DP-13: Unite with Custer or Defend?

[Deleted]

DP	Who	Timeline	Location	Local Time	Clock Time	Event
Row 2 column 1	Reno/Benteen	L,O,Q,S	VIC Reno Hill DD: -107.377 45.520 MGRS: 13TCL14364344	1400	1457	82 minutes from Reno's dismount/112 minutes from the Custer/Reno seperation, Benteen arrives on Reno Hill.

Special Situation:  Benteen arrives and shows Reno the note and asks him, "Where is Custer?, clearly thinking he needs to go to him. The trains are coming forward behind Benteen. They can see the Indians apparently leaving perhaps due to Benteen's arrival or some disturbance downstream. Reno asserted his rank and orders Benteen to reinforce him. There are actually a plethora of decisions which can occur.  Of course, we know Custer is moving around the battlefield, is somewhat engaged, and moving toward Ford D and is either driven back or decides to go back.  We will never know.



The ellipse with a "II" at the base indicates a battalion battle position.  Technically the arrow toward Weir Point is a direction of attack, which today requires the unit to follow the line, but here I am just using it to indicate a route forward to find Custer.  

Course of Action 1 (Benteen Only in effect of COA 3)
Disobey Reno and follows Custer's trail.
Advantages.
Pressure appears to be off Reno.
Trains are on the way with ammunition, an additional company, and the nearly company size personnel with the packs giving Reno 5 companies in total.
Benteen has no surgeon, so there is little he can do to assist the wounded.
Reno/Benteen are complying with Custer's order and intent
Martini can guide the column forward.
Leaves a sizeable force behind to defend.
Benteen can continue immediately.


Disadvantages
Reno does not appear to be in control of himself or in command.
Noone has any idea where Custer is.
If Custer is not close, the relief column may be caught out in the open.
Benteen is disobeying Reno's orders.
Three companies is probably not enough.

Course of Action 2
Reno orders Benteen to continue to unit with Custer
Advantages.
Pressure appears to be off Reno.
Trains are on the waywith ammunition, an additoinal company, and the nearly company size personnel with the packs.
Benteen has no surgean, so there is little he can do to assist the wounded.
They can cut out several mules to bring ammo forward or redistribute ammo and move out.
Martini can guide the column forward.
Leaves a sizeable force behind to defend.

Disadvantages
Reno does not appear to be in control of himself or in command.
Noone has any idea where Custer is.
Reno causes Benteen to violate his orders
If Custer is not close, the relief column may be caught out in the open.
Three Companies is probably not enough

Course of Action 3

Reno Orders Benteen to reinforce him (and Benteen complies).
Advantages.
Pressure appears to be off Reno.
Reno Orders Benteen to reinforce him
Reno masses the available combat power for defense
No one 'cares' where Custer is because they are going to defend.

Disadvantages

Reno does not appear to be in control of himself or in command.
Does not comply with Custer's orders. (but if all are dead, then it is mute)
Disobeys Custer's orders.

Course of Action 4
Reno detaches one company to stay behind, places McDougal in command upon arrival to defend the current location.
Ammunition is redistributed between the companies,and the the rest of the united battalion (5 companies) moves toward Custer.
Advantages.
Pressure appears to be off Reno.
Essentially three companies plus the packers, essentially a battalion sized force, are left behind and 5 companies proceed to find and unit with Custer.
Complies with Custer's orders and intent and contains a significant amount of combat power.
Wounded are guarded and cared for
Remaining units provide a fall back position for the rest of the Regiment,if needed.
Martini can guide the column forward.
Leaves a sizeable force behind to defend.

Disadvantages
Detached units may not be strong enough to defend.
Noone has any idea where Custer is.
If Custer is not close, the relief column may be caught out in the open.
Will take more time to organize than COA 1 or 2.

Comparison. The three offensive courses of action all share the same problems: No one know where Custer isand the relief column may be caught in the open and destroyed. (We know that by the time Weir occupies his position and Benteen comes up with the BN (-), the fight is over. COA 3 clearly is against Custers orders and intent. (We know Custer continues to maneuver). Clearly the wounded can't be moved, COA 4 protects the wounded, provides a fall back position, and allows a sizeable force to continue. Reno is probably in no state to command the effort, but he can't in good conscience, remain behind. The stay behind force in COA 4 is nearly battalion size, especially if one company is detached to secure the postiion as the trains move up. Ammunition resupply will consume time, but merely redistributing ammo may be sufficient.


Recommendation: I'm torn here. Five companies moving out fast may have saved Custer and then been able to reunite with the trains, but we know the timing. Being a cavalryman, I'm tempted for COA 4. COA 1 or 2 is not enough combat power. No one wants to leave their commander and comrads in the lurch, but defending is probably the safe bet. Still COA 4.

[quincannon]

COURSE OF ACTION 5 - DO NOTHING OF CONSEQUENCE (about making a decision) UNTIL YOU ARE READY (with the information necessary to make that decision). IN THE MEANTIME DO WHAT HALTED UNITS DO (especially halted partially defeated units)

The assumption that the pressure was off Reno is a fact not in evidence. The pressure was still there, but it had backed off a bit with the arrival of Benteen. Still Benteen had to deploy to chase Indians back some distance after he arrived.

