Napoleonic Wargame Club (NWC)

Jon
Further to Mark's comments I also notice you drew Jeka in the first round, a tough opponent for sure as he was a finalist last time.

Helga a round here for the Marechal and my comrade Colonel Elwood from NZ and all the others at this worthy discussion.

Salute!

General de Brigade Knox
Baron de l'Empire
2e Regiment Gardes d'Honneur (the regaled pheasants)
La Jeune Garde
CO. 1er Brigade, III Division Cavalerie Legere, III Corps Armee du Nord
http://www.aspire.co.nz/colinknoxnwc.htm

Gentlemen:

War is not fair. This tournament is not fair. If it were, you would be playing mirror matches where everything is known and all the players would be seeded based on rank or some other qualifying factor.

In the Master of Europe, there remains the unkown, the uncertainty of where, who, and how big your enemy is. The sides are roughly equal but they are not the same. The composition and quality may vary greatly. You must be prepared to fight with what you have. That is all you know for certain -- and you have a good map.

The army you are given is determined by chance. Your opponents and your position in the bracket is determined by chance. Every round reveals a new competitor. Ideally, each scenario would be tested, revised, and retested. I don't have time for that. In these early rounds, I give you a winnable situation. You must think and execute the correct strategy. But sometimes the outcome is determined by chance.

If you don't wish to continue in this way, then sheathe your sword and retire to the sidelines. The Master of Europe Tournament is like no other. The best survive despite the odds or because of them -- the dice still have a roll here.

I have enjoyed your discussion. And appreciate your thoughts. Have another round on me and prepare your necessaries. The next round is upon you.

FM Sir 'Muddy' Jones, KG
2nd Life Guards, Household Cavalry

Muddy I like it! Get hard or go home it is then.[:D][;)]
Helga a round here for the Field Marshal.
Salute

General de Brigade Knox
Baron de l'Empire
2e Regiment Gardes d'Honneur (the regaled pheasants)
La Jeune Garde
CO. 1er Brigade, III Division Cavalerie Legere, III Corps Armee du Nord
http://www.aspire.co.nz/colinknoxnwc.htm

I too played the Prussians and advanced to the high ground south of the Ravine. And, for the same reasons. I hate playing the Prussians on the defensive so I moved to attack. The game was decided in the last 5 turns. I lost, but could have won had I been a little less agressive with my artillery...

Feldmarschall Jim 'Prinz' Pfluecke
Commander, Austrian Cavalry Reserve
3 Graf O'Reilly Chevauxleger Rgt
Hahn Grenadier Bn

Sir Muddy!

I should have written I enjoyed the scenario itself! As I always enjoy "blind fight" setting. Keep on doing like that!

Helga! One more round for His Excellency!

<center></center>
<center><b>Eyo Imperatorskogo Velichestva Leib-Kirassirskogo polku
General-Lieutenant Anton Valeryevich Kosyanenko
Commander of the Second Army of the West </b></center>

Gentlemen,

Further to my notes under and your responses to the original question. I feel that I have done my opponent a disservice. It seems that his deployment mirrored that described by Kosyanenko and Colin Knox. It could've worked. What I do know is that substantially more Frenchmen were casualties of cannon fire than any other weapon in our game.

Perhaps it should have worked, but luck and a couple of 'old player' tricks worked for me.

An attack by the Prussians would've been a dream for me. As it was, my guns probably deployed a bit further back than necessary simply because of that hoped for possibility. I did spend a few turns hoping to goad him down off his perch, but he held his nerve and I eventually had to attack up the hill (and from all other directions!)

To those of you who attacked and won as Prussians, I dips me lid! It'd be pointless giving you alcohol, it'd merely make you more insane!

General Mark Oakford
Duc de Smolensk Comte d'Autun
Commandant L'Ecole Militaire
Commander, Régimènt Polish Lanciers de la Garde

Gentlemen

It seems this scenario was well received and it is to my regret that my opponent and I never got the game going.

I would therefore welcome the opportunity to cross swords with someone who has played the scenario and might like t otry it from the other side. I have no particular preference which side I take.

Regards

Mark

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by Colin Knox</i>

If I had played French I would have massed on the same high ground and come in from above the Prussian vp hexes. Whilst feinting into the ravine.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

Colin,

You've just described my succesful plan of operations[:D]. That plateau West of the town was the key and the only way for the French to seize it was via a flanking maneuver with a demonstration up the middle to distract the Prussians.

I would add that, IMO, the Prussians had the edge in cavalry to go along with their superior artillery. Yes, the French had 8 rgts of Cuirassiers, but several of these rgts were severely understrength. The Prussians, on the other hand,
1) had more rgts of cav (I counted at least 9);
2) all of which were appreciably larger; and
3) At least half of them (the Dragoons and Hussars) were every bit the equal of the French cuirassiers.

In my encounter, the Prussian Cav Bg posted on my Right (The Prussian Left) was badly mishandled. One rgt was shattered when it charged the French infantry demonstrating in the Center. I'll happily trade a couple of bns of infantry to lure a Dragoon Rgt into an arty/inf kill zone[:p]. The remainder of that Bg hovered uselessly while the infantry on my Right methodically cleaned out the woods and then advanced against his cav in square. They were finally moved across the stream to reinforce the collapsing Prussian Right, but only after all the crossing points had been blocked, thus requiring a disordering move across the stream. After that move, the cav never re-ordered, probably because they were out of command control.

