Black Powder: The Battle of Narva 1700

The battle of Narva in 1700 has been hailed as Sweden's greatest victory. A small Swedish army under the dynamic Charles XII managed to surprise and outmanoeuvre a much larger Russian force besieging Narva-Ivangorod. Under the cover of a blizzard, the Swedes launched a concentrated assault against the Russian centre. Historically the Russian positions were overwhelmed and a large portion of their army was either killed trying to flee across the only bridge over the Narva-river, or forced to surrender. Hundreds of cannons and standards were captured and the 18-year old Swedish monarch's reputation was made.

Yesterday we re-fought this legendary battle using Black Powder rules and a scenario I had written (which is made available on this same blog). I acted as the (very pro-Russian) umpire whilst two players commanded both the Swedish and Russian armies. The Swedish objective was to rout the Russian army and/or gain control of the terrain behind the siege works on either the left or right flank. The Russian army was strung out across the length of the table, but there was a very strong fortified camp filled with Russians in the centre. The Swedes were divided into two columns, with General Rehnskiold's division on the left and General Vellingk's division on the right.

Deployment

The Swedes are eager to get to grips

Russian defenders of the fortified camp

More Russians (Veyde's division) ready to take on the Swedes

Swedish generals looking thoughtful

Russian generals playing with their artillery

Under the cover of the snowstorm, the Swedes started their assault. The left wing under Rehnskiold advanced rapidly under the competent general, with morale and discipline further buoyed by the presence of Charles XII nearby. Rehnskiold placed his men in a deep column, with one regiment after the other, which assaulted the fortifications in front of them. Unfortunately, the assault was poorly coordinated. The brave Swedes took lethal fire to their front and flank, which disrupted the assault and forced them to retire.

Rehnskiold's assault goes in, taking fire from left, right and centre

Rehnskiold would not leave it at that however, and a second assault was planned more carefully. This time the elite Dal regiment would launch the assault supported by grenadiers. The other regiments would fan out more in order to tie down more Russian defenders and support the assault. The plan worked, and with a terrifying scream the Swedes scaled the ramparts and overwhelmed the defenders. Several Russian regiments broke and a breach had been made!

Rehnskiold's second assault is better coordinated and led by his elite troops

The Dal regiment make a breach!

Meanwhile, things were not going as planned on the right wing. Vellingk was having trouble coordinating his regiments in the howling blizzard, which reduced his advance to a crawl. All the while Russian cannonballs kept hammering the Swedes, although the blizzard shielded the Swedes from the worst of the barrage.

Finally, much later than the left flank, the right managed to close with the enemy. Led by the King's Lifeguard, Vellingk's division assaulted the fortified camp in the centre. This assault was intended to support Rehnskiold on the left whilst minimizing the incoming fire from the right. However, this was also the strongest position of the Russian line. The Russians were definitely willing to fight dearly for this piece of ground, which they proved by giving the Lifeguard a thrashing (some pretty lucky dice rolling here!). The Lifeguard held, and with pure tenacity forced the Russians back. Another breach had been made and several batteries of Russian guns were captured!

Vellingk's division advances cautiously

View around turn 4

Vellingk finally manages to get his men to assault the Russian positions

After humiliating setbacks, the Swedish Lifeguard regiment breach the fortified camp

Swedish cavalry meant to tie down the Russians on either flank (off-board) were obviously faring badly, as the Russians managed to bring in four new regiments (four rolls of 6 on six dice!). This allowed the Russians to begin redeploying some of their forces from both the left and right to counter the breach in the centre. The blizzard also started to quieten down and, by turn 6, the skies were clear and the full lethality of Russian fire could be unleashed on the Swedes.

On the left, Rehnskiold pushed his advantage and continued the assault with the elated Dal regiment. The assault hit the Russians hard, but they held. Swedish reinforcements were direly needed in the breach and Rehnskiold ordered his reinforcements forward. This is when disaster struck!

