’s cavalry retires, ”The better part of valour is discretion; in the which better part I have saved my life.” He can’t win this battle, and his King still needs him and his men. Even his Bluecoats agree with him; no martyrdom for them today.

11:25am

The last pocket of organised resistance from the Royalists forms a defensive ‘hedgehog’ of pikemen under attack by Cromwell’s men and infantry. The rest of the Royalist infantry continue to flee.

11:30am

The Royalist infantry ‘hedgehog’ breaks under Cromwell’s swords. The Parliamentarian cavalry surround the rest of the King’s broken infantry. They are all lost, all.

Nike awards the day to Cromwell and Fairfax’s poor ignorant men. PAX QUÆRITUR BELLO is their unsung motto, Isiah their spoken praise.

‘Sing, O ye heavens; for the LORD hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree in it: for the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel.’

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The Battle of Naseby 14 June 1645 Sunday, Jun 14 2009

Two armies astride two hilltops
Face each other ‘twixt a divide,
Green vale’s width, but also polity,
Religion, and man’s mortal pride.

Behold Charles Stuart and the King’s men,
Kneel down with their book of prayer,
The Bible of King James, the Father,
Of those who fight for his heir.

Red coated, the New Model Army,
Kneel down with their book of prayer,
The Geneva Bible of Calvin,
They fight for their rights they swear.

Two armies leave their two hilltops,
Do battle in grassy divide,
By musket, pike and sword’s edge,
God’s judgement; with whom shall he side?

IMR (images from Cromwell)

The path to the battle began in 1645, with the deadlock between the two armies; the Parliamentarian New Model Army and the Royalist Army of Charles I. The country was split into regions controlled by one of the warring parties.

Parliament had failed to destroy the Southern Royalist army at the Battle of Newbury, despite their success in 1644 at Marston Moor, where a mixed Parliamentary – Scottish Covenanter army destroyed the Northern Royalist army under Prince Rupert.

In response, Parliament passed the self denying ordinance , which allowed the creation of the New Model Army, a professional army ready to serve across the whole of England.  It was officered by men who were not members of Parliament. This excluded the aristocratic leaders from further command who had earlier dominated the Parliamentary armies.  Command of the New Model Army passed to Sir Thomas Fairfax. Oliver Cromwell managed to escape the stricture of the self denying ordinance  by means of forty day extensions to his service, which were continually renewed.

Following the fall of Leicester to the Royalists at the end of May 1645 , the New Model Army broke their siege of Oxford and headed northwards, with the aim of engaging the King’s army in battle.  Inadvertently, the King’s army headed southwards.

The path to the battle had commenced. By June 12th, the New Model Army were sufficiently close to see the campfires of the Royalists, as they broke camp and headed northwards again.

The Parliamentarians pursued hard and Cromwell and his Ironsides rejoined the New Model Army on June 13th, the eve of the battle.

Both sides knew a battle would be fought the next morning, and headed to Naseby, choosing their ground atop two hills, with Broad Moor in the valley between them.

The New Model Army outnumbered the Royalist army by roughly 2:1, but this seemed not to deter the King’s men.  Prince Rupert had a soldiers respect for Fairfax and Cromwell, but the rest of the Royal party believed the New Model army were incapable of putting up a strong fight.  Each drew up their army in the conventional style for the period; cavalry on each flank, and infantry in at least two lines in the centre, interspersed with the available artillery.

A flanking move suggested by Cromwell by the Parliamentarian Dragoons under Okey opened the battle, putting Prince Rupert’s troopers under an enfilade fire.

This constant harrassment forced Prince Rupert into charging his opponents, the New Model cavalry on the Parliamentary left flank under Henry Ireton, Cromwell’s son-in-law.

Ireton rode forward to meet the challenge, and Lord Astley, the commander of the Royalist infantry moved forward in turn.

Stalemate existed between Rupert and Ireton’s men as they fought it out. Lord Astley finally reached the New Model Army infantry, who gave an ineffective initial response to the Royalists.

Meanwhile Marmaduke Langdale, commander of the Royalist cavalry on their left flank moved forward to engage Cromwell’s Ironsides.

Prince Rupert’s troopers broke through the left flank of Parliament, and their horse fled the field.  Prince Rupert was unable to control his men, as the Royalists pursued the fleeing men, onto the Parliamentary baggage train to the rear.  The baggage train held off their attackers.  Soon after, the centre of the New Model Army infantry began to give ground under the onslaught.

Perhaps the King was right, as it seemed Parliament was losing the battle…

But Cromwell’s men, outflanked Langdale’s and scattered them.  Superior training and command now paid off, as Cromwell send some of his troops in pursuit, whilst the rest fell on the Royalist infantry exposed flank and rear.

At this critical juncture, the King attempted an intervention, but was restrained.  He left the field, together with his Lifeguard, with Rupert’s Bluecoats covering their movement.

The battle was won, and the New Model Army closed around the Royalist infantry forcing surrender.

A final stand was made by Prince Rupert’s Bluecoats, who were overwhelmed by Fairfax’s regiment and the Ironside troopers.

The King has lost his infantry, with over 1,000 killed and about 4,000 captured during the battle and following pursuit.  He also suffered the capture of his correspondence, which lost him valuable goodwill, once published by Parliament.

The complete slide pack (with many more slides and animations) is available for download as a Powerpoint slideshow below.

Battle of Naseby Screenshow

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The Battle of Lutzen May 2nd 1813 Redux Monday, Feb 16 2009

The Battle of Lützen, fought on 2nd May 1813, was an important conflict in the liberation of Germany.  The  battle  resulted in a French victory under the command of Napoleon

which set back the advance of the Russian

and Prussian

army, under the command of Prince Wittgenstein.  It could easily have been a victory for the Allies instead had they been more organised and assertive on the day.

The historical battle sequence is shown below as an animated gif.  

It’s best viewed by clicking on the image and opening in a new window, or downloading and using Windows Picture Viewer.

The rules used for the re-enactment are found here.

One figure represents 100-120 men.  Units arrive on the battlefield as they did on the day in May 1813, following the historical order of battle found in this reference  and on this website

In the re-enactment, about 28,000 French troops and 18,000 Prussians and Russians would eventually be deployed at this scale, which is about a 1/5th of those involved on the day.  Thus, the order of battle for each army, rescaled is:-

The battlefield scale is set so that the action covers approximately 3 x 1.8 km, at a level of 1mm = 2m.  The battlefield spreads over boards of length 1.5m by 0.9m. The layout is shown below, with each village represented by a house, based on a suggested layout.

The scale is marked on the map, with North at the top of the board.  The dial in the bottom left hand shows the time during battle.  The battle sequence is now shown at 15 minute intervals.  

11:30 am

Blücher ”Marschall Vorwärts” leads his corps onto the Battlefield, surprising the divisions of Souham and Girard, having their lunch around the cluster of villages south of Lützen.  So much for the niceties of life, a terrible battle will take place instead.

