Game 135 : Albuera May 16th 1811

 We came back to Albuera, primarily as there were 3 players and this battle will work quite well for 3, albeit 1 person will be doing quite a lot of running around- and that was me!

The above shows a long shot of the entire battlefield. Albuera is in the distance and the stream runs the whole length. The woods are open woods, in reality small copses, brush, enough to be somewhat of an obstacle but not as much as a dense wood.

It shows both sides contesting these woods. It would last the entire game, but the French would slowly inch their way through. The aim was to clear the wood, then flank the position with 2 Brigades of Heavy Dragoons.

The Allies positioned the Spanish, apart from 1 Division, on their left. The French slowly pushed over the stream and into the Spanish infantry, driving them back. The Spanish cavalry fought very well and the combat against their higher quality counterparts ended in a draw!

However, the French advance could not be halted and the flank was slowly, but surely, being turned.

In the centre it was a battle of the light infantry. KGL against French Light infantry. It was a slogging match, French numbers eventually winning out with both sides exhausted. Albuera would now be screened to pin then Allied centre.

Th fight in the woods near to Albuera ended with the Portuguese being forced to withdraw, again with attritional losses. The French were not strong enough to break out of the wood into the open, but with the Allied left flank turned and the Allied right flank being in danger of being turned, the Allies decided that a organised withdrawal would be necessary. It was at this poin the game finished.

  

	Play Test 4
French Formations	Losses %			Spanish Formations	Losses%
	Infantry	Cavalry	Artillery		Infantry	Cavalry	Artillery
Soult	-	-	3	Beresford	-	-	34
Godinot (1st Brig)	44	-	-	Stewart (1st Brig)	0	-	31
Godinot (2nd Brig)	10	-	-	Stewart (2nd Brig)	3	-	-
Girard (1st Brig)	4	-	-	Stewart (3rd Brig)	0	-	-
Girard (2nd Brig)	4	-	-	Stewart (KGL Lt Brig)	67	-	-
Werle (1st Brig)	1	-	-	Cole (1st Brig)	3	-	56
Werle (2nd Brig)	16	-	-	Cole (2nd Brig)	0	-	-
Gazan (1st Brig)	0	-	-	Cole (3rd Brig)	0	-	-
Gazan (2nd Brig)	0	-	-	Hamilton (1st Brig)	0	-	6
Grenadiers	11	-	-	Hamilton (2nd Brig)	2	-	-
Latour (1st Brig)	-	0	-	Hamilton (Ind 3rd Brig)	43	-	100
Latour (2nd Brig)	-	14	-	Port Cav Brig	-	40	-
Latour (3rd Brig)	-	26	-	Lumley (1st Brig)	-	11	-
Latour (4th Brig)	-	8	-	Lumley (2nd Brig)	-	28	-
				Blake	-	-	0
				Lardizabal	55	-	-
				Zayas	6	-	-
				Ballasteros	0	-	-
				Loy	-	13	-
				Espana	0	-	0
				Villemur	-	56	-

Losses were not enormous, they were concentrated in about 3 localised areas as opposed to across the whole battlefield. Allied artillery did suffer heavily.

Rogue's gallery. The shorts are scary! Now on to somewhere in Greece, WWII.

Game 134 : Auerstadt 14th October 1806 : part one

 This game is using the computer moderated rules, Carnage & Glory. We finds the rules work well generally, but in our opinion there are gaps. Specifically, we don't like the support fire mechanics written and so we are using our own, largely based on the system in our Napoloenic rules, In the Grandest Manner. Just got a plug in there!

The battle starts at 6.00am and is an encounter battle. The Prussians start near Hassenhausen and Davout's lead Division marches into contact in the early mist of the morning. We are also using one extra ad hoc rule. Prussian cavalry, without an attached General, will always declare charges on enemy troops if within visibility and charge reach. This means that the Prussian cavalry have to be carefully shepherded. Above is the initial contact. Prussians are moving up to support Hassenhausen which they hold.

The time is around 9.30am and the French are about to get their best opportunity to force the Prussians out of Hassenhausen. Davout is now arrived in full, the Prussians are outnumbered for a short period of time.

 At the same time, this is the position on the Prussian right flank. The French flank was forced back and then refused, but with gradual reinforcements, the French will now try to straighten the line and force the Prussians back. 

This is as far as we have played so far. I think the next turn is the 10.30am turn. I will post after part two of the battle and we'll see what transpires.

An interlude in the fighting to take in the sun.

