Atrocious Allied Action!

It's been a while since I've had a game, as you can probably tell by the dearth of battle reports posted here. I'm afraid that it showed in my last game, played yesterday at the Croydon venue! It didn't help that I was a little too lackadaisical in the face of clearly superior units, like his 1809 style Carabiniers, and paid the price.

Again showing how rusty I am at this wargaming lark, I left the SD card for my camera in the PC at home (at least I remembered to bring the camera!), so all the pictures for this post are from my smartphone and the lack of quality is obvious, I'm sorry.

Again I partnered Pete and his Brunswickers. He had a dismal game against Darren's Republican French, while I was up against Ian KH and his 1/72nd French (which he is planning to replace with 28mm troops! Sobs...).

The battle objective was for control over the central road junction and village, which the French managed to secure early in the game, winning the initiative, so Pete and I were on the back foot from the start, having to eject the French from their position.

My starting position, while Pete considers his options at the top of the frame.

Ian's French (and Swiss!)

I hoped to put a few holes in the Swiss (like their cheese! Nyark, nyark!)

Ian's commander 

His invincible Carabiniers!

My Potugusese contingent: Caçadores and line infantry

My heavy hitters: the Scots of the the 71st and 92nd

After Ian's first move has taken the village, I moved up aggressively with my light dragoons protecting my flank, or so I thought! With another light dragoon regiment on the left flank and my heavy draoons in the centre, I had hoped to mix up my forces to keep Ian in an anti-cavalry formation, then soften him up with artillery and following up with infantry. 

My heavies on debut. They survived the game, but didn't really cover themselves in glory

My horse gun battery moves up in support of my cavalry on the right flank, but runs out of functions to deply, remaining limbered in Ian's next turn, giving him a nice juicy target!

Our first clash. I knew that British light dragoons were classed only a couple of melee points lower than French cuirassiers, so I thought I'd be able to go toe-to-toe with Carabiniers. How wrong I was: Carabiniers are MUCH classier than cuirassiers!

The result: British cavalry breaking to the rear!

I didn't think I was in that much trouble, though: I still held the woods and had a battered battery to threaten the victorious Carabiniers on one flank...

I then moved heavy dragoons to threaten their other flank, outside their charge arc.

After getting thumped by the carabiniers, i decided I needed all the cavalry over on the right flank, so I moved the other light dragoon regiment from my left flank where they were doing nothing.

Ian's guns took another gun off my battery and the resulting morale test resulted in the crew fleeing the battery!

He then moved his lancers into a threatening position. I thought he was going to try to stymie my heavies with an attempted opportunity charge, but he missed the chance.

With my Portuguese infantry in square behind the cavalry (no point in taking chances!) my wall of horseflesh confronts the Carabiniers. Looking at it now in hindsight, it's obvious I should have launched the lot all at once, but I went in piecemeal with the heavy dragoons first. Their angle of attack was outside the Carabiniers' charge arc, so they were left flat-footed. Any other cavalry and this would have been a devastating situation to find yourself in, but not the Carabiniers!

All we did was bounce off each other after an inconclusive draw!

Next, I charged the light dragoons, while the Carabiniers were on the back foot. Bad idea!

That left the Carabiniers and lancers to turn their attentions on the infantry. Gulp!

The lancers moved further round the flank, making way for Ian's infantry reserves, which, I was to find out shortly, were all Young Guard!

Not looking good for the Portuguese square! I decided to sacrifice it and the front line, and make a second resrve line behind.

The lancers sweep around the flank. These are lovely conversions using Italeri dragoon figures on hussar horses, with heads from I cant't remember where, but they look fantastic!

The same from the front.

His Tirralleur Corse skirmish with my caçadores on the edge of the woods.

My second line behind the sacrificial first line.

I brought my caçadores out to try to inflict damage on the infantry and attempt to get in the flank of the Carabiniers, only allowing them to become lancer-bait!

The Young Guard charge and the Portuguese fly!

On they come into my reduced 71st Highlanders, who soon follow their Portuguese colleagues.

With Pete in full flight to my left and all my cavalry running for the hills and my infantry about to be overrun, we declared a French victory.

With that I can confirm that I need to finish my Vittoria 2nd Division project; I think I should concentrate on replacing a lot of the cavalry in my weekend OB with more infatnry, and concentrate on using my cavalry as a threat in being, rather than send them 'galloping at everything'!

And finally:

BAH HUMBUG!