Blucher 1809 Austrian v French

Another game of Blucher tonight using my Austrians against Simon's French. My Austrian army is another very old army that I started building in 1981 and am still adding to today!

I chose an army of two mixed infantry corps and a reserve corps of Grenadiers and Cuirassiers and included some newer units that hadn't had many games so far.

Simon gained the initiative for the Scharnhorst campaign which, as ever, came up with some interesting choices. The Austrians were fortunate to take 6 VP compared to 3 VP for the French and to get to declare the battle:

The French had all their army on table having pushed between two Austrian corps. The third Austrian corps was marching to the battlefield on one of the French flanks. The Austrians needed to remain unbroken until nightfall or break the French army while the French had to break the Austrian army. From the initial deployment it appeared that the French planned to attack the Austrian Reserve Corps (furthest from the camera) while ignoring the Austrian 2nd Corps:

The initial Austrian assumption proves correct as the French advance in mass against the Reserve Corps. They don't know it is the Reserve Corps as yet of course, just that there are only five Austrian brigades:

With the French having committed to the attack on the Reserves the Second Corps moves forward to pressure the French attack from the rear:

The French now see that they are attacking the tough Reserve Corps Grenadiers and Cuirassiers. They need to overwhelm the Reserve Corps before the on-table 2nd Corps and the off-table 1st Corps can intervene:

The 2nd Corps advance is blocked by a French allied conscript unit on a hill. Hopefully the Austrians won't be held up long:

The Reserve Corps redeploys a Cuirassier brigade to support the Grenadiers who are facing some French dragoons. The Hungarian Grenadier brigade has to hold on under heavy French artillery fire:

One French brigade attempts to attack the Austrian artillery but is badly shot up and comes to a halt before contact:

Realising that the sole Allied conscript brigade was unlikely to hold up the 2nd Corps for long the French send three brigades of dragoons to support the Allied conscripts. The French are now fighting on two fronts and becoming disorganised:

The Reserve Corps holds it's ground as three French infantry brigades cross the stream despite the threat of the Austrian Cuirassiers:

Some Insurrection Hussars arrive to support the 2nd Corps. Normally they would be little use against French Dragoons but the Dragoons have been weakened already. More worryingly for the French the Austrian 1st Corps could arrive at any time:

Now that the 2nd Corps has drawn off several French brigades the Reserve Corps moves over to the attack! Both Cuirassier brigades charge home while the German Grenadier's menace a somewhat isolated French brigade:

The Cuirassiers push back the French Dragoons:

The 1st Corps arrives! The French have anticipated their arrival though and largely blocked their advance:

The 2nd Corps advance has also been halted as the French have redeployed their horse artillery to face them. Several French brigades have been eliminated though and the French army is getting close to breaking:

The French attacks are largely petering out now with the French army somewhat scattered and the Austrians holding their lines:

The French try a desperate last attack on the 2nd Corps which fails to break through. Accepting that the day isn't going to be theirs the French retire leaving the field to the Austrians:

As ever Blucher gave us a very interesting game with a number of tough choices to make for both sides. The Austrians gambled on accepting a poor on-table situation to win the VP on the map. 

The French had a choice of attacking either of the on-table Austrian Corps. Simon opted to put everything into attacking the smaller Austrian Corps partly, I think, as it was smaller and partly as it had a less defensible position than the other Corps. He didn't at that stage know it was the Reserve Corps of course.

This did mean that when my 1st Corps did arrive it would be immediately able to intervene whereas if he had opted to move against the 2nd Corps the Austrian 1st Corps would have been much further away from the action.

The Reserve Corps, while expensive in points, did it's job well and stood up to the French numbers without too many problems really, partly as Simon drew off so many brigades to face the advancing Austrian 2nd Corps.

A Napoleonic version of ADLG has now appeared (though only in French to date!) which several of my club mates are wanting to try. I'll be happy to give it a go but it will have to be pretty good to replace Blucher!