Location of the Grand Battery

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mcaryf
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Joined: Fri Jun 12, 2015 8:19 pm

Location of the Grand Battery

Post by mcaryf »

it is a while since I posted on here or updated my various Mods.  However, I have recently been researching for some presentations I have been giving on the Waterloo Campaign from the French Perspective.  During this time I have revised my opinion as to where the French Grant Battery was located.  There are two theories one that it and the French infantry were on the slope leading down from the road running East from La Belle Alliance and the other theory has the battery on an intermediate ridge running East to West only 200 yards South of La Haye Sainte.  You can read the arguments for and against on a link I have given below.  Broadly they are that the forward position (the one Scourge of War standard version assumes) would be too vulnerable to cavalry attack (you only have to watch Darktob's videos playing as the Allies to see that demonstrated).  The alternative argument  is that the position by the road would be too far away for the French to fire accurately at Allied forces on the opposite ridge. 

See detailed discussion here https://projecthougoumont.com/the-grand ... -evidence/

My current opinion is that Napoleon was more interested in lobbing shells and balls over the ridge to demoralize Wellington's troops rather than shooting at the guns and skirmishers that were visible.  also the commander of the battery wrote afterwards that the battery was formed on the mid-slope running down from the road.

I am going to have a go at modding one of my Waterloo variants to see what impact that will have.  Does anybody on here know how the game calculates the impact of indirect fire.  I know artillery in the game  has to have line of sight targets before it will fire but does it assume that units over the ridge and not in line of sight can suffer damage from balls or shells overshooting?

Keep well

Mike
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