~ The Battle of Bensdorf ~
The Prussians didn't come. At least, not in time. Who would've known that a sunny day on the right time could make all the difference? The 17th and 18th of June 1815 were probably the nicest days Belgium had seen that year. Not a torrent of rain but a nice evening sun bore down on the fields of the Mont-Saint-Jean plateau, a field just south of Brussels. You couldn't have told it from the weather, but the day before, a fierce battle had been fought just to the south of that position. While Ney had fought the combined allied forces at Quatre-Bras, Napoleon had given the Prussians a run for their money at Ligny. The indecisiveness of general Drouot D'Erlon had stopped either commander from gaining a crushing victory over their enemy, which made it possible for the Prince of Orange and the Duke of Wellington to sally their forces near the tavern of 'La Belle Alliance'. The Duke held a ridge to the north, hoping to stall the French enough to make it possible for the Prussians to rejoin his force. The battle commenced at 10.00 in the morning, hailed by a salute from Napoleon's Grand Batterie. This would be the Battle of Mont-Siant-Jean.
Indeed, the Prussians did not come in time. General Grouchy, incompetent though he may be, chased the Prussian army for long enough to sever all connections between Blücher and Wellington. Drouot D'Erlon halted a planned attack on Wellington's left, seeing the Scottish cavalry waiting for him to make that mistake. Instead, he waited, coordinating his attack with Ney. In the afternoon, supported by mobile artillery pieces and the corps of Drouot D'Erlon, Ney launched a full assault with his cavalry. Jerome Napoleon, who had just before destroyed the farmhouse at Hougemont with his artillery, supported this attack on the left. To finish it all off, Napoleon ordered the Imperial Guard to stream into the gap made by Ney's cavalry charge. The allied forces of Dutch, British and German troops were routed almost instantly. Mont-Saint-Jean was a victory not unlike Austerlitz. It was the victory Napoleon had craved.
The news of his victory was met with jubilation in the streets of Paris. The Arc de Triomph was adorned with the tricolour, troops marched proudly through the streets and even the Jacobins had to accept Napoleon as their rightful sovereign. All the changes occurred quite rapidly. Davout, the beloved field marshal, was recalled from Paris to join Napoleon on his campaign. Police minister Fouché was hanged for his secret correspondence with Louis XVIII, with which he committed treason. The French Empire was restored as France marched into war once more, and the loyal population followed.
Meanwhile, the allied armies were in disarray. Following the defeat at Mont-Saint-Jean, Wellington retreated first to Brussels and then to Antwerp, which he found cut off by French forces. Instead, he turned around, marching through the Netherlands and into Hanoverian territory with Ney hot on his heels. He tried to escape through Denmark, but that kingdom had closed off its borders for British troops. They had not forgotten the British insults of the Wars of the Coalition. In northern Italy, news of the victory of Bonaparte was met with much festivities, and various republican movements sprang up in revolt. Austria soon had to remove her presence there. In Germany, panic ensued. Saxony went into open revolt, together with Bavaria. Half the princes fled towards Vienna for protection, the other half hailed France as liberators. Especially in the Rhine, French domination was hailed above Austrian and Prussian hegemony. The Austrian and Russian forces found themselves struggling to maintain good positions in increasingly hostile German territory.
Napoleon decided to make good on his promise. With the support of the Rhineland, he marched his grand army eastwards, past the combined Austro-Russian armies in Lorraine, towards Berlin. After all, Napoleon made one mistake in his life: he should have burned Berlin. Blücher, still on the run, now found almost the entire French army chasing him, with no support from the British. The Austrians and Russians tried to link up with him, themselves chased by the French Army of Lorraine, supported by various German states. Finally, with Berlin in sight, the Prussian army halted, ready to make a stand. With the village of Bensdorf in their back, they would halt the French advance, or die trying. Even Wellington tries to make his way to the Prussians, hoping that his Anglo-Dutch forces could prove the tipping point. Three French armies, those of Ney, Napoleon and Davout, now face four allied armies, of Wellington, Blücher, the Austrians, and the Russians. This battle, just as much as Mont-Saint-Jean, will decide the fate of Europe.
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This is a tactical level military RP, in which players take command of the military forces of either the French Empire, or of the Seventh Coalition. Following the defeat of Wellington, the Coalition now prepares to make a stand at the village of Bensdorf, in a battle that shall shape the course of Europe for decades to come. Players may take command of units of up to Corps size.The OPs may modify player commands before the battle.
IC Thread
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Opposing Forces
The Coalition:
Russia
Austria
Great Britain
Netherlands
Brunswick
Hanover
Hesse
Nassau
Sardinia
Tuscany
Sweden
Württemberg
French Empire:
France
Naples
Bavaria
Saxony
Denmark
Baden
Mecklenburg
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Rules
1. No meta-gaming, power-gaming, etc. You can only act on what you now in-character.
2. Take your time. Units do not teleport across the battlefield. The opponent should be given a chance to react.
3. Realism uber alles. Be believable
4. Respect the OP and Co-OPs. Their word is law.
5. Respect your fellow players.
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OP: Austria and Bavaria
Co-OP: Great Confederacy Of Commonwealth States
Many thanks to my Co-OP for helping create the scenario!
App:
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