After much faffing about there has finally been some proper wargaming! The battle of Teugn Hausen (or Hausen Teugn) was one of the battles fought at the outset of the 1809 campaign. The Austrians had launched an offensive; they had (as we have seen) attacked French forces and allies in Italy and Poland, but the main thrust came through Bavaria. Adding Bavaria to the Imperial heartland had been an Austrian war aim since the start of the French Revolutionary War and they now invaded that country with a large army. The attack had caught the French off guard and the Austrian commander Archduke Charles sought to destroy Davout's III Corps which was isolated from the other units of the Franco-Bavarian army. The lead elements of the Austrian III Korps found Davout's troops near the town of Teugn and an encounter battle began in which the initial Austrian probe was pushed back from a position on the Buchberg overlooking Teugn. The Advance Guard rallied on two infantry regiments on a ridge called the Hausner Berg and fought a delaying battle whilst reinforcements were hurried up. The French meanwhile worked around the flanks of the Austrian position.
Following from my thoughts in the previous game that I need more units to make these smaller battles worthwhile I changed the unit scale from brigade to battalion. I kept with the Volley and Bayonet rules but as we shall see had further problems with them causing entire units to b ewiped out in a single turn - just too bloody to be realistic in my opinion.
Here's what happened:
A view of the battlefield from the French side - Teugn on the table edge - the village of Roith to the right.
The French surge forwards - 3e & 57e Ligne, led by 10e Legre.
The French reach the outskirts of Roith.
The Austrians Remain on the defensive.
Turn 2
The French attack across the Buchberg .
Owing to some terrible dice rolling it is a catastrophic failure. The badly outnumbered Erzherzog Karl Legion (played here by the Inner Austria Landwehr) throw back three battalions of the 3e & 57e Ligne.
These units retreat through their own lines causing further disorder. In game terms this is a serious issue and highlights a problem with the rules. Whilst upsets and panics did occur on the 18/19th century battlefield (Clausewitz calls it 'friction') that a major chunk of the French army could be thrashed by a single battalion of volunteer light infantry with a few grenzers and a single cannon seems an extreme result! So by turn two the French have suffered some serious casualties and two units are permanently disordered (red flags) which makes them effectively useless...
Meanwhile the 10e Legere pressed home their attack on Roith where more extreme rolling saw the mutual destruction of one battalion and the Peterwardiner Grenzers.
Turn 3
The French regroup and consolidate their position.
... And, at this rather early stage in the game, send in the first batch of reserves.
Turn 4
Seeking to consolidate their early success, rather than withdraw from the Buchberg as they did historically, they reinforce the position, hoping to push the remaining French units from it.
The French however hold their own this time and threw back the attack. Once again dice luck plays a key part. The Austrians cause some damage but are wiped out in turn. It could be argued that a single battalion attacking (largely) unsupported uphill got its just deserts but it all seems a bit extreme- Some turns nothing happens - Other turns utter carnage!
Turn 5
The French throw more troops on to the Buchberg.
The, now rather beleaguered, Austrians withdraw; having given the French centre quite a mauling.
The French move troops to the flanks.
Turn 6
The French attack on the centre fails utterly - it was a stupid move on my part - unnecessary and bound to fail... it did.
It would be better to wait for the flanking forces to get through the woods ... but they are going slowly.
Not exactly stealthy - surely the Austrians are aware?
Yet when this single unit emerges, disordered from the woods, at the end of its long march the O'Reilly Chevaux Legers refused to charge them!
Turn 7
Another tough round for the French. With much of their force blundering through the woods on either flank they should hold but they keep launching piecemeal attacks on the Austrian centre.
They come on in the same old style...
Trying extend to the left here...
At last Austrian reinforcements pour in.
Turn 8
The French start to emerge from the woods on the Austrian right and are met with resistance.
Both sides are now avoiding a clash in the centre - The French here wheel to turn the Austrian right.
They hold on the Buchberg and there is desultory skirmishing.
Turn 9
More French units pile into the fight near the woods and the Austrian battalion is thrown back despite winning the first round. They are reinforced and the two side square up.
O' Reilly's C/L charge home but fail to scatter their foes, despite attacking an isolated unit in the rear!
Turn 10
The French begin to move off the Buchberg but the Austrians strike first.
But their attack is thrown back.
French units are emerging on the Austrian left.
Once again the Austrians are ready for them (Franznap Hussars freshly painted)
The French are sent scuttling back to the safety of the woods
Turn 11
The French follow up their success on the Buchwald but make no headway - failing even to take the retreating artillery battery.
The Austrians still have numerous fresh units. They have held their own well against the aggressive French attacks.
However, with increasing numbers pressing on their flanks, the Austrian position has become untenable and they must retreat... It is the end of the game.
It was a slightly frustrating game in that the dice just seemed to provide odd outcomes - I know it is a game with random factors but I feel obliged to try something different next time.