11:45 am

“Marschall Vorwärts” leads his cavalry on a probe up to Starsteidel, trying to catch the French troops trying to come to order.  The French artillery pore fire down on the Prussians, and despite exortions to continue, they halt, disorganised.  Meanwhile as the Prussian infantry deploy, their French counterparts occupy the central villages.  

In the far distance, many miles away, the sound of gunfire alerts Napoleon and Ney that a battle had broken out at the centre of their line of march and for once Napoleon is caught unprepared.  Ney hurries back to lead his troops out from Lützen.  Napoleon sends orders to the rest of the army to head to the battlefield at once; he will take the Imperial Guard with him.  But will the French hold on for long enough to counteract this surprise?

12:00 pm

The Prussian cavalry break under artillery fire, and are rallied by Blücher. The Prussians advance their own artillery and begin bombarding Gross Gorschen.

12:15 pm

The Prussians begin storming Gross Gorschen and a terrible fire fight breaks out.  The village offers some advantages to the defenders and the French hang on.  The Prussians move their artillery closer to the villages, but in range of the French guns.

12:30 pm

French troops repulse the first wave of Prussians, but fall to the charge from the second wave, so Gross Gorschen falls to the Prussians.  The retreating French occupy Kaja in a disorganised state.

12:45 am

The French artillery have suppressed fire from their Prussian counterpart. The struggle for Klein Gorschen begins, in another fire fight. The Prussians also advance on Eisdorf to secure their right flank.

1:00 pm

The Prussian first attack on Klein Gorschen is repulsed, but the defending French fall to the second attack.  The Prussians take Eisdorf, and advance towards Starseidel.  Maréchal Ney has just arrived at the edge of the battlefield.  Can he retake the lost villages?

1:15 pm

Ney’s presence rallies the French troops fleeing Klein Gorschen, as his division pour onto the battlefield, heading for the central villages, and the waiting Prussians, who steadfastly deploy, ready to storm the village of Rahna.  Meanwhile, the Russian division under General Wintzingerode has now begun to arrive in force, singing as they arrive.

1:30 pm

The first assault by the Prussians on Rahna is decisively beaten, and they recoil back into the waiting reserves.  Can Marschall Yorck rally them?  Meanwhile, behind this action, the Prussian artillery begin to deploy in force.  The Russians continue their advance to the right of the allied position, heading towards the Prussian Landwehr. The French troops have almost closed the distance for a counterattack against the two captured villages, so a major fire exchange will shortly take place.  

1:45 pm

The French force the Prussians from Klein Gorschen and try to storm Gross Gorschen, but meet strong resistance from the Prussians in the village.  Their attack before Rahna meets a line of determined Prussian infantry, who hold on against the odds.

2:00 pm

 

“Mitt Gott für König und Vaterland. Schwenk Marsch, Trab!”  The Prussian counterattack led by Marschall Yorck for Klein Gorschen begins, as they follow the retreating French.  Fortuna Belli smiles on the Allied army, as the French are likely to also lose Rahna.

2:15 pm

The combined Prussians and Russians take Klein Gorschen, but the advancing Russians are routed by a line of French infantry before Kaja. Meanwhile the struggle around Rahna continues.  Slowly, the French are being driven from the central villages in the battlefield, and strains of the Pariser Einzugsmarsch can be heard.  When will l’Empereur and the rest of the French arrive?

2:30 pm

The Prussians take Rahna and rout the defending French troops, but some are repulsed in a counterattack.  Russian troops rout the French before Kaja, the last central village under their control.  Dust columns on the horizon tell of imminent reinforcements for the French.

2:45 pm

Napoleon’s arrival steadies the French, and he rallies their retreating troops.  The Imperial Guard cavalry moves to reinforce the existing troops.  Meanwhile on the firing line, in the intervening 15 minutes, Rahna has changed hands from the French and now back to the Prussians.  The Russian troops continue to push through the central villages.

3:00pm

The Prussian and Russian assault continues, with Kaja the final village remaining in French hands under threat.  After a prolonged fire-fight, the French manage to rout one Russian battalion, but face their reserves in a counterattack.  Napoleon has rallied the wavering French battalions behind Kaja, and rushes over to prevent more troops from fleeing in the direction of Starsteidel.

The Russians have deployed an artillery battery across the River Flossgraben in the hope of flanking fire to the rear of the French lines.

3:15pm

The crisis point for the French.  Kaja falls to another Russian onslaught, and across the central position of the villages a line of French troops waver whilst the Prussians and Russians press on.  A hard pressed infantry officer asks Ney for relief from the line for his troops. “L’impossibilité de faire“.  The troops must stand and fall where they are.

3:30pm

“Soldats! Voilà Marmont! Vive l’empereur!” roars Ney. “Vive l’empereur! En avant! En avant!”. roar the troops back.  Napoleon rallies troops at the rear of the villages, but spots the danger from the Russian artillery.  He sends for a regiment of Hussars to face them, ready to exploit any weakness.

Fortuna Belli may begin smiling on the French army, as the odds begin to swing towards them with the arrival of  Marmont’s Division, and Napoleon’s leadership.

3:45pm

Marmont’s Division bursts out of Starstediel onto the flank of Marschall Yorck’s  Prussians. They hold on initially, routing the first French battalion, but eventually they succumb to weight of numbers and their firing line begins to crumble.  In the central village battle, the Russians and French trade musketry, with no side gaining an advantage.  On the allied left, things go badly.  The Russian cannon becomes disrupted from French artillery fire.  Sensing their moment, the French Hussars, les beau sabreurs, cross the River Flossgraben and make for the guns.  Unable to halt them, the Russian artillerymen are forced to take shelter in the protective squares of the Prussian infantry.  French Artillery disrupt one square and the Hussars close down on it, hoping to break it, but the Prussians cling on for now.  French infantry, under the watchful eye of Le Chapeau also begin to cross the river to add to the allies woes.  An earlier request for cavalry support might have reached Blücher.  Even so, it will be time before any allied cavalry can come to their relief, so they must fight and hope that Fortuna Belli is with them.  Soon extra reinforcements will arrive for each army.

4:00pm

On the allied right things go badly as Fortuna Belli frowns on the Prussian square under attack from les beau sabreurs.  The square breaks and the Hussars cut to pieces all they can find, with the survivors running for shelter across the river.  Meanwhile, French infantry capture the Russian artillery and break the Landwehr square.  The request for aid reaches Blücher,  and he sends a regiment of Totenkopf  Hussars which sweeps around and sees the French cavalry making mayhem. Revanche burns in them; and their time will come soon.  Blücher also releases Cossacks in pursuit of fleeing French infantry, who run for their lives across the plain.  The Cossacks come under artillery fire and are disrupted, but they still ride on, forcing the advancing French into squares.  Bringing up the rear of Marmont’s Division is a regiment of Dragoons; they ride onto the plain, ready to face the Cossacks.  In the central batlefield, the Prussian firing line is slowly pushed back, and the Russian line collapses.  

