Waterloo Campaign 2.0 - continued

I left off the previous posting with the situation at dusk  yet to be related. On the Anglo-Dutch front, the Duke of Wellington, with the Reserve Corps was still engaged with General Reille's II Corps; and the Prince of Orange, with I Corps at Soignes was watching the build up of enemy forced in front of him. Vandamme's III Corps had switched westwards along the road from Seneffe; the campfires were already burning east of the town. Coming up from Binche was Pajol's I Cavalry Corps, still a little distant from Soignes; and, from Mons, Marshal Ney halted the march of d'Erlon's I Corps, still a half-morning march south. Still at Mons, was General Milhaud's IV Cavalry Corps.

Before continuing, I must make certain corrections and mia culpa statements regarding the narrative so far. I really ought to have consulted my notes, which would probably have been helped by a reconciliation between them and the pictures, whilst tapping out the narrative. It turned out that the Duke of Wellington had not been hastened off this mortal coil during the Quatre Bras action of the 16th, but had sustained only a minor injury (or maybe a member of his immediate staff - an aide, perhaps - had been cut short). I simply forgot what rule set I was using.



Now, an excess of sixes in the combat role not only inflicts a loss of an infantry figure, but automatically places the commander (and his staff) at hazard. So the degree of hazard is determined by the roll of a single die for each six in excess. Whatever Wellington rolled on the 16th, it was not a six, or even a five (= POW). So he survived in command until the 17th, the fighting around Quatre Bras yet properly to be decided.

Galvanised by Prince Blucher's charismatic vigour and Gneisenau's meticulous professionalism, The Prussian II Corps arrived east of Fleurus with several hours still to run before sunset. Quickly closing upon Gerard's IV Corps, with Marshal Grouchy commanding the defence, the Prussians routed the French as emphatically as the latter had routed Zieten's Corps in the morning. For no material loss, the Prussians overran foot and guns alike, and threw IV Corps all the way back to Charleroi. Marshal Grouchy was slightly wounded in the action.

The probing actions of the French right wing cavalry also led to a clash at Yvoir. Marching up from Dinant, Thielmann's III Corps met the III Cavalry Corps of general Kellerman the Younger just outside the town. Very much a cavalry action, losses were heavy, with honours even. Both sides lost 2 horse stands, but as this constituted the whole of Milhaud's command, this was something of a strategic defeat for the French. 

Clash at Yvoir: Kellermann's III Cavalry Corps
in a bloody fight with Thielmann's III Corps 
cavalry.

Nightfall 16 June 1815

The reconciliation of losses for 16th June were as follows:
French: 2 horse (out of 5; III Cv Corps disbanded), 2 foot, 2 gunners:
Anglo-Dutch: 2 foot (Reserve Corps)
Prussian: 2 foot (I Corps), 1 horse (III Corps).

17 June 1815.

The Prussians were first up and stirring on the morrow.  I think I stated earlier that all three armies got their own initiative dice. I allowed Napoleon just a slight advantage: he got the benefit of a tied die roll.
The rolls for this morning were Blucher-4; Napoleon-2; Wellington-2. Napoleon having the margin of the tie, he got to move second.

Prussian IV Corps at Huy

The missing corps from both armies arrived at the edges of the map area during the morning of the 17th. Bulow's IV Corps arrived at Huy (having rolled a 5 for arrival); and the Allied II Corps appeared at Alost (having rolled a 6).

Anglo-Dutch II Corps marching through Alost

Blucher victorious at Ligny.

Meanwhile, the campaign along the Belgian frontier developed apace. The morning after his victory over the Ziethen's I Corps, than Marsghal Grouchy found himself under attack by the whole of II Corps, led by Prinz von Blucher himself. The outcome was a shattering defeat for the French. Incurring heavy losses to foot and guns, IV Corps was bundled pell mell back into Charleroi, pursued by the victorious Prussians.

Blucher follows up Grouchy's retreat to Charleroi

The rule set I was using forced the defeated to retreat to the next town, or two grid areas, whichever was the nearer. So Grouchy's Corps found itself back in Charleroi, with Blucher following in pursuit.

