1813 Campaign Introduction

National map showing campaign areas

About the Campaign

This is a fictional wargame campaign.  It is not an attempt to replicate the historical campaign.   The aim is to provide interesting battles to wargame.

The campaign is designed to use all of our wargame figures and scenery in rotation.   To this end there are five allied and five French armies.

This campaign has been running since April 2009.  

During that time it has been reorganised six times.   There have been a number of reasons, including change from solo to PBEM campaign or simply reached the end of 1813.

There were two reasons for the latest reorganisation.   First to add a new level of command.   Previously it consisted of a series of mini campaigns, each bearing no relation to the previous or next one.    This new campaign will add an overall level of command which will create a narrative to tie all of the mini campaigns together

We have also, once again, neared the end of 1813.   The last campaign phase ended on 10 November 1813.    This one will start on 1 March 1813

Regional map showing initial deployment locations

The maps are designed as wargame maps, not historical maps

Europe is divided into 32 military regions.
Each region has nine military districts.
Each square on this map is one district

Each district has nine towns, and each town is a wargames table.

Background

In 1812 Napoleon invaded Russia with an army which included many nationalities, including Prussia, Austria and the Confederation of the Rhine.   The invasion ended in his complete defeat and rout.   By the end of the year the broken survivors of his Grande Armee had reached the relative safety of Germany.

The French had much more success in Spain.   Throughout 1812 they defeated one Spanish army after another.   They even solved their long standing problem with the Anglo/Portuguese army.   In early 1812 Wellington invaded Spain and won a series of victories.   But he was halted at the city of Burgus.   He laid siege to the city, but was unable to take it.   Both French armies combined and drove him back into Portugal.  The retreat was not as bad as Napoleon in Russia, but it did badly damage Wellington’s army.

In January 1813 Napoleon ordered the creation of five new armies, three in Germany and two in Spain.  There were three sources of manpower available to him.   The survivors of the Russian campaign.   The large number of experienced men serving in Spain.  And new conscripts from France, Germany and Italy.  

Large numbers of experienced men were transferred from Spain to Germany to form the cadre of these new armies.   They were replaced with inexperienced conscripts.

The threat was from the large, but exhausted, Russian army which had halted at the river Elbe.

In Germany he could rely on Prussia to hold his northern flank, and Austria the southern flank.   What was left of the Grande Armee would hold central Germany.   The new brigades, divisions and corps would be formed in France, and deployed in Germany when completed.

Allied Plans

In early January Britain held secret talks with Austria, Prussia and Russia to form a new alliance against Napoleon.   They agreed a coordinated plan of attack in Germany and Spain.

The Prussian army would concentrate at Berlin and take Brunswick

The Russian army would concentrate at Dresden and take Erfurt

The Austrian army would concentrate at Vienna and take Munich

The British/Portuguese army would concentrate at Lisbon and take Madrid

The Spanish army would concentrate at Santiago and take Burgos

French Plans

On 1 February 1813 the allies declared war on France.   

This was not a complete surprise to Napoleon, who had received intelligence throughout January which caused him to prepare for an Austrian/Prussian/Russian attack in Germany.

On 2 February 1813 he issued orders to his five armies

1^st French army would concentrate at Osnabruck and invade northern Germany

2^nd French army would concentrate at Dusseldorf and invade central Germany

3^rd Bavarian army would concentrate at Munich and hold Bavaria

4^th French army would concentrate at Madrid and invade Portugal

5^th French army would concentrate at Burgos and invade western Spain