Having enjoyed my last Blucher game against Ted I arranged another game, this time against Sean's French army commanded by Napoleon himself. Sean wanted to use 300 pts so I chose my 1813 Prussians with Blucher himself as C-in-C, three fairly equal corps of Prussians and one Russian corps. We dispensed with Scharnhorst again and played a pick-up game, I won the initiative and decided to attack.
The Prussians had two objectives, a hill on their right and a town on the left. The French objective was part of the large town on the Prussian right. The French deployed right across the table defending both the Prussian objectives. Blucher decided to try to take the town on the Prussian left initially, deploying the 3rd corps on the left, the 1st and 2nd Corps in the centre and placing the Russian corps defensively on the Prussian right.
3rd Corps advanced quickly on the left.
1st Corps moved up to support them and part of 2nd Corps
deployed. The Prussian heavy artillery in the centre was placed to bombard the
town prior to a planned Prussian assault.
In response the French started to move some Young Guard infantry from their centre to their right and deployed the Guard foot artillery to start bombarding the Prussians.
Undeterred the Prussian 1st and 3rd Corps continued to advance, with the Prussian heavy artillery bombarding the town successfully inflicting heavy losses on the French garrison.
The cavalry of the 3rd Corps then charged home, the Uhlans into some French Allied cavalry and the Dragoons into an unprepared French line Division.
The Uhlans brushed aside the French Allied cavalry but the
Dragoons were repulsed by the French infantry.
1st Corps continued to push forward as rapidly as they could.
On the Prussian right some more French Allied cavalry scouted the Russian positions but apart from that this section of the field was quiet.
The combat around the town on the left became more intense with both sides taking losses and the French defending the town being weakened by artillery fire.
More French units were being drawn into the fight on the Prussian left, thinning out their centre.
The Prussian Reserve infantry attempt to storm the town. They almost manage it but are forced back, leaving the defenders almost spent.
As the French centre thins out 2nd Corps starts to advance on the right centre of the Prussian line.
The Russian Corps also began to advance slowly, putting more pressure on the French.
The battle rages on for control of the town on the Prussian left. The French are faltering now but many Prussian units have taken losses.
Dragoons charge home on a weakened French infantry Division, breaking it. However, the French have managed to extricate the spent Division holding the town and replaced it with a fresh Young Guard Division. It certainly will not be easy to shift them!
Further Prussian attacks in the centre continue.
On the Prussian left only a few scattered units of French now survive but they do hold the all important town. In the distance the French Guard cavalry can be seen moving up further thinning the French centre.
French Dragoons attack in the centre breaking some Prussian cavalry.
Blucher now decided it was time to attack on the right, the French having seriously weakened their forces in the area to support their right flank. He therefore sent the Russians forward together with much of the 2nd Corps
There are few French defenders on the hill now, the artillery is almost out of ammunition and two of the three remaining Divisions have little strength left.
Urging his men on to one last effort Blucher pressed forward again.
On the left meanwhile the French Guard cavalry pushed back
the Prussian Guard cavalry but with hardly any French forces left on this flank
it seemed too late to have much of an effect.
The French centre has pretty much gone now.
The hill on the Prussian left has been almost cleared of French and will soon fall to the advancing Prussians and Russians.
More troops move up directed by Blucher himself!
At this point the French had very few units left and had no hope of stopping the Prussians and Russians on the right. The Ogre admitted defeat and withdrew his shattered forces, revenge was sweet for the Prussians and Russians!
This was another Blucher game that really felt like a Napoleonic battle. My plan (partly inspired by my last Blucher game against Ted!) to send a large force to attack the town on my left drew much of the French army into the fight on that flank and, while I did not take the town in the end, weakened the French centre and left so much that the relatively fresh Russians and Prussian 2nd corps could strike the decisive blow towards the end of the battle.
Nice game and as you say it was very Napoleonic in feel. Thanks Sean
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