Napoleonic Wargame Club (NWC)

I know historically the French were set on using huge columns of men to smash through a line. Lately, I have been trying to work on a defense against that. Ive been partially succesful with a line of regiments say 4 or 5 across and one or two units of artillery echelon to either the left or to the right. Now if I were to try to employ this in a rated PBEM game, would this be breaking the rules?

God Bless Texas

No. You have to do what you have to do to combat the massive French stacks.

Talk to some of your veteran officers. They will give you some really good tips on this.

Check out the RMA mess hall forum. Lots of guys there can help you out.

Timing is everything in these games. That and a bit of good luck.

Since I have neither I cant help you out! [:D]

Alright, just joking! Actually the best thing to do is if the French attack in those large stacks and if the Column Pass Through Fire rule is ON then just let them have it with artillery fire in the next turn and then charge that stack into oblivion. Remember that disordered units are worth less on the defense. See the User.hlp file for more info.

Oberst Wilhelm Peters
2nd Kuirassiers, Reserve Korps, Austrian Army
[url="http://www.acwgc.org/acwgc_members/burr/Austrian%20Army/Bill_Peters.htm"]Officer Battle Dossier[/url]

Do what they did historically, defend in depth. Multiple lines deep with skirmishers screening the front. By the time the French columns break through the first line they will be disordered and fatigued and ready to be routed by either your second line or a cavalry / horse artillery counter-attack.

Regards

Mark
VII Corps

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Mark Eason</i>
<br />Do what they did historically, defend in depth. Multiple lines deep with skirmishers screening the front. By the time the French columns break through the first line they will be disordered and fatigued and ready to be routed by either your second line or a cavalry / horse artillery counter-attack.

Regards

Mark
VII Corps
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Defense in depth is the best method. If you are not familiar with it, read up on The Battle of Cowpens (American War of Independence). That is exactly what happened there. A vastly superior (quality wise) British force of Regulars, was not just beaten, but destroied by 3 Colonial lines, only one of which was regulars (approx 20% of the Colonial force). The first two lines of militia skirmished the British Regulars into some disorder (and overconfidence), then the 3rd line stood fast, while the cavalry came in from the flank and finished the job.

Cadet William Davis
Royal Military Academy

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by BubbaScott</i>
<br />I know historically the French were set on using huge columns of men to smash through a line. <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Did they really? And if so, is this replicated in game tactics by the French Army in this club? One thinks there is more than a small element of "straw man" about this whole proposition! I would suggest playing a few games and then thinking about how to counter real tactics by real players. (Just a thought, if you have THREE lines of infantry in depth, how have you covered your flanks?)

Lt Colonel Neville Worland
2nd Régiment de Dragons
Ier Corps de Réserve de Cavalerie
Army du Nord

By the way, Lance for Governor!

Lt Colonel Neville Worland
2nd Régiment de Dragons
Ier Corps de Réserve de Cavalerie
Army du Nord

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by ndworl</i>
<br /><blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by BubbaScott</i>
<br />I know historically the French were set on using huge columns of men to smash through a line. <hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Did they really? And if so, is this replicated in game tactics by the French Army in this club? One thinks there is more than a small element of "straw man" about this whole proposition! I would suggest playing a few games and then thinking about how to counter real tactics by real players. (Just a thought, if you have THREE lines of infantry in depth, how have you covered your flanks?)

Lt Colonel Neville Worland
2nd Régiment de Dragons
Ier Corps de Réserve de Cavalerie
Army du Nord
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Certainly sounds a bit simplistic to me and not a tactic that I would use as French.

Flank coverage and depth defence. Both depend largely on the terrain available and the frontage to be maintained. Ideally, one flank can be secured against a terrain feature (the river at Borodino, the hills at Bautzen, the woods at Quatre Bras all spring to mind as examples).

If the frontage to be maintained, (I reckon on about 1,200 metres / division), is too great, then the depth of the position will have to be reduced. Alternately, if the frontage is short, the depth can be considerable, at Borodino, I seem to recollect reading that the Russian position was up to 7 lines in depth.

At Quatre Bras as the Allies, I withdraw towards the crossroad and will have up to 6 lines at times during the game.

If my flank is open, hopefully not both of them, then I generally echelon the brigade, or division on that flank and make use of any terrain that will help secure it. If available, third (or final) rank cavalry on that flank will be echelonned further to cover the threat of cavalry against that flank.

This is all highly idealised, can be hard to maintain the discipline of the structure once the battle is underway.

Regards

Mark
VII Corps

Sir,

You may deploy several lines and we will turn your flank. You may extend your lines to cover the flanks and we will smash your center. Either way the outcome is the same.

Vive l' France!!!

Marechal Jonathan Thayer
Moyenne Garde
Duc de Saalfeld et Prince de Friedland
10/III
Armee du Nord




jonathanthayer@bellsouth.net

<i> Sir,

You may deploy several lines and we will turn your flank. You may extend your lines to cover the flanks and we will smash your center. Either way the outcome is the same.

Vive l' France!!!

Marechal Jonathan Thayer
Moyenne Garde
Duc de Saalfeld et Prince de Friedland
10/III
Armee du Nord</i>


Yeah the Froggies run with their tail between their legs...[:p]

<font color="orange">
Lt. Col. Veenstra
Battaillon Nationale Militie Nº 7
1e Brigade
2e Nederlandsche Divisie
I Corps
Anglo-Allied Army
</font id="orange">

Actually it really depends on the terrain you are playing on and there's absolutely no single method to beat it all. Varying your tactics according to different situations is always the best approach. It seems that I just said nothing at all but that's the truth. You rarely see someone that would ram 60 columns to you in a turn. It is always the combined effort of lines and columns and experienced players always attempt to gain tactical ground for their arty. At least that's what I would do so I can pour tons of cannon balls on your whatever line alongside with my infantry firing in lines. And then my columns will give some good rams. [8D]

Chef de bataillon Ranson Lee
Commandant de 7ème Division d'Infanterie
IIèmé Corps d'Armee Nord