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Narva - Historical Battle
02/November/2010, 6:33 PM
20th November 1700. Battle near Narva.



Found on:
http://cossacks.heavengames.com/



$IMAGE1$



Author: styrbiorn



Readme.txt


  BATTLE OF NARVA
November 20th 1700
------------------


-- Installation --

Extract the Narva.md3 file to the main Cossacks folder (where the dmcr.exe file is).
Then create a game and select "Designed Map", then choose Narva.md3




-- About the scenario --

First, notice: the scenario is a MULTIPLAYER scenario. Though is is possible
to play single, that is not the purpose, and therefore less fun :)

Some tips:

- player 1 (Sweden) should be blue (if you want accuracy, that is)
- player 2 (Russia) should be green (of the same reason as above)
- when you attack (the Swede) carefully check where the moat is crossable ('q' button)
- the Ivangorod fort across the river is important as Narva can be bombarded from there
- the food supplies is decreasing alarmingly fast, but no worry; if you just watch and wait, you'll have to do that for approximatley 453 days until your men start dying from starvation...

I've honestly made my best to do this as historically accurate as possible, but
shortcomings of the map editor (or rather shortcomings of my skills to use it...)
some minor 'fault' have been made. These are the largest:

- Swedes only outnumbered 3 to 5 (instead of 1 to 4)
- city and garrison of Narva are too small (because the maps should be larger)
- I removed the pontoon bridge over Neva starting in the Northern edge of the Russian camp



-- The Town --

By the river Neva (Narova) the Estonian town of Narva is situated. The city, probably
most famous for the fighting during the Second World War, was founded by the Danish
sometime during the 13th century by erecting a fort called Hermansborg. In 1346,
the German Order take over the fort and in 1558 the Russians became the new masters
of the town. That did not last long however, in 1595 Narva became Swedish in the peace
of Teusina.

During the century the town was in their hands, the Swedes leaved their mark on it.
Recently the Town Hall from this time has been restored after the destructing Russian
bombing raids during the last world war, when the Germans occupied the city.

Narva was Russian between 1721-1918 and 1944-1991 and between and after those peiods
it belonged (and belongs) to the free Estonia.




-- The Battle --

In the end of the 17th century Sweden was the dominating power in Northern Europe, and
fielded one of the most efficient - if not THE - armies of Europe. In 1699 three
neighbouring countries, Denmark, Saxony (and practically Poland) and Russia created an alliance to eventually break this dominance.
The next year the Danish invaded Holstein-Gottorp, a country whose independece had been
ratified by the Swedes, the Polish attacked in Balticum and Russia invaded from the east.

The very young king Charles XII of Sweden was not the confused child the allies had believed
him to be; almost immediately he invaded the main Danish island of Sjaelland and the Danish
was forced to peace. Meanwhile, the Russian army lead by tsar Peter I sieged the Swedish
town of Narva. The 2,000 men strong Swedish garrison was not likely to hold out the Russian
24-hour a day bombardement for long, so a relieving force was necessary. Therefore, the Swedish
king now brought the army over the Baltic Sea towards Narva.

After a hard march the Swedish army of around 10,000 men arrived at Narva on the 19th of November.
The Russians had built a circle of ramparts and fortlets around the town and thus stopped both
the besieged to do an outbreak and the Swedish army to reach to town.

When tsar Peter heard of the approaching Swedes he left the Russian army with some diffuse
excuse and left the command to the unwilling Belgian duke Karl du Croy. du Croy did not think
that the Swedes would attack, as he commanded almost 40,000 men, and as he knew the Swedes
were four times less. Further the Russian soldiers were rested and had plenty of food
and vodka, while the Swedes had ran out of food several days earlier.

Unlike du Croy's beliefs, and despite that Swedish scouts had reported the Russian army
consisted of 80,000 men, the Swedish king Charles ordered an attack. The morning the day
after the arrival, the Swedish arranged themselves in battle order. As the middle Russian
fortlet was too heavily defended, the Swedish infantry had to separate in two columns, each
should attack on one side of the fortlet.

When the Swedish artillery started thundering and the troops marching down the hill towards
the Russian fortification a snowstorm started brewing, covering their movements. The Russians
then wrongly thought that the Swedes should withdraw. When 30 meters in front of the ramparts,
the Swedish, with the grenadiers in the front, fired their muskets. Bundles of twigs were
tossed in the moat, scaling ladders raised and the Swedes started streaming into the
Russian camp.

The Russian recruits could not withstand the onslaught of the drilled Swedes and after just
two hours of fighting the battle was decided, and the whole Russian center surrendered. The
two Russian wings continued the fight however. On the right the cavalry fought for hours, but
then tried to escape over the pontoon bridge over the Neva river. The bridge gavea away and
thousands drowned in the cold water. On the Russian left, the Preobrasjensky Guard kept on
fighting until after midnight. When they capitulated, the battled was over after ten hours.

The Russians lost roughly 10,000 men; only 700 Swedes did not leave the battlefield. The Russian
prisoners were so many, some 30,000, that the Swedes could either guard or feed them so every
Russian soldier, except the officers, were allowed to return home.

The Swedish victory at Narva is often considered the most surprisingly victory ever, all
cathegories. Not only were they outnumbered one to four, they also had been marching
constantly and without food, there were no tents - the soldiers had to sleep on the frozen
ground while the Russians slept well in their barracks, filled with supplies. Despite that,
and that they had to assault fortifications, the Swedes managed to defeat the Russians
on that snowy day of November 20th in 1700.



However, the Russians got their revenge nine years later, on the fields outside Poltava.
There, the Swedish status as a great power was practically over, never to return again.
Instead, Russia raised to become a giant in Europe until these days.



Send suggestions or complaints to styrbiorns@hotmail.com
                       ^notice the 's' (many don't :)
If there is interest, I'll make a Poltava battle too. I was kind of a dissapointed
of the one in the game already. For example, the Ukrainian Cossacks fought on
the Swedish side...

By styrbiorn

Category: C1 Map | Added by: Cichor
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