Eight Hours of Slaughter: A France '14 AAR

The turn 1 tactical map. I recently purchased France ‘14 from John Tiller Software. Unlike WW2, the AMRW or the ACW I know practically nothing about WWI other than what I might have seen in movies like War Horse and 1917 . I have been expecting incredibly high casualty rates as I play my way through short, small scenarios like “Flank Guard at Elouges,” and so far the game has lived up to my expectations. This short, 4 turn scenario was a fearful slaughter. The historical situation : Elouges, Belgium, 16km west of Mons, 24th August 1914 : On the 23rd of August, during the first day of the clash at Mons, the BEF scored what could be called a tactical victory. The BEF had been bloodied but had denied the Germans a real foothold on the south of the Canal du Centre. On the following day, the Germans resumed their advance and the BEF began a fighting withdrawal to the south. It was during this second day that more desperate fighting occurred, in which Smith-Dorrien's II Corps suffere