Skies of Flies Ground of Rust: The Battle for Cleves. 1805 (Napoleon Total War)

I played a game of Napoleon Total War the other day, which was perhaps the most engaging battle I've played in a long time. i was so excited i decided to post it here for your viewing pleasures.

Now a quick aside. I'm running "Darthmod" which adds effects and makes the AI more difficult and a number of additional "realism" things. I'm playing the campaign on Hard. which is the highest difficulty you can get without adding artificial bonuses to the enemy like additional health etc. Also, i'd like to apologize in advance for the large pictures, its the only way that i could get it for you to see them well enough.

To set the scene...

I'm playing as Prussia, and I've only recently allied with the Coalition, and taken my first territories and begun technological expansion. I'm massing troops in the Cleves-Mark, preparing for an invasion of the Batavian Republic, things are going well, the Batavians suspected nothing and in fact were very friendly with us. (part of my deception campaign).

But shockingly, the Dutch allied with Napoleon, and a titanic host of Batavian Troops crossed the border in to the Cleves-Mark. I scramble soldiers all across Prussia, but it is no use, my army of understrength veterans and town garrisons must hold off two grand armies of the Dutch!

Here you can see, the Order of Battle, The Dutch have some 7000 fresh, inexperienced troops to my 5000 tired and blooded soldiers.

A View from the Garrison forces defenses, The Dismounted Dragoons were the Town HQ. The culmination of the defense would be the church and the apartments around the cannons.

The campaign army, marches in from the extreme left of the Dutch armies flank, some 5 minutes march from the city. A desperate rearguard cavalry action is utilized to ensure the infantry and cannon make it to the city.

Hoping to use their numbers against them, I deploy the Campaign army onto "Bulwark Hill" to force the Dutch to flood in between and around the two defense centers.

The Dutch send their first waves down the slope at us.

The Dutch Cavalry are the first to hit the forward trenches.

The Boys on Bulwark Hill, see off several regiments of the Dutch Line. But the Garrison in the city is in serious danger of being drowned by Batavian regulars.

The mines in the road detonate in the middle of a Batavian militia regiment, but still the horde of Dutch press forward.

a view from the cannonade into the smoke of the forward line

Prussian regulars hold desperately against the Dutch in the forward line

The forward line falters, and the Bulwark Hill defense moves down from the hill to sweep into the Dutch flank in the city to hopefully save the garrison there.

The Garrison holds off against thousands of Dutch...

The Campaign army blitz across the field to relieve the pressure on the Garrison forces

The Dutch troops turn to face the more potent threat, and the battle turns into a desperate running fight from east to west as I push the Dutch out of my town.

You can see the extent of how far the first onslaught pushed in before we ripped them out of the city.

The Garrison HQ is attacked by nearly 300 Dutch Line Infantry, but the 90 some odd Dragoons hold firm and the Dutch are found wanting.

A spot of good luck as several regiments rally and return to the fight

The cannonade, just before the campaign army arrives to reinforce them.

the smoke clears as the first dutch wave is seen off. Prussia still holds the town!

I move my campaign army into the town into defense positions, and to mop up the remaining Dutch.

The resistance is still quite stiff in some places.

To my horror, the Dutch reinforcement column arrives. nearly another 1500 fresh Dutch soldiers.

As I reform into new defense lines, the Dutch cannons break open the skies with fire and smoke. a vast bombardment precedes the final Dutch assault...

The defense this time is more flexible, several regiments are to initiate a running skirmish line, leading dutch regiments into centers of defense where (hopefully) they will be destroyed.

*note- there is only 15 minutes left in the hour long clock till I claim victory through attrition.