SOW Waterloo Multiplayer Wednesday 28/10/20 at 21:00 GMT

[Biondo]

SOW Waterloo Multiplayer Wednesday 28/10/20 at 21:00 GMT

Immersive, friendly session.

Played with full fog of war.

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**                    Notes                      **
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SOW Version: Waterloo 1.03
Largest command: Corps
Smallest command: Brigade
Mission Duration: 180 minutes
Minimum number players: 2
Time (local): Click here
Teamspeak  IP: 104.153.105.2:35200  Please wait in lobby for access to other areas.
Room: Scourge Of War


Extra Notes:
•   TIME LIMIT: 01.30 a.m. GMT at the following day, if no different agreement has been made by the participants.
•   The room will be open at 19:30 GMT for preparation & mission setup
•   House rules: Click here
•   HITS system
•   Courier orders
•   Bare map. Full F.O.W.
•   No voice during game. (comms by courier only)

Mods required:
•   DOW Community Toolbar V8: This will be provided.
•   If an updated mod is required you will be sent a link via pm

Player Skill/Ability:
•   Must be proficient Using HITS
•   Have a good understanding of UI


Commanders and leaders:
Biondo
Asalex
Colbert
SamuelGim
Heldor
Tadzio
Jakmin
Sandman
Neil

[asalex]

 

[heldor]

I'm in! 

[tadzio73]

I'm in too 

[General Sandman]

me go 2  2


... looks promising to perhaps finish a previous battle.

[Jakmin]

Ci sono!

[Colbert]

Ci sarò.

[Jakmin]

[Biondo]

Thanks Jakmin for the video.

I want to thank everyone who participated in this two-session battle especially Neil who create the scenario and tadzio because I know it's difficult to join an ongoing battle where your troops are already fighting and he did the best he can.

About the battle, we had a first part, where we had a numerical advantage although we knew that a big Prussian corps was marching on our right flank.

So the plan was to push on our right, between la Haye Sainte and la Papelotte, with my corps (reille) and the Old Guard, supported by cavalry and artillery,and gain control of the ridge.

The other two corps in the centre and in the right had to probe or make some feint without getting involved in any major attack.

We would then evaluate what to do when the Prussians arrived.


After a bombardment on the troops in front of me at la Papelotte, sandman have the order to attack; the fear was that the troops at the farm could easily retreat on the ridge making more difficult to seize it but the British didn't do that.
They tried to push on my right leaving opened the door to my corps which was free to advance and take some enemy guns behind the farm.

On my left, the old guard and the cavalry found more resistance because Wellington throw there all of his cavalry but finally we gain the control of the ridge though the enemy was still present and fighting and the first Prussians flags were seen in the southeast.

Bad news came from our extreme left; while D'Erlon/asalex manage to avoid any major contact in the centre, Gerard/Davide lost half his men in an attack against Hougoumont: the historians will debate for years about this episode because it had a great impact on prosecution of the battle. Anyway he had to retreat towards our main objective, at Plancenoit.

In the second session Davide couldn't play so tadzio took the command of the old guard and sandman took control of the remaining troops of Gerard.


Immediately the situation saw me and tadzio in difficult because of the charges of the British heavy cavalry. Our cavalry was tired and quickly left the field.

It took some time to reorganize everything on the ridge, we had to defend the position from two side: in the west, Cole's division supported by heavy cavalry and artillery under the direct control of Wellington. In the southeast, Hill's corps reinforced by some Prussians squadrons tried to take the ridge.

I lost the view on what was going on down the valley.

Tadzio tried to defend our western flank but after some fight I received a message from him: I have no more a division!

At this point it seemed that the British pressure on the west became lighter so I could concentrate on the southeast were after a very heavy fight I prevailed over Hill/Colbert.

Then I turn again on la Haye Sainte. Again, heavy losses from both sides and the problem for me was that they still had some cavalry. Finally, when I thought that their cavalry was too exhausted to charge my men, I tried an all or nothing attack.

I still had six or seven battalions and four guns. I still can't believe what men did on that ridge. They charged and steamrolled everything and then marched to their line of communication.

I intercepted many messages between Wellington and his subordinates where it was clear that they were sending reinforcements to recapture and free their LOC.

I had two battalions with some probability to resist to a fresh enemy. I could also bring with me only one gun, the other three were somewhere in the east.

Two hannoverians battalions came out from la Haye Sainte and marched uphill. After a brief firefight, one battalion charged my line but my men, again incredibly, resisted and routed that unit. A second charge from the second hannoverian battalion had the same destiny.