General action on the Anglo-Dutch front

Meanwhile great events were developing on the Anglo-Dutch front. Worsted the day before at Quatre Bras, Wellington renewed the fight, probably owing to the roads to the rear being occupied by the column of the Cavalry Corp. That blockage was to prove something of an embarrassment for the Allies. The Cavalry Corps had to intervene to halt the advance up the Nivelles towards Waterloo.

Battle of Soignes

The big battle, however, was taking place at Soignes. There, the Allied I Corps found itself assailed by the French I Corps, led by Marshal Ney, coming up from Mons, I Cavalry Corps of General Pajol along the Binche road, and General Vandamme's III Corps marching from Seneffe. This was the first really big battle of the campaign. 

Battle of Soignes:
(a)
Allies:
I Corps: 7 Foot, 2 Artillery (figures) => 7(F)+2(H)+2(Arms present) = 11D6
Rolled: 5 4 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 1
French:
I Corps: Marshal Ney, 4 Foot, 1 Horse, 2 artillery => 1(Ney)+4(F)+1(H) +2(G) +3(AP)=11D6
Rolled: 6 5 4 4 3 3 2 2 1 1 1

Allied I Corps lose 2 Foot units (figures);
French I Corps lose 2 Horse units.
(b) 
Allies:
I Corps: 5 Foot, 2 Artillery => 5+2+2 = 9D6
Rolled: 5 5 4 4 3 3 2 1 1
French:
III Corps: 5 Foot, 1 Horse, 2 Artillery => 5+1+2+3 = 11D6
Rolled: 6 6 6 5 4 3 3 3 2 1 1 
Allied I Corps lose 3 Foot units (no cavalry because no cavalry to lose; nor Army commander, he being not present)
French III Corps lose 2 Foot units.
(c)
Probably I ought to have left it here, as the Allied Corps had already been defeated...
Allies:
I Corps: 2 Foot, 2 Artillery => 2+2+2 = 6D6
Rolled 6 4 3 3 3 1
French:
I (Light) Cavalry Corps: 2 Horse => 2+1 = 3D6
Rolled: 5 4 1 
Allies lose 1 Foot unit; 
French lose both cavalry units present - they can not lose the third.

Considering the odds, the Allied I Corps had acquitted itself extremely well, both sides losing 6 units overall in the battle. However, in their own turn, what remained of I Corps, 1 infantry and 2 gunners, fell back to Enghien, at which point they hoped to gather in stragglers and patch up some walking wounded to continue the fight.

Battle of Quatre Bras, and, just beyond, of Nivelles

There were two other battles during the same day, on the road between Nivelles and Waterloo the clash of the Allied Cavalry Corps against the leading elements of the Imperial Guard, and the reduced Reserve Corps against Reille's II Corps in the thick country just north of Quatre Bras - really a continuation of that battle. 

Battle of Nivelles:
Allies:

Cavalry Corps (leading elements): 5 Horse => 5+1 = 6D6
Rolled: 6 5 3 2 1 1
Imperial Guard (leading elements): Napoleon, 4 Foot, 2 Horse => 1+4+2+2 = 9D6
Rolled: 6 5 4 3 2 2 1 1 1
Allies lose 1 Horse unit. Having no foot or gunners present, they could lose neither
French lose nothing.

This counted as an Allied defeat, so the Cavalry Corps fell back to the road junction south of Waterloo.

Battle of Quatre Bras (continuing):
Allies: 
Reserve Corps: Duke of Wellington, 4 Foot, 2 Artillery = 1+4+2+2 = 9D6
Rolled: 6 6 5 5 3 3 2 1 1
French II Corps: 5 Foot, 1 Horse, 2 Artillery
Rolled: 6 6 6* 6* 5 4 4 4 4 3 2 
Allies lost all four Foot units, and the Iron Duke had to roll twice for survival. He rolled a 5 and a 6 - and dies on the battlefield
But the Reserve Corps again gave as good as they got: the French losing 1 Foot, 1 Horse and  2 gunners.
But the loss of the Army Commander sent the remnants of the Reserve Corps reeling northwards, through wooded country, where they were to fetch up on the Brussel-Wavre road.

Prussian III Corps south of the Sambre River

As the day wore on, Thielmann's III Corps crossed the Meuse at Yvoir, and marched to Fosse-sur-Sambre. Observing this, General Exelmans led his II (Dragoon) Corps to follow the importunate Prussians, abandoning Namur, which town they briefly occupied and entering Yvoirat the end of the day.