Vellingk had failed to sufficiently tie down the garrison of the fortified camp (due to his delayed advance and some miscommunication between the commanders), which enabled the garrison to fire withering traversing fire at the Swedes trying to push through. This was enough to send one of the Swedish regiments back in disarray. Almost at the same moment, a second Swedish regiment routed after heavy pummelling from Russian canister and volley fire. 

Reinforcements were not forthcoming and Dal regiment was left stranded deep behind the Russian lines. The elite unit certainly gave everything they got, but there were simply too many Russian reserves and eventually the boys in blue were routed. Rehnskiold's division was now broken. The Russians had managed to contain the breach on this sector.

Russian left wing (Veyde) forces redeploy to the centre

Dal regiment push on

Where are the reinforcements!? Dal regiment gets cut off and overwhelmed.

Rehnskiold's reinforcements are obliterated by Russian fire.

Meanwhile, the slogging match in the centre continued. Västmanland infantry regiment also assaulted the Russians whilst the Lifeguard traded volleys with the Novgorod infantry regiment. Vellingk attempted to rally the shaken Lifeguard, who took affront at some of the generals cajoling and assaulted the Novgorodians (a blunder!). This Swedish Fury was too much for the battered defenders of the fortified camp. The Novgorodians routed and the brigade broke (4/6 units destroyed), leaving the position in Swedish hands. However, the cost had been great for the Swedes as well, and Vellingk's division broke at the same time (3/4 units shaken).

With Russian reserves pouring in and their infantry in tatters, the Swedes had little choice but to abandon the positions which had been so dearly won. Under the cover of their cavalry screen the Swedes would begin their inevitable and gruelling retreat across the frozen and ravaged countryside to Reval. With no hope of succour, the garrison of Narva would capitulate as well.

The Lifeguard launch one final assault to secure the fortification, but the cost is high and the Swedish division becomes broken as well

Russian reinforcements have bolstered the defences beyond hope of capture

Final positions

Closing thoughts

In my mind, there were two main reasons for the Swedish loss in this game. The first was the devastating fire borne particularly by the Swedes' left wing (Rehnskiold), which was a result of being stuck for too long in front of the fortifications and passing too close to the fortified camp (more guns to bear + lethal traversing fire). A better organized assault further from the fortified camp could have succeeded better.

The other mistake was assaulting the fortified camp in the first place. This was the strongest division the Russians fielded. The rules for movement in the fortified camp (rough going, -1 command if trying to move out of the camp) also meant that it was unlikely the Russian garrison could move out to support the flanks and that any Swedish success in capturing the fortified position would conversely have a hard time pushing past the camp to the objectives.

The Russians had around 7 regiments broken or shaken at the end of the game, but these were mostly from the large garrison in the fortified camp. Had these been inflicted on the flanking divisions and the assaults aimed further at the camp, there would have been more likelihood of the Swedes being victorious (capturing even one of the flanks or routing 2/3 divisions would have been sufficient).

This was also the first time we tried this scenario. Based on this test I adapted the scenario a bit to make it easier for the Swedes. The fortifications yielded +2 morale in our game but I changes this to only +1 in combat. I also made it less likely for the blizzard to end, reducing the roll from 4+ to 5+. We'll see how these changes impact the scenario the next time we try it. If anyone is encouraged to try it out, please let me know how it goes!

Great Northern War - Moskovski infantry regiment + general

Another regiment finished for my Great Northern War Russians. This time it's the Moscow infantry regiment in their scarlet uniforms. The minis are once again from Warfare Miniatures, but with a few additions from Ebor (officer, sergeant, casualty) to add variety to the previous units. I also painted a general (Footsore miniatures) to command my fledgling division of three regiments.

1631: Empire in Flames

My precious

Hot off the press, I hold in my hands my first commercially published wargame, 1631: Empire in Flames. The game is a culmination of two years' work and is published and distributed by French gaming magazine VaeVictis, who are also responsible for the superb graphics.

The game is a two-player operational level wargame set during the Thirty Years War. 1631 was one of the pivotal years of that long and gruesome war, during which the Swedes under Gustav Adolf overwhelmeed the Imperial armies sent against them and managed to gain control of most of northern Germany. The campaign was dominated by the drama of the siege and subsequent sack of Magdeburg and culminated in the battle of Breitenfeld, which ended in a resounding Swedish victory.

