[NTW AAR] The Bear; in winter, in summer: A Russian History

[SCCOJake]

Welcome! This is my second AAR (the first is titled The War in Europe) and as such I have learned a lot about writing these sorts of things. Hopefully this will make writing and updating much simpler, not to mention timelier, for me as well as more entertaining for you, my dear readers.

This AAR will be written based on a campaign I have started just yesterday as the Russians. It is set to Hard/Hard and uses the very fine Europe in Conflict mod. I will be attempting to “roll play” this campaign as much as I can with goals to expand Russia’s power, influence and territory as well as defeat Napoleon. I will also attempt to roll play the battles and use the Russian infantry the way they are represented in the EiC historical research; poor shooters who like to get into melee.

With that out of the way let me introduce you to this narrative:

Chapter 1:

Our story begins in January of 1805, the Russian Tsar's palace. A very young Aleksandr, ruler of the Russian Empire faces dire situation: his country lacks in almost every field; the army is small and poorly trained, the infrastructure is hardly more than it was over eight centuries ago, industry is almost non-existent and even the agricultural establishment which could produce enough food for all of Europe is primitive and fraught with inefficiency. A truly herculean task is set before the Tsar and that would be without the looming threat of Napoleon in the west.

As it is France has become an ever growing danger to all of Europe. The wars of the French Revolution have given way to the wars of French Imperial ambition and only the most fragile of alliances attempts to hold back the Napoleonic tide. The Tsar has committed what forces he can spare to the Coalition, a force backed by the commerce of Great Britain and the armies of Austria, set to oppose Napoleon at every turn. The other members of the alliance expect that the true Russian investment in this alliance will need to be the massive foodstuffs that she can produce to feed their armies. The Tsar has acquiesced to these requests, but has plans of his own for the Empire.

Russia is the sleeping bear, her value is more than the sum of her parts and Aleksandr intends that she take her rightful place on the world stage. For now however, the threat of Napoleon can not be ignored and if his republican ideal spread like the cancer it is through Europe, then all that can follow is chaos. In order that this not happen the Tsar has made the decision that a massive investment be made in the Empire’s infrastructure, laying the groundwork for a new network of improved roads to transport both the agricultural wealth of the country as well as the armies that will need to be raised.

Over the first weeks of the 1805 Aleksandr’s diplomats begin an elaborate dance in the court of the Prussian Kaiser intending to bring Prussia into the Coalition, or at the very least ally them with Russia. This alliance forged on January 22nd will strengthen Russia’s position as a political power as well as bolster the western defenses as Prussia is not likely to allow the French to simply march across their lands to invade Mother Russia. The treaty of Königsberg secures Aleksandr’s north western border and frees him to dispatch General Mikhail Kutusov and the main Russian army to Austria in order to face and defeat Napoleon in battle.

“Make all hast towards the German states, crush this self proclaimed Emperor of France and his armies in battle and then return to our borders.” -Orders of Tsar Aleksandr I to General Mikhail Kutusov commander of the 1st Imperial Army

Kutusov marches west, reaching Prague on January 30th, where the army takes rest for two days before turning south to Salzburg in February. Here at Salzburg the various elements of the Austrian Imperial Army are beginning to assemble. Kutusov is invited to the “assembly of generals” a grand farce of military leadership and ineptitude. The Russian commander is given only a token seat at the proceedings and although the insult does not go unnoticed it works in Kutusov favor as he observes the Austrian high command in action. Mikhail notes that the Austrian generals seem to lack commitment and clear purpose. His own orders are clear: engage Napoleon’s armies in the southern German states destroy them and return to Russia. After a day of the proceedings (which are intended to take two weeks) Kutusov excuses himself, and although the Austrians mumble rumors of the Russian taking to drink, he pays them no mind, returning to his camp to confer with his own officers.

In his single day of attendance at the assembly Kutusov has learned critical information that Innsbruck, the Austrian city in Tyrol that guards the passes through the alps from Germany to Italy, has fallen to the French. After two days in camp outside of Salzberg Kutusov and his staff have devised a bold strategy to strike the French where they are weak, hoping to draw them into battle by threatening their supply lines. With the campaign planned, Kutusov issues the orders and his army abruptly departs from the city, only four days after their arrival.

