19 August 1813 – Battle of Harsum

Tactical map of battle area

The campaign opens with a surprise Prussian attack in the north

3rd Prussian army, commanded by General Yorck, attack Harsum
2nd French army, commanded by Marshal Victor, defend the border

Prussians have 12 infantry brigades, 3 cavalry brigade, 3 corps artillery
French have 12 infantry brigades, 3 cavalry brigade, 3 corps artillery

The Prussians have the element of surprise, and all three corps advance together

5th French corps are deployed on the table, with orders to observe the border

4th and 6th French corps are deployed around Harsum
They will react to the Prussian attack at the start of move 2

Table at start of battle

The three game objectives are in the centre of the table
Village on the left, road junction in the centre and hill on the right
The army which occupies at least two of those at the end of the 12 moves will win

The French army are deployed on the table at the start of the game
5th corps are in and around the road junction in the centre of the table
They are active from the start of the game
The remainder are deployed either side of Harsum
They will become active at the start of move 2

The Prussian army are off table at the bottom of the photo
They will enter the table at the start of move 1

End of move 2

French active at the start of move 2
CinC joins 5th corps in the centre of the table
4 corps advance towards hill on the right
5 corps send one infantry brigade into the village in the centre
6 corps advance over and to either side of the hill on the left

Prussian advance towards the centre of the table
CinC moving with 8th corps in the centre
7 corps move towards hill on the right
8 corps move towards road junction in the centre
9 corps move to the left of the hill on the left

End of move 4

French artillery hit Prussian gunners
CinC takes command of 4th corps infantry on right hand hill
4 corps artillery and cavalry halt to support attack on right hand hill
5 corps artillery hit Prussian gunners
6 corps deploy short of village

Prussian gunners receive first casualties
CinC takes command of attack on hill on the right
7 corps cavalry and artillery deploy to support attack on hill on the right
8 corps gunners receive 10% casualties but pass morale test
9 corps approach village on the left

End of move 6

French second hit on Prussian gunners
CinC deploy infantry on right hand hill
4 corps artillery fire on gunners, no hits
5 corps artillery hit gunners again
6 corps withdraw garrison to centre of village

Prussian prepare to attack village and hill on the right
CinC deploy infantry on right hand hill
7 corps artillery force enemy cavalry to withdraw
8 corps gunners hit again, pass morale with 20% casualties
9 corps infantry approach village on the left

End of move 8

French melee farm and hill
CinC one of three brigades rout, melee continues on hill
4 corps gunners rout with 10% casualties to artillery fire
5 corps withdraw from woods with 10% casuatlies
6 corps garrison rout from farm with 10% casualties

Prussian capture farm
CinC one of three brigades rout, melee continues on hill
7 corps artillery rout Prussian gunners
8 corps gunners rout with 30% casualties from artillery fire
9 corps infantry capture farm

End of move 10

French rout from hill
CinC all three brigades have routed on hill
4 corps gunners rally and return to guns
5 corps artillery redeploy to fire on village
6 corps skirmish garrison of village

Prussian rout from hill
CinC three brigades rout, one rally and return to hill
7 corps hold their position
8 corps hold their position
9 corps garrison exchange skirmish fire

End of move 12

French attack village
CinC rallies routed infantry at woods on the right
4 corps abandon hill on the righ
5 corps hold woods in the centre
6 corps drive garrison out of village on the left

Prussian rout from village
CinC holds hill on the right
7 corps support CinC
8 corps too weak to attack woods in the centre
9 corps lose village but continue to fight for it

Summary

At nightfall the French hold woods in the centre
The Prussians hold hill on the right
The village is still disputed and not held by either side

Neither side hold two of the three game objectives
The Prussians have failed to take two of the objectives
The Prussians have three brigades in rout, the French only one
Technically a draw, but the French declared winners

The French have lost 9 infantry and 1 artillery casualties (3700 men)
The Prussians have lost 7 infantry and 3 casualties (3100 men)

The French have one brigade in rout
The Prussians have three brigades in rout

19 August 1813 – Northern Germany – Day 1

 

The campaign opens with a Prussian surprise attack on Hildesheim district

The Prussians are deployed to the east of the Goslar-Hildesheim border
They are out of sight of the French, but are concentrated ready to attack
1st Prussian army – observe Seesen
2nd Prussian army – observe Holle
3rd Prussian army – attack Harsum

The French are deployed to the west of the Goslar-Hildesheim border
One corps from each army is deployed on the border
The remainder are in reserve for ease of resupply
1st French army – defend Holle
2nd French army – defend Harsum
3rd French army – defend Seesen

19 August 1813 – Northern Germany – Hildesheim Campaign

1813 Campaign Map

This is a fictional campaign loosely based on the 1813 campaign
It started in April 2009 and consists of stand alone campaign phases
Each phase is similar in size to the Waterloo campaign
This is the 94th phase, each of which is shown on the above map
There have been six major adjustments to the campaign
The following maps are used for the Sixth Campaign, which started in June 2020

