109 Talavera - Spanish Flank (28 July 1809)

109 Talavera - Spanish Flank (28 July 1809)

Ladder #8 Match
11 matches played
6 French wins
5 Allied wins

Good, tight scenario.

Studying the scenario map in


Studying the boardgame scenario map wiith the aid of a magnifying glass, I am pretty sure that the two redoubt hexes should be hill-redoubts.

Milhaud’s Heavies smash the Spanish right at Talavera. A 6-4 win for the French. But that does not cover their route by the British on the other flank. Wellesley will become a Duke. An exciting scenario. The Spanish used 3 Guerrilla Actions in a row to move and use two Fire and Hold cards. A deadly combination.

Having played the standard Talavera scenario a while back, Tom and I thought we'd give the Spanish flank a go. I drew French and an interesting hand of cards: including a "Bombard" and "Hold and Fire". I decided I would use these to move all the French artillery forward and then attack. But I would need to clear a path for the artillery first.
However, my initial move was to send the French cavalry on the left wing after their Spanish counterparts. The light cavalry demolished the Spanish light and the Heavy all but demolished their Spanish counterparts. Then the Spanish infantry started shooting, killing General Milhaud, and the French cavalry retired. 1:1
Time to start on the grand plan, while the Spanish moved up their infantry reserves. I was ready to go when Tom played a "Forced March" and suddenly there was a line of Spanish infantry across the middle of the battlefield. I knew what to do: I played my "Forced March". Cue Guerilla Action chip!
A "Fire and Hold" from the Spanish eliminated a French light unit in the woods. French musketry was responded to by the same from the Spanish, removing a line infantry from the woods. 1:3
Despite "Elan", the French were not making much impact, but did put one unit in square with the light cavalry on the left wing. The cavalry unit was promtly gunned down by the Spanish Grenadiers. 1:4
My "Forced March" in the centre finally punched a hole in the Spanish line, eliminating one line infantry. 2:4
Fighting continued in the centre, both sides losing another line infantry before the Spanish light cavalry attacked. They were beaten off, leaving a damaged French light infantry in square but two battered Spanish line infantry finished off. 5:5
Another attack by the Spanish cavalry put another French unit into square (depriving me of the card that would - probably - have won me the battle). The Spanish artillery finally finished off the lights that were in square and that was that. 5:6
A tough fight in a scenario where the Spanish actually stand a chance. Amusingly, Tom had advanced the British Grenadier Guards (his left wing) early and they spent the battle standing in Portina Brook occasionally being shelled by the French artillery. They were down to one block by the end... If only I'd been able to play my second Bombard!

The return match between me and Tom saw some deadly shooting from the Spanish. No, really.
To start the battle, French infantry advanced in the centre to establish a solid line ("Grande Manoeuvre"), just out of range of their Spanish counterparts. The Spanish Grenadiers moved forward, General Cuesta joining them, and engaged the left flank of that row of French (actually light infantry) with some accurate musketry, aided by accurate fire from the artillery.
A wholesale French attack was thwarted by guerilla action, but their left wing heavy cavalry moved up to threaten the Spanish Grenadiers. Spanish light infantry moved up to support the Grenadiers. More good shooting finished off the light infantry in the French centre and forced the cavalry to retire. 1:0
The French line infantry then attacked in the centre, moving forward en masse and doing some damage with their fire. However, the Spanish line stood firm. They replied with interest and artillery support, removing one French line infantry and making a second retreat at speed (two flags!). 2:0
The French threw some more troops forward while the British on the Spanish left moved up, General Campbell joining the Grenadier Guards.
A probe from the forward French infantry saw them finish off a damaged Spanish line unit. 2:1
However, the Allies responded with a Bayonet Charge, bringing the Grenadier Guards and British line infantry right into the action alongside Spanish units that eliminated another French line infantry. 3:1
A French line infantry took on the Guards. When the smoke cleared, the Guards were still there and the French unit wasn't (4 hits in a battle back!). 4:1
British and Spanish musketry finished off more French line in the centre, some Spanish light cavalry moving up to join in the fun. 5:1
A French move on their left wing did nothing to stop the Grenadier Guards removing a battered French light infantry unit trying to hide in the woods. 6:1
And a very satisfying return to form for me with an aggregate victory 11:7.

At first glance, this looks difficult for the French. The Allied line with four artillery units and no militia looks formidable. Moreover, three scout cards early on gave the Spanish a supply of four guerrilla tokens. Desultory artillery exchanges took a couple of blocks from the British infantry but the French lost their horse artillery unit. The French enticed the Spanish to fritter away their guerrilla tokens nullifying Bombard, La Grande Manoeuvre, and two leadership cards, enabling them to launch a successful Cavalry Charge on the left. The result was the loss of the Spanish light cavalry and the foot artillery and the grenadiers and the light infantry forming square. French infantry units were moved up in support and the two squares were eliminated for a 4-1 lead. The Spanish brought across their two light cavalry units from the other flank and did manage to destroy a French light infantry and a heavy cavalry unit, but were then overwhelmed by the remaining French cavalry for a 6-3 victory.

The return games was a French disaster. Despite having some excellent cards (Bayonet Charge, Forced March, La Grand Manoeuvre, Cavalry Charge, Elan, Bombard), everything that advanced towards the Spanish Line was shot to pieces, not helped by two Spanish Fire and Hold cards and two Infantry Fire First tactician cards. First there was an infantry advance in the centre, followed by a cavalry charge by all four mounted units on the left. The end came when a Spanish cavalry charge took out what was left of two French heavy cavalry units for a 6-1 victory.

Another close game, the Spanish winning 6-5. The Spanish opening hand was problematic, with 2 x First Strike and one each of Cavalry charge and Scout cards. The action opened on the right with the British infantry pinned in the face of the French artillery and no cards to move out of the way. Meanwhile, the French advanced in the centre. However, having collected three guerrilla markers, the British redeployed the British into the centre using La Grande Manoeuvre and followed up with a forced march in the centre having negated the intervening French turn with the guerrillas. Indifferent die rolling by both sides saw the score rise to 4-3 in favour of the Spanish.

The French opened up a new front on their left with a cavalry charge, which over the course of two turns eliminated the Spanish light cavalry and artillery on their right flank. A Spanish cavalry charge, using the card drawn at the start of the game, eliminated one French HC unit and left the other with one block. With the game delicately poised at 5-5, the French fired at a Spanish square in the centre which had formed earlier in the battle, but failed to eliminate it, allowing the Spanish HC to deliver the coup de grace against the French HC back on the left flank. A close game, which either side could have won. Although neither side rolled particularly well, the Spanish were kept in the game by the 4 guerrilla tokens they were able to play, none of which was neutered by the French. C'est la guerre!