The game comes with issue 127 of VaeVictis

Counters

Objectives

The Imperial defenders are caught off-guard in 1631 both militarily and politically. Imperial forces are in a sorry state, dispersed and weakened, which makes it difficult for them to counter the Swedes' initial advance. Massive reinforcements are on the way though, and skillful Fabian tactics followed by a counter-attack should halt the Swedish invasion before it snowballs out of control.

The Swedes' main objective is to gain an alliance with the powerful electorates of Brandenburg and Saxony - protestant powers that are initially neutral in the struggle but which might eventually join the Lion of the North, at least if he shows himself capable. Ultimately, the Swedes are seeking to penetrate deep south into the Imperial heartlands, which is represented in the game by awarding victory points for Swedish units that move into various strategic areas (Silesia and Franconia being the most important targets).

Jacques Callot - The Enlistment of Troops (1633)

Basic mechanics

Each game turn represents a month in real time, during which the players take alternate actions to move individual armies, regroup or pursue diplomatic negotiations. One player has the initiative, which gives a massive advantage as that player can conduct one more action and (in all likelihood) conduct two consecutive manoeuvres. The game takes about three hours to play and is of "medium complexity".

Map

Following historical precedent, the game revolves around control of cities and resources. Rivers play a major role as they can only be crossed via friendly cities and the defender can easily repel any attempted crossings with inferior forces. On the other hand, moving an army along the length of a river is much easier, which enables an army to move and attack further if moving along rivers.

The combat mechanics are simple, yet capture the nature of various tactical situations and emphasize the different roles of infantry, cavalry and artillery. The defender is at an advantage, as defenders gain bonuses in combat and are able to avoid battle by evading or bring up reinforcements with an intercept move. The attacker will also be slowed down with the necessity of capturing the enemy's strongholds.

I wanted to represent the "high stakes" nature of battles and explain the sudden collapse of armies in certain situations with the victory conditions of combats. Units that are "spent" (have suffered losses, have not been supplied properly, etc.) fight almost as well as fresh units but lack their staying power. Battlefield victory is more about staying power than damage inflicted, which is why it is a liability to fight with an army comprising mostly of spent units. Such an army will also be more likely to rout, turning an otherwise minor defeat into a catastrophic affair.

Attrition - theme of the game

During the Thirty Years' War, most of the belligerents were fighting a war they could not possibly afford and, even if they could, poor logistics would ruin their plans more often than the enemy. In 1631: Empire in Flames both sides are struggling with the problem of how to supply their forces. The commanders must balance between concentrating their forces to overwhelm the enemy, and spreading them out to facilitate logistics. Armies can't remain in the same place too long lest they run out of supplies. On the other hand, defeat is not final as losses can be slowly replenished by recruiting more mercenaries.

It's not a happy war (Jacques Callot - The Hanging (1633))

Why did I make this game?

This game started off as a university project, which then took on a life of its own. Making this game was a fun way to combine my hobby with my academic work of research in the field of early modern military history. I chose to concentrate on the operational level for several reasons. Firstly, this is the level at which early modern generals normally operated and at which campaigns (and often wars themselves) were won or lost. I find this topic immensely interesting and fun to play, reserving the tactical level gaming to be done with miniatures and a different mindset.

My biggest challenge with making this game was to find a balance between complexity and playability (including ease of learning the rules and speed of play). I had to leave out a number of elements, such as, such as the possibility to recruit enemies captured in the field or further rules for lines of communication. A more complex representation of the nuances of the "neutral" state of Brandenburg and Saxony during the 1631 campaign had to be left out as well. However, in many ways "less is more" holds true and rigorous play testing plus the view of "new people" helped me focus on the most important aspects and get the balance right. I am quite pleased with the end result, which is the type of game I like to play.

How do I buy the game?

