[AAR] Crisis on the right Plancenoit, White Dog (in English)

PROLOGUE





Two days ago, June the 16th, we fought the prussians at Ligny, in plain sight of the Emperor.

It was a Victory...Blücher retreated to the Rhine !


Then we walked under squalls the 17th all day long and had an awful night, soaked and miserable, without any sleep.



We woke up in the morning, exhausted...







A big battle was beginning...against the wily Duke of Wellington and his anglo allied army which retreated the day before.
We thought he would retreat  to Brussels, but he was here, waiting for us...

And we had to stay in reserve, as usual, because we were the "Garde Impériale", the immortals, heroes of countless battles during more than ten years of campaigns in Austria, Prussia, Russia.


We knew Nothing of what was happening on the battlefield, the cannonade, the cavalry charges, the infantry assaults were too far away from us.




But, in the afternoon ...a prisoner was sent to the Emperor...a Prussian Hussar !

Our Captain was bewildered...what was doing this prussian out there ?

The prussians were supposed to retreat towards the Rhine,  far away in tne east !

We felt that Something was  going wrong ...

Napoleon had sent General Mouton count of Lobau with his VI th Corps on his right, to block the prussians.
He had two small divisions, 19th (Simmer) and 20th (Jeanin) with two cavalry brigades, Domon (Chasseurs à cheval) and Subervie (chasseurs à cheval and lancers).












Two brigades (the equivalent of a french division) were seen:

Were they just  a small detachment or the advance guard of an entire corps, or ...worse ! Many corps coming to the Duke of Wellington rescue ?


TURN 1



The two Prussian brigades Losthin's 15th  and Hiller 's 16th came to contact.

After some horse artillery inefficient bombardment
The french cavalry retire on their left, it was an infantry defense job.








TURN 2



Prussian Cavalry is coming.








French powerful foot artillery bombards and disrupts 16th brigade's infantry regiments.

The French VI th corps seems to contain the prussians...

TURN 3



Hiller 's régiments withdraw  to rally and Losthin 15th brigade assaults Simmer infantry which must retreat with losses.
The french VI th corps line of defense crumbles, Mouton orders a general wihdrawal covered  by Subervie 's cavalry.




Hiller 's Brigade, rallied , moves South towards Plancenoit village.






Subervie 's cavalry waits until the Losthin s infantry comes to musket range then react withdrawing out of range.




The VI th corps is dispersed now and difficult to command (using more activation points, french reserve AP, unti now superior to Prussian 'one is becoming very low)



Jeanin 20th division is deployed in Plancenoit village 4 régiments units (because stacking in village is only 4 points, arty being free)





Blücher, the general "Worwards ", urges his brigade commanders to take risks and attack on the move.

Hiller 's 16th brigade is the first to Attack Plancenoit.





The french artillery fires cannister in the deep prussian columns, the 1st and 2nd Silesian landwher regiments (3 batallions each) are bloodied,





but the 15th line infantry regiment lead by Colonel Von Creilsheim storms the french 107 line regiment 's hasty defense positions and enters the village !

The french retreat, leaving many dead and wounded behind them and abandon some guns.





Two more prussian brigades are sent in the fray, the 14th Von ryssel in the north and the 13th Von Hake in the South.

The prussians are 1400m from the big road to Brussels, on the rear of the "Grande armée de Napoléon" !!!

Why this AAR in English language ?
However, Plancenoit is a very interesting topic.

What’s the scale of this game ?
1 hex = 200m for the map ?
I don’t understand very well the scale of the units...

No simulation of tactical formations in the rules ?

TOUR 4



The 15th line  regiment pursue its attack in the Streets of Plancenoit.




The streetfighting disrupts both defenders and attackers.














The 15th prussian brigade moves down to Attack Plancenoit, the prussian cavalry containing the french one in the north.

And attacks ...but is repulsed and disrupted !

Both the 16th and 15th brigades are disrupted, Blücher sends the IVth corps  reserves in the cauldron.

(TURN 4 had only TWO segments)


TURN 5





The Hacke 's 13 th brigade attacks




The 10th line regiment lead by Colonel Von Lettow enters the Streets of Plancenoit, the french retreat in disorder.





The french VIe corps leaves a huge gap, the principal street of Plancenoit is wide open...creating the first crisis on the right flank of the Grande armée.




Napoleon was anticipating this crisis, he sends his Young Guard division lead by Duhesme  to fix the prussian breakthrough.



Duhesme is a ruthless warrior, said to have been brutal in Spain, he is the man of desperate situations, and here there is one !