Regards,

Paco

<i>Maréchal</i> M. Francisco Palomo
<i>Prince d'Essling, Grande Duc d'Abrantes et
Comte de Marseille
Commandant - Division de Cavalerie de la Vieille Garde </i>

<blockquote id="quote"><font size="3" face="book antiqua" id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"><i>Originally posted by paco</i>

1) had more rgts of cav (I counted at least 9);
2) all of which were appreciably larger; and
3) At least half of them (the Dragoons and Hussars) were every bit the equal of the French cuirassiers.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote"></font id="quote">

It appears Prussian cavalry did impress you.[:p] There were only 6 regiments. 3 in one cavalry bde, 2 in another and one divided into 4 independent squadrons attached to both infantry brigades by 2. The former, regular cavalry, all had a good quality (As and Bs), the later were landwerh (Ds) and as always didn't have brigade leaders - so very difficult to restore order.[:I]

<center></center>
<center><b>Eyo Imperatorskogo Velichestva Leib-Kirassirskogo polku
General-Lieutenant Anton Valeryevich Kosyanenko
Commander of the Second Army of the West </b></center>

I was playing the french agains Jim Pfluecke. Even if at the end I won, the game was tough with a lot of uncertainty to control this hill. I found the force well balanced as none of us could take advantage. If at the beginning a lot of my men routed, it was better at the end with this time more routed unit from the prussian side.
I personnally tried to concentrate all my strength on a short distance, with some cavalry covering rigth and left. Whan I saw that there was no threat from my left , I move some of my cavalry agains on the main battlefield, and that gave me a kind of superioriy and helped me to root a lot of units at the end, when my opponent need them to have a major counterattack.
I also had the impression not to know if I had to stay on defensive or attack mode, and I think to summarize that both Jim and I had one turn attacking, one turn defending with no major advantage except some lucky random attack results.

More important, it was fun to play !


Lieutenant Colonel Christophe Boucheron
Armee du Nord
IIème Corps, 7è Division
82ème Regiment de Ligne
«Je sais, quand il le faut, quitter la peau du lion pour prendre celle du renard.» Napoleon Bonaparte

Thank you F.M. Jones for a very good scn.

I was victorious as the French several turns from the end [Turn 15] but it was by no means an easy victory.

I placed cavalry on both wings but after planning to have infantry to accompany the cav. on the high ground to the west I took a chance and concentrated my Inf along the road through the ravine and also on the high ground in the east. I was fortunate in that my opponent placed all his cav. in the west -- but with no Inf to accompany it -- to cover his artillery overlooking the town. He all but destroyed my cav on this ground and if he had inf. in this area he could possibly have come around my left rear.

I pushed a diviion of inf. against his forces on the river to hold them and sent the remainder through and around the woods in the east to screen them from his arty. Turned out he had several inf. units in those woods which resulted in a bitter struggle for a time before I was able to surround them. After that I was able to concentrate my forces for a series of melees over the river and the v.p. were taken.

Major John Sheffield
<font color="orange">1st Btn/91 Regiment of Foot <font color="yellow">
[Argyllshire Highlanders]</font id="yellow">
6th British Brigade/4th Infantry Division/<b>
II CORPS / </b></font id="orange"><b><font color="red">ANGLO-ALLIED ARMY.</font id="red"></b>
<b> <font color="red">~2nd Btn. 3rd Rgt of Foot Guards~ </font id="red"> </b>


<font color="green"> "Among these respectable warriors, the Scotch [Scots] deserve to be particularly commemorated; and this honourable mention, is due to their discipline, their mildness, their patience, their humanity, and their bravery without example."

"On the 16th and 18th of June 1815, their valour was displayed in a manner most heroic." </font id="green">
<font color="red">Viscount Vanderfosse.</font id="red">

Paco,

Interesting the only negatives used in this whole discusssion are the words mishandled and uselessly. One might think you bare a grudge.

May I suggest we move on from the school yard.

Regards

Col Mike Ellwood
Konig Regt
1 Bde, 22 Div
VII Saxon Corps, ADR

Mike

I don't suppose I should comment as I didn't participate. Try not to take the remarks personally, I think the description was trying to be objective and narrative, at least from your opponent's viewpoint. Still, saying all that, I'd not be happy reading that description about myself. If it's any consolation I'd have fared much worse than you.

Generaal
2de Brigade
2de Nederlandsche Div
I Corps
Anglo Allied Army

Andy,

There is a bit more history than the game namely Paco has taken a comment I made months ago, about the spanish during the Napoleonic wars, as a personal issue.

I have avoided all issues with him since then. I've tried to be very cuatious refering to anything Paco says.

However I draw the line at thinly vieled, snide and self serving remarks.



Col Mike Ellwood
Konig Regt
1 Bde, 22 Div
VII Saxon Corps, ADR

Sorry to hear it. That's the problem with email communications, so easy to misinterpret. I had a similar case with a Russian opponent. And a French opponent. Come to think about it also with a Canadian bloke. And 2 from the US.

Generaal
2de Brigade
2de Nederlandsche Div
I Corps
Anglo Allied Army