Monday 11 February 2019

(Big Game) Ramillies "Not Even a Pause for Breath .. the Cavalry Go Again" [Game 6] Post #8

The Prussian Guard cavalry chose this time to show their metal and ploughed into a blade wielding unit of French Cavalry (see below, a unique wargaming moment as I am fighting a unit of the very troops I had painted for this battle):





The elan and the spirited charge yielded good results in the first round of combat (see below, note one always fears that these "painted units that turn on their masters" will do you evil when you face them in combat, this one however knew better not to bite its creators hand - one full base is removed as the Prussian Guard score four hits): 



The French unit is decimated and in two rounds of combat no survivors were to be had on the French side (see below, victorious yes, but on the 'down' side but now disorganised in front of fresh formed French cavalry). In response the French cavalry commander committed the a huge portion of the remaining 'intact and fresh' French formation under his direct (as in ignoring the reserves that were heading his way) command in a condensed cavalry charge (see below, the outcome again favoured the Allies, as although defeated in combat the Allied Cavalry 'retired' back, forcing larger the French to halt in disorder):


Too much elan and hot pursuit can be bad for you as the "three base" strong French pursuers are cut down to a mere "single base" by running past a formed Allied infantry formation and receive their devastating "first fire" (see below, "oouch" something that would temper the fiercest Frenchman's ardour):


Meanwhile regiments and brigades that were a shadow of their former selves still clashed in the flotsam and jetsam that juggled in almost Brownian motion at the edges of the battlefield. Once committed (as in the morale roll to pass a charge or counter charge was passed) a single dice roll held the fate of both (see below, two pistol wielding formations hit in a desperate battle): 


The Allied contingent was proclaimed "winner" but in reality its worth would be to "feed into" later rounds of more organised formations fighting (see below, it has to be noted that as long as their commanding Generals looked on the propensity to charge was as high as 75% even if 50-66% casualties had been suffered - cavalry naturally charge seems to be the dictum):


Seeing their nemesis (the Dutch Guard) chasing off two French cavalry units, the "one remaining stand" of French Guard cavalry were incensed enough to charge, smashing into their disorganised foes at a trot (see below, the battlefield was now littered with 'fragments' of cavalry units): 


What followed was mutual annihilation, nobody survived to tell the tale (see below, and the French routers .. well continued to rout away to the far distance):


The battlefield (well the cavalry wing) had been cleared on many units but no strategic gain had been made. There was still much more fighting to be done but the artillery bombardment of Ramillies was showing results. If the Allied cavalry were successful a dangerous "L" could be made in the French lines.

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