Vengeance at Quatre Bras

Br Cav Corps victorious

There was just one last action at the close of the day (the benefit of moving last). Rebuffed before Nivelles, the Allied Cavalry Corps turned upon the French II Corps at Quatre Bras. The costly success over the Reserve Corps having left II Corps still disordered (casualty returns are made 'overnight') the Cavalry threw the French out of Quatre Bras and back down the road towards Charleroi. 

So matters stood at nightfall of the 17th June. 

Br II Corps exiting Ninove

Br I Corps, defeated heavily at Soignes, falls back to Enghien.

Napoleon about to engage the Br Cav Corps with 
his Imperial Guard

General view looking west from Huy.

The remnants of AD Reserve Corps, without 
Wellington, retreats to the Wavre-Brussels road.

Night: 17-18 June.

After all the action of the day, and the reorganising and rallying of strays and stragglers, the armies stood thus:

French:

I Corps: Marshal Ney, 4 Foot, 2 Artillery - At Soignes
II Corps: 4 Foot, 1 Horse, 1 Artillery - Near Charleroi
III Corps: East of Soignes
IV Corps: Marshal Grouchy, 3 Foot, 1 Horse, 2 Artillery - At Charleroi
VI Corps: 4 Foot, 2 Artillery - At Philippeville
I Cavalry Corps - merged into I Corps
II Cavalry Corps: 2 Horse - At Yvoir
III Cavalry Corps: - disbanded
IV Cavalry Corps: 2 Horse - near Binche
Imperial Guard:
(a) Napoleon, 4 Foot, 2 Horse - At Nivelles
(b) 2 Foot, 1 Sapper, 3 Horse, 2 Artillery - at Seneffe
(c) 2 Artillery - south of Seneffe on the Binche road.

Total: 44 Strength Points

Prussian:

I Corps: 3 Foot, 1 Horse, 1 Artillery - At Gembloux
II Corps: 

(a) Prinz von Blucher, 4 Foot, 1 Artillery south of Fleurus/Ligny on Charleroi road.

(b) 2 Foot, 2 Horse, 1 Artillery At Fleurus/Ligny
III Corps: 4 Foot, 2 Artillery at Fosse-sur-Sambre
IV Corps: 5 Foot, 3 Horse, 2 Artillery - At Huy

Total: 33 Strength Points

Anglo-Dutch:

I Corps: 3 Foot, 2 Artillery - At Enghien
II Corps: 7 Foot, 2 Artillery - exiting Ninove
Reserve Corps: 3 Foot, 2 Artillery - West of Wavre on Brussels road
Cavalry Corps: 6 Horse, 2 Artillery - on road South of Waterloo.

Total: 26 Strength points

The Anglo-Dutch Allies have certainly been knocked about, but so far they have given as good as they have been taking, apart from the loss of their Army Commander. It seems that the Earl of Uxbridge has taken over command, but for game purposes he is no Wellington. Despite at the end of the day forcing Reille to retreat, the Allies ar under heavy pressure from the forces under Ney's command, and the Imperial Guard.

Meanwhile, sinister activity is developing along the line of the Sambre. Blucher stands before Charleroi seemingly determined to attack the place. Thielman's III Corps has insinuated itself south of the river, seizing the town of Fosse. Marshal Grouchy is in a bit of a dilemma, possibly somewhat eased by the presence nearby of the recently defeated II Corps, and VI Corps marching up from Philippeville. Beyond Thielmann's Corps, General Exelmann's dragoons bid fair to cut the Prussians off from their LOC to Namur.

A Portable Breitenfeld - Concluded.

We left off the Breitenfeld narrative last time with the Swedes, minus, it would appear, King Gustavus Adolphus (or maybe it was not he, but Maximilien Teuffel who bit the dust), having seized the initiative. The loss of a commander combined with three Swedish units - 2 cavalry and a commanded musketeer units also having been routed or dispersed, left them with just 6 activation dice. Twenty-seven, halved, permitted 13 units to do something of interest. The central reserves moved forward in support of the front line brigades, pushing in the Imperialist centre.

