TO QUALIFY FOR THE UPGRADE • I. send in any Carriers at War, Carriers at War II or CAW Construction Kit disk, or 2. send in the front page of the Carriers at War, Carriers at War II or CAW Construction Kit rulebook, or 3. send proof of purchase of Carriers at War, Carriers at War II or CAW Construction Kit, or 4. be a registered owner of Carriers at War, Carriers at War II or CAW Construction Kit.
If you re not sure you qualify for the upgrade, just call.
North american customers should make their upgrade purchase from our US office. Cost is $USD35.00 plus $2 postage or $4.50 for 2-day air.
Strategic Studies Group P.O. Box 30085 Phone (904) 469-8880 Pensacola, Fl. 32503·1085 Fax(904)469-8885 U.S.A.
Customers elsewhere should make their upgrade purchase from our Australian office. Cost is $AUD45.00 plus $3 postage (in Australia) or $15 (international air mail)
Strategic Studies Group P.O. Box 261 Drummoyne, NSW. 2047 Phone 61 2 819-7199 AUSTRALIA Fax &I 2 819-7737 Run 5 Issue 25
Editor's Chance A Momentous Announcement 2 Book of the Quarter The Song of Roland 3 The Most Bloodthirsty Poem Ever Written The Q Store Have a Look at our Special Offers. . . 4 Letters Tell Us What You Think 4 Waterloo An Epic Article for an Epic Battle 5 • Korea Unite the Peninsula with WLII Deluxe 41 Stalemate in the East Battles of Army Group Center 43 Editor How to Install Stephen Hand Your Scenarios Editor Emeritus EDITOR'S Ian Trout IBM CHANCE Contributing Editors Waterloo: Copy the Waterloo Roger Keating files to the DB directory Gary Makin RUN 5 IS DEAD: LONG LIVE RUN 5 The first issue of Run 5 was published Gregor Whiley Gibraltar: Copy the Gibraltar in January 1986. You are now looking Steve Fawkner files into the scenario subdirectory at Issue #25. In all that time, Run 5 has of CCAW. Copy the Planes files retained its essential nature as the house Steve Ford into the planes subdirectory of magazine for SSG games, and has been U.S. Operations CCAW. Copy the Ships files into sold to a select and committed audi the ships subdirectory of CCAW ence. This has not been entirely our John Gleason Copy the ordsgibr. pck file into the choice. We would have liked to have Illustrator picts subdirectory of CCAW. broadened the magazine's readership and appeal, but readership has re Nick Stathopoulos mained at the levels that it reached in Mentor Korea: From the W2Deluxe di the first few issues. Ken Trout rectory type Install
To the Editor of Run 5, Have read your article 'The Supremacy Run 5 Refunds GAMES of the Longbow: A Military Myth', and SSG is refunding subscribers for any Direct Order From found it to be generally quite excellent. unused portion of their subscription. US I do not though, agree with all that you and Australian subscribers will receive a SSG say in it (Ed. How did I know you were cheque with Issue 25. going to say that?). You are quite cor rect in saying that the longbow was not If you do not live in one of these two the ultimate weapon of the period. It countries, things are slightly more com IN NORTH AMERICA was not even the most common missile plex. We can give you your refund in one weapon! Even in England, the cross of two ways. bow was, for much of the period, more FOR IBM The easiest way is for you to give us your common than the longbow. You are The Last Blitzkrieg ($USD 49.95) credit card details and we will simply also correct in saying that the victories The Complete Carriers at War ($USD 49.95) of Crecy, Poitiers and Agincourt were credit your card for the appropriate Warlords II Deluxe ($USD 49.95) more that of a well-trained and well amount. Alternatively, anyone who Decisive Battles of the American Civil War lead, professional force, over an ill Vols 1 - 3 ($USD 35 .00 ea) wants may receive acheque in Australian trained, largely leaderless rabble (Ed. or US dollars (your choice). Too many leaders surely. To paraphrase Write, phone or e-mail our Australian FOR MACINTOSH the Little old lady who lived in a shoe they had so many leaders they didn't office (details below). Warlordsll CD ($USD 49.95) Total War ($USD 49.95) know what to do). In all three battles We apologise for any inconvenience the French went out of their way to do caused by these refunds. We have exactly what the English wanted them tried to make this as painless as pos to do. sible. This said though, I feel that you may be IN AUSTRALIA underestimating the value and impact Please write me some e-mails com (& ELSEWHERE) of the Longbow, to the same extent that menting on Run 5 in particular and the enthusiasts have overestimated it. I the web site in general.lt's been a suspect this is due to the 20th century FOR IBM pleasure editing Run 5 on paper, mentality, which totally misunder The Last Blitzkrieg ($AUD 89.95) stands the effectiveness, and role, of please join me on the web. The CompleteCarriers at War ($AUD 89.95) projectile weapons prior to the 18th Warlords II Deluxe ($AUD 89.95) century. Projectile weapons, whether Decisive Battles of the American Civil War javelins, bows or even the early hand Vols 1 - 3 ($AUD 50.00 ea.) Customers in North America should send guns were largely incapable of defeat their Visa, Mastercard, cheque or money ing an enemy by themselves. This was order to- FOR MACINTOSH because they were not effective enough Strategic Studies Group Inc. Warlords II CD ($AUD 89.95) at inflicting losses. They were therefore largely auxiliary weapons. Their pur P.O. Box 30085, Pensacola, FL. Total War ($AUD 89.95) pose was to demoralise and disorgan 32503-1085. USA. ise an opponent, prior to the inevitable Customers outside North America or Australia (Tel: 904-469-8880; Fax: 904-469-8885) melee. This should not be dismissed should add $5.00 per game for surface shipping Customers in Australia and Elsewhere can or $10.00 per game for airmail shipping. since, as Napoleon noted, the psycho dial direct (Tel: 02-819-7199; Fax: 02-819- Florida residents add 6%. logical is more important than the 7737) for Visa and Mastercard orders or physical. An enemy who thinks he is send their cheque or money order to- (Eu going to lose invariably does. ropean Customers should note that Euro This now brings me back to the long checks are not acceptable) bow. As you yourself noted, it had a Strategic Studies Group Pty Ltd P.O. Box 261, Drummoyne, NSW. 2047. AUSTRALIA Continued on p. 40 4 Waterloo A Close Run Thing June 18th, 1815 A Scenario for the Decisive Battles Game System by Stephen Hand
.. A hundred days after the Emperor had landed in Southern France the Armee du time. The Prussians, English and Dutch Nord was a shattered wreck and Napoleon was finished. Only three days before, on the other hand had been prompt in the army had crossed into Belgium to the consternation of both Allied commanders. their mobilisation. From being "Humbugged" on July 15th Wellington and Blucher recovered to deal Blucher was on the Sambre and Meuse a death blow to Napoleon's hopes of retaining the throne of France. The greatest with 120,000 men and 312 guns. The general in history had suffered his final defeat; but it had indeed been a close run only man ever to have beaten Napo thing. leon in more than one battle, Leipzig in 1813 and La Rothiere in 1814, Blucher
Return from Elba Napoleon had said that he would re he renounced all claims to territories turn with the violets and so it was that beyond the borders of France were on March 1st 1815 the Emperor set foot, scorned. The one sent to the Prince once again on the soil of France. At first Regent of Britain was returned un the reinstated Bourbons were not un opened. duly concerned. After all Napoleon had As early as March 12th arrangements only 1,000 men, members of the Old were being made by the Allies to raise Guard to be sure, but, nonetheless only over half a million men and crush Na 1,000. Louis XVIII's son the Comte poleon once and for all. However, it d' Artois led an army south and Mar would take both sides time to raise new shal N ey promised to bring his Em armies. A race was now on to see who peror to Paris "in an iron cage". Artois could strike first. It was not the sort of was no general and his lack of haste race that the Emperor was capable of gave the time that was needed for men losing. to flock to the Emper or's banner. By the Two months after entering Paris N a po time Ney confronted his old master it leon's Army was half a million strong. was easier to submit and avoid the Contrary to the assertions of the Allies battle which would have propelled the French people supported the Em France into Civil War. Twenty days peror to an extraordinary degree. after landing in the south Napoleon entered Paris as the ruler of France. Opposing the French concentration the Allies had moved slowly. The Austri It was at this point that the real prob The Duke of Wellington ans and Russians were not in any im lems began for the Emperor. His letters One of history's few undefeated gener mediate danger and were taking their to the sovereigns of Europe, in which als 5 the Electorate of Hanover. Although of the highest quality the Legion was only 6,000 strong. The additional 15,000 Hanoverians were of dubious quality, so much so that Wellington hid twelve battalions of them in garrisons. There were, however twice that number re maining in the field army. The Dutch-Belgians were the most nu merous contingent of the Anglo-Allied Army, numbering just under 30,000 men. Like some of Blucher's Germans the Dutch had recently fought on the side of the French. As it turned out they remained loyal to their new King de spite dire predictions. Their com mander was the Prince of Orange, al ternatively known as 'Slender Billy' or Napoleon at Grenoble . . . . 'The Young Frog'. The Prince was an After a taste of the restored Bourbon monarchy both soldier and czvzlzan alzke amateur and despite his capable advis flocked to follow Napoleon ers had the potential to be a danger ously loose cannon. The Allied Army was completed by raised regiment and a landwehr or was 72 in 1815. Accompanying the old slightly less than 7,000 Brunswickers firebrand was Lieutenant-General militia regiment. The cavalry was a and marginally more Nassauers. The similar mixture of experienced and raw Count von Gneisenau, the Prussian Duke of Wellington could not speak Chief-of-Staff. Unlike his foreign coun units but was of a generally better qual the native tongues of the majority of his terparts Gneisenau was effectively the ity. army. Curiously the only language joint commander of the Prussian Army. The Duke of Wellington was unique most of the Allies had in common was Under extreme circumstances he could amongst the experienced Allied gener French. even countermand Blucher. The com als of 1815 in that he had never been bination of Blucher and Gneisenau was Wellington got around the difficulties beaten by the French. Although many of his mixed command by creating three a fortunate one. The old hussar was ascribed this to the fact that he had less afraid of Napoleon than any other corps. Orange was given the First never faced the Emperor, Wellington Corps, Hill the second and Wellington man in Europe but he lacked the had beaten men of the calibre of Soult himself retained control of the third. thoughtfulness and finesse of and Massena and had perhaps the high Gneisenau. est reputation of any coalition general. The Dutch, in particular were split be The Prussian Army was less homog tween First and Second Corps. Orange Considering the size of the British con was given command of some British enous than has been supposed. Before tingent it could only have been Wel the opening of the campaign 14,000 Divisions, notably the Guards, and Hill lington's reputation that secured for gained some of the Dutch. This pre Saxons were disarmed after they muti him the command of the northernmost vented the problem of having a sepa nied. Many troops from the Confed of the five Allied Armies which coali eration of the Rhine had recently fought rate Dutch Army only nominally un tion plans envisaged attacking France. der British command. The Dutch Divi for the Emperor and after the first re Since Napoleon's first abdication much sions under Hill would do as they were verse of the campaign they too left. of Wellington's Peninsula Army had told and at a pinch Wellington could been sent to fight in America. Conse The core and the bulkofBlucher'sArmy undercut the authority of the Prince were his Prussians but even here the quently the so-called British Army at with the British troops in First Corps. quality of units varied dramatically. Waterloo contained only some 25,000 The basic unit of manoeuvre in the British. While these were generally of On the French side of the border prepa Prussian Army was the brigade. A Prus very high quality some of the cavalry rations for war were proceeding apace. s ian brigade was approximately the in particular was poorly officered and Napoleon called upon his marshals to size of a French or British division and lacked experience. return to the colours with mixed re sults. Mortier was given the Guard, his contained three regiments of varying Nominally British was the Kings Ger customary command. MarshalNeywas competence. Usually a brigade con man Legion, composed of men from tained one veteran regiment, a newly out of favour as a result both of his 6 actions in 1814 and his unfortunate "iron cage" remarK. He was sent on a tour of inspection, mainly to give Na poleon time to warm to him once again. Grouchy, the brilliant cavalry general was created the 26th and last marshal and given Murat's traditional com mand of the horse. Murat was the fin est cavalry commander in Europe and despite his availability Napoleon chose to leave him behind. In late April the King of Naples had advanced up the Italian Peninsula, threatening the Austrians. Faced by superior forces and with his army di vided Murat retreated south. Despite winning a tactical victory at Tolentino in early May Murat was forced to sur render Naples and flee to France. Na- poleon was furious. • Far from achieving the desired dissipa tion of Austrian strength Murat's fail ure had freed a considerable part of the Austrian Army to attack France over the Alps. The Emperor's anger was understandable. Less so was his re fusal to make use of Murat's proven ability. Perhaps the most indispensable of Na poleon's marshals was Berthier, some times called 'the Emperor's wife'. The Chief-of -Staff had been living in Saxony and he was prevented by the Allies from crossing into France. His subse quent fatal plunge from a window has been called suicide but was almost cer tainly murder. Blucher Napoleon had lost his right arm. For The only man in Europe who was not afraid of Napoleon. Consequently the only twenty years the Emperor had relied on Berthier to translate his stream of man ever to beat Napoleon more than once (he did it three times) consciousness into clear orders. There was no staff system to soften the blow. of his fellow generals who had been ever, Soult could not be trusted. Napo Napoleon had always centralised, re plotting a coup. Among those con leon decided to keep him close at hand lying on his own inexhaustible bril demned to death were d'Erlon, Reille and so offered Soult the job of Chief-of liance and Berthier' s attention to de and Vandamme, destined to be corps Staff. tail. commanders in the upcoming cam Many writers have suggested that To replace Berthier Napoleon chose paign. When Napoleon landed Soult Marshal Suchet would have been the Soult. Soult was one ofNapoleon' s most issued a proclamation declaring the best suited man for Berthier's job. One capable field commanders. In 1814 he Emperor a madman. of the most intelligent of the marshalate, had skilfully defended southern France Despite the case against him Soult chose Suchet had been unique in his ability to from the advancing British Army. But to offer his services once again to Na suppress the Spanish guerrillas. Napo Soult was also Louis XVIII' s Minister poleon. Under normal circumstances leon had said that if he had two Suchets of War. Before the return of the Em he would have been a perfect candi he would have been able to hold Spain peror Soult had helped to crush a group date for independent command. How- indefinitely. 7 avre • \ BLUCHER l \108,000 I \ I \ ' ' I ' I ' '.,; I
- Major Road - Major River N • Forest
SCALE (Miles)
0 2.5 5
The Position of the Three Armies Before Dawn on June 18th
• Undoubtedly Suchet would have been absolutely loyal. Although he would For the first time in years Napoleon a good choice as Chief-of -Staff but have been invaluable on campaign would have to choose corps command Napoleon was not blessed with unlim Davout' s ability and loyalty made him ers who were not marshals. After all a ited numbers of capable generals. the obvious choice to control Paris be marshal was simply a general who had Suchet was given the important job of hind the Emperor. The importance of been promoted. Seeing the elevation of defending the Alps against the Austri this position, Davout was made Minis Grouchy the men whom the Emperor ans. He was supported by the old Mar ter of War, has been played down by chose to accompany him on campaign shal Brune who defended the Mediter some writers but after the problems no doubt saw their own opportunity. ranean coastline. during previous campaigns, 1814 in Comte d'Erlon was given I Corps and Without doubt the most capable of particular, Napoleon was taking no Reille II. Both had faced Wellington in Napoleon's marshals was Davout. Ear chances with the loyalty of France be Spain, doing as well, or as badly, as any lier in his career the Emperor had hind him. of the marshals. Vandamme com treated Davout slightly churlishly. Af Marmont, Augereau and Victor may manded III Corps, Gerard IV Corps ter the marshal's brilliant victory at have been available but Napoleon and Lobau VI. The cavalry was divided Auershidt Napoleon appears to have stripped them of their titles as a pun into four small corps collectively under been suspicious of Davout. It was not ishment for their poor performance and Grouchy. Together with the Guard this simply the fact that he came closest to disloyalty. Of the other marshals force comprised the Armee du Nord, rivalling his master in talent but Davout Macdonald, Oudinot and St-Cyr chose Napoleon's field army for the was a man without apparent weak not to come forward and most of the upcoming campaign. nesses. By 1815 Napoleon had come to rest were too old to do more than watch realise that the Iron Marshal was also from the sidelines. 8 WATERLOO - Map
0 1 2 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 0 0 1 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 6 6 7 7 8 9 9 }-----{.....· 10 10
11 11 12 12 13 13 14 14 15 15 16 16 17 17 18 18 19 19 20 20 21 21 22 22 23 23 24 24 25 25 26 26
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
QoPEN WOODS RIDGE ti) BUILDINGS0 ROAD O ·FRONT LINE
9 The Game is Afoot and, like most commanders he imag Both sides evidently underestimated ined all the terrible things which the the speed at which the other could Rather than fighting a defensive cam Corsican Ogre could do to destroy his move. Napoleon estimated that it paign Napoleon chose to attack and command. would take six days for the Allied ar destroy the right flank of the assem mies to concentrate. bling Allied armies. In order to achieve The worst case for the British would be this the bulk of the armies of France if the French advanced along the coast, As is evident from their planned areas were deployed defensively, either in seizing the ports through which Wel of concentration it appears that Wel the border fortresses or in one of the lington's supplies were arriving. While lington and Blucher were expecting to several armies which would engage this would have had a devastating ef receive warning of a French attack. They any force which broke through into fect on the British it would hardly have imagined they would catch Napoleon France. A quarter of the men under troubled the Dutch or the Prussians. It with his army astride the River Sambre. arms, a quarter containing the Guard would also have forced Wellington Napoleon was too wily a campaigner and the bulk of the veterans, made up back on his allies, the reverse of the to make his concentration obvious. Napoleon's field army. It was with this circumstance which Napoleon usually Playing to Wellington's fears of an ad instrument, the Armee du Nord, that strove for. vance along the coast the garrisons near the Emperor would go to war. Wellington also feared an attack Lille demonstrated and gave the im The plan was classic Napoleon. The through Maubeuge and Mons to Brus pression of a strong force concentrat Armee du Nord would move rapidly sels. This was a possibility as it would ing. across the Belgian border, separating attack into the guts of the scattered Wellington had no idea what was oc the armies of Wellington and Blucher. Anglo-Dutch Army. Wellington would curring beyond the French border be While the two Allied armies were in be forced to concentrate well to the cause no cavalry patrols were being close proximity their lines of commu west of Blucher. However, the Emperor sent into France. War had been de nications snaked back in opposite di no doubt expected the impetuous Prus clared on Napoleon, not on France, so rections. Blucher drew supplies from sian to be quicker in coming to the aid it was deemed important not to violate the east, whereas Wellington depended of Wellington than the reverse. the border. French patrols which were on the Belgian ports to the northwest. And so the attack was planned to fall captured were escorted back to France. i 1 A defeat would push the Prussians on the outposts of Ziethen' s I Prussian Even at this late stage the Allied com •· away from Wellington. Above all the Corps at Charleroi. The left wing would manders thought that the likelihood of Emperor was anxious to knock Britain move up the Brussels road, occupying an attack was remote. On June 12th out of the land war and unlike Blucher the crossroads of Quatre Bras and sev Gneisenau wrote 'The danger of an the Iron Duke had no space to retreat. ering the main link between the two attack has almost vanished'. Allied armies. With Wellington crushed and Blucher Believing that they, rather than Napo humbled Napoleon could move east in If the Prussians retreated the French leon would be the attackers Wellington pursuit of the Prussians. This would right wing would follow them, while if and Blucher refused to blow the bridges place the Armee du Nord behind the they concentrated forward Napoleon over the River Sambre. right flank of the Austrians and Rus would personally intervene with his More significantly Wellington changed sians. At this point the remaining Al reserve to smash Blucher's Army. the numerical designations of his divi lied armies would have to retreat or Whether the Prussians gave battle or sions to bring them back into line with risk having their communications cut not the Emperor would soon be free to his Peninsula War usage. Some degree by Napoleon advancing south. turn on Wellington with his full force. of confusion was inevitable and surely Napoleon hoped that, faced with the The disposition of the Allies was such such a reorganisation would not have inevitability of a protracted war the that Napoleon's strategy had every been made if Wellington had thought British would be unprepared to once chance of success. It was not that Wel that the start of the campaign was im again become the paymasters of Eu lington and Blucher had not seen the minent. rope. In the absence of British money possibility of Napoleon coming be Some hint of Napoleon's preparations he hoped the coalition would collapse, tween them. inevitably reached the Allies and many or at least come to favourable terms. A plan existed should the French at junior commanders increased the readi Napoleon's strategy was made possi tack the junction of the two armies. ness of their men. ble by the deployment and command Wellington would concentrate around Among these commanders was Gen arrangements of the two Allied armies. Gosselies, between Charleroi and eral Rebecque, the Prince of Orange's Both the Anglo-Dutch and the Quatre Bras on the Brussels road, and chief-of-staff and Perponcher, com Prussians were spread out across Bel Blucher would concentrate on Fleurus manding the second Dutch-Belgian gium. Wellington suspected that Na on the other main road running north Division. Perponcher' s position, astride poleonmightmakea pre-emptive strike out of Charleroi. 