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Battle of Austerlitz

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The Battle of Austerlitz is a historical battle in Napoleon: Total War.

Description[]

The Battle of Austerlitz (2 December, 1805) in which Napoleon masterminded his greatest ever victory by defeating the combined armies of Austria and Russia on the vast Pratzen Heights.

Narration[]

I was forced to abandon my campaign in Egypt to deal with traitors in Paris. But the bayonet is an eloquent argument! I became First Consul. I took the crown because it was there. And who else could? But I scared Austria, Russia – old Europe – and they marched. Here, at Austerlitz, I will stop them!

Pre-Battle Text[]

December 2nd, 1805. Today I have given orders to relinquish control of Pratzen Heights.

Troops now line the towns of Puntowitz and Tellnitz. 

I intend to encourage an attack on the troops at Tellnitz that are looking deceptively weak,

With the Russians pressing Tellnitz my left flank is free to move onto Pratzen Heights. This will break the Allied line. 

One sharp blow and the war is over.

Victory Text[]

The enemy is in retreat across the frozen Satschan ponds. I am proud to call this my victory, my triumph. Here today my renown adds glory to France! My enemies have something to fear!

Defeat Text[]

My enemy may have won, but it means nothing! I will regroup and retake Austerlitz! I will prevail!

General Information[]

Singleplayer[]

Screen Shot 2017-04-21 at 12.22

Initial deployment.The French forces are blue, while the Russian and Austrian forces are red. The Russian forces are mainly deployed on the hill (the lighter colored part of the map). The map doesn't show most of the Austrian forces, which are hidden in the forest in the north-east.

Winning the Battle of the Pyramids or the Battle of the Nile unlocks the Battle of Austerlitz.

The French army is split into two armies, with a majority of its troops on the northern flank and much weaker troops on the southern flank. They face a combined Russian and Austrian army to the west, which initially occupy a very steep hill. The Russian and Austrian army has a strong advantage in infantry (particularly on harder difficulties, where they have very high experience levels), but the French have superior cavalry and also the advantage of defending.

The Russian army begins by moving its cavalry to the center and all of its infantry in a massed attack on the southern French flank, which falls very easily unless it is quickly supported. The Russians deploy their lines very thinly, minimizing the impact of artillery on them (though artillery certainly still helps) but increasing their vulnerability to being charged by cavalry. After the Russians have been routed, the Austrian army (most of which is hidden by trees at the beginning of the battle) attacks from the north. The Austrian army is considerably smaller than the Russian one, but its fresh troops may be a challenge for Napoleon's troops, depleted and tired from fighting the Russians.

After the Austrian and Russian infantry and cavalry are defeated, the remaining artillery flee the field with the Russian general on easier difficulties. On harder difficulties, however, they need to be routed. This can be a dangerous undertaking; however, the Russian artillery are positioned in a way that prevents them from being able to fire at the base of the hill. Converging cavalry there and then charging from multiple directions should minimize losses.

Defeating the Austrians and Russians at the Battle of Austerlitz (or at Trafalgar) unlocks the Battle of Borodino.

Units[]

The French forces have several disadvantages: a quarter of its army is made up of inferior National Guard, who stand no chance man-for-man against the Russian and Austrian line infantry. In addition, nearly all of the Russian and Austrian troops are highly experienced, giving them superior morale to French troops and comparable accuracy and reloading. Finally, as the map is a snowy one, the Russian troops have a stamina advantage over their French counterparts.

The French technically have more cavalry and infantry than the combined Austrian and Russian armies, but the numerical advantage is small and further neutered by their inferior experience.

French Army

Russian Army

  • Tsar Alexander's General's Staff: 24 men, 6 experience
  • 5x Musketeers: 160 men each, 5 experience each
  • 2x Grenadiers: 160 men each, 5 experience each
  • 2x Cuirassiers: 60 men each, 5 experience
  • 2x Dragoons: 60 men each, 5 experience each

Austrian Army

  • Emperor Francis' General's Staff: 10 men, no experience
  • 4x German Fusiliers: 160 men each, 6 experience each
  • Cuirassiers: 60 men, 6 experience

Multiplayer[]

Screen Shot 2017-04-22 at 2.43

Initial deployment in a 4v3 map. Lannes' (Player 1's) forces are light blue, with his French allies lining up sequentially southwards. The Austrian army is in the forest, and the two Russian armies occupy the hill.

Screen Shot 2017-05-20 at 6.23

Initial deployment of the 3 v 2 map.

The Battle of Austerlitz is available for both 3v2 and 4v3 multiplayer. In contrast to the singleplayer version of the battle, the Austrian and Russian armies are badly outnumbered by the French. In addition, the allies lack guards, which all the French armies have. To make up for this, the Austrian and Russian armies are defending a very steep hill, giving them a significant height advantage.

Units[]

3v2[]

French Army

The three French players' armies are identical aside from their generals. Each general has:

Austrian Army

Russian Army

4v3[]

The Russians have a total of two regiments of the powerful 10-lber Unicorns, giving them a chance to even the odds before the numerically superior French close the gap.

French Army

The four French armies are largely identical; however, the fourth French player does not have Grenadiers à Cheval and has an extra regiment of Dragoons instead.

Austrian Army

Russian Army With the exception of the general, both Russian armies are identical.

Notes[]

While it is possible to change unit sizes in the menu, the unit sizes in the Battle of Austerlitz (as well as all other multiplayer historical battles) are always set to ultra when the battle is loaded, no matter what the player picked. 

History[]

Napoleon's quote, "One sharp blow and the war is over" was a quote from Napoleon at a critical moment in the real Battle of Austerlitz, which was a decisive victory for the French that brought an end to the War of the Third Coalition.

Trivia[]

  • During the pre-battle narration, Napoleon's text reads "December 2nd". However, the line recorded by Napoleon's voice actor begins with "December 3rd". The historical Battle of Austerlitz took place on December 2nd.
Napoleon: Total War Historical Battles
Land Battles Battle of Lodi • Battle of Arcole • Battle of the Pyramids • Battle of Austerlitz • Battle of Borodino • Battle of Dresden • Battle of Ligny • Battle of Waterloo • Battle of Friedland*
Sea Battles Battle of the Nile • Battle of Trafalgar
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