Over the Hills (Play-test) - Vimeiro, Ventosa Farm

The combat at Ventosa Farm on the east ridge of Vimeiro is the last of these scenario playtests before Xmas, with just four more to play in the new year.

This particular scenario is one of two that recreates the battle of Vimeiro fought on the 21st August 1808 and you can check out the first of them, Vimeiro Hill, that we played at the Devon Wargames Group when we first started to put this collection of scenarios together back in January.

http://devonwargames.blogspot.co.uk/2017/01/vimeiro-hill-over-hills.html

The view of the end of the eastern ridge of Vimeiro at Ventosa Farm, 11.30am on the 21st August 1808

In the preamble to the Vimeiro Hill game I outlined General Junot's flanking manoeuvre where the French commander detached two of his brigades to move out to his right parallel to the British held eastern ridge to see if they could turn the British position whilst he attacked frontally to pin them.

The threat posed by this move not only offered the chance to encircle the British army but also an opportunity to attack the beach head they were protecting and thus cut them off from any succour from the Royal Navy offshore.

The British lines were in a perfect ambush position for the arrival of Solignac's troops

It is at Vimeiro that we first see Wellesley's famous tactic of the 'reverse slope' position, which not only enabled the British general to shelter his troops from French skirmish and artillery attacks, but also masked any repositioning of reserves as well.

My picture of the view from the top of the eastern ridge at Vimeiro

The three lines of British troops as described by Oman, with guns and skirmishers forward, the second line from top of picture
1/82nd, 1/36th, 1/40th and 1/71st, third line 1/29th, 1/6th  and 1/32nd

Wellesley was easily able to observe the French movements but his enemy were unable to observe the movements he made in response by his detachment of three brigades of British infantry along the eastern ridge to prevent any French turning movement on his line.

This force amounted to seven full strength first battalions, plus a battery of guns, combined into two brigades, with Major General Ferguson bumped up from brigade to command the force as a whole.

Solignac's position looks terrible when seen from this angle - oh well en avant and vive l'empereur!

If this was not bad enough for the French, Junot displayed his inexperience of independent command by detaching his two brigades separately, without appointing a commander to coordinate their movement.

This poor decision only added to the disjointed attack when it happened with the two French brigades arriving at different times in different parts of the field and seeing them dealt with in detail rather than as a combined supporting force.

As the French columns advanced to the crest line the British skirmish screen prepared to greet them

So the table layout shows the position on the end of the eastern ridge at about 11.30am when General Solignac climbed the ridge towards Ventosa Farm with just the British skirmish line in view, the British line infantry having been ordered to lie down.

The 1/71st Highlanders, destined to be converted soon after Vimeiro into a Light Infantry battalion were famous afterwards for being piped into battle by the wounded Piper Clarke sitting on a rock and carrying on despite his wound.

The British were arrayed in a two brigade line of about 6,000 men with the brigades of Ferguson and Bowes combined to allow Ferguson to command the whole force.

General Solignac's brigade climb the slope of the eastern ridge at Ventosa Farm

Oman describes Solignac as coming on with his three columns about 300 yards apart thinking the British skirmish line was the actual line, only to find his voltigeurs nearly overwhelmed by the British skirmishing and forced to support them with his columns, to be then met by the actual British line standing up and stepping forward to deliver a crashing volley at his battalions at about seventy-five yards with the effect of crushing his attack in an instant.

Don't worry lads I thing we have surprised them!

The firing had one effect that aided French objectives in that it drew in the columns of General Brennier who marching to the sound of the guns arrived with his four columns abreast as the British line was occupied with following up Solignac's retreat, taking several French cannon.

Taking the British line in the flank they gained some success only to allow the British line to gradually envelop their attack with another round of successive volleys which coupled with the losses caused added to French concerns after hearing of the failures of their comrades attacks in other parts of the battlefield and in tern causing Brennier to break off.

The first exchanges saw the French centre driven back

So to recreate this battle we decided to fight in the spirit of the original with poor old Solignac launching a full blooded attack on the British line despite what we can see waiting for him in the pictures.

At some stage after the first half hour of combat the French brigade of General Brennier would arrive somewhere on the right of Solignac's start point thus keeping our British commander honest in not knowing exactly when and where these reinforcements will arrive.