10 the Charleroi-Brussels road at Quatre sued orders for the remaining three Bras was to prove critical. corps to converge on Ziethen. Before The Emperor left Paris in.secrecy dur the first Frenchman had crossed the ing the night of June 11-12. As he passed border the Prussians at least were al through Laon he discovered that ready concentrating. Grouchy had not been ordered to move This information was being sent to up to the front. Sault had made his first Wellington, as tradition has it by the mistake. Luckily for the French fattest man in the Prussian Army. If the Grouchy showed extreme energy in Iron Duke could concentrate rapidly moving his reserve cavalry into posi then Napoleon's chances of catching tion by the night of June 14th. At this the Allies unawares would be very slim time the entire Armee du Nord was indeed. ready to move. On the left were the two corps of Reille Humbugged! and d'Erlon. They were to be com manded by Marshal N ey. The Prince of The first Frenchman of the Armee du Moskowa had been at his home in the Nord crossed the frontier at 3.30 AM country when he received a message on June 15th. Already things were be from the Emperor requesting his pres ginning to go wrong. Whereas Berthier MarshalNey ence for the opening battles of the cam had always sent multiple messengers The bravest of the brave, but was he the paign. Sault only sent one to each of the corps commanders. Furthermore Berthier' s smartest of the smart? Ney rushed to the front where he was complicated systems of verifying the received cordially by Napoleon. The receipt of an order had disappeared. Emperor, however, did not confide his plans to Ney, evidently the trust be It was no surprise that when themes Bourmont' s white Bourbon cockade he tween the two men had not been en senger to Vandamme broke his leg con shouted "Cockade be damned! A dirty tirely restored. The day before the cam fusion followed. The commander of III dog is always a dirty dog!". paign was due to open N ey had no idea Corps was unaware that a message Regardless of Blucher's views the of his role. This ignorance was to have had even been sent and Sault assumed Prussians had received vital intelli serious consequences. that it had been received. As a result gence. The concentration was hastened, Vandamme remained in place. Lobau' s In the months prior to the Waterloo with all corps except Ziethen' s, the VI Corps was prevented from moving campaign Wellington's intelligence corps in the path of the French army, further forward as they ran into the chief Colonel Grant had been inside moving towards Sombreffe. rear of III Corps. France working with French royalists. The consequence of Bourmont' s defec He had been ordered not to send any On the French right Gerard's IV Corps tion to the French was to create anger message unless an attack was immi had started but had come to an abrupt amongst the rank and file of the Armee nent. Now that Napoleon was poised halt. Before the campaign opened Mar du Nord. Gerard was forced to spend a to strike, Grant sent one of his agents shal Davout had urged the removal of considerable part of the day calming across the border. the Comte de Bourmont from com the men of 14th Division. mand of a division on the grounds of The agent encountered Major-General At around SAM the first skirmishing his Bourbon sympathies. However, on Dornberg, the Hanoverian cavalry com began. Ziethen had chosen to leave his the recommendation of Gerard, mander who had been in French serv outposts unsupported in an attempt to Bourmont had been allowed to stay. ice until as late as 1813. Grant's man gain time for his withdrawal. The Prus gave the positions of the French corps On June 15th, IV Corps was spear sian commander had the delicate task as well as that of the Emperor himself. headed by Bourmont' s 14th Division. of retreating before a superior enemy. Once across the border the general and Rather than passing the message on When he received the information from his entire staff rode ahead of the divi verbatim Dornberg wrote a rather se de Bourmont it became clear that Na sion to reconnoitre. He never returned. lective letter to Wellington. He omitted poleon's attack was concentrating on the vital element that his informant Several hours later de Bourmont rode the area occupied by a single brigade. came from Colonel Grant. into Prussian lines and was taken to see Ziethen ordered the brigade com The Prussians had taken more notice of Blucher. While Gneisenau was happy mander, Pirch II to defend a series of their intelligence than the Anglo-Dutch. to receive information on the French positions before joining the main I Ziethen was concentrating his I Corps advance Blucher could not conceal his Corps defensive line at Fleurus. around Fleurus and Gneisenau had is- disgust at a traitor. Referring to de Charleroi was held till 11AM when 11 WATERLOO - Brigades UNIT NUMBER 1-127 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 UNIT I. D. (Full) [9] Maitland Byng MacDonne! C.Halkett Ompteda Kielsmanse By Iandt Kruse Bernard Ditmers D'Aubreme UNIT I.D. (Abbr) [3) Mai Byn Mac C.H Omp Kie By! Kru Ber Dit D'A UNIT SIZE [3] Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde MAP LOCATION (x,y) 9,10 8,11 8,13 10,10 12,9 11,9 15,9 10,9 18,9 3,9 2,10 CORPS 0-15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 DIVISION 0-39 1 1 1 2 2 2 3 2 3 4 4 ARRIVAL 0-95 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 UNIT TYPE 0-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 OBJECTIVE 0-23 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 SMALL ARMS 0-31 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ARTILLERY 0-31 1 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 1 TROOP STREN. 0-31 23 24 20 26 25 31 31 31 31 31 31 MOVEMENT 0-15 4 4 0 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 BATTERY STR. 0-15 3 3 0 3 3 3 3 3 0 3 3 SHATTERED 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 LEADERSHIP 0-7 5 5 6 4 5 4 3 3 3 3 3 COHESION 0-7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 EXPERIENCE 0-7 7 7 7 5 6 5 3 3 3 3 3 REGIMENTS 0-7 4 4 3 4 4 6 5 3 5 6 6 LIKELIHOOD 0-7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 UNIT NUMBER 1-127 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 UNIT I.D. (Full) [9] Adam DuPlat W.Halkett Mitchell Kempt Pack Vincke Lambert Best Rausch en' Buttlar UNIT I.D. (Abbr) [3] Ada Du W.H Mit Kern Pac Yin Lam Bes Rau But UNIT SIZE [3] Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde MAP LOCATION (x,y) 7,9 7,10 8,8 6,12 14,9 17,7 19,7 15,5 18,8 9,8 9,7 CORPS 0-15 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 4 4 DIVISION 0-39 5 5 5 0 6 6 6 7 7 0 0 ARRIVAL 0-95 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 UNIT TYPE 0-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 OBJECTIVE 0-23 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 SMALL ARMS 0-31 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ARTILLERY 0-31 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 0 1 TROOP STREN. 0-31 29 18 28 21 28 25 28 29 29 7 30 MOVEMENT 0-15 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 BATTERY STR. 0-15 3 0 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 0 3 SHATTERED 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 LEADERSHIP 0-7 5 5 5 4 5 5 3 5 4 4 3 COHESION 0-7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 EXPERIENCE 0-7 5 6 3 5 5 5 3 5 3 4 4 REGIMENTS 0-7 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 2 4 LIKELIHOOD 0-7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
UNIT NUMBER 1-127 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 UNIT I. D. (Full) [9] Specht Somerset Ponsonby Dornberg Vandeleur Grant Vivian Arentschi Trip De Ghigny Mer len UNIT I. D. (Abbr) [3] Spe Som Pon Dor Van Gra Viv Are Tri DGh Mer UNIT SIZE [3] Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde MAP LOCATION (x,y) 8,7 12,8 14,8 9,9 21,5 8,10 22,5 11,8 11,6 14,6 10,7 CORPS 0-15 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 DIVISION 0-39 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ARRIVAL 0-95 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 UNIT TYPE 0-3 0 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 OBJECTIVE 0-23 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 SMALL ARMS 0-31 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 ARTILLERY 0-31 1 2 2 2 2 2 2 0 2 2 0 TROOP STREN. 0-31 23 14 14 15 14 15 15 10 14 13 11 MOVEMENT 0-15 4 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 BATTERY STR. 0-15 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 0 3 3 0 SHATTERED 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 LEADERSHIP 0-7 3 3 1 3 4 3 3 2 2 3 2 COHESION 0-7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 EXPERIENCE 0-7 3 6 6 5 5 4 4 5 3 3 3 REGIMENTS 0-7 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 LIKELIHOOD 0-7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 12 Brigades (Cont.) UNIT NUMBER 1-127 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 UNIT I. D. (Full) [9]' Papellott KGL Reserve 1HA 2HA 3HA 1Art 1/Steinme 2/Steinme 3/Steinme 1/Von Pir UNIT I. D. (Abbr) [3f Pap KGL Res 1HA 2HA 3HA 1A 1/S 2/S 3/S 1/P UNIT SIZE [3] Bde Bde Bde Bty Bty Bty Bty Bde Bde Bde Bde MAP LOCATION (x,y) 20,10 13,10 13,5 11,7 12,7 14,7 13,7 26,3 26,3 26,3 26,3 CORPS 0-15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 DIVISION 0-39 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 9 9 9 10 ARRIVAL 0-95 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 15 15 15 16 UNIT TYPE 0-3 0 0 0 3 3 3 3 0 0 0 0 OBJECTIVE 0-23 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 4 4 4 SMALL ARMS 0-31 4 1 1 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 ARTILLERY 0-31 0 0 0 2 2 2 1 1 1 0 1 TROOP STREN. 0-31 6 10 12 3 3 3 3 31 31 30 31 MOVEMENT 0-15 0 0 4 5 5 5 3 4 4 4 4 BATTERY STR. 0-15 0 0 0 7 7 7 9 3 2 0 3 SHATTERED 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 LEADERSHIP 0-7 5 5 4 4 4 4 5 4 4 4 4 COHESION 0-7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 EXPERIENCE 0-7 5 6 4 4 4 4 5 4 4 4 4 REGIMENTS 0-7 1 2 2 2 2 2 3 2 2 2 2 LIKELIHOOD 0-7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 UNIT NUMBER 1-127 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 UNIT I. D. (Full) [9] 2/Von Pir 3/Von Pir 1/Von Jag 2/Von Jag 3/Von Jag 1/Von Hen 2/Von Hen Treskow Lutzow 1/Von Ts 2/Von Ts UNIT I.D. (Abbr) [3] 2/P 3/P 1/J 2/J 3/J 1/H 2/H Tre Lut 1/T 2/T UNIT SIZE [3] Bd ~ Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde MAP LOCATION (x,y) 26,3 26,3 26,3 26,3 26,3 26,3 26,3 26,3 26,3 26,12 26,12 CORPS 0-15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 DIVISION 0-39 10 10 11 11 11 12 12 13 13 14 14 ARRIVAL 0-95 16 16 17 17 17 17 17 14 14 17 17 UNIT TYPE 0-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 OBJECTIVE 0-23 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 6 6 SMALL ARMS 0-31 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 1 1 ARTILLERY 0-31 1 0 1 1 0 1 0 2 2 1 1 TROOP STREN. 0-31 31 21 31 31 13 31 22 9 14 31 31 MOVEMENT 0-15 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 4 4 BATTERY STR. 0-15 2 0 3 2 0 3 0 3 3 3 2 SHATTERED 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 LEADERSHIP 0-7 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 4 4 COHESION 0-7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 EXPERIENCE 0-7 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 REGIMENTS 0-7 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 LIKELIHOOD 0-7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 UNIT NUMBER 1-127 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 UNIT I.D. (Full) [9] 3/Von Ts 1/Von Kra 2/Von Kra 3/Von Kra 1/Von Bra 2/Von Bra 3/Von Bra 1/Von Lan 2/Von Lan 3/Von Lan Thurn en UNIT I.D. (Abbr) [3] 3/T 1/K 2/K 3/K 1/B 2/B 3/B 1/L 2/L 3/L Thu UNIT SIZE [3] Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde .Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde MAP LOCATION (x,y) 26,12 26,12 26,12 26,12 26,12 26,12 26,12 26,12 26,12 26,12 26,12 CORPS 0-15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 DIVISION 0-39 14 15 15 15 16 16 16 17 17 17 18 ARRIVAL 0-95 17 17 17 17 18 18 18 18 18 18 16 UNIT TYPE 0-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 OBJECTIVE 0-23 6 6 6 6 6 6 4 6 6 6 6 SMALL ARMS · 0-31 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 ARTILLERY 0-31 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 0 2 TROOP STREN. 0-31 13 31 31 9 31 31 6 31 31 7 17 MOVEMENT 0-15 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 BATTERY STR. 0-15 0 3 2 0 3 2 0 3 2 0 3 SHATTERED 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 LEADERSHIP 0-7 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 COHESION 0-7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 EXPERIENCE 0-7 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 REGIMENTS 0-7 2 2 2 1 2 2 1 2 2 1 2 LIKELIHOOD 0-7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 13 UNIT NUMBER 1-127 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 UNIT I. D. (Full) [9] Schul'ber Sohr 1/Von Hac 2/Von Hac 3/Von Hac 1/Von Rys 2/Von Rys 3/Von Rys 1/Von Los 2/Von Los 1/Von Hi! UNIT I. D. (Abbr) [3J Sch Soh 1/H 2/H 3/H 1/R 2/R 3/R 1/L 2/L 1/H UNIT SIZE [3] Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde MAP LOCATION (x,y) 26,12 26,12 26,18 26,18 26,18 26,18 26,18 26,18 26,18 26,18 26,18 CORPS 0-15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 DIVISION 0-39 18 18 19 19 19 20 20 20 21 21 22 ARRIVAL 0-95 16 16 12 12 12 12 12 12 11 11 11 UNIT TYPE 0-3 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 OBJECTIVE 0-23 6 6 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 SMALL ARMS 0-31 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 ARTILLERY 0-31 2 2 1 1 0 1 1 0 1 1 1 TROOP STREN. 0-31 12 22 31 31 8 31 31 14 31 31 31 MOVEMENT 0-15 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 BATTERY STR. 0-15 3 3 3 2 0 3 2 0 3 2 3 SHATTERED 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 LEADERSHIP 0-7 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 COHESION 0-7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 EXPERIENCE 0-7 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 REGIMENTS 0-7 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 LIKELIHOOD 0-7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 . 7 7 7 7
UNIT NUMBER 1-127 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 UNIT I. D. (Full) [9] 2/Von Hil Sydo Schwerin Watzdorf Friant Roguet Morand Michel Duhesme Barrois Lefebvre UNIT I. D. (Abbr) [3] 2/H Syd Sch Wat Fri Rog Mor Mic Duh Bar Lef UNIT SIZE [3] Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde MAP LOCATION (x,y) 26,18 26,18 26,18 26,18 13,19 15,19 13,20 15,20 13,21 15,21 19,17 CORPS 0-15 0 0 0 0 9 9 9 9 9 9 9 DIVISION 0-39 22 23 23 23 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ARRIVAL 0-95 11 11 11 11 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 UNIT TYPE 0-3 0 2 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 OBJECTIVE 0-23 9 9 9 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 SMALL ARMS 0-31 1 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 ARTILLERY 0-31 1 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 TROOP STREN. 0-31 31 10 16 11 26 19 27 24 23 19 23 MOVEMENT 0-15 4 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 BATTERY STR. 0-15 2 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 SHATTERED 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 LEADERSHIP 0-7 4 4 4 4 7 6 7 6 6 7 7 COHESION 0-7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 EXPERIENCE 0-7 4 4 4 4 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 REGIMENTS 0-7 2 2 2 2 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 LIKELIHOOD 0-7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
UNIT NUMBER 1-127 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 UNIT I. D. (Full) [9] Guyot Quiot Bourgeois Schmitz Aulard Noguez Grenier Pegot Brue Bruno Gobrechet UNIT I.D. (Abbr) [3] Guy Qui Bou Sch Aul Nog Gre Peg Bru Bru Gob UNIT SIZE [3) Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde MAP LOCATION (x,y) 9,19 17,13 17,14 15,14 16,14 18,13 18,14 19,12 19,13 21,12 22,13 CORPS 0-15 9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 DIVISION 0-39 0 24 24 25 25 26 26 27 27 28 28 ARRIVAL 0-95 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 UNIT TYPE 0-3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 OBJECTIVE 0-23 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 SMALL ARMS 0-31 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 2 ARTILLERY 0-31 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 TROOP STREN. 0-31 19 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 22 16 18 MOVEMENT 0-15 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 BATTERY STR. 0-15 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 SHATTERED 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 LEADERSHIP 0-7 7 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 COHESION 0-7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 EXPERIENCE 0-7 7 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 REGIMENTS 0-7 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 LIKELIHOOD 0-7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 14 UNIT NUMBER 1-127 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 UNIT I.D. (Full) [9] Husson Campi Baudouin Soye Gauthier Jamin Pire Domon Simmer Jeanin Subervie UNIT I.D. (Abbr) [3} Hus Cam Bau Soy Gau Jam Pir Dom Sim Jea Sub UNIT SIZE [3] Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde MAP LOCATION (x,y) 12,16 13,15 5,16 6,16 8,16 7,15 4,16 15,17 13,17 13,18 16,18 CORPS 0-15 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 0 12 12 0 DIVISION 0-39 29 29 30 30 31 31 0 0 0 0 0 ARRIVAL 0-95 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 UNIT TYPE 0-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 0 0 2 OBJECTIVE 0-23 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 SMALL ARMS 0-31 1 1 1 1 1 1 3 2 1 1 3 ARTILLERY 0-31 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 0 0 2 TROOP STREN. 0-31 26 26 26 26 26 26 19 11 20 20 14 MOVEMENT 0-15 4 4 4 4 4 4 5 5 4 4 5 BATTERY STR. 0-15 3 2 3 2 3 2 3 3 0 0 3 SHATTERED 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 LEADERSHIP 0-7 5 5 5 6 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 COHESION 0-7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 EXPERIENCE 0-7 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 REGIMENTS 0-7 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 UKELIHOOD 0-7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 UNIT NUMBER 1-127 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 UNIT I.D. (Full) [9] L'Heriter D'Hurb 1 St Alph Delort 7th Huss' Teste Noury G.Bat.l G.Bat.2 G.Bat.3 G.Bat.4 UNIT I.D. (Abbr) [3] L'H D'H StA Del 7th Tes Nou GB1 GB2 GB3 GB4 UNIT SIZE [3] Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bde Bty Bty Bty Bty Bty MAP LOCATION (x,y) 9,18 7,18 19,15 17,16 23,13 12,17 12,18 15,13 16,13 17,12 18,12 CORPS 0-15 0 0 0 0 0 12 12 0 12 12 0 DIVISION 0-39 32 32 33 33 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ARRIVAL 0-95 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 UNIT TYPE 0-3 2 2 2 2 2 0 3 3 3 3 3 OBJECTIVE 0-23 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 SMALL ARMS 0-31 2 2 2 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 ARTILLERY 0-31 2 2 2 2 2 0 1 1 1 1 1 TROOP STREN. 0-31 18 18 14 15 6 20 3 3 3 3 3 MOVEMENT 0-15 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 4 4 BATTERY STR. 0-15 3 3 3 3 2 0 15 11 11 11 11 SHATTERED 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 LEADERSHIP 0-7 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 COHESION 0-7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 EXPERIENCE 0-7 5 5 6 6 5 5 5 6 6 6 6 REGIMENTS 0-7 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 UKELIHOOD 0-7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
Napoleon personally directed an at the French were attacking in force was gun to move. Despite the Emperor's tack on the barricaded bridge. sure, but Wellington still believed that intentions Marshal Ney had not yet Once the cavalry was across the Sambre the attack on Charleroi may have been arrived to take command of the left they raced ahead, trying to find a gap in a feint. At 5PM the Prince of Orange wing. After his arrival at Army head the Prussian lines which they could arrived to announce that he had heard quarters Ney had dispatched his car exploit. Against orders General gunfire from the direction of the riage. Lack of communication between Steinmetz withdrew his 1st Brigade Prussians. More news of the attack was him and the Emperor resulted in the north along the Brussels road rather also received from Ziethen at this time. marshal being left in A vesnes without than keeping contact with Pirch II. This The Duke was still unsure where the any horses. Ney was forced to com had two effects. Firstly it saved the main force of the attack would fall but mandeer a peasant cart and did not Corps from being enveloped around sent orders to all units to prepare to manage to obtain a horse until he en its right flank. Secondly it slowed the m ove. Nap oleon's deceptions had countered Marshal Mortier who was French advance towards Quatre Bras worked. Even after hearing of the suffering from (possibly politically in and Brussels, giving Wellington time French attack the Anglo-Dutch Army duced) sciatica and was unable to ride to react. remained stationary. with Napoleon. It was 3 PM before the first Prussian By 4.30PM Reille' s entire II Corps was At some point in the afternoon of June messenger arrived in Brussels. That across the Sambre and d'Erlon had be- 15th, Ney rode into Charleroi and was 15 WATERLOO - Corps
CORPS NUM. 1-39 1 2 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 CORPS I.D. [9.] Orange Hill Brunswick Uxbridge V'Zieten Von Pirch Von Bulow Guard D'Erlon Reille Lobau MAP LOCATim (x,y) 10,8 6,10 7,6 16,7 26,3 26,12 26,18 14,20 18,15 9,17 14,18 TYPE 0-1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 ARRIVAL 0-95 0 0 0 0 14 16 11 0 0 0 0 ORDER 0-2 1 1 2 2 0 0 0 2 0 2 1 OBJECTIVE #1 0-23 3 10 0 0 4 6 8 0 4 0 7 OBJECTIVE #2 0-23 0 0 0 0 2 3 13 0 2 0 0 MOVEMENT 0-15 6 7 6 8 8 6 8 8 8 7 7 DAILY COMM. 0-15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 LEADERSHIP 0-7 3 4 4 3 5 4 5 5 5 4 4 STAFF 0-7 4 5 4 4 5 4 5 5 5 5 5 STRENGTH 0-7 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 LIKELIHOOD 0-7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
