Battle of Rocoux. Austrian Netherlands. 11th October 1746.

 This is my personal interpretation of this battle. Any mistakes are my own.

Following on from the battle of Fontenoy, Marshal De Saxe and his Generals made short work of taking over various fortresses within the Austrian Netherlands. The French army was aided in this by the garrisons giving up as soon as the French army appeared.The Netherlands ( modern Belgium) is situated on France,s northern border and considered by Saxe as a good campaign area.

However all was not well within the French Government. The war had been an enormous financial burden on the French Treasury. Louis the 15th and his Ministers were desperate for peace but not from a weak position. Peace talks were already taking place at Breda.

Meanwhile, Marshal Saxe had capped a successful campaign by taking Namur, and thought that the fighting was done for the present, but he was wrong. The Empress of Austria, Maria Theresa, did not want to loose yet more territory to the Franco-Prussian alliance.

Prince Charles of Lorraine was Brother-in- Law to the Empress and commanded the Pragmatic army. The Netherlands were not to be given up. Late September found the Allied army marching south down the western side of the Meuse from the United Provinces ( Holland ) toward Liege.

De Saxe could not believe that the Allied army wanted yet another battle, but when the Allied army crossed the Jeker ( the Jaar) Maurice was determined to win. The Allied column reached Liège, then faced right to bring the army into position facing the direction of the French encampment to the west. 

The Dutch were positioned on the left nearest to Liege with their right flank in Rocoux. Next to them were the British and Hessians. Further right were the Hanoverians covering the village of Varoux. Finally, anchoring the right flank were the Austrians, positioned on higher ground with broken ground to their front.

De Saxe could not not believe what he was seeing. The Allied line was thin and positioned with a major river behind them. However, if battle was what they wanted that was what they would get. 

Because Prince Charles was present, the  British Duke of Cumberland stepped back from the command of the Army. Command of the British contingent and Deputy command of the army was taken up by Sir John Ligonier. A no-nonsense Officer with increasing stature amongst his peers.

Marshal Saxe was determined to stamp his authority on the battle. To that end he sent one of his “ Brigades” under General Clermont through Liège to outflank the allied position. Exactly how this was accomplished is not known. The gates may have been opened by pro-French sympathisers within the city. Once through the city, Clermont,s division attacked the left flank of the Dutch, forcing the Prince of Waldeck to realine his forces

General Clermont-Gallerande on the French left, was told to demonstrate against the Austrians but not to attack. The main effort was to be against the Dutch, British and Hanoverians.—————-

THE FRENCH ARMY: 102,000 = 102 points.

THE “ BRIGADE” OF GENERAL CLERMONT..28,000 = 28 pts.

1 General ( Clermont ).                 @ 2 pts.

1 stand of Grenadier Infantry.       @ 4pts.

6 stands of Line Infantry @ 3pts = 18 pts

2 stands of Light Infantry @ 2 pts = 4pts.

THE “BRIGADE” OF MARSHAL SAXE. 26,000 = 26pts.

1 General ( and C-in-C ) Maurice De Saxe @ 3pts.

3 stands of Line Infantry @ 3pts = 9pts.

1 stand of Grenadier Infantry.   @ 4pts.

2 stands of Heavy Artillery @ 2pts = 4pts

3 stands of Cavalry. @ 2 pts = 6 pts.

THE “ BRIGADE” OF GENERAL CONTADES. 24,000 = 24 pts

1 General ( Contades )  @ 2 pts.

1 stand of Grenadier Infantry.   @ 4 pts.

4 stands of Line Infantry. @ 3pts = 12 pts.

2 stands of Light Artillery. @ 1pt = 2pts

2 stands of Cavalry. @ 2pts. = 4pts.

THE “ BRIGADE” OF GENERAL CLERMONT- GALLERANDE. 24,000 =24pts.

1 General ( Gallerande ).  @ 2 pts.

1 stand of Grenadiers. @ 4 pts.

4 stands of Line Infantry @ 3 pts. = 12 pts.