4.15 pm

The Russian Cossacks perform a heroic charge under artillery fire and rout the Dragoons sent to oppose them.  Veterans of the 1812 campaign, they maintain control and go to return to their lines, task done.  In the centre, the Prussian and Russian firing line wilts from French pressure.  To the north and south, reinforcements arrive; Imperial Guard infantry for the French and Konovnizin’s Russians for the allies.  On the right, things are finely balanced for the Allies and the French.  The Totenkopf  Hussars rout les beau sabreurs, and they stand on the edge of leaving the battlefield. The advancing French infantry are forced into squares from the threat, but a Landwehr square falls to artillery fire and the troops run for their lives. French dragoons begin crossing the river, looking for action. 

4:30pm

The Russian cossacks return to the relative safety of the rest of the allied cavalry on the left.  French troops before Starstediel become disordered as they rout the Prussians, leaving them vunerable to counterattack if there are troops available.  The French retake Rahna, the central village, and Kaja, from an attack by the Young Guard using un déjeuner à la fourchette. On the right flank, the Totenkopf  Hussars are routed in turn by the reformed beau sabreurs, seeking revanche.  The broken Landwehr battalion flees for its life towards the woods before the French Dragoons can catch them.

4:45pm

French troops before Starsteidel have formed a square to fend off the Prussian Uhlans.  they hold them, long enough for the imperial gurd Lancers to come to their relief.  In the centre, the Russians retake Rahna, but elsewhere the allied infantry waver or rout.  The Young Guard retake Klein Groschen from the Prussians, and the right flank yields to French Pressure. Les beau sabreurs guard the river crossing as the French infantry behind them close down upon Eisdorf, held by one Prussian battalion.  The Russian Guards arrive on the battlefield.  Meanwhile Les Grognards take their place in the reserve behind the hill on which  Le Chapeau and the artillery rest.

5:00pm

Fortuna Belli smiles on the French as the Prussians and Russians are slowly being driven back, with only Rahna under Russian control.  The Young Guard have retaken Gross Gorschen.  French cavalry have moved up, ready to exploit any weakness.  On the right wing, the cavalry standoff over the river crossings continue, with neither side willing to get disrupted in the crossing, only to face fully formed troops.   They stand waving their sabres at each other and trade insults and occasional pistol shots.  Further French reserves begin to appear on the left flank as Bertrand’s Division appears.

5:15pm

The Allied centre begins collapsing as repeated routs disorganise troops who rout in turn, the whole mass of men in a panic in the face of a continuing French advance made to the strains of  La Victoire est à Nous! .  On the extreme left, Bertrand’s Division overwhelm the solitary battalion of prussians sent to hold them up, ans a regiment of Cossacks is soon surrounded by French cavalry. Nike indicates that she may extend her blessings once more to Napoleon as the battle is now won by the French.  But the extent of victory is to be determined.  Can the allies extract their right wing in good order to fight another day, or will this be surrounded, leading to catastrophe? 

5:30pm

On the left flank, the French cavalry sweep their Allied counterparts from the field, and in the centre the Allied infantry still rout, sweeping up the artillery with them.  Only a battalion of the Preobrazhensky Guards holds the line, allowing the Allied right flank to retire in good order. Napoleon orders the Old Guard forward, together with the French artillery to reduce any further resistance before nightfall.

5:45pm

The Preobrazhensky and Prussian Guards hold the line of retreat as a regiment of Russian Dragoons wheels round to face the threat from the French Cavalry.  The rest of the allied right flank slowly retreats in good order.  The Divisions of Bertrand and MacDonald, newly arrived on the battlefield will lead the pursuit after the broken Allied army.

6:00pm

Night begins to fall, and the visibility reduces to 800m.  The Allied cavalry guarding their infantry retreat fall to French cavalry charges and rout.  this leaves the infantry with no option but to form square, fend for themeselves and hope that night saves them.  Initally they hold off cavalry & infantry attacks.  But there is still one hour of twilight left. The Old Guard marches forward to deliver the coup de grâce

6:15pm

In the twilight, the visibility reduces to 600m.   Despite heroical efforts from the Allied squares in fighting off encircling cavalry, the Imperial Guard have broken three of them, including the Russian and Prussian Guards.  Dragoons hew the Prussian Guards down, as Fortuna Belli frowns on them.   Only two squares  remain, with 45 minutes before night rescues them.

6:30pm

The victory for Napoleon is complete, and surrender terms are offered to the remaining allied troops.  They gratefully accept their defeat.

The whole battle sequence in 5 min intervals can be found below (11Mb file!).

Battle of Lutzen Redux – complete

During the battle, the central villages have changed hands between the combatants, (Rahna three times) as in the original battle.  The Prussian and Russian allies came close to winning, but needed another hour to gain the villages, before the rising tide of  French reinforcements swing the odd around.  Once the French get Marmont’s Division on the battlefield (3:00pm) and begin to establish numerical superiority, victory was theirs, but it was achieved at a high cost.  

Unto the colours they stood true,
They fought with courage bold,
Both fire and smoke they did pass through,
Their tale has now been told.

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The Battle of Lutzen, May 2nd, 1813 Friday, Jan 23 2009

The Battle of Lutzen, May 2nd 1813, was an important conflict in the campaign of 1813 to liberate Germany from Napoleon’s rule.  It was fought between

the French

under the command of Napoleon, and the combined army of 

Prussia

and Russia

under the command of Prince Wittgenstein.

The slides below explain the build-up to the battle and the details of the event, beginning with Napoleon’s retreat from Russia in 1812.

 

Links to the references can be found here.

Napoleon: lessons in coalition fighting

Lutzen and Bautzen 1813

The Campaigns of Napoleon

 

An animated gif of the battle sequence is below. It’s best viewed by clicking on the image and opening in a new window, or downloading and using Windows Picture Viewer.

The full set of slides above are posted here as a pdf file.

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The Battle of Vélez-Málaga Redux Monday, Oct 20 2008

 

The Battle of Vélez-Málaga was the largest naval battle in the War of the Spanish Succession.

It took place on 24 August 1704 south of Málaga, Spain, in an action between an Anglo-Dutch fleet,

which intercepted a Franco-Spanish fleet.

 

Both fleets had about 50 ships; mostly third rate ships of the line, with a few extra fire-ships and galleys employed, due to the mild weather. The battle itself was bloody, with about 5,000 casualties overall, but no ships were sunk on either side.  Both combatants adhered to fighting by line of battle, which offered benefits from mutual support of fire by neighbouring ships, at the restriction of freedom of movement for the fleet.  An engraving of the battle gives an impression of the action.

The Franco-Spanish fleet failed to defeat their rivals, and could not retake Gibraltar from the British. Thus, a tactical stalemate turned into an Grand Alliance strategic victory, with long ranging consequences.

