1/32 Large cavalry battle (Part 2/2)
Date: January 31, 2009.
Hi,
We played a large 1/32 cavalry battle.
The larger part of the French dragoons are of course Hät. Also the French Grenadier à cheval are converted dragoons, the same for the Austrian cheveaux legers posing as Russian dragoons. I also used Hät horses for a other figures.
I only once did a large cavalry battle before with my house rule and it was as part of the replay of Austerlitz in 54mm in 2005 at Crisis in Antwerp. It was time do it once more with only cavalry and some horse artillery.
It resulted in about 70 figures on each side. A regiment equals 4 figures, 2 regiments of 5 figures and the mameluks 1 figures with 1 attached officer. On the French right was the guard cavalry with the chasseurs à cheval, the grenadiers à cheval the Mameluks and the carabiniers, supported by a dragoon division. The French left had a brigade of cuirassiers , one of dragoons and one of hussars.
With a large number of generals and officers that could be attached to the different units, the throwing dices for orders was limited resulting in high mobility.
The Russian left was also guard cavalry, with the uhlans, chevaliers garde and the horse guard and the guard hussars, supported by a brigade of hussars and 2 units of cossacks. The cossacks however will always avoid contact but will automatically charge an opposing unit in trouble (heavy losses and/or facing away). The Russian right is a division of dragoons, a brigade of cuirrassiers and also 2 units of cossacks. Each player has also a horse battery.
The first contact is on the guard side, the chasseurs à cheval are charged by the guards uhlans and immediatly broken, with a loss for the uhlans. Their breaktrough charge is stopped by the grenadiers and the uhlans are scattered, with 2 losses for the grenadiers. The grenadiers pulled back The French players direct their heavy brigades towards the Russian guard side. The Russian right remains imobile due to bad dicing. The Russian heavy guard brigade faces the carabiniers resulting in a victory for the carabiniers, with the support of a dragoon brigade, the mameluks capturing the horse battery. The carabiniers can even charge the reforming Chevaliers Garde in the rear, the ongoing melee resulting in also he second Russian Guard unit leaving the field.
During these events, more to the centre, one French dragoon unit comes in contact with the Russian hussars resulting in an ongoing melee with the supporting second line units joining the fight. On the Russian far right, the same occurs with the French hussars and the first Russian dragoon brigade. In the centre, the hussars can drive of the dragoons in exchange of heavy losses. The french hussars had done better. With only one figure lost, the dragoons are broken. The Russians now have to commit their second dragoon brigade to secure the flank.
In the meanwhile, the Russian cuirrassiers had advanced and collided with the 3th french dragoon brigade, driving them of but with breaking them. It's not enough to tip the balance. Advancing further while one flank is under pressure and the other giving way could only lead to complete destruction. Retreat is the only option. In somewhat more than an hour the game was over. With almost halve of the Russian units broken, it was a great French victory.
Thanks to Geert, Patrick and Ronny for an exciting game.
Dirk Donvil
Belgium.
French left
French right dragoon division
French center attack of the heavy divisions
French right guard artillery
French center 2nd dragoon brigade
French left hussars vs Russian dragoons
General overview with a pint of Triple Karmeliet
French right supported carabiniers defeating Russian Guard
Russian left cossacks
Russian right 2nd dragoon brigade
French center ongoing melee
Russian center hussars
Russian center forming a screen for retreat
French right gendarmes a cheval
Russian right cuirassiers driving off 3rd dragoon brigade
Many thanks to Mr. Donvil.