Campaign Report - Move 10 - End of Campaign

Campaign map at start of move 11 - 1200 4 May 1813

CAMPAIGN DIARY

Move 1 – 0800-1200 1 May 1813
Prussian and French armies reach their concentration areas

Move 2 – 1200-1600 1 May 1813
The Prussian Army nears the river Saale, and 3 corps secure the bridge at Dessau.

The French Army have reached their concentration areas around Helmstedt.

Move 3 – 1600-2000 1 May 1813
3 Prussian corps crossed the river Saale and entered Dessau.

4 and 13 French corps both try to pass through Wolfsburg, causing a traffic jam and a delay of 24 hours to 13 corps.

Move 4 – 0800-1200 2 May 1813
The Prussians have now crossed the river Saale at Parey in the north and Dessau in the south.

The French traffic jam at Wolfsburg has been sorted out, 13 Polish corps have entered the town and are being sorted out ready to move tomorrow.

Move 5 – 1200-1600 2 May 1813
The Prussians have crossed the river Saale and 2 corps is approaching Magdeburg

The French continue their advance towards Magdeburg.

Move 6 – 1600-2000 2 May 1815
The Prussians have crossed the river Saale and are moving west when they sight the French army approaching them from Seehausen.

Move 7 – 1200-1400 3 May 6 May 1813
1 Prussian and 4 French corps fight the battle of Colbitz

2 Prussian and 5 French corps fight the battle of Seehausen

Move 8 – 1400 -1600 3 May 1813
The French win the battle of Colbitz. 4 French corps enters the town. 1 Prussian corps withdraws towards Parey

Battle of Seehausen continues. 2 Prussian and 5 French corps exchange fire. Marshal Davout and 6 French corps join the battle..

Move 9 – 1600-2000 3 May 1813
Battle of Seehausen continues. 3 Prussian corps joins the battle, just in time to add much needed support to the weary Prussian army

At midnight both commanders in chief give orders to continue the battle the next day.

Move 10 – 0800-1200 4 May 1813

The Battle of Seehausen continued with the arrival of 4 Prussian corps and 13 Polish corps, plus Marshal Blucher. However the tide quickly went against the Prussians and by 1100 two corps were in rout and a third desperately trying to hold the French advance

The approach of 4 French corps proved the final straw, and the Prussians withdrew towards Magdeburg and the solitary bridge over the river Saale.

CAMPAIGN NOTES

Battle of Seehausen - summary of Battle

For three hours the Prussian army held their own against the French attack.

On the left 5 French corps finally took possession of the village, and advanced against 2 Prussian corps. The two exchanged skirmish and later musket fire for two hours, both suffering heavy casualties.

In the centre both 13 Polish and 4 Prussian corps advanced towards the T junction in the centre of the battlefield. The Poles had further to march and made slow progress. The Prussian cavalry advanced to threaten 5 French corps, but received casualties from their artillery. This resulted in loss of morale and a subsequent rout, which took the gunners with them. The remainder of the corps made their morale, but were badly shaken.

On the right 6 French corps were inflicting heavy casualties on 3 Prussian corps. At 1100 the first Prussian brigade broke and ran, and within half an hour two more had joined them. The Prussian right wing was on the verge of collapse.

At 1200 4 French corps advanced against the Prussian right wing. Already badly shaken, the entire Prussian army broke and ran towards Magdeburg. The battle, and the campaign, was lost.

In the two day battle the French lost 13 infantry and 8 cavalry. The Prussians lost 16 infantry and 9 cavalry.

Campaign situation

The situation is now desperate for Marshal Blucher and the Prussian army. By midday his army have been forced back to the banks of the river Saale, and he is outnumbered by four French corps to his three. Faced with the destruction of his entire army he surrenders to Marshal Davout

Game mechanics

Both armies were badly shaken by battle casualties. Although the actual numbers may seem light, it should be remembered that each casualty in these rules results in a loss of morale and fighting ability with minus 1 for each casualty. One casualty per brigade is manageable, but anymore than that would reduce the fighting ability and morale so as to make the brigade unable to maintain a combat.

