"Napoleonic scenario" Topic

Have any of you ever heard of scenarios or been involved in, game scenarios involving the lesser know theatres of war in 1809 such as Western Germany, i.e. Westphalia, the Dutch coast, and Pomerania?
Interesting combinations consisting of Westphalians, Dutch, Swedes, and French on one side and Austrians, von Schill, and the Black Duke, and even the British on the other. A little revisionist history lets von Schill and many of his followers successfully escape from Strasborg and joining up with the Black Duke's forces and some Hessan troops and marching to the aid of the Austrians, mostly Frei Corps and Insurrection stiffened with some line infantry and cavalry. Maybe you could even convince the Brits to get off that bloody island and do something constructive to aid their Austrian allies
Sound like fun? Let me know.

I've fought some of the Brunswick stuff solo, and one of the glossies published a scenario or two, I think. Gill(?) has most of the material you'd need.

As for the Brits, if you're going to change history, land them further north and have them liberate Hanover. Did that one with 30's many years ago. Langensalza makes a reasonable battlefield, but really you can dust off about any of the western Germany SYW battles as a start point.

If it hadn't been from the Brits in Spain and Portugal, and in Italy, beating the French in Egypt and the middle east, taking the French colonies and the Royal navy blockading Napoleon and the millions in subsidies and in weapons and Uniforms, the Austrians, Prussians and Russians would have been fighting in there underwear with sticks. I think we brits fighting from the Middle east to the Americas did our bit

yes it does sound fun, smaller forces but more variety.

I did a campaign like that once, years ago. British landing in Denmark, as a sideshow / disruption to a main theatre campaign in southern Germany. We only had French and British figures, so we couldn't actually do the main theatre :-)

The French sent a numerically inferior Corps to contain the invasion. The invaders couldn't risk advancing very far south so all they had done was occupy Copenhagen. They sallied forth to attack the French containment force, and got defeated. After some faffing around, they evacuated by sea, having tied down fewer troops than they had committed.

In the wash up we concluded that this was a historically plausible course of events given Walcheren, Buenos Aires etc.

As Napoleon put it, if you're going to take Vienna, take Vienna. I.e. don't faff about with half measures: if you invade a country, do so in sufficient strength to win and take it. Arsing around with a small force gives you Walcherens when you need Spains.

"As Napoleon put it, if you're going to take Vienna, take Vienna. I.e. don't faff about with half measures: if you invade a country, do so in sufficient strength to win and take it. Arsing around with a small force gives you Walcherens when you need Spains."

Nicely put! Clausewitz also had some pungent things to say about the (dis)utility of diversionary operations. See his comments on the abortive French expedition to Ireland in 1796 in here:
link

Chris

Bloody Big BATTLES!
link
bloodybigbattles.blogspot.com

Sorry marmmont1814, I seem to have hit a nerve, no offense intended, the "bloody island" I was referring to was Walachern (I think that's the one anyway) off the Dutch coast where they had landed a Corps of KGL and British somewhat earlier. The Brits there did not go any further and ultimately suffered horrendous casualties to disease and were forced to withdrawn with something like 60% or more casualties. If they had moved to continent to aid the Austrians, von Schill, and the Black Duke, Napoleon would have forced to fight on two fronts and it may have enticed the Prussians to get back into the fray. An interesting scenario, don't you agree?