Waterloo - D'Erlons 1 Corp Attack Part 3

 We're just under half way through this battle. The French columns have lost some of their formation pattern but advance steadily while the allied line looks strong despite the heavy losses of Perponcher's Division. 

The French guns continue to pound the allied lines causing damage to their opposing batteries.

While the guns blaze away the 5th & 10th Cuirassiers have been ordered to counter the emerging threat to the French left.

Any chance you could read this despatch Sire?!

The far left guns of the Grand Battery

Pack's Brigade in readiness

The rockets continue to prove ineffective (but they look impressive)

The columns to the left of D'Erlon's Corps are making better headway.

The Cuirassiers wheel round to the West of LHS

8th KGL form square ready to receive

7th Belgian have finally broken after another artillery hit so KGL guns have clear field of fire to engage with canister and slow the lead columns

Most of Quiot's battalions are now taking casualties, slowing their progress

Eight of the twelve French line battalions are Hinton Hunt figures. The rest are Kenningtons.  

The cuirassiers prepare to attack the KGL square (why didn't their commander ask for some guns to support them?)

Over on the right the 21st Line look to be the first to make contact with Best's brigade.

On the left the defenders of LHS continue to put up a stubborn defence

Here come the 21st (these were my first Kennington French figures)

the view from Pack's brigade

and to their right Kempt's troops

5th Cuirassiers attack the square and are beaten off

In the foreground 105th close on the 95th rifles

The lack of cohesion in the French columns can be seen

21st go for a head on clash rather than forming a firing line

Osterode Landwehr (represented by HH 1st Nassau) win the melee against the 21st Line

5th Cuirassiers take up the challenge of breaking the KGL square   

Somerset's Household Cavalry advance to rescue the KGL 

                                        

I live in hope that one day the dice will favour the cavalry 

105th take on the 95th

Next post: the conclusion

Waterloo - D'Erlon's 1 Corp Attack Part 2

 Orders of Battle for this game  

(Units marked thus* have substitute figures fielded)

3rd Div (Alten)

Ompteda - King's German Legion

1st LI*, 2nd LI*, 5th* , 8th* 

5th Div (Picton)

Kempt

28th, 32nd, 79th, 95th

Pack

1st, 42nd, 44th*, 92nd

6th Div (Cole)

Best -Hanover

Verden*, Luneberg, Munden*, Osterode*

 2nd Netherlands Div (Perponcher)

7th Belgian, 5th Dutch Militia, 7th Dutch Militia*, 8th Dutch Militia*, 27th Dutch Jager

1st Cavalry Brigade (Somerset)

Royal Horse Guards, 1st Life Guards

2nd Cavalry Brigade (Ponsonby)

1st Dragoons, 2nd Dragoons, 6th Dragoons

4th Cavalry Brigade (Vandeleur)

11th Light Dragoons, 12th LD, 16th LD

1 x battery Royal Field Artillery, 1 x Rocket Troop, 2 x Hanover Field Battery 1 x Dutch/ Belgian Horse Artillery 

Napoleon

1st Div (Quiot)

28th, 54th, 55th, 105th

2nd Div (Donzelot)

13th, 17th, 19th 51st

3rd Div (Marcognet)

21st, 25th, 45th, 46th

1st Cavalry Div (Jacquinot)

7th Hussars, 3rd Chasseurs, 3rd and 4th Lancers

14th Cavalry Div (Delort)

5th* & 10th* Cuirassiers

Imperial Guard

1st & 2nd Grenadiers, 1st and 2nd Chasseurs

Artillery

2 X Guard Foot Batteries, 1 x Guard Horse Battery, 6 x Line Foot Batteries

Shako Rules applied (but not to the letter!) The side who loses more than 50% of its forces will be defeated. 

The French Divisional artillery kicks things off before the rest of the "Grand Battery" arrives

Perponcher's men are the only ones in range so take the brunt. 7th Dutch Miltia are the first to break

The rest of the Grand Battery start to deploy

One of Perponcher's staff gallops up the road to ask Wellington's permission to move his troops behind the ridge (unfortunately for him this is decided in the negative by a dice roll). 