For their part, the Imperialists still had 7 dice - no units destroyed yet, and all their commanders still issuing orders, but their roll of 22 halved to just 11 units moving. Still having to cope with the Saxons, and Baner's cavalry on the other wing, The Imperialists were finding the situation in the centre becoming critical. 

As the wings were closely engaged - the fighting close combats, once begun, continue until one side or both break off with a 'retreat' outcome - The Imperialist begin a counter-drive in the centre. One tercio becoming depleted - down to 1SP only - two others come in from their left flank. One Swedish brigade having involved itself in the fighting on Baner's front has left a gap the Imperialist foot can exploit.
 

In a surprisingly short time, the Imperialist foot have gone far to straighten out the line of battle, although their line is receding slightly on the Saxon front.

By now, Gottfried Pappenheim's wing is looking very tired: 15 strength points (SP) remaining from the original 24, though all units are still in action. But the opposing Swedish wing is looking even more threadbare: just four cavalry units and a commanded musketeer - 13SPs - still in the fight. A brigade caught up in the fight gets hit in flank by Imperialist heavy horse. 

Another brigade, in a deadly fight against an equally depleted tercio is attacked in flank also, and has become practically surrounded. Losses mounting on both sides.

Despite early losses, the Saxons are putting up a tremendous fight, refusing to go back for anyone. Going third this turn, their pitiful roll of 4 on 2D6 translates to the two units on the green die pictured. Not a lot of movement, but they don't need more. One close combat continuing, the other two front line units engage in a firefight with the Imperialist horse. The Imperialists are outnumbered but holding their own.

This time the Saxons go first! But their 2D6 roll is even worse, translating to just one unit doing much of anything. As the front lines have become separated, this does not redound to the Saxons' benefit!

Meanwhile. looking along the line, one sees that the Imperialists have almost restored their front. One gun battery is still in action. On the Allied side, the tide of brigades has receded somewhat; and Baner's wing is starting to crumble.

  

On foot, Otto von Schoenburg leads his troops into action against the Swedish foot. The latter's superior firepower is neutralised when the tercios close into a hand-to-hand fight. Perhaps the Imperialists are now in the ascendancy?

But a wisp remains, it seems, of Baner's wing: 12SP lost. Pappenheim's command is in little better shape: 10SP gone out of 24. The brigade sent to help Baner finds itself assailied in front and flank.

Suddenly, Imperialist success on the Saxon front! The lead Saxon tercio collapses, whereat Furstenburg leads a cavalry charge into the rather shaken (1SP remaining) Saxon left flank cavalry unit. This will be awkward for the Saxons, reduced to a single activation die.

Baner's wing is just about ready to collapse, just ragged remains of horse and foot still in the fight.

In this general view, the Imperialist resurgence becomes apparent. Baner just barely holding up his wing, the centre pushed back, and the Saxons in trouble. The Saxons going first activated one unit; the Swedes then activated 11 - still doing fairly well despite losses; and finally the Imperialists doing no more than matching the Swedish roll. But there is no denying, the Imperialists have now the upper hand.

Wiping out the two isolated brigades, the Imperialists reinforce Pappenheim's wing with a tercio. In the centre, they start encountering fresh Swedish reserve brigades. Baner is still on the field, but just 5SP remain of his 21SP command.

Absent my notes, I can't state for certain why I called the battle at this point. Before I began this write-up I could not recall the result. But in examining the pictures for this posting it becomes clear that in fact the battle went quite against history and resulted in an Imperialist success. The Saxons defied history and refused to collapse, and Pappenheim actually wore down Baner's command, though at a high cost. I think it pretty certain that the Swedish Army became exhausted, and were starting to go backwards. 

So Graf Tserclaes von Tilly proclaimed a great and glorious victory for the Catholic League. And King Gastaf Adolph? I have an idea that he did not leave the battlefield under his own power...

OK, then. Although it was a pretty gripping action to play out, the constraints of the battlefield compared with the size of the armies obviated the main early envelopment by Pappenheim's wing, and left Furstenburg's wing too narrow a front to deal with the inexperienced Saxons. So, as a refight, not an unqualified success.

Meanwhile, there are plenty of other 30YW battles to fight (Nordlingen!). I am also thinking of doing English Civil War battles, but under the guise of a conflict between the rival nations, the Kingdom of Severeia and the Empire of Austereia. A future 'project' perhaps...