“My Emperor, although the Austrians seem content to sit and plan while their country is stripped from them in the west, your own army is already on rout to strike a massive blow to the French.” -Mikhail Kutusov, General of the 1st Imperial Army to Tsar Aleksandr I, February 5th 1805

Back in Moscow the Tsar issues an order to raise more of the Opolchenie or militia regiments. Although there is little fear of attack from the French reaching Russian cities, and the western borders are all allied with the Empire, internally there are grumblings from the peasants over the new direction the Tsar is leading the country. Aleksandr has little fear of a revolt, peasants complain, but in such stressful times no precautions need be overlooked. The new Opolchenie will give the peasants a sense of safety from those beyond Russia’s borders as well as something to consider if they get it in their heads to resist the Tsar’s coming changes.

Despite the new alliance with Prussia, the coalition with Austria and the promising news coming out of the west from Kutusov, the Tsar still sits uneasily on his throne. To the south west, below the frontier between Russia and Austria is an open expanse of farmland, this open terrain is controlled by the Ottoman Empire, long rivals and opponents of Russia. From Russian spies in the city of Iasi there are reports of a growing number of Turkish soldiers in the region. The remainder of the Russian Imperial Army is ordered to assemble south of Ukraine in case of an Ottoman attack.

Back in the west Kutusov was marching his army swiftly across the Austria/Bavarian frontier. His intention was to threaten Munich hoping to draw out the French Emperor on the snowy hills and defeat him. The loss of the Bavarian city would cut off the French army in the Alps, force a redirection of troops from the south and possibly open up the Italian front for the Austrians who were eager to crush the French puppet state there. On February 14th The 1st Imperial Russian Army was encamped outside of a small town east of Munich, intending to lay siege to the city the next morning. The French and Bavarian garrison marched out that night intent on destroying the Russians and in the morning the battle for Munich was joined.

[SCCOJake]

The Battle of Munich, February 15th, 1805

“May it please your highness that tomorrow or the next day, the army that you have entrusted to my command will engage with the Bavarian forces loyal to the French Emperor Napoleon. I have full confidence in our orders and expect to report victory shortly.” ~ General Mikhail Kutusov, commander of the 1st Imperial Russian Army Southern Bavaria, February 14th 1805

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

General Mikhail Kutusov

* * *

On the morning of February 15th 1805 the 1st Imperial Russian Army woke early. In the predawn hours Cossack horsemen, acting as scouts, had reported a large column of troops marching out of the barracks district of the city of Munich only 20 miles from the Russian camp. General Kutusov’s troops had encamped near a small town to the east of the city, and now needed to prepare a defensive against the Bavarians.

The dark sky of early morning gave way to a dark, hazy blue light that at its height, during the fiercest fighting of that day would be nearly purple. Pale white snow covered the farmland surrounding the town, broken only by a few scattered low stone walls, wood rail fences and the occasional spruce or fir tree. On a small hill about a mile and a half from the German town Russian horse artillery deployed in preparation for the coming battle. At the foot of the hill Russian conscript musketeers and grenadiers formed neat and orderly three rank battle lines. Although they had spent the night sleeping under a bitter cold winter sky, and had little more to eat than bits of stale bread and water heated over tiny campfires, the Russians were in very high spirits.

“It was the most damnable thing; although the Russian peasants had gotten no better sleep then my own self, which was simply intolerable what with the cold, and had hardly eaten anything at all, they all seemed positively eager for the coming fight! Their banter seemed to be in good spirits and on more than one occasion I heard a cry of ‘OORA!’ (Their barbaric war cry) go up from this regiment or that. The officers seemed a bit on edge, but not with apprehension for the loss of life that was shortly to commence, but rather at the prospect of trying to contain their own soldier’s enthusiasm. It was a most dreadful sight and I was rather glad to be on their side of the field.”
~Major Walter Whitsham of the British Army, military observer to the 1st Russian Imperial Army in his memoirs