2 stands of Cavalry. @  2pts = 4 pts.

2 stands of Light Artillery  @ 1 pt. = 2 pts.

THE PRAGMATIC ARMY: 89,000 = 89 pts.

THE DUTCH “BRIGADE” OF THE PRINCE OF WALDECK: 26,000 = 26 pts.

1 General ( Waldeck )  @ 1 pt.

1 stand of Grenadier Infantry. @ 4pts.

5 stands of Line Infantry  @ 3pts =. 15 pts.

2 stands of Light Artillery. @ 1 pt. = 2 pts.

2 stands of Cavalry. @ 2pts.= 4pts.

THE BRITISH “ BRIGADE” of SIR JOHN LIGONIER. 19,000 = 19pts.

1 General (. Ligonier ). @ 2 pts.

1 stand of Grenadier Infantry  @. 2pts.

3 stands of 2nd class Line Infantry. @. 2pts.= 6pts.

2 stands of 2nd class Hessian Line Infantry. @ 2pts = 4 pts.

1 stand of Cavalry @ 2pts.

1 stand of Light Artillery @ 1pt.

THE HANOVARIAN “ BRIGADE” OF GENERAL VON ZASTROW. 17,000 = 17pts.

1 General  (Zastrow ) @ 1pt.

1 stand of Grenadier Infantry. @ 4 pts.

3 stands of Line Infantry. @ 3pts = 9pts.

1 stand of Cavalry @ 2 pts.

1 stand of Light Artillery @ 1 pt.

Note: At this time British troops were auxiliary to the Hanoverians on the continent. A number of histories combine the two as “ The British Army”.  However King George was Elector of Hanover and in The Kings eyes it was Hanover first.

 The situation is not helped by the fact that the British and Hanovarian Infantry uniform was very similar. The British fielded approximately 16,000 on most occasions with the bulk of the army being Hanovarian with some from Hesse..

THE AUSTRIAN “ BRIGADE” OF PRINCE CHARLES OF LORRAINE: 27;000 = 27pts.

1 General and C-in-C  ( Prince Charles ). @ 1 pt.

1 stand of Grenadier Infantry. @ 4pts.

4 stands of Line Infantry @ 3 pts. = 12pts

2 stands of Light Artillery @ 1 pt = 2 pts.

4 stands of Cavalry. @. 2pts. =. 8pts

THE BATTLE;

* The French retain the Initiative Point for the entire battle.

* The rivers Jeker and Meuse can only be crossed via the bridges or the pontoon bridges. Any stand being forced into one of the rivers is lost.

* The French army is moved first on the first Game-Turn,  BUT NOT Clermont,s Brigade within Liège. Clermont,s Brigade can be moved as normal from the second  to the eighth Game-Turn.

* Although the French retain the Initiative point for the entire battle, both sides still have dice thrown to determine which side moves first, fires first and wins any tied results.

* If any stands suffer a “ move back” as a result of firing or combat, and cannot be moved back, that stand is removed from play.

* There are two patches of Broken Ground in front of the Austrian position. Stands cannot be moved into those particular squares.

* The game is played for Eight Game-Turns. The French win if they can cause more casualties than they suffer in points. If the points are equal, the French  also win if they can take the villages of Rocoux and Varoux.

HISTORICAL NOTES:

Maurice De Saxe ( Maurice of Saxony ) was one of the pre-eminent Commanders of his time. Unfortunately there was nobody on the Allied side to match him. The Austrian commander Prince Charles did have combat experience is did Waldeck and Zastrow, but they were all basically pedestrian, as was the Duke of Cumberland.

 Sir John Ligonier was a rare Officer who could take in the “big picture”. There is no evidence for it, but seeing the situation the Allied army was in, I am sure it was Ligonier who had the pontoon bridges constructed and arranged for the army baggage to be sent over the Meuse. 

The battle was a victory for the French but did not cause the complete destruction of the Allied Army as Saxe had planned. On the morning of the battle, there was fog and drizzle, which delayed the French attack. Eventually as the Allied centre gave way. De Saxe sent orders to Clermont-Gallerande to attack the Austrian position.

