This Sunday it was 10mm, Franco-Prussian War, Valour & Fortitude PLUS some amended army sheets in the valley of all the most famous wines in the region. Mike was this time fighting for the Prussian King and I was defending Napoleon III.
We played Scharnhorst, the Intro game for Sam Mustafa's game Bluecher to prepare the positions and intros for our little fictional battle. I must say it worked quiet well, first Mikes Prussians were too far too quick into the (mini pre-)game, so he had points more than me, but we didn't played for a campaign. So then I choose the battle field quite wisely thus cancelling out 1 complete Prussian division to enter the battle at all!!
Then I had only 2 colonna on the field while Mikes Prussians had 3, but I outnumbered him 5 to 4 AND my colonnas came in quite quickly and through an outflanking (I had achieved on "Scharnhorst") he had to give up a village already and try to focus on his left flank.
It was a spectacular experience as the size of the table (8x6) really forced us to manouver and to think how we march up to battle. Despite he mentioning multiple times his lack of understanding of the tactics of this particular era, he managed to allocate to me 3 black spots. The overall unit losses were also more on the French side. BUT he could not take the first village on my left flank and would probably have no troops to defend the last village either.
The French just pressed onwards and fired a withering storm of lead into the Prussian lines. The overal transit state of the Prussian tactical position was especially in the centre a mess! Even when the Krupp guns on the hill would take out piece by piece of the French, he lacked the second division to press his advantage.
So after a long fight he conceded defeat - The French would have encircled the Prussians, mon dieu!
Who would have thought that? And I was delighted to prove my point that indeed the French (even with a shitty command system) can win.
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| The initial set up ... a difficult position indeed! |
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| The Prussians advance ... |
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| And try to refuse the flank ... |
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| But lose the village "Chablis" ... |
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| The cavalry tries to plug the gaps ... |
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| And the Prussian attack on "Moselle" begins ... |
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| But the curse of the Chassepot ... |
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| Continuos firing ... |
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| Forces the Prussians to overcommit in the centre ... |
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| While the French defender fall with Moselle ... too slow ... |
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| Even the Death Skull Hussars can't turn the tide ... |
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| Mosell is becoming a fragile position ... |
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| But the centre becomes a killing field ... |
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| A strategical resounding victory for the French! Vive l'Emperor! |
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