As the fighting intensified the French started to get the better of the skirmishing with hits showing on Ferguson's Light Bobs closest to camera

As the French commander I looked at the prospect of attacking such a strong British double line with much foreboding but assuming my historical predecessors mantel boldly moved my columns in supported by the skirmish screen and guns.

The first exchanges seemed to confirm my worst fears as my centre column took four hits from guns and skirmishers and was driven back into the sanctuary of a slight dip to recover from the shock, leaving my other columns to press on; one occupying the Ventosa farm buildings and the other straight on at the 1/40th foot.

The 3/15me Legere forced back after taking four hits in one turn

An interesting aspect of the Vimeiro campaign is that both British and French infantry battlions are very strong units many of them amounting to close on a 1000 plus men which gives them a lot more staying power than the typical strengths of battalions averaging about 500-600 men.

This aspect came to General Solignac's aid as, by successfully rallying off two of the hits to the 3/15me Legere, they were still very much a functioning fighting battalion in the next turn and were able to support the 3/58me Ligne as both battalions charged the 1/40th Foot with fingers well and truly crossed.

The French columns forced to deploy into line force the 1/40th back

I needn't have worried as my French columns and skirmishers fought like lions as they drove in Ferguson's Light battalion giving it four hits to recover from and forcing the supports to check for seeing a wavering unit and then following that, the the fight with the 1/40th saw my French columns come out on top driving back the veteran Somerset battalion.

As Solignac's brigade breaks off, the arrival of Brennier's command with dragoons to the fore forces the 71st into square to protect the British flank.

However after an hour of combat Solignac's brigade was broken and the order was given to fall back with company columns rapidly moving back down the hill

The arrival of the fresh French troops catches the British line out of position

The British were looking on, considering a follow up to finish off the French brigade, but were all to aware that with an hour of fighting completed Brennier's brigade must be close and, sure enough, on they came the turn after Solignac's men broke.

With the British flank battalions forced into square the French columns march double time and charge in

Brennier has a very strong brigade with four squadrons of provisional dragoons attached and as the French commander it was imperative of me to make full use of the damage inflicted by Solignac's troops on the formidable British line.

Suddenly Bowes' Light Bobs forced into emergency square are destroyed by a French column and the 71st Highlanders are likewise pushed back

The fastest French troops and most threatening to a British line whose flank was hanging out in the wind were the dragoons.

Their rapid approach achieved the result I was hoping for by forcing Bowes' Light Battalion and the 71st Foot into emergency square. But unsupported cavalry is a liability, just ask Marshal Ney if you don't believe me.

The rearward French columns pour on the marching in an effort to maintain the pressure on the British line

So close up and able to charge in was the 70me Ligne taking advantage of the French column four segment move, easily shaking off the two fatigue points incurred by such rapid marching by being around 1000 men strong and a big unit to go bashing squares around with.

The first combat saw the Light Bobs destroyed so grabbed two victory points back for the five lost with Solignac's departure and, with four turns to go, a game very much in the balance when we called it a wrap.

The position at game end with Brennier's brigade very much in the driving seat and the British struggling to realign to the new threat

There are additional tweaks to add to this scenario that reflect better the disjointed and impaired performance of the French in this particular combat that really only came to mind during the play-test and will be written into the final draft.

The numbers tell a story with British army morale reduced to just 19 points and Nightingale's brigade with 6 points left

As well as the Force Morale Cards working really well over this series of games we have added to the ease of play by the addition of  order dice carrying the six options as defined in the main rule book.

Brenniers brigade still full of fight with 26 points of Fatigue still in the bank, but with Solignac's boys taking an early bath

You don't need to play the order issuing mechanics but we feel that to really get the "full fat" effect of these rules it is well worth it and so a simple way of recording the process for each command with all the data kept on the Force Morale Cards seemed a simple way to do it.

Throw in a turn counter, tape measures and some D10 and you are good to go running a game of Over the Hills at home or in the club.

I was asked about the turn counter we use to record progress so here it is in its full glory atop one of our dice towers

Latest addition to the OTH playing kit are these home-made order dice Att-Attack, Av-Advance, Mv-Move, Hd-Hold, Ry-Ready and Rs-Rest/Recover, colour coordinated of course

That's it for Over the Hills play-tests this side of Xmas but Steve and I will be back in January 2018 to show you the development of the final four including Corunna and Oporto.

Vimeiro 1808 - Carnage & Glory II, Game Two

Today saw the second play of the Vimeiro scenario with the changes outlined in my previous post looking to tweak the objectives to drive a better game.

