The Battle Of Blenheim

Description

“But ‘twas a famous victory!”   Over the course of the 12-year “War of the Spanish Succession”, there was much coming and going (along with secret negotiations and betrayals). The war included battlefields as far apart as Quebec and the Papal States, from the Netherlands to Hungary, and to various spots all over the German states. Including a small village on the Danube named Blindheim… which the British would garble as “Blenheim.”   By 1704, things had been going well for the French and their armies looked to capture Vienna and take the Habsburgs out of the equation. After days of marching, countermarching, probes and parrying, both sides found themselves at Blenheim, near the Danube River. The Birtish and Austrian forces attacked a French and Bavarian Amrmy of slightly larger size and in good positions. As the French were expecting them to retreat, their own cavalry was somewhat too dispersed and too much of their infantry was in the towns of the area. And, up to that point, the French Army was consdred "unbeatable."   The battle went back and forth, with each side having opportunities for success but seeing confusion and heavy losses confound good plans. Certainly Britain’s Marlborough and Austria’s Eugene worked together marvelously well, especially for allies, which may have been the key difference. The French leaders, Tallard and Marsin, and the Bavarians had their chances but missed them, needing infantry where they had cavalry and cavalry where they had infantry. When the British attacked the “seam” between the two forces, Marsin’s regiments fell back and Tallard’s collapsed. French losses were heavy, and their army’s aura of invincibility was gone forever The Battle of Blenheim focuses on the battlefield area itself, with each side having two distinct commands and forces. Players will command the varied forces of each side, with British, Dutch, Austrians, Prussians, Danes, and various German allies on one side and French, Bavarians, and even Irish fighting for Louis. Each unit in the game represents one brigade with each combat strength point around 400 men or 200 horses. One hex on the map equals 400 meters. A turn represents around one hour of action and the game can last up to 9 turns.