greeted by the Emperor with the news the town. In a skilful rearguard action The Prussian rearguard retired with that he was to advance to the cross Steinmetz withdrew away from the heavy casualties. roads of Quatre Bras, there to receive Brussels road in the direction ofFleurus. Napoleon released the dragoons of the further orders. The Guard light cavalry On the direct road from Charleroi to Guard in pursuit and two Prussian division of Lefebvre-Desnouettes was Fleurus Pirch II was defending the town battalions were ridden down. There attached toNey for the operation. Rid of Gilly with around 7 500 men. Just as mainder of Pirch II' s Brigade fled in the ing with the Guard cavalry towards Napoleon had given command of the direction of Fleurus. The commitment Reille' s Corps N ey dispatched riders to left toNey he now gave Grouchy the by Ziethen of all his remaining cavalry inform his new subordinates of the right. forced the French to break off the pur change in command and to gauge the It soon became clear, however, that the suit. By the time Vandamme's infantry situation. last of the Marshals needed closer su came up they were exhausted and a The situation was that Steinmetz's 1st pervision than Le Rougeaud. The Em decision was made against further ac Prussian Brigade was in position block peror advised Grouchy to launch one tion. ing the Brussels Road at Gosselies. The of Vandamme's infantry divisions in a After the defection of de Bourmont, IV first French cavalry to encounter the frontal assault while Exelman' s dra Corps had resumed its advance. How Prussians were repelled but more men goons turned the Prussian flank. Just ever, the delay prevented Gerard from came up and drove the Prussians out of as N ey had been ordered to take Quatre placing any pressure on the left flank of Bras, Grouchy was the retreating Prussians. By the evening now ordered to cap of June 15th IV Corps had still not been WATERLOO - Armies ture Sombreffe on the in action and only one of its divisions • same east-west road. was on the north bank of the Sambre . SIDE N/S SOUTH NORTH Grouchy's inaction Marshal Ney was now in charge of the COMMANDER [9] Wellington Napoleon over the next two left wing. While he came to terms with hours should have the situation he halted the bulk of SECONDI.C. [9] Blucher Ney alerted Napoleon to Reille' s II Corps. One division under ARMYI.D. [11] Allied Armee Du the fact that he had Girard pursued Steinmetz to the east [11] Armies Nord promoted the cavalry while Bachelu's division continued up the Brussels road. The divisions of Foy MAP LOCATION (x,y) 13,6 14,21 general beyond his level of competence. and Jerome were halted at Gosselies as ARRIVAL 0-95 0 0 When Napoleon re they came up. OFF. OBJ.#1 0-23 0 3 turned from the rear The vanguard of the left wing was the OFF. OBJ.#2 0-23 0 1 Grouchy was arguing light cavalry of the Guard. They ad with Vandamme vanced to Frasnes, two miles south of DEF. OBJ.#1 0-23 3 0 over the correct Quatre Bras where they were fired on DEF. OBJ.#2 0-23 1 0 method of attack. The by enemy cannon. This was a Dutch MOVEMENT 0-15 8 8 Emperoratoncetook horse artillery battery which was sup command and sent STAFF 0-7 6 6 ported by a battalionofNassauers. The three columns for French lancers were checked and by STRENGTH 0-7 2 2 ward under cover of the time Bachelu's infantry arrived LEADERSHIP 0-7 7 7 a massive cannonade. night was falling. Seeing a strong force 16 WATERLOO- Divisions
DIV.NUMBER 1-39 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 DIVISION I.D. [9i Cooke Alten Perponche Chasse Clinton Picton Cole Dutch Steinmetz Pirch II Von Jagow CORPS 0-15 1 1 1 1 2 0 0 5 6 6 6 TYPE 0-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 ORDERS 0-2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 0 0 0 OBJECTIVE #1 0-23 10 14 3 11 14 15 4 0 4 4 4 OBJECTIVE #2 0-23 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 1 LEADERSHIP 0-7 5 5 3 3 5 5 5 3 5 5 4 STAFF 0-7 5 5 4 4 5 5 5 4 5 5 5
DIV.NUMBER 1-39 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 DIVISION I.D. [9] Von Henke Von Roder Von T'Sk' Von Kraff Von Braus Von Lange Von Jurg' Von Hacke Von Rysse Von Losth Von Hille CORPS 0-15 6 6 7 7 7 7 7 8 8 8 8 TYPE 0-1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 ORDERS 0-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 OBJECTIVE #1 0-23 4 4 6 6 6 6 6 8 8 8 8 OBJECTIVE #2 0-23 2 3 3 7 14 2 3 10 11 3 10 LEADERSHIP 0-7 4 5 5 5 4 4 5 5 5 5 5 STAFF 0-7 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5
DIV.NUMBER 1-39 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 DIVISION I.D. [9] William Quiot Donzelot Marcognet Durutte Jacquinot Bachelu Jerome Foy Kellerman Milhaud CORPS 0-15 8 10 . 10 10 10 10 11 11 11 0 0 TYPE 0-1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 ORDERS 0-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 OBJECTIVE #1 0-23 8 15 3 15 4 5 0 10 0 8 5 OBJECTIVE #2 0-23 13 2 2 2 2 15 0 0 0 9 2 LEADERSHIP 0-7 3 5 5 5 5 6 5 4 5 6 5 STAFF 0-7 6 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 5 6 5
of French infantry advancing the decision. Orange, whowasatthe Duch mistake. He had neglected to tell his Nassauers retreated to Quatre Bras. It ess of Richmond's ball, informed Wel commander that the message received was too late for a pursuit. lington of the situation. The Duke or the previous day had been from one of Meanwhile the Duke of Wellington had dered Orange back to his headquarters the intelligence chief's agents. The ef ordered that I Corps, including those and called for a map. As the Duke fect of this information on Wellington units at Quatre Bras should concen examined the map he succinctly was instantaneous. He gave orders for trate on Nivelles, seven or eight miles summed up the events of the day; "Na the entire army to concentrate on Quatre to the west. poleon has humbugged me, by God! he Bras. has gained 24 hours' march on me." The commander at Quatre Bras was It had taken nearly a day for Welling Prince Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar. Upon ton to act decisively. To make matters hearing shots from Frasnes the Prince Ligny and Quatre Bras worse his delay made Blucher's risky deployed his men at the crossroads decision to concentrate forward seem Even with the reality of th~ French in and in the failing light had them fire almost suicidal. Napoleon's calcula front of Quatre Bras Wellington was rapidly on the advancing French. This tions had been correct. Blucher was reluctant to fully commit his army to gave an impression of a larger number reacting impetuously and was putting concentrate on the crossroads. TheRe of men than were actually present. his army in danger while Wellington's serve Corps was ordered from Brussels circumspection had given the French a Ney reconnoitred the position himself to Mont-St-Jean from where it could great opportunity to exploit the Prus and was apparently unsure as to the move south or west as circumstances sian decision. size of the Allied force in front of him. dictated. Both sides settled down for the night. The Emperor could scarcely believe The event which finally goaded the that the Prussians would offer them Bernhard reported to Perponcher, his Duke into irreconcilable action was the selves up to him. The first orders is divisional commander and Perponcher arrival in Brussels of General Dornberg. sued by Napoleon on the morning of went to General Rebecque the chief-of After constant reminders that he was June 16th suggest that he expected staff. Rebecque took it upon himself to to inform Wellington the moment a Blucher to retire from his exposed po redirect the remainder of Perponcher' s message from Colonel Grant arrived, sition around the towns of Ligny and St Division to Quatre Bras and duly in Dornberg realised that he had made a Amand. He would then press forward formed the Prince of Orange of the 17 WATERLOO - Objectives OBJ. NUMBER . 1-23 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 OBJ. NAME [11] Mont St J'n M.S.J. Farn LaHaye St. Papellotte Ter LaHaye Frisch'mon1 La Belle Al Rossomme MAP LOCATIO:N (x,y) 12,4 13,6 13,10 20,10 22,11 24,12 14,16 14,21 START (N) 1-95 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 STOP (N) 1-95 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 VPs/TURN (N) 0-255 10 5 5 3 1 1 0 0 VPs AT END (N t0-255 50 50 25 15 15 15 5 5 MANEUVER (N) 0-15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 START (S) 1-95 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 STOP (S) 1-95 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 VPs/TURN (S) 0-255 1 1 5 3 2 3 5 10 VPs AT END (S 0-255 5 5 25 15 10 15 25 50 MANEUVER (S) 0-15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
OBJ. NUMBER 1-23 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 OBJ. NAME [11] Plancenoit ~ougoumon Braine L'al To Brussels To Paris Ridge 1 Ridge 2 Ridge 3 MAP LOCATIOI'I (x,y) 19,20 8,13 2,9 11,0 14,26 10,10 15,9 6,5 START (N) 1-95 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 STOP (N) 1-95 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 VPs/TURN (N) 0-255 1 5 3 10 0 3 3 3
VPs AT END (N ~0-255 5 25 15 50 5 15 15 15 MANEUVER (N) 0-15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 START (S) 1-95 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 STOP (S) 1-95 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 23 VPs/TURN (S) 0-255 5 3 1 0 20 2 2 2 VPs AT END (S 0-255 25 15 5 5 50 15 15 10 MANEUVER (S) 0-15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 up the Brussels road either driving Something over 7,000 men and 16 guns able to infantry and cavalry. The strong Wellington into headlong retreat or were facing the 20,000 men of Reille' s points of the Prussian line were a series bringing him to battle before turning to Corps. Already the defenders were of towns and hamlets along the brook. finish the Prussians. under pressure. In the absence of clear These were heavily defended. The line The Emperor placed a greater than orders to attack, Ney had nevertheless was seven miles long, quite consider normal emphasis on the capture of a sent out several waves of skirmishers able given that it was defended by only geographical objective, Brussels, both which took a steady toll of the Dutch 84,000 men. The military doctrine of because of its political importance and defenders. Still there was no immedi the period called for each mile of front the probability that its capture would ate danger so Wellington rode the eight to be held by 20,000 men. force Wellington into an uneven battle miles or so to the Prussian positions at At approximately lPM Wellington rode to re-establish his lines of communica Ligny. up to converse with Blucher and tions. Throughout the morning both Napo Gneisenau. "At this moment" wrote As always, however, Napoleon was leon and Blucher had received rein Ziethen' s chief-of-staff, "we noticed in willing to allow his actions to be dic forcements. With Vandamme and the distance a party of the enemy, and tated by circumstance. Corps which Gerard's Corps, Pajol and Exelmans' Napoleon was clearly distinguishable had spent the night of June 15th spread cavalry Corps and the knockout punch in the group. Perhaps the eyes of the out along various roads were concen of the Guard the French were in posi three greatest military commanders of trated forward while the forces in front tion to bring on a fight. On the Prussian the age were directed on one another." of each wing where reconnoitred. side Ziethen's I Corps had been rein Wellington had grave misgivings about forced by the II and III Corps under The Anglo-Allied force was still quite the Prussian deployment on the for Pirch and Thielemann respectively. weak when Wellington arrived at ward slope. He said so. "Everybody Quatre Bras sometime around lOAM. Blucher chose to deploy along the Ligny knows their own army best; but if I brook a significant obstacle but pass- were to fight here, I should expecno be 18 beat." Gneisenaureplied, "My men like The last thing that Ney wanted to do except the Emperor. Napoleon's Mar to see their enemy". Clearly the was to risk his command when Napo shals and generals were seeing con Prussians did not appreciate the ad leon would be entirely committed else cealed masses of men even in the most vantages of the reverse slope against where. unlikely of places. Napoleonic tactics. It was not therefore until d'Erlon was Ney had originally intended to attack Writing later Wellington stated of the within supporting distance of Reille the Bois de Bossu on the Allied right Prussians that, "The marshy banks of that Ney ordered II Corps forward. No but Reille had placed a seed of doubt in the stream made it out of their power to doubt the Prince of Moskowa later re his mind. The Marshal now ordered cross and attack the French, while the gretted his dilatoriness. But then eve the attack to concentrate on Welling latter on the other hand, though they ryone including Wellington assumed ton's left around the farm of Piraumont could not attack them, had it in their that the bulk of the Allied Army would and the town of Thyle. power to cannonade them and shatter reach the battlefield well before it actu Capture of Thyle would cut the them to pieces, after which they might ally did. Nivelles-Namur road, the main link fall upon them by the bridges at the When Ney finally gave his orders they between the Anglo-Allied and Prus villages." were sound. Reille was to capture the sian Armies. As the supporting force, The Prussians were anxious to receive crossroads with his three divisions. Ney was correctly acting to place him support from the Duke who took care D'Erlon was to hold three divisions in self between the two enemy armies not to commit himself unconditionally. reserve at Frasnes while the fourth was and to force them further apart. "Well I will come" he stated, "pro to move to the town of Marbais behind The French ended up attacking in ech vided I am not attacked myself". It was the inside flank of both Allied armies. elon. The first assault was by Bachelu's a statement which, despite being clear, At 2PM as the Duke of Wellington was Division on the right and resulted in left far too great a level of uncertainty riding back from the Prussian posi the capture of Piraumont Farm. Then given the enormity of the stakes. tions he heard the first cannonade Foy advanced in the centre pressing Back at Quatre Bras Ney was in a quan against his tiny force. the Dutch back to the farm of dary. He had been ordered to capture It is unlikely that any of the French Gemioncourt. Foy' s second brigade Quatre Bras and hold it with six of his commanders at Quatre Bras expected advanced on Pierrepont but received seven remaining infantry divisions the Anglo-Allied Army to take as long accurate artillery fire, causing heavy (Girard's Division ofReille' s Corps had as it did to concentrate. Reille argued casualties before counter battery fire been seconded by the Emperor for use with Ney when the Marshal wanted to silenced most of the Dutch guns. The at Ligny) and throw the seventh divi attack before the entire Corps was French then drove in the skirmishers sion up the Brussels road to Genappe. present. defending the farm and advanced into The problem was that until d'Erlon The II Corps commander suggested the Bossu Wood. arrived,MarshalNeyhadonlythethree that the English might be deployed The Dutch had fought stoughtly but remaining divisions of Reille' s Corps. behind visual obstacles and might ap were outnumbered along the line. Re While he could take the crossroads with pear at the moment of apparent French serve battalions were thrown in to sta the forces available it would be a differ victory as they had done repeatedly in bilise the situation until only two re ent matter to hold them against, pre the Peninsula. Wellington's tactics in mained. As Bachelu and Foy regrouped sumablytheentireAnglo-AlliedArmy. Spain had made him a bogeyman to all their successful units Jerome came up
WATERLOO - Terrain Effects Chart
TERRAIN# 0-31 0 1 2 3 4 5 TERRAIN NAME [ 11] - - Woods Ridge Buildings Open SIGHTING VAL. 0-7 0 0 4 4 2 0 MOVEMENT 0-7 0 0 2 l l l COVER VALUE 0-7 0 0 3 2 6 0 FORT VAL. (N) 0-7 0 0 0 0 0 0 FORT VAL. (S) 0 -7 0 0 0 2 2 0 19 WATERLOO - Small Arms dary Hydra two more had come to take SMALL ARMS# 1-31 1 2 3 4 its place. SM. ARMS I.D. [ 11] Musket Sabre Lance Rifle The only Dutch still fighting were the RANGE 0-1 1 0 0 1 men of Bernhard of Saxe-Weimar's Bri FIRE VALUE 0-7 2 0 0 4 gade who were defending the Bois de MELEE VALUE 0-7 5 6 7 5 Bossu. They had been pushed steadily back by Prince Jerome's Division but the shelter of the wood had saved them
WATERLOO - Artillery from destruction. With the fall of -j Gemioncourt Saxe-Weimar's left flank ARTILLERY# 1-31 1 2 hold the line until they arrived he might yet was in the air. Wellington therefore ARTILLERY I.D. [ 11] 12lb 6lb save the day. decided upon a general advance in or RANGE 0-5 5 3 The 95th were imme der to form a continuous line . . RATE OF FIRE 0-7 3 4 diately launched In the centre the Duke of Brunswick EFFECT' NESS 0-7 5 3 against Piraumont in was able to advance without opposi a spoiling attack. tion. On the Allied left, however, it was PENETRATION 0-7 2 1 While there was no another story. Picton's Division was way that the attack initially successful, routing Bachelu's could be expected to Division with a close range volley fol on the left with his entire division, as succeed it threw the French off balance lowed by a bayonet charge. The British many men as the Dutch had started the fora few minutes, vital minutes. Battal success was short lived, however, as battle with. The French skirmishers ion by battalion the men of Picton's their advance had brought them into moved out again to maintain the pres Division marched straight into line on close range of the French guns. sure while a second attack was pre the Allied left. In order to give Bachelu time to regroup pared. It was 2.45PM and the battle had In the centre Foy had renewed his at Pire's lancers advanced and a battery been raging for under an hour. At this tack on Gemioncourt. This was now of horse artillery was unlimbered rate Wellington's tiny force would be the weakest portion of Wellington's within 200 yards of the British. When brushed aside in a matter of minutes. line. It should have broken but the the lancers charged the British right At 3PM Wellington rode up to Quatre Prince of Orange personally led a se they were first thought to be a Bruns Bras. He was appalled to discover that ries of counterattacks which halted the wick regiment attacking the flank of no reinforcements had arrived in his French. The cost of these attacks was Bachelu's retreating infantry. When the absence. The entire Anglo-Allied Army heavy on both sides; eventually the first cheering skirmishers began to be was on the move but confusion was Dutch defenders crumpled under sheer skewered the truth became clear. king. Whole battalions and regiments weight of numbers. The 42nd Highlanders formed a loose became lost and intermixed as the army Merlen's cavalry brigade had been rally square and the commander of the moved in an almost cohesionless mass mauled by Pire' s lancers and as they 44th Regiment ordered his rear rank to towards the battlefield. Many officers fled for the safety of the British infantry about face in the best tradition of had no idea where they were headed they were mistaken, in their blue and Frederick the Great's infantry. Once and simply followed the next man. It green uniforms, for Frenchmen. the cavalry had been fought off, Wel would be many hours before the Duke The 42nd and 92nd Highland Regi lington ordered Picton to retire to the would be able to rely on the bulk of his ments delivered a volley which shat positions which they had held before army. tered the already routing Dutch. Or the attack. The first reinforcements did arrive a ange had committed his last reserve Although the initial advance of the little after Wellington's return to the and now it had been destroyed. Faced Brunswickers in the centre had been battlefield. Merlen' s Dutch light cav with unshaken infantry Pire withdrew without opposition an incident now alry brigade had covered a prodigious to the cover of Foy's infantry who, in occurred which changed the entire com distance but had the good fortune to the meantime had o:~- cupied plexion of the Allied centre. Bernhard have had a road to themselves. Some Gemioncourt. of Saxe-Weimar's Brigade was running minutes later the first battalion of the The Duke of Brunswick was the next out of ammunition and consequently 95th rifles appeared on the Brussels Allied commander to bring his men requested relief. Wellington rallied the road. They were able to report that the onto the field. They were committed at remains of the other Netherlands units rest of Picton's Division were some once to the centre and right. and together with the Brunswick Jagers distance behind them. Two brigades of Perponcher's 2nd Dutch-Belgian Divi they moved into the Bois de Bossu to British infantry. If Wellington could sion was shattered but like the legen- relieve Saxe-Weimar. 20 The replacement gave the French an On Ziethen' s left was Thielemann with opportunity to advance a considerable his III Corps. II Corps under Pirch distance further into the wood. Prince formed the reserve and was positioned Jerome was able to deploy skirmishers along the Namur road to the rear of at the edge of the wood to fire into the Ziethen. flank of the Brunswickers. At the same Napoleon's plan was to contain the time Ney shifted the bulk of his artil Prussian left; which he did with the lery from Picton onto Brunswick. In an cavalry divisions ofPajol and Exelmans attempt to sweep away the French on and Hulot's infantry division of IV his right Brunswick led a cavalry charge Corps, while he probed the Prussian which resulted in him being mortally centre and right. wounded by a musket ball in the stom Once a weakness was discovered he ach. would commit his reserves to exploit it The immediate effect of Brunswick's while at the same time d'Erlon' s Corps wound was to create a visible confu fell on the Prussian right. Broken sion among his division. Observing this frontally and enveloped on the right Foy launched an attack which threw Blucher's army would collapse. The the Brunswickers back in disarray. Emperor would then be free to turn his As Wellington prepared to launch his attentions on the hapless Duke of Wel cavalry in a counterattack he was sur lington. Grouchy prised by Pire' s lancers. The Allied cav Grouchy opened the battle at 2.20PM 26th and last of Napoleon's Marshals. alry scattered and the Duke narrowly with a demonstration against the Prus avoided capture by jumping his horse sian left. Immediately following this lost 2,500 men from his division and he into the square of the 92nd Highland Vandamme advanced against the twin could not prevent Girard from taking ers. Although a Hanoverian battalion towns of St Amand and St Amand la St Amand la Haye. The fight now be was cut to pieces the rest of the infantry Haye on the Prussian right. Girard's gantodowhatNapoleonhadintended, formed square. The Allied cavalry was Division of II Corps had been attached that is to draw in the Prussian reserves. once again mauled but the French were to Vandamme for the battle. In the Ziethen ordered Pirch II to recapture St forced to withdraw. centre Gerard attacked Ligny with two Amand la Haye and to ensure that Ney had again failed to break the Al divisions in an attempt to draw in Prus Steinmetz held St Amand. The battle lied line. With the Allied infantry s ian reserves. for the two villages continued for some strength now approximately as great Three battalions of von Jagow's Bri time, the French ultimately gaining the as his own Ney could not realistically gade were defending the town of St upper hand, although Girard was mor hope for victory unless he committed Amand. These were quickly over tally wounded. the men of d'Erlon' s Corps. More sig whelmed by Lefol's Division who at At Ligny the Prussians had constructed nificantly with Wellington receiving tacked in three columns. barricades and were defending build reinforcements at a steady rate there General Steinmetz saw the possibility ings and hedges. French losses assault would soon be a distinct chance that of a breakthrough and launched four ing these positions were extreme but Ney could be beaten and beaten badly. battalions in a counterattack. As he did the Prussians were compelled to com Any discussion of d'Erlon' s Corps and so he directed his artillery to shell the mit more and more men to Ligny to the reasons why it did not appear on town even though some of Jagow's prevent its capture. All the while the either battlefield that day must lead us men were still in it. The Prussian guns French batteries were "firing like hell". to Napoleon