Kriegsspiel_1862.pdf

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KRIEGSSPIEL 1862
FOREWARD
PAGE
by Richard Clarke
3
THE GAME
THE EQUIPMENT
THE RULES
THE TROOP SYMBOLS
SECTION ONE
1.1.
1.2.
1.3.
1.4.
- PREPARATION & METHOD
4
6
16
7
16
16
16
17
17
18
18
18
18
19
19
19
19
19
20
20
20
21
21
21
21
23
23
23
27
28
30
30
30
30
30
31
31
31
31
32
32
32
33
33
34
35
T
HE
F
UNCTION OF THE
U
MPIRE
T
HE
G
ENERAL
I
DEA OR
S
CENARIO
T
HE
N
UMBER OF
P
LAYERS
T
HE
R
ELATIONSHIP
B
ETWEEN
P
LAYER
& U
MPIRE
- MOVEMENT AND ACTIONS OF TROOPS
SECTION TWO
2.1
G
ENERAL
N
OTES ON
M
OVEMENT
2.1.1 Marches, Open or Concealed
2.1.2 Contracting a Column
2.2
G
ROUND
C
ONDITIONS
2.3
W
IDTH OF
R
OADS
, B
RIDGES
&
C
.
2.4
P
ONTOON
& R
EPAIRED
B
RIDGES
2.5
D
ITCHES
2.6
A
LTERING
F
ORMATION
2.7
S
KIRMISHERS
& O
UTRIDERS
D
EPLOYING
2.8
R
ECONNAISSANCE
P
ATROLS
2.9
M
ESSENGERS
SECTION THREE - RULES FOR FIREPOWER
3.1
R
ANGED
F
IRE
3.1.1
Infantry Fire
3.1.2
Artillery Fire
SECTION FOUR - RULES FOR ASSAULTS
4.1
N
UMERICAL
S
TRENGHT
4.2
A
DJUSTING
F
ACTORS
4.3
R
ESOLVING THE
A
TTACK
4.4
V
ANQUISHED
T
ROOPS
4.4.1 Line of Retreat
4.4.2 Beaten Troops Moving Through Reserve Lines
4.4.3 Renewed Attacks on Beaten Troops
4.5
B
EATEN
T
ROOPS
F
INDING
C
OVER
4.6
A
TTACK
& D
EFENCE OF
V
ILLAGES
,
DEFILES
, H
EIGHTS
& F
ORTIFIED
P
OSITIONS
4.7
D
ESTRUCTION OR
B
URNING OF
S
TRUCTURES
4.7.1 Buildings & Villages.
4.7.2 Destruction of Bridges, Barricades, &c.
4.8
N
IGHT
A
TTACKS
SECTION FIVE - OPPOSED ACTIONS
5.1
5.2
5.3
5.4
5.5
I
NFANTRY IN THE
F
IRE
-F
IGHT
A
RTILLERY
S
EEKING TO
D
EPLOY
U
NDER
F
IRE
I
NFANTRY
U
NDER
C
ANISTER
F
IRE
D
EBOUCHING
F
ROM A
D
EFILE
C
AVALRY IN THE
F
ACE OF
I
NFANTRY
F
IRE
APPENDIX ONE - THE ATTACK AT BRIZ
Kriegsspiel 1862
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Foreword
The term Kriegsspiel, literally translated from the German as War Game, was widely used in the
nineteenth and early twentieth century to describe the representation of manoeuvres on a large scale
map, where troops were represented by moveable pieces. The 1824 rules produced by Leutnant von
Reisswitz of the Prussian Guard Artillery were adopted by the Prussian, and later other, armies as a means
of familiarising their officers with their duties, and those of their superiors, on the battlefield.
Unlike any other systems that had attempted to mimic warfare the von Reisswitz Kriegsspiel was more of a
simulation than a game. Its purpose was to train and enlighten rather than to simply entertain.
Nevertheless Kriegsspiel was an enjoyable pastime, and developed an enthusiastic following in both
military and civilian circles for precisely the reason that in the enjoyment of the game was also the
opportunity to glimpse the realities of military command.
