Thursday 21 March 2019

(Big Game) Ramillies "Victory .. Ramilies Falls" [Game 18] Post #20

A plucky unit of French Dragoons charge the disordered Hanoverians (or rather mass of Hanoverians) attempting to repeat the astounding success of the Allied line cavalry on an equally massive target of Bavarian Cuirassiers, but for all its valour it is routed - but it will draw the four bases of Hanoverians with it in pursuit but importantly they are not "lost" to the Allies cause and will eventually return. Meanwhile the charging Allied Dragoons continue to hack into the static Bavarians trading cruel blow for cruel blow (see below, this effectively will end the French cavalry on this wing as a fighting force):


The Allied Dragoons are gone [but not forgotten] but only one strength point remains on the Bavarian unit - which means that it will "die" in the next combat (see below, there is also a good chance that if pressed or charge it will simply dissolve away):


The precarious position of the French is shown here. The angle of their "L" is being encircled slowly. What good troops they have here cannot escape. The last unit of cavalry is one casualty away from 50% so will not fair well in a combat (see below, what is more the Allies are about to deploy a light cannon - there will be no peace for the French - the Allies are now confident of victory ):


The Wild Geese are destroyed and half of Ramillies occupied by victorious British troops. The last remaining stand of French will retire. Ramillies falls to the Allies after a bitter contest (see below, once garrisoned it effectively traps any French troops to the south [three infantry brigades and the last Bavarian Cuirassier regiment] in a hopeless position):


The French C-in-C concedes that  "All is lost" and the rearguard action has to start, falling back down the river-line, losing all their baggage and train (see below: it has been a long, long day but it will be a longer night for the French with the bitter taste of defeat):


Bitter sweet is the victory given the piles of Allied (and French) dead that litter the battlefield. It just showed you the true genius of Marlborough and how he conducted the real attack!

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