and his battle with the were advanced to close range from As the Prussian line thinned out, the Prussians deployed around the town where they poured canister into the critical moment of the battle was ap ofLigny. town and a bayonet charge succeeded proaching. If d'Erlon' s Corps appeared Gerard's Corps reached Fleurus at ap in recapturing it. behind the Prussian right there would proximately 1PM on June 16th. All the As Lefol:? men recovered from their be few reserves with which to oppose French forces were now arrayed for reverse, Berthezene' s Division ad him. The Prussian Army would be an battle. Facing them were three Prus vanced against StAmand while Girard nihilated. sian corps, 84,000 men in all. The main attacked StAmand la Haye. StAmand At 2PM a message was sent from Soult defensive line including Ligny and St was captured by the French for the toNey which indicated that the Em Amand was held by Ziethen' s I Corps. second time but Steinmetz again coun peror faced no more than a Prussian Although mauled on the 15th, I Corps terattacked and again threw the French corps. Ney was to attack any force was still a formidable fighting force. out of the town. By now Steinmetz had which may be blocking the Brussels 21 shal Ney. Bedoyere gave his orders to recent reinforcements to good effect. General Delcambre, d'Erlon's Chief Kielsmansegge' s Hanoverian Brigade of-Staff. The orders were to ' ... Proceed advanced from Thyle to Piraumont immediately with all your forces to the capturingthelatterplacefromBachelu. heights of Ligny and fall on St As Wellington was supervising this Amand .... ' action the Prince of Orange ordered the Unwisely Delcambre set out himself to regiments of Colin Halkett' s Brigade inform d'Erlon and passed the com into line. Ney saw his opportunity and mand of the corps to General de Salle, released Kellerman's cuirassiers at the commander of the corps artillery. centre of the Allied line. The 30th and Delcambre showed de Salle the letter 33rd Regiments managed to form from the Emperor but it was evidently square but the 69th did not quite man not copied out because de Salle made a age it. The cuirassiers burst into the terrible mistake. partially formed square and cut it to Rather than marching to StAmand, de pieces. Salle had transposed the names of the The 73rd Regiment also failed to form two towns. He was moving to the square but they largely escaped by the Gneisenau heights of StAmand and was intend expedient of running into the woods. The powerful Prussian Chief-of-Staff. ing to fall on Ligny. Instead of appear The 33rd Regiment was then blown Given the characters of Blucher and ing on the Prussian flank I Corps would apart by a battery of horse artillery Gneisenau the Prussian system arrive on the battlefield behind the leaving only a quarter of the brigade worked well French left. intact. Back at Quatre Bras Delcambre had Wellington reacted quickly. He now found his commander alone. D'Erlon had a reserve and two battalions were road and after driving it aside to 'turn departed at once to take command of deployed in square in the path of the in our direction, so as to bring about the his corps and left his Chief-of-Staff to cuirassiers. A battery of horse artillery envelopment of that body of the en tell Ney what was happening. The recently arrived was unlimbered be emy's troops whom I have just men Prince of Moskowa had just watched hind a ditch so that Kellerman charged tioned to you... ' Before Wellington's as Alten' s British Division had marched into point blank musketry and canis reinforcements began to arrive this was onto the field. It could not be long ter. The French general had his horse all very well. However, as the Anglo before Wellington began his counter shot out from under him. The Allied force continued to build up it attack and the Emperor had deprived cuirassiers retired and another crisis became clear that there would be no him of over half his men. was over. mere 'driving aside' of Wellington's Receiving the 3.15PM despatch from At 6.30PM Cooke's Guards Division Army. If the first part of his orders Soult at the same time as the news that arrived on the battlefield along with could not be carried out then how could d'Erlon was marching off to Ligny, the Brunswickers' artillery. Welling Ney expect to be able to move to sup Ney was flabbergasted. All his plans ton had 36,000 men on the field, nearly port Napoleon? revolved around d'Erlon being present. twice as many as Ney. Even now, de The next message which reached Ney He could not, he thought, hold the spite Ney's fears the Duke had no in was despatched by Soult at 3.15PM. It entire Anglo-Allied Army with three tention of sending men to Blucher's was quite different both in content and exhausted divisions. assistance. First he would throw Ney tone. ' ... His Majesty desires me to tell Without d'Erlon Ney envisaged being back down the Brussels road and se you that you are to manoeuvre imme driven aside himself and Wellington cure some breathing space. diately in such a manner as to envelop being able to detach men down the The Guards were committed to the fight the enemy's right and fall upon his Namur road to Blucher. The only solu in the Bois de Bossu and over the next rear; the army in our front is lost if you tion he could see was to recall d'Erlon' s two hours drove Jerome's men steadily act with energy. The Fate of France is in 20,000 men, smash Wellington aside back. When the Guards emerged from your hands ... ' and only then send reinforcernents to the southern end of the wood they Meanwhile the Emperor had decided Napoleon. Delcambre was duly sent were cannonaded and attacked by cav to bypass Ney and order d'Erlon di after d'Erlon who was in turn riding alry. They withdrew to the edge of the rectly. General Bedoyere, the Imperial after his Corps. wood. Aide-de-Campe was sent to fetch I While the French subordinate com The rest of Wellington's line advanced Corps. When he arrived at Frasnes manders continued their comedy of as the French slowly withdrew to avoid d'Erlon was at Quatre Bras with Mar- errors Wellington was using his most being outflanked by the Guards. By 22 9PM the light was beginning to disap By the time the Prussians had decided hundreds. To a calculating man like pear. Marshal N ey was retiring in good to attack, Napoleon had received noti Gneisenauitwasinsanity, but Blucher's order. Wellington chose to allow the fication of the true identity of d'Erlon' s mad charge saved the Army. Units French to withdraw out of range and Corps. I twas not where he had planned which had been on the verge of rout, the two sides settled down for the night. and it would not take the Prussians by rallied. Men had time to recover their While the last act of the battle of Quatre surprise but they would still have to wits and reform their ranks. By the Bras had been played out Napoleon find some way to combat 20,000 fresh time Blucher's cavalry had been beaten was still fiercely engaged at Ligny. At men striking them in the flank. The off, the Prussian Army was retiring in 4PM the Emperor judged that it was remainder of the Guard was ordered to a semblance of order. Napoleon had time to finally break the Prussians. The Ligny. won the battle but he had not destroyed artillery of the Guard was deployed in It was lucky for the French that his opponent. front of Ligny and the town was re Vandamme had elements of the Young The main reason for the survival of the duced to rubble. Guard to stiffen his corps. If he had not Prussian right was the non appearance Gerard captured the portion of the town then the Prussian counterattack would of d'Erlon. The I Corps commander on the near bank of Ligny Brook and have swept him off the field. As it was, had received his orders from Marshal then attempted to force the bridges. the entire French left was pushed back. Ney at 6PM. The order to return to Meeting with initial success the French The lancers of the Guard counterat Quatre Bras placed d'Erlon in an iniq were then pushed back by a Prussian tacked and drove the Prussian cavalry uitous position. He had to disobey one counterattack. off the field. The Prussian infantry, of his superiors. Ultimately Ney won. unsupported, ground to a halt. The fight in Ligny soon tailed off into a "I decided that as he summoned me musketry duel across the brook. Casu It was time for Napoleon to release his back, in direct opposition to Napole alties were high on both sides and the masse de decision, the Guard. Sixty on's will, the Marshal must be in ex Prussian reserves continued to be cannon pounded the Prussian infantry tremeperil." However,d'Erlon tried to drawn into the battle. Napoleon was on the far bank of Ligny Brook while satisfy both his commanders by leav loath to commit either Lobau' s VI Corps two huge columns waited. ing two divisions, Durutte' s infantry or the Guard before d'Erlon arrived. As the cannonade died down the guard and Jacquinot' s cavalry, the head of his But where was d'Erlon? came through the smoke. A sudden column. D'Erlon, as it turned out was approach downpour prevented Prussian mus As d'Erlon sent Durutte and Jacquinot ing the rear of Vandamme's III Corps, ketry taking full toll of the cumber up the Roman road into the Prussian hopelessly off course due to the blun some formations but it would have rear his last words were "be prudent". der by De Salle. Seeing a large body of made little difference. With ranks Like many statements made by gener men where none should be Vandamme thinned and reserves committed else als on that day, the words were poorly expected the worst. He withdrew where the Prussian lines were shat chosen given the character of the sub Girard's Division from the fight and tered. The Guard wheeled to the right ordinate. deployed it to meet an attack from this and smashed into the flank of TheadvanceofJacquinot'scavalryena new force. Thielemann's Corps while Gerard bled Durutte to follow up along the wheeled left into the rear of the Prus Napoleon assumed that this was prob road in column without fear of attack. sian right. ably d'Erlon but in case he was mis Wagnelee fell and then Durutte simply taken the Emperor sent Duhesme' s Both sides watched with amazement stopped. General Brue, a brigade com Division of the Young Guard to rein as d'Erlon' s Corps marched off the bat mander in Durutte' s Division became force Vandamme. Lobau was also noti tlefield but for the Prussians the disap so dismayed at the lack of action that he fied to have his Corps ready to move pearance of their supposed allies coin had a shouting argument with his com against the threat. cided with the collapse of their centre. mander. It was to no avail. Two divi Something had to be done to stem the sions sat idle while Prussian fugitives Errors tend to compound, and so it was rout and Blucher was the man to do it. streamed past them. · that Gneisenau, with reports of Gneisenau had directed the battle for d'Erlon' s Corps and observing the The remaining three divisions of I Corps most of the day but this was the type of French deployment against a threat finally made it back to Quatre Bras in situation in which the old hussar ex from their rear, assumed that the un time to bolster the French line against celled . known body of men were British. the last Allied attack of the night. Clearly the correct course of action was At the head of 32 squadrons Blucher Ligny and Quatre Bras were over. It to attack the French left, crushing it thundered into the Guard. It was a only remained to analyse the results. between the two Allied forces. The re slaughter. The slow moving squares Blucher was beaten but his army was maining reserves were gathered to were impervious to injury and Prus intact. Infactitwas,likeitscommander, gether for the attack. sian cavalry were shot down in their bruised but not dead. The Prince had 23 lost his horse in one' of the last charges Napoleon's judgement. Or perhaps he day ahead. The events of June 17th and had been trampled. He was lucky had too much confidence in his own would depend most heavily on whether not to have been captured as French judgement? the Prussians retreated, and if so, where cuirassiers rode over him twice. If Napoleon is guilty of a mistake, it is to. Therefore, despite their defeat It was only the quick thinking of an in his failure to use Lobau' s Corps. For Blucher and Gneisenau were in a posi adjutant who dismounted and covered most of the 16th the Corps languished tion where the progress of the cam the Field Marshal's uniform that saved at Charleroi without any orders. It was paign would be determined very much the old man. Blucher must have been only late in the day that the Emperor by their own actions. the toughest 72 year old the world has seemed to remember them. Napoleon was in the uncharacteristic ever seen because he quickly re If Lobau had been ordered to a central position of having to wait till he knew mounted and rode off to consult with position early in the day then he would what the Prussians were doing before Gneisenau. have been in position to carry out the he committed himself to a course of In the absence of his commander the manoeuvre that was asked of D'Erlon. action. Orders were given for cavalry Chief-of-Staff had assumed command. As part of the army reserve there would to be sent out at first light to reconnoi It was up to him to decide where the have been no doubt about where tre. army would reform. The obvious route Lobau's loyalties lay. Wellington went to bed that night un of retreat would be towards the Prus Blucher and Gneisenau had fought der the blithe assumption that Blucher sian supply depots at Namur but much as expected. They had put up a had beaten Napoleon. Throughout the Gneisenau had reasons for not being good fight but had been outgeneralled night more and more of the Anglo obvious. by Napoleon. French losses in the bat Allied Army arrived at Quatre Bras. The main reason was that the right tle had been 11,000, compared to 16,000 Now it was the Duke who, with little wing of the army was separated from for the Prussians (not including the hope of support from his ally, was con the left and would have to retreat north 8,000 deserters also lost). However, with centrating dangerously far forward. before regaining the N amur road. the Prussian commanders' unique com On the morning of June 17th Welling Therefore Gneisenau decided to bination of intelligence and guts they ton was anxious to receive news of the regroup at the town of Wavre, a choice were far from out of the fight. Battle of Ligny. He sent out numerous endorsed by Blucher when he stag Wellington, the only general amongst riders to find Blucher and determine gered into headquarters because it kept the group under discussion never to what the Prince's Army was doing. In the Prussians in contact with Welling have been defeated came closer to los the meantime the Anglo-Allied Army ton. The Duke would later refer to this ing at Quatre Bras than at any time in sat where it was and Marshal Ney, to decision as "the decisive moment of his career to date. His staff work had their front, did likewise. the century". been amateurish and he had little idea Napoleon was taking breakfast at 7AM Napoleon had failed to crush Blucher of where his men were. He was saved when he received news that some because d'Erlon had failed to carry out by a series of fortuitous arrivals Prussians at least were retreating to his orders. How much blame for this throughout the day. wards Namur. Although this was only must rest with Marshal Ney is a vexed Gneisenau was very definitely under the Prussian deserters it fitted with the question. the impression that Wellington would Emperor's preconception. Still, with Considering the fact that Ney had only send aid. That he didn't was unavoid Blucher's reputation for coming back received his command late on June 15th able. What could have been avoided from a drubbing Napoleon waited to he may be excused for not reading the was the misunderstanding between be sure. Emperor's mind. The absence of Wellington and the Prussians. There A second message was more unex Berthier was critical. The clear, precise was no attempt on the part of the Duke pected. Ney had sent word that Wel and prompt messages that had charac to keep the Prussians up to date with lington was still in position at Quatre terised previous campaigns were ab his progress. If Blucher and Gneisenau Bras. sent. Where it was possible for misun had known more of what was happen It is unclear what Napoleon thought derstandings to occur they commonly ing at Quatre Bras they would have upon receiving this message. Probably did. Neither Napoleon or Ney can be been unlikely to have mistaken d'Erlon he felt that Ney was exaggerating and blamed for that. for Wellington and launched their dis that only a rear guard remained in What Ney can be blamed for is his astrous counterattack. place. His message to the Marshal was overreaction to the loss of d'Erlon. For quite ambiguous and wouldno doubt a man who had spent over ten years Intermezzo have left Ney unsure as to whether or campaigning with the greatest general not the bulkoftheArmeeduNord was of the current, or perhaps any other, With the day over and two battles moving to support him. age, Ney had very little confidence in fought it only remained to plan for the 24 It was not until liAM that Napoleon realised the opportunity that Welling ton was presenting him. Reports from Quatre Bras confirmed the presence of at least half the Anglo-Allied Army. Almost simultaneously reports came in stating that the bulk of the Prussian Army was retiring northward. This was the news for which the Em- : peror had been waiting. Sure now that there was no immediate threat from the Prussians he felt secure in attacking Wellington. Lobau's VI Corps and the Guard were ordered toMarbais,on theQuatre Bras Namur road as well as the cavalry divi sions of Domon and Subervie and The Battle of Quatre Bras Milhaud' s Corps. His plan was simple. Ney would attack frontally with the corps of d'Erlon and Reille. When the Allies were fully en the Prussians. The Duke had set the Soult had given no indication of the gaged Napoleon would attack down scene for a battle with Napoleon on urgency of the situation. N ey was asked the Namur road and roll up Welling ground of his own choice. to attack if he thought success possible ton's left flank. The Emperor had been The Prussians were informed of the and he was informed that, amongst denied his decisive battle on the 16th decision and Wellington requested sup other things, the day would be spent but he could well have it on the 17th. port from at least one corps. Failing 'replenishing ammunition, gathering stragglers and detachments'. But Napoleon was probably unaware this, he said, he would be forced, if that his battle with Wellington had be attacked, to retire behind the Scheidt Ney had sent skirmishers forward at come a race against time. At lOAM a River. first light and had decided that Wel messenger had returned to Quatre Bras As Napoleon moved towards Quatre lington's position was too strong for with the news that the Prussians were Bras Grouchy was receiving his orders the forces he currently had. He sent a retreating to Wavre. to move against the Prussians. With report to Soult recommending that Napoleon attack Wellington's flank The Duke had already foreseen the 33,000 men he was ordered to "devote before d'Erlon and Reille completed p9ssibility of retreat and he now pro your energies to the pursuit of the the rout. duced a set of written orders instruct Prussians." Grouchy was ordered to ing the army to concentrate at Mont St "keep a sword in the backs' of the This report was not received by Soult Jean. Wellington had ridden over this Prussians while maintaining close con until it had travelled from Frasnes to ground a year before and had com tact with Napoleon's right." Fleurus, then to Ligny and finally to mented on what an ideal position it The one point that was left out of Quatre Bras, two miles north of its ori would beifhewereevercalled upon to Grouchy's orders was what he was to gin. defend Brussels. do if Blucher moved to join with Wel Ney assumed that his report had been One of the benefits of the position at lington. There was no order to prevent received and in the absence of a reply Mont St Jean was that the army could such a union occurring and there was he appeared to be awaiting the Em march there along a number of differ no order to rejoin Napoleon if he could peror. While this was fair enough, N ey ent roads. Obviously the portion of the not prevent the Prussians from joining could observe the Allies, beginning at army currently at Quatre Bras would the Anglo-Allies. lOAM, withdrawing up the Brussels take the Brussels road but those units At midday, as the Allies retreat was road. He knew the importance of de still strung out to the west could travel well under way, Napoleon reached stroying Wellington's Army and he by any one of several north-south roads Marbais with his two corps and cav really should have attacked, if not at 10 parallel to the main one. alry. Hearing no sound of guns from then surely by midday. The initial ar guments that the position was too In moving by these roads Wellington Quatre Bras he sent a message toNey strong and Wellington had too many defended all the major approaches to inquiring as to why the Marshal had reserves was growing weaker by the Brussels save for the route covered by not yet attacked the crossroads. The reason was that the last message from minute. 