Nap Campaign: 3rd Battle of Ainsworth. 18th April 1808. Turns 6 - Conclusion

 Turn 6

Looking west from the Prussian 2nd Corps position towards the bridge. Doubt creeps into the Prussian 2nd Corps that the gap between them is simply too wide to traverse given the size of the French force against them.

The Westphalia Landwehr with Hulsen personally leading one of the battalions successfully form attack columns before the Old Guard strike. The Prussians desperately hope for some luck but none was forthcoming and the disparity in troop quality quickly told. One Landwehr battalion was destroyed and another pushed back across the bridge.

The bridge to their rear had been purposefully left clear to allow an escape route should the worst happen thus saving 2 battalions unlike the earlier crossing attempts.

Continued -

Campy's Brigade begins reforming outside musket range and now supported by cavalry. At the bottom of the photo 2 Prussian horse artillery batteries make life uncomfortable for the French.

French columns continue to press hard on the rapidly diminishing Prussian 2nd Corps.

Billiard deploys his 2 surviving battalions into line supported by an artillery battery in an attempt to neuter the massed Prussian artillery that has been causing significant damage including destroying one of his own battalions.

Thurmen's regular cavalry brigade is ordered to redeploy to support the infantry around the farm in a last ditch attempt to force their way through to the bridge. Poor command rolls have dogged this brigade from the start leaving it static and it is not much better when redeploying. A single activation fails to move it far enough to avoid the oncoming French columns. The 2nd Uhlans at the top of the photo takes casualties from musketry disordering the unit.

Behind the cavalry, the Prussian infantry battalions collapse in spectacular fashion. One after another breaks either in melee or supporting those melees. Only 2 are left remaining out of the strong force that began the battle (top left).

Turn 7

The collapse of the Prussian 2nd Corps continues with another of Sack's 22nd Infantry battalions retreating from the field leading to his Brigade being broken.

French columns continue to surge forward with 2 charging the Prussian Uhlans. The latter evades the charge (bottom right) with both French columns now threatening the Prussian artillery flank.

Talking of which, the batteries poured fire into the French infantry deployed to their front inflicting casualties but not causing any serious damage. 

An overview of the Prussian 2nd Corps position. Campy's Brigade is broken due to the loss of 2 battalions leaving the area around the farm devoid of French infantry. 

For the Prussians the area was quickly becoming untenable. With the possibility they could be cut off, the infantry around the farm was ordered to withdraw leaving those occupying the farm buildings acting as a rearguard.

The Old Guard bring forward a horse artillery battery and a blast of canister from that coupled with musket volleys destroy the Westphalia Landwehr Jager who had been skirmishing annoyingly to their front. 

With the demise of the Prussian 2nd Corps imminent, the Middle Guard is released to join their Old Guard comrades defending the bridge crossing.

Blucher learns of the collapse of the 2nd Corps and sees the Middle Guard reinforcements arrive to the rear of the Old Guard. It is now clear he has no hope of forcing the crossing and therefore calls off the attack to preserve his forces. He must seek alternative crossings if he is to defeat Napoleon.

Turn 8

The final melee of the game. The Prussians had ordered a general withdrawal to preserve as much of their 2nd Corps as possible. One foot artillery battery was stranded having been disordered and was duly swamped by French columns.

The Prussians enjoyed largely successful command rolls allowing units to pull back safely. None more so than Wienskowski's 23rd Infantry battalion that had been occupying the farm. 3 activations allowed it to vacate the farm and make good progress towards safety (middle of photo). 

An overview of the French 2nd and 3rd Corps that had become increasingly strung out in their rapid advance.

Napoleon decided to call a halt as the Prussians quickly vacated the battlefield in order to preserve his numbers leaving the last Prussian units to depart unmolested.

This was a clear French victory having destroyed the threat to their flank and held the river crossing with the Prussians suffering 400 casualties to the French 124. However, the benefit to Napoleon could prove short-lived with the mobilisation of the Prussian 3rd Corps still some distance away to the north. 

The Prussians needed an early breakthrough at the bridge crossing and he destruction of 2 Guard batteries boded well. What followed was a combination of very poor Prussian dice rolls and inferior troop quality compared to the French Old Guard sealing their fate. 

The Prussian 2nd Corps dice rolls were little better with their artillery inflicting the greatest casualties among the French columns. It was clear early on that there was a need to drive on the bridge to support the main Prussian body establishing themselves on the French side. There was a brief moment when the 2 brigades tasked with making that move enjoyed early success driving the French out of the farm. The advance stalled at that point never to recover the initiative. Their fate was sealed with the collapse of the brigades attempting to hold against the massed French 2nd and 3rd Corps columns.

I will cover the strategic situation in the next post detailing the subsequent map moves.