Ramillies 1706 - Re-fight

 War of the Spanish Succession 23 May 1706

Pro-Habsburg Forces under The Duke of Marlborough approx. 69,000 with 120 guns
Pro-Bourbon Forces under le Duc de Villeroi & the Elector of Bavaria, approx. 68,000 with 70 guns

Played with Twilight of the Sun King rules (with one 60x30mm base per brigade rather than the standard two 60x30mm bases per brigade)  with 1200+ 6mm figures on a 6'x4' table.

Reference 

• See my blog post Ramillies Set up  
• See my blog post Twilight of the Sun King rules Review  
• See Kronoskaf WSS
• See Obscure battles

Battlefield

From the French point of view the left wing of the battlefield was separated by rough terrain not suited for cavalry.  The centre around Ramillies was more open and the right flank was ideal for cavalry. Both commanders placed their infantry on the French left and centre and massed their cavalry on the French right flank.  Both commanders  left some cavalry to guard the left flank but with no intention of actually attacking across the rough ground but rather just in case the opposition were foolish enough to do try an attack across the rough ground.

The battle commenced with an artillery bombardment.  One of the things I like about the TotSK rules is that long range artillery bombardments may disrupt troops maneuvering but unless massively concentrated they will not cause casualties (a loss of moral in these rules.)

The  infantry of the  Grand Alliance ( Austria, England, and the Dutch Republic) under Marlborough  advanced on the French, slowed down by the rough ground separating the armies on the left of the French lines.  The British horse pulled away from their position on the French left and rode with some hast behind the British lines heading to the other flank. 

The French cavalry advanced smartly against the  Grand Alliance cavalry.  The Duke of Villeroi plan being for his superior cavalry to crush their opposition and then to flank the allies infantry lines. 

The cavalry wings clashed, over 150 squadrons of cavalry, 20,000+ cavalry charging and counter charging.  A nice detail in the TotSK rules is that defeated cavalry flee a full move from a losing combat unless they have reinforcement to their rear in which case they fall back behind their support.  This givens a nice rolling combat with weakened horse falling back behind reinforcements.

In the centre the allied infantry assaulted Ramillies and then Offus and finally Autra-Eglise.    Unlike the cavalry fight the infantry combat was a slower grind.  The rules give a bonus to moral tests for troops with rear support  and infantry  inherently harder to break than cavalry (3 hits opposed to 2).

The cavalry fight was going against the French when  the arrival of the British horse pulled from the opposite flank made it even more difficult for the French and lead to the eventual collapse of the French cavalry wing.

The Allied cavalry started to wrap around the flank of the French army.  The French infantry still held the three villages of Ramillies, Offus and Autra-Eglise although the fight was starting to slowly swing in favour of the allies. However with the allied horse free to swing onto the flanks and rear of the French Army,  the Duke of Villeroi conceded the field  and victory to the  Grand Alliance.

Comments

This wargame ran very close to the original battle.  I found the Twilight of the Sun King rules to be quick and to give a "realistic"  outcome.