The arrival of 4 French corps made the odds too great in favour of the French. In addition there were no fresh Prussian troops available within three or four moves who could ease the pressure.

The final straw was that the Prussians were unable to withdraw over the river Saale. The single bridge at Magdeburg was insufficient to allow three corps to cross in less than three moves. Two Prussian corps were in rout and the remaining corps insufficient to hold four French corps at bay to allow the remainder to cross the river.

campaign report - move 9

Campaign map at start of move 10 0800 4 May 1813

CAMPAIGN DIARY

Move 1 – 0800-1200 1 May 1813
Prussian and French armies reach their concentration areas

Move 2 – 1200-1600 1 May 1813
The Prussian Army nears the river Saale, and 3 corps secure the bridge at Dessau.
The French Army have reached their concentration areas around Helmstedt.

Move 3 – 1600-2000 1 May 1813
3 Prussian corps crossed the river Saale and entered Dessau.
4 and 13 French corps both try to pass through Wolfsburg, causing a traffic jam and a delay of 24 hours to 13 corps.

Move 4 – 0800-1200 2 May 1813
The Prussians have now crossed the river Saale at Parey in the north and Dessau in the south.
The French traffic jam at Wolfsburg has been sorted out, 13 Polish corps have entered the town and are being sorted out ready to move tomorrow.

Move 5 – 1200-1600 2 May 1813
The Prussians have crossed the river Saale and 2 corps is approaching Magdeburg
The French continue their advance towards Magdeburg.

Move 6 – 1600-2000 2 May 1815
The Prussians have crossed the river Saale and are moving west when they sight the French army approaching them from Seehausen.

Move 7 – 1200-1400 3 May 6 May 1813
1 Prussian and 4 French corps fight the battle of Colbitz
2 Prussian and 5 French corps fight the battle of Seehausen

Move 8 – 1400 -1600 3 May 1813
The French win the battle of Colbitz. 4 French corps enters the town. 1 Prussian corps withdraws towards Parey

Battle of Seehausen continues. 2 Prussian and 5 French corps exchange fire. Marshal Davout and 6 French corps join the battle..

Move 9 – 1600-2000 3 May 1813
Battle of Seehausen continues. 3 Prussian corps joins the battle, just in time to add much needed support to the weary Prussian army

At midnight both commanders in chief give orders to continue the battle the next day.

CAMPAIGN NOTES

Battle of Seehausen - summary of Battle

The battle opened with 5 French corps marching north to Halbeck just as 2 Prussian corps approached Seehausen from Magdeburg. The French reacted quickly to the threat, turning from line of march to column of attack along the Halbeck road.

The Prussians used their advantage to move closer to Seehausen as the French redeployed. They sent their cuirassier brigade ahead to threaten the French, and this allowed them to reach the village before the French.

5 French attacked the village, and their dragoon brigade charged the Prussian cavalry. Neither side could gain an advantage, and both the cavalry melee and the skirmish for the village continued for most of the morning.

Just after midday 6 French corps arrived on the Groningen road, which is on the French far right. They sent their cavalry forward to threaten the Purssian left flank, and brought up their infantry in column of march to reach the battle area as quickly as possible.

2 Prussian formed square with their two left hand infantry brigades, but otherwise ignored the French reinforcements. They continued to hold the village and struggle with the French dragoons.

Late afternoon 3 Prussian corps arrived on the Prussian left and moved to take the woods separating them from 6 French corps. 6 French corps immediately turned to face this new threat, and left 5 corps to continue their struggle for the village.

At the same time Marshal Davout, the French CinC, arrived on the battlefield. He rode to join 6 corps and ordered them to advance and engage the Prussian left.

