This week I had a yearning for booming cannon and galloping hooves. It was Blucher time.
I dusted off my French and Prussian armies and went forth to game. In this venture I was joined by my good friend Nick - whose mind has currently been overtaken by the dreaded 40k. Luckily, he still is drawn to the trumpet and drum of Napoleonics.
I decided to select a map from the Scharnhorst Flanders maps and - since I had my rivers with me - knew our battle would centre around a river. We decided on four crossing points and discussed victory objectives would be army break or having units OVER the crossings by night fall.
The result of this was a sprawling battle with multiple combat areas across the table striving to overcome their opposite corps.
The top two images show two of the Prussian attacks. Oddly it was the second of the images - showing the attack on the French right - that would ultimately succeed. Above the French massed 36 guns to pound away at this advance. It would claim a reserve unit and damage others.
The French strained to get sufficient men across in the centre.
Above shows the Prussian counter attack in the centre. This damaged the French infantry crossing but this was relived by Marshall Nick's injection of his heavy cavalry corps from his left flank. The lead cuirassier brigade can be seen here charging bravely against Prussians guns and infantry.
In response, the Prussians advanced with a corps of four infantry brigades to threaten the cavalry flanks that was attacked the flank and rear of the Prussians in the centre. The French cavalry were damaged then forced to withdraw. Both crossing points in the centre become a bloody stalemate.
But, after making some harsh command decisions, the Prussians eventually mobilised their cavalry reserve which flooded across the river and into a gap between two French corps. Hussars, landwehr and dragoons began to charged repeatedly at - the now ammo depleted - French guns then attacking the infantry.
The Prussian counter attack drives the cuirassiers away.
But the French surge on ... encouraged by the appearance of Napoleon himself.
After crushing two ladnwehr brigades - who crossed a central ford - the French drive at the objective - only to meet Prussian grenadiers. These tough troops immediately begin to inflict casualties.
The French right was driven back and slowly beaten ... damaged units withdrew but the Prussian reserve cav caught them. The remaining units formed squares on a hill but this only left them susceptible to the Prussian infantry units coming up. The landwehr had absorbed the shooting not it was time for the regulars to charge.
The final unit was taken and the French withdrew from the field. Their army had 15 units and a break point of 5 while the Prussians had lost 4 units - with several badly damaged - but their highly unit total of 19 meant their break point was 7 units.
The 2nd Life Hussars ran over a battery of guns then rode down a withdrawing brigade. Their marauding actions would seal the battle. Huzzah to the hussar!
The game was hard fought and desperate with attacks raging across the entire 6' of table. Command points were at a premium and many times over the battle both generals bemoaned their ability to devote enough attention to all engagements. This - in my view - is the beauty of Blucher. Those tense decisions to commit to one area over another and not knowing where your command points will run out makes each turn exciting and nail biting. It forces you to do more with less ... if you can.