Vimeiro - Part Two, Scenario Tweaks

Well if the game we played today is any guide to a better play balance then I think we have got an interesting scenario with enough variability to give it replay value.

The initial set up and plan

Based on the experience of the game last month I was keen to have two experienced players used to Carnage & Glory leading both teams and so had my son Tom take the role of Junot and my old friend Steve M take on Sir Arthur Wellesley's command.

In addition  Tom and I took time to think through the options for the French and quickly concluded that the flank march gave the best opportunity of unhinging the British defence as it, if being able to get up on the Eastern ridge, would negate the reverse slope benefits and give a great chance of grabbing Ventosa Farm, before the British could reinforce it. Given that this attack would take time to develop it was important to pin and engage the British units near Vimiero and if possible grab the town by assault. It was decided to use the grenadiers supported by a pre bombardment of the town by the French foot artillery once the defenders were softened up and to coordinate both attacks to help stretch the defences. The secondary attack on Vimiero Hill would help to to stop forces on that side supporting the defence of Vimiero and, if cavalry could get around it, stop reinforcements reaching the town in time
.

General Loison's lead battalions approach Vimiero Hill

For the British, the two objectives meant that they had to be responsive to the situation and look to defend but be ready to counterattack if the French managed to get a hold of either or both. The ground in between was of no value other than to provide possible jump off points to support the units detailed to defend the objectives, and to prevent incursions by French cavalry interfering with British deployments. As we shall see in this game Wellesley was forced to order brigades over to the attack as the French manoeuvres quickly developed into major threats. The map above showls where the various brigades were located.

As the French forces deploy before Vimiero, just the British artillery is visible to them

The French forces detailed to assault Vimiero and Vimiero Hill entered at points A to B on turn one and by turn two all blinds had been spotted and the Royal Artillery batteries were able to play on the columns and limbered artillery as they laboured into position. Unlike last months game the French force was in no hurry to assault the hill or Vimiero and took advantage of the minimal cover offered by Toledo village, the cork groves and dead ground close to Vimiero Hill, happy to skirmish with the British light battalions, and approach the ridge line cautiously, changing into mixed order on the climb to the crest.

As the British guns open fire Kellermann's grenadiers are observered approaching Toledo

As the attack on Vimiero Hill developed, the French foot artillery deployed off the march on the Lisbon road and commenced a rapid bombardment of Vimiero town. After three turns of firing their incendiary shells the the howitzers found their mark and the town started to burn forcing the 82nd Foot to abandon the buildings and to fight the fires. (as the fire was not out of control we deemed that the British could remain in the town getting medium cover rather than hard cover).

General Kellermann oversees the combined grenadier battalions as they enter Toledo and make good use of its cover

The damage to Vimiero was the signal for the Grenadier division under Kellermann to leave the shelter of Toledo and move down the road. However, instead of assaulting the ridge to their front they swung left down the road and made straight for Vimiero town, skirmishing with Anstruther's and Nightingale's Light battalions as they marched.

Loison's infantry, led off by General Solignac's brigade, prepare to advance on Vimiero Hill

As the two attacks around Vimiero developed the fire from the Royal Artillery slackened as batteries were forced to limber up and retire to rest their crews who were fatigued after an hour of bombarding the French approach. (Carnage & Glory is able to simulate fatigue in a seamless way that takes account of firing and movement together with the stress of combat, all causes that degrade the ability of units to fight on endlessly, something that is often seen in other rule sets). This effect encourages players to keep reserves able to replace fatigued units whilst they recover

Anstruther's  light bobs and artillery greet the French advance on Toledo

The attack on Vimiero Hill seemed likely to fair no better than its predecessor from a month ago as the lead battalions were halted by the fire from Fane's battalions arrayed in line. However the British battalions opened their fire at 150-200 paces which reduced the casualty count, and with multiple battalions arriving on the crest line simultaneously, spread the fire reducing the casualties on each battalion still further. This multiple unit attack also caused the British commander to put all his units in the line with no reserve available to plug any gaps should they occur. This was to prove a problem later on in the battle. (British methods proposed that brigades should deploy in two lines with the supports providing depth and a reserve)

This allowed the French to maintain their foot hold on the hill allowing their follow up brigade to approach practically unmolested.

The French attack towards Vimiero Hill (top right) develops whilst the grenadiers in Toledo (far left) seem happy to pause.

