zahna (september 4,1813)
INTRODUCTION
The Battle of Zahna, was a prelude to the battle of
Dennewitz.
The advance-guard of the Oudinot's French-Bavarian XII Corps (part of the Ney's Army of Berlin)
encountered the Tauentzien's Prussian IV Corps during the advance towards Berlin. The
actual battle reduced to a French demonstration (only five battalions were engaged) that forced the Prussians
to retire towards the Bernadotte's Army of the North. Two days later, the battle of Dennewitz
would end the Ney's advance against Berlin.
The battle is described in the Nafziger's book 'Napoleon at Dresden. The Battles of August 1813'
(The Emperor Press, Chicago, 1994), and there is also an
OOB for Zahna in the Nafziger collection,
now in the U.S. Combined Arms Research Library.
Whereas the actual engaged forces were very small, the Nafziger's OOB is un-balanced towards the French.
However, using the French Liberation lists of the Lasalle ruleset, with the
core list plus all the organic
brigades and one Allied brigade (Bavarians), produced a force similar in size to the Prussian IV Corps.
My acknowledgements to my good Argentinean friend
Armand d'Arc: he suggested me this little battle.
.
TABLE-TOP ADAPTATION
| GO TO THE BATTLE IN PICTURES | ||
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| Old map (taken from Napoleon-series.org) | Google Earth | Game map |
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The actual battlefield |
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| Prussian deployment | ||
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| French deployment | ||
| Lasalle Scenario file for Zahna (pdf) | ||
| GO TO THE BATTLE IN PICTURES | ||
French Forces: XII Corps (Army Moral 52; Break point 18)
Maréchal Oudinot Duke of Reggio
14th Division: 1st Brigade (5 battalions); 2nd Brigade (6 battalions); Foot artillery (2 batteries)
13th Division: 1st Brigade (4 battalions); Foot artillery (1 battery)
29th Light Cavalry Division: 3 Light Cavalry regiments; 1 Horse artillery battery
Artillery Reserve (1 battery)
Reinforcements 29th (Bavarian) Division (5 battalions); Foot artillery (1 battery)
Prussian Forces IV Prussian Army Corps (Army Moral 54,5 Break point 19)
Generallieutenant Tauentzien
Detachment: 2 battalions; 1 cavalry regiment; 1/2 Horse battery
First line: 6 battalions; 3 cavalry regiments; 1 foot battery; 2 horse half-batteries
Second Line: 7 battalions; 4 cavalry regiments,;1 Cossack Regiment;, 1 1/2 foot batteries; 1/2 horse battery
See a more detailed version at the Project Leipxig (1813) blog
THE BATTLE IN PICTURES