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.

The Battle of Ooderen :The Spanish Netherlands, June 31st 1703

The details of this clash of arms is a bit sparse in English sources, so this is my interpretation of the events leading up to this battle. Some of the details could be wrong.

 This battle was one of many in what is known as The Malburian Wars or The War of the Spanish Succession. The British and Dutch were fighting the French. Louis the 14th had sent his army North, to invade the Spanish Netherlands, which roughly equates to the country of Belgium in present times.

The Dutch government had sent their army South  into the Netherlands to try and forestall the French army in its advance. The British General, The Duke of Marlborough had warned General Obdam the Dutch General not to advance to far.

Obdam disregarded the Dukes advise wanting to show that the Dutch did not need the British to give them instructions. At this time the country of Holland was known as The United Provinces.

The French C-in-C, the Duc De Boufflers was no fool and as the Dutch army advanced saw an opportunity to surround it. At Eckeren this manoeuvre came about.

Realising what was happening, Obdam with his army tried to fight his way out of the encirclement. First, he directed an attack against Eckeren  but the French forced the Dutch to retreat. Next, he directed an attack against Hoevenen, but this was not pushed home.

Hoevenen was where the majority of the French Cavalry was stationed. The area consisted of open country. The Dutch Generals realised that their mainly infantry army would be cut to pieces if caught in open country in marching column.

The Dutch Army was camped in enclosed territory ideal for defense but they were surrounded on three sides with their backs to the Scheldt river ( pro: Skeld ).

The Dutch Commander knew there was only one thing he could do; he deserted!!.

Disguising himself as a French Officer, Obdam went South, leaving his Officers and the army in a dire situation. Luckily for the Dutch troops, the second in command, General Slangenburg was made of sterner stuff,.

He realised that the only way out was through Ooderen. When the Scheldt river was at low ebb, the polder (a very large drainage gully ) near the village would be passable.

Even at low tide the drainage ditch and the dike further east would be an obstacle for cavalry so would provide some defence should the Duc De Merode become aware of the Dutch manouvres.

Having decided on a plan General Slangenburg and his fellow General Friesham got the army moving.

The Army of The United Provinces ( Holland)

8,500 foot ( inc; Generals and Artillery) = 8.5 points x  4 = 34 points.

1,500 Horse= 1.5 x 4= 6 points.

1 General ( Slangenburg) @ 2points.

1 General (Friesham) @ 1 point.

3 stands of Cavalry @ 2 points = 6 points.

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

2 stands of Grenadier infantry @ 4 points =8 points.

10 stands of Line Infantry @ 2 points = 20 points.

The French "Division" at Ooderen.

9,500 Foot = 9.5 x 4 = 38 points ( inc Generals and Artillery ).

2000 Horse = 2 points x 4 = 8 points.

1 General ( the Duc De Villaroi ) @ 1 point.

2 stands of Heavy Field Guns @ 2points = 4 points.

8 stands of Line Infantry @ 3 points = 24 points.

1 stand of Dismounted Dragoons @ 1 point.

2 Stands of Grenadier Infantry @ 4 points = 8 points.

4 stands of Cavalry @ 2 points = 8 points.

Here is a map of the battle;

The battlefield;

Notes;

The Dutch get the Initiative Point on every  Game-Turn. This is for their bravery born out of desperation and for the French not expecting the Dutch to attack!.

Any stands being forced into the water West of the village bridge will be lost. This was the flood plain of the Scheldt so very deep and soft mud. The left side of the board from the Dutch base edge is river so stands will be lost if they are forced to retire off that side.

Any Dutch stands retiring over the dike will be lost ( they would eventually be caught by the French troops to the East).

The polder East of the Bridge is treated as a river that under the rules can be crossed with penalties.

The winner of the battle after 8 Game-Turns will be the side with the least number of stands lost and/or the Dutch have stands on the bridge at the village. The Dutch have only one way to go. That is North.

The other parts of The French Army didn't take part in the battle. I'm surmising that either Generals Boufflers and Merode assumed that General Villeroi could defeat the Dutch ,or, the acoustics of the area muffled the sound of the battle.