It was late afternoon when the cavalry melee was finally decided in favour of the Prussian cuirassiers. The dragoons routed, but did little damage to their supported. The cuirassiers had taken so many casualties that they had to be taken into reserve, and eventually also routed from the field.

Shortly afterwards the French finally took the village. By now they had inflicted heavy casualties on 2 Prussian corps, who had lost their cavalry and a landwehr infantry brigade. But the struggle continued.

On the opposite flank 6 French corps advanced into the woods, and their cuirassiers charged the Prussian hussars. The hussars broke and ran, leaving the cuirassiers disordered and within canister range of the Prussian gunners. The cuirassiers were soon in rout, and left the infantry in the woods shaken.

As night approached both sides held their ground. It was time to count the casualties.

French casualties
3 dragoons – 5
5 cuirassiers – 3
17 infantry – 2
19 infantry – 1

Prussian casualties
2 cuirassiers – 4
3 hussars – 3
6 infantry – 1
7 infantry – 6

Campaign situation

Both sides have reinforcements ready to join them at daybreak next day.

13 Polish corps is approaching the French left, and will reach the battlefield at 0800 next morning.

The Prussian CinC is about to reach the left flank, where he will join 3 corps at 0800 next morning. At the same time 4 corps will be in position to join the battered 2 corps.

Both CinC will have to decide whether to continue a second day.

Game mechanics

Both sides have effectively lost all of their cavalry. Casualties may seem light, but each one has a minus 1 effect of morale and fighting ability. So 2 casualties means a brigade is very likely to rout as soon as they receive a casualty, or when a friendly brigade within 4” does so.

campaign report - move 8

Campaign map at start of move 9 1600 3 May 1813

CAMPAIGN DIARY

Move 1 – 0800-1200 1 May 1813
Prussian and French armies reach their concentration areas

Move 2 – 1200-1600 1 May 1813
The Prussian Army nears the river Saale, and 3 corps secure the bridge at Dessau.
The French Army have reached their concentration areas around Helmstedt.

Move 3 – 1600-2000 1 May 1813
3 Prussian corps crossed the river Saale and entered Dessau.
4 and 13 French corps both try to pass through Wolfsburg, causing a traffic jam and a delay of 24 hours to 13 corps.

Move 4 – 0800-1200 2 May 1813
The Prussians have now crossed the river Saale at Parey in the north and Dessau in the south.
The French traffic jam at Wolfsburg has been sorted out, 13 Polish corps have entered the town and are being sorted out ready to move tomorrow.

Move 5 – 1200-1600 2 May 1813
The Prussians have crossed the river Saale and 2 corps is approaching Magdeburg
The French continue their advance towards Magdeburg.

Move 6 – 1600-2000 2 May 1815
The Prussians have crossed the river Saale and are moving west when they sight the French army approaching them from Seehausen.

Move 7 – 1200-1400 3 May 6 May 1813
1 Prussian and 4 French corps fight the battle of Colbitz
2 Prussian and 5 French corps fight the battle of Seehausen

Move 8 – 1400 -1600 3 May 1813
The French win the battle of Colbitz. 4 French corps enters the town. 1 Prussian corps withdraws towards Parey
Battle of Seehausen continues. 2 Prussian and 5 French corps exchange fire. 6 French corps approaches battlefield.


CAMPAIGN NOTES

Battle of Colbitz
4 French corps have entered Colbitz and are resting and regrouping
1 Prussian corps have lost their supply base and are retreating to Parey. They will continue to retreat until they reach Parey or receive new orders from the Prussian CinC.

