As L’Emperor Napoleon led his Imperial Guard away from Nogent sur Seine he received word that a force of Bavarians was ransacking his Palace of Fontainbleau. He straightened in his saddle and roared old his orders…..’To Fontainbleau we go!’

A division of Bavarians under General Stephan Hofbrauhaus had captured the Palace at Fontainbleau and was having a drunken old time in the wine cellar. They had some pickets out but had no thought to what Napoleon would do to them if he caught them.

The Bavarian Division was a good mix of troops, 2 line regts, 2 landwher, a jager, a battery and regt of Chevauleger light cavalry. Their happy commander is below.

The French commanded by Russ and Robert marched on the table on the road from Montereau. Their force included Napoleon, 4 regts Old Guard, 4 regts Middle Middle Guard , the Grenadiers a Cheval and Chasseurs of the Guard regt and a Guard horse battery.

The Old Guard march to the attack with the Emperor safe in their midst.

This lovely newly finished diorama is another classy paint job from Russell.

The Guard rushed straight into combat, hitting the first buildings from 2 sides. The Jager defending had been sleeping off a drunken stupor in the gardens so were disordered as they staggered in to buildings. Even so they managed to hold on for a couple of turns.

The horse artillery take out the Bavarian battery.

The Jager are still holding on, the Chevauleger sortie to help out….bad…bad call…..Old Guard infantry are not worried by light cavalry!

Once the first building was taken, the Guard then made multiple attacks on the rest of the Palace which they successfully captured. The Bavarians were destroyed with the Guard suffering some unit casualties only by Turn 6. It was quite entertaining as many dice were rolled, Steve actually won some of the combats and Russ/Robert had to use some of the ‘Steadfast’ rules the Guard have(basically pass first break test) to hang in there. But Guard are Guard…they are hard to kill off.

A victory for Napoleon and the French.

And that was Turn 8…..Goldie will now digest what has happened and we will get our scout reports and decide on Turn 9.

Paris is getting closer for the Allies.

The other night I played a game versus Keith using his Russians v some French. Keith had painted up the Russian 27th Division to be part of the Russian 2nd Western Army at our Borodino refight. Unfortunately due to ill health, he was unable to join in but is now up and about again so we had a game.

I set the table up using 2 of the Borodino boards, namely the 2 southern boards that have Utitsa village on them where Keith was to play and probably will in the refight later this year. Russians on the right…French pretending to be Poles on the left. Keith had 12 bttns foot(8 musketeers and 4 jager), 2 batteries and 4 regts cossacks. I fielded 9 foot bttns, 2 foot batteries, 1 Uhlan, 1 hussar and a horse battery. All commanders were 8 except Poniatowski who was a 9.

And here is the man himself, all smiley.

Early stages and Keith skirmished with his jager across the front. I formed a gun line supported by columns to counter. The French column out in front was ordered to advance through a shot up line and form line in front of them…they managed to move through them. The yellow dice records a unit disordered…. my pack of disorder markers have disappeared…..probably in the Druid mist that turned up in 2nd Battle of Troyes.

It just keeps getting better…..I ordered the 2 columns on my left to charge through the front line and chase off the skirmishers…they only rolled 1 move…so used Poniatowski to give them a reroll…rolled 12…great…a blunder…so they moved 1 move to the right… oops.

A view from behind the attempted charge….I had to send my Uhlans racing across to cover the open flank.

If you look to my left flank the Uhlans are gone…they got Cossacked to the front which would not have been an issue normally…except for the Jager unit that then hit my flank..pop went the Uhlans( in my defence here…was feeling generous and suggested the ploy to Keith).

On the right, Keith has taken out my horse battery with counter battery fire and the disordered column is no more. Its not looking good for me.

A turn on and Keith has gone onto the attack…..his left flank brigade has charged forward to wipe out my last 2 bttns of small right hand brigade…..before this I had offered to concede…but was only 9.15pm so Keith decided to carry on.

Unfortunately his attacking columns didn’t quite make it into contact and stopped just short….. his jager moved to shoot my flank….but missed all their shots! Things are looking up!!