It takes some time for the French battery to fully deploy but when they do it's at the expense of the 5th Dutch Miltia

French Divisions ready themselves to advance

Two of Quiot's regiments move towards La Haye Sainte while the rest start to pick their way through the guns

The French battery nearest the road has taken a hit from a rocket (a very rare occurence requiring a double 6) 

In the actual battle the French columns were impeded in their movement by their gun positions 

The KGL defenders are spread between the orchard, the farm buildings and the garden

The allied artillery has had some limited success against the advancing columns and the French guns

Perponcher's Division has been decimated with only two of his five battalions holding their ground. Still Wellington refuses to let them withdraw 

5th KGL move forward (here represented by British 52nd)

French guns fire over the heads of the columns

"It's looking promising so far sire!"

Wellington's forces have begun to form defensive lines along the road

French Divisions now half way across the valley

An exchange of fire at LHS orchard with casualties on both sides

5th KGL move to reinforce LHS garrison

The leading column moves perilously nearer to the resolute 7th Belgians 

105th Line will be the first to engage the riflemen in the sandpit 

7th Belgian have some comfort from the artillery at their rear but will need to move so canister can be used.

Next post: cavalry on both sides start to make an appearance

Waterloo - D'Erlon's 1 Corp Attack Part 1

Way back in the dim distant past a teenage version of myself laid out a tiny version of Waterloo on a 6x4 piece of painted hardboard. This was either put on the family dining table or on the living room floor (I had very tolerant parents!). My newly constructed Airfix Waterloo Farmhouse aka La Haye Sainte and a smattering of Hinton Hunt and Airfix figures completed the scene. I'm sure that I did not imagine that 50+ years later I would still be as addicted.

I decided to play this game as a stand alone action i.e. not influenced by events on the Western flank or over on the East at Plancenoit. Consequently Durette's action with Best's Nassau contingent at Papelotte is not covered. I did however give a little nod to my Plancenoit game from last year by having the Imperial Guard available (all 6 Battalions in my collection) but only on the specific order of Napoleon (Plancenoit was held by the French in that game).

The Brigades on either side were not entirely accurately represented! For example, for reasons known only to myself (i.e. I made a mistake) I gave Ompteda 5 Battalions rather than 4. Somerset's Household Brigade had 3 rather than 2 regiments (because it looked better rather than substituting with a non household regiment!). The French Line regiments were represented by single battalions rather than 2 (or 3 in the case of 13th Light).  Tune in to "Season 2" when the French get their full complement (almost).

Having largely concentrated my collecting on this section of the Waterloo battlefield  I was able to represent 90% of the regiments involved. There were 900 or so Hinton Hunts available. 

I thought this was the bees knees c1973

The 2026 layout (actually constructed over 10 years ago) utilising standard hexes for the middle ground and scratch built foam slopes. The only change to the Airfix La Haye Sainte is that it is now fixed to a base. 

This 7x5 set up gives me just enough room to get around 3 sides. A scenic board yet to be added to the long side.

The North ridge looking East

LHS and the cross roads. Abatis have yet to be put across the road (garden twigs!) 

Allied infantry and artillery in their starting positions with scenic backdrop now in place.

Abatis now in place - some bushes still to be put along the road

All troops have been placed as near as possible to their historical starting positions. Cavalry are off table. 

Royal Field Artillery battery with Alten's 3rd Div King's German Legion to their rear. The KGL are all represented by British figures.

The KGL Light Infantry in LHS are represented by 60th Rifles (in my excitement I  deployed them to LHS but also as alter egos in reserve). 

95th Rifles in their positions in the sandpit and behind the hedges to the rear

Uxbridge, Wellington and ADC 

Behind the ADC the Austrian and Russian attaches: Baron de Vincent & Lt Gen Count Pozzo di Borgo 

RHA Rocket Troop (Fine Scale Factory figures)

Picton and ADC

 LHS orchard with KGL at the ready

Le Petit Caporal with ADC and Ney to his right

The French troops view when they move towards LHS

 

Quiot 1st Div, Donzelot 2nd Div and Marcognet 3rd Div with Divisional artillery in place (Durette 4th Div does not feature in this game)

French Divisional Artillery waiting for the order to open fire  

Why has the commander only given us single battalions?!

The ground is too soft for the artillery mon Empereur!

The massed Divisions wait patiently for the order to advance

The Brigades of Ompeda, Kempt, Pack and Best on the reverse slope with Perponcher's cannon fodder Dutch/Belgians at the front.  

Quiot's orders are to take LHS and the crossroads

Next post, an order of battle and the start of proceedings.