25 Allied Army had stopped running. Amazingly Napoleon was to have his battle before Wellington and Blucher joined forces. The Emperor had been worried that Wellington would retreat through the Foret de Soignes. Once on the other side any army moving through the for est would be vulnerable to attack as it emerged. Furthermore a good road existed linking the northern end of the forest with Wavre. If Blucher joined Wellington north of the Foret de Soignes then they could not be defeated and the campaign was lost. The Duke of Wellington's deci sion to stand at Mont StJean had given Napoleon one last chance to win the campaign. Down but not Out Blucher is shown here just after being unhorsed by French Cavalry. If anyone had Opening Moves thought to deliver the coup de Grace the world could look very different today During the night Napoleon continued to fear a withdrawal by Wellington's Army. However, this was not to be and Napoleon finally brought on an en receive His Imperial Majesty but began the Emperor's plans for a night attack gagement as his advance guard clashed to retire up the Brussels road after the on the Allied rearguard proved unnec with Allied cavalry under the Earl of infantry. essary. Uxbridge. A captured camp follower As it began to rain heavily Napoleon Wellington was aware that he would told Napoleon what he feared. Almost personally directed the horse artillery require Prussian aid and he stated his the entire Allied Army had withdrawn of the Guard as it poured canister into need to Blucher in no uncertain terms. and Quatre Bras was now held by only the British cavalry. While this was hap ' ... I hope to be supported by a single a strong rearguard. Only with vigor pening he was in great personal dan Prussian corps. But if this support is ous action would anything now be ger as Uxbridge's men replied. At denied me, I shall be compelled to sac achieved. Genappe the British counterattacked rifice Brussels and take up my position Napoleon set his own force in motion and a fierce melee ensued. As the French behind the Scheidt.' before riding toNey's force where he strength became overwhelming the Blucher's reply was equally forthright. encountered Comte d'Erlon. "France cavalry skilfully broke contact and re 'I shall not come with one corps only, has been ruined." he said, "Go, my sumed the retreat. but with my whole army ... '. The first dear general, and place yourself at the The pursuit continued until the French Prussian corps to move towards Mont head of the cavalry and pursue the rear breasted a ridge by the inn of La Belle StJean were Bulow's IV and Pirch's II. guard vigorously." Alliance. There in front of them was a The I and III Corps were to be held in Having said this Napoleon turned with valley and another ridge in front of the reserve, their actions, to a large extent his personal escort and raced for the town of Mont StJean. The last of the dictated by the actions of Grouchy. crossroads. He was observed by the Allied infantry was crossing the valley Grouchy was vacillating. He was aware Duke whose response was "Well there and the cavalry was deployed in a that part of the Prussian Army had is the last of the infantry gone, and I screen along the base of the ridge. This moved to Wavre and part (several thou don't care." Turning the conduct of the was curious. sand fugitives) had moved towards rearguard over to Uxbridge he rode off The Emperor brought up Milhaud' s Liege. Not knowing which way the after his army. cuirassiers and deployed them as if to bulk of the Prussians had gone Grouchy Seeing the French Army advancing; charge. He then opened fire from the informed the Emperor and waited for led in person by the Emperor was an horse artillery. The reply from a line of further instructions. inspiring sight for the men of the rear guns along the Mont StJean ridge gave Whether the main Prussian Army was guard. They did not wait around to him the answer he had been after. The at Liege or at Wavre Grouchy should 26 have realised that only the men at Allies on another, some distance to the The three bastions were strongly garri Wavre mattered. Unless Grouchy neu north. Curiously the French found soned, Hougoumont especially. The tralised them they would be able to fall themselves on the ridge initially cho chateau held 1,500 men, Dutch, on the Emperor's flank. Any Prussians sen by Wellington to defend. Nassauers, Hanoverian riflemen and who had retreated to Liege were effec The Quartermaster General, De Lancey the four light companies from the 1st tively out of the campaign. had been unsure as to which ridge Guards Brigade, perhaps the finest in On the morning of June 18th many of Wellington meant and decided that, fantry in the British Army. La Haye the French were found to have bivou despite being steeper the ridge at La Sainte was defended by six companies acked well to the south of Napoleon's Belle Alliance was 'too extended to be of KGL riflemen. Papelotte was less main position. The Emperor had in occupied by our troops'. The Duke's well defended, Saxe Weimar's Brigade, tended to be ready to attack by 6AM supposed brilliant choice of ground mauled at Quatre Bras, had half its but altered this to nine when he saw the upon which to fight was actually made strength deployed between Papelotte dispositions of his men and the muddy by another man. and Frischermont. state of the ground. In front of the Allied line were three Clearly Wellington intended to stand By 8AM the task of getting the army in farmhouses which acted as bastions. on the defensive until either he or the order was well under way. The Em On the left was Papelotte and the French were broken or Blucher showed peror took his breakfast with Sault, Chateau de Frischermont. In the centre up. Billeted in the town of Waterloo, Drouot and, by the end of the meal was LaHaye Sainte and on the right well behind the Allied line, Wellington Ney, and Reille as well. The Peninsula was Hougoumont with its hedges and was asked by his second in command, veterans were uneasy about the pros orchards. Uxbridge, what his plans for the day where. The Duke replied by asking pect of attacking another of Welling These strongpoints were the key to the Uxbridge "who will attack first tomor ton's armies and Napoleon unleashed position. Any frontal attack by the row, I or Bonaparte?". "Bonaparte" said several scornful rebukes. French would be channelled into the Uxbridge. "Well", continued the Duke, It seemed, however, that Napoleon was lanes between these places and sub "Bonaparte has not given me any idea not overconfident to the point of being jected to flanking fire. The bastions of his projects; and as my plans will foolhardy. He had stated that he did would also make flanking movements depend on his, how can you expect me not need Grouchy but after breakfast difficult, the appropriate farmhouse to tell you what mine are?". One sus he sent a message to his right-wing needing to be captured before an effec pects that this conversation would be commander instructing him to 'head tive envelopment could be carried out. seen in a different light today, had an for Wavre in order to draw near to us, The two ridges were not parallel, the accurate French ball suddenly made and place yourself in touch with our right flank of the Allied Army being Uxbridge the army commander. operations and to keep up your com closer to the French than the left. In On the other side of the field the French munications with us, pushing before effect Wellington's left flank was re were deployed with two infantry corps you those portions of the Prussian fused. The Duke was acutely aware of forward and the remainder of the army Army which have taken this direction, this, strengthening his right flank con in reserve. D'Erlon' s I Corps was on the and which have halted at Wavre; this siderably. place you ought to reach as soon as right and Reille' s II Corps, still without Battalions were also deployed four possible.' Girard's Division was on the left. The ranks deep rather than the usual two. Cavalry divisions ofJacquinot and Pin~ Clearly the Emperor intended Grouchy This was a safeguard against the nu covered the right and left flanks re to approach Wavre from the south west, merous French cavalry. A four deep spectively. thereby placing himself in the path of line could rapidly form a rally square. A second line consisted of Kellerman's any Prussians who might be moving In none of Wellington's previous bat Cavalry Corps on the left, Lobau' s VI towards Mont StJean. However, the tles had the French enjoyed such a su Infantry Corps and two cavalry divi order was badly worded and anyway periority in cavalry as they did at sions in the centre and another cavalry would not reach Grouchy until 4PM. Waterloo. corps under Milhaud on the right. The As another indication of Napoleon's The Corps system was modified for the Guard was in the third line. concern for his flank, the 7th Hussars battle with the main defensive line split To the east of Mont StJean Blucher had were detached, along with a battalion between Hill on the right, Orange in turned the mechanics of bringing the of infantry to act as a screen against the the centre and Picton on the left. In Prussian Army to Wellington's aid over possible advance of the Prussians. reserve was Uxbridge's cavalry behind to Gneisenau. The Prussian Chief-of The battlefield was remarkably small the centre and Brunswick's Corps be Staff had not trusted Wellington before by the standards of the day, slightly hind the right. The deployment was the campaign opened and the events of more than two miles across. The French such that the quality units were evenly June 16th had only reinforced his preju- were deployed on one ridge and the distributed along the line. 27 dices. Therefore Gn,eisenau was deter Army would either be brought to bat with Bulow's column. At most, half of mined that the Prussians would not tle and destroyed or choose to retreat one Prussian corps would have reached arrive at Mont-St-Jean before the French on its lines of communication. Either Mont StJean. had been given an opportunity to test way Napoleon would gain the prestige Meanwhile, Prince Jerome's Division the English general's resolve. of having defeated the two most suc commenced its attack on Hougoumont. Under the premise that it was the only cessful Allied generals and would be in Preceded by a wave of skirmishers corps not to have been engaged at Ligny a position to fall on the flank of the seven battalion columns, Bauduin' s 1st Bulow's IV Corps was chosen to lead Russians and Austrians should they Brigade, advanced towards the advance. The fact that Bulow's men advance to the French border. Hougoumont Wood. The French were five miles east of Wavre meant The attack was planned for 1 PM but skirmisher line was thrown back by the that the Prussians would take the maxi some time between 11 AM and 11.30 Hanoverian and N assauer defenders mum possible time to reach the battle the Emperor received a message from but the main body advanced through field. Grouchy which suggested that the the fire of the Allied skirmishers. If the Anglo-Dutch Army broke before Prussians were already on the move The fight degenerated into a close range Bulow arrived then the Prussians towards Mont StJean. musketry contest as the French col would be justified in retreating. If the Immediately Napoleon made an altera umns disintegrated. Both sides used battle was still under way then the tion to his plans. D'Erlon' s attack would whatever cover they could find and the Prussians would appear just in time to go ahead as planned. However, in or French continued to gain ground save Wellington and crush the French. der to give the attack greater chance of through weight of numbers. As it was the head of Bulow's column success, Reille would attack the cha Eventually the attacking brigade forced reached Wavre by 7 AM and was at teau of Hougoumont. The diversion their way up to the Chateau itself and Chapelle St-Lambert (within sight of ary attack by Prince Jerome's Division the defenders of the wood fell back the battlefield) by 10.30. The last of the of II Corps would draw Wellington's behind the buildings. The French Prussian IV Corps, however, did not attention, and hopefully his reserves, rushed the Chateau itself and were reach the latter town until three in the to the point where he obviously most forced back by the heavy musketry afternoon. Napoleon was to have his feared an attack. The grand battery from within. The 1st brigade broke and opportunity to crush the British but was also increased in size from 24 guns fled back into the wood. to 84. there was no time to waste. Despite his reverse Jerome was now in Napoleon's first orders for the day were A little before 11.30 AM a cannonade a position to bypass Hougoumont and simple. A grand battery was to be began of the Hougoumont and its sur threaten the Allied right flank. At the formed in front of I Corps which would rounds. Before very long French infan same time he would be able to bring bombard the Allied centre and left. try could be seen advancing towards artillery close to the walls and smash D'Erlon would launch a frontal assault the chateau. The Battle of Waterloo had the chateau to pieces. Hougoumont had which would roll over the weak Allied begun. been neutralised by the capture of the left wing. At this juncture Reille would wood but Napoleon's brother only saw attack frontally while d'Erlon wheeled Battle! that he had been repulsed and called to the left, rolling up the Allied line. for his second brigade to launch an The opening cannonade of the Battle of Somewhere about this time Napoleon other attack. Waterloo was heard many miles from expected Wellington to break off the An infantry assault on Hougoumont the battlefield. Grouchy and Gerard action and retreat towards his reserve, was, at this stage of the battle, a major heard the noise which prompted the the 17,000 men left to defend the sup mistake. Wellington would only con corps commander to tactlessly demand ply lines at Hal. Marshal N ey would be sider moving his reserves onto the right that they march to the sound of the given one infantry corps and sufficient flank if he felt himself genuinely threat guns. cavalry to pursue the broken Anglo ened. While the French were concen Dutch while Napoleon marched into Grouchy expressed his annoyance with trating on Hougoumont the remainder Brussels. There would then be no the high handed manner of his subor of the right flank was safe. The diver chance of Blucher and Wellington join dinate and refused to march to Mont St sion was, so far, diverting only French ing forces. Jean, citing Napoleon's orders to pur men. sue Blucher. The stupidity of the situa After gaining Brussels the Emperor Despite the arguments of the divisional tion was that by continuing to Wavre, would most probably move first against chief-of-staff, General Guilleminot, Grouchy was allowing the Prussians to Wellington. The Duke would be ex Prince Jerome hurled his second bri move westward unimpeded. Had he pected to choose retreat across the gade at the Chateau walls without the marched towards the battlefield the Channel in preference to another bat benefit of artillery support. Not so the French right wing would have collided tle. With Blucher isolated the Prussian defenders as Wellington ordered a bat- 28 tery of howitzers to fire shrapnel over the chateau into the French soldiers beyond. Colonel Frazer, commanding the Brit ish horse artillery later recounted the incident. Wellington 'Whilst looking about, remarking again that the weak point of our line was our right, and imagining that the enemy, making a demonstration on our centre and left, would forcibly seize the wood, and interpose between us and Braine le Leud [sic], would endeavour to turn the right flank of our second line.' Although only one battery of artillery had so far been shifted against Jer6me' s attack Wellington had clearly been fooled into believing this to be Napole on's main effort. Closing the Gate at Hougoumont Under accurate fire from the British This single action saved the chateau and deprived Napoleon of the services of two howitzers Soye' s Brigade moved divisions later in the battle around the western flank of Hougoumont and launched an attack on the lightly protected north gate of Hougoumont collapsed into a bloody moment in drawing near to us, and the complex. The defenders were too stalemate. effecting a junction with us, in order to few to repulse the massive column As the battle for Hougoumont was in crush Bulow whom you will catch in which reached the gate and began to progress Napoleon was composing a the very act of concentrating.' force its way inside. letter to Grouchy. The Emperor de By 1.30 PM the 84 guns of Napoleon's Wellington directed Byng' s Guards sired Grouchy to 'keep up your com grand battery had been pounding Brigade to counterattack the French munication with us, so as to be pre Wellington's centre left for an hour and column which was driven off. How pared at any moment to fall upon and a half. Because of the deployment of ever, this was not before two dozen crush the enemy's troops which may the Allies on a reverse slope the bom Frenchmen under the enormous axe endeavour to annoy our right flank. At bardment was not as effective as it wielding Lieutenant Legros (nick this moment the battle is raging in front might have been. named 'the smasher') had forced their of Mont StJean, manoeuvre therefore Not only did a great number of shots way into the courtyard of the chateau. to join our right. fail to clear the crest of the ridge but Under the command of Lt. Colonel As he was composing this message many sailed over the heads of the in Macdonnell, the defenders pushed the Napoleon was brought a captured let fantry into the ranks of the reserve door closed and killed all but one of the ter from Gneisenau to Colonel Muffling, cavalry. Enough shots, however, struck enemy inside (the one survivor was a Wellington's Prussian attache. The let home for Napoleon to feel that his at drummer boy). ter confirmed that the troops just vis tack would be successful. ible to the east were the men of Bulow's Marshal Ney was dispatched to lead There is considerable argument as to IV Corps. Even worse was the news who ordered Foy' s Division into the the attack. The 17,000 men of d'Erlon's that the Prussians had lost contact with Corps started forward. Despite later attack on Hougoumont. Some say it Grouchy's force. Blucher was free to was Reille, others say Napoleon, or it claims that 'they came on in the same fall on the Emperor with his entire old way' the French were deployed could simply have been the divisional army. commander himself reacting to quite differently to the way they would Jerome's calls for reinforcements. Napoleon wrote a postscript to his let have been against a continental army. ter in which he informed Grouchy 'A Whoever was responsible, Gautier's The divisions of Donzelot, Marcognet letter which has just been intercepted and one brigade of Durutte' s Division Brigade advanced into the orchards to states that General von Bulow is about the east of the Chateau. It was opposed were deployed in divisional column to attack our right flank. We believe rather thah battalion column. The indi by the Guards of Byng' s Brigade and that we notice this corps now on the once again an attempt to capture vidual battalions were arrayed in line heights of St. Lambert. So do not lose a one behind the other. This gave a bat- 29 battalions. Having just suffered mas sive losses from the French volley the two militia units broke and ran. By this time Donzelot' s Division had moved around Bourgeois' Brigade and came up against Bylandt's two line units. As the Division came over the ridge the Dutch, who had been lying down, rose and fired a volley. This so shocked the French that the head of the column halted. Then, in stead of crashing into the Allied line with the weight of an entire division the lead unit began a close range TallyHo! firefight. With a full division of re Not content with having broken up the attack of d 'Erion's Corps the British heavy serves the French were sure to win the cavalry swept on over the French guns, ultimately to their doom engagement but it allowed two battal ions to hold up the whole of Donzelot' s force. tali on frontage of around 300 muskets. Sainte drove back the skirmishers in Meanwhile Durutte had advanced The reason for this deployment was front of Bourgeois's Brigade and mo against the men of Saxe Weimar's Bri the feeling amongst those generals who mentarily halted that unit. A counter gade between Papelotte and had faced Wellington in the Peninsula attack by a battalion of Kielsmanegges Frischermont on the Allied extreme left. that any attempt to deploy into line Hanoverians pushed the French back The attack commenced with a bom within range of the British muskets from the farmhouse before they were bardment of the hamlet of Smohain by would be suicidal. cut to pieces by Travers' Brigade of three batteries of horse artillery. As well as attacking in divisional col cuirassiers. One brigade advanced against the ham umn the French had a great many more Donzelot' s Division was obstructed in let while the other took part in the main skirmishers than was customary. The it's advance by the men of Bourgeois' attack on the ridge line. Durutte per equivalent of a brigade of men swarmed Brigade who were attempting to de sonally directed the attack on Smohain in front of the columns to mask the ploy around the Sandpit. Marcognet and was hence unaware of what was Allies fire and cause further disrup advanced past the stationary Donzelot happening over the small ridge which tion. and outflanked that portion of the 95th separated him from the main battle As the advance commenced the fire Rifles who had been on a knoll to the field. from the grand battery increased to a east of the Sandpit. Marcognet' s Division had dispersed crescendo. The Allied gunners had been The outflanked riflemen withdrew to its immediate opponents and was re ordered not to engage in counter-bat their brigade,leaving the three compa forming to continue the advance. Gen tery fire and by and large this order nies in the Sandpit to support the six eral Picton could see that the gap had to was observed. Ammunition was con KGL companies inside LaHaye Sainte. be sealed or the French would be served until the French infantry came The farmhouse was still holding but it through into the rear of the Allied Army. in range at which point every gun that had been surrounded by the French. Picton ordered Pack and Kempt to ad could, went into action against the ad Kempt' s Brigade, of which the 95th vance with their brigades. vancing columns. Rifles were a component, was deployed Kempt' s Brigade of three English bat With the French advancing in echelon well to the rear of Bylandt' s Dutch talions moved to oppose Bourgeois' from left to right the left hand units, the Belgian Brigade. Here the French tac Brigade which was advancing between two brigades of Quiot' s Division were tics worked to perfection. Bylandt be the remnants of the 95th Rifles and the first to get into battle. At La Haye came engaged with a large cloud of Bylandt's Brigade. Bourgeois' men Sainte, as at Hougoumont the defend skirmishers who inflicted a significant withdrew slightly which left the flank ers were rapidly pushed back through number of casualties on the Dutch. of Donzelot' s column open. The 28th the orchards into the farmhouse itself. Suddenly, Marcognet' s divisional col Infantry poured a flanking fire into the The first French onslaught was slowed umn appeared. The skirmishers scat mass of Frenchmen and the column and fierce fighting continued around tered and a huge volley crashed into which had already halted began to lose the strategic location. The 95th Rifles in Bylandt' s men. The Allied brigade was cohesion. the Sandpit, to the east of La Haye composed of two line and two militia 30 Pack's Brigade fac~d something com and many of them turned and followed to the grand battery where they sabred pletely different. fn stark contrast to the cavalry into the attack. Far from the a few gunners and contemplated their their Peninsula experience the British romantic charge of Lady Butler's paint inability to spike the guns. found themselves overlapped and ing the Scots Greys (in the words of Napoleon had by this time ridden over outgunned by the French column. The Lieutenant Winchester of the 92nd In to Milhaud where he ordered a cavalry 92nd Infantry broke in front of the fantry) ' ... actually walked over this col counterattack. Jacquinot, supporting charge of the division and the other umn... '. By the time the cavalry had the attack on Papelotte had already battalions of Pack's Brigade, faced by passed through their comrades their ordered his lancers into the fight. Durutte' s first brigade were unable to was no room to get up speed so they Martigue's Regiment charged the Un cover the gap which resulted. simply moved into the French at the ion Brigade and routed it, Killing its The French appeared poised to roll up walk. commander, Ponsonby. the Allied line. Marcognet' s Division Marcognet' s column, thinking itself A second regiment of lancers under had defeated all the infantry to its front. victorious was in the process of re Colonel Bro were attacked by Even though Donzelot was hard forming its ranks and did not even Vandeleur' s dragoons who were men pressed, a quick left wheel would slam manage to get off a volley. The same acing Durutte' s intact brigade. De the victorious French division into the formation which had allowed the Ghigny also attacked with his Light flank of Kempt' s Brigade. French to overwhelm the Allied infan Brigade and Bro' s lancers were routed. From his vantage point near La Belle try now made it almost impossible to The pursuit carried the two Allied cav Alliance Napoleon perceived that vic form square against cavalry. The French alry units past a battalion of Lobau' s tory was imminent. He ordered infantry was cut to pieces. Corps which was en route to block the Milhaud to release the remainder of his Before long the Scots Greys had passed Prussians. The battalion formed square cuirassiers to support the break through Marcognet' s 24 deep column and was not troubled by the enemy through. Kellerman was also ordered and a loose body of cavalry formed at horse. to make his