Back to LE FEU SACRE
began with aplomb this week.
Max, Clive and I are intending to attend the TFL games day on November 19th 2006 where a 'Le
Feu Sacre' refight of Eylau is promised. With this in mind I thought we could all probably do with
some practice before the big day dawns. Invites were sent out and acceptances received.
One of the great things about the Too Fat Lardies LFS Yahoo group is the chance to share
scenarios and information about this superb set of rules. Amongst the significant contributors to
the Yahoo group is Bob Hewson.
Bob's scenario, with my alterations is located here. If you wish to view the original I suggest
joining the LFS Yahoo group and looking under the "Bob's Bits" file.
My table is shown below. Small bushes and clumps mark the positions of the hills;
Game 1
Tuesday night saw Max chose French, usually the bastion of Cliveyness and lost badly.
Clive whilst playing well, received luck by the bucket load and Max received a real kicking.
Key tactic which they discovered proved to be this;
Due to the intervening terrain, BUA, hills and woods Clive could not spot immediately with his
blinds and so there were no French formed troops on the table at the outset. As such Clivey's
blinds could make multiple moves, moving into position before 'Poor/Cautious' chip came up.
Max's troops all started on 'HOLD' and his C-in-C chip came up last in turn 1. Result; Max was still
on hold and unspotted for most of turn 2 (until his C-in-C finally came up and changed orders)
allowing Clive to fine tune his deployment. When Dubreton's Division arrived the Cautious/Poor
chip inevitably hit him rather than Clive, such was Max's luck.
By half way through the game it was obvious Max wouldn't achieve his objectives but he was
determined to put up a good show.
He fought off two assaults on Dolkenewitz village, the second involving his 10-man Legere Btn
Vs three 18-man Austrian Battalions led by a Commander with one in support, plus artillery!
Clivey's main Austrian Infantry force outflanked Max's line and caused all sorts of problems.
Another French Battalion in line was hit by two 18-man Austrian Battalions with one counting in
rear support. Result Firefight which Max won! Next turn he activates first and attacks the said
Austrian still shaken Battalions. He has flank and rear support this time and the Austrians are on
half score due to being shaken.
What happens?...Max is forced to retire. Bloody awful luck! If it had come off Clive would have
lost four Austrian Battalions which would have shored up his position. As it was Clive rolled up
the flank merrily capturing artillery pieces and killing Max's divisional Commander.
To be fair to Clive he played a mean grand tactical game and remains still unbeaten at LFS!
reserve at the road fork, supported by Lederer's four Battalions. This would mean Dubreton's
Battalions running a gauntlet of cannister before they could link up, if at all.
I hoped to fix the centre by threatening with my dummy and advancing with Liechtenstein. It was
imperative to fix the centre and prevent the French moving to remove the threat of my artillery.
I planned to envelope the right with my cavalry in an attempt to get to point 'Y' thereby cutting off
the French from Leipzig. Ambitious but I was spurred on by what Clive had acheived on the
tuesday evening.
Nigel's troops were on 'HOLD' orders on move one and even though his C-in-C chip came up
first he chose to attempt to spot my forces in an attempt to see what I was up to before
committing himself to my downfall. Remarkably he failed in his attempts to spot and so my left
advanced to the road junction.
I chose not to attempt to spot when my turns chips came up plus the intervening terrain, BUA,
hills and woods meant Nigel could not spot with his blinds.
By choosing not to spot, and Nigel not wanting to place them on the table voluntarily, there were
no French formed troops on the table at the outset. This meant that my blinds could make
multiple moves, moving into position before 'Poor/Cautious' chip came up.
At one stage it looked as if my plan was scuppered. Sorenberg's Brigade of Cavalry were
spotted by a French blind which had been given orders to move to that flank. I was forced to
fallback, not wanting to incur casualties upon my cavalry from cannister. I was utterly convinced
that Nigel had blocked my flanking move by the timely intervention of a French Infantry Division.
Luckily though when Sorenberg's chip came up I spotted the enemy blind as a fake. Whew, that
was close.
to react, not a common occurance in our LFS games. Nigel looked with dismay as my reserve
artillery deployed covering the ford, flanked by four Battalions of Lederer's Division, masking
Dolkenewitz.
Sorenberg's Brigade continued their advance and occupied the most northern hill, fulfilling their
orders and appearing in the French rear.
The French sat fixed upon their ridgeline with their left outflanked and their right resting on
Dolkenewitz when Dubreton arrived. Prevented from multiple moving, by Austrian artillery
guarding the ford, progress for the arriving French was slow.
