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Post by [GG] Lord Ashram on Oct 5, 2004 19:12:18 GMT -5
Hey all!
Figured I would check in with a few GG vs GG games from today...
First up, a valiant French defence against an English onslaught... the French played by myself and Remi, the English by Flip and TRL.
The rolling countryside of France was the scene of the battle. A ridge on the western side seemed the logical place to stand ones ground among the scattered farm houses and fields. A thick wood covered the upslope to the ridge, but thinned out just in time to force the attackers to slog across open field to attack. The French set up ready to take the ridge and associated hill, and then form a defensive L shape anchored on the ridge and on the western side of the hill.
Battle commenced, and as expected the British were on top of the French from the start. While one force of French Old Guard got to the crest of the ridge and began to open fire on the edges of the English line (oncoming Highlanders) the other force, comprised of a mix of French and Swiss line, began to form the second half of the defensive "L" shape on the western edge of the hill. Would they get into proper position in time?
They came under immediate attack by the nearby British troops as the western end of the British line quickly wheeled into place like a door slamming shut. As the one force of British Highlanders held the Old Guard in their place on the ridge, this second attacking British force swung up and hit the Swiss and French lines and flank hard. Light infantry and rifles picked at the far end of the Alliance line as British Guards and Highlanders swept up and began to unload volley after volley into the angle of the "L" in which the Alliance troops tried to get into proper defensive position. Could the French and Swiss troops hold off the attacking English long enough to turn the battle?
In an attempt to hold off this massive attack, the Middle Guard moved down from the ridge along with Jaeger support. But after a handful of volleys, the hard English troops, brought up from the gutter and trained to fight like demons, fixed bayonets and came at the mixed French and Swiss troops on the hill. The defending allies could not hold. While some units were slow to give ground, a few at the angle of the lines broke and ran, reducing the critical number of French muskets that were raining lead down on the attacking Brits. The Old Guard on the ridge, their numbers being cut down by the attacking mix of lights and Scots, charged down the ridge and began to hack the thinned out defenders down in an attempt to crash down on the flank of the main attack... would they make it in time?
On the subject of bigger guns, the artillery had been strangely silent in this battle. One English battery of 8lbers was pounded to bits by the French twelve pounders. However, the usual bloody mess that artillery seems so able to deal out seemed hard to find in this fight... this was to be a battle of rifles!
But what about that other arm of the military, you ask?The cavalry had not been silent, but it could not turn this battle of infantry into a battle of cavalry. One unit of valourous curassiers had swept around the far end of the English line and attacked one of the English Generals, hoping to take the head from the proverbial body of the British forces. But this General was clearly of blessed stature. He and his officers hacked down six and seven times their numbers of the elite unit of French cavalry, with aid only arriving (in the form of heavy English cavalry) after a long, bloody combat that the General seemed destined to win himself!
Other cavalry charges swept across the battlefield, but each time the stout infantry along the lines weathered the charges and responded with waves of gunfire. This truly had been a battle of guns... but it would not last that much longer. The English crashed into the western side of the hill, killing many. The French and Swiss routed as the Old Guard wheeled off of the crest and began to try to stem the flow. The English pressed on, cavalry sweeping in to try to feet on the routing troops. As the Swiss and French fell back and made it to the woods at the rear of the hill, however, pursuit slackened, and some of the shaken troops reformed and pushed back towards the fight.
But it wasn't a fight for long. The Old Guard slaughtered the men before them on the ridge, but could not force the English to rout and thus allow the Guards to sweep around and in and save the western hill by hitting the British attack in the side. Rather, the English held them back as they began to pound the French in the center of the attack down. Finally the French lines began to rout... this time, perhaps, terminally.
The English took this time to reform, and a handful of Jaegers and Swiss infantry rallied for one last stand at the edge of the woods. Beyond the woods lay the countryside of France. It was now, or never, for the Allies.
In the end, however, the English were too much. Three or four units of Highlanders, terrifying in their rare black kilts and relatively unbloodied by combat, managed to form into company and charge down from the dearly-won hill at the few thin units of French and Swiss on the edge of the woods. After a few hammering volleys, the French and Swiss were swamped by screaming Scots, and the field belonged to the English.
BUT THAT WASN'T ALL!
Apparently some Prussians, friends of the French, had been in the area and stepped up to the old French positions, forcing the English to abandon their sacking of a nearby French down and push the Prussians from the field! The attacker was only Ashram, having dropped the mantle of the French to take up the King's Colors... the defenders were Flippy (traitor to the English cause, having already lead them to victory) and Remi (deciding the Prussians were a better bet to actually carry out his orders than the Swiss.)
Once again, the Prussians had the chance to take the same ridge that the French had in the last battle, but decided to cede it to the inevitable horde of onrushing Brits. Instead the defenders set up back near the site of the final stand of their French allies, with their backs to the woods.