cavalry units ready to ex the rear of the broken division. They The cavalry action entered its last phase ploit a breach. immediately saw Pegot' s Brigade of when Milhaud' s remaining cuirassiers It was at this point that Wellington Durutte' s Division which had not made thundered across the valley sweeping ordered Uxbridge to counterattack with contact with the British line. The Greys all before them. V andeleur and De the heavy cavalry of Somerset's House charged. The French formed a solid Ghigny retired in good order. The two hold Brigade and Ponsonby' s Union square and delivered a volley which brigades of heavy cavalry were ruined Brigade. shattered the remains of the regiment. but they had routed a corps. Travers' Cuirassiers had been guard It was at this point, with the French Napoleon's right and Wellington's left ing the left flank of d'Erlon' s advance infantry unloaded that a fresh squad were both wrecked. If only another since their destruction of the ron of the Royals emerged from be French corps had been available to Hanoverian Liineburg battalion. They tween two French columns. The cav resume the attack there would have were taken by surprise and over alry executed a perfect left wheel and been little that Wellington could have whelmed by the attack of the House slammed into the corner of Pegot' s Bri done to stop it. The problem for Napo hold Brigade. A number of Frenchmen gade which broke. leon was that the Guard were still in were forced over the edge of a small The rout was now complete. With the reserve and Lobau had moved to op cliff above La Haye Sainte. exception of Quiot' s Brigade which had pose Bulow's Prussians. The majority of the cuirassiers were been assaulting La Haye Sainte and The Emperor was unwilling to commit forced back into Bourgeois and Brue' s Brigade of Durutte' s Division the Guard, his only reserve, to a con Donzelot's columns which were un which had been attacking Papelotte all tinuation of the attack. If he attacked able to fire on the advancing cavalry as the infantry of d'Erlon' s Corps was and lost then he would not only have a result. Bourgeois' brigade column dead, captured or in retreat. A number lost the battle but, without reserves to broke and was closely followed by that of rally squares sprung up amongst the cover a retreat he would be annihi of Donzelot when the Inniskillings survivors and there were too many lated. Another solution would have to slammed into the front of the latter individual targets for the victorious be found. cavalry to think about assaulting an column. The Royals also struck It was felt that to call off Reille' s attack other formed body. Donzelot' s column, although they re on Hougoumont would be to show ceived an effective volley before slam Bachelu's Division of Reille' s Corps Wellington how weak Napoleon per ming into the French . had advanced in support of d'Erlon's ceived himself to be at this time and so The Scots Greys advanced at a walk left and was now able to repel the this was continued albeit only by a towards the fleeing men of the 92nd Household Brigade with a massive howitzer bombardment of the chateau. Infantry. Thesemadewayforthehorses volley. The Union Brigade carried on 31 It was at this time, as d'Erlon reformed Predictably the attack on the farmhouse Perhapsitwasfeltthattheintense bom the two thirds of his command which at the centre of the Allied line failed as bardment of the Allied centre by the had survived the rout that Napoleon the outnumbered attackers marched grand battery would be sufficient to received a message from Grouchy. into a storm of artillery and musketry. disorganise the squares. Von Alten, The note, written at 11AM confirmed All the units involved retired with commander of the British 3rd Division what Napoleon had feared, that heavy casualties. stated; 'Never had the most veteran Grouchy was proceeding to Wavre with It was at this point, about 3.30 PM, with soldiers heard such a cannonade.' his entire command and, rather than the Prussians set to fall on Lobau' s VI Altogether over 5,000 cavalry charged interposing himself between the Em Corps, that the decision was made to up the slope between Hougoumont and peror and the Prussians, would use attack with cavalry. Much has been LaHaye Sainte. At the same time Pire' s lessly engage the Prussian rearguard said about the great French cavalry lancers demonstrated on Wellington's while at least one Prussian corps fell on attacks, most of it uncomplimentary. extreme right. The Duke detached three Napoleon. Most authors suggest that the attack cavalry regiments to dispose of the Although most writers fail to recognise was made by Ney on his own initiative threat from Pire,leaving him with about it, Wellington was now in an excellent when he saw some Allied cavalry and 5,000 horsemen with which to oppose position to counterattack the French. wounded retiring into the Foret de any breakthrough by Ney. The numerical difference between the Soignes. It is unlikely that this was the The Marshal charged at the head of the two armies at the start of the battle had case. What is more probable is that, as cuirassiers and was unhorsed by a can been slight. With Lobau deployed at Eylau in 1807, Napoleon felt forced non shot. Despite seeing their leader against Blucher, d'Erlon disorganised to launch his cavalry in a holding at struck down the French cavalry contin and Reille engaged at Hougoumont tack in order to redeem the situation ued their charge. As each square was there were only the equivalent of two after the failure of what was intended approached a volley was unleashed divisions of infantry to cover the area to be the decisive infantry assault. which brought down more horsemen. from Hougoumont to Papelotte. (Readers who are interested in this com Despite their battering by cannon fire An Allied attack would force Napo parison should compare the accounts the squares were solid and sabre armed leon to commit the Guard and, even if of the cavalry charges at Eylau and cavalry could do little to trouble them. the attack was repulsed, there would Waterloo contained in David Chan The French artillerymen could not fire be nothing to counterattack with. Wel dler's Campaigns of Napoleon. It seems into the mass of friendly cavalry and lington had the advantage, if he only incomprehensible that such an emi enemy infantry without inflicting as realised it and Napoleon's only option nent writer should heap praise on the many casualties on their own men as if he was to gain the time for d'Erlon to attack at Eylau while condemning ut on the Allies. So for the infantry squares reform was to continue to attack. terly the almost identical attack at Wa the attack by the cavalry was almost a Ney was ordered to gather what he terloo.) respite from the terrible bombardment. could to attack La Haye Sainte and he However, there were several differ It is clear that the mass of fire broke the sent Quiot' s second brigade forward ences between Eylau and Waterloo. cohesion of the French cavalry so that against the farmhouse. The only other The first and most important was that none had the opportunity earlier pre offensive actions which Napoleon Joachim Murat was not leading the sented to the Royals of charging in could carry out were to bombard the cavalry. Murat would have been quick perfect formation into the corner of a Allied line with the grand battery. to point out that one of the key ingredi square. One regiment of Bachelu's Division was ents of his success in 1807 was missing, Few individuals were prepared to advanced in skirmish order to give horse artillery. Practically all the French crash into a square without support some sort of support to the attack on La horse artillery had been detached dur from their comrades and so the major Haye Sainte and three battalions of ing the course of the battle so far to ity of the French milled around the Donzelot' s Division did the same on support the attacks by the infantry. flanks of the squares occasionally the other flank of the farmhouse. It is unthinkable that Napoleon would thrusting at an unwary soldier within. Despite the Emperor's fears Welling have intended a cavalry attack to go By 4.15 PM Wellington felt that it was ton had no intention of attacking Na ahead without the close artillery sup time to counterattack. Uxbridge sent poleon until he had Blucher present to port which was vital if squares were to his entire cavalry reserve forward into guarantee success. Lambert's Brigade be broken. the lanes between the squares and the was moved into line on the left and a However, it is highly probable that French were driven off. trickle of reinforcements maintained Napoleon's orders to Marshal Ney As Ney, now remounted reformed his the status quo in Hougoumont. The made no mention of recalling the horse men at the bottom of the slope the defenders of La Haye Sainte were also artillery batteries and that N ey assumed French artillery continued its butchers reinforced by five companies. that he was to attack without them. work. Survivors noted that as many as 32 eight men could be carried off by a single roundshot and as many again by a shell. While Napoleon had almost certainly ordered the first cavalry attack he was evidently greatly displeased whenNey led his squadrons back up towards the Allied line. "This is a premature move ment which may well lead to fatal re sults. He is compromising us as he did at Jena." Wellington also felt that the continual cavalry attacks were not worthy of the Emperor, "Damn the fellow", he said, "he is a mere pounder after all." However, Napoleon resolved to support Ney's continuation of the attack, even if he thought it was wrong. Kellerman's two divisions were or Blucher to the Rescue dered into the attack as was Guyot's The old Field Marshal spurs on his men as they march towards Plancenoit heavy cavalry of the Guard. There were now only 800 carabiniers of Kellerman's Corps in the Emperor's cavalry reserve. practicable, more to hearten the Duke that he was being attacked at Wavre by Ney' s second attack met with the same of Wellington than for any great effect a 'vastly superior force'. Gneisenau' s results as the first. He was driven back on the French. On Mont StJean Ridge answer to the messenger gave some down the slope to be joined by the Wellington heard the cannon shots and indication of how faulty Grouchy's additional5,300 horse detached to him turning to an aide said "The battle is continued advance to Wavre had been, by Napoleon. As Marshal Ney pre mine; and if the Prussians arrive soon, "Let Thielemann defend himself as best pared to once again charge into a hail there will be an end of the war." he can, it matters little if he be crushed of, predominantly, English lead he must As the cannonade began, Losthin' s 15th at Wavre, providing we gain the vic have known that Lobau' s Corps had Brigade and von Hiller's 16th Brigade tory here." been in action against Bulow's IV Prus moved out from the cover of the Bois sian Corps for nearly an hour. de Paris in line abreast. The cavalry Interlude- The Battle of Wavre The first two brigades (remembering and fusilier battalions were deployed that a Prussian brigade was equivalent on the flanks leaving 13 battalions for Grouchy was convinced that he would to a French or British Division) reached the main assault. As the Prussian ad best serve Napoleon by proceeding to Chapelle St Lambert around noon. Here vance began Hacke's 13th Brigade be Wavre which he did. After hearing the they were observed by Napoleon. gan to form upon theedgeofthewood, opening cannonade of the battle of Both Blucher and Gneisenau were sure closely followed by von Ryssel's 14th Waterloo the Marshal picked up his that their presence would only make Brigade. previously desultory pace in order to get into action against the Prussians as Napoleon redouble his efforts to defeat Plancenoit was, as yet unoccupied by soon as possible. one army before he had to seriously Lobau' s men and as the French became contend with another. It was therefore engaged with Losthin on the Prussian The Prussian advance was slowed by decided that Bulow's Corps would at right, von Hiller raced for the village. Gneisenau' s insistence that IV Corps tack as soon as it was able, in the direc Lobau observed that his flank was open lead the column. IV Corps was fol tion of Plancenoit. That is, the first and ordered a brigade to occupy lowed by I Corps which soon took the Prussians would attempt to cut Napo Plancenoit. At the same time he retired more northerly routes which would leon's line of retreat as the Emperor from his forward positions towards bring it onto the battlefield behind had attempted to do to them with the village. 30,000 Prussians and 10,000 Wellington's left flank. This allowed II d'Erlon's Corps at Ligny. Frenchmen were soon locked in a Corps to move off in the wake of Facing the half of IV Corps which was deadly battle for control of Napoleon's Bulow's men. in position to attack was Lobau's VI available lines of retreat. Thielemann's III Corps was to be last of Corps and the two cavalry divisions of As Bulow's Corps pushed closer to all and was in the process of moving Doman and Subervie. A bombardment Plancenoit Blucher received word from through Wavre when the first of was opened by the Prussians as soon as Thielemann, the III Corps commander Grouchy's men were sighted. 33 Brigades (Cont.)
Vandamme's III Cotps appeared when Vandamme's Corps was sent to attempt As the fourth massive charge started only Borcke' s 9th Brigade was on the a crossing at the Bierges Mill to the towards the Allied lines N ey began to French side of the River Dyle which south west. use a little tactical finesse. Bachelu's flowed from the southeast through the It was at this point, around 5 PM that Infantry Division and a Brigade ofFoy' s town. The bridge at Wavre had been Grouchy received Napoleon's 1 PM Division advanced on the left of the barricaded so Borcke crossed at Lower despatch ordering him to the battle cavalry. Enfiladed by the Hougoumont Wavre to the northeast. The bridge at field at Mont StJean. With Vandamme garrison and raked by musketry from this place was destroyed after tli:e_ bri committed to the fighting around the British Guards Foy was wounded gade had passed. Wavre Grouchy was left with Gerard's and his brigade pushed back. Bachelu Borcke had orders to march to Mont St IV Corps and Pajol' s Cavalry Corps. withdrew before becoming engaged. Jean but, on his own initiative detached He decided to send the cavalry to N ey also brought Pire' s horse artillery three regiments of infantry and two Limale, well to the southwest in an battery into action which may have squadrons of cavalry to oppose the attempt to get around the Prussian rear resulted in at least one square being French as they crossed the Dyle. 9th guard and attack the columns heading broken, Napoleon being brought Brit Brigade then marched off to the west, off to the west. ish and Brunswick colours. The French somehow missing the rest of III Corps Meanwhile the single battalion cross horse artillery was forced to retreat which had been turned around to face ing the Bierges Bridge was strongly when attacked by Brunswick hussars Grouchy. opposed and was cut to pieces. Hulot' s and lancers. Thielemann had only three division Division of Gerard's IV Corps was By 6 PM the Allied centre was still sized brigades with which to oppose drawn into the attack on the bridge and standing firm and Ney called off his the two French Corps advancing to was beaten back. Continued assaults cavalry attacks. The cavalry on both wards him. He declined to leave his were also unsuccessful with Gerard sides was wrecked, Trip's Dutch-Bel men in large bodies within range of being wounded by a Prussian sniper. gian Brigade was refusing to advance Grouchy's artillery, instead pushing At Limale Pajol found only a Prussian again while the Cumberland Hussars forward a very strong skirmish line outpost and sent a regiment of hussars were routed and did not draw rein behind which the bulk of the three thundering across the bridge. The rest until they reached Brussels where they brigades sat ready to feed in reserves or of Pajol' s cavalry was soon across, fol spread the rumour of an Allied defeat. counterattack as circumstances dic lowed by Teste's Division (nominally The end of the cavalry attacks gave the tated. part of VI Corps) and most of Gerard's long-suffering Allied infantry no relief Most of the Prussian artillery was well Corps. as the French guns reopened their can forward, in position to enfilade the As night fell Thielemann sent urgent nonade, drawing from a seemingly approaches to the few bridges the messages to Blucher informing him that endless supply of ammunition. French would have to use. III Corps had been outflanked and Napoleon had remained curiously in At around 4 PM Vandamme decided to risked destruction in the morning. All active during the last hour and a half. attack without orders from Grouchy. of Thielemann's reserves were rushed Perhaps he felt that the Allied centre The village of Aisemont on the south to oppose the French across the Dyle must inevitably break, as so many con ern bank of the Dyle between Wavre and Grouchy was fooled into thinking tinental armies had done under such and Lower Wavre was taken and an that he had drawn the mass of Bulow's appalling punishment. Whatever the assault was begun by lOth Division on Corps away from the Emperor onto his reason for the Emperor's lack of action Wavre Bridge. own force. he now ordered Ney to attack again. The first rush against the bridge ran LaHaye Sainte was the key to the Al into intense musketry and cannon fire The Crisis! lied centre. It had channeled the two and was beaten back with the loss of great French attacks, one to the right of 600 men including Habert, the divi As the Prussians fought to break the farmhouse and one to the left. Its sional commander. After two more as through Lobau' s thin screen with one capture would enable Napoleon to saults had failed the remnants of the hand and hold off Grouchy with the bring artillery right up to the Allied division took shelter in the buildings other Marshal N ey was leading his third centre and to finally break Welling on the south bank. advance up the slope against the Allied ton's Army in two. centre. Grouchy realised that a continuation of By the time N ey came to attack LaHaye the assaults on Wavre Bridge would be This attack proved as unsuccessful as Sainte he was able to make use of the senseless and started to probe up and the first two and was finally bundled large number of d'Erlon' s men who down stream. Exelmans' Dragoons back down into the valley by another had reformed after their rout earlier in were despatched to Lower Wavre while counterattack from the increasingly the day. The centre of the attack was an u n comm itted battalion of depleted Allied cavalry. Quiot' s Division and this was sup- 34 Brigades (Cont.) ported, on the left" by Bachelu and on and ordered the 3rd Netherlands Divi Gordon and De Laney, the Duke's two the right by Marcognet. The entire force sion from Braine L' Aleud on the far most senior staff were also killed by was shadowed by the remnants of right of his line into the depleted area this cannonade. Muttering to nobody Milhaud' s Cuirassiers. behind La Haye Sainte. Vivian and in particular Wellington was heard to While N ey was forming his men the Vandeleur' s cavalry were positioned say, "Night or the Prussians must artillery bombarded the farmhouse behind the infantry protecting the cen come." causing many casualties and, more tre. Individual units were being annihilated importantly for the French, blowing While LaHaye Sainte was being at by the French gunnery and the swarms holes in the walls through which infan tacked Durutte had resumed his attack of skirmishers. The 27th foot lost 480 try could assault. A stalemate ensued on Papelotte. Saxe Weimar's depleted out of a complement of 698. Their bod as the French forced the defenders back brigade was bundled out of the build ies were said to have been found laid from the walls into the buildings. How ings which were then occupied by the out in a perfect square. The 1/1st ever, any attempt to scale or pass French for use against the advancing Nassauer battalion broke square to through the wall was beaten back. Prussians. charge the gunners but were ridden The defenders of La Haye Sainte were Although his left flank was now se down by cuirassiers instead. rapidly running out of ammunition and curely anchored, Lobau was having Matters were so serious that the col despite several messages Major Baring trouble holding Plancenoit. Driven out ours of several depleted battalions were could not secure any extra. Quiot of all the village but the cemetery the sent to the rear to avoid capture. En brought up an artillery battery to blast French were subjected to canister fire sign William Leeke of the 52nd recalled the farmhouse at close range. The com from well handled guns which ena seeing a dead kitten, some soldier's pet bination of this barrage and the slack bled the Prussian infantry to close with which made him suddenly think of ening in the defender's fire as they ran the bayonet. In a savage contest the home. out of cartridges prompted the French French were steadily pushed back. Ney sensed victory and sent a messen to redouble their efforts. Lobau called on Napoleon for rein ger to Napoleon requesting that the Upon gaining the top of the wall many forcements and seeing how critical the Emperor release the Guard. Napoleon, French infantry found that they could fighting was in Plancenoit, the Em however, was in the process of detach fire onthe Germans inside without any peror released the eight battalions of ing another 1,100 of his Guard, this reply. Major Baring gave the order to Duhesme' s Young Guard. The elite in time two battalions of the Old Guard, retreat but only 42 men got out alive. fantry tore through the exhausted and to Plancenoit. The sight of the bear Wellington's central bastion was finally in part, inexperienced Prussians and skins caused a rout amongst the under French control. Plancenoit was recaptured. Prussians in which it is estimated that As the French stormed up the slope Once again the French were holding an 3,000 were killed. past La Haye Sainte two of Ompteda' s entire Prussian Corps of 30,000 men Napoleon was more than holding his battalions were ordered to oppose with barely more than a third the own against Blucher and Gneisenau, them. The brigade commander ques number. But the Emperor had been but at the cost of his victory tioned the decision to deploy in line, forced to commit a large proportion of overWellington. When Colonel citing the fact that he could see French his beloved Guard to an action which Heymes rode up to the Emperor re cavalry behind the infantry. Ompteda could not win, only save the battle. questing fresh men to complete the was ordered by the Prince of Orange to Meanwhile Marshal Ney had been po destruction of Wellington's centre N a send his men forward, which he reluc sitioning his artillery in front of La poleon angrily replied, "Some troops! tantly did. Haye Sainte and Lambert's Brigade was Where do you expect me to get them The disorganised French infantry with reduced to a shambles by French canis from? Do you want me to make some?" drew before the formed body reveal ter fire. Huge numbers of skirmishers As Wellington brought the Brunswick ing one of Kellerman's Cuirassier regi were sent forward to increase the attri Corps into the centre Ney himself rode ments. One battalion, the 8th KGL was tion while Ney prepared to launch the up to Napoleon and pleaded his case struck in the flank. Ompteda and all attack which must destroy Welling for an attack by the Guard. but 18 men were sabred. The other ton's fragile line. Reports from Durutte suggested that battalion fled. The cuirassiers in turn With the cavalry arrayed behind the the units moving towards the rear