Solo  Ottoman Empire vs Austrians - early 18th Century

This was a solo  fictional battle set around the time of the Austro-Turkish War (1716-1718). This puts it after the War of Spanish Succession (1701-14) and before the War of Austrian Succession (1740-48).

One of the challenges of a solo game is surprising yourself.  I have tried various systems which generally boil down to rolling a die to choose a flank to attack etc.  In one of Facebook wargaming sites I saw a reference to a book "Programmed Wargame Scenarios" by Charles S Grant, published by Caliver books, so I ordered a copy.

I have just finished paining an C18 Ottoman Turk army and was keen to try them out.  I chose scenario 1 - Hill line defence and put the Ottoman's in to defend.  I have read that the Ottoman's were bold strategically but very defensive tactically so having them defend seemed in keeping with this tactic.

I chose to play the the Austrian attackers and to let the scenario run the Turks.  I set up the Austrians is a conventional style, two cavalry wings with two lines of infantry in the centre.  Their goal was to capture the hills at the far end of the battlefield.

The battlefield as the Austrians saw it.

Centre

The battlefield as the Austrians saw it.

left

Returning to the scenario I then saw that the defender's map was a little different and there was a farmhouse and a long defensive wall right in the middle of the Turkish position.  This was a nice twist and greatly added to the fun of the battle.

My plan was for the cavalry to drive off the Turkish cavalry and for two brigades to loop around the right flank and assault the flank of the farm and for two brigades, including a Grenadier brigade) to pause and then assault the  farm front while the flank was engaged.  The plan was for the grenadiers to lead the final assault.

The Turkish deployment was controlled by the scenario, 50% in the centrem a strong right wing (35%) and a weak left (15%).  The Janissaries held the farm and wall in the centre, the Arnaut (Balkan) infantry and skirmishers were poised to take the village and Sapahi (armoured cavalry) with Akinci (raiding light cavalry) were on each flank with a central reserve of elite Kapu Kulu Sipahi.

The Janissaries and artillery deploy in the farm

The view of the farm from the Austrian Centre

My reading on on the Ottoman Turks lead me to believe that they had poor command control and except for the Janissaries the bulk of their army was irregular conscripts and volunteers.  They tended to lose battles unless they had a significant advantage in numbers.  (In my next blog I'll throw a few doubts into this.).  I therefore gave stats to the ottomans so that the janissaries were worse in a firefight than the Austrian infantry but better in melee.    I have read that in the SYW, Austria Grenadiers and Hugarian troops were armed with sabres and copied Janissary tactics - the forth rank would draw their sabres and wrap around the flanks of Prussian infantry during a melee. The Sapahi (armoured cavalry) were like feudal knights. individually good horsemen and brave but they didn't have the months/years of practice in charging knee to knee had be the regular Austrian cavalry.   I made them good cavalry but without the charge bonuses of regular cavalry.

The BlackPower rules  stats I assigned to the armies are here.

The cavalry engaged on the flanks and although the Austrian cavalry won most of the fights neither flank ended in a conclusive victory.  The battle would be decided in the centre.

The frontal assault on the Ottoman Farm was crushed. Only one Grenadier battalion managed to charge into contact the rest were stopped and then broke.  However the flanking attack was more successful.  The Austrian troops engaged in a long firefight. The Austrian musketeers were better drilled but the Janissaries had cover.  One Austrian brigade broke from casualties but the 2nd brigade took over the firefight and the Ottomans took so many casualties that they then broke.  The farm was taken although the Austrian lost 3 out of 4 infantry brigades doing it.  Only the fact that they still had 3 out of 4 cavalry brigades kept the whole Austrian army from breaking.

The assault on the farm just before both brigades attacking the front broke. 

The Austrian flank firefight observed by the CinC and his mistress (in the red coach).

Alas it was all, too little-too late, for the Austrians and although they had taken the farm and could have probably won any subsequent battle for the hills, they had run out of time.  The battle was a victory for the Ottomans as they had held the hill line until nightfall. (Under 18th century rules the Austrians claimed it as a victory, as they held more of the battlefield at the end of the battle than at the start.)

References:

• Osprey Men-at-Arms Armies of the Ottoman Turks 1300-1774
• Osprey Men-at-Arms Armies of the Ottoman Empire 1775-1820
• Century of the Soldier - Peter the Great Humbled - The Russo-Ottoman War 1711
• Caliver books - Programmed Wargame Scenarios