Klyastitsy 1812 AAR
Date: 1 August 1812
Combatants: Russia v France
Background
By late July 1812, Napoleon’s main army closed in on Smolensk, and his northern flank was protected by Oudinot’s II Corps. Since the start of the campaign, Oudinot had faced little opposition from his opponent, General Wittgenstein. Thus, it was a great surprise to the French in the last days of July when the Russians finally appeared ready to fight. On July 28, French and Russian cavalry clashed near the village of Jakubovo, and a heavy infantry skirmish unfolded in the subsequent days. Despite Russian pressure, the French still held the village. By the night of July 31, Wittgenstein concentrated his entire corps in front of the Jakubovo plateau, ready to attack at dawn.
Russian Aim: Hold Jakubovo and halt the French advance.
French Aim: Clear the road to St Petersburg by destroying the Russian force.
Jakubovo, the road at A, and the bridge at Klyastitsy are major objectives.
Game Length: 7.00 am to 5.00 pm, 20 turns
Scale 80: Infantry unit=1000 men, Cavalry unit=320 men, Artillery unit=10 guns, 1 mm=3.4 m
Terrain: The river is fordable.
Map (2.1 km grid)
Setup
Initial table setup for the Battle of Klyastitsy. The Russian advance guard is entering via the road at the bottom of the photo.
Legrand’s Division is deployed behind the township of Jakubovo with Castex’s light cavalry further back and Verdier’s Division at top of photo.
This game is trying out some new command markers which are hopefully more discrete and appropriately informative enough to keep the game flowing.
This is a tough scenario as there is limited historical information about what actually happened during the battle. It is unclear why Verdiers Division or the heavy cavalry reserve did not engage.
The French setup looking from Klyastitsy and the Nitscha River. Oudinot and the heavy cavalry reserve are behind the river while Verdiers Division is deployed on the far side.
Another look at the French deployment with Klyastitsy at the top of the photo and Jakubovo in the foreground.
Turn 1
Oudinot orders up Verdier’s Division and Doumerc’s cuirassiers.
Here come the French heavies!
The Russians are pushed back with heavy casualties on the right flank as the French hold firm in the woods.
Wittgenstein’s Corps tries to deploy after exiting the woods along the road in column.
Legrand’s Division awaits them patiently in Jakubovo with Castex’s light cavalry positioning themselves on the French right flank.
Turn 2
Verdiers Division continues its advance on turn 2 and the French Cuirassier Division crosses the bridge out of Klyastitsy.
Wittgenstein’s Russians spread out and deploy on turn 2. Berg’s Division moves to the right flank with Kakhovsky’s grenadiers in the centre and Kulnev’s advance guard on the left flank.
Turn 3
On turn 3 the bulk of Doumerc’s cuirassiers are across the river as Verdier’s Division continues to advance to support Lagrand’s Division.
Doumerc’s command is coded as T and he has 3CP as shown in the photo.
The Russians deploy into line close to Jakubovo. Kulnev’s light cavalry moves forward to meet Castex’s Division of light cavalry on the French right flank.
Kulnev’s horse artillery looks a little exposed as it tries to get an open shot on the French defenders.
Turn 4
French lancers and chasseurs pounce on the exposed Russian horse artillery. Kulnev reacts by counter-charging with his cossacks and hussars. The Russian are thrown back.
On Kulnev’s turn, he charges with a fresh regiment of hussars and the French lancers now counter-charge. The Russians are again repulsed.
Finally, Kakhovsky releases his dragoons to tackle the almost unbreakable lancers. The dragoons push them back and restore some semblance of control on the Russian left flank.
But the French have fresh regiments in support and the shaken Russians will have their work cut out holding the flank and retrieving their guns.
Meanwhile, the Russians set up on their right flank, preparing to attack Jakubovo.
Russian artillery fire has pushed back the defending battalion in the village, while the French light infantry have formed into skirmish in the woods on the right of the village.
The end of turn 4 from the French side. Verdier’s Division forms up in depth as the second line with Lagrand’s Division holding Jakubovo.
Turn 5
Turn 5 saw the Russian right flank under Berg slowly advance and the Kakhovsky’s grenadiers begin their attack on Jakubovo despite harrassing artillery fire.
On the Russian left flank the cavalry melee continues. A charge by the Russian cossacks ends in a stalemate and a further charge by Russian dragoons a similar result.
This single French lancer regiment , while weakened, has tied up 4 Russian cavalry regiments. The Russian cavalry looks very vulnerable and a concerted attack by the French could cripple the whole Russian position.
With a whole division and the heavy cavalry in reserve, Oudinot’s French look in command of the situation.
Turn 6
sees the Russian cavalry on the left flank unable to stem the tide of success as Castex’s heroic light cavalry continues to beat off counter-attack after counter-attack.
A Russian dragoon regiment can be seen routing into the woods.
On the Russian right flank, Berg’s grenadiers fire on the Jakubovo defenders while Kakhovsky’s artillery tries, unsuccessfully to soften up the French skirmish troops in the woods.
Kakhovsky’s infantry wait for an opportunity to launch their attack.
Doumerc’s Cuirassier Division is ordered off to the right flank seeking to exploit the French light cavalry success.
Verdier’s Division wait patiently in reserve.
Turn 7
On turn 7 the Russian right flank closes with the French defenders through the woods outside Jabubovo. The lack of room hampers the Russian attack.
