Black Powder: Radzymin 1809.

Today, I’m sharing a report on the game we played last Thursday. Michael and I both have collections from the Napoleonic Wars: Michael has the Austrian forces, while I represent the Duchy of Warsaw. A while back, Roger Grafton prepared a set of scenarios for the Polish-Austrian War of 1809, which he shared on the General D'Armee fan page on Facebook. I decided to adapt these scenarios for our favourite set, Black Powder, and we played our first game. The scenarios start with the Battle of Raszyn; however, we had already recreated that battle when Michael's collection made its debut on the table. Therefore, I chose to proceed with the skirmish at Radzymin next. 

SCENARIO: Roger Grafton, Bartek Żynda
UMPIRING: Bartek Żynda

SCENERY: Bartek Żynda, SESWC

FIGURES & MODELS: Michael Schneider, Bartek Żynda

1. Forces.

Historically speaking, the original skirmish featured one infantry battalion on the Polish side, supported by a squadron of lancers and four cannons. In contrast, the Austrian forces consisted of two infantry battalions, a squadron of hussars, and fourteen cannons. Roger includes additional forces in his scenarios to enhance gameplay and make the combat more engaging.

DUCHY OF WARSAW

CinC General Dąbrowski (9) (Bartek)

1st Infantry Brigade (Jimmy)

Brigade General (8)

4 x Infantry Battalion

2nd Infantry Brigade (Alasdair)

Brigade General (8)

2 x Infantry Battalion

1 x Voltiguer Detachment

1 x Gun Halfbattery

Cavalry Brigade (David)

Brigade General (8)

2 x Ułan Regiment

1 x Horse Gun Halfbattery

AUSTRIA

CinC General Mohr (8) (Tim)

1st Infantry Brigade (Tim)

Brigade General (8)

2 x Infantry Battalion

1 x Jaeger Detachment

1 x Gun Battery

2nd Infantry Regiment (Andy)

Brigade General (8)

1 x Infantry Regiment

1 x Grenadier Regiment

1 x Grenadier Detachment

1 x Jaeger Detachment

1 x Gun Battery

Cavalry Brigade (Michael)

Brigade General (8)

2 x Hussar Detachment

1 x Horse Gun Battery

2. The Game.

The Austrians were the first to deploy, positioning most of their infantry in Radzymin, ready to cross the bridge and evacuate from the battlefield, which would secure their victory. The Austrian cavalry stationed itself at a distance to cover the retreat from the south. Meanwhile, the Poles divided their forces into two columns. Alasdair aimed to approach Radzymin from the south, while Jimmy and David were tasked with cutting off Radzymin from the north.

Alasdair's attack from the south was swiftly thwarted by Tim and Andy's units, especially the artillery, the Jägers, and a small contingent of Grenadiers. Furthermore, Alasdair exposed himself to a flanking attack by the Austrian cavalry. The cavalry charged the Voltigeurs, who retreated, revealing a half-battery of cannons that the Hussars later destroyed. Dąbrowski was called upon to intervene; he rallied the Voltigeurs and, alongside them, supported Alasdair's assault. They faced another charge from the Hussars, but this time they formed a square, successfully repelling the attack. Meanwhile, Alasdair's remaining units were bombarded by the cannons of Michael and Tim, resulting in the destruction of one of his battalions. The second battalion was attacked by the Grenadiers, but that assault was repelled, destroying the Grenadier unit.

The game, however, was ultimately decided on the opposite bank of the Rządza River, where the attack was led by the brigades of Jimmy and David. Michael warned Tim and Andy about the impending attack, which likely instilled fear in them, much like the Allies feared the German Tigers during World War II. In this instance, however, their object of fear was the Uhlans. In the first round, Tim moved the first of his battalions off the table. However, David's strategic move, which positioned the Uhlans very close to the bridge, forced Tim to recall his unit back on the table. He then arranged it in a square formation and did the same with the second unit. This tactic effectively blocked the cavalry's path, theoretically allowing other units to exit the village safely.

Jimmy led a charge with his infantry against both formations of the Austrian soldiers. After an intense battle, he successfully broke through both squares and blocked the enemy's escape route. Following this, Tim attempted to break through the blockade, but his attack also failed. At this point, the Austrian forces surrendered, and the battle concluded with a victory for the Poles!

3. Links.

SESWC:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/631841809210352

FLICKR:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720327375364