Maurepas, a naval minister of Louis XV, once dismissed naval warfare thus: “I don’t think much of these naval combats. C’est piff poff on one side and the other, and leaves the sea as salty as before”. But it’s a deadly piff poff when you’re in the thick of it, as we shall shortly see.

This simulation uses 12 ships per side (i.e. approximately 1/4 ship in original battle), with an Anglo-Dutch fleet intercepting a Franco-Spanish fleet, using simple wargame rules. The names of the ships and the squadrons used for both fleets are found in the velez-malaga-damage-sheets. The weather gauge lies firmly with the Grand Alliance, with the wind blowing from the west, courtesy of the zephyr Favonius, at a moderate strength, supporting the approach of the Anglo-Dutch Fleet.  During the battle, the wind direction can alter via successive die rolls as explained in the rules. The Franco-Spanish fleet are initially unable to sail directly into wind to head off the Anglo-Dutch, and so wait for their arrival.

The Franco-Spanish fleet have to double round the Anglo-Dutch Fleet, cross their ‘T’ and inflict more damage than they receive, provided the winds change direction. The Anglo-Dutch fleet have to prevent this fleet manoeuver, and in turn inflict more damage than they receive.  This will stop an attempted relief of Gibraltar, which lies to the west, by the Franco-Spanish fleet. The English vanguard, under the command of Vice Admiral Sir John Leake in HMS Prince George closes down on the French line, waiting to come into range for combat to commence.  Les Vaisseuls de la Marine Royal are ready.

The French vanguard, led by Vice Amiral de Villette Mursay in the ship Fier, steers slightly to port, bringing his ship in extreme range of the British vanguard.  

Alas, the broadside causes no significant damage!

Damage so far:- Anglo-Dutch = 0 Franco-Spanish = 0 

The weather now becomes fresher; still blown by Favonius, the west wind.

Fortuna Belli now frowns on Fier. The broadside from HMS Prince George takes out two of her port gun decks, and with a double six being thrown, Vice Amiral de Villette Mursay sees his ship catch fire. HMS Norfolk’s broadside, destroys the remaining gun deck on the port side.  Fier cannot retaliate, and must send all hands to put the fire out, otherwise it will shortly explode.

Fier fails to throw a 5,6, and so the fire continues to grow towards the ship’s magazine.  Vice Amiral de Villette Mursay has no option but to steer his ship hard to starboard, away from the main fleet, in case the Fates dictate his ship explodes, and spreads further havoc in a chain reaction.  Sérieux is now the flag of the French vanguard, under the command of  Captain Chamelin.  Its first broadside exacts some revenge against HMS Prince George, which loses a starboard gun deck.  The Foudroyant’s first broadside fails to make any damage on HMS Norfolk.

 

Damage so far:- Anglo-Dutch = 1 Franco-Spanish = 3 

The weather gauge remains the same for the next move.

Broadsides from HMS Prince George fail to result in any damage to  Sérieux, but shots to the sails from HMS Norfolk and HMS Barfleur bring down the mainsail and mizzen masts of Foudroyant.  

Alas, the unhappy blue squadron, vanguard of the French fleet!  Fier fails to throw a 6 to put the raging fires out, Fortuna Belli whispers to Morta it is time, and so the flames reach the ship’s magazine and she explodes. Admiral de Villette Mursay and his crew are lost, and all of France will grieve when they hear the news. The loss of rigging from Foudroyant, encourages her to steer to starboard towards the doomed Fier, and out of the line of battle to help save survivors.  Before she turns, her broadside damages HMS Norfolk, and the Sage inflicts even more damage on HMS Barfleur.  Revenge begins for the French after the loss of their brave Amiral and his crew.

Damage so far:- Anglo-Dutch = 3 Franco-Spanish = 14 

The zephyr Favonius runs out of breath, and his companion, Afer Ventus, takes over as the wind swings to the south west, still at the same moderate strength.  

The English vanguard pass Sérieux, and further shots to her sails bring down her fore-mast. The main mast to Sage is also brought down by shots from HMS Swiftsure. The English red squadon comprising the centre of the fleet is now fully deployed.

Sérieux now replies in kind against HMS Norfolk, which loses another starboard gundeck.   Sage and Tonnant, the flagship of Amiral de France de Toulouse,  also fire and damages HMS Royal Sovereign, destroying a gundeck.

Damage so far:- Anglo-Dutch = 6 Franco-Spanish = 17

Afer Ventus continues to blow from the south west, still at the same moderate strength.

HMS Prince George senses her moment and decides to commit the vanguard to double round the French and cross their T. Sérieux is now crossed by fire from both the leading English ships, but their gunnery is less than their resolve, so all they bring down is the main mast.  Fortuna Belli now frowns on the Englis, as broadsides ripple down the fleet as far as HMS Monmouth, causing no damage to the French.  Meanwhile the Dutch rear guard, headed by Graaf van Albemarle has now arrived.

Sérieux swings round to starboard to follow the English vanguard, and she brings down the fore-mast on HMS Prince George.  Fortuna Belli smiles on the broadside reply from the French,  as ships fromTonnant to La Sirene fire and their shots slam into the English fleet. Admiral Sir George Rooke on HMS Royal Katherine watches helplessly as she loses all gundecks on her starboard side, and, woe to thee, O ship! – catches fire. Will she go the same way as Le Fier?

Damage so far:- Anglo-Dutch = 14 Franco-Spanish = 18

Afer Ventus continues to blow from the south west, still at the same moderate strength and so the weather gauge remains the same for the next move.

HMS Prince George, HMS Norfolk and HMS Barfleur now ring Sérieux and rake her with broadsides, destroying her remaining gundecks on the port side.  She now cannot return fire back on the English. O happy ship! O happy Admiral! HMS Royal Katherine manages to put out the fires and she resumes her position as flagship to the red Squadron, the English Centre.  HMS Monmouth and HMS Kent fire broadsides against their opposite numbers in the French line of battle, and Esperance and La Sirene are damaged.  The Dutch Rear now appears in strength, with Graaf van Albemarle leading, Gelderland next in line. They will soon be in battle.

Sérieux begins her retreat, but must be careful in not blocking the fire of the fast approaching French line of battle led by Sage, which is just out of range of the English.  The French red squadron’s Sirene and Solide fire on the English, damaging HMS Monmouth and HMS Kent.

Damage so far:- Anglo-Dutch = 16 Franco-Spanish = 21.

The zephyr Afer Ventus runs out of breath, and his companion, Auster, takes over as the wind swings to the south, still at the same moderate strength.  The weather gauge is now neutral, favouring neither fleet.  

Alas, unhappy ship! Sérieux is now reduced to a prize waiting to be captured, as further broadsides from HMS Norfolk and HMS Barfleur bring down the last of her rigging and rake her stern, destroying much of her starboard guns. HMS Prince George fails to hit Sage. HMS Kent and HMS Essex fire broadsides, damaging both the Sirene and Solide. 

