Napoleonic Wargame Club (NWC)

Forget the book, watch the film!

Even a shell shocked Ney should not have got sucked into Hougemont.

A bad Artillery day - can't drag 'em up and the balls just fall inthe mud and stay there...

As it was, at the cost of a division of infantry, the British Heavy Cavalry was pretty much destroyed. Most of the rest of the front line was pushed bacj pretty easily. Not a high price, really, except that most of the other French infantry Divisions were either tied up around Hougemont and La Belle Alliance. The other GOOD ones were keeping the Prussians at bay.

As long as the Prussians were going to show, Wellington's luck was going to hold.

The big error. Dividing the Army. Where was Grouchy? Where he was supposed to be - following the Prussians. Once he heard the cannons, he was still following - maybe he actually thought that he was still between the Prusians and that other battlfield. In any event, he had no chance to intervene because he'd been sent too far away.

He should have been recalled the night before. Particularly since the engineers knew that an afternoon start was inevitible once the rain started early in the evening.

General Mark Oakford
Duc de Smolensk Comte d'Autun

Commander, Régimènt Polish Lanciers de la Garde
http://campcromwell.blogspot.com/

[quote]<i>Originally posted by Mike Ellwood</i>
<br /> Advantages siezed and squandered by all throughout! These were men at the hieght of their Military ability and vastly experienced.

Thats why its such a fasinating and decisive subject. Plans and Actions v Fate and Fortune....fasinating [:)]

Bravo Mike!

Podporuchik HarryInkski,
Lithuanian Uhlans
14th Brigade, IV Cav Corps,
2nd Army of the West