A Portable Breitenfeld

This is a very belated posting, my version of the Battle of Breitenfeld having been fought in December, last year (2025). I'm pretty sure I won't be able to find the notes I took of the battle. So this was intended to be less a post-action narrative as some comments on the organisation and play. As it transpired, I changed my plan...

Imperialist Army

Three Armies drawn up. Imperialists to the left
Swedish and, closer to the camera, the Saxons

For one thing Breitenfeld was a battle rather larger than - about twice the numbers of - the Battle of Lutzen that I played through a couple of years back. This required certain adjustments to scaling and unit organisation. Even then it was to run into a problem. But first, we'll start with the armies.

Imperialist centre

Imperialist: Count Johann Tserclaes von Tilly 

Right Wing: Furstenberg and Isolani (1 command stand)
3 Cuirassier Horse @ 4SP = 12SP
1 Croat Light Horse = 2SP
1 Dragoon = 2SP

Centre: Otto von Schoenburg
2 field gun batteries @ 2SP = 4SP
8 Tercios @ 4SP * = 32SP
1 unit of harquebusier horse = 3SP

Left Wing: Graf Gottfried Heinrich zu Pappenheim
6 Cuirassier Horse @ 4SP = 24SP

Totals: 
4 commands and 22 units: 7 activation dice.
79 Strength Points: Exhaustion point = 27SP lost; Rout point = 40SP lost

Swedish Army of Gustavus Adolphus

Allied: King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden

Swedish Right Wing: Sir Johan Baner
6 Charging Cavalry @ 3SP = 18SP
2 Commanded Musketeer @ 1SP = 2SP
1 Battalion Gun = 1SP

Swedish Centre: Maximilien Teuffel
8 Battalia/Brigades @ 3SP = 24SP
1 Field Gun = 2SP
1 Battalion Gun = 1SP

Swedish Left Wing: Gustav Horn
5 Charging Cavalry @ 3SP = 15SP
1 Commanded Shot = 1SP
1 Battalion Gun = 1SP

Total Swedish: 
4 commands and 26 units: 8 activation dice
65 Strength Points: Exhaustion Point = 22SP lost; Rout Point = 33SP lost

The Saxons: small army, and not a lot of room to deploy

Saxon Allies: Prince John-George, Elector of Saxony
1 elite Cuirassier Horse = 4SP
2 other Cuirassier Horse @ 3SP = 6SP
3 Tercio @ 3SP = 9SP
1 Field Gun = 2SP

Total Saxons:
1 command and 7 units = 2 activation dice
21 Strength Points: Exhaustion Point = 7SP lost; Rout point = 11SP lost

Some points to note, here:
1. I made the infantry formations smaller: 2 shot and 2 pike for the tercio; 1 pike and 2 shot for the Swedish infantry units 
2. The tercio were arranged 4 stands deep: shot/pike/pike/shot. Their default strength points were 4SP, but the inexperienced Saxons were rated at 3SP only. Here I might have done better to have given the Saxons the standard 4SP, but rated all but the sole elite unit 'Poor'.
3. The Swedish infantry were arranged with a pike stand in front of two 'shot' stands in line. These units were rated at 3SP. 
4. The tercio received 1 die for shooting; the Swedish, 2 dice.
5. In close quarter fighting, 1 D6 each; the tercio adding 1 to their roll for their heavier weight.
6. Swedish charging cavalry added 1 to their close combat score against Imperialist horse.
7. The Swedish and Saxon contingents rolled separately for activation - Red die for Imperialists; White for Swedish; Green for Saxon.
8. The three armies' exhaustion and rout points were assessed separately.

Opening moves. Imperialists went first, but now 
the Swedes scored 34 on their 8 dice- great roll! -
 halved to 17 units to move.

The Battle:

Right from the start, the limitations of my battle surface became apparent: the enveloping manoeuvre Graf Pappenheim tried against the Swedish right simply could not be done. There wasn't enough room on the table. Methinks the thing would work a deal better on my 6'x4' game board - were it divvied up into a hex grid.

Having said that, the action descended rapidly into the historical long drawn out, indecisive struggle when I called the action.

Initiative and activation rolls for the first turn...