General Kutusov watched as the sun came up at his back, over the Mother Land, and through the wintery gloom, illuminated the plane below. The cold was irritable, but nothing like the frozen training camps and drill fields back home, his men knew to count their blessings. From the top of the hill, among the smaller six pound horse artillery, Kutusov observed the Bavarian army march through the town and form battle a line at the outskirts. The Germans had nothing special, some smaller cannons, a few regiments of the elaborately helmeted musketeers, and a pair of chevauxlégers squadrons. The bulk of the force was actually made up of hastily drafted conscripts, with little or no real training. Kutusov’s own 1st Imperial Russian Army was made up of two regiments of musketeers, two battalions of grenadiers, the two regiments of horse artillery, two companies of Cossack horsemen and a battalion of the famous Pavlovsk Grenadiers with their old style mitre caps.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Russian Army deployed


The Bavarian army, loyal to Napoleon


The view from the Bavarian lines

At approximately 9:00 AM the artillery began a deadly dual, the Russians with the high ground began inflicting terrible losses on the Bavarian infantry. The Germans set off making quick march across the open ground to close with the Russian troops. Lance Ambler, commander of the Bavarian army, had orders to drive the Russians out of his country and, secure in his superior numbers, felt it was best to take the fight directly to the invaders.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Armies meet

After a half an hour the Bavarians had formed up about a hundred meters out of range of the Russian muskets. At this point the Chevauxlérs on Kutusov’s left flank rode in advance of the main battle line, attempting to strike at the Russians’ flank. The grenadier battalion stationed on the far left of the line neatly formed square and proceeded to fire volleys into the densely packed horsemen. The sight of a well formed square and the musket fire drove the German cavalry away.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The grenadiers form square and drive off Bavarian cavalry

With his flank safe and the grenadiers returning to the line Kutusov ordered his men to advance to meet the oncoming Bavarians. As the two armies came into range there was an exchange of volleys with scattered casualties across both lines. At this point a cry went up from the far right of the Russian line – “HURRAH!” The Russian conscripts, though poorly trained in musketry, knew the bayonet drill by heart and had a special affinity to getting into melee with their enemies. The entire 1st Army charged in a wave from right to left, crashing into the terrified German draftees.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Kutusov's view of the field


The Russians march forward


Volleys are exchanged


A shout is heard


HURRAH!

“I swear that the Old Man (Kutusov) was smiling as he watched his infantry charge into the guns of the German musketeers. I went to him later in the day to discuss the battle and I said to him: ‘General, why can you let your men rush forward? It was such madness and I saw a great many of your troops fall before they even reached the enemy’s lines.’ He turned to me and said ‘It is now that you see the spirit of Russian soldiers. Our men need not be bribed or driven from behind to attack our enemies, they are told that there it is an enemy of Mother Russia and they go. Our concern is not to be pushing them forward or holding them back, but to get them to stop when the deed is done.’” ~ Major Walter Whitsham, his memoirs

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

For Mother Russia!


Faster!


A wake of dead

The Russian infantry clashed with the Bavarians, the brutal melee resulting in hundreds of deaths in only a matter of moments. The Russians did not falter to strike killing blows with their bayonets, thrusting for the heart or stomach. The well rehearsed and drilled dance of death that the battle started as became a mangled and writhing mass of men fighting tiny personal duals, each battle to the death. Seeing that the right side of his line had withered under the guns of the Bavarian musketeers Kutusov ordered the Cossacks on that flank to join the fight, hoping their charge on the flank of an occupied infantry regiment would even the score. Despite this, the grenadiers and musketeers of the Russian army on the right flank broke, fleeing back to the perceived safety of the camp on the other side of the hill.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Deamons through the smoke


The bayonet knows what it's about


Drive them back!