As expected, the British immediately pushed to the ridge with a truly massive force of British Guards. As the artillery opened fire, the British cavalry saw a chance, and immediately rushed at the single battery of Prussian artillery, which had already begun to carve wide, crimson swathes through the massed ranks of the onrushing Guards. The artillery, caught unprepared, was hit by the tsunami-like force of the cavalry. Infantry rushed up to support, but in the blink of an eye the artillery crews were slaughtered. The British cavalry then fell back and to the far flanks of the battle to wait.
Meanwhile, the Guards had taken the ridge and were now swinging down on the Prussians, in a far grander re-enactment of the last moments of the last battle. While a few units of KGL light were picking at the far end of the Prussian line, the Prussian light infantry and line infantry began to fire on the oncoming sea of Guards. The English Guards officers halted their well-trained troops and ordered them to open fire. Volley after volley thundered across the short distance separating the lines. On both sides men fell like wheat. The lines began to thin on both sides, and both sides began to commit their reinforcements to the musket line.
Then, tragedy. One of the Prussian commanders, staying near the rear of his troops with his reinforcements, was struck by a cannon ball that bounced through the lines at the front and up into his unit. A great cry went up, as such an unlikely and unlucky event could not bode well for the Prussians.
Under the intense pressure of war, the battle lines swung like they were on hinges, forcing both factions to anchor one end of their line on the same long stretch woods. While the Prussians had to deal with getting pounded by the English artillery, the English wasted precious units on guarding their flank that touched the woods, in case the Prussians (one of whom was a well known cavalry general) had set any traps of cavalry in the woods. No Prussian cavalry had been seen yet on the field, and the English commander assumed they had simply not yet given up their hiding spot.
The men who served in this battle were no green recruits. This day would not be decided by whom turned tail and rain before whom. No unit broke and ran; instead, many died to the man. The British cavalry swept back to attack the rear of the Prussian lines again and again, never forcing a retreat, but never being rendered ineffective either. Finally the British Guards charged, and both sides were, as they say in poker, "All In." Men lunged, withdrew, and lunged again, all while the British artillery continued to fire into the melee and kill men indiscriminately. Finally, after one last desperate charge of the few British cavalry troopers still alive, one side of the Prussians broke. Only a handful of men were still alive on the field, certainly no more than a hundred men in total from each side. After another agonizing minute of bloody hand-to-hand combat, the Prussians could take it no longer; with the suddeness of a mud slide they broke, most likely only seconds before the nerves of their English enemies would have broken.
A pair of good games by all. Hope you enjoyed the read, and hope TRL can maybe post some screenies of the first battle!
S!
Ash
Figured I would check in with a few GG vs GG games from today...
First up, a valiant French defence against an English onslaught... the French played by myself and Remi, the English by Flip and TRL.
The rolling countryside of France was the scene of the battle. A ridge on the western side seemed the logical place to stand ones ground among the scattered farm houses and fields. A thick wood covered the upslope to the ridge, but thinned out just in time to force the attackers to slog across open field to attack. The French set up ready to take the ridge and associated hill, and then form a defensive L shape anchored on the ridge and on the western side of the hill.
Battle commenced, and as expected the British were on top of the French from the start. While one force of French Old Guard got to the crest of the ridge and began to open fire on the edges of the English line (oncoming Highlanders) the other force, comprised of a mix of French and Swiss line, began to form the second half of the defensive "L" shape on the western edge of the hill. Would they get into proper position in time?
They came under immediate attack by the nearby British troops as the western end of the British line quickly wheeled into place like a door slamming shut. As the one force of British Highlanders held the Old Guard in their place on the ridge, this second attacking British force swung up and hit the Swiss and French lines and flank hard. Light infantry and rifles picked at the far end of the Alliance line as British Guards and Highlanders swept up and began to unload volley after volley into the angle of the "L" in which the Alliance troops tried to get into proper defensive position. Could the French and Swiss troops hold off the attacking English long enough to turn the battle?
In an attempt to hold off this massive attack, the Middle Guard moved down from the ridge along with Jaeger support. But after a handful of volleys, the hard English troops, brought up from the gutter and trained to fight like demons, fixed bayonets and came at the mixed French and Swiss troops on the hill. The defending allies could not hold. While some units were slow to give ground, a few at the angle of the lines broke and ran, reducing the critical number of French muskets that were raining lead down on the attacking Brits. The Old Guard on the ridge, their numbers being cut down by the attacking mix of lights and Scots, charged down the ridge and began to hack the thinned out defenders down in an attempt to crash down on the flank of the main attack... would they make it in time?
On the subject of bigger guns, the artillery had been strangely silent in this battle. One English battery of 8lbers was pounded to bits by the French twelve pounders. However, the usual bloody mess that artillery seems so able to deal out seemed hard to find in this fight... this was to be a battle of rifles!
But what about that other arm of the military, you ask?The cavalry had not been silent, but it could not turn this battle of infantry into a battle of cavalry. One unit of valourous curassiers had swept around the far end of the English line and attacked one of the English Generals, hoping to take the head from the proverbial body of the British forces. But this General was clearly of blessed stature. He and his officers hacked down six and seven times their numbers of the elite unit of French cavalry, with aid only arriving (in the form of heavy English cavalry) after a long, bloody combat that the General seemed destined to win himself!
