4

Tactical Notes:LA GRANDE ARMEE

by Richard Berg

The life expectancy of a wargame isremarkably short. In this era of proliferationit is not unusual to see a new game greetedwith hosannas, played to exhaustion as if itwere the Rosetta Stone of Life, thenabandoned to the dusty shelf of boredom allwithin an eight to ten month period. It is therare game that can remain at a peak ofpopularity for more than a year, and LaGrande Armee, a brilliant evocation of thepower and glory of the Napoleonic army at itspeak, is one of those rara aves. Since itspublication in 1972, LGA has been aconsistently popular game and it remainseven more so today, residing loftily at thepeak of SPl's Pre-WWII ratings.

The reasons for the success of LGA are,generally, threefold: Firstly, the game isremarkably clear and clean. There arevirtually no "loopholes" in the rules andlittle, if any, errata of importance. The resultis a simulation with exceptionally high play-ability, a simulation where the Player canconcentrate on the nuances of the system,rather than the enigma of the language.Secondly, the game has a strong sense ofhistory; however, this is a historicity whichdoes not overly complicate or obfuscate thebasic playability. Now, this is not to say that

----aH-gameJi-2! the 1805 Scenario, for example,end with a pitched battle around Austerlitz.Rather, it is a sense of the era, a feel for thestrategies and pressures of the day thatconvey an accuracy rarely matched by othergames of this period.

And lastly, the three games included in LGA[for those who are unaware, LGA consists ofthree separate games - the campaigns of1805, 1806 and 1809] each offer a strongchallenge to Players on both sides. Seeminglyunreachable objectives must be gained withutmost speed, yet the ability to move rapidlymust be tempered by a readiness to concen-trate for a major blow. The problemsinherent in this speed versus power confron-tation are what help to create the intriguingsituations that occur.

However, there seems to be a generaltrend to consider the 1805 Scenario aswoefully unbalanced and unworthy of the"True Challenge". This belief is, for the hostof uninitiates, most fortuitously untrue.Despite the fact that the Austrians and theirRussian allies are constantly beleaguered byoverwhelming troop strengths imbued withsuperior speed and organization, it is indeeda top French commander (as was Napoleon

in his prime) who can deliver more. than amarginal victory. I have personally witnessedtwo Austrian Decisive Victories over comp-etent French commanders, as wildly improb-able as that may seem! Thus, whereas 1809may be a more balanced scenario in themathematical sense, it is the 1805 game thatoffers the greatest challenge.

There are essentially two ways to approachVictory Conditions in LGA. You can judge avictory from a purely mathematical view-point, or you can measure from your successagainst history - here Napoleon's smashingcampaign culminating in Austerlitz. Eitherway, it is a surprisingly difficult haul for theFrench, for while the Austro-Russianalliance may have little in the way of militaryability, it does have a strong ally in the clock.

Father Time is no "paper ally" in that he issimply a mechanism for ending the game, anouter limit within which the player mustperform as if the world were going to explodeafter Turn 12. (The 1806 scenario has a bit ofthat pseudo-doomsday flavor.) Here, theFrench are fighting for time against the ever-hesitant Prussians, who are lurking indeci-sively across the mountains. If Napoleon doesnot move quickly and decisively, the entranceof the Prussian army, especially in the laterstages of the game, is sure to seal his doom -at least in the victory point column.

1805 is essentially a three-stage game: Thereis an initial two-turn period where theAustrians have a virtually free reign overthe board (the French have only 3 leaderlessdivisions); then the French arrive en masseand begin the game proper, attempting tomake huge gains while eliminating as manyof the Allies as possible; and, finally, there isthe endgame, with the French attempting totake both Prague and Vienna (unless theyalready have done so) to achieve a satis-factory level of victory. For both players it isthe middle period that will prove decisive.

OPENING, Turns 1-2:For the Austrians the first 2 turns appear tobe turns of opportunity; in reality, they arefraught with danger. Few are the players whowill make the historical mistake of trying tooccupy Ulm. While it may seem to be a goodway to delay the unrushing French in TurnThree, it is virtually unreachable by thepoorly trained Austrians and easily defend-able by anyone of the three French garrisondivisions. It is also a good way to lose theAustrian Army, and the game, quite easily.No, the best bet is for the Austrians to place

their troops in such positions as can bereadily moved from to cover possible Frenchapproaches. Again, this is best done byplacing them somewhat to the west of the"Franco-Austrian" border; not so far west asto get caught by the French in LateSeptenmber - Early October, but far enoughso that those seemingly innocuous Frenchdivisions can't keep them bottled-up- inAustria proper.