Reno, by all reports was in rough shape. He had to consolidate, reorganize, replace key leaders, and re-provision himself with ammunition, and any other, essential to the moment, supplies. He also had to take defeated, scared out of the wits troops, and restore within them calm, and a willingness to fight. Reno found himself in nearly the same position Task Force Smith found itself in, in Korea July 1950. Exactly the same, and it took Brad Smith nearly two weeks to do what Reno was required to do.

The arrival of Benteen was an opportunity though. Remember Benteen's first question to Reno - Where is Custer. Benteen's people were tired but relatively fresh. The proper first thing to do was send out scouts to answer the question where is Custer. Reno/Benteen needed information before they could act on anything. Two or three five man reconnaissance patrols could provide that information. Once obtained, then that is the time to act. Going off into "injun country" without information is what Custer did, now some of these courses of action ask Reno and Benteen to do the same.

The proper course of action in my view is to not move one goddamned inch until you have the information to base your decision on. Until then deploy, reorganize, rearm, re-provision and prepare for the next phase of combat. Secure your wounded, Secure the trains and be prepared to defend a perimeter. Assign sectors of responsibility, constitute a reserve, dig in, think about what you can create to increase the strength of your position by laying out fire traps. Make provision to set some areas on fire if need be to block avenues of approach.

Make no mistake when those folks you sent out find Custer, they are going to find him beyond help in the same final phase of his battle that Weir found him in. And yes, I am assuming the scouts would have departed the Reno Hill area within fifteen minutes of Benteen's arrival.

Reno was the senior line officer present in the immediate battle space. Everyone and everything that was not with Custer was under Reno's command, The primary responsibility of any commander is to the troops he commands. His secondary responsibility is to those he can render effective help to. Often these two factors come into conflict. They certainly did here.   That's why commanders get paid the big bucks, to make hard decisions. 

[Deleted]

That's a fine alternative course of action. I like it. Execute.

[quincannon]

As this series of exercises is coming to a close we would all be remiss if we did not thank our newest member for all the hard work he has done on our behalf. He has taken us on what amounts to a staff ride in cyberspace, something, I,who has been on several conventional staff rides, would have though damned near impossible three weeks ago. Thank you Mike, I have learned a lot, and I am equally sure those who come here to read and not participate, have learned a lot of good information seasoned with rational as well.

[quincannon]

Execute? Not me brother, those Indians scare the hell out of me.

[Deleted]

Feb 26, 2021 4:33:15 GMT quincannon said:

As this series of exercises is coming to a close we would all be remiss if we did not thank our newest member for all the hard work he has done on our behalf. He has taken us on what amounts to a staff ride in cyberspace, something, I,who has been on several conventional staff rides, would have though damned near impossible three weeks ago. Thank you Mike, I have learned a lot, and I am equally sure those who come here to read and not participate, have learned a lot of good information seasoned with rational as well.

Appreciate it. This is what I do for fun and why I wargame. 

[quincannon]

You and Ian are kindred souls

[Deleted]

Feb 26, 2021 4:34:50 GMT quincannon said:

Execute? Not me brother, those Indians scare the hell out of me.

I didn't say you had to go scout.  You can hang out slightly to the rear and command. 

[mac]

Feb 26, 2021 4:46:01 GMT @mikerobel said:

Feb 26, 2021 4:33:15 GMT quincannon said:

As this series of exercises is coming to a close we would all be remiss if we did not thank our newest member for all the hard work he has done on our behalf. He has taken us on what amounts to a staff ride in cyberspace, something, I,who has been on several conventional staff rides, would have though damned near impossible three weeks ago. Thank you Mike, I have learned a lot, and I am equally sure those who come here to read and not participate, have learned a lot of good information seasoned with rational as well.

Appreciate it. This is what I do for fun and why I wargame. 

Concur. Well done so far Mike. I say so far because I would be delighted to continue the journey further.

[yanmacca]

Mike you have certainly taken us all on a journey, which many if us have never done before.
I knew you would be wasted on the other boards, only Geir has made any effort to work with you, but he also is a talent wasted there too.

Thanks for putting in a shift and upgrading us to 2021, especially while you go through a rough patch.

Ian

[colt45]

I too would go with QC's COA5, which is kind of what occurred albeit not in sufficient quantity. Benteen did halt and tried to help get Reno organized. Had Weir not gone off on his own, taking a company with him, the move forward might not have occurred as quickly as it did, leaving more time for CoA 5 to occur.

However, CoA 5 was not on the vote list so the best option left is CoA4.

[Deleted]

I have to admit as a cavalryman, I did not even think about it. Once you make contact, don’t let go. First order of business should have been to send Weir out to hold on to them. Crsp.

I spent much more time sttting at tyd map, moving counters, thinking, and revising the COAs. I also mesnt to include the make up your own.

Weee getting to the end. Only one or two more, then it’s off to fiddler’s Green