Wavre 1870! Part 1

So we talked about a reboot of Wavre since the tabletop looked so good.  I decided to mix it up a bit by moving the battle forward in time and using my 1870 Franco Prussian forces but switching them around so that the Prussians were the aggressors (of course!).  The theory was that the advanced firepower should allow the Prussians to cross the Dyle river more quickly than their French Napoleonic counterparts.  The French however put up a tenacious 8 turn defense of the Wavre Suburb.  Session one ends with the Prussians recuperating from their assault on the suburb, in the centre about to advance though the burning Bierge mill complex and with cavalry advancing on Limales. French had hidden set-up recorded on the map with sighting rules converted from Principles of War.  Rules used were Carnage and Glory of course. 

For this scenario I downsized the units and used a ground scale of 1 inch equals 50 paces.  This shortened movement and the quite long ranges of the 1870 weaponry to a more reasonable tabletop representation.  I think I will stick with this.

 Let the bombardment of Wavre suberb begin

The shelling goes well mein excellency

 Pelletier De Montmarie maintains order among

the panicked French lignards

 From across the Dyle...rat-a-tat-tat-tat

 Prussian Dragoons arrive in the centre

 Prussian columns rush the suburb

 ..,and take up extended firing order among the reeds

De Montmarie tries to stop the rout of the suburb defenders

...to no avail...they flee past him to oblivion.

 Prussian Jaegers skirmishing on the riverbank

Entrenched French artillery protects the flank of Wavre

Sound the advance!

 Prussian hordes advance towards the Bierge Mill

Meanwhile the Prussian Dragoons head towards Limale

Auctung!  Biege burns mein general

Time for the mittrailleuse to get out of Dodge.

  Matelots defend Bierge Mill

 Just think about crossing that bridge

Prussians advancing on the mill

 Garde Mobiles barricade the bridge to Limale

 Mobiles Colonel organizes the defence of Limale

Giddyap!

 Auctung!  The Mill burns mein General

 Towards the blazing Mill..

 On the hill behind the Mill...more French entrenchments

 General Wolfe steadies the Mill defenders

 French engineers at work after a nice nap

 Trouble for the mill...close range Prussian artillery

Vorwarts!

Stay Tuned for Part 2!