A look across the table….dreaded yellow disorder dice on my units…..I have seen off some Jager but 2 Cossack units moved up to cover Russian flank. Notice the Russian columns in centre in front of my line.

Woohoo…. French strike back….managed to get front and flank attack on the Russian column which popped…….moved my left flank bttns up in line to shot up the Cossacks on hill……my centre battery wheeled to shoot up a column…right side bttns shot the columns that failed short in the charge…and cavalry general grabbed the Hussars…said  ‘Follow me lads’ and ran down down the fleeing Jagers then burst on to the battery on hill and ran down the battery!

Hot damn!!

End game position. Keith charged my right battalions……one popped…I did manage to shoot and destroy one incoming bttn with artillery fire and musketry. Keith then charged his Jager into my unloaded battery…and ..the Jager didn’t do any wounds…but…I did! So they lost and retired!!

So at game end….I had one broken brigade where 2 of 3 bttns were destroyed, the 2nd brigade was intact. My cavalry had lost the Uhlans and the horse battery, but being marauder cavalry, the Hussars don’t care.

Keiths Russians had lost the jager brigade and 1 bttn from each of the other 2. Both batteries were destroyed as was 1 Cossack with another shaken.

So from the closing jaws of defeat I grabbed what looks like a draw to me

So it was dawn after the 2nd Battle of Troyes and the Druidic Mist has gone……

Hordes of Russian Cavalry set off across the broad, flat plain between Troyes and Nogent……they burst into the town to find the French fleeing down the road West to Bray.

With blood in their eyes…the Cossacks lead the Hussars in the chase….many are the French cut down…..guns are captured…. many wagons…but no quarter is given.

REVENGE is had.

So the French have fled Nogent, the damaged cavalry along with Napoleon are no where to be found, only Marmont’s Corps which gets a bit cut up and loses its artillery as it flees. Goldie performed an Umpires resolution here, not sure of actual French casualties…just there were some.

Below is the campaign map for the South Western sector. I anticipate a battle or 3 shortly.

Napoleon himself has provided some photos and commentary of this battle so I have updated the report and added his comments on the photos. They are in italics.

So no sooner had yours truelly headed off for a 2 week holiday with ‘She who must be Obeyed’ and the French launch a major attack on Troyes!

So the battle was played while I was away in the Coromandel relaxing…..and we timed the break to start just as the school holidays ended so the beach town of Whangamata where we go, over the first couple of days went from full to almost no one. Check out beach shot below. Did see some whales breaching off the beach and the tails upright before going back down. Very Cool!

Now…back to the game. I had asked for some photos to be taken and a commentary provided by Goldie. Alan has taken photos and they have a couple words on each so thats as good as its going to get! As for the commentary…like Xmas…its coming…one day.

THANK’S GOLDIE!

So the game went something like this……Napoleon used his superior movement(he gets to take his troops 3 towns in a turn instead of 2) so that he performed a night march from Nogent to attack Troyes. The Allied pickets outside of Troyes started skirmishing with advancing French light cavalry before dawn.

Apparently when Wurttemburg was awoken from his slumber, he was told French cavalry were attacking, he asked ‘How Many’ to be informed ‘All of them!’.

Not an encouraging way to wake up really(Wurttemberg is my command , Nick stood in for me).

So as dawn lightened the sky 15 French cavalry regiments with horse artillery galloped across the flat plain between Nogent and Troyes to attack the forces of Wittgenstein which had captured Troyes. However, it was the not forces of Wittgenstein they faced, as the survivors of the 1st battle of Troyes had informed Napoleon, but the forces of Wurttemberg they faced. This was not a force of Bavarian infantry including landwher and light cavalry, no this was something entirely different!

As the mist lifted, in the dawn light the French could see rank upon rank of Austrian regular infantry….. rather large ranks at that. Between the ranks were supporting batteries and to the French left, rifle fire commenced from some villages….where regts of Wurttembergers could be seen….. beyond them mist obscured the Allied camp.

This might not be as easy a fight as they though!