The game can be purchased via VaeVictis at http://www.vaevictismag.fr/en/special-game-issue/79-vaevictis-n127-game-issue-empire-in-flammes-1631.html

Great Northern War - Sibirski infantry regiment

So I finished another Russian regiment for the Great Northern War. The Sibirski (Siberia) infantry regiment in the uniforms worn at the battle of Poltava.

To be honest, I've had the unit painted for almost three weeks, but have been so busy that I only managed to get the basing done today. Hopefully the next unit will be finished more speedily.

Great Northern War - Pskovski infantry regiment

So, we're starting a Great Northern War (1700 - 1721) campaign at our club. I didn't have any models for the period, but it wasn't a tough sell to convince me to purchase more toys.

Well, here is the first unit painted: the Russian Pskovski infantry regiment in the uniforms worn at the battle of Poltava 1709. The pretty little miniatures are from Warfare Miniatures.

The sergeant has his hands full maintaining order

The colonel has positioned his regiment just beyond the range of enemy artillery

Swedish brigade

Today marks the 383rd anniversary of the battle of Lützen and the death of two of the great commanders of the Thirty Years' War: Gustav II Adolf and the Count of Pappenheim. I used this as an excuse to paint up some Swedish infantry.

The Swedish brigade in "marching order" with ensigns and commanders up front

The unit represents the Swedish Brigade - the only infantry unit at Lützen composed of only native Swedes (including Finns). The pikemen are in the traditional wedge formation with sleeves of shot on either side and a reserve of shot in the middle. I added two light artillery pieces to represent the brigade's regimental guns. The Swedish formation had the advantage of versatility and a larger amount of firepower than Imperial infantry formations had. However, the formation was somewhat complex, and required a fair amount of drill to work.

Contemporary woodcut of a Swedish brigade (subject to artistic licence)

A drawing from a tactical manual of the period (musketeers in blue) - this brigade has a fourth squadron in reserve

The unit in "battle order", with the command now safely behind the firing line

Brigade in "hedgehog" to repel cavalry

Swedish brigade facing off against an Imperial tercio

Battlefield tourism: Rocroi

The last place we visited in June was Rocroi. This is an old garrison town on the Franco-Belgian border, which has seen its share of war. The city is best known for the battle fought in 1643 between French and Spanish forces, in which the legendary Spanish army of Flanders was decisively defeated. The Spanish army never really recovered and, consequently, French historiography has elevated this battle as the turning point for the beginning of France's century of greatness. Viggo Mortensen has immortalized this battle in the Spanish film "Captain Alatriste", which I urge everyone to watch: Rocroi battle scene

The city itself is built in the form of a star fortress, which has changed very little since the early 17th century. The walls and many of the military buildings are still intact and the parapets can be accessed freely. The layout of the city can be seen in the model below.

A view from one of the bastions

Demi-lune (outer defences)

The scarp of one of the bastions

The fossé is a good place for a football field

One of the guard houses contained a small museum. The curator very nicely took the time to give us a tour and there was a nice film about the battle of 1643. The best part about the museum though were the huge number of miniatures it housed.

Storming a breach

28mm miniature version of the battle of Rocroi

Condé and the French high command contemplate their battle plans

A stunning set-up of a Swedish and Imperial army of the Thirty Years War facing each other. There must have been several thousand 20-30mm miniatures in this display.

  

Francisco de Melo surrendering to the Great Condé

Cavalry fight

Infantry fight

 

Storming of a fortified town during the Thirty Years War

The naked lady seems a bit out of place

Protestant cavalry charging Imperialist infantry

One of the things I liked most in the museum were the diorama representations of famous woodcut drawings by Jacques Callot (c. 1633). 

Attack on a coach:

The Camp:

Plundering a large farmhouse:

 

Artefacts

Finally, we also visited the battle field itself. The site was rather unspectacular, consisting of very flat fields that are enclosed by tall hedges and copses that block line of sight. My understanding is that the battlefield was not this segmented in the 17th century. There was also a small memorial on the spot where the Spanish finally surrendered with some fresh flowers placed on it.

 

Myself near the position of the tercios viejos

The point of Spanish surrender