The game was run on Saturday and lasted from 9 am till about 3:30 pm. There were 9 players (though not all played at the same time). III corps moves in by the back door while the French Cav hold off the X corps. The scenario set up had two Prussian corps with an extra cavalry division converging on the town of Remax from two different divisions (total of 52,000 men and 180 guns). Their goal was to seal the main French army in - the battlefield being the last open escape rout for the French - . Each Prussian corps was given the same basic orders - be the first to take the town (this was to discourage the Prussians from cooperating - the French were going to have a tough enough time as it was!). The French objective was to open the south road and hold the town. To do this the French had four infantry divisions and a 3 brigade cavalry division (total of 41,000 men and 96 guns). The situation would be desperate for the French to say the least (to compensate for tins they had a number of E rated regiments and leaders, as well as a number of Crack units). The opening moves produces some unexpected action. On the French northern flank 60 Prussian guns blasted the l 8 French guns into oblivion with their opening salvo! On the southern flank one regiment of the French 2nd division could not wait to close and went impetuous! Unfortunately they were too far from the Prussian line and got caught by almost the entire 5th division. They managed to hang on for 3 turns before being overwhelmed! The Prussians of the III corps flushed with their success decided to charge a French gun line that had formed up along the woods and end of a hill. Unfortunately, they remained in their assault columns! The brigade that attacked was mowed down by 36 guns and 6 mitrailleuses at 200 yards; the survivors hit the dirt lookimg for what ever cover they could find from the storm of lead and iron! The 6th Prussian division ground it's way forward against the French 1st division which was trying to advance at the same time - neither one could gain the upper hand. On the northern flank the Prussian X corps was being more deliberate and deploying while its artillery resupplied ammo (5 bns of guns went low ammo on their first turn). The Prussians advanced into the heavy woods on the French right (Prussian X corps takes command of the ridge) near the stream. to counter this the Foreign Legion charged into them halting the Prussian advance. But again this lone regiment was faced by almost an entire division, again the French put up a desperately heroic struggle for 3 turns before being overwhelmed by a tide of Prussian troops. In the mean time the Prussians drove the 2nd Guard Mobile from the field after a brief encounter (it was said their rallying cry was "On to Paris!") The Marine regiment moved up to plug the crumbling center but were met by the concentrated fire of the replenished Prussian guns. On the French left flank the 2nd Zouaves threw back the first Prussian onrush in a bloody heap. To the south the 5th Prussian division was fighting for its life as it was taking tremendous casualties. The 6th Division after an initial rebuff were starting to make head way against the French 1st division. The French 1st Zouaves were contesting every inch of ground as the Prussian advance gained momentum. The French guns in the center of the southern flank were instrumental in helping to hold the Prussians back. Unfortunately their time had finally run out as a regiment of Germans got close (the French guns holding the center) enough to charge; which hit the guns in the flank. At the same time the French 1st Division had tremendous turn of fortune! They managed to repulse almost the entire Prussian 6th Division an sent them headlong in retreat! While this was going on, the 5th Prussian Division was struggling to maintain it's position (it was now down to less than 2 regiments in strength). What was left of the regiment that had earlier assaulted the French gun line now had to make a decision. Stay were they were and slowly be slaughtered or rise up and die a glorious death charging the French guns once more. The men elected the later, they rose up as one and charged! The French gunners were so surprised that anyone would still be alive after the amount of death and destruction they had been hurling down range, they momentarily forgot to fire! The Prussians swept over the guns in a mad frenzy of bayonet and rammer. The French gunners who survived surrendered as the last intact Prussian regiment moved on the rear of the French gun line. Back in the North things were extremely desperate for the French. The Prussians had wrested control of the ridge fine and were in the process of setting up their massed artillery to pummel the French survivors. A division of Prussians was working it's way around the French right flank and threatening the French 1st Division's rear! The 2nd Zouves were finallly dislodged from their positions as a brigade of Dragoons swept around their flank. This was met by a brigade of French heavy cavalry. The ensuing melee swayed back and forth until both units were out of the fight. In the mean time the Prussian X corps commander had moved the attached reserve cavalry division up the center of his line. The massed Prussian guns opened up on the last remaiming French troops on the ridge. The cavalry was then launched to run the survivors down. The French managed to put up a brief struggle but the writing was on the wall. At this point the French cause was all but lost. In the south they had managed to decimate the Prussian III corps, but at such a terrible cost. The escape route was free of Prussian infantry but not Prussian guns! (there were still 94 Krups on the hills to their front) The French southern right flank was gone as were their reserves (all that was left was a reduced light cavalry brigade deployed just at the edge of the town.) The northern front was completely gone! The X corps had managed to clear the entire area. It now became a race to see which Prussian corps would take Remax first. This honor went to the Prussian III corps! They managed to get their last intact regiment into the town. one turn before a brigade of X corps could get there (actually the difference was more like 4"!) The game was a Prussian victory but they paid a very dear price for it. All in all the game ran rather smoothly. We started play at bout 10 a.m. and finished it at 4 p.m. . Everyone enjoyed the game. After we reached the half way point the players were pretty much running the game with Steve and I mainly making rules clarifications and calling close cases. The outcome had the proper results based on the respective tactics used by both sides. The Prussian X corps took longer to get fully into action but made much more use of the reinforced line (i.e. deployed) and suffered far fewer casualties as a result. The Prussian III corps tried to plunge ahead using the assault column formation almost exclusively and suffered crippling loses due to this (but they did manage to gain their victory condition!). The French used both assault column and reinforced line in a more balanced way and this I believed enabled them to hold out for as long as they did. The French use of their guns was good on the southern front and on the northern one when they weren't being destroyed by massed Prussian fire. The Prussian X corps artillery was handled quite well with the whole mass being kept together to blow open holes for the Prussian infantry. The III corps guns did not do as good a job but in the end they are what prevented the French from being able to get any units off the table. Back to Table of Contents The Messenger August 1994 Back to The Messenger List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 1994 by HMGS/PSW. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com