This was meant to impede any Austrian support to the centre. But Gallerande waited two hours before commencing the advance, allowing the Austrians to cover the retreat of the army over the Meuse.

There were political consequences to this battle. Maurice was a Saxon and although he had the full backing of Louis the 15th (XV ) none the less, the French Officer Corp resented taking orders from an outsider. In the wider Political world, major Alliances were starting to fray.

At the eventual Peace talks France was forced to hand back all its conquests. Through British connivence Austria was forced to underwrite Prussia’s conquest of Silesia. Although the War of the Austrian Succession had a few more years to run, both the French ( allied to Prussia) and Austria ( allied to Britain) felt that they had been hoodwinked.

Thus the stage was set for the next great conflict as France and Austria, enemies for at least the previous 300 years themselves became allies. The “ Diplomatic Revolution “ as it was later termed was to set Europe on its head and pre-empt the Seven Years War.

CREDITS:

The figures are mostly Miniature Figurines, with Peter Pig and some Essex Miniatures. The flags are hand painted on masking tape. The bases are 1mm picture-framing cardboard.

The two-storey buildings were bought from Total Battle Miniatures. The two villages were scratchbuilt from the picture framing cardboard, as were the pontoon bridges. The hill was made by Brian at Essex Miniatures ( recently resprayed.).

The trees were made by various manufacturers. The roads and river were cut from thin card, the field sections are cut from pan scrubbers as is the broken ground.

My Mums ancestors, the Lane Family, were part of the group that helped King Charles 2nd escape after the battle of Worcester in 1651. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth 2nd has passed away today. May Her Majesty Rest In Peace.

Battle of Dettingen; 27th June 1743.

This is my own interpretation of events. Any mistakes are my own.

As part of the Pragmatic agreement the British Government sent troops to Europe to aid the Empress of Austria in her fight against Prussia. This was also in response to French intervention on behalf of Bavaria. The French were supporting  Charles the 7th of Bavaria as the elected leader of the Holy Roman Empire in opposition to Austria.

The King of Britain, George the 2nd was also the Duke of Hanover.  As much as he wanted to be seen as a staunch ally of Austria, the action was perceived by some to be a move to protect Hanover from any French takeover. This rumour was further strengthened when the Pragmatic Army stayed on the northeastern bank of the Main.

[ George was also known as an "Elector". These were a group of Princes within the Empire who formed a Council to elect the Holy Roman Emperor ].

As stated before, the British troops were auxiliary to the Hanovarian army as were the Hessians. The other main component were the troops from the Austrian Netherlands ( modern Belgium ), commanded by the Duke of Aremberg.

June of 1743 found the Pragmatic army camped at Aschaffenberg enroute to Bavaria. While there the information came that the French had retired from Bavaria, having lost the campaign against the invading Austrians.

In order to save his kingdom , the Emperor Charles 7th ( who was also the Wittalsbach Duke of Bavaria ), made peace with the Austrians thereby negating the reason for the the Pragmatic army to be there!.

[ Very soon after this Charles 7th expired. His son Maximillian 3rd Joseph succeeded him. By 1745 Bavaria was in ruins. To gain peace with Austria, Joseph acceded to Hapsburg Austria,s right to rule the Holy Roman Empire, an entity in name only ].

The Allied army had further problems. Supplies coming down the river Main from the Netherlands had been cut off by French Forces. The senior commanders also had to wait on the deliberations of George the 2nd.  The King expressed the wish to lead the army in person.

This created further headaches for the commanders who were in charge of an army that was starving, and suffering from a breakdown in discipline. By the time the King arrived from Hanover, the army was in a bad way. In Council the decision was made to march north,through Dettingen to Hanau and back to the Netherlands.

The French Marshal , the Duc De Noailles, watching these events, conceived a plan to take advantage of the dire situation in which the allies found themselves. Realising that the Allies were heading toward Dettingen, the Duke laid his trap. 

