The Battle of Eckmuhl (5)

Here is the final instalment!

By about 5.30 pm the French left hook had pressed the Austrians further back along the ridge. Over on the right there was a series of small combats between Austrian and Bavarian forces, but no decisive results:
Eventually however, the final vestiges of Austrian defiance on the ridge line crumbled. The village of Unter Laiching fell to a Bavarian Assault supported by a brigade of infantry from II Corps along with Davout's reserve artillery. The defending Austrian infantry were pounded into submission. The Austrian left flank was still left fighting, but now attempted to pull away from the real threat of encirclement as Davout continued to push Friant's and St Hilaire's troops south down the ridge:

By the time night fell at around 8.15pm the pocket of Austrian resistance was much reduced and the remaining elements of Rosenberg's corps attempted to escape north to join the main army.

While the game differed from the real battle in terms of the intensity of combat (things weren't pushed so hard in reality) it did share some key features. The Austrians proved how stubborn they coul be in defence but also how fragile they were and how poorly they could cope with even the slightest touches of bad luck going against them. The Austrian cavalry performed well, counterattacking to delay the French and Bavarian advances before being able to withdraw intact from the battlefield.

The rules played well. There are a few minor tweaks I may consider making here and there, but nothing essential and the mechanisms held up well and played really fast. I'd estimate that the total playing time was under 2 hours.

The forces engaged represented somewhere around the following:

French & Allies: 30,000 infantry, 800 light cavalry and 60 guns

Austrians: 20,000 infantry, 2000 light cavalry and 80 guns

French and allied losses were in the region of 2,000 infantry

Austrian losses were in the region of 5,000 infantry and 50 guns

I'd judge this as a fairly major victory for the French. Based on the VP schedule I calculated at the start of the scenario the French gained 20 points and the Austrians 5.

This was a fun game and a scenario I'd happily refight. Perhaps the Austrians need to put more respources into defending their right flank and holding back Davout?

cheers