Waterloo Take Two - Part 3

The game continues.  Mark B is Napoleon, Stephen N is Wellington, Stephen B is Blucher and I'm God.

15:00 and the Guard Chasseurs are attacking.  Ney leads one brigade against Kruse's Nassau troops while Morand takes the other brigade against the Union Brigade which have been caught at rest.  In the distance a brigade of D'Erlon's Corps is attacking a brigade of Dutch-Belgian militia which is lead by the Prince of Orange.

Merlin's cavalry go to the rescue of the Nassau troops, but the Guard, with Ney, are just too good.

And on the extreme Anglo-Allied left the Guard Chasseurs a Cheval charge the remnants of Vivian's Brigade.

The French cavalry then chanced their arm against Picton, but he beat them off with his umbrella.

Uxbridge takes the Household Cavalry to try and restore the centre, but has no chance against the Old Guard in square lead by Ney.  

The Prussians can be seen beyond the Bois de Paris ...

and crossing the Smohain brook.

At the end of the 15:00 turn.  The French are slowly getting their heavy guns up the slope.  They look thin on their left where the Allies still have considerable forces.  However there is a brigade of Jerome's division and a brigade of cuirassiers off to the far left of the picture so the French still have this sector under control, especially with the allied lack of cavalry.

15:00 was a horror turn for the Anglo Allies with the loss of 18 bases include 4 units dispersed.

!5:30 and the Young Guard and Empress Dragoons go into the attack while D'Erlon keeps up the pressure on the right flank.

Wellington counterattacks and Foy's Division is thrown back.

In what could have been their last charge the Union Brigade manage to hold up the French onslaught on the Anglo Allied left.  Dutch-Belgian cavalry are pitted against the Red Lancers.  It was close but Napoleon used up some of his free rolls to reverse some bad outcomes.

The Prussians are now drawing fire and troops away from the French attack on their allies.  However the French troops are now spare having already done their job of destroying the Anglo Allied left, but it does mean they will have to face the Prussians in a worn state.

The Anglo Allied counterattack has made some progress.

The 15:30 turn was another horror for the Anglo Allies, with the loss of another 18 bases including 5 units dispersed.  In contrast in this and the proceeding turn the French lost just six bases.

The French counterattack near Huoguomont.

Ney leads a counterattack by the Young Guard.

The Mont St Jean farm is under French control.

The British keep attacking, Lord Hill in the thick of things.

Another desperate set of charges by the Anglo-Allied cavalry.  The French form squares.

The end of the 16:00 turn around Huoguomont.

And the position between La Haye Saint and Pappelotte.

The Prussians start to suffer casualties due to French artillery.

The road to Brussels is almost clear.  The French 3rd and 4th Divisions are poised to roll up the Anglo Allied line.  The 1st Division is being sent to face the Prussians (along with the Old Guard Grenadiers).  Subervie's 5th Cavalry Division has come up to support the French centre where the Old Guard Chasseurs and Young Guard and the 20th Division have pushed forward.  The Guard cavalry is just about exhausted.

Losses stand at 9 French and 14 Anglo Allied units dispersed.  

We have fought ten turns and eleven remain.  

Will the French have enough strength to deal with the remaining Anglo-Allies and hold off the Prussians?

The following pictures are supplied by Mark B and show the front lines.

The French appear to have driven a wedge between their two enemies...

The Prussians and Angle Allies seem to have the French trapped between their two armies...

French forces currently deployed against the Prussians include the previously engaged 1st and 5th Divisions (the latter in Plancenoit), the Guard Grenadier Division (still fresh), Milhaud's Cavalry Corps (which is reduced to less than half strength). There is also the Guard Light Cavalry Division, Jacquinot's light cavalry and Domon's cavalry, all of which are very worn (one casualty from dispersing), but still present a threat along with some valuable horse artillery.  The 28th Orange Nassau still hold the village of Smohain although they are very worn down after being under constant artillery bombardment.  The French need to reoccupy Pappelotte

The Allied position doesn't look too good.  The French will be moving next and there are a lot of vulnerable routed units in the front line.  Perhaps more worrying is that the French just about have their heavy guns on the main ridge which will allow them to sit back and blast the Allies to bits (and there are a lot of very weakened allied units). 

It is going to come down to the Prussians to save the day.