Early Promise

FOLLOWING on from reading Peter Fleming's One's Company, I got stuck into a charity-shop find, Winston Churchill's My Early Life.

An Eland reprint, picked up for £2.49 in Oxfam's Bethnal Green Road outlet, London E1

It is an old-fashioned tale of derring-do that reads like an over-the-top Boy's Own tale, and yet it is all true, or, at least, is Churchill's version of the truth.

From skirmishes in India, to a cavalry charge at the Battle of Omdurman, to fighting Boers (and escaping from a Boer prisoner-of-war camp), Churchill did it, and he tells the stories with a verve that makes for intoxicating reading.

I hope to read much more by Churchill, curtesy, more than likely. of Amazon.

Three In A Row

BACK in November I told how I was hoping for a hat-trick of enjoyable reading from the books of sometime Times reporter Peter Fleming, elder brother of James Bond author Ian.

News From Tartary and Brazilian Adventure were indeed great reads, and I have now finished One's Company.

This is Peter Fleming's account of his journey through Russia and China in 1933 to report on the latter's civil war between Nationalists and Communists, at a time when both sides were also fighting invading Japanese

The book is good, if not, in my view, up to the standard of the others, and I count it as one of my better recent purchases.

Waterloo - Turn Five

The battlefield after four turns

The French grand battery fires at the same infantry target as last turn, meaning a +1 modifier, in addition to the previous modifiers, so a roll of 5+ is needed, but the throw lands as a 3.

I win the dice-off (5-3, after a 2-2 tie) to decide who goes first.

I start at Hougoumont, where the Allied I Infantry Corps finally comes together with all four divisions in one hex. Once again the French I Infantry Corps suffers a hit, which is resolved as the compulsory loss of a strength point, reducing the French corps to three bases.

Reg and I then have a little conflab, and agree to make an adjustment to the rules, or at least to our interpretation of them.

The rule in question states: "A unit or figure base must stop if it enters a grid area that is adjacent to one occupied by an enemy unit or figure base and turn to face the enemy unit or figure base."

We took this to mean a base, once in contact with the enemy, is forced to remain in contact unless it retreats out of contact as the result of resolving a hit.

But this strikes us as leading to unrealistic consequences, and so we are going to allow a unit to voluntarily withdraw from contact (if ordered to do so, and the order is correctly acted on). However, a unit cannot move if at any point the move would put it in contact with another enemy base.

Anyway, getting back to the Allied half-turn, I again order IV and V Infantry Corps on the Allied left-flank to bunch up in a single hex. This time, although IV Infantry Corps apparently fails to get the order, V Infantry Corps does, and all four of its divisions congregate in the western half of Papelotte.

Finally I order II Cavalry Corps on the Allied left to mount the ridge, and this it does successfully despite the muddy conditions.

Strength-points remaining: French, 97 of 103SP; Allies, all 84SP.

Napoleon orders the battered French I Infantry Corps to fall back from Hougoumont, and orders II Infantry Corps to take its place in the assault, but the latter is slow off the mark and does not make contact.

However III Infantry Corps does attack, its modifiers being: supporting divisions, +3; corps commander present, +1; enemy supporting divisions, -3; enemy in a fortified position, -2. Total: -1.

The Allied I Infantry Corps' modifiers are: supporting divisions, +3; corps commander present, +1; enemy supporting divisions, -3. Total: +1.

We both roll a 4, meaning neither side suffers a hit.

At this point Reg and I have another conflab - it has dawned on us that the troops in the Hougoumont hex are close to being invulnerable. Because there are four divisions and the corps commander in the hex, any base that is attacked receives +3 for support and +1 for the commander's presence, meaning that even a roll of 1 becomes 5 thanks to the modifiers - three more than is necessary to avoid suffering a hit.

An attacker can cancel the +3 by having four divisions in the hex from where the attack is coming, making a hit possible, although the defenders would have to roll a 1. It would also be theoretically  possible for the French to inflict a further -1 modifier by attacking from a flank or the rear, although that would leave them open to a devastating counterattack.

All of which is a preamble to stating that my opponent and I have come to the conclusion that we just do not like the rules, and we do not feel it is worth continuing with the battle.