The Cossacks charge

On the left of the Imperial line the Bavarians were beginning to crack. The untrained force of drafted farmers and craftsmen could not stand up to the fury of three battalions of Russian troops. Seeing that the left was secure Kutusov rode down the hill and, passing under the arch of the cannon balls from his artillery, moved to rally the broken troops on the right side of the line. The soldiers seeing their general riding down on them prompted them to reform their lines, fearing nothing more than an enraged officer. With his right flank reformed and returning to the fight, Kutusov could direct his attention elsewere.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The Bavarian troops break


The Russians give chase


The right of the line rallied


And back in action

The left side of the battle field was a scene of horror; crimson had stained the delicate German snow and bodies were strewn about like leaves in autumn. The Bavarains were mostly broken, fleeing back into the west praying for some safety there. The Russians followed, stabbing any who fell behind. Kutusov issued orders for the infantry to reform and pull back under the cover of artillery, hoping to lend their fire and fanaticism to the fight still raging on the right side of the field.

Along a low stone wall that marked the edge of some wheat field, or perhaps a summer pasture for cattle, Russian troops took cover and began to fire into the exposed rear of Bavarian soldiers still trying to fight off the reformed Imperial right flank. It was not long before the Germans saw that they were becoming surrounded and decided that flight was a better choice than death.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Fire from the stone wall

Far head of the main battle, the second company of Cossack cavalry had flanked the German’s artillery. The bearded riders dove into the cannon crews, butchering them with their long, sharp lances. By now it was nearly 11:30, both armies were exhausted, but the Russians had a reserve; one not of men but of bravery and determination. The Pavlovsk grenadiers had been reduced from some two-hundred men at the start of the battle to less than ninety, yet still they pursued the Germans. A final stand of one Bavarian battalion faced the bloody faced grenadiers. With more than twice their number to their front the Pavlovsk Grenadiers formed a line and began to fire into the Germans standing, firing and dying for ten minutes before the last officer fell. As the lieutenant died so too did the rest of the Russians determination and they broke.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The stand of the Pavlovsk Grenadiers

General Kutusov had seen this coming however and, with the main battle finished, he had ridden as fast as he could with his aids and guards to rally the broken battalion of mitre caped grenadiers. Orders had been passed to the rest of the army to make haste and finish driving off the Germans. Seeing the Russian general, his army reformed and on the march, and taking the full brunt of his artillery the Bavarians finally abandoned their desperate rearguard, fleeing with the remainder of the army through the town and back to Munich.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

Kutusov Rides to the front

* * *

“I regret to inform you, my Emperor, that your ally’s forces were not sufficient to drive off the Russian hoard and that the defense of Munich may now be in doubt.”
~Colonel Benoît Depaul, French military advisor to the Bavarian army, February 20th, 1805

“General, I have finished compiling our losses and have found that of the one-thousand, four-hundred and eighty-four men we deployed six-hundred and sixty-three were slain outright, another hundred or so will never return to duty, and a further fifteen have been reported as missing. I calculate our total losses to be in the vicinity of seven-hundred and eighty or so.” ~Captain Administrator Bogdan Sokolov, 1st Imperial Russian Army, February

“My lord, may it please you to know that the Bavarian forces which we our estimates numbered at least three-thousand, and so vastly outnumbered our own fifteen-hundred, have been thoroughly crushed. The bravery and ferocity of Your soldiers could not be contained by the Germanic rabble. I have offered terms to the remaining garrison and inhabitants of the city of Munich regarding their surrender and expect them to comply shortly; enclosed is a list of my demands and concessions. I trust you will find them acceptable.” ~General Mikhail Kutusov, commander of the 1st Imperial Russian Army camped outside Munich, February 29th 1805

[SCCOJake]

Chapter 2: A Spring of Hope


After the battle outside Munich the Bavarian army was a shadow of its former glory. The army was penned up inside the city with Kutusov laying siege; disease and starvation quickly set in and the winter weather only exacerbating the situation. On March 1st the army surrendered, quickly followed by the Bavarian government, conceding to all of the Russian demands.

Kutusov occupied the city only long enough to reestablish the rule of Prince Ferdinand Maria I, who had been subverted by French style republican governance. With Bavaria paying a heavy sum to Russia as reparations for their losses, the rightful ruler back on the throne, and the Bavarian army disbanded, Kutusov had accomplished his mission. In order to replace his losses and bolster his army he instituted a draft of local troops with Ferdinand’s permission, raising two regiments of infantry.

