Loaded for Bear - Campaign Battle of Attenkirchen

The Situation

Having been frustrated in their advance toward Munich (see here), Kutuzov became aware, at the start of November, of the previously-unsuspected threat to his rear.  He fell back hastily on Freising, first to determine the size of the threat and then to eliminate it, if he could.  His intention was to secure Ingolstadt, on the Danube, and to build a base of operations there with his flanks covered by the river.  His path was blocked, though, as he marched north from Freising on the Isar.  No sooner had he left the city, on 4 November, than the French marched into it from the south - quite possibly the Imperial Guard, who had chased his Cosscks from Munich.  To the north, scouts identified multiple French divisions marching to intercept him, and a cavalry probe in strength confirmed that II Corps, at the least, was present.  Bagration, as vanguard, was ordered to clear the road to the north, so that the divisions of Strik, Skepelov, Essen and the Reserve Cavalry could follow up and establish a perimeter in preparation for a breakthrough.  Miladoravich and Dokhturov were ordered to mask Freising, securing the safety of the column's rear.  At dawn on the 5th the designated divisions formed up to smash their way clear to the north.

The Battle

The map, as shown in the briefng documents

Following the Russian setup, mostly around the town of Attenkirchen, the French deployment revealed a semicircle of enemies to the north.  Rather than be surrounded, Kutuzov refused his right flantk, ordering his men to the north-west (bottom-left corner of the above map) to secure and hold the ridge there.  Half or more of the French force was up there, but if they could be crushed the ridge position would dominate the central road.  It could not in any case be left to the enemy.

Visibility came and went.  Both sides proceeded warily, the Russians because they were not sure of the enemy's strength and the French because they were sure of theirs.  Despite taking some losses at Ottenhoven twelve days earlier the Russians still had nearly 30,000 men on the table, and the French divisions standing in their path had scarcely 20,000 between them.

As five columns of Russians advanced steadily up the length of the ridge, Lannes' V Corps side-stepped them, moving down into the valley to form a line with the divisions of II Corps, under Marmont.  By late morning the axis of the battle had therefore swung around almost ninety degrees - the Russians from a north-facing position around Attenkirchen had adopted an eastward-facing one along the ridge, while the French who had started facing south were now along the valley road, facing west.  They were also stronger by two divisions arriving from the north, and the Russians were uncomfortably aware of troops approaching from the north-west - troops that they knew were not theirs!

The battle got underway in earnest in the early afternoon.  Two Russian divisions (Skepelov and the Cavalry Reserve) were told off to watch the threatened north-western corner of the field.  Two were busy watching Freising in the south, leaving just three, lined up along the wooded ridge, to face the French attack that was forming in the still rain-shrouded valley below.  

Before the deluge - looking from the north-west into the faces of the Russian flank guards.  The cavalry, to our left, is in an uncomfortable square, for the line behind them is not long enough to cover them against the coming assault.  The other flank has the same problem, and that is where the blow will fall...

The French attack goes in - the Russians are along the top of the ridge at left, with the ones in the distance watching the table edge lest French reinforcements get behind their line.  Meanwhile two whole French corps are advancing across the road from the right against nine Russian brigades. 

At 1:00 the French began to march up the slope, skirmishing as they came.  Bad visibility had prevented the Russian artillery from disrupting their preparations, and despite the rain and the cover of the woods, the French marksmen began to inflict casualties.  The right of the Russian line was forced back by fire, and before they could straighten it out the French were quick to take advantage.  Marmont's light infantry pushed through the woods, working from tree to tree to drive back the Russian musketeers.  They were followed by horse guns, splashing up the muddly slope to open he Russian flank, firing cannister into the now-exposed Russian batteries.

After that it went down-hill quickly for the Russians.  With the right flank collapsed, the centre swung back to avoid being entirely gutted, and Skeplov fell back from the north-west to close the ring - in effect, a 10,000-man square.  This, however, left the cavalry exposed, and they were caught flat-footed by the long-threatened arrival of Gazan's division from the north.  There had been no movement from the French troops in Freising, so with only a couple of hours of light left, Miladoravich and Dokhturov formed up and marched across the Zolling bridge to join their comrades.

The final moments

It was too little too late to save the day, though.  At 5:00 the army broke under the fury of the French attacks, and fled north in disorder.  In the coming days both Strik and the cavalry would be separated from the main body and harried away from it by the pursuit.  Strik would never be seen again by his 1st West Army comrades, although after many adventures would briefly re-unite with the 2nd Army, on the very brink of salvation at Regensburg.  The cavalry would eventually find thier way home by a very circuitous route, and that is something for which the army would later give thanks.

Commentary

This battle shows the value of uncertainty in wargames, as in war.  I think it is fair to say that John, as the Russians, would have played differently had he know exactly what he was up against.  The French were clever in not revealing their reinforcements as early as they might have.  Gazan remained off-stage until the closing hours of the battle, but tied up two Russian divisions watching for him.  Likewise the troops in Freising never emerged to challenge the two strong divisions set to watch them.  I am still not at liberty to reveal who they were, but when those two divisions finally did start marching to the north the confirmed that at least the Imperial Guard cavalry were present.

The result was that four out of seven Russian divisions sat the battle out, and the remaining three divisions were not sufficient to stand against the two corps flung against them.  The French had good luck with the weather, too.  Rain and mist in the morning cloaked their advance, largely neutralising the very great Russian superiority in artillery.  They were able to make their charge up the ridge to turn the Russian right pretty much unscathed, and after that it was all over bar the shouting...