The battle of Alba de Tormes (november 28, 2009)

Whereas the Spanish Army of the Center (or La Mancha) advanced towards Madrid (being routed in Ocaña), the Army of the Left under the Duke del Parque, had a diversionary mission in order to draw French forces away from the capital.
Del Parque’s campaign had begun with a victory, at Tamames on 18 October 1809 and, after occupying Salamanca, he advanced towards Medina del Campo (Valladolid), reaching that town on 23 November, at the same moment as a French force under Kellerman arrived from the opposite direction. The next day, del Parque received news form the Sppnish rout at Ocaña and, despite his Spanish superiority, 32,000 vs. 16,000, he retreated towards Alba de Tormes.
On the afternoon of 28 november, Kellerman's cavalry found the Spanish camped around Alba de Tormes. Confident that he was not closely pursued, del Parke split his army, with two divisions west of the river Tormes and three in the town. Kellerman had only 3,000 cavalry against 18,000 Spaniards on the right (east) bank of the river. Kellerman had only 3,000 cavalry, but he decided to risk a cavalry attack on the much larger Spanish army to avoid the Spanish scape.

The French cavalry attacked while the Spanish were struggling to form a line, hiting the Spanish right, before they had time to form into squares, breaking two infantry divisions (Losada and Belveder). The Spanish fled towards the bridge and the French took around 2,000 prisoners and causing 1,000 casualties. Kellerman then turned to deal with La Carrera’s left flank division, but this time the Spanish had formed into squares, and the French were repulsed.
Spanish were not able to move in squares and as long as Kellerman maintained the pressure, they were unable to escape. Eventually, when the French infantry began to arrive, La Carrera ordered his men to attempt to reach the bridges and because of the darkness, the French were unable to take much advantage of the situation.
The Spanish withdrew back into the mountains losing another 3,000 men during the retreat.

Thus ended the fateful Spanish autumn campaign of 1809.

New Scenarios for Napoleon's Battles 3rd Ed?

Lost Battalion Games has published 10 "New" Scenarios for Napoleon's Battles 3rd ed. (NBIII). The Scenarios have been designed so their look is consistent with the new NBIII. Some have been published in previous editions: NBI and its expansions (Red and Blue books) or NBII, so actually only 'Medina de Rioseco' is new!
I have made a complete (I hope!) relation of the "official" Scenarios designed for Napoleon's Battles and endorsed by Coggins and Craig:

Scenarios included in NBIII
1 - 1792 "Valmy" Scenario #9 of Red book. Published in NBII
2 - 1799 "Novi" Published in NBII
3 - 1800 "Marengo" Scenario #3 of NBI. Published in NBII
4 - 1806 "Auerstadt" Scenario #4 of NBI. Published in NBII
5 - 1809 "Raab" Published in NBII
6 - 1809 "Talavera" Scenario #6 of NBI. Published in NBII
7 - 1811 "Albuera" Scenario #24 of Blue book. Published in NBII
8 - 1812 "Gorodetschna" Published in NBII
9 - 1814 "Craonne" Scenario #16 of Red book. Published in NBII
10- 1815 "Quatre Bras" Published in NBII (and in "The General" magazine (See The Un-official Napoleon's Battles web page)
11- 1815 "Waterloo" Scenario #8 of NBI. Published in NBII
12- 1813 "Lutzen" Scenario #25 of Blue book. Published in NBII

New Scenarios available now for NBIII
1 - 1794 "Revolutionary Ardor" - Scenario #1 of NBI. Hypotetical battle
2 - 1807 "Eylau" Scenario #5 of NBI
3 - 1808 "Vimiero (Vimeiro)" Scenario #22 of Blue book
4 - 1809 "Corunna (La Coruña o Elviña)" Scenario #11 of Red book
5 - 1809 "Aspern-Essling" - Scenario # 12 of Red book
6 - 1812 "Salamanca" (Los Arapiles) Scenario #14 of Red book
7 - 1812 "Borodino" Scenario #7 of NBI
8 - 1813 "Leipzig" Scenario #15 of Red book
9 - 1815 "Ligny" "The General" magazine (See The Un-official Napoleon's Battles web page)
10 - 1808 "Medina del Riosecco (Medina de Rioseco)" NEW

Other published Scenarios not available (still) for NBIII
1809 "The Austrians at bay" Scenario #2 of NBI. Hypotetical battle
1807 "Friedland" Scenario #10 of Red book
1809 "Ocano (Ocaña)" Scenario #13 of Red book
1814 "A 400 point demostrantion game" Scenario #17 of Red book
1805 "Austerlitz" Scenario #21 of Blue book
1809 "Wagram" Scenario #23 of Blue book

Edited:
By indication of Ed
1812 "Villa Costa", Published in "The Courier" magazine

There are many other un-official Scenarios available in booklets (as the published by Brian Robinette) or in internet (See the yahoo group, my main site and any of the links for Napoleon's Battles)

The battle of Ocaña (november 19, 1809)

