peterdohna (SEPTEMBER 26, 1813)

The plans of the generals
Allied attack Plan  French attack Plan
The Russians will fix the center and right flank (1,2). Next, the Prussians will attack from Peterdohna (3) breaking the center (4). Take the central ridge (1), attack with both wings (2,3) and break through the center (4).
 
First phase. The fight at Peterdohna (9.30-11.30 h)
The Prussian Avant-Garde (Ziethen) advances occupying Peterdohna Berthezene's 44th Division also enters in Peterdohna whereas the cavalry battle rages in the center The Prussians evict the French from Peterdohna
The French counterattack achieves a temporary success... ... but, at last, the Prussians remain masters of the town
The Prussian cavalry finishes the French resistance but the exultant winners disperse for looting the French baggage  The Prussians are the masters of the Peterdohna area, but are confined to the town by the French fire
 
Second phase. The central sector (9.30 - 12.00 h)
Pajol routs the Pahlen's regular cavalry, but the cossacks finally reject the French hussars Pahlen try to stop the French, but he is forced to retire and all his force becomes disordered
Meanwhile, Razout (45th) occupies the ridge while Claprede (43th) covers his left flank Schschaskoi's 3rd division is rejected by the French that... ...become masters of the ridge while their rearguard is menaced
although Claparede finishes the Russian flanking movement Another Russian cavalry attack is routed and Lobau arrives in the French left flank but the Prussians are also arriving in force
The Pahlen's cossacks enter through the over-extended French right, but are forced back by the infantry squares The Russian artillery is breaking the French infantry on the ridge
 
Third phase. The arrival of Napoleon and the French loss of the ridge (12.30 - 13.30 h)
Napoleon arrives to the battlefield and Claparede routs again the flanking Russians Wurtemberg disperses and routs, by infantry and artillery fire, several French units on the ridge
and the Emperor is trying to recompose the French line The situation at 13.30 h
 
Fourth phase. The Prussian attack
(13.30 - 15.30 h)
Kleist launches the Klux's 9th brigade that routs Razout's 45th division breaking the French center Mouton-Duvernet (42th) deploys
routing by fire an unit of the Pirch's 10th brigade Lobau send the Cassagne's 1st division to te center Mouton-Duvernet's 43th division is heroically fighting, and routing the superior Pirch's Prussians
The French wings are separated by an empty space Cassagne is going to close the French empty center Mouton-Duvernet now routs a Klux's unit Latour-Mauburg is arriving in force with the 1st Cavalry Corps
Klux fans out, routing successively, one unit from Razout's 45th (his last one) the first and the second brigades from the Cassagne's 1st divisions whereas the Klux's Prussian landwehr routs definitely to Razout, so the XIV Corps becomes fatigated
His combined attack against Claparede is rejected. The Saxon cuirassiers break the expended Prussians
 
The end. French cavalry counter-attack and  Allied retreat (16.00 - 17.00h)
The Prussian tide is stopped Lefevbre-Desnouettes Young Guard cavalry breaks the last attempts whereas the French cuirassiers try the Prussian first line
Barclay (Allied C-i-C) has deduced the presence of Napoleon and orders the Prussian retreat under the protection of the Russian guns
 
FINAL RESULTS

French losses
Infantry: 120 fig (14,400 men)
Cavalry: 16 fig (1,920 men)
Artillery: 28 guns
General Berthezene dead
 

Allied losses
Russians
Infantry: 56 fig (6,720 men)
Cavalry: 15 fig (1,800 men)
Artillery: 3 guns
Prussians
Infantry: 56 fig (6,720 men)
Cavalry: 16 fig (1,920 men)
Artillery: 6 guns

Total Allied losses
Infantry: 112 fig (13,440 men)
Cavalry: 31 fig (3,720 men)
Artillery: 9 guns

The French were very short of infantry: Saint-Cyr's XIV Corps was a spent force and Lobau commanded a very weak Corps. At last, Napoleon only could rely on the Young Guard infantry and on his precious heavy cavalry cuirassiers.

The Russians were also very weak in infantry, although their superior artillery allowed them to remain masters of the heights. After the defeat of the Klux and Pirch brigades, the attack orders of Kleist were counter-commanded by Barclay, Allied C-i-C, which ordered the retreat in application of the Trachenberg Plan.

The battle was a real slaughter for no reason
A DRAW BATTLE


THE SCENARIO

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