A rush of orders from Nigel to his Division Commanders saw the French left begin withdraw as
Battalions first formed square then slowly retreat under threat of the Austrian cavalry to their
flank and rear. As Dubreton's Division continued its slow advance we both realised that the
'mass de decision' was rapidly approaching upon the result of which the game rested.
The leading Brigade consisting of two Battalions of the 37th and 56th Regiments of Ligne
crossed the river Preisselster, the former at the ford the latter braving the shallows adjacent.
Both Battalions suffered appalling casualties and became 'Shaken'. The next turn saw the
Austrian artillery chip come up first resulting in both Battalions routing in quick succession.
a French blind moving behind Dolkenewitz towards the river. I had initially expected this to be
an Infantry Division but Nigel revealed this to be his reserve artillery; a 12pdr battery and a 6lb
horse artillery battery.
These two batteries blasted away at the nearest Austrian Battalion - 1st Btn #24 (Strauch) IR,
and in three turns managed to reduce the 18-man Battalion to only three strength points!
Whilst this was going on my cavalry on the right were faced by French Battalions withdrawing
in square to their front. The moving battalions were forcing me to take countless opportunity
charges, none of which resulted in a charge. Sorenberg's brigade battery, though only a 3pdr
managed to cause significant casualties, protected as it was by the Erherzog Johann
Dragoons, whilst my Grenz Battalion attacked through the wood repelling the enemy by
winning a series of devastating firefights. The enemy artillery in the centre had begun to target
the Kienmayer Hussars, which were by now guarding point 'Y'.
supporting the badly pressed left flank. The curse of the 'Cautious Commander' now began to
be felt as for three turns in succession Liechtenstein's men sat in the centre, at extreme range
for the French artillery lined up on the ridge. Casualties were slight initially but one Battalion
was routed by accurate and sustained cannon fire coupled with crap rolling on my part.
Nigel's French seemed to be gaining the initiative. The entire left had become a stalemate but
on the right things were rapidly reaching a crescendo.
Dubreton's Division, now minus two previously routed Battalions, was making another
attempt at a crossing of the river. Initially shaken, due to casualties from a storm of cannister
delivered by the opposing Austrian guns, Nigel ensured that they had halted and redressed
ranks as their chip was drawn last in the turn.
guns, one of which had become shaken as their supporting Divisional battery began to fire
counter battery to good effect. Two Batteries were captured, the third, which had been in
support was forced to retreat, worse still an Austrian Battalion behind the batteries also routed.
The French could taste victory as the French Reserve Artillery had now started to pound away at
the last two battalions of Lederer's Division, both from the #44 (Bellegarde) IR. In a short time a
further Battalion was forced to flee, its ranks turned into a red mass of flesh as the French
canons spat forth their message of death from an enfilade position.
Leading his last Battalion, Lederer managed to form them into a line and engaged the victorious
French in a vicious, prolonged and ultimately successful firefight, pushing them back to the very
banks of the Preisselster river.
On the right the French forces had
been forced back by the advance of
the Grenzer Battalion which had
exited the woods. The Brigade's
artillery had managed to finally rout
a French Battalion after blasting its
square whilst Austrian cavalry sat
astride the road, blocking the
escape to Leipzig.
Leichtenstein's Division had at last
managed to cross the battlefield and
was at last approaching Dolkenewitz
Dubreton's Division had managed to cross the river and was within 8" of Dolkenewitz. All that
stood in the way was one Battalion of Austrian Infantry. This hapless Battalion, led by Lederer
himself was shaken by the French Reserve cannon and subsequently routed by Dubreton's
Divisional artillery before it had a chance to redress and reform.
The situation was just about salvaged though when the leading Austrian Battalion of
Lichtenstein's Division reached the road fork and formed a line facing the French infantry.
Sporadic artillery duels across the battlefield signified the end of the battle.
An excellent, fast paced game played in the best of spirit.
According to the victory conditions, strictly speaking it had been an Major Austrian Victory as
Dubreton HAD been prevented from reaching Dolkenewitz (but only just) AND unshaken
Austrian troops HAD occupied point 'Y'. However, it felt more like a draw as one more turn would
have seen which ever chip came up first, either Dubreton or Liechtenstein ensure that the victory
went to their side as either a link up of the French Divisions or their imminent withdrawl would
have sealed the day. A damned close thing.
Casualties were remarkably high over 20% for poth participants
Either way no French would have been retreating to Leigpzig via point 'Y' that is for sure.
My thanks go to Bob Hewson for designing such an excellent scenario which can go either way
and for allowing me use his original briefing and map.
Cheers Bob!