General De Bedmar,s Spanish " Division" was at Wilmarsdonk to the South, but he did not move. I'm assuming that he also thought that Generals Villaroi and Merode would be able to stop the Dutch escaping.

For completeness, here is my interpretation of the remainder of the Franco/ Spanish Army;

The French "Division" at Hoevenen

6,500 horse = 6.5 points x 4 = 26 points.

1 General ( Merode) @ 1 point.

8 stands of Cavalry @ 3 points = 24 points.

1 stand of Mounted Dragoons @ 1 point.

The French "Division " at Eckeren.

11,000 Foot ( inc: Generals and Artillery)= 11 points x 4 = 44 points.

2,000 Horse = 2 points x 4 = 8 points.

1 General, C-in-C ( Boufflers) @1 point.

1 stand of Heavy Artillery @ 2points.

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

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

10 stands of Line Infantry @ 3 points = 30 points.

4 stands of Cavalry @ 2 points = 8 points.

The Spanish "Division" at Wilmarsdonk.

8,500 Foot ( inc: Artillery and Generals = 8.5 points x 4 = 34 points. 

1,500 Horse = 1.5 x 4 = 6 points.

1 General ( De Bedmar) @ 1 point.

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

7 stands of Line Infantry @ 3 points = 21 points.

4 stands of Light Artillery @ 1 point = 4 points.

3 stands of Cavalry @ 2 points = 6 points.

Credits;

I set this battle up on a 2 foot (60cm) x 2 foot (60cm) board as there seem to be very little manoeuvring space according to one Period map I have seen.

The figures are mostly Miniature Figurines with some from Peter Pig and Essex Miniatures. They represent the middle 18th century rather than the earlier Malburian era.

The buildings are from Total Battle Miniatures. The bridge at the village is scratchbuilt, as are the dike sections. The rivers and roads are thin card.

The bases of the figures are made from picture framing card and the round 40mm mdf  bases are from Minibits

 

The Battle of Friedlingen. Breisgau 14th October 1702.

As the War of the Spanish Succession unfolded, military formations of The Hapsberg Empire moved to cover the crossings of the river Rhine and to threaten Alsace.

In order to break this deadlock the French King sent an Army through Huningue across the Rhine into Breisgau.

South of the river Weisse the country belonged to the Swiss. The French General, De Villars had previously  sought permission from the Cantons to pass through their territory in order to execute a wide flanking march to the North East. Permission was denied.

Although De Villars could see that he had limited space to deploy his Army,  he still led his forces out to do battle. If he was to win, the situation would undermine the Austrian blockade of the Rhine crossings.

The Imperial Austrian Army;

9,000 Infantry = 9 points x 4 = 36 points.

5, 000 Cavalry = 5 points x 4 = 20 points.

C-in-C; Louis William of Baden = 1 point.
General Claude De Mercy = 1 point.

Fort Friedlingen;

1 Heavy artillery stand @ 2 points.
1 stand of Line Infantry @ 3 points.

In the field;

2 stands of Grenadier infantry @ 4 points = 8 points.

7 stands of Line Infantry @ 3 points = 21 points.

4 stands of Line Cavalry @ 3 points = 12 points.

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

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


The French Army;

6,000 Cavalry; 6 points x 4 = 24 points.

11,000 Infantry; 11 points x 4 = 44 points.

C-in-C; Claude Louis Hector De Villars = 1 point.
General Desbordes = 1 point.

Garrison of Huningue;

1 stand of Grenadier Infantry = 4 points.
2 stands of Heavy Artillery @2 points = 4 points.

Field Army;

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

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

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

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

Notes;

●The French Army moves first on the first Game-Turn. All subsequent
Game-turns are diced for.

● The River Canderne can be crossed by infantry and cavalry. The artillery
must cross by the bridge.

● Any French stands forced to enter the River Weisse will be lost.

In the original battle  the French Infantry pushed up Tollingen Hill as the Austrian Army advanced.

De Villars had to intervene when his infantry started to retire under pressure from the Austrians opposite their position.

The Austrian Cavalry put in a half - hearted charge but soon retired.

Fort Friedlingen was also known as Fort De  Etoile or the Sternschanze ( Starsconce). According to an old map I've seen it is portrayed as a rectangular star shape.