Sage fires a broadside beloved by Fortuna Belli and brings down the rigging on HMS Prince George, which will hamper the English vanguard.  Solide and El Torro fire their broadsides.  The Spanish shot is especially effective; in their delight, they see HMS Essex catch fire.  Will she escape like HMS Royal Katherine did, or go the way of Fier, whose survivors are being rescued by Foudroyant?

Damage so far:- Anglo-Dutch = 20 Franco-Spanish = 26.

Auster continues to blow from the south, but at increased strength.  

Broadsides from HMS Prince George and HMS Norfolk bring down the mizzen mast of Sage.  HMS Essex manages to get her fires under control and then puts them out, thanks to the crew, Captain Hubbard and Fortuna Belli.  Broadsides from HMS Kent to Graaf van Albemarle inflict further damage on their opposite numbers in the line of battle, with El Torro receiving a hit. Lieutenant-Admiral Gerard Callenburgh, in command of the rear on Graaf van Albemarle is delighted at the progress of the Dutch ships for they are ready to join battle.

Broadsides from Sage and Tonnant bring down the two leadings masts of HMS Norfolk, and for once the French fleet edges ahead of the Anglo-Dutch line of battle. Solide and El Torro fire in reply which hits Graaf van Albemarle.

Damage so far:- Anglo-Dutch = 23 Franco-Spanish = 29.

Auster now gives way to Subsolanus, blowing from the south-east, at increased strength.  The weather gauge has now swung round in favour of the Franco-Spanish fleet.  At this wind strength, seamanship will be sorely tested.

HMS Prince George manages to rig up a temporary sail and gets underway in strong seas.  HMS Norfolk fires into Sage, damaging her.  A broadside from HMS Swiftsure damages Tonnant.  The Dutch now fire a broadside from Graaf van Albemarle to Dordrecht, against the Spanish, causing damage down their line of battle from El Torro to Santo Domingo.

Sage closes down onto HMS Norfolk and boards her.  Despite gallant resistance from her depleted crew, HMS Norfolk conceeds and strikes her colours.  The French have a new ship for their fleet if they can extract her from the mêlée and their tales will be retold many times!  A small crew from the Sage transfers to Le Norfolk to begin the task.  The French red squadron, Tonnant, Esperance and Sirene all fire broadsides as the ships pass the duel at the head of the line.  The damage inflicted is light, as is that from El Toro, Santo Domingo and Sacra Familia against the Dutch.

Damage so far:- Anglo-Dutch = 32 Franco-Spanish = 35.

Subsolanus, blowing from the south-east, now blows at maximum strength. The Fates have turned the battle into one against the wind and waves, as much as ship against ship and so firing efficiency falls together with an inability to board another ship until the wind drops. The weather gauge still remains in favour of the Franco-Spanish fleet.  Can they exploit it?

With the wind still at maximum strength, the Anglo-Dutch fleet moves to head off the Franco-Spanish fleet, preventing them in their primary task of sailing off the combat area to the west, which would allow the recapture of Gilbraltar.  As the English ships of the blue squadron sail on, they fire broadsides towards Tonnant.  However, in the high seas these inflict only minor damage.  The Dutch also have limited success against the Spanish ships further down the line of battle. Graaf van Albemarle to Nijmegen all fire and lightly damage the Santo Domingo.  More success is gained against the badly damaged Sérieux. Shots from HMS Monmouth to HMS Kent damage her further, and in these high seas, she is on the point of sinking.

Alas, Amiral de France de Toulouse in Tonnant knows the battle cannot be won, and in high seas begins to break off the engagement and head for home.  As he steers the French ships round, they fire on HMS Prince George, which catches fire.  Further down the line, the Spanish reply against the Dutch, with broadsides from Santo Domingo to Jesus Maria Jose and Dordrecht receives some damage. Having captured her prize, Sage attempts to separate from the Norfolk, but the high seas prevent this, and so they remain lashed together.

Damage so far:- Anglo-Dutch = 36 Franco-Spanish = 41.

Subsolanus still blows from the south-east, at maximum strength. 

 

HMS Swiftsure leads the Anglo-Dutch line of battle round, preparing to head back to Gibraltar.  The other ships behind turn in response.  Meanwhile, a combination of broadsides from Graaf van Albemarle and heavy seas claims Sérieux, which sinks, with the loss of all hands…  The high winds and Fortuna Belli help extinguish the fires on HMS Prince George, and she escapes to fight another day.  

The Sage and Norfolk manage to break free in the high seas, and both damaged ships begin turning for home, in the direction of the rest of the fleet.  The Franco-Spanish ships are out of range of the Anglo-Dutch in the high seas, so the fight cannot continue.  The task is now to get home safely in the ensuing storm.

Damage so far:- Anglo-Dutch = 36 Franco-Spanish = 42.

Subsolanus gives way to Vulturnus, blowing from the East, with slightly reduced force. 

The turn to home by the Anglo-Dutch fleet continues, with each ship turning at the same point.

The Franco-Spanish fleet continue to slip away in the high seas.

Damage so far:- Anglo-Dutch = 36 Franco-Spanish = 42.

Vulturnus gives way to Caecius, the zephyr of the freezing north east wind, at moderate strength.   This direction plays havoc with the remaining lines of battle, which must tack to accomodate the weather.

 

Alas for Caecius!  He scatters the line of battle of the Anglo-Dutch fleet waiting patiently for their appointed time to turn, forcing them towards the English red squadron, which will have to take avoiding action shortly.

The Spanish ships scatter too, off towards the south-east.  

Damage so far:- Anglo-Dutch = 36 Franco-Spanish = 42.

Caecius, the zephyr of the freezing north east wind, continues his mischief.

The English squadrons scatter to the north west to avoid the approaching English and Dutch ships.  It will take a considerable time to regroup all the squadrons into something battle worthy.  

The Franco-Spanish fleet have their own disorder to attend to and sail for home, as do the Anglo-Dutch fleet. Thus the Battle of Vélez-Málaga Redux comes to an end.

Nike sends her blessing to Admiral Sir George Rooke, commander Anglo-Dutch Fleet, and strikes a medal celebrating his victory; Imperium Pelagi, dominion of the sea.

The Admirals fighting this encounter were:-

Admiral Sir George Rooke, commander Anglo-Dutch Fleet.

Amiral de France de Toulouse, commander Franco-Spanish Fleet.

 

Unto the colours they stood true,
They fought with courage bold,
Both fire and smoke they did pass through,
Their tale has now been told.

Finis

One Response »

 

The Battle of Oudenarde Redux July 11th 2008 Wednesday, Jul 16 2008

On the 300th anniversary of the battle, a wargame re-enactment was staged at the University of Leeds. The rules used for the re-enactment are found here.

One figure represents 60 men, with units arriving on the battlefield broadly as they did on the day in 1708. In total about 27,000 troops per side (about 30 battalions and 60 squadrons of cavalry) would eventually be deployed at this scale, as the engagement battle proceeded; which is about a 1/3 of those involved on the day. The individual regiments in the armies can be found here.