Other cavalry charges swept across the battlefield, but each time the stout infantry along the lines weathered the charges and responded with waves of gunfire. This truly had been a battle of guns... but it would not last that much longer. The English crashed into the western side of the hill, killing many. The French and Swiss routed as the Old Guard wheeled off of the crest and began to try to stem the flow. The English pressed on, cavalry sweeping in to try to feet on the routing troops. As the Swiss and French fell back and made it to the woods at the rear of the hill, however, pursuit slackened, and some of the shaken troops reformed and pushed back towards the fight.
But it wasn't a fight for long. The Old Guard slaughtered the men before them on the ridge, but could not force the English to rout and thus allow the Guards to sweep around and in and save the western hill by hitting the British attack in the side. Rather, the English held them back as they began to pound the French in the center of the attack down. Finally the French lines began to rout... this time, perhaps, terminally.
The English took this time to reform, and a handful of Jaegers and Swiss infantry rallied for one last stand at the edge of the woods. Beyond the woods lay the countryside of France. It was now, or never, for the Allies.
In the end, however, the English were too much. Three or four units of Highlanders, terrifying in their rare black kilts and relatively unbloodied by combat, managed to form into company and charge down from the dearly-won hill at the few thin units of French and Swiss on the edge of the woods. After a few hammering volleys, the French and Swiss were swamped by screaming Scots, and the field belonged to the English.
BUT THAT WASN'T ALL!
Apparently some Prussians, friends of the French, had been in the area and stepped up to the old French positions, forcing the English to abandon their sacking of a nearby French down and push the Prussians from the field! The attacker was only Ashram, having dropped the mantle of the French to take up the King's Colors... the defenders were Flippy (traitor to the English cause, having already lead them to victory) and Remi (deciding the Prussians were a better bet to actually carry out his orders than the Swiss.)
Once again, the Prussians had the chance to take the same ridge that the French had in the last battle, but decided to cede it to the inevitable horde of onrushing Brits. Instead the defenders set up back near the site of the final stand of their French allies, with their backs to the woods.
As expected, the British immediately pushed to the ridge with a truly massive force of British Guards. As the artillery opened fire, the British cavalry saw a chance, and immediately rushed at the single battery of Prussian artillery, which had already begun to carve wide, crimson swathes through the massed ranks of the onrushing Guards. The artillery, caught unprepared, was hit by the tsunami-like force of the cavalry. Infantry rushed up to support, but in the blink of an eye the artillery crews were slaughtered. The British cavalry then fell back and to the far flanks of the battle to wait.
Meanwhile, the Guards had taken the ridge and were now swinging down on the Prussians, in a far grander re-enactment of the last moments of the last battle. While a few units of KGL light were picking at the far end of the Prussian line, the Prussian light infantry and line infantry began to fire on the oncoming sea of Guards. The English Guards officers halted their well-trained troops and ordered them to open fire. Volley after volley thundered across the short distance separating the lines. On both sides men fell like wheat. The lines began to thin on both sides, and both sides began to commit their reinforcements to the musket line.
Then, tragedy. One of the Prussian commanders, staying near the rear of his troops with his reinforcements, was struck by a cannon ball that bounced through the lines at the front and up into his unit. A great cry went up, as such an unlikely and unlucky event could not bode well for the Prussians.
Under the intense pressure of war, the battle lines swung like they were on hinges, forcing both factions to anchor one end of their line on the same long stretch woods. While the Prussians had to deal with getting pounded by the English artillery, the English wasted precious units on guarding their flank that touched the woods, in case the Prussians (one of whom was a well known cavalry general) had set any traps of cavalry in the woods. No Prussian cavalry had been seen yet on the field, and the English commander assumed they had simply not yet given up their hiding spot.
The men who served in this battle were no green recruits. This day would not be decided by whom turned tail and rain before whom. No unit broke and ran; instead, many died to the man. The British cavalry swept back to attack the rear of the Prussian lines again and again, never forcing a retreat, but never being rendered ineffective either. Finally the British Guards charged, and both sides were, as they say in poker, "All In." Men lunged, withdrew, and lunged again, all while the British artillery continued to fire into the melee and kill men indiscriminately. Finally, after one last desperate charge of the few British cavalry troopers still alive, one side of the Prussians broke. Only a handful of men were still alive on the field, certainly no more than a hundred men in total from each side. After another agonizing minute of bloody hand-to-hand combat, the Prussians could take it no longer; with the suddeness of a mud slide they broke, most likely only seconds before the nerves of their English enemies would have broken.
A pair of good games by all. Hope you enjoyed the read, and hope TRL can maybe post some screenies of the first battle!
S!
Ash
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[img src="http://www.ntwgg.com/Gallery/flag_fran[1].jpg"]