Russian grenadiers again fire on the French light infantry in the village inflicting hits but failing to dislodge the defenders.
On the Russian left flank, the Russian cavalry attempt a counter-attack with their weakened regiments. It proves somewhat successful and the Russians rally a dragoon regiment just before it disappeared off the board (bottom left).
Also, Sazanov’s Reserve Division enters the battle with 4 battalions bolstering the left flank.
A close up of the desperate Russian counter-attack with a lone dragoon regiment pushing back the bulk of Castex’s light cavalry.
But danger looms behind as Doumerc’s cuirassiers rapidly advance around behind Verdier’s Division.
Turn 8
The Russian cavalry pull back and Castex launch an attack with 2 regiments ahead of the looming French heavies in the background.
The Russians prepare for the attack with artillery changing their focus to the new threat,
Turn 9
On the Russian right flank. Legrand’s and Berg’s infantry continue their firefight gradually wearing each other down.
Kakhovsky’s grenadiers assault the village but the French hold steady, for the moment.
The focus of both sides on the village has meant that no command die have been allocated to continuing the skirmish battle in the woods for several turns.
The Russian left flank is not fairing so well. Both the French and Russian cavalry are in such a weakened state that it’s become a bit of a stalemate. The cossacks successfully pushed back the French lancers but with Doumerc’s heavies deployed and ready to charge, the Russians can only wait and pray that their reserve cavalry can finally get on the field.
Turn 10
Starts with the expected charge being sounded by the French heavy dragoons. They trot half-way to the waiting Russian defenders and the Russian cannons let fire. The French cavalry clear the fire with minor losses and are free to close with the infantry and artillery.
The Russians guns are overrun in the cavalry charge and the Russian Jagers quickly form square and just hold out the milling cavalry.
Kakhovsky has managed to reform his dragoons back into the centre to counter the French cavalry but they are weakened.
The Russians have more success in Jakubovo with the Russian grenadiers routing the French defenders (in the middle distance).
But Legrand quickly brings up 2 battalions of reinforcements to try and retake the village.
The fire-fight continues without resolution on the right flank.
Turn 11
The Russians pour into the village, determined to hold it, while Legrand’s reinforcements deploy into line behind the village.
Sazanov’s Reserve Division finally gets all it’s troops onto the field with the heavy cavalry moving up next to the artillery and their infantry in support.
Kakhovsky’s dragoons manage to force the French guard dragoons back providing some temporary respite.
The battle is in a precarious situation. The French appear to have a cavalry advantage, although many regiments have been weakened. The arrival of the Russian heavies may well even things up.
The loss of 3 artillery batteries has paralysed the Russian left flank and clogged up any movement forward.
The Russians now have the village of Jakubovo but the French are rallying to retake it.
Verdier’s Division is fresh and waiting in reserve, so it seems that the Russians are probably only hoping to hold Jakubovo and stop a route by the French cavalry.
At this point it looks like the French have the upper hand with 9 turns remaining.
Turn 12
The Russians are forced to retire their weakened battalions and bring up fresh troops. The choke point between Jakubovo and the woods is proving to be a tough obstacle for both sides as their opponents can always bring more fire power to bear.
The Russians though stubbornly hold the village.
On the Russian left, the French and Russian cuirassiers clash as 2 regiments of cuirassiers join the attack.
The French are trying to force an advantage before the Russian cavalry can rally.
Turn 13
The cavalry arm wrestle continue. The French cuirassiers wait for their opportunity to exploit.
A stalemate on the Russian right.
The Russians bring up their last fresh reserves on turn 14 to try and crack the right flank.
The French skirmishers have pushed the Russian Jagers back in the woods making it even harder for the Russians.
The French cavalry has decided to retire after an inclusive attack and widespread losses.
The Russian cavalry have rallied to near full strength now and it appears that the window of opportunity for a French victory has closed!
The French cavalry viewed from the French side. Many regiments are at half strength. If they had continued the attack it could have spelt disaster for the entire division.
Turn 15
Both sides cavalry consolidates and recovers on turn 15. The Russian artillery crew regain their guns and the momentum is swinging quickly to the Russians now.
Fresh Russian battalions join in the cauldron.
Turn 16
The Russians pause on the right flank. They have taken heavy casualties trying to make a breakthrough beyond the village with limited success.
The French have a whole division in reserve behind the village and the Russians don’t want to leave themselves vulnerable to a counter-attack.
The Russians have now massed 5 batteries on their left flank and the French cavalry retires out of artillery range as it suffers additional casualties.
Turn 17
There is little change in the overall situation. With only 2 more turns to go before nightfall, it’s unlikely that either side will take the initiative given the strong defensive postures and the losses suffered already.
A similar situation around Jakubovo, although the Russians have brought up fresh troops to exploit their hold on the village. However, the French have a strong position behind the village and it’s unlikely things will change in 2 turns.
So this is where we finish the Klyastitsy scenario. The overall points situation is:
France
1 Major objective = 10 pts
1 gun captured = 5 pts
0 enemy units eliminated = 0 pts
# hits on enemy units = 15 pts
Total points = 30 pts
Russia
2 Major objectives = 20 pts
0 enemy units eliminated = 0 pts
# hits on enemy units = 25 pts
Total points = 45 pts
Russia wins 45 pts to 30 pts, a 50% advantage, giving them a Victory.
The actual battle resulted in a decisive victory for the Russians, but neither Verdier’s Division or Doumerc’s Heavy Cavalry Division took part in the battle.
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