Comparing two Corps - German

Lets take  look at two Corps, one French and one Prussian, based on the Nafziger OBs for the start-of-August paper strengths, rather than one showed up at Mars-la-Tour.

For the North German Confederation:

IV Army Corps: General der Infanterie von Alvensleben I
    7th Division: Generallieutenant von von Gross gen. von Schzhoff
        l3th Brigade: Generalmajor von Borries
            lst Magdeburg Infantry Regiment #26 (3)
            3rd Magdeburg Infantry Regiment #66 (3)
        l4th Brigade: Generalmajor von Zychlinski
            2nd Magdeburg Infantry Regiment #27 (3)
            Anhalt Infantry Regiment #93 (3)
        Attached:
            Magdeburg Jäger Battalion #4 (l)
            Westphalian Dragoon Regiment #7 (4)
            3rd Feld Pionier Company
            lst Sanitary Detachment       
        Artillery: Oberstlieutenant von Freyhold
            lst Foot Batallion Magdeburg Field Artillery #4
                lst Heavy Foot Battery (6 guns)
                2nd Heavy Foot Battery (6 guns)
                lst Light Foot Battery (6 guns)
                2nd Light Foot Battery (6 guns)
    8th Division: Generallieutenant von Schöler
        l5th Brigade: Generalmajor von von Keszler
            lst Thuringian Infantry Regiment #3l (3)
            3rd Thuringian Infantry Regiment #7l (3)
        l2th Brigade: Oberst von Schessler
            Schleiswig-Holstein Fusilier Regiment #86 (3)
            7th Thuringian Infantry Regiment #96 (3)
        Attached:
            Thuringian Hussar Regiment # (4)
            lst Feld Pionier Company
            2nd Sanitary Detachment
        Artillery: Major von Glissa
            2nd Foot Batallion Magdeburg Field Artillery #4
                3rd Heavy Foot Battery (6 guns)
                4th Heavy Foot Battery (6 guns)
                3rd Light Foot Battery (6 guns)
                4th Light Foot Battery (6 guns)

    Corps Artillery: Oberst Crusius
        Horse Battalion, Magdeburg Field Artillery #4
            2nd Horse Battery (6 guns)
            3rd Horse Battery (6 guns)
        3rd Foot Batallion Magdeburg Field Artillery #4
            5th Heavy Foot Battery (6 guns)
            6th Heavy Foot Battery (6 guns)
            5th Light Foot Battery (6 guns)
            6th Light Foot Battery (6 guns)
    Other Corps Assets
        3rd Sanitary Detachment
        Column Battalion, Magdeburg Field Artillery Regiment
            l/,2/,3/,4/,5/Artillery Munitions Column
            l/,2/,3/,4/Infantry Munitions Column
        Pontoon Column
        Magdeburg Train Battalion #4
        Hospital Depot
        Horse Depot
        Field Bakery Column
        l/,2/,3/,4/,5/Provision Columns
        l/,2/,3,4/,5/,6/,7/,8/,9/,l0/,ll/,l2/Field Hospital
        Escort Squadron

In past posts, I have been looking at the assets from a Divisional level.  However, we have already decided that the division (for a game at this level) will have to be viewed as a "disposable" asset.  It may have multiple bases but we don't want any ability on the part of the corps player to mess with its internal structure.  I think we can achieve this fastest by bumping the non-infantry divisional assets (in as much as they might make a difference) up to corps.  Lets enumerate stands, and see how it holds up.

First, corps command stand with a mounted officer.

Line infantry, 2 divisions each of 4 stands of 8 figures; one stand in each division gets an officer figures to mark it as a command stand.

Jägers are two battalions, about 2000 men -- a shame not to represent them. On the downside, they would add decision points for the corps; on the upside as say one 30x30 stand the would let the corps have a "detachment" capability.


The corps has, in total,  8 squadrons of dragoons.  This would make it reasonable to have a corps cavalry brigade of one stand.  Like the Jägers , not core but interesting.


There are a total of 6 batteries of heavy, 6 batteries of light, and 2 batteries of horse artillery.  The role of horse artillery at Mars-la-Tour makes it very important to represent.  I think it makes sense to make a foot artillery stand represent 3 batteries, but allow a stand for 2 horse batteries, with the difference in the factors.  


A single logistics stand could represent both the pontoon bridge and the equipment for the pioneer companies.


So, a table of what this means:

Type	Stands	Figures		Type
Corps Command	1	1		Mounted command
Infantry	8	64		Line Infantry
		2		Foot command
Attached cavalry	1	3		Dragoons
Jaegers	1	6		Jaegers
Heavy Artillery	2	2		Guns (with crew)
Light Artillery	2	2		Guns (with crew)
Horse Artillery	1	1		Guns (with crew)
Foot Limber	2	2		Limbers (all up)
Horse Limber	1	1		Limbers (all up)
Wagon (or pontoons)	1	1		Logistics
Total	20

One might question the benefit from the limbers - they do add beef to a march column but will also add clutter.  With a two hour turn deployment time is not a big factor.  Screw-ups with the placement of the pontoon or logistics resources can be important and so I want to leave that in (Canrobert was unable to dig in at St. Privat because the wagons with the entrenching equipment were stuck in Metz.).  We are still talking 18 stands for a corps, of which there were roughly seven at Gravellotte/St.Privat.  140 stands just for infantry corps -- do I need to cut down a level?  Lets look at the French while we consider it.