Kriegsspiel was peerless in its ability to present the player with all of the aspects of war that von
Clausewitz was writing of – especially the friction and uncertainty, the importance of planning and also
the importance of recognising that plans often needed to be adapted to face unexpected circumstances;
all were there. It is, therefore, not surprising that the Prussian Chief of the General Staff, Baron von
Muffling, described the game as “training for war”. What is more reassuring about that recommendation
is that the Baron was no political appointee; he had been Blucher’s liaison officer with Wellington at
Waterloo, a man who knew much of war.
Throughout the nineteenth century Kriegsspiel continued to be valued by the Prussian, and then German,
military establishment and its use spread abroad. However whilst some aspects of warfare remain
constant others, and in particular technology, change and evolve and tactics must move to keep pace.
The set of rules that we present here are a reaction to these changes, being published in their original
format in 1862 to take into account the advance in weaponry from the smooth-bore musket days of von
Reisswitz’s Napoleonic Wars to the more modern weapons of the mid-nineteenth century.
In 1841 the Prussians put themselves at the cutting edge of military technology, adopting the Dreyse
Zündnadelgewehr, the first universally adopted breach loading single shot rifle. By the 1860s they were in
the process of adopting rifled breach loading artillery. These advances in weaponry were to have a
significant impact on the campaigns of the 1860’s, with the wars against Danes and then the Austrians
seeing stunning victories for the Prussians under the leadership of von Moltke.
The men who led the Prussians to victory in 1864, 1866 and then against France in 1870-71 were officers
who would have been intimately acquainted with Kriegsspiel. Indeed many commentators saw this game
of war as being a major ingredient in those successes. The 1862 rules by Leutnant von Tschischwitz of the
2
nd
Upper Silesian Infantry Regiment (Nr. 23) would have been the set that these men used to train with in
the years immediately before those campaigns and, as such, offers us a unique window on their
understanding of combat.
Unlike the later versions of the rules, such as the Free Kriegsspiel of Verdy du Vernois, which suggested
that all judgements and combat results should be decided upon by the umpire, based upon his assessment
of the situation, von Tschischwitz’s rules fall firmly in the camp that used dice in conjunction with tables
in order to assess the results of firepower and the courage and skill of troops in action, allowing those
extremes of result that sometimes go against the anticipations of the participants but which, nonetheless,
still occur. Chance in war, as in life generally, plays its part.
Contained in the von Tschischwitz rules are all that is needed to play Kriegsspiel. The reader would be
advantaged were he, like the author and his counterparts, familiar with the original von Reisswitz rules,
however that is not strictly necessary. It is notable that this version of the rules is a slimmer volume than
the original von Reisswitz offering. It seems that some of the more detailed technical aspects of the
rules, such as the work of pioneers, have been sacrificed in the interest of brevity and clarity.
We can, of course, assume that the areas covered in the 1824 rules and omitted in 1862 had not been
dropped from use, quite the opposite. They were the accepted norm and, requiring no amendment, were
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still in common usage. Naturally we recommend that the reader acquires the von Reisswitz 1824 rules
should he wish to access this additional information.
The text used throughout the rules section is based entirely on Bill Leeson’s translation of the 1862 von
Tschischwitz rules but it has been heavily amended to present the rules in a more readable and, more to
the point, useable format. The sections on the troops blocks has been added, based upon the 1824
version of the rules but with new block illustrations where these had changed over the years.
We know from period texts is that the Prussian battalion structure was identical in 1862 to what it was in
1824, and the way that it operated in battle was little changed, excepting the fact that the company
column was now the normal formation of manoeuvre in the face of the enemy. Apart from the
illustrations of the blocks Tschischwitz tells us little about formations, however that is information that I
have been able to add from studying other period works. This, along with the account of the action at
Briz in 1866 is entirely my work, added as I felt it presented the player of Kriegsspiel with options that
better reflected the tactics used in the campaigns of 1862, 1866 and 1870-71. If there are errors here
then they are solely mine and no blame can lie with Bill.
It is worth stating that the 1862 Kriegsspiel rules were used as a training aid for Prussian Army officers, as
such both red and blue forces represent Prussian forces and are organised and equipped accordingly.