Battle of Seehausen
The battle started at 0800 3 May 1813.
During the morning 2 Prussian and 5 French corps deployed and moved towards each other.
Just after midday 6 French corps entered E6 and moved towards the battle
3 Prussian corps have been ordered to join the battle, and will arrive at the edge of the table at 1600 3 May – start of move 9

Campaign Report Move 7

Campaign map at start of move 8 - 1200 3 May 1813

CAMPAIGN DIARY

Move 1 – 0800-1200 1 May 1813
Prussian and French armies reach their concentration areas

Move 2 – 1200-1600 1 May 1813
The Prussian Army nears the river Saale, and 3 corps secure the bridge at Dessau.
The French Army have reached their concentration areas around Helmstedt.

Move 3 – 1600-2000 1 May 1813
3 Prussian corps crossed the river Saale and entered Dessau.
4 and 13 French corps both try to pass through Wolfsburg, causing a traffic jam and a delay of 24 hours to 13 corps.

Move 4 – 0800-1200 2 May 1813
The Prussians have now crossed the river Saale at Parey in the north and Dessau in the south.
The French traffic jam at Wolfsburg has been sorted out, 13 Polish corps have entered the town and are being sorted out ready to move tomorrow.

Move 5 – 1200-1600 2 May 1813
The Prussians have crossed the river Saale and 2 corps is approaching Magdeburg
The French continue their advance towards Magdeburg.

Move 6 – 1600-2000 2 May 1815
The Prussians have crossed the river Saale and are moving west when they sight the French army approaching them from Seehausen.

Move 7 – 0800-1200 3 May 6 May 1813
1 Prussian and 4 French corps battle at Colbitz
2 Prussian and 5 French corps battle at Seehausen


CAMPAIGN NOTES

Campaign Map errors

If I have made an error on the campaign map you should notify me immediately, and not later than 2200 central European time the next day. I keep your daily movement emails for 24 hours, and can check to make sure the error was mine. I will then amend the map prior to the next move. After that time it is not possible to amend the map, and the error will have to be put down to the fog of war.

New Movement

It was only after the first battle of the campaign that I realized there was a problem with movement. Previously corps moved one square per day. However the wargames table is three squares and a wargames day of 12 moves could involve moving from one side of the table to the other. Therefore a campaign day would have to be three squares.

Planning three interactive moves at one time would be very difficult for the players, and create huge problems for me. So map moves will still be one every day Monday to Friday, but they will represent one third of a day. There will be three moves to each campaign day.

To make it easier for players I will keep track of what day and time the current move represents, and this will be shown on the daily blog.

You will see from above that we have just completed move 7, which equates to 0800 to 1200 on 3 May 1813.

Transition to new movement

I know that the cinc have planned their movement based on the earlier movement of one move per day. I don’t think this change will make any difference, and I will try to ensure that it does not. But if you see any problem please drop me an email.

Reminder of CinC daily strategic orders
The cinc is responsible for giving corps commander’s strategic orders, not daily movement orders. These should be to move to a named town, rather than a day by day order for which square to move to.

He is also responsible for resupply to his corps. To maintain supply he must ensure that there is a road running form the main supply road (shown in red on the map) to the town nominated. Each town can only supply one corps.

To issue orders to a corps commander he must be within three squares of the corps.

These orders should reach me no later than 2200 central European time Monday to Friday.

Reminder of corps commander daily movement orders
Each corps commander must try to follow the objective given him by his cinc.

He must also protect his supply town.

His daily movement orders should confirm whether he is on “move”, “hold” or “attack”. This is the corps commander’s decision, not the cinc. He must also confirm the square he is currently in and the one he is moving to.

There orders should reach me no later than 2200 central European time Monday to Friday. If the player is unable to send them he should ask his cinc to do so on his behalf.

If I have not received orders I will send an email to the player concerned and to his cinc. Today there were three corps commander orders missing.

Battle of Colbitz
This battle lasted four moves, which corresponds with 0800 to 1200 3 May 1813, or move 7. I will control movement for move 8. Corps commanders should send in daily movement orders for move 9.

Battle of Seehausen
The battle starts at 0800 3 May 1813.

6 French corps has been ordered to join the battle, and will arrive at the edge of the table at 1200 3 May – start of move 8.

