Peninsular 1808 - Vimeiro - Battle Report

 So..........Vimeiro. Wellington faces off against the French properly. How do they get the measure of one another in the Wandsworth refight of this event?

Scenario here: LINK

Initial layout and deployments

(that might take some shifting)

The French begin their advance across the table in good order.

Dragoons out front. Which is good now, but they decided to remain in this spot for quite some time to come.........

British centre advances slightly to meet the threat.

French right flank makes an advance to attack the hill

The lines begin to form and exchange fire

The initial French columns get absolutely devastated by the British firepower going into them.

Central exchange of fire continues, with the French still getting the worst of it.

Columns begin to attack on the French right attempting to force a flank and take the hill, so as to roll up the British.

Bloody cavalry getting in the way. Stubbornly refusing to charge and missed their moment of glory!

French advance on the town begins, but its held and has artillery, so they can't advance in force until the centre has been consolidated.

French reserves arrive, sorely needed. Everyones wondering where the British reserves are.

British reserves finally begin coming in, but seem reluctant to move any further than the edge of the town.

Dragoons have finally decided to earn their pay and go in for a charge......only to receive their P45 and take a kicking, before retreating in ignominy. Thanks for turning up, lads.

Here we go, the reserves start appearing to bolster that centre, which had really taken a hammering from the British.

British moves in the town to strengthen the shooting.

Ah yes, the plucky and v well deployed French artillery, which had been causing hassle to anything on that side of the table.

Reserves start giving the bayonet.

French central brigade collapses and flees the table. It really was a textbook destruction of them

French reserves shore up the centre, but have to take the town into account too, so need to be wary of exposing their own flanks.

British reserves finally make their move to envelope the French lines.

Some light cav on light cav action. Both came on as a reserve. Both saw each other. Both went hell for leather straight into a charge.

The British cav lost, Hussars turn and begin hitting the British lines

Central firefight still going. Meatgrinder, really.

Not much in the town, but not a whole lot let to storm it either!

British advance on their right begins, now that the French artillery is suppressed.

French Hussars having a field day. Bit late, but better late than never!

And with that, the British close the door and force a French retreat from the field.

British comprehensive win! That one had a bit of everything really. Had the French managed to punch through, onto the hill, as planned, then it would have changed everything..............but again, the British lines blew the living shit out of the centre, turning it into the not living shit, and put paid to that idea. 

British reserve on their left were v unlucky to not move a lot at first, but this played advantage when they came in for the late game and the battered French had nothing that could deal with it.