Map of Europe

There are five campaign areas in Europe

North Germany – French v Prussians
Central Germany – French v Russians
Southern Germany – French v Austrians
North Spain – French v British
South Spain – French v Spanish

This is campaign phase 21

Each star shows the location of a campaign phase
Hildesheim is the white star

Map of Germany

There are three campaign areas in Germany

North Germany – First French and Prussian Armies
Central Germany – Second French and Russian Armies
South Germany – Third French and Austrian Armies

This is the 13th campaign phase to be fought in Germany
Each star shows the location of a campaign phase

Hildesheim is the white star

Map of North Germany

There are three regions in North Germany

Osnabruck Region – French rear area
Brunswick Region – campaign area
Berlin Region – Prussian rear area

This is the fifth campaign phase to be fought in North Germany

Each star shows the location of a campaign phase
Hildesheim is the white star

Map of Brunswick Region

There are nine districts in Brunswick Region
There have been 24 battles fought in this region
The French have won 13 and the Prussians11
Each star shows the location of a battle fought

Campaign Map

The Hildesheim campaign is fought between the cities of Hildesheim and Goslar
The French Army of Northern Germany is deployed to the left of the district border
The Prussian Army is deployed to the right of the district border.
The Prussian objective is to take and hold the city of Hildesheim.

Typical French corps

Each corps has 4 infantry brigades, 1 cavalry brigade and corps artillery

French Army of North Germany – Emperor Napoleon
1st Old Guard corps
2nd French corps
3rd French corps
4th French corps
5th French corps
6th Westphalian corps
7th French corps
8th French corps
9th Polish corps

144000 infantry, 9000 cavalry, 270 guns

Typical Prussian corps

Each corps has 4 infantry brigades, 1 cavalry brigade and corps artillery

Prussian Army – Marshal Blucher
1st Prussian corps
2nd Prussian corps
3rd Prussian corps
4th Prussian corps
5th Prussian corps
6th Prussian corps
7th Prussian corps
8th Prussian corps
9th Prussian corps

144000 infantry, 9000 cavalry, 270 guns

Campaign Diary
01 February 1813 Austria, Britain, Prussia and Russia declared war on France
01 February 1813 Formation of First French army in Osnabruck region
19 February 1813 First French army declared operational.
20 February 1813 Prussians invade Brunswick region
25 February 1813 Prussians occupied the city of Brunswick
26 February 1813 Napoleon advanced into the Brunswick region
28 February 1813 French occupy the city of Hannover
01 March 1813 Start of Brunswick campaign phase
08 March 1813 French win Brunswick campaign phase
12 April 1813 Start of Lubeck campaign phase
19 April 1813 French win Lubeck campaign phase
31 May 1813 Start of Goslar campaign phase
07 June 1813 Prussian win Goslar campaign phase
11 July 1813 Start of Wismar campaign phase
18 July 1813 French won Wismar campaign phase
19 August 1813 Start of Hildesheim campaign phase

Reference
The campaign diary contains comprehensive details of the whole campaign. The labels on the right are an index to various parts of the campaign.

01 - Introduction to the1813 campaign
02 - Five campaign areas
10 - Introduction to the campaign in Northern Germany
11 – French Army of Northern Germany order of battle
12 - Prussian Army order of battle
13 - Daily diary for the campaign in Northern Germany
14 - Battle reports of all battles fought in Northern Germany
15 - Summary of campaign in Northern Germa

Summary of Southern Germany Campaign – 18 August 1813

 

Regional areas of Southern Germany

There are three regions in Southern Germany

Strasbourg Region is the rear area for Third French army
Their main depot is in Strasbourg

Vienna Region is the rear area for the Austrian Army
Their main depot is in Vienna

Munich Region is the disputed area between them

Diary of Southern German Campaign

The French Grand Army was destroyed during the 1812 Russian campaign
Napoleon had to create a new army to fight the 1813 campaign

01 February 1813 Austria, Britain, Prussia and Russia declared war on France
01 February 1813 Formation of Third French army in Munich region
25 February 1813 Third French army declared operational
28 February 1813 Austrians moved into the Munich region
30 March 1813 Start of Branau campaign phase
11 April 1813 Austrians win Branau phase
20 May 1813 Start of Kufstein phase
30 May 1813 French win Kufstein phase
03 July 1813 Start of Landshut phase
10 July 1813 Austrians win Landshut phase
12 August 1813 Start of Ingolstadt phase
18 August 1813 French win Ingolstadt phase

Reference

The campaign diary contains comprehensive details of the whole campaign. The labels on the right are an index to various parts of the campaign.

