Austrians outmanouevred and fight a desperate battle

8 September 1813

Battles have continued to rage in northern Germany as the French and Allies battle to get the upper hand.  A battle was fought today just north of Herzberg between Prince Schwarzenberg commanding the Austrian army and the combined corps of Marmont and Ney.  To give the battle a bit of extra flavour, the Austrian Prince was informed by a very flustered messenge at about 9am that the French Guard had been reported to be marching on his rear and that his lines of supply were about to be severed!  Clearly the wily Corsican has lost none of his guile as he continues to run rings around his opponents.  The question though is, can the Emperor's generals give him the crushing victories he needs to redress the numerical imbalance he is labouring under.  The amazing manouevre with the Guard was a perfect opportunity to knock a major part of Austria's field army out of the war.

On 7 September, the Austrian army pursued Marmont's outnumbered corps north from Herzberg.  They caught up with them that evening when the French marshal turned to give battle, having been reinforced by the battered but recuperated corps of Marshal Ney.  8 September loomed bright and sunny (note to self - we need some bad weather in battles :-).  The Austrian army was still strung out on the road south but clearly Schwarzenberg had eaten a healthy dose of inspiration for breakfast and he ordered the normally tardy Austrians forward without waiting for the whole army to arrive. 



The battlefield with most of the French army deployed.  Only half of the Austrians have arrived but they attack nevertheless.  Two villages are key positions, while the stream is paltry and no obstacle to mvoement.

 

A view from the other side showing the numerical superiority of the French, but the Austrians attack neverthless!



The French weight their right wing heavily for a big punch.

At this stage of the battle the Austrian high command learns that their supply lines back at Herzberg are about to be cut by men in blue coats wearing tall bearskins... gulp!  The Advance Guard are sent back to defend the river line to the rear.  The battle with Marmont and Ney has become a do or die affair.  If the Austrians don't win they will be caught between the French pincers and the whole army may be forced to surrender.

Schwarzenberg arrives just in time to prop up the Austrian left - he has a division of Grenadiers in his command that are itching for a fight



In the centre a brigade of Austrian Jaegers, supported by artillery clear the central village of French defenders who can be seen routing away in the background.



The Austrian attack starts to look threatneing and suddenly the French numbers don't look so dominant.  However, the Austrians are noticeably light on cavalry.



A view of the battlefield showing the Austrian Grenadiers advamcing just behind the Austrian artillery on the right.  The innocuous looking wood in the middle will be the scene of some intense fighting.  Ney's corps in the distance on the left is playing it safe, having had a couple of tough battles earlier in the campaign.  Perhaps the bravest of the brave has become the cautious-est of the cautious-est?



A close up view of the Grenadiers closing with the French, anxious to redeem themselves after the bloody nose they received at the bayonets of the Imperial Guard a couple of days ago.



At 11am the French Guard come hurtling up the road about 6kms to the rear of the main battle.  The river is uncrossable so the Guard will have to force a crossing of the lone bridge.



The Austrian Grenadiers crash into Marmont's corps sending the French reeling.  The excitement of the moment makes our noble cameraman's hand shake resulting in a blurred image :-(



Ney's corps finally comes to grip with the Austrians.  In the background, past the debris of war, can be seen the battlefield where the Austrian rearguard are holding off the French Guard.





Back on the French right, Marmont's light cavalry division, headed by a brigade of Lancers, prepares a desperate charge against the advancing Austrians.  Marmont's corps is at risk of collapsing under the sustained pressure from the Austrian Grenadiers.

 

Back with the rearguard, the French Guard have deployed.  The Grenadiers a Cheval prepare to charge across the bridge but it looks like it will be a desperate effort if they do.





The Guard uniforms look pretty don't they?  But not even old grognards can cross an uncrossable river...



Marmont's cavalry charge is beaten off and then routed under the weight of close range fire.  As the cavalry retreat off the field, Marmont signals for his brigades to break off the combat.  The corps is looking shaky, but the young Marie Louise's do a good job of falling back (passing some crucial complex move tests in the process :-)  The lack of cavalry in the Austrian army mean they are not able to turn the defeat into a rout.  On the French left, Ney disengages and covers the retreat of Marmont's corps.  He's had some practice with rearguard actions...

As night falls the Austrian rearguard at the river are finally pushed back by the Imperial Guard, while the main Austrian army attempts to pursue the defeated French to their front.  But their supply lines are cut and they will have to reopen them soon.  Do they turn with their superior numbers and face the Guard, but then risk Ney falling on their rear?  The Austrian generals have some decisions to make in the night...

Meanwhile ADCs are despatched post haste from Prince Schwarzenberg to his Russian allies asking politely "how the hell" they allowed the French Guard to slip past them at Dahme and fall on the Austrian rear.  The Russian generals are to be found near Dahme, drinking vodka and watching their mean building yet more redoubts on yet another empty plain in Germany, once again anticipating a French attack that never came.  This burrowing behaviour, more commonly seen in Aardvarks, is what allowed the French Guard to slip away unnoticed, and has also earned General Wittgenstein the cognomen "Lapata" (the shovel) amongst his troops.

Once again, Napoleon's superior strategy has been foiled on the battlefield but the Austrian army is still in a perilous situation.  Can they retrieve their position?