At this point, the battle ended. One minute more and other British battalions would have charged and destroyed me.

What I didn't see but maybe the involved  generals can explain better than me: because of the Gerard's failure in the first session, the British had the possibility to attack Asalex's position by two sides. He could only delay them.

Sandman fought against the Prussians who marched to take our line of communication and I think in the end also against the British, after they had defeated asalex.

Finally we won by a small amounts of points

[Jakmin]

I was in command of the Nassau corps. to the far right of the allied line. In the first part of the fight we defended Hugoumont's farm very well, while in the second phase we went to counterattack. Also due to the lack of enemy cavalry, the counterattack on the flank and with the help of Heldor / Picton was deadly. We drove up to the Belle Aliance, and from there we could clearly see the enemy supply lines. I didn't know exactly what was happening in the north, but I was convinced we were clearly winning. Nice fight anyway.

[General Sandman]

For now, as the french CiC, I have 4 statements:

1. Thanks to the excellent commandership and the gift to decide independently in decisive situations of General Biondo, the french side gained a strategic victory by destroying the allied staff at their HQ and capping their supply-lines.

"Then I turn again on la Haye Sainte. Again, heavy losses from both sides and the problem for me was that they still had some cavalry. Finally, when I thought that their cavalry was too exhausted to charge my men, I tried an all our nothing attack."

This was exactly according the dispatch I sent to Biondo. How delightful to see that he obviously had the very same thought at the perfect time, cos the couriers never reached him.

"I still had six or seven battalions and four guns. I still can't believe what men did on that ridge. They charged and steamrolled everything and then marched to their line of communication."


But still the allies could claim a tactical success by making it very costly for the french, which surely would affect their further means of initiative.

Rumors spreaded that the vulnerability of the allied base was caused due a misinterpretation of allied communication.



2. In the briefing an attack on an occupied fortress like Chateau Goumont has been explicitly excluded.


3. Regarding the final phase I dont see a realistic posibility for the allies to get control over the french HQ and depots. Beneath my active and almost tired forces I also had recovered reserves to dispose:
- 8-10 Inf battaillons. 2500 -3000 men of Hulots´s Div rested at the base for 90-120 min.
- the little remains of 2 Cav Bdes of heavy and medium plus another recovered BDE of lancers of about 70% of their initial strengh. In total about 12-15 squadrons.
- about 60% of 3 heavy batteries and the remaining cannons of another 4 batteries. So I Assume about 20 pieces.

I didndt see any more allied Cav in the S. Perhaps only few in the N but probably ineffective. Attacking the french base without a certain number of effective squadrons would have probably led to a painful counter. I think, after constantly pressing against my delaying defence, the prussian corps was almost neutralized.

At the end of the first phase (session) I was surprised about the heavy losses of the Gerard corps, cos it wasnt supposed to get into intensive engagements without getting the optional order to attack according the initial planning, which btw didnt include an attack on the fortress. I was even more surprised, cos it seems to not have been confronted with enemy Cav.


If asalex requested for support, I might had send him the lancers. Although in too many cases such a request cant be met, but still often enough it can be vital to call for support in time. Also unsolicited reports by the subordinated commanders are very important for every CiC, particulary if there were essential changes.


4. In the end we know, that the french attack on the right was the essential requirement for the final victory. From the tactical view, it was partially successful, cos we mamaged to seize the elevation. On the other hand this attack was supposed to be performed with more pacing to throw the defenders back before their core Cav was ready to give them support. A defence deployment should have been established before the reinforcement´s arrival. To break the positions the 3 french Cav Bdes involved had to pay a lot and were quite too exhausted to counter the british reinforcements in an approbriate manner. But still Tadzio and Biondo held our hard fought for achievements.

The main reason for the lack of pacing in the final phase of the attack probably were deployment issues of the attacking coloumns, which interfered with a propper cooperation between Inf and Cav. Of course, 3 Inf Div and 3 Cav Bdes on a front of not much more than half a mile would always cause some issues I guess, particulary when some minor AI-commanders are involved.

I dont think, that in this scenario the french could exploit their for the time being superior force to all out attack the british. Having in mind that the prussians shall arrive after 70-80 min, they are recommended to provide numerous forces to face the prussians right in time, otherwise the prussians probably had an easy going for the french base.

[tadzio73]

And don't forget gentlemen, the more tragic instant of the battle...



L'empereur est mort, vive l'empereur 

However, he was able to lead us to a great victory.

[General Sandman]

No no no, it was a well planned deception. Even my commanders didnt know. The allies just went for one of my doubles.