Right…so that’s the picture…the French are charging across an open plain, led by Napoleon with a lot of cavalry including Old Guard, Young Guard and line regiments.

There are basically 9 turns in a day and the French by marching at night have a full day to beat up the Allied force. There is a limit of 5 divisions that can come down an Imperial road in each move and there are 2 moves per day so any French / Allied reinforcements would be under orders already and would arrive on turn 5.

Below is position at dawn where the French cavalry are on the field.

Now somehow a French Regt has got around the village with the Wurttemburg Jager in and destroyed the Wurttemberg battery. I do recall giving express instructions on my batteries to be safely positioned as is a campaign, did not want to lose any. Gggrrrr. On the flip side, this cavalry regt doesn’t appear in anymore photos so assuming they did a sweeping advance onto the line regt and they were destroyed.

This is the follow on charge after running over Wurttemberg artillery from Oudinot’s light cavalry which broke.

The photos below is entitled, ‘Repulsed’…I can see a disordered marker so assume the Austrian cavalry won somehow! Go my boys!!

Next up is a picture down the table.

Out of the camp mist, Duka’s Russian Cuirrassier Division rides up along with some more Austrian infantry and guns!

The dice gods are smiling, French charge an Austrian battery…and …lose the combat!

The Death of Duka….. PaulW….in payback mode after the battle of Vitray gets Duka and the Military Order Cuirrassiers destroyed taking it to the Frenchies….. I am recommending an assignment in Siberia next for him.

Cuirassier sandwich presumably when General Duka died too, though I don’t see him there.

View down the table, Goldie is performing a Druid ritual. As you will see later, it was successful.

Mortier’s Corps cavalry Cuirassiers shot to shaken and therefore broken

Next up are 2 broken French cavalry running off the table.

Below we have a French cavalry regt charged by cavalry…then hit in flank by large bttn. Pop.

And its Turn 5 which is the second move of the day. The French have no commands arriving(we were all expecting to see a rush of French infantry coming to join then party!But the Allies do. Osten-Sacken arrives with 12 regiments of Russian Cavalry charging through the Austrian lines. Kretov appears in the French right flank with 3 more regiments of Russian Cuirrassiers!

Guard horse artillery land two 6 hits on the Russian? Cuirassiers who nonchalantly roll double 6s to shrug them off (disordered though)

Miraculous Chasseurs a Cheval of the Guard counter charge supported, follow me!, Russian cuirassiers, suffer 3 casualties, inflict 6 casualties. The cuirassiers pass their -3 break test (merde!) but general (insert name here) dies!

And we have the French now retiring off the table, but not before Kretov also got himself killed. Argghhhhhh. Steve gets the rap for this one.

My sources dear readers, tell me the French lost 7 regiments and most of those remaining have suffered some damage. The Allies lost a battery and 2 cavalry regiments(if wrong will update..still waiting on the Druid mail service to deliver report).

Now readers, I am sure you, like me, have read the Glorious accounts of cavalry pursuits in the Napoleonic wars. However, we had not worked this out before the game, and so Goldie made a call on how it would go.

So some Gaulish Druids were inhabiting a wood close to Saint Aubin and came to wee Nappy’s aid. A deep magical mist rose over the plains, leaving the road to Saint Aubin and thence Nogent as the only route you could take. You have to form column of march, no racing across the flat open plains in pursuit of your weary, beaten enemies. So being chivalrous chaps, our cavalry sat on their steads while the French formed nice columns on the road…and off they went……I dare say in as much shock as we were(but much happier!).

And that was it…..my carefully prepared trap for the French cavalry being stopped by some Gaulish Druids……who would have thought it!

I hope the Prussians have the next battle as am not sure I could handle the stress so soon of another one…..and I wasn’t even there!

So battle #2 has been fought.

Wittgenstein(Steve) advanced from Vendeuvre across the River Seine to Troyes which was held by 4 bttns of the Garde Nationale. These outstanding lads were rated as Unreliable and morale 5+.