Meanwhile the two lead Grenadier battalions charged into Vimiero. One battalion faltered under the defensive fire, but the other kept going and the 82nd Foot stood firm ready to repel the assault among the smoke and flames. With minimal casualties to both sides, after a short melee, the 82nd Foot withdrew disordered from the town leaving the grenadiers to see off a support charge from the 29th Foot who were also driven off leaving the French in possession of the town and Nightingale's brigade in disorder on its outskirts.

The French seemed as amazed as the British that Vimiero was in their hands, but there was no time for an analysis of what had just happened as the fighting on both flanks intensified.

Anstruther's Light Battalion observe the French in Toledo

The fight for Vimiero Hill seemed to take a predictable swing in favour of the British as the 50th foot finally delivered a telling volley on the 3/12me Ligne forcing the French battalion to fall back. The French brigade (GDB Solignac) was on a "cautionary" status indicating that the casualties and fatigue suffered on the approach to the hill were taking effect. However as things seemed to be taking a turn for the worse, General de Brigade Charlot arrived at the extreme left flank of the French line and charged its two battalions (3/32me Ligne, 3/82me Ligne) at the 95th Rifles.

The Rifles already fatigued after seeing off the first attack let off a ragged volley at the 32me and 82me Ligne that failed to stop their momentum. With that the Rifles fell back off the hill exposing the flank of their comrades in the 60th Rifles.

The French artillery (top left) prepares to bombard Vimiero and its defenders. Nightingale's Light Battalion occupy the vinyards on the approach to the town

Hill's brigade occupies Ventosa Farm

The time was 11 am - turn 6 as the battalions of Hill's brigade holding the extreme left of Sir Arthur's line at Ventosa Farm were forced to change their facing to their left as the forces under GdD Delaborde arrived on the road atop the Eastern Ridge.

With these multiple events happening almost simultaneously it seemed the British line was threatened on all points and where the final reserves went would be critical.

French cavalry (1st Provisional Chasseurs and the 5th Provisional Dragoons) lend their support to the attack on Vimiero Hill

With the arrival of Delaborde's men, the British found their reverse slope position compromised as their reserves became visible to the French. With only an hour remaining before Sir Harry Burrard turned up to spoil the fun, Sir Arthur had to react to salvage the situation and repel these French incursions on his line.

The French guns start fires in Vimiero as the infantry of Thomiers brigade await the order to advance

At 11.15 am Sir Arthur issued new orders to Generals Antruther, Crauford and Ferguson to put their brigades on attack to deal with the French forces in and around Vimiero. Colonel Taylor with the Allied cavalry would stop the newly arrived French cavalry from moving into the valley behind the Eastern ridge, whilst the other brigades held their positions.

It was now that we saw the depth of the C&G system as it dealt with the flurry of orders emanating from Sir Arthur's HQ. The couriers are limited in number, with eight available to Sir Arthur, one of them managed to get lost so another was sent in his stead. On arrival at General Anstruther's HQ it was found that the General was resting and could not be disturbed at that time. The new orders would have to wait. "Cest la geurre!!"

The French find the defenders (Fane's Brigade, 95th, 60th Rifles, 50th Foot) on Vimiero Hill set up and ready, but the line is stretched without a reserve!

The 50th Foot present arms as the columns approach

With orders dispatched the British commanders set about pulling the game back in their favour. The fight for Vimiero Hill was in the balance with both sides teetering from fatigue. Their were no reserves for the French other than their two units of cavalry, which attracted a lot of rifle fire and round shot each time they probed the extreme right of the defenders on Vimiero Hill.

In their rear the British had at least the comfort of seeing General Crawford's brigade descend the Western Ridge and approach the outskirts of Vimiero.

Delaborde's flank attack arrives in the right place at the right time and his horse guns open fire on Ventosa Farm as the 4th Provisional Dragoons prepare to advance

Hill redeploys his brigade to meet the new threat as Taylor's cavalry move into the valley in support

Although unable to attack the French around Vimiero on the other side of the town, the troops under General Anstruther were by their continual firing causing much distress to the Grenadiers in occupation, so much so that both brigades were under cautionary status and would surely retreat at the next attack on their position.

More defenders deploy around Ventosa

However the focus of the game was now firmly on events around Ventosa as Generals Hill and Delaborde contested the approaches to the the Farm, with the French taking advantage of the large cavalry force.
As the French horse artillery and skirmishers attempted to degrade the British infantry defence in the farm complex, the cavalry moved off the ridge looking to cut the hamlet off from any support and fall upon wavering defenders in its outskirts.

