Napoleon in 1812

NIK PARMEN

Banned
You are Napoleon in 1812 at it's peak of power. What would you do to achieve the total victory against the coalition? going to Russia but not in the same way as in OTL, going after Britain? what?

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-My biggest priority would be to take out Britain. There should be a Napoleonic version of 'Operation Sealion' in the foreseeable future.

-OTOH, I would make peace with Russia, Sweden, Portugal and other mainland states against France. This is because countries like Russia and Austria would be those that posed a credible threat against French hegemony on Continental Europe. Britain couldn't do anything because most of its powers were mostly naval and its forces was overstretched across its vast colonial empire.

-Making peace with the coalition for the time being isn't out of the question either. One of the few things that caused the loss of French dominance in Europe since King Louis XIV is because constant warfare finally took its toll on the Empire. Stopping to recover and reform wouldn't be too bad.:cool:
 

Anaxagoras

Banned
I would not invade Russia, and instead take personal command in Spain, bringing along 150,000 reinforcements. If Wellington can be disposed of, perhaps the government in London will fall and be replaced by a peace party.
 
Russia is a no-no.

Go to Spain, and Take the Grande Armée with me. Finish the job the way that I failed to in 1809. Bring Wellington to battle, and crush him. The man was a decent general, but I doubt that he could stand against the massed legions of the French Empire. Once the allied army is broken, the partisans can be dealt with in detail; IIRC they had a tendency to melt away if there wasn't a decent allied field presence to support them. Then get as many men out of the ulcer as you can.

Ditch the continental system. It's driving Russia (and most of Europe) away from me, and it's already proven to be a failure. In the wake of a penninsular victory, offer terms to the english. If they accept, then great. If not, be content breaking their descents upon the coast, while building a fleet the proper way this time.

Reorganize the Army. Try to reduce the reliance upon foreign soldiers. They are all well and good for shoring up numbers, but dependence upon them would prove very damaging.

For diplomacy... Austria and Prussia are subservient, but who knows how long that will last. If and when they rebel again, defeat the main opponent in detail, and placate the other with territorial gains from the defeated power.
 
Having played Napoleon in a skit on stage as a student, I have pondered this question a lot, of course. :eek:

- End the Continental Blockade. It hurts me more than it hurts them, I agree. Instead, I let experts envision a plan to develop trade and industry within Europe as swiftly as possible. How useful would a trade-union, a common currency be?
Letting go off the Continental Blocakde would also help solving the following problems:
- Do not annex silly things. The German North Sea Coast....the Illyric Coast...Barcelona.
- Give Holland back to Louis. He is a good man. Maybe add the stretch from Wesel to Hamburg to his kingdom.
- Find a rapprochement with Russia- which shouldn't be too hard without the blockade.
- Play on the defensive. Consolidate. Try to work with a Grande Armee which is as small, experienced and taxpayer-friendly as possible. This only works as long as there is no war with Russia.

- Deal with Spain and Wellington there once and for all. Use the whip, but do not forget the sugarbread.
- Propose peace to Britain (on my terms)....again and again and again. It looks good.
- Build a fleet and make sure it is decently equipped and led. Don't rush things. You might not live to see the French fleet beating the Royal Navy. But be sure you laid the foundations for it.
- Don't dream of Sea Mammals.

-If Russia is not placateable, use a different plan than the silliest imaginable which came to my mind in OTL:


  1. Build up three equally strong armies of 120 - 200,000, allow your two best generals to lead two of them. All 3 armies have a French majority of troops.
  2. Left wing goes into the Balticum and drags the Prussians with them. Let Friedrich Wilhelm III know that the Lands of the German Order will be his if this wing reaches St. Petersburg. With the ACTUAL capital threatened, the Russians will not that much dare to peaster the other advances.
  3. Center goes after Moscow, but should be flexible.
  4. Right wing goes into the Ukraine. Maybe some local elites can be found to support one of my siblings as a King of Ukraine, otherwise expand the Grand-Duchy of Warsaw as far as feasible.
  5. Entice the Ottomans and the Swedish to join. Give as many concessions to them as they want.
I shall never forget that I cannot destroy the Tsarist behemoth. But I can try to push it away from my Continent as much as possible, maybe to the borders of the time of Peter the Great.

-If Prussia ever rebels - break it up and put the rest into the Confederation of the Rhine. By the way, reorganize it to placate AND control German patriotism.

-If Austria ever rebels, break it up.

-Find a concept for the "King of Rome" idea.
 
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Total victory is impossible by 1812. Spain is a deathtrap and unwinnable, and France has no capacity to build a navy to challenge Britain. France cannot take Petersburg because the Baltic is a British lake, which means Russia cannot be defeated either.

Reasonable victory is possible if Napoleon stops thinking he is Napoleon. The British were tired and prepared to do a deal pre Russian invasion but it would involve France letting go of Spain and Holland.

Make a reasonable peace with Britain, and France keeps almost all of her empire.
 
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