Napoleonic Wargame Club (NWC)

The Rhine Tavern

*   NWC   NWC Staff   NWC Rules   NWC (DoR) Records   About Us   Send Email Inquiry to NWC

*   La Grande Armée Quartier Général    La Grande Armée Officer Records    Join La Grande Armée

*   Allied Coalition   Allied Officers   Join Coalition

*   Coalition Armies:   Austro-Prussian-Swedish Army   Anglo Allied Army (AAA)   Imperial Russian Army

 

Forums:    ACWGC    CCC     Home:    ACWGC    CCC
It is currently Thu Mar 28, 2024 9:08 am

All times are UTC - 5 hours




Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 2 posts ] 
Author Message
 Post subject: Cossacks
PostPosted: Sat Feb 06, 2021 10:32 am 
Offline

Joined: Fri May 25, 2001 5:00 pm
Posts: 218
Location: TN, USA
I'm unsure if there has been much discussion of Cossacks here in the past, but I have a couple thoughts on potential flaws in their abilities in the JTS series. I remember the first time I encountered Cossacks in the Jena Auerstadt game: The Russians Are Coming. They were fragile units with a morale grade of D or E which allowed for some mass routs with a few good artillery rounds. When the Leipzig title was released, the number of Cossacks grew exponentially with all but a few units having a D morale rating; the Ataman regiment of the Don Cossacks have a B morale rating.

The Cossacks only receive a 'charge bonus' when charging a hex containing a skirmisher, a routed unit, or artillery per the User's manual. My first point is on the skirmishers and routed units. I agree Cossacks would attack unformed units as that matched their abilities as irregular cavalry. However, what the game engine allows is a 'charge bonus' when the skirmisher or routed unit are in the same hex with a formed unit, either in good order or disordered which, in my view, would negate the charge bonus as the Cossacks would be unwilling to risk the losses historically. Using tactics to gain the Cossack 'charge bonus' are fairly simple with skirmishers and routed units; in the case of a skirmishers, charge with a Cossack platoon or squadron but do not overrun the skirmisher - just melee it, pushing/maneuvering it into a hex with a formed unit(s); then continue the charge but with additional Cossack units now also charging, all now getting the 'charge bonus' against the formed unit. The same can be accomplished with routed units, but more Cossacks might be required to push/maneuver the routed unit due to its size into an adjacent hex containing formed units in good order/disorder.

My second point is why wouldn't supply wagons justify a Cossack 'charge bonus?' It seems that attacking supply wagons would be one of the Cossacks primary missions, so long as they were not heavily defended by formed units. It seems more logical that Cossacks would attack a supply wagon than an artillery battery. I'm unsure why artillery was included as one of the targets of a Cossack charge that provide a 'charge bonus,' but unless attacking from a flank it seems unlikely that even the temerity of the Cossacks would lead them to take such a foolhardy risk...

As an Allied officer, I enjoy commanding the Cossacks as I've learned how to utilize them to maximum benefit. However, it seems they have more capabilities in this game series than they did historically.

_________________
Feldmarschall Jeff Freiherr Mathes von Krain
50th (Stein) Infantry Regiment
Dritte Brigade
Austrian Korps


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
 Post subject: Re: Cossacks
PostPosted: Sat Feb 06, 2021 11:42 am 
Offline
User avatar

Joined: Fri Dec 06, 2013 10:55 am
Posts: 1656
Location: Bouches-de-l’Elbe
Charge bonus for artillery seems indeed strange, but maybe there are examples were they did go against artillery?

That it's missing for supply wagon maybe not.
1. Does it matter? I mean do you really need a charge bonus for going against supply wagons?
2. The supply wagons may lead the cossacks to looting, and so a missing charge bonus is an abstract way of lowering their combat power because of looting.

_________________
Général Christian Hecht
Commandant en Chef de la Grande Armée
Comte et Chevalier de l'Empire

Image


Top
 Profile  
Reply with quote  
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  [ 2 posts ] 

All times are UTC - 5 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 49 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Jump to:  
POWERED_BY
Localized by Maël Soucaze © 2010 phpBB.fr