"Napoleonic-era Battle of Slomka, fictional encounter" Topic

British Reserve Corps to get an outing with Scharnhorst Mini Campaign Map to select battlefield "Eastern Europe" chosen, and a few dice rolls ended with an area around Slomka: squares: C & D 1-3. Optional terrain was chosen. Two road lengths, East – West and from Slomka, southerly.
Two hills were added, one in C1, and an aristocratic estate on the other, where the road meets the farmland near C3. D1-3 are occupied by clumps of woodland each, that will break up the French deployment, perhaps giving them some strongpoints to defend and emerge from.

The Brits and "Germans" got the northern half of the table, and look somewhat undermanned on the table space, being arrayed in their two lines of battle, from their left: 5th and then 6th Infantry Division of British-led formations The Duchy of Brunswick on the right, of the battle formation, linking with and then behind Slomka itself.

I've not mentioned the Nassau or artillery reserve (on painting desk, and I've not yet decided what to do with the poorly Brunswick light cavalry. Wargames tutorage, leads me to conclude that this force should occupy the rear of the Reserve Corps, held back to exploit any breakthrough by the enemy.

What about the opposition, then?

Well the French were decided upon, and there are really only two choices at the moment. I decided to run Ney's Wing, out of Anglo-French diplomatic wrangling in June 1815.

My opponent may be chosen to run deployment and attack. I am uncertain if I will obtain such a person, but I am fond of running Age of Eagles, independently due to some built-in solo play thingy-majigs that make it more pleasant than in some games I've tried.

No pictures yet. I'm not inclined to, due to a little embarrassment about the subject of "work in progress". Already had my first rows over "but they're not flocked and "others aren't flocked with sand." Former Technique I've tried, and blundered, and latter, reluctantly prepared to try, one day on spare figures side-project.

More detail to follow, if you care to be patient. I'm just killing an evening with waiting time, tonight.

Such a tease!

Not really, just being "organised in a disorganised fashion."

Anyway, so the French put two infantry divisions, with a cavalry division and some artillery in support against Slomka. Their less important objective, given the battle-plan.

Against the Manor, they put two infantry divisions, with a cavalry division holding the right flank.

Next to this infantry huge column, which would debouch from a small wood stood yet another column, two divisions wide, with one from the left hand corps to the rear, and fronted by the corps artillery.

This left just one infantry division to occupy the central wooded area in the French deployment zone.

The battle began with the British advancing their left flank, across farmland, and into the manor on the hill top, whilst 5 French and 2 British artillery batteries duelled in the centre. No activity for quite a while on the British right flank.

The French made 3 assaults on the manor, the British 2. The British ending in possession of the manor, using Hanoverian conscripts to complete the garrison. Picton managed not to get killed, sadly d'Erlon and a Division commander got killed a few times over.

During the middle part of the game, the British centre and right advanced forwards (6th and Brunswick divisions, leaving the garrison of Slomka and 6th Div's Hanoverians behind. A battery from 5th Division arrived to give cross fire from the hill, and Drummond's artillery reserve came across to join in the battle, later on.

The 2 British guns I mentioned, earlier drove off most of the French "almost a grand battery" with only half a British battery lost. The French recovered by covering their position with an advance of French infantry divisions that pressed into the advancing British centre. The superior firepower of the British and Irish repelled a first French infantry brigade, then withered the second of that division.

During these encounters, the French responded to the advance of a huge Brunswick infantry brigade of 11 bases. So the French 6th Infantry Division lumbered into the action, and hardly achieved anything all game. The Brunswick changed formation under fire, skirmished and volleyed, and even charged, it was 12 bases of French infantry reduced to 9, even with a second brigade of 6 bases, joining in as fire support! Part of the problem was the wretched terrain forcing the huge French infantry brigade into double-line. Yes a combat modifier, and exposed enemy for a second brigade, sent by General Reillé, who later took command of the entire force, as d'Erlon and Ney both fell in battle in left and centre, respectively. Finally the Brunswick attempted a cunning manoeuvre with their forces to expose their hussars and lancers, and give a killing ground on the French centre. The result was a totally wonderful action of cavalry troops cutting up the French central attack, driving into the second line, and the second French attempt at a large artillery grouping, destroying an infantry brigade, destroying an artillery battery, and driving away a second infantry brigade and four other artillery batteries into the French rear.

At this point the French had "lost" 7 division commanders (many replacements for 3 heavily engaged divisions, a corps commander, a wing commander, and two infantry brigades, and an artillery battery. Whereas the British had lost one division commander (Lambert) an infantry brigade and an artillery battery.

Both sides had occupied the manor a few times, and both sides had opened up their opponent's centres, somewhat spectacularly, the British opportunity.

At this point, the Brunswick infantry are retiring next to Slomka, the Nassau are being recalled from the far right flank, as soon as Wellington gets there, and the Brunswick cavalry are to be recalled to the deployment zone for the British and allies.

The French are not feeling too happy, with Reillé in charge, and concentrating on his part of the battlefield.

The losses are more spread out due to losses by base that the rules use. I shall try to establish the point score for both sides, from my assessments above, for Age of Eagles: 22 points to the British and 5 for the French.

However, the assaults on the Manor can continue for longer, and the advance on Slomka has been delayed reaching its target, for paltry loss, but it marches on. Question is, can Reillé on the French left, control the French centre and right. The British reserve corps is too weak to launch a decisive assault on its own, it can largely "own" territory and deny the enemy space, but rely strongly on firepower to weaken the enemy. It does help to have troops with a high morale rating, that allows them a great advantage in not only absorbing casualties, but intimidating enemy troops disordered during their own attacks, and standing to receive that short distance bayonet charge the British battle tactics are famous for, and it has pretty much messed up the French assault on the Manor, by forcing them to detach forces to fight a second enemy infantry brigade, the far side of the manor, that benefits from the British musketry, elite level of self-confidence, and combat luck.

So I sign off for tonight, wondering if I should continue the encounter, or call it off, as the French centre is starting to rely on their borrowed troops from the corps on the left, and the French right looks on heroically whilst gathering for a now forlorn-looking assault on the Manor.

Maybe a cavalry charge vs British Scotsmen and 95th Rifles will cause a change in the sector, but I doubt the waste of cavalry here is worth it.

I think I prefer that Reillé calls the battle off, having failed to dislodge the British from a mostly open position, in a game of Age of Eagles.

Does that sound better, or would pictures have really been that useful given I have poor editing skills, etc and no tools for drawing on the pictures anything usefully annotated with notes?

Besides, lost in the pictures is the see-sawing of the Action best put into words, in some sort of sequence, that I don't think I did too well, in the above.

I think that it was a good review, although a few pictures would be nice.

Sounds fun