Dennewitz - 6 September 1813
Historical Background
Oudinot had failed, but Napoleon was still obsessed with taking Berlin to knock Prussia out of the war. He chose Marshal Ney, ‘the bravest of the brave,’ to take over from Oudinot and try again.
Ney determined not to repeat Oudinot’s mistake, and concentrated his entire army to advance on one road. Still short of cavalry, Ney unexpectedly ran into the Prussians, but could not deploy his troops quickly enough to defeat the outnumbered Prussians to his front. The battle turned into a classic meeting engagement with both sides throwing in fresh troops as they arrived. The battle seesawed back and forth, until von Bülow arrived with his corps to take command. Ney, leading from the front, was not aware that the tactical situation was turning against him, and ordered Oudinot’s troops to pull back to form a reserve. The Prussians, believing the French were retreating redoubled their attack, which forced the French back. The retreat turned into a rout when Ney’s old comrade in arms, Bernadotte, threw his arriving Swedes into the disorganized French left flank. In the aftermath of the defeat, the Bavarians deserted the French, and most of the other French allied German states, especially Saxony, began to waver.
The stage is set. The battle lines are drawn and you are in command. Can you change history?
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Set-Up Order
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Battle Notes
Prussian Army
• Commander: Bülow
• 4 Command Cards & 2 Iron Will Counters
• Optional 4 Tactician Cards
• Move First
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| 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
French Army
• Commander: Ney
• 4 Command Cards
• Optional 4 Tactician Cards
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| 8 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Victory
7 Banners
Special Rules
• The Prussian player gains 1 Temporary Victory Banner at the start of the turn for each town hex a Prussian unit occupies (Temporary Victory Banner Turn Start)
• The French player gains 1 Victory Banner for each French unit that exits the battlefield from any Prussian baseline hex.
