Waterloo III -The Error
It is 7am on the 17th just after my PAA turn. I'm a bit on my heels at Nivelles and Tilly, but I'm holding the crucial,central Quatre Bras hills.I have carefully placed my units in the corridor to limit (as much as possible) exposure to 3-1 attacks. The British 7-4 unit on the hill is one of two (7-4/6-4 units)that have occupied that hex over the course of the game. The reason for this is quite simple: the french player has maintained a constant presence of 42 factors in the area to be available for a 3-1 on a doubled 7-4 (42 vs. 14 factors),but the hill position only allows for 2 hexes of exposure(30 factors max)....or so I thought...
Quelle Surprise!!!
9am French turn on the 17th
I can not tell you how gobstopped I was by this simple move! (In my defense,I had not been feeling quite well during this time i.e. little sleep/food),but really I was so focused on the details of maintaining the corridor that I forgot the all important doubled positions on the Hills!) The 5-4 stack in the woods enabled the french player to "add" a hex to the attack on the doubled 7-4. I may as well have had a 6-4 in the same position-and did have during the day of the 16th-for it also needs 3 hex exposure to be attacked 3-1 in a doubled position. The attack was an exchange but the french player then moved his surviving units onto the hill. A clever move and a biter lesson for me.
The entire board must be scanned to insure that key positions are maintained,not just the "position of the moment"....
I lasted 'til late morning on the 18th before my resignation,but really I lost the game on this turn. By losing the "anchor" of the doubled Quatre Bras hills,the problems in other areas of the front became magnified and good defense positions unspool like worn thread.The defender is reduced to throwing low factor units onto minimum delaying positions just to survive. A cohesive front is also then very hard to maintain without considerable loses...
Quelle Surprise!!!
9am French turn on the 17th
I can not tell you how gobstopped I was by this simple move! (In my defense,I had not been feeling quite well during this time i.e. little sleep/food),but really I was so focused on the details of maintaining the corridor that I forgot the all important doubled positions on the Hills!) The 5-4 stack in the woods enabled the french player to "add" a hex to the attack on the doubled 7-4. I may as well have had a 6-4 in the same position-and did have during the day of the 16th-for it also needs 3 hex exposure to be attacked 3-1 in a doubled position. The attack was an exchange but the french player then moved his surviving units onto the hill. A clever move and a biter lesson for me.
The entire board must be scanned to insure that key positions are maintained,not just the "position of the moment"....
I lasted 'til late morning on the 18th before my resignation,but really I lost the game on this turn. By losing the "anchor" of the doubled Quatre Bras hills,the problems in other areas of the front became magnified and good defense positions unspool like worn thread.The defender is reduced to throwing low factor units onto minimum delaying positions just to survive. A cohesive front is also then very hard to maintain without considerable loses...
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