Grognard Simulations, Inc.

Presents

Rules for the

Incredible Courage at Elchingen

Copyright © 2013

The battle that created the Duke of Elchingen

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Incredible Courage - Elchingen Rules

Incredible Courage at Elchingen – Special Rules

Game design by Chris Fasulo Sr
Copyright © 2013

1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 3
1.1 Questions and Comments ....................................................................................................... 3
1.2 Map Construction ................................................................................................................... 3
2 Counters ...................................................................................................................................... 3
3 Command Control ....................................................................................................................... 3
4 Weather ....................................................................................................................................... 4
5 Option .......................................................................................................................................... 4
6 Designers Notes ........................................................................................................................... 4
7 Historical Commentary ................................................................................................................ 5

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1 Introduction
This battle pits the forces of Marshall Ney’s VI Corps against the Austrian General Reisch. The
situation is that Napoleon wants the Austrian forces away from the Danube in order to allow
him a free reign in crossing the river so that General Mack can be surrounded. Optional rules are
in red and are meant to deliver more realism without adding too much overhead to the game.

1.1 Questions and Comments

Contact: Support@grognardsims.com or Grognard Simulations, Inc, Attn: Incredible Courage at
Elchingen, 3752 Becontree Pl, Oviedo, FL 32765.

1.2 Map Construction

N
Elchingen

A B

C D

2 Counters
The game pieces show the units that fought the battle, and information markers.
Units are color coded for nationality.
 White background are Austrians
 Light Blue background are Imperial French
There are several types of marker, and their use is shown in the relevant rules section.

3 Command Control
The Austrian Army in this battle was very sheepish at the start. To simulate this, the Austrians
have been carved into four groups. Between them there was little coordination and they did
not come to each other’s aid. Given this the following rules are in effect for scenario 3.
1. Group A: the forces in the Group A bubble are fixed until one of them is attacked by fire or
melee. When released these forces may conduct movement and combat without restriction.
2. Group B: the forces in the Group B bubble are fixed until one of them is attacked by fire or
melee. When released these forces may conduct movement and combat without restriction.

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3. Group C: the forces in the Group B bubble are fixed until one of them is attacked by fire or
melee. When released these forces may conduct movement and combat without restriction.
4. Remaining: these units are released when any 2 other groups have been released.
The Austrian IR54 units near the bridge are free to move at game start. These troops may not
move toward the river in an attempt to stop the French crossing.
The Austrians may not attempt to form square until at least 1 unit in their group has been
charged and meleed.
The French player has the initiative for the first turn of the game (0800 Game Turn) and DOES
NOT have to roll to see if his units move first. They just do move first.
Optional: Players can agree to waive these restrictions and give the Austrians a better chance of
fighting the battle in a successful way.

4 Weather
The weather for all the Elchingen scenarios is clear.

5 Option
The French 1st Division, VI Corps was further north on this day. This excellent division is
commanded by Dupont and will make short work of any Austrians they contact, especially as the
Austrians will be occupied enough already. This division would arrive as an option on the road
to Weissingen at the east map edge. If this option is exercised by the French player the level of
victory is reduced by one.
1. The French and Austrian players must agree that this option will be in play at the start of the
game. These French forces arrive during the 1400 game turn. Or;
2. The French player starts rolling a die every game turn starting with 1300 and must roll a 10 on
the d10 in order for the French 1st Division to arrive.
3. The French player may lessen the number needed to succeed by 1 if the 1st Division has not
arrived by 1400 and reduced by another 1 if the 1st Division has not arrived by the 1500 game
turn.

6 Tactical Mentoring
French:
The VI Corps starts with some clear advantages in this battle. They don’t really have to make a
resisted crossing of the Danube, they face an opponent who willfully stayed in place and
awaited destruction piecemeal, and they have a significant and powerful artillery line that can
pummel the Austrians when and where they want. The French are going to be able to get
themselves into position before making contact. Use the interval between kicking the pants off
of IR54 and attacking Ober-Elchingen to move into position the artillery line and then the full
power of the initial French infantry and cavalry brigades in order to hit the town with a
concentrated punch. When the enemy here is on the run, and before you decide to hit any
other Austrian groups, again focus your effort on one group at a time. Next should be the left

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flank group of Austrians. The 4th Dragoon Division was able to smash these troops and scatter
them without help. I think you will find them a little more difficult to hit. Use the first strike
capability to make as many charges as possible on a group at once knowing that the Austrians
can’t respond with Square until after that first set of charges. Remember to always use supports
and you will find that melees with infantry and cavalry work better when well supported.
Austrian:
Your first problem to solve will likely be a crisis. There is no way to keep the French from
crunching a portion of your line unless you are a genius with positioning and maneuvering IR54.
This is highly unlikely and you will be hit hard from the get go. Your saving grace is using the
town of Ober-Elchingen to your best effect. The first crisis will change into 2 crises as your left
flank troops get overrun by the 4th French Dragoon Division. This will be more manageable than
the defense of Ober-Elchingen. On the positive side, when the French attack this second group,
you will be able to move the remaining units forward and into battle. Your next worst problem
to deal with is to keep your HQ safe from being lost. The fastest way to ruin will be to allow lots
of HQ to be lost and losing the 1 or 2 LoO from each unit because of it. The advice for making
sure you use supports when possible is valid for the Austrians. Since you have no real control of
the battle for the first few hours make it a priority to reorganize the front line when you do get
the chance to move more than 1 group of forces.

