Custer Moves to Ford D with Five Companies Part A

[yanmacca]

Mac, if you read the reports of the Reno crossing, you can see how they simply arrived at the ford and the leading company went straight across.

I think that M Company was the first to cross, followed by G and finally A. I would guess that once M finished crossing, then it would remain halted while the other two crossed, in a kind of cover role.

Once all were across they then formed into a line of battle with M moving to the right flank and A taking the left, G was bringing up the rear and probably acting as a reserve, although this change as then neared there objective, with G taking the left flank which meant that A was the center company. As the battalion went down the valley, Varnum and Hare plus a few orderly’s and scouts were ahead of the column.

Now the situation at ford D would probably be a totally different scenario, so I would guess that one company would stay back either in skirmish or mounted, because fifty mounted Indians (Wolftooth) could easily spoil the party, so I expect that the whole battalion would prepare to cross in two formations, each containing two companies.

If the first group contained E and F, then my guess is that these would form a screen while the other group crossed, finally the tail end Charlie company would cross last.

[colt45]

Reno's crossing was unopposed, so going across one company at a time would have been acceptable. You can also see a good distance from ford A, so with no danger in sight, moving across 1 company at a time quickly makes sense. Ford D is another matter.

We know there was resistance at ford D which thwarted Custer's plans of crossing. Whether that resistance was on the west side of the river or coming from the east side folks we don't know, but let's assume all the resistance was on the west side and Custer went ahead with a crossing. The approach in a panzer glock works very well, just as QC suggested. At the crossing point, the first company going in needs support from the flank companies, who must set up suppressing fire to cover them while they are vulnerable. Once across, the lead company must now move a short distance away from the river and setup suppressing fire so as to support the follow-on companies. Once another company or two gets across, those on the west side must now move forward, pushing the hostiles away from the crossing point, allowing the last company to cross. Next to last to cross must prepare to provide covering fire to the east side in case the tail-end charlie company gets hit from the rear. Once all are across, then all 5 could move into line formation to continue the assault.

Most likely the reason Custer didn't attempt an opposed crossing was harassment from east side warriors and quite probably a view of what was coming to meet him from the west side. If he could see the rapid movement of the hostiles coming from upriver, it wouldn't take a genius to realize that he would be attempting to cross with the enemy both in front and behind him. Better to abort the crossing and deal with the east side threat and plan on moving back away from the river. Too bad he didn't keep moving away from the river to the east.

[yanmacca]

Hi Colt, I used the Reno crossing as an example only, much in the same way that I use other comparisons to show how any retreat or withdrawal from BRE was compared with the Weir peak fiasco or the Reno breakout.

Of course Reno's crossing was unopposed and I would have thought that Custer wanted the same at ford D, hence his insistence in moving so far north.

Would Panzer Glock be as unfamiliar to me as it would to Custer?

[quincannon]

I refer you Ian to "Panzer Leader" by Guderian, and "Panzer Battles" by von Mellenthin, both address the subject. Panzer Glock means Armored Bell. The formation is, as the name suggests, bell shaped. It is a variation of a wedge, except while the wedge is more narrowly focused, emphasizing the tip, the Armored Bell is wider at the base, and meant to punch a larger hole in the enemies defensive array.

If you can use it in a river crossing or opposed river crossing, the advantage it gives you is the wide and deep, which along with the third element, speed, are the essential ingredients.

Any river crossing depends on the number and condition of the crossing points, in addition to what the other guys are doing. I am assuming that the crossing points at Ford D were less than idea for a number of reasons. Therefore, the approach the Gunslinger lays out is both proper and prudent. That does not change the fact that before you cross, you have to first get to the ford. For that the Panzer Glock is an ideal formation.

Would it be known to Custer? I suspect so. It would not be called that, but the Panzer Glock in some form existed long before it was resurrected and adapted to the Panzer Divisions in the late 1930's.

[chardvc]

I imagine Custer knew it as "cha-a-a-a-r-r-g-e!"

[yanmacca]

Chuck, I think that Mark is on the money and Custer seems like a no frills kinda bloke so how about this;

Lead element E and F with I and L + HQ as the follow up elements, C is in reserve with the job of guarding the rear until all units are across, then it will join the command for the move south.

[colt45]

Yan,
The march order you show certainly could have been what was used, and it would allow for the units to be in the proper place when they withdrew to CR, BRE, and the final locations. However,the crossing point you show is far from ideal because you have them crossing at the point that has river on both flanks and river in front, a virtual box canyon. I would not cross there as that location forms a U-shaped ambush with all 5 companies somewhat crowded together, a real death trap, especially if the foliage in 1876 was there just like it is in your map. The Indians could easily repulse that crossing with only a handful of warriors on each side in the trees.

