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Wellesley -> ALWAYS avoid fighting these guys... (4/4/2006 12:54:24 PM)
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It was the Year of our Lord 1797, in the month of January, when the French Army of the Alps, Army of the Meuse, Army of Batavia and the Army of Reserve crashed into Brandenburg under the leadership of Napoléon Bonaparte. Supported by the Spanish Army, consisting of one big division, Napoléon had decided to bring the Prussians to their knees, after first dealing with the Austrian empire.
In the early hours of the morning, the battle was well underway north of Berlin - 137.000 French against 129.000 Prussian and Russian forces. Napoléon, in yet another feat of tactical mastery, decided to outflank the enemy's left. The Russian and Prussian left flank rested on a lake to the left, and a forest to the right, and consisted of only one infantry division, the Russian 5th Cossack Infantry Division, without a general.
Two days later, the French armies were in full retreat to Saxony, pursued by what remained of the Russian and Prussian cavalry. Losses were chilling; the French had lost no fewer than 18.000 men dead.
What had happened!?
Welp, that Russian 5th Cossack Infantry division held off attack after attack after attack after attack.
In two days time, Napoléon hurled 5 infantry divisions, 2 cavalry divisions and one artillery division at the Russian unit, which wasn't on higher ground, wasn't hiding in a forest, wasn't behind a stone wall, no - it was on flat grasslands. Yet everytime a cavalry division wanted to charge, the Russians sprang into emergency square, and everytime Napoléon wanted to make use of that square by attacking with 3 infantry divisions from 3 directions after a fusillade by a fourth and a bombardment by cannons, the Russians suffered merely 150 losses but inflicted far greater losses on the Frech units, time after time after time.
On the second day those units became shaken, then disordered, then also fatigued, and in the end, a Guard division was even routed. Napoléon's right flank collapsed, his own division was completely disordered and could not be rallied [X(]
A day later he sat in his tent, sulking, and said to his trusted general Lannes: "I swear, it's a bug. It must've been! We're on a beta patch - it MUST have been a bug! A bug!! HAHHAARRHHAHAAARRR a BUUUUUG MERDE A BUUUUUUUUG...!"
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