Napoleon crosses the Mincio: Borghetto (1796)

Borghetto is the fourth in the series of operational-level scenarios I have developed to accompany the forthcoming English edition of Clausewitz's history of Napoleon's 1796 campaign. With casualties of under 1,000 on each side, the battle of Borghetto was a minor action in tactical terms, but the crossing of the Mincio was a very significant operation which resulted in the expulsion of the Austrian army from Italy (for three months, anyway).

French grenadiers wade across the Mincio at Borghetto

When I drafted the scenario, I had some doubts about how well it would work, either as a credible simulation of the operation, or even just as an entertaining game. Happily when my allies across the pond, the Corlears Hook Fencibles in New York played this back in March, they evidently enjoyed it and managed two tight games: one draw and one narrow French victory.

Thus encouraged, this week it was our turn to try it at OWS. It kept six of us entertained for 3 hours, in which time we fought it through twice. It was great!

What's really nice about it is that both sides have major choices to make, and very different plans are possible. The low troop density and open terrain gives plenty of room for maneuver. The fact that the Austrians are torn between the fortress of Mantua at the southern edge of the table, and their line of communications to the Tyrol at the northern edge, created a real headache for the Austrian commander Beaulieu (perhaps literally so - he spent the actual battle being too unwell to command); but it also means the action stretches across the full length of the pitch.

In our first game, the Austrian defence was bold and aggressive. This kept Mantua entirely unmolested, but cost so many Austrian casualties that at game end Beaulieu did not have enough of a force left in being: French victory. After swapping sides, the new Austrian team had perhaps learned from their predecessors. Their defence of Mantua was more reticent but no less secure. Meanwhile, they contested the crossings around Valeggio vigorously and in a well-coordinated fashion, forcing some French units back across the river with loss. By game end the Austrians had inevitably been obliged to fall back on Castelnuovo towards the Tyrol; but this time they had inflicted enough casualties on the French, and preserved enough of their own army intact, for it to count as a French defeat. Hurrah for the Kaiser!

The scenario is in the 1796 subfolder, Napoleonic Wars folder, in the group files of the BBB Yahoo group.