I would prefer a crossing on the extreme right of the map in what appears to be a clear area just below the group of trees. In that way I have an open frontal area and a wide, safe area to pull back to if necessary, that being the area just departed from. Of course, we don't know what the foliage was like in the old riverbed in 1876, as that would have a lot to do with the decision on crossing point. Like Chuck said, you would have to see the site before making that final crossing point decision. Also, we can't see the bluffs on your map but we know they are there. It very well may be that the only place Custer could have crossed is where the highway crosses today. If that was the case, I can easily understand why the Indian accounts of only 10-15 warriors were able to repulse the crossing, if we believe their report of the numbers on hand at the crossing time.

[yanmacca]

I agree Colt, but I was trying to keep it realistic, now according to some Indian sources the soldiers were seen at a place now called Willys Bend and that is where the the railway bridge is located and that is smack in the middle of the advance on my map.

I also added the old course of the river too, as it will also add to the realism of 1876.

Yes you could be right with the location an all it does look like a death trap, but if this was the only area to cross then Custer could have saw that this was not such a good idea and even ford B may have offered him a better option. It could have been at this point that he realized just how much he was out on a limb and the enemy was gathering like bees around lavender.

[quincannon]

Concur on both points the Gunslinger made.

Ian: Wrong place and wrong formation.

Mark: Charges ( I actually prefer the proper term - assault, but charge will do) are like women. Some are prettier than others. If you go ugly early it does not matter. If you wish to totally enjoy the experience, you wait until you can execute with the proper formation.

Profound apologies to Elisabeth, for putting up with (not condoning mind you) this last remark.

Ian: The Panzer Glock is a variation of one of your own early armor pioneers, Hobart I think, called the expanding torrent.

It is well to realize that there is nothing new under the tactical sun. All that existed then, and all that exists today, are adaptations of what came before. Tactics are a continuation of the science and the art form, not revolutionary, but rather evolutionary. If you put Stuart down in the middle of the 1st Armored Division today, he would recognize and be totally at home with what was going on. If Sir John Moore visited the Tenth Mountain Division in a tactical training area this afternoon, he would see the exact things he refined and developed play out in those Godforsaken training areas at Fort Drum, home of the foot long bug du jour.

[yanmacca]

Chuck according to Indian accounts it was the right place, maybe he held back and sent only one company forward to check it out and these drew fire.

The formation was just me having fun.

[quincannon]

Well you having fun is good, but let's look at your crossing place for your lead element. as depicted on that map, and apply Panzer Glock , provided of course there were other places to cross at the proper locations.

Keep that crossing place for the lead inside that loop, but spread your approaching formation out in the bell shape where the flair at the bottom of the bell crosses at the shoulders of that loop. Doing that would negate the U shaped ambush possibilities that Colt spoke of. You are not only across, but across securely, as well as putting one great big hole in the enemy array, splitting them, like you took a meat cleaver to the bastards.

The purpose of shock action is to create shock effect, which is just another way of saying that your adversary would not know what to do, crap or go blind.

[yanmacca]

Would the possibility of mounted Indians force you to drop back a fifth of your force or would you keep the formation tight?

The point were Custer saw this was a bad idea;

"Hey up lads" this place doesn't look healthy, what with the river and trees and those pesky hostiles knocking about;

[quincannon]

When you assault under those circumstances, you go whole hog, or keep your goddamned pigs back in the pen.

No, push everything that you have in. If it works you don't need a reserve. If it does not, there is no reserve that will save your sorry ass.

[mac]

Dec 1, 2016 15:37:16 GMT colt45 said:

Most likely the reason Custer didn't attempt an opposed crossing was harassment from east side warriors and quite probably a view of what was coming to meet him from the west side. If he could see the rapid movement of the hostiles coming from upriver, it wouldn't take a genius to realize that he would be attempting to cross with the enemy both in front and behind him. Better to abort the crossing and deal with the east side threat and plan on moving back away from the river. Too bad he didn't keep moving away from the river to the east.

This is exactly the way I think the accounts present the situation. They say that the warriors were concealed along the river and were able to put in enough fire to stop the cavalry. The geometry of the river is the key factor that Custer could not know about until he got there. He was trusting his luck!
Cheers

[colt45]

Good point Mac. This is especially valid if the crossing point was where the river is crossed by where  the highway and railroad bridge is, as Yan shows in his map. At that point it doesn't take a lot of hostiles in the woods on both side of the crossing point to ruin their day.