Keep your cavalry available to screen anyovert move by the three French divisions,while positioning them so as to be able toreact to the French advance in Turn Three. Itmay be, and should be, worth the effort toput an Austrian infantry corps in Branau,preferably with Schwarzenburg for aid andsuccor. That should slow the French, aspossession of Branau is a key to victory. Inorder to take it (excluing the possibility of alow-odds gamble), Napoleon will need atleast 48 combat points, and that only giveshim a 2-1 chance of success.

The French can do little the first two turns,yet they can accomplish much. If theAustrians do not make a move towardsBranau, they can always risk a forced marchto grab it while empty. Usually, however, theAustrian is bright enough at least to seizethis minimal opportunity. Conversely, Ulmshouldn't be too hard to cover if the AlliedPlayer is foolhardy enough to try that. Mostof the time, the Austrian will simply hedgehis position, trying to sit on a strategic fence-in an attempt to be ready for any of Napo-leon's thrusts. Here is where those three lonedivisions can come in handy, e.g., if theAustrian seeks to take a central position inanticipation of any possible French attack,considerable pressul:e-can be brought on theNorthern pass(erYwest of Prague. It is notnecessary to atta~k; the presence of Frenchtroops alone will se{Ve to keep the Austriansbottled up and might- even cause him tocommit too soon. Don't idle away. the firsttwo turns - put those three units to work.Remember, they should have no troubleoutrunning the lumbering Austrians.

MIDDLE GAME, Turns 3-8:This is where the game is won or lost. Forhere, where the action is freewheeling andobjectives hazy, mistakes can be greatlymagnified and huge advantages seized. Oneof the key lessons of LGA is that passing upopportunities can be immediately fatal. Thisis truly a game of calculated risk, and thecautious player is usually a sorry player - inmore ways than one.

5

/On Turn Three, after the Austrians have hada month in which to maneuver and awaitoncoming Russian reinforcements, virtuallythe entire French Army arrives as if shotfrom a cannon. Unrestricted infantry triple-forced-march is allowed, and woe betide theFrench player who does not exploit this to thefullest. All French infantry should be left asdivisions and marched the full 15 hexes (ifpossible) towards the Austrian border.Remember, units that are stacked as arrivingreinforcements must pay unstacking costs, soit may be best to spread your army out over awide area, or what amounts to virtually halfthe board. This is not as much of a drawbackas it may seem; the Austrians won't be sostupid as to try to take you piecemeal (hecan't do it anyway), and your infantrydivisions should still be within good concen-tration range of each other. In any case, yourcavalry brigades should be out front asscreens.This maneuver should place the bulk of theFrench Army just west of the Bamburg-Augsburg line. The Allied Player maypossibly have cavalry screens of his own nearBamburg and Donauworth to halt anyfurther speed on the part of the French(remember the Ansbach provision!). Thechances of this, however, are slim, as theAustrians will usually not want to endangerthe three cavalry units he has. Turn Four willusually be a concentration turn. The Frenchshould spend this time preparing for theirfirst major onslaught by risking only minimalforced marches (the French should rarely, ifever, waste a supply unit on forced march)and building an effective striking force that

will not need forced marches for maximumcombat effectiveness the following turn.Several divisions can be brought forward tosecure key staging positions.

There are three points of attack for theFrench, and that is why the diffuse approachis best; it enables the French to arrive quicklywithout giving away their intentions, yet stillpermits them to concentrate effectively onalmost any point. North of the Danube thereare the two major entrance passes, thecentral one being the most accessible interms of troop movements. However, thecentral pass is usually easily screened bycavalry, and infantry maneuver, especiallydefensive maneuver, is quite easy there. Thebest bet is the northern pass, which is usuallyleft guarded by a corps and leader (supplies).To do more would be to strip all other areas(remember, there is most likely a corps inBranau). The French should, at this junc-ture, attack frontally from the pass entrancehex and the NW mountain hex while forcedmarching an infantry division through themountains to cut off retreat through theeastern pass-entrance hex. This, in mostcases, will effectively open the entire north ofAustria to whatever forces are in the area,while French cavalry seal off any possiblecountermeasures through the center. Severalinfantry divisions can also be detached to thecenter to pin whatever Austrian forces arepresent while presenting a sticky problem forthe oncoming Russians.

