Sunday 12 June 2011

Plancenoit: the next battle

The anniversary of Waterloo is approaching fast. Every June, from more than twenty years, I read a book on the campaign of Waterloo but this time, I have decided that my next battle will be also devoted to that campaign. I never played Waterloo as a wargame, maybe because it was the end of my favorite military era, and still I don't want to play it, at least in full. Therefore I have chosen the combats around Plancenoit as the best option.
Plancenoit was one of the more bloody combats of the Napoleonic Wars. The forces involved were the French Lobau's VI Corps (19th and 20th Divisions) reinforced by the cavalry divisions of Domon and Subervie and eventually by the Duhesme's Young Guard Division and two battalions of the Old Guard, against the Prussian 15th and 16th brigades and the cavalry Reserve of the Bulow's IV Corps, reinforced by the 13th and 14th Brigades.
There is an abundant English bibliography about Waterloo, but the books talking about the Prussian actions during the campaign are somewaht scarce. I have used the controversial "1815: The Waterloo Campaign—The German Victory" by Peter Hofschröer (GreenHill Books, 1999) and the more specific French work "Plancenoit. Waterloo 1815. Les Carnets de la Campagne - nº 6" by Jean-Philippe Tondeur, Patrice Courcelle, Jean-Jacques Pattyn et Paul Meganck (Editions de La belle Alliance, 2003).
Of course, Lasalle will be the ruleset used, so maybe the OOB's will need fine-tuning, because the number of involved units is somewhat large.
Watch this space!




4 comments:

  1. Rafa,

    I am looking forward to this one-I am very tempted by the Hundred Days Campaign.

    Regards

    Matt

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  2. Very interesting scenario for us now that we're starting with Lasalle. Looking forward to see the details.

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  3. looks like you will beat me to it, but I will get it done by the 200th anniversary, looking forward to hearing more.

    John

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  4. Yes, I'll be keeping an eye on this one as well - good stuff!

    Ian

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