The 10th prussian line regiment makes another breaktrough , the french régiments are disrupted and retreat towards the Churh and his walled cemetary in the center of Plancenoit.

The  20th division has been battered and the VIe corps no longer control the situation in Plancenoit.



The prussians flood the street !






The 1st tirailleur regiment of the Young Guard supported by a few guns charges in the central street and routs the prussian  in a swift and brutal action with bayonets and rifle buttsfor those who doesn't flee away !

The gap is closed...Plancenoit is held ...again.






But a new prussian corps enters the battlefield near Frichermont castle , the II th corps  lead by Von Pirch I , Tippelskirch 's 5th brigade is released by Blücher...

TURNS 6   7 and 8





Followed by Kraft 6th brigade...





A new prussian offensive




The 3rd and 4th Silesian Landwher repulse the Young Guard tirailleur regiment and move in the street of Plancenoit










The 2nd Line regiment lead by Colonel Von Cardell tries to storm the central street,




the Young Guard is disrupted but stay put.







The plateau, north of Placenoit is taken by Kraft brigade,  The Von Pirch I  's IInd Prussian corps takes the offensive in charge, now,
the IVth corps is exhausted, many units are disrupted (and Blücher prefers to use AP to Attack rather than rally all the disrupted hexes.




The southern end of Plancenoit is envelopped, the IVth corps units prefer to sneak in the gardens and out of the built up areas rather than be attritioned in  frontal attacks.




The French VIe corps and the Young Guard are about to be surrounded ...

TURNS  9 and  10    



The Emperor was planning the ultimate assault against Wellington with his Old Guard two divisions
(in fact Middle guard 3rd and 4th Chasseurs and Grenadiers regiments and Old Guard divisions, 1st and 2nd Chasseurs and grenadiers Régiments)
when came the bad news of the imminent fall of Plancenoit...
The 2nd crisis on his right...



He stops his plans and orders  to Maréchal de de camp Pelet to lead the 1st batallion of the 2nd Chasseur and the 1st Batallion of the 2nd Grenadier to take back Plancenoit.


He hopes that only two batallions of immortals will give him the time to win the day against Wellington





Th 1/2 Chasseurs paved the way




Then the 1/2 Grenadiers

The vétérans of so many battles move swiftly ...

"No shooting, we 'll Bayonet charge!"





"They see the général Chartrand of the Young Guard claiming the situation virtually out of control,  as to verify this, a large mob of voltigeurs come running up the road in full flight " (Adkin )







"The fighting was ferocious, at close range  with bayonet butt and boot taking over from musket, the Grenadiers joined the fight rushing forward with bayonet, Drum Major Stubert clubbing his opponents with his mace." (Adkin)

The 2nd Neumark Landwher is routed...






The 3rd Neumark landwher is routed...







The chasseurs cleared the Streets in front of the Church 's walled cemetary inflamed by the prussian shells.
And realised they were alone, surrounded by swarms of prussians from all sides ...

TURNS 11 and 12



Blücher galvanize his troops once more and let slip the dogs of war.





The prussian columns moves to the offensive once more.





The 4th Landwher couterattack drives the Chasseurs from the street in front of the walled  cemetary,  the old guards are dispersed, they barricade themselves in houses and garden and in the  walled cemetary.




South of the Church, old guard chasseurs and guns defended houses and their walled gardens,  they are assaulted from four sides .






The 15th line regiment and the 3rd Silesian Landwher, in dense packed columns,  breaktrough Inside  the compound,
hidden behind Windows, walls and doors, the chasseurs fired until thier last cartridges before being annihilated with cold steel, and the artillery captured.







North of Plancenoit, the prussian cavalry charges "the chasseurs à cheval" and the "lanciers", with the support of guns from IVth corps.





The french cavalry is disrupted.







The Old and Young guardsmen' garrisoning the Church's walled cemetary break the different prussian attacks along the Streets.

These men are like ghosts manning the tombstones against swarms of assaulters.







A vicious close fighting among the dead, ancients or recent ones stalled the asault, but most of the chasseurs are disrupted and in retreat.



Hopefully, some Young Guard Tirailleurs companies reinforce the Cemetary garrison.









 The black fumes and the crepuscule darken the light, night is coming    



The different Old Guard hasty strongpoints are stormed...





The last defenders will fight until  the darkness cover their flight or until death takes its toll...

These will die without knowing the answers about:
Who won this dog day afternoon ?
Were those damned british retreating to Brussels ?
Or all these slaughters were in vain ?
Is it the end of the Empire ?



(in game terms the play was a prussian minor loss)