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