I used a rectangular fort- style building. There was a marshy stream running
parallel with the base of the hill West of fort Friedlingen and I have portrayed part of it.
Any unit moving into the marshy ground can only move one square per game-turn.

Here is the map;

Some of the information presented here, I wasn't sure about but the battle seems to work so I I'm  going with this;

Once again, the battle is on a 3 foot x 2 foot board and the figures are a mix of Miniature Figurines and Peter Pig. The table is shown from the Austrian position.
Here's a few more;

The Battle of Luzzera; Italy 1702.

This battle was one of a number of battles between France and Imperial Austria to take control of Italy. The battle took place in Lombardy on the 15th of August. This battle was a tough one with heavy casualties on both sides. At the end of the day, the French were fought to a standstill, with the Austrians to tired to push home their attack. Both sides dug in on the battlefield. A few months later the French Army retired.

The Armies are as follows;

France.
24,500 Infantry. = 24 1/2 points x2 = 49 points.
10,000 Cavalry. = 10 points x2 = 20 points.
Total = 69 points.


1) General Louis Joseph Duc De Vendome C-in-C =1point.
2) General Charles De Lorraine Prince De Commerci =1 point.
3) General Nicholas Catinat =1 point.

2 Stands of Grenadier Infantry @ 4 points =8 points.
11 Stands of Line Infantry @ 3 points = 33 points.
5 Stands of Line Cavalry @ 3 points = 15 points.
2 Stands of Light Dragoons @ 2 points = 4 points.
3 Stands of Heavy Artillery @ 2 points = 6 points.

Imperial Austria.
17,500 Infantry. = 17 1/2 points. x 2 = 35 points.
7,500 Cavalry. = 7 1/2 points. x 2 = 15 points.
Total 50 points.

A) General Prince Eugene of Savoy C-in-C = 2 points.
B) General Visconti = 1 point.
C) General Vaudemont = 1 point.

1 Stand of Grenadier Infantry @ 4 points. = 4 points.
7 Stands of Line Infantry @ 3 points. = 21 points.
3 Stands of Heavy Artillery @ 2 points = 6 points.
5 Stands of Line Cavalry @ 3 points = 15 points.

Notes.
● Stands can only be moved up onto the Dyke
via the slope at either end.

● Stands moving over the irrigation ditches must stop once the Stand is on them. The stand can be moved normally in the next movement phase.

● A Stand involved in combat whilst positioned in an irrigation ditch, deduct 2 points from their combat die roll.

● The fields do not impede movement or line-of-sight.

● The buildings represent large Farm complexes called "Casines". Stone farmhouses and buildings encompassed by a wall.

● The river Po can only be crossed via the pontoon bridge.

● The Dragoons can dismount.

The Prince De Commerci; This particularly brave Gentlemen was wounded seven times leading cavalry  charges! and expired at the end of the battle!. Therefore;
Each time the French Cavalry under his command move back or are removed,this figure suffers a wound. Should he gain 3 wounds within eight Game-Turns,the figure is removed.

●The battle is fought for 8 Game-Turns.The loser is the army with the most number
of stands lost. If the number of stands lost on both sides is equal, the side with the most
Points in stands looses the battle.

● I fought this battle three times. The first was solo. The second and third with my Wife Joyce and my Stepson Jason. The Austrians won twice and the French once.

This is a map of the battlefield with the positions of the respective armies.

This is the battlefield. I used 15mm 18th century figures. These are mostly Miniature Figurines with some Peter Pig additions.

The square bases are from picture framing card. The round 40mm mdf bases are supplied by Minibits.

The Dyke;
I made this from cardboard in sections. I then covered the sections with texturing
Paste and painting them once the paste had dried.

The fields are Mdf bases sectioned with Cold curing clay. I bought some " wheatfield"
Scenic scatter from War World Scenics. ( www.wwscenics.com).

The mdf bases came from S and A scenics, and Sarrisa Precision.

The mdf river sections came from a pack supplied by Sarrisa Precision. I added the river bank with Green Stuff putty. I then used emulsion paint and acrylic gloss varnish to finish them off.

The bridge " pontoons" were scratchbuilt as were the farmhouses using picture framing card and foamboard covered with texturing paste.