To the south of Dettingen was a boggy ravine behind which Noailles positioned 21,000 infantry and 12,000 cavalry commanded by the Duke De Gramont assisted by the Count De Harcourt.

On the west side of the river Main the Marshal positioned his artillery to fire into the left flank of the enemy army as it advanced toward the ravine. After the Allied army had marched from Aschaffenburg, the Duke sent another 12,000 men into the town behind the Allies. With the Spessart hills to the East, the. Allied  Army was effectively trapped.

Well, that was the plan which, had it been enacted would have been the end of the Allied Army and the humiliating capture of a King!

In a moment of madness, all the careful planning was undone. For reasons only known to the Duc De Gramont, this same gentleman suddenly left his advantageous position behind the boggy ravine and led the army across the only bridge onto the plain.

To the Duke De Noailles horror the cavalry then charged the left of the Allied army——-———.

Here are the armies laid out for battle,

THE PRAGMATIC ARMY; 38,200 + 98 guns.

[ 98 x 30 men for each gun = 2940 men. 2.940 pts x 2 = 5.880 or 6 points in guns].

BRITAIN;

3,600 Line Infantry = 3.600 x 2= 7 points r/d.

1,600 Cavalry = 1.600 x 2= 3 points r/d.

1 C-in-C King George 2nd @ 1 point.

1 General, John Dalrymple, Lord Stair @ 1 point.

3 stands of Line Infantry @ 2 points = 6 points.

2 stands of Dragoon Cavalry @ 1 point = 2 points.

2 stands of Light Artillery @ 1 point = 2 points.

[ note; The British Guards and Grenadiers were sent back toward Aschaffenburg to act as a rearguard which did not go down well with the troops!].

HANOVER;

10,000 Line Infantry = 10 points x 2 =20 points.

2,000 Cavalry = 2 points x 2 = 4 points.

1 General, Ilton @ 1 point.

1 stand of Grenadier Infantry @ 4 points.

5 stands of Line Infantry @ 3 points = 15 points.

2 stands of Dragoon Cavalry @ 2 points = 4 points.

1 stand of Heavy Artillery @ 2 points.

HESSE;

4,200 Line Infantry = 4.200 points x 2 = 8 pts r/d.

800 Dragoon Cavalry = 0.800 points x 2 = 2 pts r/u.

1 stand of Grenadier Infanty = 4 points.

2 stands of Line Infantry @ 2 points = 4 points.

1 stand of Dragoon Cavalry @ 2 points.

AUSTRIA;

14,000 Infantry = 14 points x 2 = 28 points.

2,000 Cavalry = 2 points x 2 = 4 points.

1 General, Leopold Phillipe D,Aremberg @ 1 point.

2 stands of Grenadier Infantry @ 4 pts = 8 points.

6 stands of Line Infantry @ 3 points = 18 points.

2 stands of Dragoon Cavalry  @ 2 pts = 4 points.

1 stand of Hussar Light Cavalry @ 1 point.

1 stand of  Heavy Artillery @ 2 points.

FRENCH ARMY;

21,000 Infantry = 21 points x 2 = 42 points.

12,000 Cavalry = 12 points x 2 = 24 points.

54 guns  [ 54 x 30 = 1620 = 1.620 x 2 = 3.240 = 3pts r/d.

1 General and C-in-C Louis de Noailles @ 1point.

1 Louis de Gramont the 6th. @ 1 point.

1 General Louis de Lorraine Count of Harcourt @ 1 point.

1 stand of Grenadier Infantry @ 4 points.

11 stands of Line Infantry @ 3 points = 33 points.

2 stands of Light Infantry @ 1 point = 2 points.

8 stands of Cavalry @ 3 points =24 points.

3 stands of Light Artillery @ 1 point = 3 points.

Historical Notes;

I have read various accounts of this battle and in each, the numbers are different. The British troops were numbered as 16,000. Looking at the list of regiments, I can only tally approximately 6,000.

The Hanovarian army were dressed in uniforms practically the same as the British, with red being the main colour so I wondered if the  Hanovarian troops were thought of as British?