Game 133 : Fuentes d'Onoro 5th May 1811

 We are at the Peninsular, we'll see how the lines fair against the columns. We did use some extra rules, poorer morale for any allied foot in column and the same poorer morale for French in line.

Action on the Allied right flank. French infantry are going to screen the village of Poco Vehlo and attack the Portuguese on the extreme Allied right flank

The French also attack the other side of  Poco Vehlo and use light infantry to screen the centre. 

In the centre, where Fuentes is positioned, the French also launch a screening attack to allow the flanks to be threatened. The French strategy is to attack the Allies to the sides of their defensive villages. 

On the Allied left flank, they hold the village of Almeida which will eventually fall, but the Light Division is making good use of the stream in front to them as a defensive asset as it unforms any infantry trying to charge over and cavalry cannot charge over. The Allies are hampered by having very little artillery in this sector. It's grit and bear the enemy fire 

The French attack on the Allied right results in a cavalry engagement between two Light Cavalry Brigades from either side. The Allied cavalry had the best of the combat, but French morale held. Both formations had to retire to lick their wounds.

The attack on Poco Vehlo reaches its zenith. The Portuguese flank forces were driven back and the British holding the village were eventually forced back by attrition.

Almeida has fallen and a fresh French Infantry Division is marching across the stream between Almeida and Fuentes. The battle is quite quickly coming to a conclusion.

Fuentes itself is coming under pressure. The French Light Infantry are driving the defenders form the environs to the front of Fuentes to allow the Lone infantry to assault.

The Allies would now retire, Poco Vehlo and Almeida had fallen and Fuentes was going to get isolated. A good game, it was a while since we had tried this theatre of operations. 

French Formations	Losses %			Spanish Formations	Losses%
	Infantry	Cavalry	Artillery		Infantry	Cavalry	Artillery
MASSENA				WELLINGTON	-	-	21
II Corps Reynier	-	-	0	Spencer
Merle (1st Brig)	0	-	-	Spencer (1st Brig)	0	-	-
Merle (2nd Brig)	0	-	-	Spencer (2nd Brig)	0	-	-
Merle (3rd Brig)	0	-	-	Spencer (3rd Brig)	0	-	-
Heudelet (1st Brig)	7	-	-	Spencer (4th Brig)	0	-	-
Heudelet (2nd Brig)	5	-	-
Soult	-	6	-	Picton
				Picton (1st Brig)	21	-	-
VI Corps Massena	-	-	16	Picton (2nd Brig)	13	-	-
Marchand (1st Brig)	27	-	-	Picton (3rd Port Brig)	14	-	-
Marchand (2nd Brig)	0	-	-
Mermet (1st Brig)	7	-	-	Erskine
Mermet (2nd Brig)	0	-	-	Erskine (1st Brig)	1	-	-
Loison (1st Brig)	10	-	-	Erskine (2nd Brig)	0	-	-
Loison (2nd Brig)	10	-	-	Erskine (3rd Port Brig)	5	-	-
Junot (1st Brig)	9	-	-
Junot (2nd Brig)	8	-	-	Campbell
Lamotte	-	25	-	Campbell (1st Brig)	6	-	-
				Campbell (2nd Brig)	37	-	-
IX Corps D’Erlon	-	-	2	Campbell (3rd Port Brig)	0	-	-
Claparede (1st Brig)	34	-	-
Claparede (2nd Brig)	23	-	-	Houston
Claparede (3rd Brig)	8	-	-	Houston (1st Brig)	17	-	-
Conroux (1st Brig)	7	-	-	Houston (2nd Brig)	18	-	-
Conroux (2nd Brig)	0	-	-
Fournier	-	6	-	Craufurd
				Craufurd (1st Lt Brig)	10	-	-
Montbrun	-	-	8	Craufurd (2nd Lt Brig)	28	-	-
Montbrun (1st Brig)	-	8	-	Craufurd (3rd Port Lt Brig)	21	-	-
Montbrun (2nd Brig)	-	10	-
Montbrun (3rd Brig)	-	0	-	Independent Port Brigade	0	-	-
				Slade	-	13	-
				Arentschildt	-	23	-
				Barbacena	-	11	-

Next stop is a Carnage & Glory game, computer moderated. It is Auerstadt. This time we are using the full breadth of the rules, proper orders at the start when nobody was expecting battle. We also have some house mods to do with support fire, to me crucial for the system to work well.

Rogues gallery, we get better looking every time!