Last weeks WSS battle

As the post title suggests my dad and I had a WSS game last week using the very enjoyable rule set Volley and Bayonet, unfortunately I have been pre occupied and unable to blog the game before now so this post is only a brief of the game (still with plenty of pictures). Last time using this period I was victorious with the British so this time we changed roles so I was in command of the French and Austrains and Irish.

Our deployment revealed my Large Brigade of French cavalry opposite the British cavalry which would ensure a massive cavalry engagement.

I deployed two French brigades in the centre compromising of six regiments in each

The British centre looked strong with the Guard regiment positioned right in the centre

My Bavarians were tasked with holding the right flank and along with a brigade of French Dragoons and a nice 'block' of Bavarian Currasiers.

My dad grabbed the initive early in the game and managed to grab the defensive hedgerows across the centre of the table, my task was now very clear, I was going to have to take the attack to the British and hope that first volley or two didn't do to much damage to my troops.

The cavalry engagement was set underway as the British cavalry charged the first line of French cavalry. However the Two French guard cavalry units proved their status as elite cavalry and smashed the first wave of the Britsh cavalry attack.

The Austrian Currasiers move in support of the French right of centre as the 2nd French brigade starts to falter under the fire of the British.

My small Irish brigade surprised me in their performance as they attacked the British right flank, I had expected this brigade to become broken as they were outnumbered by the Britsh  facing them, however they were (just) to survive the game and after a couple of rounds of hard close quarter fighting they managed to help exhaust the British infantry brigade

The fighting in the centre wasn't going to well for my French, none more so than when I was a little over enthusiastic in the movement of a French regiment into short range of the British musket and canister of the artilley, one round of shooting saw the French quickly turn tail and RUN!!

However the same could not be said of the cavalry fight, my dad demonstrated on a number of occasions how not to roll melee dice as his cavalry brigades were broken almost by the 'exceptional' French Guard cavalry. The second line of French cavalry comfortably repelled the last desperate attack by the British cavalry, with all the the British cavalry exhausted my French cavalry now could turn onto the flank of the British centre.

Over on the French right flank my Dragoons were unopposed by any cavalry and quickly they were able to flank the Austrain infantry position. Although the Dragoons were all but exhausted by their repeated attacks against Austrain infantry, their persistent attacks payed dividend as the Austrain brigade was to be become exhausted before they could be re-enforced by the late arriving Austrain reserve Currasiers.

With the French Dragoons doing the donkey work the Bavarians pushed foward managed to drive the defending Austrians back exhausted, before reorganising to face the threat of the Austrain Currasiers whom had arrived from their position in reserve.

With both the flanks secured the remains of my French central brigades fall back away from musket fire range, however the British artillery still manages to cause enough casualties to exhaust the 1st infantry brigade, although I had taken quite a battering in the centre my two French brigades had just about held on long enough to allow the French cavalry to start to turn onto the British flank.

The French cavalry finally starts to attack the flank of the centre of the British centre sweeping away a couple of infantry regiments and exhausting the British brigade on the right centre, with this new threat now on their flank any advantage my dad had in the centre was now lost.

With time almost up my dad conceded defeat, ultimately the very poor showing from his cavalry brigade(s)had cost him dearly, and the fact that my cavalry remained almost unscathed from the cavalry combat was a bitter blow to my dads efforts. 

Another cracking game using volley and bayonet and if I'm not mistaken I have a 100% win ratio fighting WSS, maybe this is my lucky period 😉