The battle report will not be published until the wargame has ended. But I will give a very brief progress report on the blog each day.

Campaign Report - Move 6

Campaign map at start of move 7 0800 3 May 1813

CAMPAIGN DIARY

Move 1 – 0800 1 May 1813

Prussian and French armies reach their concentration areas

Move 2 – 1200 1 May 1813

The Prussian Army nears the river Saale, and 3 corps secure the bridge at Dessau.

The French Army have reached their concentration areas around Helmstedt.

Move 3 – 1600 1 May 1813

3 Prussian corps crossed the river Saale and entered Dessau.

4 and 13 French corps both try to pass through Wolfsburg, causing a traffic jam and a delay of 24 hours to 13 corps.

Move 4 – 0800 2 May 1813

The Prussians have now crossed the river Saale at Parey in the north and Dessau in the south.

The French traffic jam at Wolfsburg has been sorted out, 13 Polish corps have entered the town and are being sorted out ready to move tomorrow.

Move 5 - 1200 2 May 1813

The Prussians have crossed the river Saale and 2 corps is approaching Magdeburg

The French continue their advance towards Magdeburg.

Move 6 - 1600 2 May 1815

The Prussians have crossed the river Saale and are moving west when they sight the French army approaching them from Seehausen.

CAMPAIGN NOTES

Campaign starts again

The game has restarted with a new French CinC. Unfortunately I did not get a reply to my email from Chris, but John has offered to take over the French army.

And to start the second phase of the campaign, we have two battles already! So all movement will be suspended until we resolve both of them as wargames. I will set the first one, Colbitz, up tomorrow and will publish its progress on the blog. When that one is finished we will fight Magdeburg. As both are fought on the same day, there will be no further movement until both are resolved.

Battle of Colbitz

1 Prussian corps have orders to attack Halbeck.

4 French corps have orders to attack Colbitz..

So this will be an encounter battle.

You can follow the progress of the battle each day on the blog.

Battle of Seehausen

2 Prussian corps have orders to move forward and attack Seehausen.

5 French corps have orders to attack Colbitz.

Because they come within two squares, and both are on attack orders, they will fight – even though they have orders to attack Seehausen and Colbitz.

Daily CinC and Movement Orders

There will be no map movement until both battles are resolved.

Jan and I will fight them as a wargame, and I will be publishing an update each day on the blog.

Do follow the battle reports, because the results will certainly mean a rethink on the part of each CinC, and possibly corps commanders also.

Campaign Report - Move 5

Campaign map at start of move 6 - 1600 2 May 1813

CAMPAIGN DIARY

Move 1 – 0800 1 May 1813

Prussian and French armies reach their concentration areas

Move 2 – 1200 1 May 1813

The Prussian Army nears the river Saale, and 3 corps secure the bridge at Dessau.

The French Army have reached their concentration areas around Helmstedt.

Move 3 – 1600 1 May 1813

3 Prussian corps crossed the river Saale and entered Dessau.

4 and 13 French corps both try to pass through Wolfsburg, causing a traffic jam and a delay of 24 hours to 13 corps.

Move 4 – 0800 2 May 1813

The Prussians have now crossed the river Saale at Parey in the north and Dessau in the south.

The French traffic jam at Wolfsburg has been sorted out, 13 Polish corps have entered the town and are being sorted out ready to move tomorrow.

Move 5 - 1200 2 May 1813

The Prussians have crossed the river Saale and 2 corps is approaching Magdeburg

The French continue their advance towards Magdeburg.

CAMPAIGN NOTES

Radical Change of Plan

The campaign is not working as smoothly as I had hoped, and I have decided to reorganise it. The previous campaign diary for 5 May has been removed and the battle of Magdeburg cancelled. This is nothing to do with the players involved, it is because the campaign was organised as a solo campaign and does not work well as a multi player

Reason for change

It has become obvious to me during the first week that the way the campaign is run does not work well as a multi player campaign. There is too much work for the CinC and not enough for the corps commanders. The changes should make the game more interesting for all concerned

Strategic objectives

They remain the same.

