403 Jena - Early Morning (14 October 1806)

403 Jena - Early Morning (14 October 1806)

played a tense game vs Michael this morning. Both of us fuming over cards, and sitting on 7 banners each.

Little Inspiration

Guyot and St Hilaire smashed the Purssian left for a 9-4 vp win.

Vittoria Francese 8-6. I francesi avanzano sulla destra lungo i boschi senza ottenere alcun risultato importante. Decidono allora di concentrare gli sforzi per conquistare il villaggio di Closewitz. I prussiani pero' riescono con una "Grande Manovra" formare una linea di fanteria continua in appoggio al villaggio. La mischia si fa furiosa, i prussiani perdono un generale , i francesi fanno intervenire l'artiglieria della Guardia ma il risultato non cambia, il villaggio rimane in mano prussiana. Fortunamente per i francesi un ordine di "Attacco alla Baionetta" seguito da un "Elan" ribalta le sorti e Closewitz cade in mano francese. Sulla sinistra francese i reggimenti leggeri e un'unita' di ussari conquista Cospeda costringendo i prussiani a far intervenire i propri granatieri. Dopo una lunga lotta i francesi portano a casa la vittoria proprio eliminando l'ultima unita' prussiana che ancora si trovava nei boschi di Closewitz.

Played twice with a victory for each side. French cavalry attacks on their right were powerful in both games but in the second game the French attacks were uncoordinated and the Prussians were able to hold them off and whittle them away.

The decisive moment was a cavalry charge on each flank by the Lights. This took out two units of the Prussian Artillery. The Prussians attacked the French center but were repulsed after causing and sustaining very high losses. The dice were not kind to Hohenlohe. French victory 8-5. The Prussians held all town hexes at the end of the scenario. Closewitz changed hands twice.

An early French infantry assault on Closewitz was able to establish a feeble foothold on the town, but a Prussian counter-attack evicted the French in short order. This infantry fight was costly to the infantry on both sides, but the Prussians got the better of it and continued to hold Closewitz after the dust cleared, and held it for the rest of the battle. After some repositioning, maneuvering and desultory artillery fire, the French cavalry on the right charged home, destroying all the Prussian cavalry on that flank and paving the way for a Grand Maneuver to bring several French Line Infantry units up that flank and deliver a Bayonet Charge into the Prussian left-rear, destroying several Prussian infantry units damaged earlier in the battle and ending the game 9-7, French victory.

8:4 for Prussia, this includes the temporary town ownership banner. Napoleon was ill, and did not bring forward artillery, cavalry and the Guard until it was too late, the Prussians conducting skillful local counterattacks, even at one point seriously endangering the French right flank, with aggressive combined attacks of cavalry and horse artillery.

8:6 to the French including a banner for the towns for the Prussians. Very even battle and victory could have gone to either side during several rounds in the end. Only misfortune stopped two rounds with really good chances for Prussians to snatch two banners in one go for the win. The Prussians got a fairly good start with double Cavalry Charge together with an Élan but after the mid time of the battle, the French manage to hit where it hurt the most and with no usable guns, the Prussians became hampered. The game was all but over when one of the front line Prussian grenadier units was eliminated by heavy artillery fire. With both flanks rather depleted on both sided, advancing French units in the center could capture the final banner needed for a hard fought victory.