More pics covering the conclusion of this game from last year.
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| The defenders of the church prepare to repel the iminent assault |
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| and here they come |
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| Plenty of ammunition if required |
Ok, I know the Prussian Guard Grenadiers weren't at Plancenoit but they were downgraded to line for this encounter.
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| The Prussian right flank consisting of landwehr (including Kennington Hanoverian and HH Dutch Belgians playing Prussians). They are moving on to the higher ground to the right of the village |
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| Their advance viewed from the centre |
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| The French defenders have not yet reacted to the threat to their left. |
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| A bird's eye view of the position to the left of the village |
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The Prussian Landwehr begin to assault the building on the left while their comrades (out of picture) swing around to move into attack on their right
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| The Prussian assault on the right is destined to be beaten off. |
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| Prussian generals ponder their options (Fine Scale Factory figures) |
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| The Prussian battery is still searching for targets in the village |
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| With heavy losses on both sides in the village interior, the Prussians move fresh troops in from their left (looking very similar to defeated comrades recently removed!). The French Guard also make their move to meet this attack and take the place of depleted Line defenders in the village. |
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| Line against Guard...the outcome should be a foregone conclusion. |
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| Landwehr looking even less likely to succeed |
Young Guard Tirailleurs lead the attack, Grenadiers and Chasseurs to their rear
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| The end is surely nigh for the Prussians |
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With the support of the artillery to the left of the Guard the Prussian advance is stopped. |
I drew the game to an end at this point with the French having succeeded in holding the village from successive Prussian attacks. Their left flank attack did indeed prove no match for the Guard. The French Line controlled the village long enough to delay the need for the Guard to be introduced and their eventual participation proved decisive.
As I intended this game to concentrate action in the village itself, there was no scope to move further Prussian reinforcements in from the wider off table flanks. That would have been interesting and prolongued the game but pressures on other uses for the man cave won the day!
Other uses for the man cave? HERESY!!!
ReplyDeleteThe Prussians do often seem to disappoint on the table-top, perhaps the Prussian Guard shouldn't have been downgraded. I think it's a problem with rules definining quality as a single value / category. Landwehr were less well trained than many, although by 1815 this becomes open to question, but they were definitely committed to their cause. It's this latter effect that I think gets overlooked. Similarly the French in 1815 seem to have doubts about whther it was worth it or not.
BTW have you gamed the comabt at Gilly? It's an ideal size for a game and you shoudl have most of the units needed, especially as for such a small combat it features quite a bit of Imperial Guard. The Prussians will lose but it's about imposing delay.
Thanks for the heads up re Gilly, I'll definitely keep it in mind. RE Landwehr etc, I had similar thoughts about the poor old Dutch Belgians who bore the brunt of much criticism at Waterloo despite having had a hell of a time delaying the French advance at Quatre Bras. It is definitely worth reappraising morale ratings before any historically based games. If I ever do Ligny again I think I'll put Landwehr on a equal footing with Line. (might do a scenario based on Wavre before then)
DeleteMore excellent pics of an interesting game. I agree that Landwehr are under rated and they have always performed well in my own games!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ian, I'm sure the Landwehr will have their day, perhaps in one of my imaginary scenarios (I have one of those to post in the near future)
DeleteI think we're all agreed that the Prussians don't seem to get a fair show, or at least when I'm commanding them. This was a terrific looking game nonetheless. I thought your Tirailleurs were particularly magnificent, although the Kennington Hanoverian landwehr were very smart too. Do the latter have shako cords moulded onto them, or was that a paint conversion?
ReplyDeleteThanks Matthew. It'was good to get all my Prussian infantry on the table. The Kennington's do have moulded shako cords by the way.
ReplyDeleteI loved seeing the tirailleurs leading the guard detachment, but as you say, what chance could a few meagre Prussian battalions have against that collection of grumblers! This was a beautifully staged game and a pleasure to read.
ReplyDeleteThat's very kind of you David. Those Young Guard Tirailleurs were bought from David Clayton in two stages 1995 and 1998 along with their Voltigeur comrades (it took me until 1998 to realise that they were Guard regiments in their own right hence the 2 phase purchase!) I got around to painting them in 2016 utilising a spare officer as a pennant bearer.
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