I had a similar problem with the French. I dont know wether the 12,000 that the Duke sent toward Aschaffenburg were part of the main army or were additional.

So, the figures I have given above are conjectural, but it seems to work. I think Noailles was on the west bank with the guns where he could order both wings of his army. However the troops intended for Aschaffenberg never actually got there. Simularly, the British and Hanovarian Guards were sent back toward Aschaffenberg as a rearguard, so were not involved in the action, for which they were later ridiculed by the Line troops!.

The river Main meanders in roughly a south easterly direction across modern Germany. The battle took place on part of the river that runs approximately north to south. The French batteries turned out to have very little effect on the battle. They were also masked by their own Cavalry.

Some time after the battle, Marshal Noailles told the French King, Louis the 15th that discipline in the army was collapsing. Given the defeats that the army had previously suffered along with the harsh natural conditions the army was operating in, it was understandable.

It would be down to Marshal Maurice de Saxe to restore French honour at Fontenoy.

It is interesting to note, that up to this point in time both Britain and France were not officially at war. Both were acting as auxiliaries to other Powers.

Fighting the Battle;

* On the 1st Game-Turn, the French move first and fire first and also have the Initiative Point.

* On Game-Turns, 2 to 8, the Pragmatic Army move and fires first and retains the Initiative Point. The Pragmatic Army also wins any ties.

* Any stands having to move into the river Main will be lost.

* The Ravine;

I'm not sure how much of an obstacle this was, but the fact that Gramont moved the army over the bridge illustrates how much of a problem it presented to movement.

Therefore, any stands moving into the ravine have to stop immediately. If, during " move back" a stand has to stop before the regulation spacing can be obtained, that stand is removed from play.

CREDITS;

Most of the figures are Miniature Figurines 15mm with a mix of Peter Pig and Essex Miniatures. The wagons are from Peter Pig.

The houses are from Total Battle Miniatures. The trees are from various manufacturers.

The square stands are cut from picture framing cardboard, the round mdf bases at from Minibits.

The hills are scratchbuilt as are the bridges. The roads and rivers are cut from thin card. As before, the board is 3 feet x 2 feet ( 90cm x 60 cm ).

Battle of Fontenoy: The Austrian Netherlands 1st May 1745.

Prior to this battle, the French Army had not done very well in Northern Italy. It was decided in Council that the Austrian Netherlands being on France's Northern border would be an easier target. The King of France, Louis 15th was also keen to campaign with his army so this would allow him to do so without being in harm's way much to the relief of his Generals.

The French army at this time was being led by possibly the best General of the age; Maurice of Saxony. He knew where the Allied army was likely to advance South. Therefore knowing that his troops were not at their best when going toe-to-toe with the English, he set up a killing field to channel the allied attack.

If the French army were being led by the best, the Allied Army had one of the worst. The Duke of Cumberland was the son of King George 2nd, King of Britain and Elector of Hanover. He did bring in some much needed improvements to the life of his troops, however his grasp of tactics was limited to leading his men into the heaviest enemy fire and keeping them there!

The British army at this point in time was not the finely honed force it would become under the Duke of Wellington. It was, when on the Continent, an auxiliary force to the Hanovarian Army. The Duke of Cumberland was in command of the Pragmatic Army because his social rank. The Pragmatic Army was the name given to the nation's allied to Austria, these being ; Hanover ( with Britain ), Holland,( at this time known as The United Provinces ) and Piedmont-Sardinia.

The opposition consisted of Prussia, France/Spain ( a family alliance ) along with Bavaria.

The Pragmatic Army.

The British;
16,000 foot inc Artillery and Generals.
16 points x 2 = 32 points.
4,500 horse = 4.5 points x 2 = 9 points.

C-in-C Duke of Cumberland = 1 point.
General John Ligonier = 1 point.
2 stands of Grenadier Infantry @ 4 points = 8 points.
5 stands of Line Infantry @ 3 points = 15 points.
2 stands of Scots light Infantry Skirmishers @ 2 points = 4 points.
2 stands of Light Artillery @ 1 point = 2 points.
3 stands of Dragoon Cavalry @ 3 points = 9 points.