The Prussian objective is to destroy the French army. They have secured their first objective, the occupation of Magdeburg and the west bank of the river Saale. They are now in a period or reorganization as they prepare to advance west.

The French objective is to destroy the Prussian army. Their immediate objective is to drive the Prussians back over the river Saale.

Tactical objectives

Each corps will now have a tactical objective, which will always be a named town.

The objective will be allocated by the CinC, but how to achieve it will be down to the corps commander.

Supply

The main supply route for both armies is the main road running from A5 to L5.

Each town will be a forward supply base and will support one corps.

The corps does not have to occupy the town, but they can not allow the enemy to come between them and it.

CinC orders

The previous orders of Move, Hold, Attack and Avoid are not to be used in future, except in the wargame.

CinC can now use any wording that they wish. But they must make it clear to their corps commanders which is their forward supply base and whether they want them to advance and attack the enemy or stay on the defensive.

Corps commander orders

They must carry out their CinC orders to the best of their ability. However how they do it is up to them. If they are ordered to hold a town they will decide how best to do it. They do not have to remain in the town, but may prefer to hold a bridge or pass in front.

New positions and CinC orders

French HQ – farm C4

4 French corps – hold Halbeck E2 – supply base Halbeck E2

5 French corps – hold Seehausen E5 – supply base Seehausen E5

6 French corps – hold Groningen E7 – supply base Groningen E7

13 Polish corps – hold Helmstedt B5 – supply base Helmstedt B5

Prussian HQ – farm I6

1 Prussian corps – hold Colbitz H2 – supply base Colbitz H2

2 Prussian corps – hold Magdeburg H5 – supply base Magdeburg H5

3 Prussian corps – hold Calbe H8 – supply base Calbe H8

4 Prussian corps – hold Mockern K5 – supply base Mockern K5

What happens now

At present all corps are on hold orders. 4 Prussian and 13 Polish corps are in fact army reserves.

Prussian CinC must decide whether he wants to remain on the defensive, and if so where does he want his reserve, 4 corps, to be

French CinC must decide how he wants to force the Prussians back over the river Saale. He must decide which of his corps he wants to advance, and where he wants them to advance to.

Corps commanders must decide how best to hold the towns they garrison.

Movement

Still one square each day

Only one corps or HQ in each square

Admin and emails

Next orders due on Monday

One email for each order, whether CinC or corps commander, to each addressee

For orders:

Subject: PBEM 4 French corps orders for 6 May

Text: 1 French corps move from F2 to F2

For other than orders;

Subject : PBEM what do we do now

Text: as complicated as you wish

Communications between corps commanders and CinC

Corps commanders may communicate direct with each other to ask for assistance or avoid move congestions, but they must copy their CinC.

CinC may communicate with corps commanders to explain his plans or ask for advice. But this communications must be on a separate email from his orders.

Questions

I’m sure you will have plenty. Email to me and I will answer as quickly as possible

Campaign Report - Move 4

Campaign Map at start of move 5 - 1200 2May 1813

CAMPAIGN DIARY

Move 1 – 0800 1 May 1813

Prussian and French armies reach their concentration areas

Move 2 – 1200 1 May 1813

The Prussian Army nears the river Saale, and 3 corps secure the bridge at Dessau.

The French Army have reached their concentration areas around Helmstedt.

Move 3 – 1600 1 May 1813

3 Prussian corps crossed the river Saale and entered Dessau.

4 and 13 French corps both try to pass through Wolfsburg, causing a traffic jam and a delay of 24 hours to 13 corps.

Move 4 – 0800 2 May 1813

The Prussians have now crossed the river Saale at Parey in the north and Dessau in the south.

