Aspern Essling 1809 - Seconde Edition

On April 24, 1809, Napoleon had proclaimed in Regensburg "Within a month we will be in Vienna! Although he had seized the Austrian capital on May 13, the Emperor was still separated from the army of Archduke Charles by the Danube. In order to achieve a definitive victory, he had to force the passage of the river and defeat the Austrians as quickly as possible. On May 20, in the middle of the afternoon, 200 voltigeurs of the Molitor division crossed the dead arm that separates the island of Lobau from the left bank of the Danube.

The next day, on a beautiful Pentecost Sunday, the French were 30,000 strong on the left bank, including 6,000 cavalrymen, ready to fight. Supported on the villages of Aspern and Essling and covered on the wings by the river, their starting positions were solid. For his part, Archduke Charles decided to attack quickly to destroy the troops that had just crossed the Danube. He had more than 60,000 men, organized in five columns, and the Austrians would soon be 90,000. Once the battle was underway, several temporary breakdowns of the bridges over the Danube prevented the French from receiving the reinforcements necessary for a victory. During the two days of May 21 and 22, the divisions commanded by Masséna and Lannes had to heroically resist a series of massive assaults by the enemy.

Victory was postponed until later, in less than three months, it would be Wagram

Aspern-Essling 1809 is the 26th battle in the Days of Glory series, launched in 1997 with Rivoli 1797 (VaeVictis #18). The game focuses on the two days of the battle (May 21 and 22, 1809), with specific rules concerning the command of the French army (Lannes and Masséna). The bridges between the island of Lobau and the left bank of the Danube also play an important role in the simulation.

Scale:

Units: Regiments and brigades
Map scale: 330 m/hex.
Turnaround time: 90 minutes
Complexity: 6 / 9

The game contains:

- A main map 59 x 41 cm
- 216 pre-cut counters and markers
- 1 booklet of rules
- 1 booklet of 4 scenarios
- 1 game aid