Special Rules for Aspern-Essling

About the Map:

·         Gemeinde Au:

Woods:                                Heavy Woods, Class 2 cover

Streams:              Moderate Obstacles

·         Aspern:

8 City blocks, Class 2 cover

Prominent Objective

Church:                                Class 3 cover, one unit max.

·         Essling:

4 City blocks, Class 2 cover

Prominent Objective

Granary:              Class 6 cover, two units max

·         Dike and ditch:                  Minor obstacle, Class 1 cover for any fire that crosses it.

·         Brickworks:                         Class 3 cover, on unit max.

·         Danube:                               Unpassable

 

The Bridges:

There are two bridges across the Danube used by the French to cross the river.  One connects the South bank with Lobau Island (‘South Bridge’) and the other connects the island with the North bank (‘North Bridge’).  The Austrians will try to knock these bridges down and the French will try to repair the damage.

Napoleon will be allowed to determine which GTFs cross.  An entire GTF must cross before another starts, except that artillery can be left behind.

Bridge procedure:

Both bridges are down at 1:00 PM May 21.  Each must be repaired to use them.  The French have three engineer battalions available to repair the bridges.  They can be allocated to either bridge.  During the General Artillery phase of each TAC Napoleon will roll on the Command Point Restoration chart for ‘B’ grade engineers to determine the engineering points available for each unit and apply that total to bridge repair.  Then Archduke Charles will choose one of the bridges and roll one ten-sided die to attempt to knock it down.

Each bridge starts with 0 engineering points at 1:00 PM.  It will require 100 points to use the bridge.  The French engineers will add to this total.

Austrian die roll:  Charles will use the following chart for bridge destruction.

1-7

No Effect

8-9

Bridge damaged.  Roll 2d10 and apply those points against the bridge.  If this takes the bridge points below 100 use the effects below.

0

Bridge disabled.  Roll percentile dice and apply those points against the bridge.  If the current bridge total is 100+ then reduce the bridge points to 100 before subtracting the damage.  If the percentile roll is 80+ then one of the French engineer units is swept away.  When the bridge collapses, determine which units are using the bridge and choose one at random.  Lose one figure for each 10 points below 100 that the bridge is damaged.  On a roll of ‘100’ the bridge is permanently destroyed.

 

Bridge capacity:

Each bridge can transport 5 units per TAC.  All units (except artillery) of a GTF must cross a bridge before another can start.  GTFs will be in one of three places, on the table, on Lobau island, or on the South bank.  Movement across the bridges is from one of these areas to another.  If a GTF reaches Lobau island it does not have to continue across to the North bank.  Traffic on the bridge is one-way only and we will use the bridge capacity rules.

There are two entry point arrows marked on the map.  These represent the two roads from the bridge to the playing area.  The terrain south of this table edge to the river was densely wooded and can only be passable to units in road march.  Therefore all GTFs that enter the North bank will wait until all of their units are across before marching on table in undeployed formation.  The only exception to this is the Corps Commander can create a GTF detachment of any units remaining to cross and leave them to guard the bridgehead.  Only one French GTF North of the Danube may wait off table.  It must enter the table before another GTF can cross over from Lobau island.  The maneuver orders are considered automatically activated to get the GTF on the table.  It will halt 12” past the table edge and wait for further orders (if none have already been issued).

III Corps:  Davout’s III Corps did not participate in the battle.  It was available on the second day but the South bridge was hopelessly destroyed and the Corps could not cross as planned.  In this battle III Corps will be available to cross at 7:00 AM on the second day.

Night turns:

Fighting ceased at 10:00 PM at that’s when the last turn of Legacy ends also (convenient, eh?).  Fighting can start again at 4:00 AM the next day.  There will be 3 GBTs run during the night for the purpose of resting and moving troops.  Bridge movement and engineering will happen at night the same as during the day.

French Marshals:

The various Marshals took command of units that were not part of their Corps at different points of the battle.  To simulate this, any player representing Marshals Messena, Lannes, and Bessiers will be able to attach to any GTF or lower-level formation and take control of it, regardless of the units’ current orders.

Adjusting units in the towns:

During the GTF Commander phase of any TAC where the GTF occupying a town is in Combat Status AND is being directly controlled by a Marshal any units of that GTF (including artillery) can be repositioned anywhere within the town by spending 1 CP per unit.  If a battalion is relieving the space occupied by another battalion which is moved back it only costs 1 CP.