The French traffic jam at Wolfsburg has been sorted out, 13 Polish corps have entered the town and are being sorted out ready to move tomorrow.

Move 5 - 1200 2 May 1813

The Prussians have crossed the river Saale and 2 corps is approaching Magdeburg

The French continue their advance towards Magdeburg.

CAMPAIGN NOTES

Armies in Contact

Both sides are now within four squares of each other. They will not be able to move within three squares whilst on Move orders. CinC must now decide whether they want to move into contact, in which case they will have to change their orders to Engage or Attack.

When to use Hold orders

When CinC orders Hold the corps will remain in that square, and fight to hold it, until the corps commander receives new orders or c

When to use Attack orders

Attack should be issued when your corps is adjacent to the square you wish to attack. It is a dangerous order to give, because in this mode it will attack any enemy who comes within range. It would be wiser to wait until it is in position before you use this order.

Difference between Engage and Attack orders

On the table there is a big difference between Attack and Engage. Engage means at least one brigade must move closer to the enemy each move. They exchange skirmish or musket volley as the player thinks appropriate. It should be used in the early stage of combat, when both sides have good morale and are both capable of putting up a good fight. Attack means that at least one brigade must charge an enemy each move. This will result in a combat where one side will eventually rout. It should be used when you are confident that you can win hand to hand. If you read the rules you will see that in hand to hand fighting a low dice throw by the attacker can result in him losing more casualties and routing than the defender.

What happens if both have Move orders

If both French and Prussian have Move orders they will both halt four squares away from each other. Neither can enter closer than that as they would be in contact, and that is not allowed in the campaign.

Wargame Rules

It is not necessary for any player to have any knowledge of the wargame rules, though it will help you to follow the battle reports if you have some understanding. There is a copy on the campaign blog.

I have been asked for a full copy, which I can now send by email if anyone would like one. I also have a three page summary of the rules, which explains how they work. These are also available by email. If you would like a copy of either, or both, please send me an email.

Campaign Report - Move 3

Campaign Map at start of move 4 - 0800 2 May 1813

CAMPAIGN DIARY

Move 1 – 0800 1 May 1813

Prussian and French armies reach their concentration areas

Move 2 – 1200 1 May 1813

The Prussian Army nears the river Saale, and 3 corps secure the bridge at Dessau.

The French Army have reached their concentration areas around Helmstedt.

Move 3 – 1600 1 May 1813

3 Prussian corps crossed the river Saale and entered Dessau.

4 and 13 French corps both try to pass through Wolfsburg, causing a traffic jam and a delay of 24 hours to 13 corps.

Move 4 – 0800 2 May 1813

The Prussians have now crossed the river Saale at Parey in the north and Dessau in the south.

The French traffic jam at Wolfsburg has been sorted out, 13 Polish corps have entered the town and are being sorted out ready to move tomorrow.

CAMPAIGN NOTES

Accepting combat

I have had a few mails today asking about combat. I have replied to each direct, but I thought it might be helpful to give a brief summary to all.

Corps can not fight on “Move” or “Halt” orders and will try to avoid enemy. Only CinC can change orders to “Engage”, “Attack” or “Hold”, all of which can fight.

If a corps on “Move” or “Halt” orders is unable to avoid advancing enemy due to terrain obstacles (such as a river) then I will change their orders to “Hold” and they will have to accept battle where they are.

Communications CinC and Corps Commanders

You are quite free to communicate between each other as much as you like. I would suggest that this communication should be “in character”, rather than as player to player. You should copy these to me so that I can monitor what is happening and clarify any points you may raise.

Questions or comments to Umpire

I am quite happy to answer as many questions as you may have, so don’t hesitate to mail me. But please put on the subject “PBEM – (question)”.

Daily Movement Orders

Send to me, copy to CinC

When you send in your daily movement orders only one move per day and only the movement instructions, no questions or comments please.

