Blucher Waterloo 2021 AAR - TSOG Does Napoleon’s Last Battle Again!

A delayed AAR this time for a game played in June!

Here we go again! TSOG again recreated the Battle of Waterloo using Blucher rules on June 19, the closest weekend day we could get to the actual battle date of the 18th! We used the same scenario as last year including historical army deployment and reserve arrival. Tactically players were free to act as they wanted EXCEPT there would be no Reserve Movement prior to the Noon turn due to the muddy ground and the French could not move east of Frischermont unless they captured Hougoumont, La Haye Saint & La Haye or moved their entire Army east of the Brussels Road, this was to stop them using the loop hole in Bluchers Reserve Movement Rule and delaying the whole Prussian Army getting into action with just two or three Brigades!

The Armies Deploy!

Before the action begins Napoleon's view of the Allied Army...

... meanwhile Wellington can see some French Batteries and the II Corps deploying toward Hougoumont!

The Plans!

The French plan was to run the II Infantry Corps and III Cavalry Corps around and deep behind the Allied Army’s right flank, if this turned out to be successful the thrust would be reinforced, if not the main axis of attack would swing to the Allied left. Hmmm same as last year!

The Allied Army's plan was to hold the Mont Saint Jean Ridge to the last man! Interestingly again the same as last year!

The Prussian plan of attack was to be aggressive and capture Planceoit with the II & IV Corps while assisting in the Allied Army with the I Corps. Ah much more considered than last years plan!

The AAR!

The opening moves saw the French following their plan to the letter. The II Infantry Corps and III Cavalry Corps advanced past Hougomont leaving a Brigade to mask it and then around the Allied Army’s right flank. The British hampered by very low command control (eg low MO rolls!) sent the Brunswickers from the reserves to face this threat while launching an attack! Yes Vandeleur's Cavalry impetuously advanced on the French right!

The opening moves unfold...

With Napoleon acting vigorously (read that as high MO rolls!) the French continued their move around the Allied Army's right flank while sending the IV Cavalry Corps forward to meet impudent Allied Cavalry attack developing near Papalotte. The cavalry clash on there proved to be brief and vicious the Heavy French Horseman drove Vandeleur's Light Cavalry back with considerable losses!

Milhaud's IV Cavalry Corps advances to meet the Allied Horse...

...and with weight of numbers and horse the French drove the Allies back!

Overall view of the the Battlefield as the opening moves play out.

Note the Brunswickers are already withdrawing before the French flank attack while Vandeleur retires.

Reille and Kellermann pushed their men hard driving the outnumbered Brunswickers back and exposing the flank of the Allied main line! 

The Allied right flank was bent back by the French onrush but it did not break! Allied casualties were heavy though and Hougoumont was isolated! Wellington was having a bad day and was slow to react as the battle was hotting up.

A note here due to the special rules Wellington rolled his own MO dice (Intuitive Trait, the French were allowed to reroll one die of their choice) and was therefore able to view the total so could plan his MO use better...his problem was getting so few! On the other hand over those same few turns the French MO total was over twenty EVERY turn!

Kellermann's Cavalry avoid the Brunswicker's prepared positions leaving artillery to deal with them! 

The overall view at this same time shows the difficulty the Allies were finding themselves in at this point!

Napoleon now assembled a Grand Battery before the Allied Army with the I and Guard Corps Artillery, not only was his left hook looking promising but Milhaud's IV Cavalry Corps had swept through Papelotte and was now threatening the left flank of the Allies' defence position! Wellington activated part of his Cavalry Reserve to bolster his right while rallying  couple of retiring Brigades recovering some of their losses!

"Curses where are the Prussians!" a quote from the Allied Commander as he juggle his limited options, here some of the Allied Reserve Cavalry can be seen moving to block the French III Cavalry Corps.

On the Allied left an interesting situation was developing, the IV French Cavalry Corps had created an opportunity that turn out too good to be resisted by Napoleon...

Finally (well historically on time actually) Bulow's IV Prussian Corps arrived on the battlefield and with their Reserve Movement quickly pushed forward into the French flank. With his line of communications threatened Napoleon deployed the entire VI Corps with orders to occupy Frischermont. Due to excellent command control thanks tot the Imperial staff Officers he also pressed forward with the II Corps too and to top it all off the Grand Battery opened fire on the Allied Army on the ridge before them!

