Tuesday 1 November 2011

The Battle for Kiev

We are in the steppes of Russia, in the haet of the summer napoleon's troops have crossed the border of the Niemen, and in the middle of July they have reached the gates of Kiev. A russian army makes ready to protect one of the most sacred of russian cities, kiev capital of the first incarnation of the russian state must be saved at all costs. The glorious legacy of the princeps of kiev shining in the eyes of each soldier and subject.
The russian army:
General in chief: Marshal Mijail Kutuzov

Division Kamensky
General: Sergei Mikhailovich Kamensky
Hussar brigade (6)
New Ingria musketeers brigade (4)
Pavlovsk Grenadiers brigade (4)
3rd position baterry (4)

Division Uvarov
General: Fyodor Uvarov
Simbrisk musketeers brigade (4)
St Petersburg musketeers brigade (4)
Emperess's Cuirassiers (4)
Vladimir Battery (3)

Imperial Army

Division boyè
3me dragoons (4)
15me dragoons (4)
mounted battery (2)

Division Sant-Hilaire
Lepic brigade (6)
Bessières brigade (5)
medium battery (2)

Polish Division Josef Zayonchek
Ignazy brigade (4)
Kapuzinzki brigade (4)
medium battery (2)

The battle background is easy, the frenchs are approaching Kiev and it's garrison cahllenges the invader to a battle on open field that will decide the fate of the city. In the centre of the battelfild rises the village of Chaiky, the one that will take control of  the two builingd that form the place will control the road leding tho Kiev. The battle was fough by http://www.sammustafa.com/honour/purchase/shop/lasalle-e-book-print-friendly/; wih a home rule: once one of your units is disbanded half of it's bases scape running (as if formed in column) and the rest is destroyed, routing units can be regrouped sending a general to them (throw a dice 6 to regroup regulars and 5+ for elite, irregular troops irecuperable). If you disband a uint in hand tot hand combat throw a dice, with 4+ you would have captured their standard!


General Boyè's brigade

the russian stars moving towards the village 
General Kamenski supervises his division as it moves en masse  heading to the objective
Kamenski takes control of the eastern neighbourhood while french and polish infantry struggle to reach the buildings.

the french artillery opens fire, unleashing a feu d'enfer...

...that causes massive casualties among the russian center!

in the right flank Boye moves his division forward under the storm of fire changing formation from columm to line


Epic charge! the  3rd dragoons clashes against the empress cuirassiers...

and against all odds tears them to pieces!

back to the left the hussar brigade charges against Lepic brigade

and smashes himself against a perfect formed square.
in this black hour all seemed lost to the russian cause, with both flanks sinked, Kiev would fall to the invaders and it's holy soil occupied by polishs and worse... with his head darkened for this thoughts General Kamenski ovserves the advance of polish and french brigades against the russian center.

but the tide turned when two concentrated salvoes of the New Ingria regiment (who was occuping the village) forced to break the Bessières brigade. That was the first attack of a truelly avalanche of assaults that the french launched against the town, the New Ingria hold its grouns during all the day, throwing back wave after wave of assaltants. iIt was their heroism that won the day for the russians and because of this the whole regiment was awarded afterwards with saint George's cross, the highest medal that a russian can ever dream to win.
La Marche vers la Gloire: second wave, this one who suffered heavily from a 4 bases russian battery was completely erradicated from existence by a fusillade from the New Ingria, being crushed afterwards by the remmants of the regrouped hussars (who captured their eagle)
The polish attack: at the sound oft the Jeszcze Polska, the song that chanted the poles who stood with Napoleon in the first campaign of Italy (and actually the current polish anthem) the polish brigades moves on to the attack. Kapuzinzski brigade lanches themself against the village lead by General Josef in person while Ignazy brigade starts firing on the remaining russian center (the"glorious" grenadiers had started to run out like a turn ago) 
  • third wave, the polishs make their attempt...


and are also shattered (with the remmants of Bessières brigade who had been disbanded and regrouped before)

Disaster! the Simbrinsk musketeers captures the mounted battery


Uvarov tries desperadly to regroup routing Saint Petersburgers (polish musket was too much for them)

view of the Battelfield: in the centre the village (firmly in russian hands), the polishs covering the retreat of their comrades, below Boye's last brigade, and avove, a deserted field between the batteries of french and russians.

Vladimir fires it's last shots against the retreating polish.

Kamenski and Kutusov meet after the battle: hurrah Chaiky stays in the Tsar's hands, Kiev is protected and the frenchs are on retreat. Mother Russia has been saved!






1 comment:

  1. Interesting, nice read on the action. Collection shows well in the photographs. Kiev seems a bit south from Napoleon's actual march route. Will you try some Austrians and Saxons soon vs. the Russians?

    Michael aka WR

    ReplyDelete