210615 1015 - Zaventem Airport - the final dispatch from your front line correspondent at Waterloo 200. Last night's re enactment was quite different than the first.
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| British Light Cavalry |
The Allies were all deployed already, no marching on. Napoleon did a circuit of the field to equal cheers and boos. The Allied guns (7 possibly 8 batteries) pumped out shots like they were using free money.
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| Falling back from the enemy attack |
We had new seats almost exactly on the position of the 27th Foot (a little forward actually) so the view we had was not the end-on view of day 1 but a panoramic view of the French and Allied lines.
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| Take position behind the ridge! |
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| Have I learned how to win it now? |
The action was in some respects farther away than day 1 but the overall perspective on the battle was superior. We had a 'Wellington's eye- view' and that was indeed a privilege.
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| Big Entourage |
The biggest take away for all we wargamers were two things - the smoke and the noise of the guns. I cannot emphasize enough the sheer volume of smoke and unlike day 1 there was no breeze so it just hung in the air.
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| The Army will retire 100 paces! |
Two important consequences of this were that vision was almost completely obscured for protracted periods of time and all colour changed to various shades of grey. Uniforms were indistinguishable, flags unrecognizable, the origin of fire indistinct.
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| Wargamers take note |
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| counter battery fire |
I am greatly looking forward to applying this new found knowledge in a wargame particularly when a player claims full visibility and reaction options to something which cannot be seen.
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| Hold steady lads! |
The sheer spectacle was beyond adequate description and in the smoky fading light, when modern cameras cannot find an auto focus point I chose to switch to the i Phone in order to record the attack of the Guard - the climax of the evening.
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| Shoot! |
With the British Guards lying in the corn right to our front and Old-Nosey riding in front of his line waving the hat the fire rippling down the British line backed by the fire of three batteries was not to be beaten by any Hollywood movie. I will see if it is possible to upload that to You Tube and link it.
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| They enemy are retreating! |
Normal service will be resumed on the Blog as soon as possible and there has been lots happening on the 17th/18th century front but this diversion into the 19th century has I believe added value for the blog's members.
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| Too good not to share! |
Signing off from Belgium..............