Apologies to anyone who is sorely disappointed by this, but we are agreed we are not getting the sort of wargaming experience that we normally enjoy.

So, reluctantly, we have decided to abort our refight.

Waterloo - Turn Four

Looking from behind the French lines at the end of turn three

The French grand battery fires at II Infantry Corps on the ridge, the corps having Wellington with it, which makes him a potential casualty. The relevant modifiers are: general of artillery in the same hex as the battery, +1; infantry using the reverse slope as cover, -1; muddy ground, -1. A die roll of 6 is therefore needed, but it lands as a 2.

I win the dice-off (5-2, after a 3-3 tie) to see who goes first.

I start by moving Wellington a hex to his right, from where he orders the commander of I Infantry Corps to enter the Hougoumont hex, taking a division with him, and then to attack the French on Hougoumont's outskirts. This time the order gets through, and from Hougoumont the French are attacked in the hex where their corps commander is located.

The Allied modifiers are: two supporting divisions in the same hex, +2; corps commander in the same hex, +1; enemy has a supporting division, -1. Total: +2.

The French modifiers are: one supporting division, +1; corps commander in the same hex, +1; enemy has two supporting divisions, -2; enemy position fortified, -2. Total: -2.

I roll a die for my base, getting a 3, which, thanks to the modifiers, becomes a 5, meaning no hit is suffered (actually, with modifiers of +2 it is very difficult to suffer a hit as 2 or lower is needed for that to happen).

Napoleon rolls a 4, which, thanks to the French modifiers, becomes a 2, meaning the corps has suffered a second hit. This is resolved by another throw of 4, which means the French base has a choice of losing a strength point or retreating a hex, and Napoleon chooses the latter.

This raises a grey area in the rules of Bob Cordery's The Portable Napoleonic Wargame.

At one point, partly in bold type, it is stated that a commander in the same hex as a base that is hit must roll to see if he has become a casualty.

But immediately before this comes: "If a commander is co-located with a unit that must retreat and it is able to do so, the commander retreats with that unit."

It is clear, from earlier wording, that Cordery means "base" rather than "unit," as in his big-battle rules four bases (and a commander) form a unit and can be spread out over several hexes, as long as the hexes are contiguous.

However, what is not clear is whether the unit commander should dice for the possibility of being a casualty, in addition to retreating, as the base has suffered a hit, although not lost a strength point.

Reg and I discussed this briefly, but we quickly agreed that a commander should only test if a strength point is lost.

I repeat my orders to IV and V Infantry Corps to each come together in a single hex, but in both cases the orders apparently fail to get through.

Napoleon instructs the French I Infantry Corps to continue its assault on Hougoumont (there is no provision in the rules, as far as we can see, for breaking off once hex-to-hex contact has been made).

The assault occurs after the corps commander first advances with the division that fell back. The result, somewhat predictably, is the same as in the previous half-turn, ie my men are unscathed but the French suffer a hit. This time it is resolved as the compulsory loss of a strength point (luckily for the French, this is not from the base that has already lost 1SP), but then a double-6 is thrown to see what becomes of the corps commander, meaning he is killed, and so the French lose a further 3SP.

Both French cavalry corps fail to advance, yet further evidence of shoddy staff-work (and poor dice-throwing by Reg).

III Infantry Corps bunches up into a single hex, alongside II Infantry Corps, but IV Infantry Corps fails to act on a similar order.

Strength-points remaining: French, 98 of 103SP; Allies, all 84SP.

Napoleon (foreground) watches the continuing assault on Hougoumont

Overall situation at the end of turn four

Waterloo - Turn Three

Situation after turn two, with the French in the foreground

The French grand battery again fires at my men on the hill, again needing 5+, but roll a 2.

Napoleon wins the dice-off (5-4) to see who moves first.

He starts by personally, in the shape of his WoFun figure, leaving La Belle Alliance and heading three hexes (commanders, and subordinate commanders, can move three hexes a turn) due west, joining the so-far stationary II Infantry Corps, which then at last advances on Hougoumont.

III Infantry Corps also advances, and I Infantry Corps does likewise, sparking the battle's first infantry combat.

France's I Infantry Corps assaults Hougoumont, with II and III Infantry Corps in close support - and Napoleon right behind giving encouragement

Combat involves one base from the attacking side fighting one base from the defending side, in this case each base representing a division.