Kubrick’s film, Barry Lyndon, gives the feel of 18th Century warfare from the soldiers point of view. Bear this in mind as the sequence unfolds!

The battlefield was rescaled so that the action covered approximately 3 x 1.8 km, at a level of 1mm = 2m, so the battlefield spread over boards of length 1.5m by 0.9m. The layout is shown below, with each village represented by a house.

In the description of the re-enactment below, the terms left, centre and right describe the battlefield from the French view, looking towards Oudenarde. Broadly the left covers the ground between the river Scheldt and the village of Herlegem, the centre between Herlegem and the windmill at Royegem, and the right between Royegem and the river Norken.

The Grand Alliance must push the French back as far as they can towards the river Norken, the French to trap the Grand Alliance against their bridgeheads, across the river Scheldt around Oudenarde.

The full battle sequence follows, with each move representing 5 minutes. Each picture has short action comments for aficionados, and a running commentary on overall progress is provided throughout the sequence.

Move 1 3:30 pm (time of the start of the battle on 11th July 1708 )

As per the original battle, the Prussians rout the Swiss troops before the village of Eyne.

Move 2

The French troops crossing the river Norken begin to deploy into line, ready to advance.  Vive le Roi! Avant mars!

Move 3 = 3:45 pm (+15 minutes).

A major change to the original battle as the Grand Alliance commander decides to send his Hanoverian cavalry around the battlefield to flank the French by the windmill at Royegem. This will take time and is a gamble, but we’ll see eventually how things work out.

Move 4

“Mitt Gott für König und Vaterland. Schwenk Marsch, Trab!” The Prussian infantry pass through Eyne village.

Move 5.

The Prussians begin marching onto the next village, Heurne, protected by another Swiss battalion. Meanwhile to their rear, the French have deployed a brigade, ready to advance, led by Maréchal Vendôme.
C’est lui, dont les dieux ont fait choix
Pour combler le bonheur de l’Empire Français

Move 6 = 4pm (+30 minutes)

The French begin their advance in an attempt to put a defensive line across from the villages of Herlegem to Heurne, sealing off their left flank. Will they get there before the Prussians? Will the Swiss be able to withstand the storm if relief does not arrive?

Move 7

French cavalry cross the river Norken by the village of Mullem.

Move 8.

The Hanoverian cavalry reach the top of the Boser Couter, and are ready to begin sweeping down onto the windmill at Royegem. The move has been spotted by the French, who have cavalry regiments in waiting for them just before the windmill. Maréchal Vendôme leads the French infantry through the villages of Herlegem and Groenewalde as the Prussians continue their advance. Meanwhile the Swabian troops of the Grand Alliance, led by The Duke of Marlborough begin their sweep around Dienpenbecke.

Move 9 = 4.15pm (+45 minutes)

Swiss troops are finally rallied by Maréchal Vendôme. It looks as if the French will arrive before the Prussians to form their defensive line across their left flank. Expect a fire fight soon to see who controls these villages.

Move 10

Move 11

Swiss and French battalions move forward to engage the Prussians. Fortuna Belli smiles on the army of le Roi Soleil as the Prussians are disrupted by the exchange of fire from the Swiss, and the French hold their own despite being outnumbered 2:1.

Move 12 = 4.30pm (+1 hour)

The Prussians before the Swiss troops break under fire as the odds swing rapidly against them and they run back towards the safety of the village of Eyne. The Prussian battalion on the left of their line become disrupted under artillery & musket fire.

Move 13

The Prussians disintegrate under fire and the troops start fleeing towards Schaerken. The French cavalry in reserve sense their moment and advance, “En avant, mes enfants! En avant, à la gloire!” The French have secured the left flank of the battlefield. Can they push on, take Eyne and threaten to trap the Grand Alliance bridgehead across the river Scheldt?

Move 14

One of the Prussian battalions is caught in the open by the pursuing French cavalry. The rest of the army looks on horrified, Fortuna Belli in her worst aspect. Meanwhile one of the other Prussian battalions has rallied to form a disordered square, which might hold against the second encroaching French cavalry regiment. The Hanoverian cavalry begin their advance off the heights of the Boser Couter towards Royegem.

Move 15 = 4.45pm (1hr 15 minutes)

The French engage the shaken Prussian square with artillery and musketry. Meanwhile the pursuit of the fleeing Prussians continues, with no quarter given. The advancing Austrian infantry forms square in defence against the oncoming wave. Meanwhile around Herlegem, Prussian and French infantry begin a fire exchange. Will the Prussians luck improve?

Move 16

Fortuna Belli frowns as the shaken Prussian square breaks. The French attack them again with cavalry; the Prussians flee as fast as they can towards safety in the form of the boggy ground around the River Diepenebeck, where horses cannot pass. At Herlegem, the Prussians break under fire. Thus their entire advance across the battlefield has failed.

Move 17

‘Es-tu prête à tout sacrifier?’ ‘Nous battra jusqu’au bout.’

Driven by their successes, the headstrong French cavalry charge a formed square in the belief they can break them. Under artillery and musket fire, the square beats them off and the cavalry rout. The Swiss and Austrian troops exchange fire. Meanwhile the first British line is deployed around Schaerken. About the mill by Royegem, the Hanoverian and French cavalry start their long anticipated duel, with the French becoming disrupted.

Move 18 = 5:00pm (+1hr 30 minutes)

Under fire, the Austrians rout towards Eyne. On the right flank about the mill at Royegem, the cavalry duel continues, with both front lines disrupted. Who will break first?

Move 19

About Royegem the French cavalry breaks first, and the disorganized second line moves up to continue the fight. Before Eyne, the remaining French cavalry also try their luck on a fully formed square.

Move 20

The French cavalry is easily beaten off by the square with supporting artillery and the troopers rout. The Bavarians have made steady progress across the battlefield and are soon to occupy the the villages of Herlegem and Groenewalde. A new brigade of French troops has formed behind the River Norken and will shortly set off. About the Mill at Royegem the cavalry duel continues, with odds slightly in favour of the Hanoverians and the fast approaching Swabians. Meanwhile, the Austrians are receiving the worst of a fire fight with the Swiss by the banks of the Scheldt.

So far Fortuna Belli has smiled more on the French. The Grand Alliance bridgehead has held with more troops pouring onto the battlefield each move , but their progress has been less than desired. They must break out if they are to succeed.

This is the last move at Leeds University on the day of the anniversary of the battle. Now the action switches to another location with the board and troops being set up again.

Move 21 = 5:15pm (1hr 45 minutes)

The French have now formed a line midway between the villages across the battlefield from the Scheldt to the edge of the marshy ground, covering their left and centre. Austrians rout under fire by the Scheldt, but British battalions move into the centre, whilst at the left of their line Swabians deploy into line of battle. At the cavalry duel by Royegem, French cavalry flee the battlefield. To their rear, the Maison du Roi begin their advance to the front line.