of were repulsed by Arentschildt' s KGL artillery the units defending the centre Bulow's Corps were the vanguard of Hussars. Only the appearance of the were forced into square which the Grouchy's Army. Of course they were Imperial Guard lancers prevented the French guns blew apart. The Prince of simply more Prussians but, as with the hussars from routing the cuirassiers. Orange was taken from the field mistaken identification of d'Erlon' s Wellington was finally convinced that wounded, along with Generals Alten, Corps at Ligny it prompted an attack. Napoleon intended to break his centre Halkett and Kielsmansegge. Colonels The Guard would be used to break the 35 doubled their fire and the infantry at tacked as if the battle had just begun. On the Allied left the Nassauers who had recently moved up to occupy that part of the line were driven back by d'Erlon's infantry. It was only the intervention of Ziethen' s I Prussian Corps which prevented the entire flank from crumbling. This in tervention by the Prussians very nearly did not occur. Bliicherhadsentword to Ziethen ordering him to march south towards Plancenoit. Luckily for Wel lington the Corps commander over rode the orders and commenced an attack on Papelotte with Steinmetz's Brigade. Meanwhile the Guard was advancing towards a point approximately halfway between La Haye Sainte and Hougoumont. Allied guns began pounding the five battalion squares as they advanced up the slope and were in turn subjected to punishing counterbattery fire from guns near La Haye Sainte. Originally intended to attack as one body the Guard split into two bodies, one on either side of a small spur. Ney, on foot since his fifth horse had been killed, and Friant led the 1 /3rd and 4th Grenadiers on the right of the spur. The 1 /3rd overran an artillery battery and was in the process of breaking a Bruns wick battalion, the 30th and 73rd Foot when a Netherlands horse artillery Merde! battery under Captain Krahmer de Despite the attempts of various Frenchmen to put the phrases of a poet into his Binche deployed and let loose a volley mouth there is no doubt that the only word uttered by General Cambronne when of canister into the French. called upon to surrender was this The 4th Grenadiers also enjoyed early success forcing the 33rd and 69th foot to retreat. As the five front line battal wavering Allied centre, Wellington's ing to release five for the attack on ions were recoiling from the grena Army would be destroyed and the next Wellington's centre. These battalions diers General Baron Chasse counterat morning the Prussians would· be formed square before Napoleon rode tacked with Ditmers' completely fresh trapped between Napoleon and to their front. With the words "Who Dutch-Belgian brigade. Two battalions, Grouchy. will follow me?" he advanced towards even the Guard could not withstand a By the time the Guard began to ad the Allied line. bayonet charge from 3,000 men. Friant vance Napoleon was aware that the With the word that the Guard was was wounded and the Grenadiers with men he had thought were Grouchy's going into action morale soared among drew. were in fact Ziethen' s I Prussian Corps the French soldiers. If Napoleon was On the left of the spur the 1 /3rd and 2/ moving towards the Allied left. Of the throwing in his Guard that meant that 3rd Chasseurs were well in front of the fourteen battalions of Guard infantry the battle was almost over and that 4th Chasseurs. The column advanced uncommitted Napoleon was only will- victory was assured. The gunners re- towards what appeared to be a gap in 36 the line. In fact they marched straight the fleeing French Ziethen cracked the where he met Wellington. The old Gen onto Maitland's Guards Brigade who corner of the French line and Prussians eral embraced his English ally. "Mein had been ordered to lie down in the poured through Papelotte towards La Lieber Kamerad" he exclaimed, "Quelle corn. Belle Alliance. Affaire!" The Duke of Wellington waited at the Napoleon formed four uncommitted The two men then got down to busi point of impact until the last possible Guard battalions into square and placed ness. It was 9 PM and the Allied Army moment before he turned to the bri them astride the Brussels road. By the was in no fit state to conduct a pursuit. gade commander with the words "Now time the victorious Allies reached these Although all his men had marched for Maitland, now's your time!". Then, four solid blocks of men their cohesion most of the day Blucher promised that without giving Maitland a chance to was gone. he would take over the chase. give the orders the Duke shouted Vivian's cavalry tried to ride over a Gneisenau took over command of the "Stand up Guards!" The head of the square and was shattered by a volley. Prussian cavalry and scarcely drew rein French column visibly slowed as 1,500 The cavalry moved around the squares until he reached Frasnes, the town oc men rose up in front of them. "Make and continued the pursuit but the Al cupied by Ney three nights ago. Napo Ready! Fire!" shouted the Commander lied infantry reformed and poured vol leon escaped with 40,000 men but only in Chief. ley after volley into the four battalions. managed to drag off 27 of his 246 guns. 300 men of the 1 I 3rd Chasseurs A request came from the English to Blucher wanted to name the battle after dropped in less than a minute before a surrender to which General the village where he and Wellington bayonet charge drove them back onto Cambronne succinctly replied had met but as apt a name as La Belle the 213rd in disorder. It was at this "Merde!". Slowly the Guard began to Alliance would have been Wellington point that the 4th Chasseurs came up. march back along the road, in perfect refused. His battles were always named The 213rd rallied and the two battal formation all the way. A dazed Mar after the place in which he spent the ions charged into the British Guards. shal Ney was dragged into a square by night preceding them. The night of 17 I Just as the French appeared set to break a major who found a horse and sent 18 June had been spent in the town of through, Colborne' s 52nd Regiment, him in the direction of the Emperor. Waterloo, two miles north of Mont St 1,000 strong executed a parade ground Three of the squares broke up when so Jean. So Waterloo it was and probably left wheel onto the flank of the French. many men had been killed that any better for the monolingual English that Assailed by continuous volleys from attempt at a formation was ludicrous. it should be so. front and flank the Chasseurs replied The last square, the 2l3rd Grenadiers in kind. Colborne lost 150 men in the were charged by cavalry. 200 horses Aftermath firefight before the rest of Adam's Bri were killed, so many that their bodies gade joined the 52nd. Even then the formed a wall in front of the French. Convention has it that Waterloo was French held on. It was only the move Somewhere between La Belle Alliance the end of the war and that the crush ment of Hew Halkett' s 3rd Hanoverian and Rossomme cannon broke the ing defeat inevitably caused Napole Brigade from behind Hougoumont, square and the cavalry rode the survi on's abdication. This is not so. The threatening to hit the Chasseurs in the vors into a red ruin. Emperor reached Quatre Bras at 1 AM on June 19th. Messengers were sent to rear that started the retreat. Led by At Rossomme the last two battalions of Grouchy at Wavre and the rout became Colborne, Adam's Brigade charged and the Grenadiers of the Guard were an organised retreat. the retreat became a rout. It had taken formed into squares with a battery of three brigades to break the equivalent 12 pounders between them. As fugi At Wavre Thielemann heard about the of one but, for the first time since they tives streamed past them the last of the Allied victory before Grouchy did. were raised an attack by the Imperial Guard stood silently. Finally the Allies Consequently the Prussian Corps com Guard had been repulsed. attacked and once again they were mander was surprised when the French "La Guard recule" became the cry that thrown back with severe losses. attacked early on the morning of the 19th. Thielemann realised that Grouchy raced around Napoleon's Army. It was However ennobling these acts of defi would have to retreat once word came unthinkable but anyone who cared to ance were they achieved nothing in the about Waterloo and so once the Prus look could see the attack on Welling face of a battle that was already lost and sian line became dangerously stretched ton's centre had failed. Not only was lost badly. Plancenoit was still being he began a general withdrawal to gain the Guard routing but with a resigned defended but had been encircled by the time. "Oh well, In for a penny, in for a pound" pincer attacks of Pirch to the south and Wellington had unleashed his entire Ziethen to the north. Once word of the battle reached remaining force into the French. It was Grouchy he called off his attacks. Blucher got together what men he could perfect timing. Almost as Wellington Vandamme proposed that they march and advanced to La Belle Alliance was waving his hat in the direction of around Thielemann and capture Brus- 37 sels but Grouchy· decided to retreat CREATING THE SCENARIO Waterloo into France cuttirtg across the Prus If this is the first time you have tried to Battle of Three Armies sian's supply lines at Namur and transfer a magazine scenario onto a June 18, 1815 Dinant. save-game disk (or hard disk), we rec Go back to Menu J and re-save the Napoleon retreated to Laonfrom where ommend you follow these directions. game in the same location. he rode to Paris. Grouchy joined the The letters in parentheses after each army on June 26th after conducting a heading refer to the corresponding sec Map Size [Sa(i)]. The top left sector is 0. skilful rearguard action. But by the time tion in the Decisive Battles manual. The bottom right sector is 8. Macintosh dimensions are 27 x 27. Grouchy had brought the army back There is some additional information up to a respectable total Napoleon had for IBM users at the end of this section. Define Terrain [Sa(ii)]. The accompa abdicated. Be sure to read it, especially if you have nying Terrain Effects Chart lists the The Chambers of Parliament, led by an EGA/VGA card and want to take details of the active terrain types for Fouche called out the National Guard advantage of our "full map" graphics. this scenario. Select (or paint) the icons to protect them, in effect daring N a po of your choice to represent the four Macintosh users should note there are terrain types. l eon to crush them with the army. Al some changes to the numbering sys though the people were behind him tem in their design manual ' and that Create Map [Sa(iii)]. Select the the Emperor chose not to bring the access to the various design routines is
HISTORICAL BACKGROUND collapse of these two Kingdoms was as were mainly a problem for China and much due to internal political strife as not so much for Korea. it was to the external attack. It now Following the declining influence of developed that China demanded su HanChina(Chungguk) on Korea, there DESIGNERS NOTES zerainty over all the peninsula as its appeared in Korea 4 major powers; reward. Silla opposed this and man Koguryo(Koh-gew-ryaw) in the north aged to gain the support of the nobility and west; Paekche(pairk-cheh) in the The names of cities which are followed of the defeated kingdoms by gener south east Silla(Shee-lah) in the south by an asterisk are modern names and ously giving them the same status east and Kaya(Kah-yah) in the south may not be the names of those cities within Unified Silla. between Silla and Paekche. during this historical period. The names The new Pan Korean nationalism fi of temples and ruins are in fact the Koguryo was the most advanced due nally forced the T'ang to concede that names of modern temples, most of to its proximity to China and expanded control of the peninsula was beyond which but not all were the same in the into the Manchurian area from its capi its means and Li Shih-Min with the scenario's historical period. tal at P'yongyang. Paekche also traded example of the fate of the previous Sui with China across the yellow sea and dynasty wisely realised this and left carved out a territory based on its early In playing the scenario be guided by the peninsula to itself. capital at Sabi. the terrain in your plans of conquest. In The Japanese role in this was primarily Silla being somewhat remote from particular Kaya will have to gain as as a nuisance. In fact the attempt by the china developed more slowly. Kaya much territory as possible and must Kaya to overthrow the Silla kingdom was a confederation of small kingdoms defeat any of its nearby neighbors as with support from Paekche by bring along the lower Naktong river whose soon as possible. ing in Wa mercenaries caused the prominent cities were Pon (Original) All four southern powers will need to Koguryo in alarm to side with Silla, Kaya and Tae (Tair=Great) Kay a. These develop some sort of naval forces to attack Paekche and thereby enable Silla traded with the Wa people of Japan intercept enemy invasions before they to conquer Kaya. and the Chinese as well as the peoples can secure a toehold in your home ter of the far north east coast. Kaya, how As a note to this there would seem to ritory. ever was caught between the expand be a very strong kinship tie between Koguryo of course has Chungguk ing kingdoms of Paekche and Silla Kaya and the Wa due the very Japa (China) and the Malgal to worry about. and finally succumbed to Silla by 562 nese sounding names of some of the Use your troop types to best advantage AD. Kay a leaders. Also tradition has it that in suitable terrain and especially be many nobles from both Paekche and Koguryo defeated the Sui dynasty of aware of those armies with which you Kaya fled to Japan at the demise of China precipitating that dynasty's col have an advantage. their kingdoms and established them lapse and the emergence of the Tang selves in southern Japan. dynasty's genius Li Shih-Min. Silla in Also as a footnote many of the nobility Have fun and may your enemies learn desperation to overcome the strength respect for your superior skills + ening Paekche and Kuguryo kingdoms from Koguryo fled north and joined called in T' ang Chinese help. the Malgal peoples and setup the King dom of Parhae(Pahl-hair) with control Paekche collapsed due to a well over much of Manchuria. The Malgal planned two pronged attack and then people, were a turkish people who Koguryo as well. It be noted that the 41 was to prove yourself superior to other tic life. Importantly Turpin absolves Book of the Quarter knights in the only possible way, by the knights of their sins and repeats the Continued from p. 3 defeating them in single combat. crusading message of salvation for all Courage and prudence are seen at odds those who die in the service of Christ. in The Song of Roland. "Roland is fierce Of course it is doubtful whether the attitudes of the 12th century French and Oliver is wise" states the poet, as if Church approved of most knightly con knight differed enormously from both to say the two are incompatible. Oliver duct. They were not stupid, however, our own and from the attitudes por wishes Roland to sound his horn and and preferred to have an unchristian trayed in the average piece of Holly summon back Charlemagne's army to knightly class under some control than wood King Arthur schlock (which in crush the Saracens. Roland refuses say to have the nobility turn away from turn says far more about our own atti ing, "In fair France my fame would Christianity entirely. tudes than it does about the period it suffer scorn". The knightly attitude to Church inter purports to display). Given the morality of the day to ac ference can perhaps best be summed One of the central themes in the song is knowledge the need for help against an up by the words of William Marshal on honour. In the twelfth century honour enemy was tantamount to cowardice. his deathbed in 1214. When told that he was a far more public matter than it It should be noted that it is foolhardy must give back everything he had taken became in later centuries. Honour was Roland and not prudent Oliver who is throughout his life to the rightful owner something that was important for a the hero of the poem. Marshal replied "But their teaching is knight to obtain and it was vital that he Boasting was an important part of the false - else no one can be saved." do nothing to besmirch it. If one diCl a warrior culture and, as in other aspects The Song of Roland presents a picture of dishonourable thing then one was of life, a knight who made a boast was a medieval world very much different shamed. The shame came not from expected to keep his word. In order to from the modern romantic view. It is within oneself but in the form of cen bring the maximum honour on oneself simple to fall into the trap of interpret sure from one's peers. it was necessary to make the greatest ing past events in terms of current mo Honour was gained by showing cour possible boast and then carry it through. rality. This is a mistake. Morality is a age and prowess in battle, by defeating Roland boasts that he will die further subjective thing and has changed one's opponents and by being a gener towards the enemy than any other man greatly throughout history. It is only ous lord or a faithful vassal. Shame, on and with his face towards the foe. He when we understand this that we can the other hand could be brought upon does so and is thus honoured, unlike hope to understand those people who oneself in a number of different ways. Samson who cries "we'll beat them went before us. To lose in battle was to be shamed. The yet" only to be cloven in twain by twelfth century had no such thing as a Roland who replies "Yours is the lying I have two versions of The Song of good loser. This is why in The Song of boast!". Roland, The first is translated by Roland, Roland is not defeated. He dies Another important concept was fealty. Dorothy L. Sayer and was published when his brain bursts as a result of the A lord should be generous and great by Penguin in 1957. The other is trans great exertions of killing several thou while a vassal should be courageous lated by D. D. R. Owen and was pub sand infidels. Similarly Roland's com and loyal. Roland was the perfect vas lished by Boydell Press in 1990 + rade Oliver is struck from behind aPd sal and Charlemagne grieves his death Archbishop Turpin is surrounded and both as a friend and as Roland's lord. attacked by a crowd of Saracens. Nei Roland and Oliver on the other hand ther is truly defeated as their oppo are both counts; they are equal. Even LETTERS nents have been forced to use dishon here their genuine depth of friendship Continued from p. 40 ourable tactics against them. is obscured by the requirements of hon Obviously the reverse side of the equa our until Oliver is dying. Betraying a tion was that anyone who struck a lord or a vassal was perhaps the most nifying the number of hand-gunners knight from behind or who combined dishonourable thing that a knight could firing, caused the target soldiers to think with others to attack a single knight do in the twelfth century. heavily of their own mortality, with was guilty of a shameful act. Christianity is best portrayed in The disastrous effects on their chances of Not that the twelfth century had any Song of Roland by the figure of Arch standing firm. concept of sportsmanship; rather to take bishop Turpin. Turpin lays on good The handgun was developed as a re advantage of an enemy by attacking strokes with the best of them and by placement for the crossbow, as a sort of from behind or in a group was to ac modern standards seems a most irreli knowledge fear or inferiority. This de gious man. He even advances the Continued on p.47 feated the purpose of the struggle which knightly ethos in favour of the monas- 42 Stalemate in the East From Moscow to Kursk with the Ninth Armee December 5th 1941 - March 22nd 1943 by Stephen Hand
Following the successful closure of the Kiev Pocket in late September 1941 Hitler sions of XXIII Corps encircled in turned his sights on Moscow. Whether it was too late in the' year or the Russians Olenino. were simply too tenacious, the Soviet capital held. Commencing on December 5th 1st Panzer Division had been switched a series of counterattacks drove the frozen divisions of the Wehrmacht up to 250 to Ninth Armee to ensure that Rzhev miles back. Most in danger of encirclement was the Ninth Armee of Generaloberst remained in German hands. It had ar Walther Model. The battles fought by Ninth Armee over the next year and a half rived just in time to be of great use in included a breakout from a pocket, the encirclement and destruction of two Soviet the battles around Sychevka. Now it armies and finally a masterful withdrawal from a salient. Although they shrink was Model's mobile reserve and not to be wasted on defence. Along with the into insignificance compared to events in southern Russia these operations newly arrived 2nd SS Motorised Divi ensured the continued existence of Army Group Centre. sion 'Reich' 1st Panzer attacked north west from Sychevka into the flank of The Soviet counterattack began as a ing the vital town of Sychevka. The rail the Russian penetration. classic double envelopment. The shoul line to Vyasma which made Sychevka Just as Model had predicted the Rus ders of the Moscow salient were at so important was also the downfall of sians moved men to seal off the break tacked both north and south of the the attacking Russians. Sitting on a rail through. This had two favourable ef capital with the objective being siding was a supply train full of choco fects. The first was to draw Soviet Smolensk. late and cognac. This proved such an strength back from the open flank to In a savage free for all around Vyasma inviting target that the plundering So the south and the second was to weaken Colonel-General Strauss's Ninth Armee viets were taken completely by sur the area between Rzhev and Olenino. (Model was yet to take over) narrowly prise in a German counterattack. Rein This initial attack had been made on avoided being pocketed. In the south forcements from France stabilised the January 21st. A day later, just as the General Efremov' s 33rd Soviet Army position but the deep penetration of Russians were starting to react, VI actually broke through to Vyasma. The the German line remained, as did the Corps attacked west from Rzhev and Germans succeeded in closing the gap isolation of XXIII Corps. XXIII Corps attacked east from Olenino. behind the Soviet breakthrough. It was at this point, on January the 15th Just after midday on January 23rd the Too weak to eliminate the resulting that Strauss asked to be relieved on the two forces made contact. Not only was pocket, the Germans merely allowed it grounds of his ill health. His replace the German pocket relieved but the to collapse through lack of supplies ment was General der Panzertruppen supply roads built by the Soviet 29th and attrition. General Efremov shot Walther Model, one of Hitler's favoured and 39th Armies were cut. himselfduringthelastdaysofhisArmy commanders. Model had,like Rommel Although the Russians were not tech in April1942. and Guderian enjoyed a meteoric rise, nically pocketed they were forced to due as much to his having caught the In the north a deep wedge was driven receive their supplies through the 4th Fuhrer's eye as to his continued suc into the German positions by the 3rd Shock Army sector to their west. This cesses in the field. and 4th Soviet Shock Armies. On their piggybacking of the supply lines for southern flank the 29th and 39th Ar Model's first action as commander of three armies resulted in chaos. mies attacked between Rzhev and Ninth Armee was to ensure that the Model was well aware that the Rus Olenino. The XXIII Corps of Ninth position west of Sychevka could be sians would