After receiving a letter from the General Staff Kutusov turned his army back East to Salzburg in order to meet with a column of replacements and would remain encamped their for the rest of the month. Although the Bavarians had been subdued, tensions were still high as much of the populous was still loyal to their former French master, and Kutusov feared he might need to return to Munich and form a more permanent garrison. For better or worse, with the new draft of troops came new orders: the 1st Imperial Russian Army would be heading into the west again, but this time farther, expecting to cut French supply lines and find the Emperor.

Back in the Moscow the Tsar’s plans for a build up of infrastructure were coming together. Still, much needed to be done before the empire could be tied together by a system of good roads and so further investment was issued from the treasury. In April the palace issued an edict for a third round of investments hoping to finally unite the western most regions in commerce. Although the Tsar is hopeful, the Imperial Council advises that subsequent investment may be needed latter in the summer.

As April rolls on General Mikhail Kutusov determines that wet weather, bogging down the Austrian and Bavarian roads will slow his advance and leave his army spread out and exposed to the French who have been rumored to be operating north of the Alps. The decision is made to hold off until the end of the rainy spring season before making the March into Bavaria-Württemberg frontier to attack French supplies and trade routs. This gifts him the unforeseen benefit of a second troop of replacements from the Mother Land arriving to fill out his ranks.

May would see much action throughout the Empire, both in domestic affairs and the military movements and expeditions. On the south western border of the Empire, Aleksandr had ordered a build up of all available army units. The explanation to diplomats and lower government officials was that there was fear that, while the 1st Imperial Russian Army was deployed in the German States, the Ottomans would attempt to capture Russian territory. The premise was plausible and accepted by virtually any who bothered to inquire; The Sultan was know to be a friend of Napoleon and one of France’s only overseas trade partners. To those in the highest levels of government and the military this was just a rouse, the Tsar hoped to invade and capture territory populated by Slavic and Orthadox Christian peoples who were ruled by the Ottomans. Russia had long seen itself as the descendant of the Byzantine Empire and Aleksandr was no exception; he himself bent on reclaiming the lost lands of the Eastern Roman Empire.

“Directive: Assemble what forces you have in your district into an army, poise them at the Moldavian frontier and await further orders. At all times have your soldiers maintain an aggressive posture, as the rapid deployment of your troops will be a deciding factor in any future orders.” ~Dispatch from the Imperial General Staff to General Levin August von Bennigsen, commander of the Eastern Defense Army Group, May 18th 1805

The Imperial Council, in May, had taken the time to persuade the Tsar to institute educational reforms within his realm. A newly implemented public education, dispensed through the larger towns and cities of Russia would enable the people to become more productive and supply the Empire with skilled laborers. Engineers and scientists would also be needed to gain an upper hand in the coming century, and these reforms would allow those trades to flourish, all under the hand of Tsar Aleksandr I. The Emperor approved the new measures and signed into law the orders needed to redistribute funds from the treasury.

In the west, Kutusov had finally assembled his forces, distributing the replacement drafts into the regiments that needed them the most. With his army back to fighting strength he issued orders to strike camp and march the men west. Passing through familiar territory in Bavaria, Kutusov spent only a few hours in Munich checking on the status of the reestablished monarchy. Finding everything the governance satisfactory but learning that French supply routs were running through the countryside unopposed as the German troops were busy keeping the populous settled. The General quickly returned to the column which turned north to the border between Bavaria and Württemberg where French supply lines were stretched out heading south to the Alps to supply the army at Innsbruck. Upon reaching the northern roadways of Bavaria, Kutusov set his forces to blockading and destroying French supplies for several weeks.

In June of 1805 the final stages of the Tsar’s infrastructure investments and reforms were implemented, ground broken on new roadways and supply routs established across the western most end of the Empire. In addition the last improvements to Russia’s growing agricultural system were planned out and set into motion. The massive government investment was already paying off with increased crop yields, greater profit from trade and the army was much more content with better, faster supply lines being established.

