Valour & Fortitude: Bergen Op Zoom 1814

It says a lot about Valour & Fortitude rules that the Wollongong Wargamers were happy to play them for a fifth straight week! (We'd had several practice games for the big Borodino game, which we played on Sunday, but this week our scheduled theme was Horse 'n Musket, so...) 

But there was a bit of a twist - this time we played in Warlord Epic scale to see how we were going building up our collections for a big Waterloo bash in June next year for the 210th anniversary.

The thing I like about basing historical scenarios on really obscure battles is that you can pretty much make it up as you go along! Was there actually a naval bombardment that reduced most of the defences to rubble? Why not? 

Is it beyond the realm of possibility that the French might have scraped up a relief force? 

Well Napoleon did have a talent for conjuring up armies out of thin air by this stage!

The essence of the scenario is that the Allied besiegers find themselves with a French relief force in their rear just as they were about to assault the town. Hard choices have to be made! 

But fear not - the Royal Navy is, as always, cruising off the coast of the French Empire looking for trouble...

The town itself was fairly lightly defended - two heavy batteries, a light infantry detachment in the main redoubt, and an infantry battalion in each epaulement.

Daniel volunteered to be the Allied Commander and drew up his forces: the cavalry, horse arty and rockets, tentatively supported by the nascent and very inexperienced Netherlands militias, would attempt to hold off the relief columns. The two British brigades and artillery, supported by the naval bombardment, would storm the town. How hard could it be?

The Allies wasted no time forming up for the assault..

Supported by a hail of naval 18 pound cannon balls ripping across the town into the rear of the defences. All pretty bloody ineffectual, it grieves me to report. 

The assault was pressed home but was beaten off with heavy casualties on both sides.

Meanwhile the Allied cavalry was doing a good job of slowing down the advance of the relief columns.

But the French had cavalry of their own.

A series of cavalry melees ensued.

Now it has to be said that the French tactical dispositions weren't the best...most armies train to deploy facing the enemy...

But this cavalry thrash allowed the French infantry to close on the enemy.

Picking on the raw Dutch milita.

Even with desperate close range artillery support - the gunners fighting back to back - the outcome was inevitable and the pressure on the Allies increased.

Allied brigades wavered as the French pushed through the centre of the siege lines.

Whilst the remnants of the British cavalry resorted to desperate measures...

The infantry staked all on a second, desperate assault...

Rifles leading, the infantry seized the left hand epaulement!

With the Allies having taken an objective but down three defeat points, we called it a draw. Yet another enjoyable game of Valour & Fortitude!