Blenheim 2004
Wargaming the 300th Year Anniversary 

Prince Eugene of Savoy
and the Imperials' Right Flank

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The Imperial Army of Prince François  Eugène of Savoy 
 Eugene of Savoy, 1663-1736, prince of the house of Savoy, general in the service of the Holy Roman Empire. Born in Paris, he was the son of Eugène, comte de Soissons of the line of Savoy-Carignano, and Olympe Mancini, niece of Cardinal Mazarin. After being refused a commission in the French army by King Louis XIV, Eugene entered (1683) the service of Holy Roman Emperor Leopold I against the Ottoman Turks. He fought bravely in the relief of Vienna and then in Hungary, where he helped in the capture of Belgrade (1688). By 1697, Eugene had been appointed imperial commander in Hungary, and at Zenta he annihilated the Turkish army. Faced with opposition in Vienna, he began to take a more active part in political affairs. He became (1700) a member of the emperor's privy council and (1703) president of the imperial war council. He was the principal imperial commander in the War of the Spanish Succession. In N Italy, Eugene was victorious over the French forces under Nicolas Catinat and the duke of Villeroi. In 1704 he joined the duke of Marlborough in Bavaria, and together they won the signal victory of Blenheim. Returning to Italy, Eugene fought (1705) an inconclusive battle at Cassano against his cousin, Louis Joseph de Vendôme. His invasion of Provence (1707) was a failure, owing to the inadequacy of his forces. In 1708, Eugene again cooperated with Marlborough in Flanders; the victories of Oudenarde (1708) and Malplaquet (1709) resulted. After the conclusion (1713) of the Peace of Utrecht by England and France, Eugene continued to campaign on the Rhine against the French under Marshal Villars. Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI empowered him late in the year to negotiate with the war-weary French at Rastatt. The Peace of Rastatt (1714) complemented that of Utrecht. Eugene was made governor of the Austrian Netherlands (1715) and later imperial vicar in Italy. He again fought (1716-18) the Turks successfully, defeating them at Petrovaradin (1716) and at Belgrade (1717) and making possible the Austrian triumph marked by the Treaty of Passarowitz (1719). In the War of the Polish Succession, Eugene was made commander despite his advanced age. One of the greatest commanders in modern history, Prince Eugene was noted for his severe character and his hatred of Louis XIV as well as for his patronage of the arts.
The Danish Foot
On the extreme right flank of the allied army, 7 Battalions of Danish infantry under Lieutenant General Scholten prepare top advance towards the high ground ahead of them.
See Eugene Photo Page 1
The Prussian Foot
Immediately to the right of the Danes, General the Prince of Anhalt-Dessau forms his 11 battalions of Prussian infantry into two lines, ready to advance across the rough, broken ground ahead of them
See Eugene Photo Page 1
The Imperial Horse
Eugene himself commanded the cavalry which were divided into three lines. Each line was under the command of its own General, Prince Maximillian of Hanover (brother of George I, the future King of England), the second line under the Duke of Wurttemberg-Teck and the 3rd line under the Count de la Tour. For wargaming purposes, these troops were divided into three commands, but as it can be potentially less interesting to command the third line, we actually split the cavalry into three groups, Left, Center and Right, and placed the commanders at the head of each command - a small bit of license to make a more interesting game.
See Eugene Photo Page 1
The Right Horse
Commanded by General, the Count de la Tour, the right wing horse are mostly Prussian squadrons, with some Wurtemburg and Franconian squadrons. We place the horse in their historical positions, but place all three lines of this block of troops under one player command.
See Eugene Photo Page 2
The Center Horse
This is the left most command of the Imperial horse in this games section of the battle. The Left Horse will actually be the righter most units when we game the center section of the battle. We placed the three lines of this command under General, The Duke of Wurttemberg-Teck. Twenty Six squadrons headed by Austrian Cuirassiers with a few squadrons of some of the other minor German states in the Empire.
See Eugene Photo Page 2
The Allied Right Wing
A view looking down the length of the Allied line from the Danish flank, as far as the eye can see. These troops too the entire width of a 12 ft table. Much of the ground ahead of the allies, as far as the brook, is broken, rocky ground, swampy in places.
See Eugene Photo Page 2
The Game Table.

This is the projected game table, each square representing 1 square foot.

Click on the map for a full size image.

Alt-Hanover Kuirassiers
Painted by Gary Rhay - Eugene Oregon
Complete Orders of Battle

On the allied right wing, Prince Eugene commanded 18 Battalions, all Prussian and Danish hired troops and 92 Squadrons from the Imperial German States.

Select the image for a larger picture and description of the forces involved.

HOW THE COMMANDS ARE ORGANIZED

Although the commands are based on historical divisions in the army, we have made a few changes to the layout in order to make the game more player friendly.

Those wishing a full historical listing, the complete historical OOB as well as a detailed, easy to read description of the battle would be well advised to obtain a copy if Iain Stanford's essay on the battle.

Marlborough Goes to War

The reader will note that many commands consist of an entire line under one General, the second under another, and so - on. Unfortunately, this can lead to a dull game for the player commanding the 4th line for example. We solve that by dividing commands up so that player controls part of a line but both the 1st and 2nd (and 3rd etc.) lines. This way, players along a front all get to be involved. Our OOB reflects this change, so great care should be taken by those who wishing to use the OOB for study purposes.

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Copyright 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 Ian Croxall
Salem, Oregon. USA

SIC TRANSIT GLORIA MUNDI