"OOB: Skirmish at Altenzaun, 1806" Topic

I have wanted to do this for quite some time now. while I can easily find the forces available to Yorck, I am having a hard time nailing down the French forces. Has anyone done research in this skirmish that may include German sources that I can't access or read?

Any help would be gratefully accepted!!

Dave

Actually I have done it at 1 to 5 scale as a few too many troops for one to one skirmish. I can't find my info but try to look up Hofschroers (in his early days, he did write up some great articles) article on this, as I think it was in one of the wargaming magazines many years ago. As he gives French units there and the Prussian units of York which were also in the combat.

Prussians
3 Fusilier Battalions and their Schuetzen
6 Companies of Jaegers
2 cannons

Couldn't find anything on which French units in his article but I found my notes and used a brigade of French infantry, a horse battery (4 cannon) and a regiment (3 squadrons of light horse) I forgot whose brigade this was from though.

But the Prussians in my game held off the French also.

Thx for this. I have Hofschroer's articles, but he's vague on the French.

In my googling, I had noted you had done a scenario (on one of the tapatalk pages…..i joined to ask you a question….but something went amiss). Anyway, on a further Google I noted your name from TMP some years back on pretty much this same subject and thought…."I'll just ask the question and see if he responds…"….LOL!

Interesting wrt the French….i was under the impression it was the advance guard of Soult's IV Corps….but…in the article, it mentions the Prussians fighting off the 26th legere….which doesn't seem to be in Soult's Corps.

Margaron's cavalry can be hussars and Chasseurs…..there's also mention of a dismounted Dragoon regt?

Interesting wrt the French….i was under the impression it was the advance guard of Soult's IV Corps….but…in the aryicle, it mentions the Prussians fighting off the 26th legere….which doesn't seem to be in Soult's Corps.

Yes on the French as the advance guard for the French and it does make sense as I was under the impression that his was in the area. I too was perplexed by the mention of the 26th lite regiment also. I haven't found all my notes though and just going by memory, As I used a French light regiment for the attack and a line regiment in support. I used line Chasseurs and a 4 gun 4lb horse battery for the French.

The Prussians I used 2 6lb guns from a horse battery as a horse battery was usually assigned to an advance guard unit.

I did this using AB 18mm figures and the French lights in the early uniform with the plume on the side. I used the later Chasseurs as only one or 2 units were still in the earlier uniform and one of those was with Davout.

Even at 1 to 5 this was quite allot of figures though as 6 companies of Jaegers were a battalion and a half of them. As these usually divided out to advance Guard formations by company.

Saw that also on a dismounted Dragoon regiment but I was under the impression the were assigned to the Imperial Guard and were kept together as they were remounted from captured Prussian horses and sent back to their units. They ended up getting some fantastic horse flesh out it though.

Yes, the "Foot Dragoons" were assigned to the imperial guard, but….i think they were just "dismounted Dragoons"….ie…dismounted to fight on foot….as there were Dragoons assigned to IV Corps from the reserve cavalry.

How interesting.

I guess the French units would be from Soult's Corps (using Nafziger's Orbat – code 806JAF in his collection):

Margaron's Cavalry Brigade:
8th Hussars (3 Sqns)
11th, 16th, 22nd Chasseurs (3 Sqns)
4th Bty/5th Horse Arty

Legrand's Division:
1/26th, 2/26th Light
Tirailleurs Corses
Tirailleurs du Po
1/18th, 2/18th Line
1/75th, 2/75th Line
14/5th, 17/5th Foot Artillery
3/5th Horse Artillery

If there were Dragoons there, then probably from Sahuc's Division:

15th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 25th, 27th Dragoons

or from Klein's Division:
2 regts from 1st, 2nd, 14th, 20th, 26th

Petre's account mentions that the French account and the German sources (Hoepner) are incompatible: link

I had a look through Martinien but didn't notice any French officer casualties for this date. The closest I found were a killed officer from the 11th Chasseurs dated 23rd.

I just checked Höpfner, volume 2 – he speaks about dismounted Dragoons, so no foot dragoons, which I usually had the impression did only act in the 1805 campaign as tactical units

Lettow Vorbeck gives for the French 26th light infantry and Margaron's cavalry, instead of dismounted dragoons he speaks about dismounted cavalry.