7 Designers Notes
The decisions I made for this game were made mostly from the experience with Austerlitz.
There are a number of important changes that were made to help clarify the rules. The first
items owners of Austerlitz will see are the change to the LoO markers. These were changed to
show the LoO number only and the set of dots represent the amount of change, per company
unit, that the marker applies to the unit. I also changed the look of all the combat units by
placing the color coding element behind and around the infantry, cavalry, and artillery symbols.
I changed the look of the artillery In Battery and Out of Battery and wanted a look of it being
deployed. You will also begin to see changes to the cavalry squadrons. These will reflect the
actual numbers of squadrons, when that information is available, and will result in some much
stronger cavalry units on the map. This will have the effect of making them stronger individually,
as it should.

8 Historical Commentary
Crossing the Danube
Napoleon saw a threat to his northern flank from the Austrians under General Reisch who were
camped north of the Danube at Elchingen. They would pose a serious threat unless neutralized.
The Emperor decided that Marshall Ney’s VI Corps would advance across the river and attack
the Austrians. This would require a major effort and a river crossing is not an easy operation,
especially when the crossing is to be made in front of the enemy. Marshall Ney had at his
immediate disposal General Loison’s division nearest the river. The plan was for his force to
affect the crossing and then the remainder of the Corps would cross. The bridge needed some
repair and in order for this work to be successfully completed the Marshall needed to put some
artillery on the southern bank to provide covering fire. The work did not take long to finish and
the French 39th Ligne moved quickly over the river to establish a bridgehead. These soldiers

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made contact with the Austrian 54th Infantry Regiment and quickly pushed them back toward
the town. Behind these venerable French infantry came the 6th Legere Regiment and some
cavalry from the Corps Cavalry Brigade shortly afterwards.
The First Assault on Ober-Elchingen
These 2 regiments, finally fully formed and ready for the further advance, began to move to the
northeast and the right side of Ober-Elchingen. The Austrians remained strangely on the heights
and in the town. Most of the Austrians were under orders not to attack the French in the open
plain by the river. This did give them the advantage of having to be attacked from the lower
slopes and making the French troops climb the slope. But one battalion of Austrian Grenadiers
made an attack down the hill and was quickly repulsed by the French who used the forest for
cover. Once the Austrian Counter-Attack was finished the French formed up for their assault
and rushed up the slopes to attack the defenders in the town. The French attack was covered
from the artillery placed just north of the bridge. It provided a solid base of fire that effectively
kept the Austrians pinned down. Both French regiments slowly ground their way through the
town. Once they took the town they would wait for the rest of the corps troops to move
forward and support their right flank, still being held by Austrian troops.
The Austrian Left Collapses
The Austrian troops holding the left flank of the position seemed to be in an odd spot. They
were hanging off the town of Unter-Elchingen and in the plain off to the south-east. In this
position they were formed in line and waited, as the other Austrians had done, for the French to
make the first move. The Austrians had plenty of time to see the cavalry regiments of the 4th
Dragoon Division deploying in front of them, but they did nothing to adjust their stance. The
18th Dragoons moved to their right and assumed a position on the flank of the Austrians there.
The 19th Dragoons formed in Line and faced the Austrians front, along with the battery of horse
artillery they had with them. This move by the French was a classic one using combined arms in
the perfect combination. If the Austrian infantry did finally decide to make square they would
be shot to pieces by the horse artillery battery. And as long as they stayed in Line facing the
south-west they would be flanked from the left. Sure enough the Austrians seemed frozen and
when the French charged they caught the Austrians unprepared to receive them. It did not take
long for the Austrian infantry to be overwhelmed and they began to crack and scatter to the
north, being chased all the way by the victorious Dragoons.
The Final Push
The second Brigade of Loisson’s division was now on the field and they moved to the center of
the battle area and prepared for an assault up the hill and into the area between the 2
Elchingens. They were backed up by the 3rd Division of the VI Corps, still in reserve, and they
began the assault as if on parade. The brigade had the support of the Corps Light Cavalry
Brigade on its right flank and this made all the difference. When contact was made with the
Austrians they recoiled immediately as the assault was made with vigor and precision. The
powerful assault moved up the hill quickly and the Austrians made a half-hearted counter-attack
against the light cavalry. But this move was easily repulsed by the French and they quickly took
control and pushed the Austrians inexorably back. No amount of fresh Austrian troops from the
reserves could stem the tide and as these Austrians began to crumble the entire Austrian force
began a clumsy and disorderly retreat.
Conclusion

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The battle ended and Marshall Ney was able to say that the force he had engaged that day was
eliminated as a threat to Napoleon’s northern flank. The job he did was so thorough, even
without engaging the 3rd Division under Mahler, or Dupont’s Division to the north, that Reisch
was removed as being a factor in the last phase of the Ulm decision. For this Marshall Ney
would receive the title “Duke of Elchingen”. A title he richly deserved.

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Credits
Game Design: Chris Fasulo Sr

Picture: Michel Ney, Marshall of France – Charles Meynier

Box Cover Picture: 19th French Dragoons at the Battle of Elchingen

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