Austrian Right
The French were making good progress on the Austrian right, having routed the Jaegers and pressed forwards; however, the Austrians formed a strong defensive with a line regiment and newly arrived Grenzers:
The French column surged forwards, but is destroyed having routed the Grenzers. The advance of French dragoons forces the Austrian line regiment into a square:
This was the position on this flank up until the end of the battle, with an Austrian square being harassed by French skirmishers firing from the protection of a wood:
The Centre
The situation in the centre was much better for the French, having destroyed one Austrian unit and forced some Grenadiers to retreat, the French columns surged forward:
The Austrian Grenadiers rally, giving a slight breathing space for Austrian reserves to plug the gap:
...but the Austrian Grenadiers are destroyed and newly arrived Grenzers sent packing; the French columns bush forwards destroying the Austrian artillery on the ridge:
In the tough fighting, one French column is destroyed, but in the background a Polish regiment ejects the Austrian defenders of the town, while the battle continues on the ridge:
The French capture the ridge as the Grenzers, now rallied, attempt to stem the tide:
The Austrian Left
Having been brutally punished on the left, the French advances pause allowing time for a strong Austrian defence line to form; however, it is not long before the French columns, supported by artillery and cavalry begin their advance once more:
A regiment of Austrian grenadiers is chased of by musketry and the threat of cavalry and they retreat behind the farm and form square. A great exchange of fire takes place destroying an Austrian line regiment, but the French take heavy losses too:
Austrian reserves plug the gaps as the firing continues, but then a French column assaults the depleted Jaegers in the farm:
The farm falls to the French:
Back in the Centre:
Seeing the success of his columns in the centre and with the Poles now in the town, Napoleon releases his reserves in the form of two Guard regiments that smartly advance along the road:
The French Guard quickly brush aside the defending Austrian line infantry and assault into the town:
The Austrians collapse, having reached their exhaustion point. The score is 9 - 4 to the French; however this masks the serious losses suffered by French regiments, with several units down to just one SP.
What a game, very well balanced and good fun.
Very good, the brittle state of the French army shows just how close this went.
ReplyDeleteThanks Norm; if the Austrians could have hung on for one or two more turns the result would have been much closer. However once the French guard are unleashed, under C&C rules, they are a bit like a hot knife through butter!
DeleteSplendid stuff Bob...
ReplyDeleteAll the best. Aly