Lassale 2 wargame

This week we played a 300 point game with a central objective. It was Austrians vs the French. The French deployed centrally to try and confuse their opponent as to the direction of their attack. 

One brigade fanned out ... 

While another flanked to the right. 

The Austrians had not won initiative and so waited for the French to pass. 

After a bombard order it was time for the Austrians. 

The white menace surged forward with their best troops - a grenadier brigade - in the second line. These were not able to get into the fray all game. 

They moved up to take the high ground with their avante garde. 

While on the other, their cuirassiers looked to flank the French. 

The French waited, launching cannonballs with each round. 

The Austrians came on past the central objective ... looks like they were coming in for the kill. 

One smaller brigade held the French right. These formed a tightly packed mass with batteries on each side. 

The French pushed up one brigade to pressure the Austrian left. 

Now the French right arrived. Five battalions snapped into attack column and began making their way through the trees. The Austrian left was being trapped between hammer and anvil. 

The Austrians came on on the other side trying to press home an advantage. 

But the French left was far from weak. Protected by a marsh, the tightly packed columns held their ground. From the rear the French released their Chasseurs. In retrospect this was probably in the wrong spot and created a real crush for space. 

The Austrian line had become disjointed as is pass by the central village. 

The Austrian batteries on the hill poured fire into the French. Looking back, the French chasseurs should have made their way to attack that location. Disrupting on a 5+ makes most cavalry that bit more resistant to fire than infantry. 

The Austrian cuirassiers came on, but the French commander had used his additional formation change order to prepare for this strike. Despite this one French battalion fell to their assault. However, the Austrian infantry had lost two battalions as the French pushed forward in the centre. Some wonderful Austrian rally rolls - and terrible French rolls - kept this fight going slightly longer than expected. 

By this time, the French right hook had emerged from the woods. It stormed through in attack columns neglecting to volley as they preferred the bayonet. Another battalion was lost to Austrian hussars but the damage had been done. 

The Austrians now teetered on defeat and the final unit fell on the hill. Their avante garde had been mauled with three battalions and a battery lost in this area. 

Bloody minded pursuit of victory - at the point of the sabre and bayonet - had left three battalions on the field but the Austrians had suffered defeat. The game had lasted just over two hours. Another excellent game produced by the Lassale rule set.