Move 22

The Austrian and Prussian troops continue routing down by the Scheldt, but in the centre of the French defensive line, a battalion becomes disrupted from artillery fire. The Swabians swing into line, ready to press their attack. French cavalry continue fleeing from Royegem as the crack Maison du Roi regiments move forward to fill the gap they have left.

Move 23

The French and Swabian infantry begin their fire fight, along the line before Diepenbeck, with both becoming disrupted in the process. Fortuna Belli frowns and the French battalion under artillery fire routs, leaving a gap in the French line. Can the Grand Alliance exploit this and regain the initiative before the Bavarian second line at Herlegem seals the gap?

Move 24 = 5:30pm (+2 hours)

At the extreme of their central line, a French battalion routs, with the rest still engaged in a fire fight with the Swabians. The British join the end of the line formed by the Austrians and the remnants of the initial Prussian attack.

Move 25

The French line still continues to crumble into rout, leaving one of their battalions before Diepenbeck victorious, but isolated. French cavalry begin to challenge the Austrians and British, who must from square for protection. Their artillery fail to stop the French advance.

Move 26

The French cavalry break the shaken Austrian square, forcing the British infantry into squares for self defence. About Royegem a regiment of French Dragoons dismount and deploy, ready to cover the flank of the routing French infantry.

Move 27 = 5:45pm (+2 hours 15 minutes)

British cavalry advance before Schaerken and attack their French counterparts who fight bravely on after having broken the Austrian square. The Swabians begin to advance after winning their first fire fight with the French. Maréchal Vendôme orders a battalion of Bavarians into square to allow the fleeing French troops through their line before Herlegem.

Move 28

Fortuna Belli smiles on the French cavalry, who against the odds manage to fight on and hold off the British cavalry. British infantry begin to advance to the centre of the French position. By Royegem, the Hanoverian cavalry rout. French dragoons deployed to the rear of the line at Royegem are ordered to cross the field to the village of Groenenwalde.

Move 29

Still the French cavalry fight on against the odds. Hanoverian infantry begin to advance into the battlefield. A fierce firefight erupts across the centre, between the Swabians, and the French and their Bavarian allies. To the rear of this line, another line of French infantry advances. This gives them three lines in depth, surely enough troops to continue to advance?

Move 30 = 6:00pm (+2 hours 30 minutes)

The odds finally swing against the French cavalry before Schaerken and they break, having held off superior numbers for 15 minutes. In the centre, the Grand Alliance hold a shaken line that still advances against an even more ragged French line. About Royegem, the Maison du Roi advance into combat.

Move 31

The French centre breaks in confusion as the cry ‘Sauve qui peut’ goes up. The British cavalry reorganises after winning their fight. A shaken French cavalry regiment moves forward to meet them.

Move 32

The French cavalry regiment breaks under artillery fire, leaving the British to advance across the left flank, forcing the Bavarians before the villages of Herlegem and Gronenewalde into square. Meanwhile the Royal Regiment of Orkney Highlanders try to storm the village of Herlegem, held by the Swiss. About the centre, the fleeing French troops throw their second line into chaos, threatening their ability to maintain a fighting force. Maréchal Vendôme tries his best to rescue the situation.

Move 33 = 6:15pm (+2 hours 45 minutes)

Fortuna Belli now smiles on the Grand Alliance. One of the Bavarian squares is broken, with the troops fleeing for their lives into the village of Groenewalde. The rout in the centre becomes more confused as some units rally but others continue to flee. The only setback for the Grand Alliance befalls the Highlanders, who are repulsed from Herlegem by the Swiss troops ensconced there.

Move 34

The Royal Regiment of Orkneys rallies before Herlegem before trying their luck again. The Swabians try to push forward to exploit the turmoil in the French centre, but are broken by French artillery. Maréchal Vendôme is slowly stabilising his troops in the centre, but he cannot prevent a regiment from crossing the river Norken, and so going out of the battle.

Move 35

A Bavarian square manages to hold off a cavalry charge, which swirls around it in frustration, getting more disorganised. About Eyne, the Dutch cavalry arrive before the infantry columns, which are close behind. Meanwhile the Hanoverian and British infantry press on forwards.

Move 36 = 6:30 (+3 hours)

The Bavarian cavalry have successfully beaten off their attacking cavalry, which routs in confusion. At last, the Dutch infantry columns make their entrance onto the battlefield after crossing the river Scheldt by Oudenarde. Austrian troops try to take the village of Heurne from the Swiss, but become disorganised. Maréchal Vendôme has stopped his troops in the centre from routing, and they slowly get back into order. About Royegem, the first line of the Maison du Roi rout, but the second line in turn rout the Swabian cavalry in a great counter charge.

Move 37

The British cavalry win their duel with the French down by the village of Heurne. Meanwhile a fierce struggle erupts for control of the village of Herlegem, with the Swiss hanging on. The Bavarian square still hold out against cavalry attack, as infantry move up in close support.

Move 38

The Bavarian square breaks, and the survivors run for cover in the village of Groenewalde. The struggle for Herlegem continues with the Swiss still hanging on against odds of 2:1. The successful British cavalry wheel leftwards to attack the French Dragoons. Meanwhile by Royegem, Bavarian cuirassiers about turn and begin moving towards the left. If the Maison du Roi fail to hold the line, the French will not have a reserve for their right flank, but the Dutch advance threatens the centre and left.

Move 39 6:45 (+3 hours 15 minutes)

The French face simultaneous reverses across the battlefield as Fortuna Belli smiles on the Grand Alliance. By Royegem, the Maison du Roi finally crack from fatigue and begin routing. Thus the gambit the Grand Alliance made at the beginning of the battle by trying to flank the French by Royegem has finally paid off. The struggle for Herlegem is lost as British troops storm the village, ejecting the Swiss. On the left flank, the French Dragoons flee as the British cavalry are victorious again. This forces substantial numbers of French and Bavarian infantry into square, immobilising them.

Move 40

The fight for the villages swings to Groenewalde and Heurne. Bavarian cuirassiers sweep past their infantry, temporarily allowing them to form back into line of battle. The Grand Alliance start to move their artillery forward to help deliver the coup de grâce.

Move 41

Having successfully rallied his men earlier, Maréchal Vendôme is loath to order a general retreat. And yet he sees more Dutch cavalry pouring towards his block from the Bavarian cuirassiers, so he knows it’s only a matter of time. With a heavy heart he orders retreat which swiftly turns to cries of ‘Sauve qui peut’. Fortuna Belli has frowned on him today. And yet he was close; an hour and a half earlier, he was pressing Malbrough back against Dienpenbeck and Eyne. Another day, another place, he swears avant les dieux, he shall be the Tapissier de Notre Dame…

Move 42 7:00 (+3 hours 30 minutes)

Only 1 hour 30 minutes of daylight left. The Grand Alliance have won this battle, with the full weight of their reserves not committed yet. The French have given way on the left, centre and right flanks, as the villages of Groenewalde and Heurne falling. The cry ‘Sauve qui peut’ echoes down the French line. Maréchal Vendôme senses his best course is to extract what he can of his army for another day, with those able crossing the River Norken for safety. Some of the remaining French infantry is locked into squares as Grand Alliance cavalry encircles them. If the Grand Alliance cavalry can capture the French artillery, then a fine victory will ensue.

