Battle Report 19 April 2015

Another casual Sunday arvo at Auckland City Guard club and Michael and I got the troops out, ostensibly to recreate warfare in the Peninsula circa.1812 but really to watch plastic Frenchmen get killed. Michael, owing to his great love of dead Frenchmen, opted to play as the British.

The armies face off. Note "The goblin of goblin hill" in the middle of the battlefield.

We lined up, as you do. The thin red line in particular looking pretty formidable.

The British, under Major-General Partridge.

The French deploy, protecting a fortified town.

The battlefield

The French kick off, with the dragoons making fast progress up the right flank. The infantry move to take up a position on the hill. The Young Guard division takes up a stationary position with the artillery, guarding the town.

I moved the dragoons up to threaten the British flank, hoping to draw off some units before I closed for the attack.

The French army , turn 1.

The French dragoons.

British turn 1: The British cavalry threaten the guards on the left flank. One British dragoon brigade was kept in reserve.

 Unfortunately, Michael had pretty much the same idea, but he executed it better with his cavalry directly threatening my Young Guards division on his first turn.

The British detach a small unit to guard the flank as the line advances to meet the French.

The British infantry advance.

The battlefield at the end of turn 1.

French Turn 2: Attack! The French charge.

 With the Guards on the left flank threatened by the British cavalry and no way to bring up reinforcements, I decided that an all-out attack would be better than waiting around to get charged. I was able to bring one of the dragoon brigades into the flank of the British line to support the infantry attack.

The dragoons change direction, giving up on attacking the flank and doubling back to support the main combat in the centre.

Realising that my diversionary attack with the dragoons had pretty much done its dash, I turned the division around to bring them back to the main battle.

French turn 2: The French clean up the infantry unit on the end of the line.

I cleaned up one of the British infantry stands, right on the end of the line, but foolishly left myself open to a flank charge from the British dragoons that Michael had held in reserve, which ended up killing my dragoon brigade.

British turn 3 - The British dragoons charge into the French Guards, cleaning up one brigade. The skirmishers retreat back to the town.

Michael brought his infantry up to check the advance of my Guard division, and brought his cavalry around in a pincer maneuver, wiping out a stand of the Guards.

The British infantry start to outflank the French attack.

French turn 3: The dragoons come up to support the main attack.

Bringing the dragoons up onto Goblin Hill, I charged the remaining Guards and some supporting infantry into the British infantry, routing them, and then receiving a counter-charge from the British Guards for my troubles.

A war of attrition ensues as the British Guards brigade (with the Red Flag) refuses to be put out of action, repulsing repeated French attacks.

With the French position in the middle of the board seemingly attacked from all sides, the situation was looking a bit dire. Fortunately, my troops were in mostly good shape and the British didn't seem able to mount a single concentrated attack. Michael charged his cavalry against my guards, forcing them to retreat after a bloody combat in which they inflicted some heavy damage in return.

The British cavalry division charges the guards, forcing them to retreat.

With the Guards retreating on to the hill, the British cavalry were open for a charge from the French dragoons. I also charged the British guards in an attempt to overwhelm them with infantry, but had little luck against the steadfast elite of the British infantry.

The French dragoons charge against the British cavalry, while yet more French infantry charges the British Guards...

The French dragoons defeat the British cavalry. The only British stand still in fighting shape, the Guards, makes a final charge against the disordered French infantry, but it's too little too late. 

The French dragoons cleared out the remaining British cavalry. With the British army exhausted, only the Guards were still in a position to charge the French (which they did), but the day belonged to the French army. Vive l'Empereur!

Michael was even good enough to pose for a picture without pulling a finger or anything.