'If Only' - Battle of Berezina

Crossing the Berezina - Jan Hoynck van Papendrecht.

I was flicking through an old Wargames book the other day and memories came flooding back. To any Wargamer born halfway through last century, i.e., old, Charles Stewart Grant needs no introduction. How many of us poured over his book Napoleonic Wargames, or The Wargames Companion and drooled over those colour, yes, colour, photos of massed ranks fighting on green painted boards with whitewashed buildings. Something far beyond my pocket and available space, so as far as I was concerned, an impossible dream. Even his excellent book, Scenarios for Wargames, was far beyond my resources, the smallest scenario calling for some twenty units. Twenty! On 6d (ask grandad, sonny) a week's pocket money? Dream on.

Then stuff happened. A greater range of plastic figures came on the market, so more units was a reality. As for space - I worked at a school, full of rooms with 4x2 tables. Dream turned into reality.

The book I was flicking through was Grant’s Scenarios for Wargames and one in particular took my fancy, No.16 Reinforcements in Defence: (2) Off the table. 

I hadn’t got my 1812 Russians out since, well, 1812, and looking at the scenario with its river, buildings and ridge, I realised it wasn’t too far removed from the action between Victor and Wittgenstein on the East bank of the Berezina River.

Victor’s forces defended a low ridge and the village of Studenka, his task to protect the two pontoon bridges. It would be interesting for the French to be on the right side of the reverse slope for a change.

I added some fluff about getting a convoy across and slightly massaged the order the reinforcements arrived, but apart from that, I pretty well followed the scenario. 

Charles S Grant had a healthy attitude to Command and Control. There wasn’t any. Units could bounce around like shots in a pinball machine. Great fun but I thought this was an unhistorical step too far to get it past the chairman, so I introduced some measure of Command and Control. Editors Comment - Quite right too, glad to see standards are being maintained in this club!

As well as putting a honey pot forward of the French position, the stronghold of Zelenaya Dubrava to tempt the French to occupy it and the Russians to be wary of it, I also used blinds and decoys to represent units not visible behind the ridge.

The following briefing was given to each side.

Russian Briefing
The main Russian Army is engaged hotly on the West Bank of the River Berezina. You are to support this attack by engaging the enemy to your front and destroy the pontoons crossing the river with artillery fire.

Deployment:
Behind the line CD
General Peter Ludwig Wittgenstein
.
En Route:
Hussar Regiment

Brigadier General Ivanish van Heiden
1 Btn 19th Jäger Regiment
1 Btn Grouzinsky Grenadier Regiment
1 Btn Tomsk Musketeer Regiment
3 Btn Tomsk Musketeer Regiment
3rd Heavy Foot Battery 3x12lb
Polish Uhlan Regiment
1 Sonia Cossacks

Brigadier General Ivanitch Pol
3 Btn 19th Jäger Regiment
1 Btn Pavlov Grenadier Regiment
1 Btn Butyrsk Musketeer Regiment
3 Btn Oufa Musketeer Regiment
New Russia Dragoon Regiment
Novgorod Cuirassier Regiment
8th Medium Horse Battery 3x8lb

French Briefing
The main army has crossed to the West Bank of the River Berezina and is fighting the main Russian Army to defend the bridgehead. You have been tasked with protecting the baggage and ensuring that it crosses to the West Bank. The Russian Division to your front has up to now, shown no inclination to engage. You have commenced a withdrawal of your own command to the West Bank. Two battalions of de Blaireau’s Brigade have already crossed and the light cavalry, horse artillery and one Cuirassier regiment of Count Terrier’s Brigade have found crossing points further North and South.

Primary Objective:
Protect the convoy as it crosses the Berezina River
Secondary Objective:
Withdraw your forces to the West Bank of the Berezina

Deployment:
Marshal Claude Victor Perrin
Gen de Brigade Compte de Blaireau
Behind line AB
1/27em Régiment de Legere
1/40em Regiment de Ligne
1/100em Regiment de Ligne
1/103em Regiment de Ligne
7/2em Artillerie a Pied 3x12lb

En Route:
1/64em Regiment de Ligne
3/64em Regiment de Ligne

Gen de Brigade Count de Terrier
Convoy on east west read, forward unit at western end of pontoon.
Behind line AB
1er Regiment de Cuirassier

En Route:
2em Regiment de Hussards
4me Regiment de Dragons
10me Regiment de Cuirassier
3/2em Artillerie a Cheval 3x4lb

With limited resources, the French were unable to cover all their front and chose to leave their left flank in the air and cover their right flank with their sole cavalry regiment. They placed their powerful 12lb battery in the centre of their position, covering the road.

The Russians were confronted with the tail end of the convoy, a large and mean looking 12lb battery, lots of little brightly coloured tiddlywinks and two Russian officers peering down at them. Their plan was for Ivanish van Heiden’s Brigade to turn the French left flank and for Ivanitch Pol’s Brigade to split his forces and send the cavalry and grenadiers to turn the French right flank and the remaining infantry battalions to carry out a frontal assault on the French centre. Poor sods. The problem was, the Russians really had no idea how many French forces were facing them, or where they were positioned.

Ivanish van Heiden’s Brigade carried out their movement towards the French left with the Cossacks leading the way. Count de Terrier, attached to the 1er Regiment de Cuirassier, moved the regiment from the French right flank to the left, leaving the French right alarmingly empty, apart from the colourful tiddlywinks which did their job in suggesting to the Russian command that there was something nasty over the ridge. 

The Cossacks caused a certain amount of irritation and annoyance among the French commanders by charging, feinting and evading, forcing the infantry into square and encouraging the Cuirassier to move out of position. The Cuirassiers were charged by the Uhlan regiment, which came off worse from the encounter and retired disordered. Unperturbed, Ivanish called on the Uhlans to charge again. They gamely followed his quickly disappearing figure, but with blown horses, they were forced to pull up short, a sitting target for the Cuirassiers, who, despite being disordered, gave them a severe mauling.

The attack on the centre was going as expected. The 3rd Btn 19th Jäger Regiment soaked up more fire than they should have from the 12lb battery before routing. Meanwhile, despite the occasional wheel falling off, the convoy continued its slow progress over the pontoon unmolested.

As the advance on the French right was making slow progress, fighting shadows, the Russian command, feeling time was running out and the convoy was slipping away, ordered a general all-out attack. The French, the majority being concealed behind the crest, had suffered minimal casualties whilst the Russians had been under continuous musket and artillery fire. The attack was a magnificent failure. One concentrated salvo and numerous crashing volleys sent the Russian battalions reeling down the slopes, breaking the Army Moral so abruptly that even the French command was somewhat taken aback.

The French bluff had paid off. If only the Russian command had not pushed their attack on the French left and advanced Ivannitch Pol’s units on the tiddlywinks on the French right they would have found a clear road to the convoy. If only.

Hindsight is always the winner.

My thanks to the luckless Russian command, the two Ians, Ivanitch and Ivanish, and the lucky French command, Blaireau et Terriers, (shh, I don’t think he’s noticed), Nathan and Mark, for providing such good humoured entertainment and playing with the usual good spirit and camaraderie.

Mat. Tiny Wargames
Figures. AB and Boki
Buildings. Timecast Eastern European Range
Pontoon Bridge. Warfayre
Roads. Fat Frank
Rules. Home concoction.