Please use the following format:

Subject: PBEM 1 French corps orders for 4 May

Text: 1 French corps move from (square) to (square)

CinC Strategic Orders

Send to player, copy to me

Only strategic order, no other message

Please use the following format:

Subject: PBEM French Strategic Orders

Text: 1 French corps will move to Magdeburg

Campaign Report - Move 2

Campaign Map at start of move 3 - 1600 1 May 1813

CAMPAIGN DIARY

Move 1 – 0800 1 May 1813

Prussian and French armies reach their concentration areas

Move 2 – 1200 1 May 1813

The Prussian Army nears the river Saale, and 3 corps secure the bridge at Dessau.

The French Army have reached their concentration areas around Helmstedt.

Move 3 – 1600 1 May 1813

3 Prussian corps crossed the river Saale and entered Dessau.

4 and 13 French corps both try to pass through Wolfsburg, causing a traffic jam and a delay of 24 hours to 13 corps.

CAMPAIGN NOTES

Two French corps had orders to move into B2 (Wolfsburg) causing a traffic jam. 4^th corps was moving from A2, 13^th corps from A1. Because 4^th corps was moving on the minor road they had priority and 13^th corps must remain stationary until 3 May.

This raises two problems. First movement when two corps want to pass through the same square. Second conflict between CinC orders and corps commander orders.

Only one corps or HQ may enter a square each move. If two have orders to do so then I will decide which has priority and can enter, the other will miss that turn. The decision will be based on the individual circumstances. In this case one corps was already moving on the minor road through the square and therefore would have reached the town first, where the traffic jam is assumed to have taken place. If there was no reason to give one priority I would roll a dice to decide.

CinC issue strategic orders, which must be obeyed by corps commanders. These are not daily move orders, but rather the destination which the CinC wants the corps to aim for. The CinC can change these orders any time he wants, but he must be within three squares of the corps to do so.

It is then up to the corps commander to issue daily movement orders in order to reach that strategic objective. It does not have to be in a straight line, he may decide that the terrain is such that he would prefer to avoid it. I will always use the most recent movement order issued by the corps commander.

Corps daily movement orders are sent to me each day, with a copy to the CinC. If the CinC is unhappy with those orders he has two options. He can send an email to the corps commander to persuade him to follow a different route. Or he can send an email with a new strategic objective, which could be the next square. But in the latter case he will have to issue another one the next day, as corps revert to “Halt” orders when they reach their strategic objective.

Campaign Report - Move 1

Campaign map at start of move 2 - 1200 1 May 1813

CAMPAIGN DIARY

Move 1 – 0800 1 May 1813

Prussian and French armies reach their concentration areas

Move 2 – 1200 1 May 1813

The Prussian Army nears the river Saale, and 3 corps secure the bridge at Dessau.

The French Army have reached their concentration areas around Helmstedt.

CAMPAIGN NOTES

I received the French strategic orders just after I posted the last notice. The campaign has now officially commenced.

All corps commanders should now have received their strategic orders from their CinC. If anyone has not done so please email me immediately and I will send you a copy.

CinC and corps commanders should now submit their movement orders for 2 May 1813. This should be done by email to me, copy to your CinC. I will be receiving 10 of these each day, and keeping them for a few days in case there are any errors. So can you please send them as follows:

Subject : PBEM 1 French corps 2 May 1813

Text: 1 French corps move from A1 to A2

Each day you should send orders for one day only. Each HQ and corps can move one square each day. If two corps, or a HQ and a corps, move into the same square I will dice and the loser will remain stationary that day.

CinC need to keep an eye on their corps to ensure that they have the correct orders. At present they are on "Move" orders.. This is fine for now, but they are not allowed to move within three squares of any enemy. If they attempt to, I will change their orders to "Halt". This means that they will retire away from any approaching enemy to maintain the three square distance.

If anyone has any questions or is not sure what to do drop me an email.

Good luck