1870 Campaign The Battle of Forbach

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Played on Thursday night, using Black Powder in cm scale on Volley & Bayonet bases. Thank you very much to form member Chad for providing a very detailed map of the area, this was my best attempt in an evening to rebuild the terrain and fight the game.
Before this report starts, two caveats:
1) Despite planning this game for the best part of two weeks, I was in a rush and picked up the wrong terrain box, so instead of my lovely 10mm buildings, crisp roads and neatly based trees, I had to make do and mend, borrow some building from a friend (Thanks Going-a-viking) and rootle through the club box to find what I needed.
2) Proxy warning! Despite my best efforts, the first French Corps in action was 1st Corps, and I had no Zouaves and Turcos finished. So there is one unfinished Zouave, and lots of Saxon's doubling as 'interesting' units!

The background: 16th July 1870, The French have gone for rapid mobilisation, and have attacked Germany at Saarloiuse and now are pushing on Saarbrucken in three directions. The only Prussian forces in the area are the Prussian VIII Corps, 4th Cavalry Division and Von Steinmetz himself. The wily Prussian general has elected to hold the heights of Spicheren with one division and place the other in Saarbrucken itself.

The French forces waiting for deployment (three infantry divisions, 2 cavalry divisions, corps artilery and army 2nd artillery reserve)


The battlefield looking North:

Our attempt at the heights of Spicheren with forum member Gennorm behind.



The French 1st Cavalry Division entered through Forbach, unaware of the Prussian Cavalry lurking to their right, then promptly stalled for 4 turns as it attempted to change formation and move out of the settlement towards the iron works at Stiring Wendel.

The Prussian deployment on the heights, Von Steinmetz himself joined the division along with the corps commander (4 general officers for this many troops ensured they did exactly what was needed when it was needed).


The French tried to move their cavalry down the road and break left down the railway line (which I also left at home, not a good day) in march column in an attempt to circumnavigate the Prussian defenders. The division then disappeared off towards Saarbruken, leaving their curassiers behind.



The French 1st Division, whilst attempting to move into line along the road edge to screen other movements, managed to blow their movement for the infantry, leaving a heavy artillery battery limbered and exposed on the road (yes, the unfinished base, I only started it on Wednesday morning)

The result was inevitable as the Prussian Kurassier and Uhlan brigade swept out of the hills...

The Prussians captured the guns and swept through into a brigade of French Cuirassiers that had managed to form line behind as the rest of their division had trotted off to the North.

After an inconclusive fight, both units retired, the Prussians back into the woods, the French through their own lines into Forbach, all becoming disordered. The French cavalry general had moved off with his division, leaving the unit without orders, shaken, milling round in a village, wondering what to do next. This lead to an almighty amount of swearing from the French as they realised that the cavalry general had to return across table to sort this out (about 4 foot, at 24cm a go), but these heavy horse were blocking the advance of nearly the whole French army!!

This event was to prove the French undoing, as they then spent the next 8 turns trying to either move the cuirassiers, bring on 2nd Division or actually move 2nd division, and when it did it ether failed or blundered!



Meanwhile, the French 1st Division did form a fighting line and went and hunted the Prussian cavalry that had caused them so much grief with Line infantry, Chasseurs a pied and unleashing their new wonder weapon, the mitrailleuse, which helped rout the Prussian cavalry brigade that had caused so much trouble.

Until it jammed, and stayed jammed!


Eventually, the French Cuirassiers were formed up and forced out of the way after personel intervention by Macmahon himself, their general would gallop over to collect them two turns later, only to leave them in the way of the approaching 2nd and 3rd divisions. It joined a battery of artillery from 1st Division that had blundered and retired three moves to it's rear on the 'hill of shame'!


A long shot, French cavalry on 'Parade Ground' hill to the lower right, providing artilery practise for Prussian 16th division in Saarbruken, as they sat, stationary, without a general or orders as the cuirassier mess was sorted out behind them!


The Prussians, quite happy in their defended positions, sat and shot for 5 turns, they routed one French infantry (18th Line)unit with sustained artillery fire from 4th Cavalry's horse artillery and the massed guns on the Rotherberg and Spicheren Knoll.


French 2nd Division finally starts moving, basically because 3rd Division was snapping at it's heels! It had arrived on table in turn 8, but could not successfully move until turn 13! It had rolled, with leadership 8 and a plus two bonus for being in march column on a road (so needing a ten to pass and move), 6 x 11 (failed), 1 x 12 (blunder, move 2 moves forwards) and 1 x 4 (triple move forwards) in this time.


The French eventually got 1st Division past the heights, but were attacked by a brigade of Prussian infantry that was waiting between the two ridges and had moved into Dreyse rifle range to shoot the French.


Causing the rout of the 96th Infantry, however this was not going to stop French 2nd and 3rd divisions as they finally started to move quickly down table.

The Prussian gun line had rotated to fire back towards them and also the guns were firing from Sarrbrucken



Remember that mitrailleuse? The Prussians now tried to capture it as it was limbered and exposed on the road (and still jammed after 8 turns). The Wonder weapon (Wonder how it works? Wonder what it does? Wonder how we unjam it? Wonder why we bothered? Wonder where did we leave the instruction manual?) had to evade away quickly.


At this point, the game had lasted 16 turns, the French were approaching Saarbruken in force, but the Prussians had spotted the other French corps arriving from the North-West and South-East, so decided to break away to the river crossing at Johann to teh East of Saarbrucken. This they did completely successfully, to everyone's surprise, however, they failed to blow the bridges, allowing the French free access over the River Saar.
The French, despite having an entire division of Cavalry off table waiting to be deployed, declared that they had nothing to chase the Prussians down with, thus aiding the Prussian escape.
The Prussians had lost the battle, but gained a massive moral victory over the French by out manoeuvring them, even when standing still, capturing a set of guns, routing two infantry units to the loss of one cavalry brigade, which had run off down the Prussian line of retreat and is expected to reappear, shamefaced, for the next encounter.
The French achieved a win, but the Prussians had delayed them significantly with basically one cavalry charge that disordered and stalled the whole corps for nearly two hours!

[Gennorm]

I'd like to praise my brave soldiers who showed what just a few Germans can do. Just wait until the rest of the army arrives. The Frenchies might as well admit that they can't win already 

Wilhelm III of Prussia

[Techno]

Great report - great fun !
Cheers - Phil.

[Steve J]

War is hell boys! Great report and I do love the look of your bases Lemmey , the painted ones that is .

[Hertsblue]

Super report, Lemmey. I've always liked your "diorama" bases. 

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Offical word from Metz: Napoleon III NOT happy von Steinmetz slipped away! 

[nikharwood]

Superb mad lemmey 

Especially this:

The Wonder weapon (Wonder how it works? Wonder what it does? Wonder how we unjam it? Wonder why we bothered? Wonder where did we leave the instruction manual?) had to evade away quickly.

[mollinary]

Well Gennorm, I think you have to chop a couple of digits off your monica for them to be your troops!  http://;)

Mollinary

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

You forgot your link Mollinary! 

[Steve J]

Yep the Wonder Weapon bit was sublime .

[mollinary]

Sadly, no link forgotten, just a little bug that inserted that when I tried to put a winking smiley, like this 

Mollinary

[Leon]

Excellent report, thanks for posting!