As Vimiero burns the grenadiers make their attack

Meanwhile the Allied cavalry moved forward to contest the French moves with Colonel Taylor's own regiment moving into the valley with the Portuguese staying up on the ridge in support.

As the fight develops in Vimiero, Wellesley (extreme right) is forced to bring up reserves to help the defence

Brigadier Crauford  moves his brigade forward to support either Vimiero Hill or the town as needed

The fighting in Vimiero is close up and personal as the 91st Highlanders await the call for support

Close combat in the flames

With bugles blaring out the charge the 20th Light Dragoons trotted forward, gathering speed as they approached the oncoming 4th Provisional Dragoons. On their right the 3rd Provisional Dragoons looked to deal with the Portuguese on the ridge above and declared a charge in support of their comrades, forgetting the effects of the broken ground as they climbed the ridge to attack. Their charge fell short of the Portuguese line, and Colonel Taylor ordered a charge on the stranded French. The Portuguese refused and remained at the halt.

The French occupy Vimiero, as the Highlanders deploy to make ready to rest it back

I told you that line lacked a reserve! French persistence on Vimiero Hill finally forces the 95th Rifles to fall back exposing the flank of the 60th Rifles, with unit 111 the 3/32me Ligne gaining honours for this battle

British brigades move over the ridge to choke off support for the French in Vimiero

The 20th Light Dragoons were on their own and after one clash of sabres lost heart and turned tail retreating back up the valley from where they came. It seemed that General Hill's brigade in Ventosa were now also on their own.

The 20th Light Dragoons are driven off leaving Hill's brigade to defend Ventosa as best they can

Colonel Taylor urges the Portuguese to charge but they refuse and remain halted

With the defeat of the British cavalry, it was the end of turn 9, 11.45 am and 5.30 pm real time. We had been playing since 10 am with an hours briefing before that. Sir Harry Burrard would be at Sir Arthur's side by midday, leaving only one more turn for the British to change things in a dramatic way, not impossible, but leaving the game on a "knife edge".

It was time to stop with people needing to get home and thus our game ended. The French were in an excellent position around Ventosa and with a their forces occupying Vimiero, threatening Vimero Hill but tiring it was certainly a very creditable performance.

Delaborde prepares to assault Ventosa with ample cavalry support

The victory objectives were for the French to control either or both Vimiero and Ventosa before game end at midday with the arrival of Sir Harry Burrard. The casualty bill would then determine the level of French victory. With Vimiero in their hands, the French were on a win.

As you will see from the casualty lists for both sides the French were on the receiving end, not surprisingly, having to attack. However the level of casualties only gave a minor victory to the British which shifts the French objective victory one level down to cause the game to be, inconclusive, that is a draw, but better than the historical result.

Legend:
[W] denotes no advance
[R] denotes halt/retire
[Y] denotes rout
[D] denotes dispersed

The result was certainly better than Junot achieved on the day and the French will have to seek terms and be forced to evacuate Portugal but, given the result, taking even more loot back with them than the last time.

This was a very interesting game with the "tweaked" objectives causing both sides to fight this battle differently than the first. The French game plan worked like clockwork and the British were forced to respond to the French attacks as they developed in intensity. The French force, especially around Vimiero was tiring rapidly and it is a moot point whether they would have been able to see off a British counter attack, however with Anstruther not responding to his attack orders, would Crauford's brigade have been enough to retake Vimiero in time? All in all I was thinking of leaving the game set up to play out one more turn to decide the out come, but given that all the original players would not be involved I rather like to leave this one hanging for posterity with both sides being able to say, "yes but what if".

Many thanks to Tom, Chas, Clive and Jack (The French) and Steve M, Nathan, and Ian (The British), for a great day's fun. A game to definitely savour in the years to come.

So that concludes the Rolica/Vimiero series of games. The full set or army lists and orbats together with the scenario briefing and unit labels will be available in my downloads section. With Christmas looming and Sir Arthur's recall to answer for the Treaty of Sintra, we turn our attention to Sir John Moore's Corunna campaign and the saving of the Spanish Insurrection against Napoleon himself. I aim to play this game over the Christmas holiday and then start the new year focusing on the events and battles after Sir Arthur's return in 1809, the Oporto and Talavera campaigns.