1809 Napoleonic Battle Report Part 2.

The last part of the battle report with the French having some good luck with the dice and the Austrians on the back foot but the dice and luck are fickle bitches. Ray found his camera and paperwork and should be posting today.

Battle of Pisek 8th July 1809.

Saxon grenadiers arrive as reinforcements but would never taste battle but they influenced other units, if you know their on the way you can be a bit more bold nearer the front.

A French juggernaut slips through a gap and punches forward.

My elite battalions assault the heights with a skirmish line for protection.

The Austrians come off the hill and a firefight ensues.

Sneaky Austrian skirmishers assault a Saxon medium gun battery from the woods.

Windswept picture again.

Mike's Saxons assault the Austrian lines.

My reinforcements, French cuirassiers and carabiniers and lots of them.

A better view of their position on the battlefield.

Then the Austrians get their combined elite grenadiers.....

....and their elite cuirassiers.

The dice and luck have sent my elite 25th Legere fleeing and disordered but still fighting.

The hill is still in Austrian hands and the grenadiers approach.

So I go for it with everything available and try to take the hill.....

....but the Austrians have the initiative and fire first........

.......things go badly for the French and they are driven back disordered, (when one disordered unit goes back it disorders everything it goes back through)

Not a disaster just a nuisance.

I unleash the cavalry but night and darkness conclude the action with the French and Saxons getting a minor victory on points (those poor Austrian generals, 1 less Austrian general killed would have meant a draw!).

This melee went on for 3 turns with Mike only having one dice against Surjit's many and holding and once nearly winning (yellow markers are disordered).

The victors rejoice.

Mike is made an honorary Reject (Dutch Chapter).

The Austrians had 23 infantry battalions (364 figures), 5 cavalry brigades (60 figures) and 5 artillery batteries (30 guns).

The French and Saxons had 24 battalions (384 figures), 6 cavalry brigades (72 figures) and 6 batteries of artillery (36 guns), a little extra but we needed them as we did all the attacking.

The battle and game were one of attrition with no one gaining a foothold to finish the other one off or get enough points to declare the major victory, damn dice gods!

A good day it was, good food, good company (Mike's a nice guy, our age(old), Ray is always a git), learned some Dutch swear words which I have been practising on Ray and a good game and no women  until Postie's missus came home and gave out about the mess the chef made!