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Tuesday 22 February 2011

Serves me right !

Having gone off in a bit of a huff after my last post I re-read a lot of my stuff on the 1793-94 campaign in Flanders.Mostly Fortecue and Belloc but also a bit of Hamilton on the Foot Guards. and certainly the total frustration of the game WAS very realistic. However it seemed to me that the Allies were able to win victories but never exploit them Usually bercause the Austrians and Prussians were too slow but also because the French frequently retreated. The old Nursery ryme about the "Grand Old Duke of York" was very apposite and I begin to have respect for his generalship under very trying circumstances and not so old either 28 when he took the command. Not only did he have to deal with conflicting agendas from the Austrians Prussians and Dutch but - worse Ministers at home who were incredibly incompetant in Military matters. Despite all this however the tiny British force aquitted itself well winning - often against odds -most of its fights.
So dewpite a dissatisfaction with the rules I'll happily go back to Flanders.

5 comments:

  1. Without having played GdeB, was it the rules or how they were applied? (choice of troop classification etc). An interesting and under-rated campaign as is Holland. Nice medley of ragged uniforms too.

    -Ross

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  2. Ross Not sure to be honest as its been a while since I'd played GdeB before this- the last time was also a French Rev game but before I set up this blog. Part of the problem seemed to be that the French players "knew" the rules at least as well as the umpire and insisted on telling me so- I was the British CXommander- repeatedly but to be honest its probaly a bit of both.

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  3. Frankly I should have made both the 'Blues' and skimishers less effective than I did, however the Austrian commander was told where the Frenchies were coming on the table but still managed to leave his flank open the the massed hordes marching towards him. They were supposed to delay the French allot longer than they did thereby allowing the Brits to arrive 'just in the nick of time.But bugger me the Allies die throwing was lousy that day.
    The company was as good as always though so not a complete waste of time.
    Dave

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  4. Dave no not a waste of time at all I do want to have another go at that campaign. The more I read up the more I understand the Duke of York and the complete failure of the Austrian "cordon system" .

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  5. Looking at it from now wouldn't you think that concentration of strength at one point by the French would be so obvious a tactic that the "cordon system" would be redundant from the start, but the Austrians (and others) continued to persist with this system for many years afterwards, really until the mid Nap wars!
    Speak to you soon mate.
    Dave.

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