Austrians vs. French....again!

The last club game for the year I can get to happened last Saturday at the Croydon venue. The Napoleonic crew had another series of 1:120 matches of...guess what?...Austrians vs. French circa 1809.

We're all getting to grips with our units and how to best play them for the upcoming January re-fight of Wagram and this Saturday past was no exception. We had 3 games going, all 1:120 scale and all Austrians vs. French. I was ably partnered by Darren and his Republican French army and faced a combination of Pete E. and Andrew B. using Pete's Austrian figures.

On my side of the board it turned out to be a fairly tame affair as Andrew wasn't in much of an attacking mood after Pete got into all sorts of bother due to Darren's early flanking move with his Chasseurs a Cheval. Andrew tried to put in a charge on my line in the woods, but due to a combination of failing to attach a general to his regimental charge, my firing as he came in and the disorders incurred charging into the woods, his charge failed and the regiment fled.

This failure caused him to use his small cavalry force to plug the gap on that flank, while his stretched infantry line in the centre was protected by his other small, but superior, cavalry unit. Once he moved this away to try and help Pete, I felt the time was right for an attack. I had one of my light infantry regiment skirmishing with his right hand regiment in the woods in the attempt to keep it busy and rack up enough disorders on it to prevent it from interfering in any major way from whatever I was going to do next. I wasn't sure if I'd be more successful with a cavalry or infantry charge on his line, but settled for the cavalry as they were ready; I'd have had to spend a turn at least getting my infantry ready.

I duly sent my Chasseur brigade in column at the line, allowing it to expand their frontage for maximum effect, but a combination of the chasseurs' rubbish rating, supporting artillery fire, a massed volley from the line and a pathetic pre-melee die-roll, the attack failed, resulting in a draw. How could that torrent of horse-flesh fail?!! Note to self - Chasseurs are rubbish; don't rely on them to smash the enemy, only to threaten them! I then decided to organise my infantry into attack columns in preparation for a charge, but by then Pete's position was untenable and the game was declared a French victory. Before the last turn, my horse gun battery had managed to inflict a morale failure on their Austrian counterpart in a minor act revenge for the failed cavalry charge. Huzzah!

My serried ranks of French. No room for the cavalry to start in column!

The infantry. A minor stir occurred when deciding who started because I failed to attach my general to a front rank unit; I rolled a 6 to Andrew's 5, but because his general was attached, he invoked a rarely used rule that states that attached generals add a +2 to the initiative roll!

My light cavalry brigade

Pete moves his Austrians on the first move, while the French await their turn

Andrew's forces advance

My French infantry champing at the bit

Darren's Republican French...

...march to the top of the hill, a la the Grand Old Duke of York!

Andrew's Austrians

Pete moves into the built up areas

My forces move up to occupy the space between the two woods; "Oh, so predictable!" my erstwhile opponent declared!

The cavalry moved up to the flank to threaten the approaching landwehr

The game-winning manouver; Darren's Chasseurs force Pete's infantry into square while the rest of Darren's forces approach.

Andrew's thin white line

My attempt at matching him with fire-power and hitting power; l'ordre mixte with artillery and rear support

On the other flank I occupied the woods and fired on the jaegers and artillery, keeping another regiment in reserve to protect against the landwehr getting any ideas about leaving the BUA.

A panoramic view of the Napoleonic games with Darren in red and Tim at the forefront and Robin, Paul and Jim in the background

Tim and Garry's game

Paul and Robin vs. Jim

Paul's method of depicting the loss of a gun from a battery; a pair of smoking boots!

My line in the woods fires on the jaegers

Huge 24 figure Austrian regimental block

My mixed order brigade...

...facing the Austrian line.

Andrew's Austrians charge into the woods...

...and out again!

The jaegers pull back to conform with the running regulars and to remove themselves from my line's devastating fire!

The Chasseurs a Cheval position themselves behind the unlimbered foot batteries for a charge against the Austrian line. THe legere infantry skirmished on the left flank

The right flank in the woods holds steady under the close attention of the Austrian artillery and the cavalry threat.

Andrew's right flank regiment advances into the woods, while the skirmishers prepare to meet them. Meanwhile, should I stay on the defensive, or get the line into column?

The cascade of cavalry is too tempting, though!

The generals discuss the matter...

... while the cavalry champs at the bit!

Still waiting!

The cavalry charge! The head of the column expands by 2 figures in the distance it takes to reach the line

What? A DRAW?!

The gunners' view; BLAM!!

Take that, Austrian gunners!

Run away!