On the other wing, the Saxons were meant pretty much to get rolled. Their strength points for horse and foot had been reduced in the expectations that they would been soon overrun. Not a bit of it. At the end of the day, they had lost one tercio, but were otherwise well and truly still in the action. That rather spoiled the Imperialist programme.

The wings in action early

In the centre, the Swedish battalia rapidly advanced, their firepower putting a lot of pressure upon the Imperialist foot. However, once the latter closed with their enemy, the tide of battle began to turn. By the end of the day, several battalia had been eliminated, and the rest driven back almost to their start line.

Furstenburg versus John George of Saxony. I've had to use 
Swedish proxies for the Saxons. I ought to ask 'Jacko' if 
he still has his Saxons... Figures are Revell.

Imperialist versus Saxons. Furstenburg's Imperialist cuirassiers have taken 1SP loss, but have inflicted 1 each upon horse and foot.

Pappenheim versus Baner...

Other wing: Pappenheim vs Baner. Pistolery knocks over a Swedish strength point (SP). 

Swedish foot rushing to support Baner...

Imperialist left - Pappenheim's - wing. Reinforcements hurrying up top support the leading horse now engaged. 

Saxons not only go first, but score a brilliant activation roll. 
If only they had room to use it...!

This turn the Saxons got to move first. On top of John George rolled a double-six to activate his whole army. In their respective activations, Graf Tilly and King Gustaf Adolf activated 13 units apiece.

General view of the battle. Action has become general on the Saxon and upon Baner's wing in the distance. The centres are closing, two Swedish brigades engaging the Imperialist foot and artillery, and a horsed unit also shooting up the other Imperialist battery.

Pappenheim vs Baner: heavy losses on both sides already. Indications are that perhaps Pappenheim is getting the better of the fight.

Activation dice: Swedes went first, Saxons second, Imperialists third. Swedes got a massive roll to activate 16 units; Imperialist the miserable side of average to activate just 10. The Saxon roll was OK-ish, but restricted to their narrow front, and closely engaged, that doesn't really matter.  The Imperialists are being perceptibly driven back in the centre.

Furstenburg vs Saxons, inflicts 2SP loss for 1SP. This in scarcely rolling the Saxons off the battlefield, though. It transpires that the Saxons in this battle were disinclined to be hustled anywhere!

Action in the centre. The Swedes are pressing, but sustaining rather heavier losses than their adversaries.

Pappenheim vs Baner again. A real cavalry melee has developed. Two of the Swedish horse units have become seriously depleted. The Imperialists have also taken losses, but little concern so far of any imminent collapse.

Carnage in the centre. Costly Swedish cavalry attacks have reduced, but not destroyed the Imperialist batteries. But disaster for the Swedes: a mounted commander - he looks very like the King himself! - bites the dust. The Swedish activation dice is reduced by 1.

General view, looking up from the Saxon left. The Imperialist line is looking distinctively concave as effective Swedish firepower drive back the Imperialist tercios.

This turn, the Imperialists go first. The previous picture indicates that they activated 13 units. The raw Swedish roll here adds up to 24 - rather below expectation (28) - which translates to 12 units activated. It may take a while to get the Swedish reserves into the action!

The fight in the centre. The leading Swedish brigades have advanced rather ahead of the supports and risk becoming isolated. Rather careless addition to the battlefield of spectacles and hearing aids (the latter were new)...

Swedish get to move first in this turn...

... and the imperialist response

Imperialist foot counterattack in the centre halts the Swedish attack. Although the firepower of the three brigades equals that of the six tercios, the former are a deal less able to sustain or endure it. When the tercios close, the power differential will be so much greater.

Pappenheim's fight is wearing down his cuirassiers - 7SP lost so far - but Baner's cavalry is becoming even more depleted, 6SP down, not counting a commanded musketeer company and a cavalry unit destroyed.

The Saxons activate 2 units, but they are still hanging in there. Although the Saxons have lost 5SP to 2SP, they are not shifting. There are even indications that they are driving back Furstenburg's horse.

Next turn: the Swedes go first....

I'll break off the pictorial narrative at this point and resume with a second posting. I had intended just a brief account with a short selection of pictures, but going through them I recalled that I included the initiative and activation dice in most of the photos. It seemed to be worth it, then, to extend the story to feature those rolls, and to observe the ebb and flow of the action. So, it is...

... to be concluded.