We start with a division from the extreme left of the French attacking a division in the Hougoumont hex.

The French modifiers are: friendly division in the same hex (+1); corps commander in the same hex (+1); enemy is in a fortified hex (-2); enemy has a friendly division in the same hex (-1). Total modifiers: -1.*

The Allied modifiers are: friendly division in the same hex (+1); enemy has a friendly division in the same hex (-1). Total modifiers: =.

Each player rolls a die for his own base, suffering a hit if the modified score is under 3.

Napoleon rolls a 1, meaning his base suffers a hit, while my roll of 6 means my mean were unaffected.

To resolve the hit, another die is rolled. For any but elite or poor troops, a 1-3 means the loss of a strength point, while 4-6 means the base must either retreat a grid of lose 1SP.

Napoleon rolls a 1, meaning the division loses 1SP, which is shown by removing one of the base's two lines of infantrymen.

In addition two dice are rolled for the corps commander when a division he is with loses a strength point, 12 meaning he is killed (costing the army 3SP), 11 or 10 meaning he is wounded (losing 2SP).

The dice land 5+1=6, so the corps commander is unscathed.

We then fought a combat between my division at the front of Hougoumont against a division from the other hex occupied by the French I Infantry Corps.

The Allied modifiers are the same as before, ie =, but the French, without the corps commander in the same hex, are -2.

However we both roll a 6, meaning no (significant) casualties are suffered.

Napoleon's other orders see the Imperial Guard finally advance to beside La Belle Alliance. and the two right-flank infantry corps move west towards La Belle Alliance.

Finally I Cavalry Corps fails to give closer support to the left-flank infantry, but II Cavalry Corps moves behind La Belle Alliance, not being slowed by the muddy conditions.

Strength points remaining: French, 102 of 103SP; Allies, all 84SP.

Taking a leaf out of Napoleon's book, I move the figure of Wellington three hexes along the ridge to be closer to the action at Hougoumont.

I then order the commander of Allied I Infantry Corps to join his furthest-forward men in Hougoumont, taking a division with him, and then to attack the French. However the order is again not followed, meaning the Allied troops in Hougoumont cannot engage the enemy this half-turn.

I unsuccessfully order the Allied Reserve Corps to descend from the ridge.

The other three infantry corps commanders are told to concentrate their troops in a single hex, prior to possibly advancing on the French, but this is only carried out by II Infantry Corps, which has the figure of Wellington with it, and III Infantry Corps around La Haye Sainte.

Close-up of Wellington to the rear of II Infantry Corps - the rock beside the corps commander at the front indicates it has superior firepower

Situation at the end of turn three

*We agreed that infantry having the advantage of fortifications could not also gain from having a superior firing line (British two deep v French three deep) as troops would not have the regular formations of combat in the open.

Waterloo - Turn Two

Looking from behind the French left-flank at the end of turn one

The French grand battery again fires at my men on the hill. This time there are two +1 modifiers: artillery commander in the same hex; the same target was fired at on the previous turn. There are also two -1 modifiers: muddy ground; infantry using the ridge's reverse slope. These modifiers cancel out, meaning 5+ needs to be thrown, but the gunners come up just short with a 4.

Reg (aka Napoleon) and I then had a discussion on whether Napoleon could leave La Belle Alliance and join the artillery, providing another +1 modifier on subsequent turns.

The relevant rule in Bob Cordery's The Portable Napoleonic Wargame reads: "Increase the D6 die roll by one if a friendly commander or subordinate commander is in the same grid area as the artillery unit."

The key word, in my view, is "or." There is no mention of "and," which makes sense as too many commanders would, as it were, spoil the broth - there is a limit to how much instruction men can be given.

We dice to see who moves first, and I again win (3-2).

I start by ordering the commanders of I Infantry Corps on the Allied right around Hougoumont and III Infantry Corps around La Haye Sainte in the Allied centre to ape their colleagues by advancing to the front of their corps.

However, while the commander of III Infantry Corps obeys the order, taking a division of infantry with him, the order again apparently fails to get through to I Infantry Corps.

I also successfully order the Reserve Corps to climb on to the ridge between I and II Infantry Corps.