Some players may wish to sue these rules as the basis for games where the Prussians are pitted against
their historical enemies, especially as the Koniggratz Map is now available and the Metz Map will be
released later this year. If this is to be done then the reader will need to undertake research into not only
the armament of the Austrians and French, but also the formations that they used in battle. In the case
of the French these were not too dissimilar to the Prussian extended firing line, however the Austrian
formations were entirely different and will undoubtedly require some specific blocks to be made up to
represent these.
My thanks must go to Bill Leeson for allowing me to publish his translation of the von Tschischwitz rules,
and to Martin James for his invaluable assistance in preparing these for publication. Mention there must
also be of von Reisswitz, without whom this magnificent system would not exist. After the sad
circumstances of his demise it is perhaps some consolation to think that over 180 years later his work lives
on.
Richard Clarke
2008
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The Game
To play Kriegsspiel one requires and umpire, players, a suitably scaled map, playing pieces, a metric ruler
and dice. For small games a minimum of three players is required. One of them will be the umpire and
the other two will command either side. In larger games the Commanders usually do not lead any troops,
being solely responsible for commanding the force. In such a game it is recommended that the umpire has
assistants and the Commanders have troop leaders under their command.
The game centres around the figure of the umpire who is key in the preparation and prosecution of the
game. It is the umpire who works out a scenario using the maps that are available and then delivering this
in the form of a briefing to the players. The first part of this briefing gives information that is known to
both sides at the beginning of the game, known historically as “the General Idea”. The second part
contains information that is confidential to the Commanding Officer of either side, known as “the Special
Report”, which will furnish the players with details of the strength of their forces, their locations, any
knowledge that they might have about the enemy, the time of day at which the game is supposed to
begin, and any special instructions they may have received from their superiors.
Once thus briefed the players have to come up with a plan of action, after which they pass their initial
orders in writing to the umpire, including any orders for him to pass on to the troop leaders, separate
reports, the troops they have been assigned and their role as advance guard, main body, reserve, flank
guard, cavalry, etc.
The full title of von Tschischwitz’s game is “Detachment Kriegsspiel”, which suggests forces of anything
from
a couple of thousand men to a full Division per side. Much of the emphasis is on not just the main thrust
of planning but also the detailed work of allocating patrols and piquets to act as the eyes and ears of a
force.
Once provided with the players’ orders the umpire’s work on the map begins. It may well be that the
game is played with one map that is controlled by the umpire. Alternatively the players may have their
own map showing the forces that the commanders can see and nothing more.
Either way the umpire is responsible for working out what movements are taking place for both sides,
assessing where at a given time the patrols and heads of columns etc will be and when will be a suitable
time and place for the game proper to start. The troops that will be in sight of each other at this point
will be set out on the map; in flat open terrain by day all troops within 3000 paces of each other will be
set out. With less open country, or poorer weather, the umpire will decide what can and cannot be seen.
As soon as the actual game begins all further communication between the players – questions, answers,
orders, reports – will be made via the umpire unless they are both on the same spot on the map. The
communications are written and passed to the umpire, who works out how long it would take the message
to reach its recipient and marks the arrival time on it so that it will be received at the right time.
Similarly any new orders any player wishes to implement have to be given to the umpire or his assistants
who will actually move the troop blocks on the map.
To make the game more natural the commanders and troop leaders are only told of troop positions and
movements which they can actually see from their position or which they may have heard of from patrols,
observers etc, or from messages they have received from the others on their team. To make this possible
each player needs a smaller copy of the map which he can refer to discretely so that his actions and
intentions are not readily known to other players.
Throughout the game the time is recorded, being advanced as the game progresses. The umpire keeps a
note of the time of arrival of messages, the moment when troops are beaten and whether such troops will
be considered ready to resume the defensive or offensive again and ensures that this information reaches
the relevant commanders at the correct time. It should be stressed that a commander should only be in
possession of such facts in the game that he would have in real life.
The game is nominally broken down into two minute turns, movement rates are expressed as the distance
that can be covered in that time, firing and close combat tables also look at the damage and results that
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