Thursday, 31 July 2025

Ligny: The Conclusion

 

The 55th Line, supported by newly arrived 1st Grenadiers of the Guard, prepare to volley at weakened Brunswick Oel Jagers and 2nd Line as they continue to move on St Amand.

Meanwhile at Ligny, Prussian and Belgian reserves attempt to intercept French forces moving in from the West.  Leading the advance are the Prussian 1st Regt of Guard Grenadiers (probably Clayton produced Hinton Hunt, and bought second hand in 1997). 



 
The Marines of the Guard have now arrived at the brook to lend their weight to constructing the pontoon. The Young Guard to their right wait to assault when the bridge is in place.

The valiant defenders of Ligny prepare to receive another attack. The French command has not yet called upon Guard support but is relying on the fresh offensive from the West to weaken the defenders' resolve


The 2nd Grenadiers of the Guard march towards their Prussian foes


The Oel Jagers have been seen off and now the position of the Prussians and their allies looks perilous across the battlefield.


Turn 21 and the Prussian 2/3 Line have been broken at Ligny by the Guard horse artillery. With resistance at St Amand all but over, relentless pressure by Gerard's Division at Ligny, and the increasing threat of the French Guard, the Prussian & Dutch Belgian army reaches its breaking point and is forced to withdraw to fight another day. 



Arriving to oversee the victory, the Emperor and his staff
                                                                                                                          


This was a very enjoyable game with some similarities to the actual battle phases, particularly the prolongued fighting in Ligny village. I recommend Andrew Uffindel's  "The Eagle's Last Triumph" which has a stirring and detailed acount of the action.  




8 comments:

  1. Well the right side won! Great game Simon, what’s next - Quatre Bras?

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    1. Thanks Ian, I've a number of past games that I'll post including Quatre Bras & Plancenoit which I did in fairly quick succession last year. The French 1st Line are also nearing completion so I'll pop up some pics of those as well.

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  2. A great, and hard fought, AAR. Perhaps mix in a few wide table shots with the close ups as I sometimes lose track of the bigger picture.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Rob, I took a lot of notes when I played this one with the blog in mind and I'll take your your helpful suggestion on board for my next battle (which might not be for a while). In the meantime I'll post some pics of past games which might lack as much commentary but will serve to introduce some of my collection.

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  3. So it's "Vive L'Empereur", yet again it seems.

    This has been a spectacular series of posts. I hope you'll also be doing a few special features on some of the beautiful battalions we've just had a peek at.

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    Replies
    1. I'll certainly do that Matthew...really glad it's been of interest to you and fellow collectors.

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  4. I have to admit I was rooting for the Prussians and hoping for a miracle! :) An entertaining read. I love how the Marines of the guard were planning to defer to the young guard to make the assault across the river...

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    Replies
    1. It really was touch and go for a while David but in the end the Guard would have saved the day Pruddians and their allies were just worn down.....and very unlucky with the dice rolls.

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