In the meantime, the Southern French forces(it is oftentimes hard to cross the Danube, soit is wiser to split forces for now) should be

attacking Branau, unless it has beenabandoned. There should be sufficientstrength on hand to muster an army-sized18-2 which, along with a few other divisionsplus Napoleon, should provide the neededminimal 2000/0 superiority. Branau must betaken, and taken by Turn Six at the latest. IfTurn Six is the attack turn for Branau, allavailable cavalry and several infantry divi-sions should be sent quickly on ahead tocross the 'B' line and seize Linz, if possible. IfBranau has been abandoned, proceed withall towards Linz; the faster you approachVienna, the better. If the Austrian Player isadept at deploying his cavalry, this may bedifficult. "However, attacks on those unitsshould be sufficient to force them to retreatbefore combat, forcing the way open for nextturn. "

Up North, the French should have the Alliesforced into a serious situation. There isvirtually no defensible terrain in the vicinityof Prague, and the French can literally runrings around the Allies. The Allied Playerwill mosrtikely-concentrate on attempting toblock the passes SE of Linz and east ofPrague in an effort to keep the French awayfrom Vienna, at least until the Ninth Turn.Here again is where the French must movequickly and boldly. Prague will most likelyhave to be beseiged, as the forces necessary totake it will not be readily available (unless theAllied Player has seen fit to abandon it).

From Turns Six to Eight, if the FrenchPlayer can get his units across the Inn Riverin sufficient force and speed and move hiscavalry into Austria north of the Danube as a

6

giant screen, it is possible that a forcedmarch attack from Branau on Vienna can bemade, a Vienna which ~ill most likely berelatively unguarded. If this can be accom-plished, the campaign is virtually over, as theAllied Player will never have the strength topush the French back. But the Frenchcommander must move quickly - if theopportunity is there he cannot let it pass. Todo so would be to move the campaign into anendgame where, for the first time, theAustrians are at an advantage. Thus, theFrench commander must march, attack,move again, and attack - all as fast aspossible, without resting to regroup. It isrisky, and it is exciting. If Napoleon can"execute", his victory will be great; if heshows any hesitation, he'll have to settle forhalf a loaf - or perhaps none at all.

For the Allies, the strategy of the Middlegame is simple: delay, delay, delay. And, if'possible, avoid major troop losses. The Alliedcommander will have to decide where best todeploy his meager cavalry. Dividing themmight be dangerous; they are going to beforced to retreat before combat and shouldhave sufficient reserves to back them up.

From reading the French strategy it isobvious that the Allies' strategy is simplyquick reaction. Remember, the French need50 points to win, and 60 to gain any sort ofsubstan .al victory. That means Vienna is amus especially if the Allies have fair troopst ngth on the board at the end. If you can

;:omehow succeed in holding the French away/ !rom Prague and eastern Austria by Turn

Nine, you might find the Prussian Army hasbecome a welcome ally. Above all, rememberthat all non-beseiged Allied units detractfrom the French point total - so stay loose.

The Austrian's best weapon is the cavalryscreen. While the strength of the Allied corpsmay be sufficient to cause the French tohesitate momentarily, it is the cavalry thatcan stop them cold. Therefore, the mostjudicious use of cavalry should be in thesouth, where cavalry is more easily exploit-able. After using cavalry to ensure that thecentral pass is not employed as an earlystaging depot for French troops, the cavalryshould then be sent swiftly toward Linz. Herethey can be deployed to severely retard theFrench advance on Vienna. It will not beeasy, as those French troops not involved atPrague will most likely try to filter downthrough the passes north of Linz to help theSouthern army. But if you can attainjudicious placement for two turns, theFrench may be slowed sufficiently to save theday. Try to keep the French south of theDanube so that a link will not be effected.The oncoming Buxhowden and the twoRussian corps can usually handle the defenseof Vienna well enough to prevent any Frenchbreakthrough there, if the Austrians haveslowed them sufficiently on the previousturns. Try not to retire to Vienna; that couldbe fatal. Again, use the Russian cavalrybrigade as a screen, with the Russianinfantry placed well enough so that a Frenchattack is foolhardy. By Turn Nine, there will

be sufficient additional forces to block anybut the most concerted French efforts.Strategic delay is of the utmost importance.Simply keep the French from takingadvantage of their superior movement skills;time will do the rest.