launch continuous attacks Armee was cut off in the latter town. held. Once the immediate danger of to regain their lines of communications. the entire Army being encircled had As the Soviet spearhead moved south He therefore shifted the strongest regi receded Model was able to turn his an attempt was made to cut the com ment of the Reich SS Division to defen attention on the plight of the four divi- munications of 9th Armee by captur- sive positions on the Soviet supply 43 0 10 20 30 'Reich' regiment assigned to hold back Miles the Russians in the north was pulled out of the line. There were only 35 men fit for battle. By the end of February the danger to 4th Shock Army Ninth Armee was over. 29th Army had been destroyed and 39th Army was all but surrounded. The offensive power of both sides was practically spent and so the incredibly convoluted front line of Ninth Armee would remain until the spent units of the Army could be brought up to strength. In recognition of his achievements Walther Model was promoted to Generaloberst. While this larger offensive was taking XX place other attacks were being launched 39th Army lc:>l2o against the Soviet 39th Army. A thrust from 3rd Panzer Armee retook Bely and separated the Russians from 4th Shock Army to the west. Only a narrow corridor existed into the 39th Army pocket. Vyasma While the other German offensives were going on an unusual series of attacks commenced in the area west of Sychevka. In this sector, occupied by 6th Panzer Division, the Russians still threatened the Sychevka-Vyasma rail Panzer Division German Thrust July 2-3 road. X An offensive to the west would have 39th Army Soviet Army two effects. Firstly it would safeguard 0 Cavalry Brigade Model Ninth Armee' s supply lines and sec ondly it would push the Russians out Area Occupied by German Forces July 1st 1942 of the numerous villages and rich farm land they were currently occupying into a barren region of forests and swamps. Sixth Panzer Division at this time pos roads. Under savage attacks from the were heavy. Amongst the Russians they sessed practically no heavy equipment north the line was held. This enabled were ruinous. Whatever the Soviets of any kind and was therefore limited Model to reinforce and renew the at hurled at the line, somehow it held. in the type of attacks it could success tack being made by 1st Panzer and the The result of this was that on February fully perform. It was therefore decided SS Reich Divisions to the south. The 18th the 29th Army was ordered to that the division would launch a series attack struck at the junction of the two break out to the south where 39th Army of small, limited objective attacks, never Soviet Armies with the result that they was still receiving some supplies. The pressing an unsuccessful attack and became separated. As the attacking breakout attempt was a disaster. Al never risking high casualties. This se force swung north it was able to link up though 5000 men broke through to 39th ries of attacks became known as the with the XXIII Corps near Olenino and Army the bulk of 10 Russian divisions 'Snail Offensive'. on February 17 the Soviet 29th Army were destroyed. The figures of 26 000 In order to avoid unnecessary artillery was encircled. dead compared to only 5000 prisoners casualties neither side concentrated For three weeks the Russians had been give some indication of the ferocity of troops too close to the enemy. There attacking from the north. The casual the fighting. German casualties were fore the front line of the Soviet 39th ties amongst the German defenders also high. On February 18th the SS Army consisted of village strongpoints 44 0 20 40 which were intended to break up and slow down any German attack. This Miles was all very well if the Germans in / ------tended a conventional breakthrough I attack but was of little use against the I tactics of the 'Snail Offensive'. Surprise I attacks were launched to capture indi Bely I vidual strongpoints which were then / Sychevka \ fortified and defended against coun ,, / / ', __ ..... terattacks. ' . \ ' ; This 'bite and hold' technique was re ; peated with great success over a period ' ,; of two months the only setback being when the Fuhrer Begleit Battalion at ' tempted a conventional breakthrough ' ' attack and was heavily repulsed. ' As Sixth Panzer Division received new equipment the pace of the offensive picked up. By the end of March 1942 over two hundred villages had bee n captured and the Russians had been forced back into the marshes. Numer ous replacements had been exposed to combat and troops who had been de moralised after the Russian offensives where instilled with a new confidence. After the 'Snail Offensive' and the de struction of 29th Army the time was ripe for an offensive to destroy 39th Army and erase the bulge in the Ger OPERATION BUFFALO- March 1-22, 1943 man front. During the spring as the Germans received replacements and Moscow - Minsk Highway new equipment to bring their divisions ,...... Area Evacuated by Ninth Armee up to strength the Russians likewise \ l reinforced 39th Army. --""" during Operation Buffalo Given the fact that the Germans had regained the initiative in the sector held Area remaining under German control by Ninth Armee the Soviets were in March 22, 1943 great danger of being surrounded and destroyed. With no plans for an offen sive of their own Soviet high command should have seen the danger to 39th tack along this road would have the lines he would either have to accept Army and withdrawn it from the sali added benefit of completing the encir heavy casualties or do the impossible. ent which it currently occupied. clement of the Soviet 39th Army. In an excellent show of German mili Part of the Russian confidence lay in The Olenino-Bely Rollbahn was such tary improvisation Model ordered the the fact that the Germans had pushed an obvious avenue of attack that the formation of a Kampfgruppe which them back into an area of swampy for Russians had heavily fortified it. East would be able to traverse the so-called ests which was practically impassable and west of the Rollbahn the ap impassable terrain. This unit, Cavalry to vehicles. The only really suitable proaches to the Russian positions Brigade Model, was formed from the tank country was along the Rollbahn (a passed through such unfavourable ter reconnaissance battalions of each of German term indicating a road desig rain that an attack by anything other Model's eight divisions. While effec nated as the main axis of motorised than infantry was considered impossi tive as a temporary expedient there transport) from Olenino to Bely, both ble. Model realised that if he were to moval of the reconnaissance battalion cities being in German hands. An at- attack the vulnerable Soviet supply from infantry divisions in particular 45 left them without their sole mobile re day it was clear that the cavalry bri for a future attack on Moscow. In order serve. gade would have to cut west into the to defeat the Soviet Union it would be Cavalry Brigade Model was equipped rear of the Soviet positions. necessary to capture the capital. The with roughly equal parts of horse cav Although the terrain to be crossed con surrender of the Rzhev salient was an alry and bicycle troops. Supplies were sisted of knee-deep swamps the first admission that the Wehrmacht was not carried on local'panje' wagons drawn regiment of the brigade emerged onto going to take Moscow in the foresee by the Russian ponies of the same name. the rollbahn just before dark. Realising able future. It was not the type of ad Although the brigade was weak in ar that the enemy was in their rear the mission that a man of Hitler's tern pera tillery it was equipped with approxi Russians facing 5th Panzer Division ment made easily. mately double the normal complement collapsed and a link-up between the Despite Hitler's preference for holding of machine guns giving it an impres two German units was made in the positions at all cost he finally allowed sive firepower against soft targets. morning of July 3rd. himself to be persuaded into ordering In late June 1942 the cavalry brigade The rapid advance of 5th Panzer Divi a withdrawal from the Rzhev salient. was inserted into the line between 5th sion combined with the northward The order was given on February 6th Panzer Division on its right and 86th thrust of 2nd Panzer Division from Bely 1943. Infantry Division on its left. It was to resulted in the communications of the Ninth Armee and portions of Fourth support the attack of 5th Panzer Divi Soviet 39th Army being cut by the end Armee were given four weeks in which sion along the rollbahn. The other units of July 3rd. Despite desperate counter to make all the preparations for a with of Ninth Armee were not to advance attacks the German corridor was held drawal. The timing was vital if the until24 hours after the initial attack~ A open. Cut off from its supply source operation was to be successfully car simultaneous attack from Bely by 2nd 39th Army weakened its entire front in ried out before the onset of the spring Panzer Division would hopefully link order to be able to launch these attacks. thaw. Generaloberst Model set the date up with Model's spearhead. The result of this was that a series of for the commencement of the with The operation, codenamed Seydlitz, German attacks on the pocket, com drawal as March 1st. was scheduled for July 2nd. As this mencing on July 3rd met with stunning In the three weeks or so between trans date approached it was decided to at success. 20th Panzer Division thrust mission of the order and the first rear tach 14 tanks to Cavalry Brigade Model. into the pocket from the east, separat ward movement a great number of In order to allow these tanks to reach ing the Russians into two groups. things needed to be done. Firstly the the Russian lines a corduroy road was Over the next nine days these two pock new defensive line across the base of constructed by felling trees along the ets were reduced by concentric attacks. the salient had to be constructed. route up to the front. As the Russian 50 000 prisoners, 230 tanks and 760 The new position, dubbed the Buffalo defences in this area relied heavily on artillery pieces were captured. While Line was 125 miles in length, less than minefields a mine-clearing squad was the Ninth Armee still formed a salient half the frontage of the salient itself. In attached to each tank. into Russian lines it was broad enough addition to this, provision had to be At 0300 on July 2nd the tanks and to be safe from all but a major offensive. made to pull back 29 divisions up to 60 cavalry of the brigade emerged from Although there were attacks over the miles. Roads were built for trucks and the woods and overran the Russian next six months these were minor and sleighs and track was laid for addi forward positions. The minefields were posed no threat to Ninth Armee. The tional trains. Everything was to be re not adequately defended and there salient remained, a constant threat to moved from the salient, food, livestock, fore did not slow the German advance Moscow. all machinery or vehicles and 60 000 significantly. It was not until early 1943 that more Russian collaborators. Even the rail Behind the Russian positions were more thought was given to what had become road tracks and the telephone wires swampy woods which, in the absence known as the Rzhev salient. After the were to be removed. of preparations, proved an impassable disaster at Stalingrad there was an ur Security was strict but was of no use to barrier to the German tanks. The im gent need for experienced divisions in the Germans as news of the withdrawal mediate need for armour, however, had the south. The 29 divisions manning had already been relayed to Stalin by disappeared as the broken Russians the 330 miles of the Rzhev salient were Soviet agents within OKW. Another were pursued through the forest. an obvious source of fresh units. difficulty was the possibility that the The 5th Panzer Division attacked at the However, in order to free up more than thaw would come before March 1st. same time as Cavalry Brigade Model one or two divisions from Ninth Armee Dual plans had to be made depending and immediately ran into difficulties. the salient would have to be surren on the weather. In the case of snow the Deeply echeloned anti-tank defences dered. This was a difficult military de majority of supplies would be removed took a heavy toll both in terms of casu cision, possession of Rzhev and Vyasma by sleigh, if the thaw came trucks and alties and time. By the middle of the gave the Germans a jumping off point carts would have to be used. 46 Throughout the last days of February Over the next three weeks Ninth Armee to have had an impact. That fact, com the weather stayed cold. Then on March withdrew to successive lines without bined with their vulnerability to cav 1st the temperature suddenly rose and major difficulty. Despite continuous alry would have made it not worth the the snow began to melt. The primary Russian attacks on the rearguards not a effort (Napoleon considered rifles more mode of transport would have to be single breakthrough was achieved. trouble than they were worth). You are wheeled vehicles. Casualties among the German divisions therefore right in claiming that the ad The withdrawal was not scheduled to were negligible, a tribute to the meticu vent of the arquebus and musket ren start until 1900 hours, after nightfall lous planning undertaken by Model dered the longbow out of date, but are and just as the final preparations were and his staff. By March 22nd Ninth wrong in dismissing it as never having made the temperature dropped just as Armee had occupied the Buffalo Line any impact, however brief, on medi suddenly as it had risen. The roads with seven divisions. 22 divisions were eval warfare. froze over and the troops patiently freed up as a reserve. unloaded their trucks and carts and Von Manstein in the south and Model Yours Sincerely loaded up their sleighs. in the north had given Germany a mo Anthony S. Howarth As the withdrawal began the unpleas bile reserve which could have been Campbelltown, NSW ant job of the rearguards began. With used to oppose Soviet breakthroughs prior warning of the German inten along the entire front. Hitler, however, tions the Soviets began their pursuit demanded an offensive solution. relatively soon after the beginning of A bit over three months after the with Ed. Thanks for a thoughtful letter the operation. drawal of Ninth Armee the reserves Anthony, though next time try to make The first tentative probes by the Rus which both Model and Manstein had it a little shorter. The moral effect upon sians were thrown back by the created were expended in the abortive the French men-at-arms of advancing rearguards, one third of the normal battle of Kursk. Ninth Armee' s year under a hail of arrows was certainly a front line contingent. As the Soviet at and a half in front of Moscow had been contributing factor to their defeats. tacks became stronger the German for nothing + However, this would have achieved rearguards began to retire and in doing nothing had it not been for the English so they uncovered the other defence men-at arms. If the French had been left behind by the retreating divisions, attacking unsupported archers their mines. superior skill and armour would have Under normal circumstances mines LETTERS won the day. Similarly if the English would not slow down a pursuing en Continued from p. 42 knights had not been among the most emy appreciably. Both sides had be solid hand-to-hand fighters in Europe come proficient at mine clearing dur there is no way they could have with ing the first two years of the war so if stood even a demoralised column of mines were to be effective something poor man's longbow. Combining as it Frenchmen. special was needed. did the morale sapping impact of the The first attack at Agincourt threw the Firstly a huge volume of mines was longbow with the ease of use of the English line back 'two spear lengths'! made available to Ninth Armee but crossbow it inevitably replaced both And yet the English held. This is al most importantly the engineers com weapons. most unprecedented in the history of peted to find new and more fiendish Much of the psychological impact of warfare. For a line to resist a damaged ways to disguise mines and more un handguns wore off, once they became but unbroken column is remarkable. likely places to conceal them. common, and their inaccuracy well Clearly the archers performed a useful, When the Russians advanced into known. But by then they had improved but still a subordinate role. Rzhev they found mines set to explode to moderately effective killing weap By the time of Bicocca in 1522 volley when doors opened, under stairs, in ons, well capable of disrupting an en fire, probably by rank, enabled ovens, attached by hidden wires to emy formation. arquebusiers to deliver an almost con 'abandoned' tools, weapons or food It is possible that a group of tinuous hail of bullets. For the first time etc. Within a day of the first withdraw longbowmen could have had an im in the history of warfare missiles alone als Russian soldiers were ordered not pact out of proportion to their numbers were capable of shattering an attack. to enter any deserted buildings or touch in the Napoleonic Wars. But given the Within three years, between 1522 and any objects left lying around. The So logistical effort needed to train a 1525 arquebusiers had destroyed the viet advance became tentative as mine longbowman and the size of the armies best infantry and the best cavalry in clearing parties preceded each spear of the period it is unlikely that suffi Europe. Whereas the longbow had head. cient numbers could have been trained proved a useful adjunct to the more 47 traditional medieval arms the arquebus scenarios from introductory level to computer AI will be among the best in and subsequently the musket drove full galactic conquest, Different races strategy gaming. The AI will be sub these same weapons off the battlefield, locked in interstellar combat. stantially improved in diplomacy, re becoming within a century and a half Hardware Requirements source acquisition, combat and move after Bicocca the sole infantry weapons ment over Warlords II Deluxe. Windows 95,8 Mb RAM, 486 DX2/66 in use throughout Europe. minimum, Pentium recommended, 2 x The minimum hardware spec will be CD drive 486 1OOMHz, 8MB of RAM, 256 color video card, double speed CD-ROM and Warlords III is an eight player fantasy Sound Blaster. strategy game where the struggle for EDITOR's CHANCE survival and eventual dominance is played out on an epic scale. Players DON'T MENTION THE WAR Continued from p. 3 start with a single city, and must ex I did once, but I think I got away with plo~e and_co~quer their surroundings, it. Anyone who bought The Complete whilst building their economic base in Carriers at War for the PC or Total War Reach for the Stars is a multiplayer game preparation for the intense conflicts to for the Mac will have noticed that the of space colonisation and conquest. follow. swastikas on the tailfins of the German Starting with a single colony players must carve out their own interstellar Warlords III is the successor to the highly planes were sort of smudged out. The reason is that the German government empire. successful and well regarded Warlords, Warlords II and Warlords II Deluxe. forbids the display of swastikas, even Reach for the Stars is a unique combina in representations of the war. tion of constructive and destructive el All Warlords games have had common ements. To win a player must success elen:e~ts which have ensured a highly fully manage their own economy as addictive game experience with maxi MEA CULPA mum replay value. These elements in well as pursuing a correct military stra t Yes, another mistake. I am reminded of ~lude easy, statless gameplay, challeng egy. Whileastrongspacenavyisa very a story I once heard from the editor of Ing AI, a multitude of game options, necessary part of your economic plans, a scientific journal who recounted how and deep game design. The general it is by no means a guarantee of suc he had an issue proofread by three ~antasy _setting for Warlords has given cess. separate people only to find one word It the widest possible appeal. Players must explore the unknown spelled three different ways in the first Warlords III will add many features in reaches ~f space, improve the economy paragraph. In Issue 23 some of the data and environment of their planets, suc order to improve the basic game idea. for the Fort Donelson scenario was not cessfully create and nurture new colo Each side in a scenario will have it's correct. The appropriate data is in nies, and invest in technical R&D so as own army set, allowing greater differ cluded at the end of the Waterloo arti • not to be left behind in the military entiation in both graphics and perform cle in this issue. space race. ance between sides. There will be dif ferent types of heroes with an expanded Reach for the Stars was a huge hit, right number of skills. Heroes will be able to ACKNOWLEDGMENTS from its initial release, and has evolved use new magic spells and items. It was most remiss of me not to men through many versions and improve Multiplayer support will be an integral tion that the photograph of my humble ments. It has become the classic space part of Warlords III. Network play will self included in last issue's longbow conquest game, and is still the yard article was taken by Karen Docters van stick by which new games in the genre have a real-time option, where all hu man players move simultaneously. Leeuwen, my beautiful and talented are measured. The new version of Reach wife. I should also have acknowledged for the Stars will build on this inherit (The sequential turn option will be re tained for solitaire, and PBEM play.) A the help I received from David Green ance, and contain numerous improve then the Captain of the Pike and Mus~ ments and enhancements to what is campaign mode will be introduced, and there will be a greater range of ket Society of New South Wales. Many already a great game. These will in of the ideas expressed in that article clude: ?arne ?Ptions and increased flexibility In settlng up scenarios. were the result of the great number of Network/modem play, Enhanced AI stimulating discussions I have had with A new, sophisticated diplomacy sys routines, State of the art SVGA graph David on the subject of the military tem will increase interactions between ics, Win 95 native program, New Di revolution. I also enjoyed lengthy con pl~yers, and players will be able to ally plomacy systems, New space combat versations with David on the subject of with each other, and win victories as an systems, New technology /R&D sys Waterloo, which he claims is the only allied side, allowing for team play. As tems, Enhanced planetary displays, place where he has had a religious ex is the tradition of the Warlords series, Intuitive user interface, Large range of perience. 48 TO QUALIFY FOR THE UPGRADE- 1. SEND IN ANY WARLORDS II OR WARLORDS II SCENARIO BUILDER DISK, OR 2. SEND IN THE FRONT PAGE OF THE WARLORDS II OR WARLORDS II SCENARIO BUILDER RULEBOOK, OR 3. SEND PROOF OF PURCHASE OF WARLORDS II OR WARLORDS II SCENARIO BUILDER, OR 4. BE A REGISTERED OWNER OF WARLORDS II OR WARLORDS II SCENARIO BUILDER.
IF YOU RE NOT SURE YOU QUALIFY FOR THE UPGRADE, JUST CALL.
NORTH AMERICAN CUSTOMERS SHOULD MAKE THEIR UPGRADE PURCHASE FROM OUR US OFFICE. COST IS $USD35.00 PLUS $2 POSTAGE OR $4.50 FOR 2-DAY AIR.
STRATEGIC STUDIES GROUP PHONE (904) 469-8880 P.O. BOX 30085 FAX (904) 469-8885 PENSACOLA, FL. 32503-1085 U.S.A.
CUSTOMERS ELSEWHERE SHOULD MAKE THEIR UPGRADE PURCHASE FROM OUR AUSTRALIAN OFFICE. COST IS $AUD45.00 PLUS $3 POSTAGE (IN AUSTRALIA) OR $15 (INTERNATIONAL AIR MAIL)
STRATEGIC STUDIES GROUP PHONE 61 2 819-7199 P.O. BOX 261 FAX 61 2 819-7737 DRUMMOYNE, NSW. 2047 AUSTRALIA