The Hanoverian Brigade.

4,000 foot inc Artillery and Generals.
4 points x 2 = 8 points.
2,000 horse = 2 points x 2 = 4 points.

General Zastrow = 1 point.
1 stand of Light Artillery @ 1 point.
2 stands of Line Infantry @ 3 points = 6 points.
2 stands of Lìght Dragoons @ 2 points = 4 points.

The Dutch Army ( also known as the United Provinces ).

22,000 foot ìnc Artillery and Generals.
22 points x 2 = 44 points.
3,000 Horse = 3 points x 2 = 6 points.

General Karl August, Prince of Waldecķ @ 1 point.
General Constrom @ 1 point.
2 stands of Grenadier Ìnfantry @ 4 points = 8 points.
10 stands of Line Infantry @ 3points = 30 points.
4 stands of Light Artillery @ 1 point = 4 points.
3 stands of Light Dragoon Cavalry @ 2 points = 6 points.

The Austrian Netherlands Brigade.

1,500 Horse = 1.5 points x 2 = 3 points ( inc a General ).
500 foot = 0.5 points x 2 = 1 points.

General Count Lothar Konigsegg = 1point.
1 stand of  Light Dragoon Cavalry = 2 points.
1 stand of Militia Line Infantry = 1 point.

The French Army.

32,000 foot inc Artillery and Generals.
32 points x 2 = 64 points.
14,000 cavalry.
14 points x 2 = 28 points.

C-in-C General Maurice De Saxe @ 3 points.
General Vauguyon @ 1 point.
General Lutteaux @ 1 point.

3 stands of Grenadier Infantry @ 4 points = 12 points.
11 stands Line Infantry @ 3 points = 33 points.
3 stands Light Infantry Skirmishers @ 2 points = 6 points.

4 stands of Heavy Artillery @ 2 points = 8 points.

8 stands of Line Dragoon Cavalry @ 3 points = 24 points.
2 stands of Light Dragoon Cavalry @ 2 points = 4 points.

Here is a map of the battle;

Here is the armies laid out;

Notes;

● The ground in front of the British/ Hanovarians sloped up toward the French position. It did not seem to make any difference to the movement so I left it flat.

● The French troops facing the Dutch troops were positioned behind a raised track which ran between Anthoing and Fontenoy. As with the British, it didn't affect the battle in any way so, once again I left it flat.

● King Louis 15th was present at the battle but he did not take command.

● The French Artillery cannot move. If any model gets a "move-back" result from fire or combat, 2 points will be removed from the die roll of each gun model firing back during the same Game-Turn.

● The defense works are treated as trenches. Stands positioned behind them get cover from fire. In combat, both sides use the normal rules.

● The Duke of Cumberland dismounted to lead the British Infantry attack. The British player can have a dismounted version of Cumberland if desired. The model will move at infantry speed.  The Duke ignored advice from his Generals about the redoubt in the woods of Barry!.

● If any British stand has to move back as a result of Fire while the army is positioned on the board edge, the stand is removed!.

● Initial Moves;

On the British side, only the Dutch army moves on the first Game-Turn. From the second Game-Turn onward the game is played as normal.

The Solo Game;

On the British side, only the Dutch army is moved for the first two Game-Turns. From the third Game Turn onward, the British Player uses two thirds of their points for the British/ Hanovarian group first. This is because the Dutch attack was not pushed home.

CREDITS.

The figures are mostly Miniature Figurines supplemented with Peter Pig and Essex miniatures. There are also a stand of Hallmark pioneers. The coach in the bottom corner is from Essex.

The defense works are from a company called Last Man Last Bullet, and supplemented by sections from the Fire and Sword company.

The buildings are from Total Battle Miniatures.

The little supply waggon and the tent base is from Peter Pig.

All the items listed are 15mm and the interpretation of the battle is my own. The flags are hand painted by myself on masking tape.