The battle of Ocaña (Toledo) took place in november 19, 1809 between the Spanish troops of the Ejército del Centro (Army of the Center), under General Areizaga, and the French army led by the king Jose I, with Soult as Major General. The battle finished with the Spanish defeat and ended the fall campaign of 1809, in which the Junta Suprema (against the advise of Wellington) planned a double offensive, in which the Army of the Left operating around Salamanca, would attract the French Reserves (actually winning in Tamames), thus allowing the advance of Areizaga towards Madrid.
Areizaga advanced towards the capital, commanding a force comprising 46,000 infantry (7 infantry divisions and an advance guard) and 5,000 cavalry, whereas, on the other side, Soult had 27,000 infantry and 5,000 cavalry (Sebastiani's IV Corps and Mortier's V Corps, Desolles's Reserve with the Royal Guard and 3 cavalry divisions). Previously to the battle, 3,000 French cavalry (under generals Paris and Milhaud) dispersed 4,000 Spaniards (under Freire) causing them some hundreds of losses, in the greatest cavalry combat of the Peninsular War.
The next day, november 19, Areizaga retreated searching for an advantageous position, but he was intercepted by Soult and forced to deploy in a very unfavorable place and without no geographic support, around the town of Ocaña. The massed French cavalry charged against the Spanish right flank routing the Spanish cavalry, and then attacked the flanks of the Spanish line, while the French and German infantry attacked its front. The Spanish divisions dispersed one after another one, being pursued by the French cavalry.
Spanish losses were around 4,000 men, but the French also took 14.000 prisoners, 50 guns, 30 flags and all the Spanish baggage. French reported 2,000 casualties. One week later, the Army of the Left was also routed in Alba de Tormes, and the Junta Suprema left Seville retiring to the island of León in Cádiz.

The best Spanish book on that battle and campaign is:
Title: La Batalla de Ocaña : campañas militares en la provincia de Toledo en 1809
Authors: Florencio Ontalba Juárez y Pedro Luis Ruiz Jaén
Edited by: Diputación Provincial, 2006
ISBN 84-96211-17-7

A too realistic diorama?

As many of you surely know, I am a follower of the Croebern-1813 web site. That Project want to show a frozen instant of the battle of Leipzig (16th october 1813) showing the arrival of the Austrian Army Reserve, around 4.00 p.m, to the villages of Cröbern, Crostewitz and Markkleeberg villages, located in the southern zone of the battlefiled.
The diorama is composed of many different scenes and vignettes depicting different aspects od the battlefield. The members of the Project team want a diorama so realist as posible... with all consequences. Using their own words translated from german, "the normal human needs are the most understandable thing in the world and soldiers of every nation had to perform their needs where theystood. We want also to show these aspects and here is the first experiments. Evidentely another “little thing” must be still modelled."

So real like life itself!

Off topics... Carl Sagan Day

This November 7, 2009, the first annual Carl Sagan Day will be celebrated to honor the life and contributions of this great astronomer, author, and philosopher on the 75th anniversary of his birth.

Carl Edward Sagan (November 9, 1934 – December 20, 1996) was an American astronomer, astrochemist, author, and highly successful popularizer of astronomy, astrophysics and other natural sciences. He pioneered exobiology and promoted the Search for Extra-Terrestrial Intelligence (SETI) .

He is world-famous for writing popular science books and for co-writing and presenting the award-winning 1980 television series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage , which has been seen by more than 500 million people in over 60 countries.[2] A book to accompany the program was also published. He also wrote the novel Contact the basis for the 1997 film of the same name. During his lifetime, Sagan published more than 600 scientific papers and popular articles and was author, co-author, or editor of more than 20 books. In his works, he frequently advocated skeptical inquiry, secular humanism, and the scientific method.

See one of the more popular videos 'A pale blue dot' with Spanish subtitles for all spanish-speakers visiting this site!



Lastly, one of his quotes:

In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion.

Week of Science 2009

You can see above, one of the reasons behind my temporary break from painting and/or wargaming activities.
The Week of Science will be celebrated in Valladolid from 12th to 19th of November. During seven days, different cultural activities will take place with a main goal: the promotion of the scientific culture and the diffusion of the scientific and research activities.
ALKAID EDICIONES, will be present in this coordinated effort. I must give a lecture about "Web 2,0 and scientific divulgation". In the same act, Mariano Esteban, a close collaborator in ALKAID, will talk about 'Making skies' and Pilar Iglesias (the C-i-C and the brain behind ALKAID) will present the rest of the divulgative activities of ALKAID.

The great cavalry charge of Armand d'Arc

I am now in the middle of a sort of painting and wargaming lull. Too many academic (at the University) and editorial (at ALKAID) tasks, are scheduled for the weeks to come. However, I can make my regular reading and net surfing, so I am not fully disconnected from the wargaming world. Now is the time to enjoy the work of the friends.
Again I am posting in behalf of Armand d'Arc some pictures of the battle of Ganta. This time is the turn of a great cavalry charge. You can see French Imperial Guard cavalry attacking a Prussian battery: Chasseurs à Cheval at right flank, Grenadiers à Cheval in the center and Dragons de l'Imperatrice at left flank. The cavalry is attacking the front of a battery, and the Prussian balls and shells are falling amongst the heroic riders.

Now two views, the first is from the Prussian side and we can see the front of the attack, whereas the following shows the rear of the French, from the perspective of their supporting Artillery.


Now a view of the sencond wave of French cavalry, composed from Lanciers Rouges de la Garde, Line Chasseurs and Hussars. A third wave of heavy cavalry, Line Cuirassiers, is also preparing to support the attack.

At last, the Prusian cavalry is counter-charging the French.

The battle is raging and the outcome is uncertain. Wait and see!