Fontenoy - First go

The weekend was running away from me. Yesterday (Saturday) was spent swimming, watching England Women's football match, listening to Grimsby lose, setting the Fontenoy table up, getting my haircut* and spending the evening with the Margravina. Today saw me get up at 10, doing the laundry**, erecting a wire fence to keep next door's dogs out and a shopping trip to WH Smith and Wilkos***. I know how to live don't I?! So it was about 4:30 by the time I started the Fontenoy game.

* After being admonished on my appearance by the Jolly Broom Man.

** The forecast for Monday is rain.

*** And failing to find a copy of WI.

As the turns come thick and fast in TOTSK and movement is relatively slow, I decided that each turn would represent 20 minutes. It would thus be 12 moves before Richelieu arrived with his reinforcements. 

Before I start the report I'll mention a couple of tweaks to the rules to fit the scenario. Artillery brigades of a dozen guns are a "base width" wide - half the frontage of a foot or horse brigade. Because the French guns were mostly distributed around the redoubts in smaller numbers, gun models in redoubts represent 'half-brigades'. With less hitting power I decided that if a unit were hit by one of these half-brigades, they would get a saving throw. Also, instead of being able to suffer 2 'morale failures' as in a standard brigade, half-brigades would  only be able to suffer 1 morale failure.

Situation at start of game 09:00

This became relevant quickly as the British artillery scored a lucky 'hit' on Redoubt d'Eu #1. I then promptly forgot to remove the half-brigade until the following turn! This was to pay dividends for the British as it later enabled them to extend their front line.  More or less simultaneously, Ingoldsby's brigade, with the Black Watch to the front, chased the Arquebusiers de Grassin from the Bois de Wood. Ingoldsby's men continued to push slowly into the bosky depths.

Eu dear!

The Dutch assaulted Fontenoy and immediately suffered losses. Fortunately one of the two brigades in the front line was 'large' enabling it to soak up more pressure before routing.

The Dutch assault begins.

In the Pragmatic Army's centre the British Foot Guards led the attack, the dragoons in the front line having marched out of the way. This congested part of the field with no open flanks was not good cavalry territory. The three horse (1 British Guards and 2 Hanoverian) behind the village of Vezon formed column and marched off towards a defile in the Bois de Barry.

The Guards lead the way accompanied by Ligonier.

The opposing lines closed in the centre. The Guards Brigade faced off against the Gardes Francaises and Gardes Suisses! The ensuing fire fight was to last several rounds before a result was achieved.

Turn 4. A second British brigade swing round to the Guards' left.

Over at Fontenoy the Dutch also had success against the French artillery, knocking out the battery there. The Dutch infantry were also able to introduce fresh troops to the fight. Now that his troops were making some headway at Fontenoy, Waldeck advanced his left wing against the redoubts. This relieved some pressure on the troops attacking Fontenoy as the French guns had to concentrate on the threat in front of them.

The action around Fontenoy intensifies

After suffering some losses, the Dutch infantry seized the redoubts! Meanwhile the fighting around the village continued. Here the French general was able to exchange the battered French brigade with a fresh Swiss one.

Hurrah!

Out on the Pragmatic Army's right wing, a British infantry brigade was fed through the gap between the Redoubts d'Eu and cleared the second one. This brought the British out to Ingoldsby's left as he emerged from the wood. Together they attacked the Irish Brigade. This was a tough nut to crack. First under the suggested troop ratings in the rules, they were given a 'Determined' status (i.e. an extra morale failure before being removed). Second, as a large brigade (3 bases) the Irish had an extra 'life' making 5 in total! All of this was to no avail. After an ineffective round of musketry Ingoldsby ordered his men to charge the Hibernians. At the sight of the charging highlanders of the 42nd the Irish men unceremoniously took to their heels.

Celt on Celt! 42nd in the middle. An adjusted dice role of 3 or less means an immediate rout. The rear support for the Irish was countered by the additional threat to their right. 

Then more bad news for the French. In a demonstration of superior firepower, the British sweep away the brigade to the right of the Gardes Francaises. And then another! The Gardes flank began to look exposed.

In the centre the British and French foot (plus Swiss guards) continue to slug it out.

A gap where French infantry were.

Further round on the right of the Pragmatic Army, the British Horse Guards and their Hanoverian supporting brigades engaged in a long-running battle against the cavalry of the French left. Each side over time was able to replenish their front line, spreading the burden as casualties were suffered. In the end the Pragmatic Army had a slight edge with the elite British horse. Then the collapse was sudden! The French left wing had suffered 50% units hors de combat and failed the wing morale test. This meant the immediate removal of all remaining troops on that wing.