Move 43

The Bavarian cuirassiers rout before the Dutch cavalry. Meanwhile as many of the French infantry struggle over the river Norken as they can.

Move 44

The Grand Alliance cavalry sweep towards the French artillery which must surely succumb to weight of numbers and the speed of their advance. A ragged line of French infantry in defence forms behind the river Norken, but with night beginning to fall, the Grand Alliance advance will soon halt for the night.

Move 45 7:15 (+3 hours 45 minutes)

In possession of the field of battle, the Grand Alliance have a fine victory. The bulk of the French army has been pushed across the river Norken and the remaining French battalions encircled, with all their artillery captured. With only over 1 hours daylight left, His Grace The Duke of Marlborough, will offer terms to those battalions of French squares remaining once he can reign in the cavalry from further attacks.

In terms of victory points, the margin (30+) suggests a decisive victory to the Grand Alliance, and once again Fortuna Belli has smiled on the Duke of Marlborough; Nike sends her blessings in the form of captured standards to bedeck Westminster Hall.

Swift writes his paean to another famous victory:-

”Ye Commons and Peers,
Pray lend me your ears,
I’ll sing you a song, (if I can,)
How Lewis le Grand
Was put to a stand,
By the arms of our gracious Queen Anne.

How his army so great,
Had a total defeat,
And close by the river Dender:
Where his grandchildren twain,
For fear of being slain,
Gallop’d off with the Popish Pretender.’

Though Bruges and Ghent
To Monsieur we lent,
With interest they shall repay ‘em;
While Paris may sing,
With her sorrowful king,
Nunc dimittis instead of Te Deum.

O Lewis perplex’d,
What general next!
Thou hast hitherto changed in vain;
He has beat ‘em all round,
If no new one’s found,
He shall beat ‘em over again.”

The Generals involved in the real battle and their counterparts in the re-enactment were

Maréchal Vendome

The Duke of Marlborough

Prince Eugene of Savoy

The Generals involved in the 21st century were John, Mark, Ian and Ben.

Rules used for fighting this and other Marlburian battles can be found here.

Thanks to Dixon’s Miniatures for the figures, and to warflag.com for the flags

Unto the colours they stood true,
They fought with courage bold,
Both fire and smoke they did pass through,
Their tale has now been told.

Finis

2 Responses »

 

The Battle of Oudenarde July 11th 1708 Sunday, Jul 13 2008

This was the third major battle that the Duke of Marlborough fought against Bourbon France during the War of the Spanish Succession.

He led a confederate army comprised of troops from 

Britain

The United Provinces

Hannover

 

Austrian Empire

and Prussia

against the Franco-Bavarian army, comprised of troops from

France

French mercenaries from 

Switzerland

and Ireland

troops from the Spanish Netherlands

and finally

Bavaria

The battle is famous for a number of reasons

It was an encounter battle – very rare in the early to middle part of the 18th Century, albeit planned by the Duke of Marlborough.

It evolved into a full scale battle, with troops arriving to take up positions, with a message sent but never received , lost on the battlefield (the realm of chance) that turned the course of the battle and European history.

It had a famous Prussian cavalry charge with General Natzmer, at the head of the Prussian cuirassiers, charged the French horse guards in reserve, while infantry fire from the hedgerows mowed down his cuirassiers. So dreadful was the fire that half the Prussian cavalry were slain, and the rest escaped with difficulty, hotly pursued by the French household troops.

Marlborough developed his line of battle into an envelopment of the French position – again very rare at this point in military history.  Only nightfall prevented a significant number of the French troops from being captured.

It involved 4 potential rulers in Europe; heirs to the King of England, a possible Stadholder of the United Provinces and a King of France fighting on opposing sides. Only one would eventually rule, although all would survive the battle.

George II (serving in the Hanoverian cavalry, who charged and had his horse shot from beneath him). He succeeded to the throne of Great Britain and Elector of Hanover in 1727

James III (the Old Pretender) who never succeeded to the throne, served with the French as the Chevalier de St George.

Louis de France, duc de Bourgogne served disastrously as joint leader of the French forces. He died in 1712, and his son, Louis XV, succeeded to the throne of France, on the death of his Great Grandfather, le Roi Soleil.

And finally, John William Friso, Prince of Orange, who led the Dutch troops enveloping the French position. He died by accidental drowning in 1711, but his descendants are on the hereditary thrones of Europe, including The Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

It was the third of Marlborough’s famous four battles in the War of the Spanish Succession and led to the retreat of the French from the Spanish Netherlands and the eventual capture of the fortress of Lille.

My description of the causes of the War of the Spanish Succession and the Battle of Oudenarde can be found here, in Baroque style.

battle-of-oudenarde

It includes stills from Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon (Seven Years War, but they give the feel of 18th Century warfare). The maps describing the battle are from Churchill’s Marlborough, his life and times Part 2 (1936) and from Chandler’s Marlborough as a Military Commander (1973).

A poem written by Jonathan Swift, celebrating the victory, can be found here. Notice the vitriolic reserved for the Chevalier de St George (which he styled the Popish pretender), compared to the lavish praise for Young Hanover Brave (the future George II), marking the poets political allegiance at the time of writing.

The city of Oudenarde is celebrating the battle this year. Links can be found here.

Current maps of the area, in detail and relief are shown below.

Present day Oudenarde has expanded out to encompass Eyne, and some of the rivers have been drained, but largely the topography remains the same.  Notice that the Flemish spelling of the places names is somewhat different than those used in military accounts (e.g. Ouwegem = Royegem, River Wallebeck = River Norken).

A new book has just been published reviewing the battle by Partizan Press

A full wargames re-enactment of the battle can be found here, using these rules.

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The Age of Faith Friday, Jul 11 2008

My wargame rules for the era of Pike and Musket, including the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) & British Civil Wars (1639-1651), are posted below

age-of-faith

The rules are a simplified version of early 17th century combat, based on 1 figure = 100 men and 1 mm – 1 m in scale.  Contact the author using the comments page below if you would like further details on how to use them.

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The Age of Reason Thursday, Jul 10 2008

These are my wargame rules used for the French Wars (1667-1714), especially for the War of the Spanish Succession.

age-of-reason

The rules are a simplified version of early 18th century combat!  Contact the author using the comments page below if you would like further details on how to use them.

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Age of Destiny Thursday, Jul 10 2008

These are my wargame rules used for the French Revolutionary and the Napoleonic Wars (1792-1815)

age-of-destiny

The rules are a simplified version of latter 18th / early 19th century combat, and provide very interesting if turbulent games, with plenty of skill mixed with a little luck needed for success!  Contact the author using the comments page below if you would like further details on how to use them.

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