In the north things are a bit shakier. Thenorthern pass can easily be held, but doing sowill open the entire area south of it. TheAustrians have only four corps with which towork initially, and arriving reinforcementsusually come on in the South, where speed ofdeployment is easier to attain. Thus, thenorthern pass should be held with oneleadered corps. A supply unit can be placedon the hex immediately to its rear, fore-stalling any possible cut-off move by theFrench. If possible, there should be twosupply units present, in case the rear supplyunit is attacked and destroyed. It may also bepossible to use infantry here to screen aquicky entry by French troops, as it is usuallydifficult, and unnecesary, for the French tobring cavalry in play by way of the northernpasses. Again, strategic placement of avail-able units can both deprive the French oftheir mobility and retain the unit for useanother day.

After all has been accomplished that can bedone, a retreat into Prague is usually calledfor by most of the Northern forces. If you canspare two corps and a leader that will begreat, as the French will probably not havethe time nor the strength to waste on anall-out attack. This will force a siege, which isnot really all that wonderful, but it ties up agood deal of the northern French army andgives you a bit more "leg room" in the south.Try, if at all strategically feasible, to blockthose passes east of Prague. The French havea nasty habit of sending fast-moving cavalryand triple forced marched infantry throughthere to cut off arriving reinforcements andgenerally create havoc. You also want, ifpossible, to stop the French from crossing the'C' line - at least until Turns Ten or Eleven.

Thus, the Allied Player must cover two, andpossibly three, fronts with inferior, lum-bering troops. However, the game rules,especially Retreat Before Combat, make thismuch easier than may initially seem possible.Watch the French commander, he cannotfeint forever, and he has got to commit byTurn Five at the latest. If you have placedyour meager forces, especially your cavalry,in good positions in the opening phase of thegame, you have a good chance (and it is onlya chance, not a foolproof strategy) to stymiethe French mobility and force him into anendgame, where the momentum swtiches tothe Allies.

ENDGAME, Turns 9-12:The last few turns of the game presentseveral problems to the French commander ifhe hasn't made sufficient headway by TurnNine. Fairly heavy Austrian and Russianreinforcements make flanking maneuversdifficult, and the Allies can use a positiondefense, knowing full well that the Frenchface a rapidly rising Prussian reinforcement

trigger mechanism. The French have thedifficult decision as to whether to keep theirtroops on the board to enable them to makenecessary attacks, or to move them south toget additional victory points, thus weakeningtheir on-board position.For the French, if they have a good early shotat Vienna, say Turn Nine, or maybe Ten, it isbetter to keep as much strength on aspossible. (Remember, you may have to keepseveral good units north to maintain a siegeof Prague.) Then, if Vienna is taken by TurnTen, you have two turns in which to march asrapidly as possible towards the largest Alliedtroop concentrations, eliminating as many aspossible. It is a dangerous game, as the Alliescan usually run fast enough to keep away fora few turns; but the French have the strengthand speed to win what amounts to a race tothe wire.

Failing any possibility for a good attack onVienna, it is best to attempt to besiege thecity, bringing most of your troops south. Goafter whatever forces the Allies have left andthen, on Turns Eleven and Twelve, hightail itsouth for the victory points. If you get enoughunits off you may just gain that decisivevictory. Of course, if you move too soon withtoo much, a bold Allied commander mightjust lift the sieges of Prague and/or Vienna,and all your work has gone for naught.

The problem here is that the rapid marchesand quick attacks of the middle game haveusually left the French quite spread out, andregrouping can be difficult and costly. If theAllies have sufficient cavalry left, they candisrupt most attempted concentrations andfoil any grand plans the French commandermight have engendered. Thus, it is impera-tive that the French perform mightily in themiddle game, for failure to gain a position ofstrength by Turn Nine can easily prove to befatal.

For the Allies, the endgame is simple: stopthe French from taking Vienna and avoidtroops losses. If your position at Turn Nine isfairly tenable, arriving reinforcements shouldallow you to effectively hinder Frenchconcentration. If you can do this for severalturns, the Prussians will arrive and then youcan concentrate entirely on Vienna. If yousee the French running for the South,increase the pressure. You may just be ableto regain Prague or push the French backover the 'C' line.

If the Allied commander is able to seize anyinitiative at this time, the game can turnrapidly, and a seemingly sure French victorymay swiftly become an Allied surprise.

This is what makes the game such achallenge; that ability to produce thelast-second turnaround. The pressure is onthe French commander constantly. Hecannot relax, he cannot assume. For thosewho have not tried La Grande Armee yet,they are missing a most fascinating simula-tion, and for those who have dismissed the1805 scenario as unworthy of their talents,they are in for a disconcerting, but pleasantsurprise .••