OT2024 Round 5

Round 5 Game 2
Austrians – Steve T; 7 banners taken, 36 blocks lost
French – Jim F: 5 banners taken, 39 blocks lost
This was a long, slow battle with feints and attacks up and down the front, with both sides trying to wring every last bit of advantage from terrain, units and cards. Very close and it could easily have gone the other way. It’s the first time I’ve beaten Jim in four games, he is a very challenging opponent, and a pleasure to play against!
Battle began with the French attacking the island, with the loss of the Austrian battery and a very lucky escape for the shattered Austrian lights (0-1). My Austrians brought their cannons forward to the centre ridge and both sides were moving reinforcements toward the French left. The French LC here seized Reisenburg but were repulsed by an Austrian bayonet charge. An Austrian attack into the central island took two banners (with one for all four towns making 3-1), but the French reorganised with LGM and destroyed or repulsed the attackers (3-2). There followed limited but unsuccessful French attacks on both flanks (4-2). On their right, the French appeared to be preparing a forced march two hex advance across the bridge by a pair of LI with leaders (looking at the log file I can see Jim didn’t have this card – nice bluff!) – so my two infantry units attacked first: with one destroyed and one driven back (4-3).
After further manoeuvering, both sides had amassed some strength on the French left. My Austrians attacked and were defeated (4-5) and the French advanced across the Danube here and occupied the bridge on the other flank, holding three of these and threatening an extra banner. The Austrian reply destroyed two French line (6-5), reoccupied a Danube bridge, and in the following turn destroyed the nearby one block French art (7-5).