French staff-work continues to be shoddy, with none of their three left-flank infantry corps receiving Napoleon's orders to advance on Hougoumont.

The Imperial Guard also fail to to move alongside Napoleon in La Belle Alliance, but I Cavalry Corps does move west behind II Infantry Corps.

On the French right, IV Infantry Corps fails to move nearer La Belle Alliance, but V Infantry Corps does, as ordered, mass in a single hex.

Bird's-eye view from behind the French lines at the end of turn two

Waterloo - Turn One

The battlefield at the start, looking north from behind the French lines

As usual I will write up the battle as it proceeds.

Artillery fire always comes first, and the French grand battery, aiming at the Allied infantry directly ahead on the ridge, rolls a 4. The score is increased by one thanks to the general of artillery being in the same hex as the battery, taking the total to 5, but is decreased by one because the target counts as being under cover (reverse-slope effect) and a further one because of the muddy ground, meaning a final total of 3 - two short of the required score.

We dice to see who moves first, and I win 4-3.

I start by ordering the reserves on the Allied extreme right to move into the empty hex to their right, and the order is correctly carried out.

I then order all the infantry corps commanders to move as far forward as the most-advanced division within their corps. However the order apparently does not reach I Infantry Corps around Hougoumont on the Allied right (I rolled a 2, but two had to be deducted because the corps, and specifically the corps commander, is six hexes distant from Wellington).

The same result happens with III Infantry Corps, even though its commander is in the hex adjacent to Wellington (I again rolled a 2, and since the minimum deduction is one, that meant a score of 1, whereas 2+ is needed for an order to be acted on).

The order did get through to the commander of V Infantry Corps, around Papelotte on the Allied left, and at the same time, also acting on my orders, the two further-back divisions of the corps advanced.

I gave no orders to the commanders of II Infantry Corps and IV Infantry Corps, who were already leading their corps from the front, nor to the cavalry corps, which I was happy to leave behind the ridge.

The advantage of having the corps commanders at the front of their troops is that they give a +1 combat modifier to troops in the same hex. But risk is involved as the loss of a corps commander means the army loses three strength points.

Napoleon orders his three left-flank infantry corps to advance on Hougoumont, but II Infantry Corps fails to budge.

He also orders the Imperial Guard to advance alongside his field headquarters at La Belle Alliance, but it too does not move.

Similarly, the French right-flank infantry corps are ordered to form up in single hexes and move to their left, but these orders also somehow fail to get through - evidence of apparently shoddy French staff-work.

Situation at the end of turn one, with the French left-flank closing on Hougoumont

Ready For The Off

EVERYTHING is now set for my refight of Waterloo against my regular wargaming opponent, who, as I have explained before, does not want his name used, but is a huge Francophile.

He has already told me he wants to command the French forces (I always let the guest pick sides), but, strangely, Napoleon is not his hero, or, to put it more precisely, is not his No1 military hero, that position being reserved for Maurice de Saxe.

Anyway, regardless, I hope to start publishing the battle's turn-by-turn account tomorrow.

Ranges

IT may seem as if the armies are unnaturally close to each other at the start of our refight.

A bird's-eye view of the battlefield

But under Bob Cordery's big-battle rules in The Portable Napoleonic Wargame, ranges are relatively short, reflecting the fact that a single base represents multiple battalions, squadrons or guns.

Infantry and limbered artillery can move one hex a turn, cavalry two hexes, and commanders, including commanders of corps, three hexes.

Presumably the speed of commanders reflects their superior mounts, and a lack of need to keep in formation, (infantry corps commanders are assumed to be mounted, even if this is not reflected in figures used on the tabletop).

Artillery has a firing range of four hexes, but all other combat takes place between units in adjacent hexes.

The French grand battery, sited four hexes from the Allied-occupied ridge

Waterloo Weather

IT had rained with great force in the days leading up to the battle, turning much of the ground to mud.

This had a notable effect on artillery, and on the movement of cavalry, during the morning of June 18.

Accordingly, in our refight the French grand battery will suffer a -1 modifier when firing in the first six turns.

Cavalry in the first six turns will always be able to move one hex, but if a unit wants to use its full movement allowance of two hexes, a die should be rolled to see if the second hex can be traversed, 4+ being needed on a normal six-sided die.