Around this time succour arrived for Saxe in the form of Richelieu. A fresh 3 brigades of cavalry and 4 of foot. I realise now this should have only been 2 brigades. Whoops!

Richelieu arrives. And I commit a cardinal sin.

Meanwhile, back in the centre, after a lengthy and inconclusive firefight, there was a sudden decision. Ingoldsby peered into the smoke, he heard a cheer go up from the Guards. Could it be? he wondered. Then the old Huguenot heard, "Sauve qui peut! Sauve qui peut!" The French guards had broken!

The French centre was now wide open save for a few cavalry. But these included la crème de la crème. The Maison du Row and Gendarmerie. Two brigades of elite heavy cavalry. 

After 14 turns the French centre collapsed.

The fight around Fontenoy and the redoubts on the left continues.The British infantry have command of the centre and are able to turn attention to Fontenoy. Over on the right the way has been cleared of the French.

With the French centre largely defeated, Ligonier orders a brigade of British to support the Dutch attack on Fontenoy. One Dutch brigade has already collapsed, but the second (large) brigade continues to press the Swiss defenders. The Dutch are seconded by an artillery battery as well as the British. The Swiss finally conceded the village and took to the rear.

Fontenoy falls to the Dutch on turn 17

Over at the redoubts the Dutch are attacked by the dismounted French dragoons. The fighting hung in the balance for a long time before the dragoons re-took the redoubts. This gave confidence to the French, infantry to the front, who advanced towards the Dutch cavalry. As the Dutch commander I made the mistake of letting the cavalry be attacked. Taking my lead from the rules appendix, I classified the Dutch as 'Wavering'. This meant one less morale failure was permitted. Infantry went down from 3 to 2 and the cavalry to just one!

First one Dutch cavalry brigade fell to the French counter attack, then a second. This took Waldeck's wing above the 50% threshold. Then disaster! The wing morale check was failed first time. At the height of their success, the Netherlanders had had enough.

Turn 18, a miserly 2 is rolled on the Dutch wing morale check.

So there was still hope for Saxe. Richelieu was now fully engaged in the centre. The battle on his right (allied left) was won. He could despatch the Maison and Gendarmerie to tackle the English and their German allies on the left flank.

Richelieu decided that standing off and popping away with muskets wasn't the French way. he ordered an all out assault. again there was no immediate result but it was better than being shot to pieces by the superior British musketry.

Ligonier and Richelieu go head to head deep in the middle of the French position.

On turn 22 more bad news for the French. After a couple of successful tests, the French centre (which included the elite cavalry) finally failed its wing morale test. 

Mais ou est la Garde? The French horse guards perform disastrously against the Anglo-Hanoverian cavalry. Just at the moment of truth, the French heavies decided that discretion was the better part of Valerie****.

Richelieu fought on. His cavalry continued to slug away at the, by now, exhausted British foot guards and the rest of the infantry hammered away at each other. Both sides lost units. A gap appeared and the British dragoons eagerly looked forward to their opportunity.

But the Scots Greys and Iniskillings were not to get their moment of glory. They were not to pre-empt the Union Brigade of 70 years later. On turn 24 the French Army morale failed at the first time of asking. In truth I should have taken this earlier, once the French had lost 2 out of their 4 'wings'.

Poor Saxe. He rolled a 1.

The Reckoning. 20 brigades lost by the French. 13 by the Pragmatic Army. This includes the units which were removed after failed wing morale tests.

 

So a defeat for the French. I think the allied tactic of stretching the front so they could bring the superior British musketry to bear helped. The march around the flank helped pin the French reserves (historically they were able to attack the British column in the centre. And early wins (luck) helped prepare the rest of the ground. Another factor may have been the lack of aggression on the French side. Instead the infantry in the centre was pretty much shot up. A move to contact may have evened up the odds. Or, maybe if they had stood back initially it would have allowed some room for their cavalry to attack the British flanks. On the other side, not keeping the Dutch cavalry out of harms way was a big error. Other than that, the Dutch did well. Anyway, there'll be a chance to address these errors, and no doubt make new ones later in the week.

When news reach London, the news sheets were soon up their usual. The following front pages were spotted.

Ye Daily Looking Glass: "One nil to the Ingerlund! Gus' boys smash Gerry led Frogs. Cloggies go missing."

Ye Wuardian: "Louis Quinze Maurice.  Whither now the Saxon maestro? Pompidore's protegé peremptorily pummelled in the Austrian Netherlands."

Ye Big Yellow Ball in the Sky: "Saxe comes off Wurst! Louis made to look a right sausage by Cumberland. Turn to page 3 and cop a load of the Pompidore's bangers."