First General d'Armee game

Due to one of our members inconsiderately going into hospital and staying there longer than expected we had to cobble together the forces for this game from other members hence the Prussians and Portuguese being on the same battlefield. 

(the aforementioned deserter was back at the club last night!)

British on the left French on the right.

British centre

French Dragoons

The British left wing

Massed French cavalry in the centre,

This impressive battery of 12Lbrs faces the British left. 

The French right boldly advances towards the British who had their Prussian allies in support.

Meanwhile the French cavalry advance in the centre.

Skirmishers are pushed out by both sides. The 12lbr battery can be seen top left supported by a unit of Dragoons.

The French centre from the British side of the field.

This is the right centre of the British line, the French artillery can just be seen on the hill, top left.

Prussians advance  supported by a battery of 6lbr guns.

The 2 French batteries  proved to be a thorn in the side of the British centre all game.

French Dragoons take casualties.

French artillery begins to take its toll on the Heavy cavalry brigade in the British centre.

The French artillery are also pounding the infantry supporting the cavalry, this unit having been forced into square and unformed. This opportunity was missed by the French cavalry commander however.

Allied skirmishers have got the better of their French opponents and the infantry begin to press the advantage by advancing over the ridge.

The British heavies, fed up with constant bombardment attempt to charge their tormentors after their CinC appears and gives them some inspired support.

It didn't work and one unit returned to its own lines.

The second unit fared better supported bu another unit. Their French opponents failed to stand and fell back right off the table with the Brigade faltering as a result.

The remaining French skirmishers are forced back but the Prussian artillery were becoming fatigued and kept running low on ammo. Staff officers were kept busy keeping them supplied.

The Portuguese Brigade begins to advance.

Meanwhile British artillery begin to ware down the French cavalry supporting the 12lbrs.

The French left begins to crack.

However reinforcements begin to arrive and immediately attempt to turn the Prussian flank by seizing the bridge.

The Portuguese begin to press the French and threaten the artillery that had proved to be difficult opponents all game.

The British cavalry do what British cavalry do and push on into the French centre.

Sensing victory the British left wing Brigade begins to advance,

The collapse of the French left wing continues 

As their reinforcements attempt to force their way across the bridge,

British infantry continue to press forward as French brigades head for the rear.

Meanwhile the British heavies in the centre have fallen back to recover having sent the French cavalry off the field of battle.

Allied infantry are advancing all across the front.

Much to the dismay of the exhausted British cavalry commander another French cavalry brigade appears to shore up the centre.

To the right of this, however, French infantry are falling back.

The Prussians quickly reform their lines in the face of the French threat to their right flank with a British reserve brigade moving up in support.

Having recovered from their previous exertions the British heavy brigade returns to the fray to finish off the exhausted battery in the French centre. 

A view of the right of the allied lines. One French brigade has gone and a second is about to do the same leaving a huge gap in the lines. With the cavalry brigade also gone this meant 3 French Brigades had broken.

With the French falling back on the other wing also

and the Prussians resisting the last French hope of turning the tide the French commanders expressed a desire to withdraw as best they could.

The rules went down well and games will get a lot quicker once we have mastered them. We managed to use most of the ADC taskings with the British cavalry using the command task several times to recover and the Prussian artillery using the artillery resupply task just at the right time twice to avoid being diepersed.