tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037582458537250032.post3231667545211268417..comments2024-03-11T08:48:02.517-04:00Comments on The League of Augsburg: Final report from the Front line Waterloo Part 6quindiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14194306105013871853noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037582458537250032.post-54101396763155609692017-10-04T16:36:28.533-04:002017-10-04T16:36:28.533-04:00I was also there - the atmosphere was remarkable.I was also there - the atmosphere was remarkable.Sir Able Brushhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16077169925388971246noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037582458537250032.post-24968992992527619212015-06-26T14:20:57.910-04:002015-06-26T14:20:57.910-04:00Excellent reports Barry.
As a participant at Water...Excellent reports Barry.<br />As a participant at Waterloo (3rd Btn 1st Silesian Landehr IR) and a gamer it was quite an eyeopener and a fantastic experience to be a part of.<br />There were a number of things that don't always reflect well in games, smoke as mentioned above it is very difficult to make out who is who and spotting approaching cavalry is not that easy. <br />The noise makes hearing any orders very difficult, and responding to drums and horns equally so as they are going on all around and isolating which ones pertain to your unit is a challenge.<br />Crop fields are difficult to stay in order whilst marching through, they conceal the nasty irregularities of the ground underneath. when trampled they are slippery and if you are going against the flow of the trample there is a significant trip hazard.<br />Cheers<br /><br />Andy WarnerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037582458537250032.post-78913939994701245042015-06-24T16:39:15.315-04:002015-06-24T16:39:15.315-04:00And the undulations, the folds in the landscape. I...And the undulations, the folds in the landscape. It truly is a rolling countryside dotted with woods and hedges - which you can only appreciate on the ground. A whole brigade or a farmhouse disappears. You come to the edge of a ridge and a new scene opens out. It is all very well to view the battlefield from the top of the Lion Mound and all is clear and identifiable. A gamer's view in fact... but if you are sitting on a horse, beside an Elm Tree or alongside a country Inn, you have to rely so much on the eye-witness reports brought to you - for good or ill - and make your own interpretation of what is going on... that is why the 'feel of the land' the mental map, is such a crucial attribute in a commander - of men or figures...!Peter Allportnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037582458537250032.post-65381950078218411732015-06-23T07:59:22.475-04:002015-06-23T07:59:22.475-04:00Just awesome, thanks for sharing.
Steve PriceJust awesome, thanks for sharing.<br /><br />Steve PriceAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037582458537250032.post-4411246194080178672015-06-22T16:07:50.481-04:002015-06-22T16:07:50.481-04:00Mission accomplishedMission accomplishedaugsburgerobersthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07668623413869707906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037582458537250032.post-78800269364563850962015-06-22T06:29:06.294-04:002015-06-22T06:29:06.294-04:00thank you....thank you....Eric the Shedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17679305263405486078noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037582458537250032.post-61260490187535678352015-06-21T18:46:46.779-04:002015-06-21T18:46:46.779-04:00Great coverage Barry - especially for somone in Au...Great coverage Barry - especially for somone in Australia. You have managed to capture the excitments and grandeur of the event for somone not there. Also, your comments on visibility and imapct of sound and overall confusion on the senses made me think of Keegan's "Face of Battle" comments that no one really knew what was going on overall other than that which was happening immediatly in their own vicinity. So different to all wargames where we can see what's happening both locally and overall all the the time with accurate up to minute information. Not an issue for those who simply approach wargaming as a game but certainly should be for any of us who in a small way try to model reality.<br /><br />Thanks again<br />Joe Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037582458537250032.post-81146802908730319582015-06-21T17:04:59.890-04:002015-06-21T17:04:59.890-04:00Great reports Barry. It was truly a once in a life...Great reports Barry. It was truly a once in a lifetime event. Unless some of us make it to the 250th anniversary we won't see the like again. 70,000 spectators on Friday and Saturday. All crammed into a tiny area. The bus and train infrastructure struggled to cope - people on the tracks stopped the trains back to Brussels on Friday night but hey this wan't an easy gig to put on and make happen.... Overall the Belgians and all involved did so well...!<br />The reenactments were spectacular. The smoke which developed and eventually engulfed the action and the relentless but unpredictable thud of the guns stick in the memory. The renewed Hougomont is a triumph. The refreshed Panorama with sound effects and superb painting is inspirational. But even more than the reenactments, visiting the bivouacs to see thousands of troops of all sides in camp, preparing for battle, practising drills and cooking meals was superb. To see Napoleon depart with his Guard from Le Caillou with his Mameluke, Chassuers a cheval, Polish lancers and Imperial Guard was outstanding. He was a rock star crowded round with supporters shouting 'Vive L'emprereur...<br />In a building next to the Panorama was a superb layout in 15mm of the battle. 8000 figures on the table and excellent terrain. Loads of photos taken which will be forwarded to Barry for use on the blog as he deems fit. I think it is fair that the 17/18th century waits a while whilst we all celebrate the sheer scale and importance of this 200th Napoleonic anniversary. The press and TV certainly saw it as a huge story over the weekend...it was awesome...!Peter Allportnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037582458537250032.post-90843466606706895432015-06-21T12:20:37.547-04:002015-06-21T12:20:37.547-04:00Fantastic photos! Looks as if it was a terrific we...Fantastic photos! Looks as if it was a terrific weekend.<br /><br />Really making me feel the need to get my Napoleonics out!Colin Napierhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00996341452394444678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037582458537250032.post-60049201224325010952015-06-21T10:57:21.291-04:002015-06-21T10:57:21.291-04:00Praise indeed.. thank you.. makes it worth the eff...Praise indeed.. thank you.. makes it worth the effortaugsburgerobersthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07668623413869707906noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037582458537250032.post-30999591940139971542015-06-21T09:43:45.540-04:002015-06-21T09:43:45.540-04:00Since seeing your first pictures of the smoke the ...Since seeing your first pictures of the smoke the other day, I have been trying to,think of a way to apply this lesson to a wargame, but so far I'm drawing a blank. I look forward to hearing how you will approach the problem.<br /><br />Your pictures and commentary are fabulous and I don't think that any other media source has covered the event as well as you have.<br />Der Alte Fritzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01578422757511400566noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037582458537250032.post-16960215394537536422015-06-21T09:37:55.633-04:002015-06-21T09:37:55.633-04:00I've really enjoyed your reports Barry and alt...I've really enjoyed your reports Barry and although the colourful photos are excellent it's these last smoky ones that are my favourite. Having been to a number of ECW reenactments I agree with you about the sound of the artillery and you can often feel the concussion in your chest. God knows what it must have been like when these things are firing solid shot and aiming to blow you to bits.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02247571062217296021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8037582458537250032.post-5397709602894788162015-06-21T06:58:55.135-04:002015-06-21T06:58:55.135-04:00I enjoyed your picture reports! Although I live in...I enjoyed your picture reports! Although I live in Belgium, I could not make it to reenactment itself, but I think your description of the smoke and noise are indeed relevant to wargaming rules. Unlimited visibility only blocked by a hill or a clump of trees is one of those dirty secrets that wargamers prefer not to discuss ;-)Phil Dutréhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13607941040736764291noreply@blogger.com