Steve is in the blue shirt, Alan (provided the Bavarians) in the red and Goldie who although Campaign umpire played the French is in the white. Below is the start positions. French on western side of the Seine. They have blown the bridge on the central road, however bridge on northern road is not blown. They have 2 bttns covering the 2 roads and 2  supporting. Allies can try and send one bttn across per turn in boats. It is 3 moves to cross. The northern bridge can only be crossed in column of march.

Allied turn one and a Bavarian line bttn gets across the river on the allied right.

There was one piece of high ground which 2 Bavarian batteries took over. This is their first shots…needed 6’s to hit…2 6’s rolled. Awesome.

French bttn by Northern bridge sustains 4 wounds and a disorder from shooting, it pops.

French turn 1, one bttn has been destroyed, second has retired from central bridge(its a destroyed bridge) with 3 wounds and a disorder. The 2nd line bttns now move up to cover bridges.

Allied 2nd turn, this Bavarian bttn between the batteries was the forward bttn, it was ordered, twice, to get into boats and cross the river in front of a French bttn, they decided to blunder and retire. Wise men.

Here we have Bavarian light infantry who have followed their General across the river!

Its turn 3, and by the scenario rules bad things can happen to the Allies if they have not established a bridgehead by the destroyed bridge at the end of this turn. In turn 2 their had been a number of failed orders on the allied side so it was all a bit nervous. The left French bttn has 2 wounds and is disordered. The centre bttn has recovered from disorder but is still shaken and the right side bttn is now shaken.

Allied shooting on the left bttn causes more wounds and Paul needs to roll a 7 to pass his break test, he rolled a 3 so thats the 2nd of 4 bttns gone.

In the centre a Bavarian bttn moved up to the river bank and fired, rolling 3 6’s and inflicting 3 wounds. The bttn that had crossed the river upstream now moved up and fired along with the light infantry, adding 4 more wounds, which with the disorder meant Paul was rolling a break test on a -8. So he couldn’t pass, but then he rolled a double 1 anyway.

So having lost 3 bttns the French break and the Allies take Troyes.

Below is Map showing Troyes.

The Orders for Turn 5 are now going into the Umpire, the next turn could be quite interesting.

‘Marshall Marmont surveyed the village of Vaucler and the road which stretched from it south east to St Dizier. His scouts had just reported in, a column of Russian infantry was marching up the road. He was shocked to be told they had no cavalry, not even the dreaded Cossacks! Just then an ADC raced up from the west, Le Emperor and Marshall Ney, the Bravest of the Brave were approaching from Chalons with a Guard force and he was to hold his position until they could join him. The Russians were going to pay for invading France!’

So Tuesday night we had the first battle of the 1814 campaign.

Osten-Sacken(PaulW) set off from St Dizier and marched North East towards Vitray. The road could have 3 divisions move up it a turn, so Paul advanced with 3 Russian infantry divisions, each of 4 Musketeers, 2 Jager and 1 battery. For the numerically challenged, thats a wholesome force of 12 Musketeers, 6 Jager and 3 batteries. And as shocked as Marmont was, no cavalry!

Marmont(Robert) commanded 3 divisions, the 3rd Division of 4 ligne infantry and a battery, the 8th Division of 1 legere and 3 ligne, and the 1st cavalry with 2 light cavalry regts and 2 cuirassier regts.

Napoleon/Ney( was to be Rob, but Russ had to sub in for Rob) commanded the 1st and 2nd Young Guard Divisions each of 4 regts, and a Garde d’Honneur Division of 2 combined regts.

Meanwhile…..on the road from St Dizier…..

‘Ivan……I thought some of them thievin Cossacks were sent up the road before us this morning’ Igor said….

‘Nah’ said Ivan….’I spotted the drunken sods snoring in that farm they took over’…..

‘Crap’ said Igor…..’You think any ones had the balls to tell old fancy pants’…..

.’Nah….all pretty boys…no balls them officers’…….said Ivan……

‘You get enough ammo last night’ asked Igor…..

‘Nah’ said Ivan…..’Boris said the supply train is late’…….

‘Oh great’ said Igor……’Hope no garlic breathers are in that town up ahead then’ ….said Ivan…..and just then drums started beating…..

