Last game in 2023 - Mandara 13 March 1801 (part 2 of Aboukir & Mandara)

 I outlined the start of the British invasion of Egypt in 1801 in my previous post, which you can see here.

This post covers the battle of Mandara, as the British push on to the Egyptian capital of Alexandria.  

Firstly, here's the map again:

The game uses the top 4 rows of squares, with the British deployed in three columns, needing to cross the difficult terrain and drive the French from the ridge.  If the British took casualties at Aboukir (as I did) you can recover some of these (as I didn't) when you deploy your troops for the start.

Starting positions - the British all deploy in column.  Orange cubes = devastating volleys - some British troops were ex-militia, so not as great at firing as the regulars (thus don't get the devastating volley bonus). 

In the middle of the picture you can see the British guards (green cube = aggressive, blue cube = spent, orange cube = devastating volleys).  This unit had suffered in the landing and taken 66% casualties, this did affect the British in the second game as this was the best unit.

The British slowly move forward.  The disordering terrain meant that it took forever to close with the French and start to deploy into line.  The British only have 5 turns to take the objectives, 4 turns if they had taken an extra turn at Aboukir.

The battle was then in two halves.  The British left struggled to deploy and then assault the French right on the ridge.

The British right managed to close with the French left in the ruins, but the French inflicted enough shots to disrupt the British and slow the assault.

General view at turn three/four - British advances on the right not matched on the left.

A view of the British rear, showing units that had to retreat and recover from the left hand assault.

The battle ended in a draw, the British took the ruins, but failed to take the ridge or clear the road to Alexandria.  

Conclusion

This was a really fun game, two medium sized battles setting different problems for both sides.  The British out-number the French 2:1, but need to be aggressive if they are to take objectives in the given time.  The British keenly felt the losses taken by the Guards brigade, who were their biggest and best unit.

Highly recommended and many thanks to Mark for a diverting couple of hours!