The day (15th August 2015) featured recognition of four important birthdays.
A wonderful spread. The back of the ute providing a convenient table.
Formalities concluded, it was back to complete the fourth and final part of our bicentennial game of Waterloo.
We actually had the cakes as morning tea, at the conclusion of the first turn of the day, but I wanted to feature them appropriately in this post.
In case you have not seen them previously, you may catch up on developments to date with reports of part 1, part 2, part 3.
18:00–18:30
While Durutte's infantry continued their attack against von Losthin's Prussians in the vicinty of Frichermont,
with much success.
In the area around Frichermont and La Haye, it was a different story.
The Prince of Orange's counter attack began in ernest.
leaving Durutte's 9/6e foot battery exposed to be over-run.
So, it was honours about even in this part of the battlefield
Durutte's infantry holding firm and making successful, limited attacks, but the Prussian were arriving in force,
but Jérôme's recently rallied division were on their way to meet them.
Leaving Kellermann's horsemen free to support Foy, Simmer and Jeanin's infantry divisions' attack in the centre-right.
The intense action which continued at either end of the battlefield and now in the Anglo-Allied centre-left, is capture in the following two photos.
Zooming in on the 'western' end,
north of Hougoumont,
further along the ridge,
to the ridge behind La Haie Sainte (as Picton counter-attacks aided by the Household cavalry and Vandeleur's light dragoons),
finally to the struggle for Plancenoit.
The Prince of Orange urged on the troops
Durutte's 1/29e ligne were on the receiving end.
The (2/8e) held firm in square,
as their brother battalion (1/8e) occupied La Haye.
The 85e and 2/95e defeated more of von Losthin's landwehr.
Plancenoit was in Prussian hands! The 1/1st Silesian Landwehr defeated the 2/1e Tirailleurs while the 2/15th Infantry Regiment defended the church against the 1/1e Tirailleurs
The 2/1st Silesian Landwehr were not so successful against the 2/1e Voltigeurs.
To Picton's couter-attack was achieving mixed success.
The 11th Light Dragoons regretted attacking the guard horse guns,
The Life Guards forced back Subervie's 1e chevau-légers lanciers.
19:00–19:30
Working across the table from 'west' to 'east'.
The 1/1st Nassau continued to hold Hougoumont, but they had company!
The 1st Dragoon Guards saw off Subervie's 2e chevau-légers lanciers, then, remaining under control, rallied back to their lines.
The 1/8e ligne's occupation of La Haye was to be short-lived!
faring better than their countrymen of the 3/1st Silesian Landwehr did against the 2/1e Voltigeurs.
19:30–20:00
The 2/1e Voltigeurs continued to drive off attacking landwehr,
For the first time in many combats, the cavalry supporting the French right were not successful:
The 3/15th Infantry Regiment drove back the "cherished children",
as were the 12e cuirassiers when they charged the remaining Prussian heavy battery.
Near La Haye, the 'dining' continued, this time courtesy of a filling provided by the 1/8e and 2/8e ligne.
Picton's infantry advanced across the 'killing zone' between the ridges, the horse artillery grand battery easily limbering and retiring in front of them.
The Union Brigade advanced.
Bachelu's division having broken and Simmer and Jeanin's much reduced, the combat on the 'western' end of the Mont St Jean ridge was dying down.
Further to the 'west', Jérôme's and Chassé's infantry came to blows.
Moving around the table.
Plancenoit in dispute.
La Haye and Frichermont firmly in Allied hands as Orange's and Losthin's troops unite. Durutte's division still defends stoutly, but is now demoralised (at a divisional test for 1/3 losses).
View from the 'west'.
The Middle Guard and guard heavy cavalry advance towards the Anglo-Allied centre-right,
while the Old Guard advances towards La Belle Alliance.
Back to Plancenoit, this time from the French perspective.
20:00–20:30
Drama! At the end of the previous turn, von Hiller's brigade failed it's morale test! Had the brave defence of the 1/1st Silesian Landwehr been in vain?
The divisional initiative roll is therefore crucial. The Prussians rolled a one,... but so did the French. Prussians win the initiative around Plancenoit!
von Ryssel's 1/1st Pommeranian Landwehr occupied Plancenoit church, and held it against the 1/2e Tirailleurs.
To the 'north' of Plancenoit, the 4e cuirassiers over-ran the remaining Prussian heavy battery,
the guard lancers rode down the horse artillery,
and the 1e cuirassiers completed a trifecta against the lanwehr cavalry and 11th Fußbatterie.
The 2/29e ligne were broken by the combined attack of the KGL hussars and 3/18th Infantry Regiment (6th Reserve). This would force a morale test for Durutte's demoralised division, which they passed and so recovered normal condition!
They would face another attack.
Chasse's and Jérôme's men fought to stalemate.
The final turn!
The 2/95e ligne drove back von Hake's frontline troops.
Their flank anchored by the re-occupied La Haie Sainte, Picton's infantry easily saw off Subervie's 11e chasseur à cheval,
while their comrades faced the deadly fire from the French grand battery on La Belle Alliance ridge.
Charged by the Life Guards, Jeanine's 47e ligne formed square and saw off the élite horsemen.
The final turn completed, let's look around the battlefield, now far more sparsely occupied.
The Anglo-Allied right, strongly held, Hougoumont is jointly occupied by both sides, the French maintain their toe-hold on Mont St Jean ridge as the Guard heavy cavalry and Middle Guard approach in support. Note the casualties on the table behind!
From the Allied left, Papelotte in the foreground.
Finally a view across the entire battlefield, looking roughly east to west (Frichermont in the foreground).
The Wash-up
The French had lost 201 points for 'broken', and demoralised divisions and the Allies 228—we allocate these as victory points to the opposite side. The Allied army held La Haie Sainte and Papelotte (worth 50 victory points each), while Hougoumont and Plancenoit were still contested. This gave a difference of 72 victory points in the Allied favour, resulting in a draw.
For an instant, we considered a second day of Waterloo, 19th June, with two and a half more corps of Prussians and Grouchy’s two infantry corps, plus Pajol’s and Excelmans’ cavalry thrown into the 'mincer’!! We decided, however, that four sessions for Waterloo was enough,... for this time!
So, after 19 turns, played over four sessions, it ended as a hard-fought draw.
An anti-climax? I don't think so. To me it was a fitting result for a marvellous game that was played in our usual friendly manner, with each side trying to bring off a win. It was an added bonus to have Ralph and Maureen there for the morning of this last session.
Concluding the Napoleonic Bicentennial
This epic wargame (for us) brought to a conclusion our bicentennial re-fights of battles of the Napoleonic Wars. We will move now to filling in some of the many 'gaps' . These will be games from some of the battles that we did not get done at the time of the bicentennial and earlier ones that pre-dated the formation of our group and hence our observance of the bicentennial.
First cab off the rank (all going well) will be our long-planned game of Leipzig at 1:50, which we hope to do over a couple of weekends in spring (Sep–Nov) of 2016.