So the battle will be 5 turns followed by 1 turn of dusk when visibility reduce to 6 inches.

Below is Russians who have arrived on the table….the edge…the very edge.

And here is 2 divisions of Young Guard accompanied by Napoleon and Ney, The Garde d’Honneors  are off table on the road. Marmont is up in the middle of the table.

And here is middle of table, village of Vaucler with 3rd Division in residence. The light cavalry are forward of them, one on each table edge.

A view from the Russians with the Young Guard now skirmishing to their front and columns and cavalry close in. They still have not moved.

Russians have moved….the 6 units of Jager still have not skirmished, 2 have formed square though…otherwise bit of sideways shuffling. In the Jagers defence…as Ivan and Igor have said, they must be short on ammo…as Umpire only allowing them 2 shots instead of the normal 3, and their batteries seem to have lost 1/3 their guns….oh and its muddy so you can’t move and shoot guns in same turn.

Oh, and the 2 square are because of the announcement 2 Cuirassier regts had just failed order to rush on table beside the Hussars on the French left flank. This lead to discussions on Campaign rules on off table troops appearing…..a rarity in our games.

Anyone would think the French were running the campaign  🙂

Here come the Garde d’Honneurs down the French right flank. They were rated as ‘Ferocious charge’, so they reroll any misses in first round of combats….nasty for light cavalry…..the were nicely painted, well done Russ…very pretty.

What a mess. The Russians hugging the end of the table is now going to haunt them. They have no depth and are all bunched which is about to turn nasty for them, Russ has charged in with the 2nd Young Guards in the square and some columns Paul managed to get over there in the French left. In the Centre Robert supported by the skirmishing 1st Young Guards has also charged in.

The aftermath. A number if Russian units are missing. Paul failed almost every break test. It was truely appalling dice rolling. But Russ is a vastly experienced competitive gamer, he knows EXACTLY how to win in that mess of units!

The End Game. Paul did better in the middle but Robert did enough coupled with Russell’s demo on the flank to make the Russians retire beaten after dusk. Being a Campaign Game and I am not meant to be aware of actually casualties yet, I didn’t keep track of the casualties to either side.

As Ivan and Igor trudge back down the road to St Dizier in the dark…..

‘Well that was a shitfest wasn’t it Igor’

‘Yeah…..ole fancy pants probably shat himself alright Ivan’

‘Who do you think he’s gunna blame?’

‘Bloody Cossacks of course Igor!’

‘Those Frenchies were bit young weren’t they…..one kid I shot hadn’t even loaded his musket…and he didn’t have boots on Ivan!’

‘French Guard ain’t what it was mate’ said  Ivan

So that was the first campaign battle.

Sadly, Russians well and truely beaten.

So Goldie has been talking about an 1814 campaign for sometime, and over the past Xmas period he has rolled one out.

The French have 3 players(Russ, Robert and Rob), the Allies have 5 players(Terry, PaulW, Steve, Alan and Nick).

Goldie is the Umpire, Rulemeister and point of all communications. Rules are BP2 with some adjustments Goldie has made.

Players on the same side are only allowed to directly communicate if we have forces in the same nexus. We can communicate by sending ADC’s racing around the map passing messages between ourselves.

Below is the map we are playing on.

Each player is in command of a scaled down Corps. Each Corps has 3+ Divisions(2+ units) in it. Turns are are a day, split into Morning, Afternoon and Night moves. Each move is one town. Night moves can result in Divisions losing stamina.

It is VERY IMPORTANT to work out your order of march.

The 3 red roads are Imperial roads and 5 Divisions can move down them at a time, other roads are only 3 Divisions.

The Allies enter from the eastern edge, the French are somewhere on the map.

So its turn 1 and lo and behold, Osten-Sacken(PaulW) has marched into a nice French Trap at Vitry le Francois. Happily strolling down the road, they find Marmont in possession of the town and rapidly approaching what looks like Napoleon and Ney leading a Corps of Young Guard……the battle will be fought next week….report will follow!