The Battle of Leipzig was the biggest battle of the Napoleonic wars,
involving over 500,000 men. Until the First World War, it was probably
the biggest battle in human history. It was also known as the Battle of
the Nations because it pitted the forces of France and its satellite
states and allies (including Italians, Poles and forces from the minor
German states), against those of Russia, Prussia, Austria and Sweden.
The fate of Europe hung in the balance. Napoleon's defeat decided the
outcome of the campaign of 1813 and pushed the French back to France.
The battle took place over several days (14-19 October 1813 including
the battle of Liebertwolkwitz), and naturally breaks down into distinct
phases and sectors. This guide helps wargamers refight the battle on a
table top with model soldiers, either as one large battle (suitable as a
club game), or broken down into a series of smaller battles covering the
different sectors. The smaller battles can be played as individual games
or linked together in a mini-campaign, the latter giving strategic
dilemmas for each of the commanders to resolve.
The guide sets out the strategic situation in central Europe and
contains a thorough but clear account of the historical battle. It
provides detailed orders of battle of the opposing armies, scaled down
orders of battle for game purposes, maps of the historical events,
stylized maps for laying out wargames tables, and instructions for each
scenario and the mini-campaign. Design notes explain the rationale and
historical background to the scenario instructions.
The scenario maps are set out on square grids for ease of setting up
tabletop terrain. Any set of wargames rules for the period should be
able to be used to play the scenarios. The key points for the game army
lists are the number of units and their quality. There is a section that
discusses the quality of the troops of the various nations involved.
A discussion of the historical battle raises questions about the
decisions made by the actual commanders. These can be explored by the
wargame commanders, for example by their allocation of forces to
different sectors (within historical constraints), their deployment
within those sectors, or timing their use of reserves. Was Napoleon's
defeat inevitable? Wargaming is a form of counter-factual history, and
the guide includes a variation which may answer the question, 'What if
Napoleon had recalled the Dresden garrison?' Napoleon had agreed with
Marshall St.Cyr that it would be madness to leave his 50,000 men in
Dresden rather than concentrate French forces for the decisive battle
Napoleon was seeking. What if Napoleon had not changed his mind?
