A Franco-Prussian Wargame -2

A FRANCO PRUSSIAN WARGAME

PART 2

We returned to "the fray" this past Thursday and some very interesting moves occurred. Full Disclosure: there are so many nits in these games that it is easy to loose track of whom did what to whom! I took many photos and tried to piece the action together from them and my observations of the battlefield afterward but Wellington was right.

The map of what I term "The Middle Moves"

At the beginning of the game on the second day, the Wurtemburgers became more aggressive on the Prusian Right. They pushed the Marines out of the orchard in the only melee of the game and advanced toward the left flank of the French. The French had to abandon the town to the right of the orchard and though the Wurtemburgers had not as yet been able to take possession, the French left was in trouble. Of the  3rd Bde (Marines) of 6 Rgts., two were in rout and two were just about 1/2 strength. 

The French left. just before the Marines leave the Orchard. Note the 1/2 strength unit near the field and the routed unit near the Dice in the center-right. The Wurtemburgers  are at the edge of the town.

 On the Prussian Left, the Colburg regiment advanced toward the Algerians only to be routed back to the wood under Chassepot and Mittrailleuse fire. The Zouave and Algerians begin to advance on the Prussian position. In the Center the Guard is advancing with an eye to placing a unit at the crossroads, the Prussian objective. Meanwhile, a runner arrives to advise General Breen that the French Guard is nigh - will they arrive in time( Being diced for they arrive a turn later than wanted but at least at the entry point desired)?

The Final Moves - The French Guard arrives

The Prussians have placed a Guard unit on the cross roads, but half of White's Brigade (the 1st Bde) is in rout or at half strength. The Wurtemburgers advanced triumphally on the Prussian left where a third French Marine Rgt breaks! The Prussian Guard is advancing on the center and the French Guard arrives scattered. Note that the Two Rgt. of the Guard Grenadiers-see small red flags that I attached to the Gds on the map to deliniate them- are on table almost 2ft apart. (Note that in the scaled down measurement we are using for the 15mm figures this is equivalent to 30"!) the Guard Jaegers are together but in the wood. The French did not seem to worry about their collapsing left flank!

This shows the arrival of the French Guard. Note the French one stand Rgt in the wood and the routed units on both sides. BUT the Prussian Guard is on the Cross Road.

At the end of every turn a count of lost stands is made. When the French loose 33 stands (25%) they have shaky morale and have to remove any unit with a morale of 10 and one or more bases missing must retire from the field. Before this is done, routing units reduce their morale by one level and the unit that caused the rout raise their morale by one level. This reduced several French to 10 and kept Prussians above it. When all of this was accomplished, the French had lost 39 stands (almost 30%) to the Prussian 17. The 3rd Bde was destroyed (4 stands in one Rgt of the 24 stands that 6 Rgts started with were still on the table). The Prussians held the cross Roads. It was determined to be a Prussian Victory.  I have to say that it was the Wurtemburgers under Bill Seamens that had the honor of the day.