Outside of the Mother Land however, not all was well. The French were still on the march; although the Austrians and British were both reporting successes against Napoleon, those with a greater view of things could see that these gains would be short lived. Although Prussia was closer to joining the Coalition and the war against France, they were still months away from any decision. In addition, the 1st Imperial Russian Army was about to face its greatest challenge and what could be the largest setback of the war.

On June 3rd Kutusov reassembled his army, recalled from harassing the French supply trains, and made plans to march on the city of Stuttgart. The Russian general hoped to repeat his success against the French allied forces in Munich and remove the Republican government in Württemberg. On June 10th Kutusov’s army was camped only 15 miles from the city, the officers making last minute preparations for the assault on the city. Before any serious plans could be made however, the scouts sent to report on the defenders’ positions sent back a critical message:

“General – City occupied by French regulars and conscript battalions. No sign of local forces. Large force of French troops on the march west of city. Estimate total French force to be in excess of 8000 men.” ~Note from Cavalry scouts to General Kutusov

The French force en rout consisted of around 8200 men, Kutusov’s own force numbered less than 2000, many untested replacements and 200 were the Bavarian draftees, pressed into service. Kutusov had to make a choice: he could stand and fight, in all likelihood losing his army; or attempt to retreat, hoping to keep his army intact. Kutusov was a Russian, his bravery in battle had already been tested many times over, his competence as commander of the army was unquestioned by all, and on the 11th of June 1805, he proved to all of Russia, all of France, and indeed the world that he could not be cowed. He had made his decision before the number of Frenchmen was ever reported: He would stand his ground and fight the French. This was the battle he had been ordered to seek out, it mattered little if Napoleon was present or not; if he could destroy this force it could be the death blow to France’s seemingly undefeated armies.

The night before battle Kutusov personally walked among the soldiers under his command, gifting every junior officer with a small glass flask of wine from his own vineyards back home, every Sergeant was given a loaf of bread and slice of meat from the General’s own stores, and each soldier was given a glass of vodka. Although it was a somber event, each man felt his heart lift at the sight of the general, and their spirit rose even higher with his gifts for they knew the personal cost and that such an action were unheard of for Russian officers. Regardless of the overwhelming numbers arrayed against them, in the morning every Russian soldier was present, ready for battle.

“As if my surprise at their humor before the battle near Munich was not enough, these Russians positively astounded me that morning. Not only had there been no desertions during the night, I had seen no guard posted to prevent such! And then, to see them arrayed so magnificently; their brass buttons all polished, uniforms cleaned as best they could manage, standing ram-rod straight with smiles on their faces, it was enough to make a military man weep at such bravado. I had fear for my own life, but had not nearly so much cause for it as the private soldiers, lined up to face death which would be dolled out by French musket and cannon, and yet they displayed not one fraction of the fear I felt that I illustrated.” ~Major Walter Whitsham, his memoirs

The Battle of Stuttgart was joined on June 11th, at approximately 11 AM. Although it would be far from the last battle of the war against France, it would be one of the most iconic to both Russians and Frenchmen for decades to come.

[LuckyLewis]

I've only read up to the end of the Battle of Munich so far but I must say you are doing a fanstastic job, your descriptive writing and screenshots work well together.

[SCCOJake]

Thanks Lewis, that means a lot coming from you (again you are my inspiration). I'm really glad I had good History and English teachers in high school and college, now you can see how I put those years to work...

I still think you take some of the best screenshots around and I wish I knew how to get some of the angles you can pull off, but I'm trying. I probably take 100-200 screens per battle from a recording, and I can go back and watch them again (although I'm upset that there is not a fast forward/rewind button for these games) and try and get myself to the good parts. I don't have anything fancy like Photoshop so all my stuff gets edited in Microsoft Office Picture Manager. Its primitive but seems to get the job done.

I plan to update my other AAR before posting the Battle of Stuttgart, both should be up by Monday as I have a long weekend and will probably spend most of Monday working on these projects.

[crucify_ego]

good stuff so far

[TheFuzzy]

I must say I am not even russian but this watered my eyes in admiration of the russians famous bravery. I have of late become bored with napoleon but this has inspired me to do an AAR so basically you are my hero now lol (if you could have a hero in this game ) also how do you take screen shots.