Caldiero 1805 - Finale

It is now 15.00 hours and as seen in the last post the French lost their cavalry on their left flank and had to take emergency measures to prevent the Austrians from pouring into the breach.  As a result the French line took on an L-shape with precious resources withdrawn from the front line to form the new front.

The Austrians abandon their makeshift defences in the centre and stage their counter offensive

Charge! Elite Austrian grenadiers descend the Colognola Heights and engage their French counterparts

The French grenadiers suffer casualties and are forced to retreat disordered (indicated by the round marker behind the unit at centre right). The Austrians advance into the gap left by the retreating French.

The French gain some respite on their right when a dragoon brigade (on left) crushes the Austrian uhlans facing them. The advancing Austrian infantry now face a new threat!

Situation at 15.30 from behind the French left showing clearly the French line at right angles.  In foreground three brigades defend against marauding Austrian horse (off camera) while in the centre the ranks are dressed as much as possible against the approaching infantry assault.

In an attempt to wrongfoot the Austrians, Massena launches a preemptive strike with one of his few remaining fresh brigades. The advancing grenadiers are sent reeling behind their comrades but there are just too many whitecoats at this point.......

Charles knows that in order to complete his enveloping maneuvre on both flanks, Gambion must be taken.  He orders an all out assault but after heavy street fighting his troops are repulsed.

Meanwhile in the centre the Austrian advance continuous at a slow but relentless pace. The French are faced with a unit to their front and another pouring fire into their flank and have no choice but to retreat with losses.

Unchallenged, Austrian heavy cavalry advance ominously towards the junction in the French line.  Shorn of cavalry and artillery in the area, the French cannot counter the threat.

Luck is not with the French as the Austrians gain the initiative this move. As a result, the Austrian dragoons continue with their advance and smash into the flank of the outermost French unit.

At the other end of the table, a second consecutive attempt is made to take Gambion. Failure will bring about a lot of displeasure from the Archduke !

Hordes of Austrians in the centre

Success at Gambion as the French are finally ejected from the village. Conscious of the Archduke's stern gaze in his direction, the victorious brigade commander heaves a huge sigh of relief!

The heavy dragoons crush the outflanked French infantry and contiune in an uncontrolled charge against a second unit which is also put to flight.

The dragoons have cleared the centre of French infantry and the mounting casualties push the French beyond the 30% limit.  At this juncture the game is technically over according to the scenario conditions but we decided to end the move anyway.

In an attempt to buy some time and badly-needed respite, the last of the French cavalry is hurled against the advancing Austrians

Similarly, elite grenadiers attempt to scare off the victorious Austrian dragoons.  In the second edition of Age of Eagles it is possible for infantry to engage disordered cavalry in melee.

The closing situation at 16.30. At extreme left Gambion is in Austrian hands while in the centre the French are in full retreat with their cavalry trying desperately to stem the white tide. At right Austrian infantry has advanced past San Zeno and bear down on the French left with cavalry in support.

So at this point we decided to call a halt, given that the 30% casualty threshold had been surpassed by the French.  Even though it was still 16.30 game time with plenty of daylight left, we assumed that the French would have broken off contact and retired from the field whilst the Austrians would have probably been reluctant to pursue given the overall strategic situation post-Austerlitz. All in all Caldiero is a furious affair with around thirty thousand men on each side, although it needs to be said that the Austrians are superior in numbers. We thouroughly enjoyed the game and would recommend the scenario to anyone interested in giving it a go.