[Raptor1]

Invasion of Austria

November, 1805

With the end of the decisive campaign of September and October, the Grande Armée is poised to invade and knock the Austrian Empire out of the war. The only significant Coalition forces left in Germany and Austria are the (rather weak) Austrian Army of Tyrolia in the Alps and the remnants of the Russian army in Thuringia.

More dangerous to the French armies would be the redeployment of troops from Italy, where nearly 100,000 men are arrayed in Venice. Opposing them are 54,000 men of the Armée d'Italie, under Marshal Massena and the Italian Corps.

Lastly, a Russian army is sighted in Mecklenburg, which probably got into position by transiting through Prussia (As a consequence of the recently-signed Crossing Treaty between Prussia and Russia). But the combined 50,000 men of the French I Corps and the Batavian Army is deemed sufficient to defend against an attack in the North.

Planning and Logistics

The plan for the invasion includes 2 offensives into Austria. First, the Grande Armée will advance on Linz in Upper Austria (First Section) and from the northwest into Budweis, and then on Vienna itself (Second Section). Simulatenously, the Italian Corps and the Armée d'Italie will advance on Venice while Austrian troops will undoubtly move north, drawing off a significant portion of the Austrian reinforcements.

An invasion of this magnitude cannot possibly be supplied by foraging without incurring massive, unacceptable casualties. To avoid this, supply lines are set up to originate in Munich and Nuremberg, then extend into Upper Austria and Budweis. A setup which, hopefully, would allow the army to be supplied even if the enemy manages to destroy one of the origin depots. To guard the supply source, Deroi's Bavarian Corps, reinforced by troops from Baden and Württemberg, is ordered to march to Munich. The Armée d'Italie is set up to be supplied from a depot in Lombardy, which should be safe enough.

Battle of Bremen

The first battle in November is joined when the Russian army in Mecklenburg advances on Hanover. The 30,000 men Russian army meets the Batavian Army and I Corps near Bremen.



I Corps is set up in a valley between a large hill and a ridge, while the Batavian Army is set up just behind the ridge, ready to take the high ground at first opportunity.





The Russian artillery battery, probably the most dangerous unit in the Russian army, is made a first priority target. The French cavalry promptly charge it and rout it from the field (Unfortunately failing to capture it) before it can deploy and inflict large casualties.



The Batavian army lines on the ridge and wait for the Russian army to close the range. I Corps aligns on the plain to the southeast, but is set on by Russian cavalry, tying down 2 brigades on the right flank.



The Russians close range and begin firing. The troops of I Corps soon run out of ammunition as the supply carriages misinterpert orders and fail to arrive on time.



The Russians are careful to avoid the ridge with most of their units, so the Batavian army marches down onto the plains to engage the Russian army at close range. The Russian cavalry on the right flank is disorganized and forces to retreat, and more Russian troops to the north are tied down by the French cavalry.







The Russian army is enveloped and engaged by superior French numbers. Unfortunately, a Russian cavalry manages to charge a reorganizing Dutch brigade, which is routed with over a thousand casualties. The Russian cavalry is promptly hunted down and routed.





The Russian army routs, suffering 4,398 more casualties.



Overall casualties in the battle include 11,579 dead and wounded Russians (With several more brigades taken prisoner) compared to 4,835 French and Dutch casualties, a relatively high number compared to previous battles.



I blame the Dutch...