01 - Introduction to the1813 campaign
02 - Five campaign areas
30 - Introduction to the campaign in Southern Germany
31 - 3rd French Army order of battle
32 - Austrian Army order of battle
33 - Daily diary for the campaign in Southern Germany
34 - Battle reports of all battles fought in Southern Germany
35 - Summary of campaign in Southern Germany

18 August1813 – Southern Germany – End of Ingolstadt Campaign

 

Battles fought during campaign phase

 

On 12 August Marshal Massena crossed into Ingolstadt District with orders to defeat the Austrian army and capture their main depot in the city of Ingolstadt

The Austrians won the first two battles, at Weichering and Buxheim, but were still forced to retreat when the French won the next two at Bergheim and Manching.   The Austrians recovered with their victory at the second battle of Buxheim, however Massena forged ahead and took the city of Ingolstadt on 17 August

With this victory Massena won the campaign.

The campaign started on 18 February and ended on 11 April 2025

For many years we had used a six day campaign, with one battle each day.  For or our last campaign we experimented with a nine day campaign with one battle each day.   However I found that I started to lose interest in the campaign when it went beyond the well tried six days.   We have therefore abandoned the longer campaign in favour of our normal six days.

Munich Region

This map shows the location of the 25 battles fought in the Munich Region since the start of the Sixth campaign in June 2020.   The French won 11 and the Austrians 14.

18 August 1813 – Southern Germany – Day 7

French occupy Ingolstadt and win the campaign

7th French army – advance to Buxheim
8th French army – occupy Ingolstadt
9th French army – hold Manching

Austrian abandon Ingolstadt and lose the campaign
1st Austrian army – retreat to Kosching
2nd Austrian army – retreat to Vohburg
3rd Austrian army – hold Emsgaden

17 August 1813 - Battle of Ingolstadt

Tactical map of battle area

8th French army, commanded by Marshal Mortier, attack Ingolstadt
2nd Austrian army, commanded by General Klenau, defend Ingolstadt

French have 9 infantry brigades, 3 cavalry brigades, 3 corps artillery
Austrians have 10 infantry brigades, 3 cavalry brigades, 3 corps artillery

Both armies are full strength, less brigades detached on garrison duty.

Ingolstadt is the main administrative centre for the Austrian army
It is also the campaign objective for this campaign phase

2nd Austrian army is deplolyed on the table at the start of the game
8th French army will arrive on the table at the start of move 1

Table at start of battle

Ingolstadt is the large city centre bottom

There are three game objectives
First ford over the river Danube on the right
Second hill in the centre
Third hill on the left

2nd Austrian army is deployed on the three game objectives
Klenau has taken command of most of 4th corps between the river and the hill

Mortier will arrive on the table at the start of move 1

End of move 2

Bavarian army start to cross the river Danube
CinC has taken command of half of 22 corps on the right
22 Corps corps artillery and grenadier brigade advance on the right bank of the river
23 Corps cavalry cross the bridge to screen the rest of the corps as they cross
24 Corps cavalry cross the river, the remainder of the corps are pinned on the far side.

Austrian cavalry advance towards the bridges
CinC sends cavalry to pin enemy at right hand bridge
4 Corps hold ford on right bank
5 Corps cavalry advance to pin enemy at centre bridge
6 Corps corps advance to engage enemy as they cross left bridge

End of move 4

Bavarian cross river and advance
CinC cross river and prepare to advance
22 Corps advance down right bank
23 Corps cross river and prepare to advance
24 Corps artillery rout Austrian cavalry

Austrian artillery open fire
CinC redeploy artillery to fire on right bank
4 Corps retreat out of artillery range
5 Corps artillery fire on gunners, no casualties
6 Corps cavalry rout due to artillery fire, but rally

End of move 6

Bavarian army cross river Danube
CinC cavalry rout Austrian dragoons
22 Corps secure right of ford
23 Corps artillery rout infantry square
24 Corps cross river and advance towards hill

Austrian retreat from river to new defensive position
CinC rally routed infantry but not cavalry
4 Corps retreat out of artillery range
5 Corps retreat to rear of hill in the centre
6 Corps retreat to rear of hill on the left

End of move 8

Bavarian capture ford on the right
CinC rout Austrian gunners and support infantry
22 Corps capture ford on the right
23 Corps attack hill in the centre
24 Corps artillery rout cavalry, gunners join them

Austrian retreat on the right
CinC cavalry, gunners and one infantry brigade in rout
4 Corps withdraw on right bank
5 Corps hold the cenre
6 Corps cavalry and gunners rout

End of move 10

Bavarian capture all three objectives
CinC secure left exit of ford on the right
22 Corps secure right exit of ford on the right
23 Corps capture hill in the centre
24 Corps capture hill on the left

Austrian lose game and retreat
CinC retreat along left bank of river
4 Corps retreat along right bank of river
5 Corps lose melee for hill in the centre
6 Corps lose melee for hill on the left

Summary

Bavarians take all three objectives and win game

The Bavarians have lost 1 infantry, 1 cavalry and 1 gunner casualties (600 men)
The Austrians have lost 6 infantry and 4 cavalry casualties (2800 men)