The race to Frischermont is on between the IV Prussian and VI French Corps!

Another view of the Prussian advance Planceoit can be seen in the top left of the picture.

Now Napoleon launched a major attack, while the Grand Battery bombarded the Allied Army the I Corps using Reserve Movement marched via Papalotte into a position to threaten rolling up the Allied Army which was still clinging onto the ridge behind La Haye Saint! Meanwhile on the French right flank the Prussians occupied Frischermont but the rest of their advance was hamstrung by the appearance of the Imperial Guards Heavy Cavalry, many infantry deploying into prepared positions and their weak cavalry retiring!

At this point of the battle the Allied Army was still suffering from low MO's while both the French and the Prussians seemed to have ample command opportunities both sides realising most of their MO requests! The Dice Gods were not on Wellington's side and it was telling!

The French right flank, the arrival of the French Guard cavalry stalled the Prussian advance and D'Elron's I Corps route march around the Allied Army's left can be seen...

The French Grand Battery at work firing on the Allied line, the troops in La Haye Saint were getting the worst of it!

Reille's II Corps continues to clear the ridge. Several of the French II Corps Units at this point were becoming quite brittle having been in action since the beginning of the game but with the assistance of the III Cavalry Corps they had battered the Allies before them. 

As the afternoon wore on the fighting was now general along the whole of the line! The Prussian I and II Corps had arrived and unlike the brethren of the IV Corps they pushed ahead aggressively taking on the French and diverting two of the I Corps Divisions from their main axis of advance! The attack on Wellington's left flank by the balance of the French I Corps and Milhaud's Cavalry started successfully and sucked in the last of the Allied Army's reserves. At last Wellington hit his straps and was now very active (i.e. the Allied MO dice rolls were much better!) but he now commanded a much reduced force...DOH!

The battle was in the balance! The French were in a good position but at last the Prussians were making their presence felt and time was running out as the sun began to set!

D'Erlon and Milhaud begin to roll up the Allied Army! In the background two French Divisions of the French I Corps face off against the Prussians!

With the Allied Army stretched to the limit and the Prussians still being held at bay the French deployed the Guard! This was the first time Napoleon became involved and his limited Command 'bonus' was used (he had the Immobile Leader Trait). All the infantry of the Guard were deployed for a grand assault on the Allies still defending the ridge!

The Guard deploy, as can be seen the massed French grand battery had expended virtually all its ammunition and was now dispersed but importantly they had 'blown away' the defenders of La Haye Saint and the depleted Allied Army could not reinforce the position!

The Prussians meanwhile even though engaging the rear of D'Erlon's I Corps had become cautious and their advance on Planceoit had stalled, it was now up to the French to gird up their loins and take advantage of the opportunity presented!

Even though Wellington had 'pulled his finger out' at this stage of the action and was now very active it was too late the French Guard can be seen advancing past the shattered remains of La Haye Saint and nearing the Allied lines!

The Guard took a final volley from the Allied defenders and charged home!

Another view of the French 'last throw of throw dice' supported by Reille's II Corps!

Of note you can just see the labels of a couple of the French II Corps units and they were nearing the end of their endurance like the Brigades of the Allied army/

The final moments of the action as the destruction of one of Picton's Brigades pushes the Allied Army to its breaking point and shattered Wellington's men flee northward! The Prussians quickly disengage and retire in an orderly fashion east along their lines of communication ready to fight another day!

The Summary!

Well a French victory and with a couple Player Turns up their sleeve a most unexpected outcome! Not to take anything away from this great French achievement (especially as I commanded them) but this result was influenced by the fact that for almost the entire game the Allied Army suffered from very poor MO rolling! Up until their seventh player turn (so early to mid afternoon game time) they did not get more than 10 MOs while rolling four dice meanwhile the French had a plethora of MOs and were very aggressive using them! Unlike last years game where the Allied Army had suffered just as badly that time they had successfully 'retired' many of their weak units so they never got anywhere near their Breaking Point, so this year we had a small Allied Army teetering on defeat with a couple of Player Turns to go against last time having a small Allied Army but far from breaking an important difference! That situation coupled with the Prussian failure to press their attacks handed the game to Napoleon! As usual Blucher Rules played well and allowed us to manage a big game in a reasonable time, we started at about 11:00am and were done (including a pizza and wine break) by 4:00pm! Thanks to all those involved and we'll probably try this again next year!