Waterloo - Attack of the French cavalry

[17931815]

Only 1 French division was available and it was sent in too late and took 1,500 casualties from reformed allied infantry.Also Napoleon had removed most of the cavalry's horse artillery to support the grand battery.Accompanying gunners would have seen to the spiking of abandoned allied cannon.As usual Napoleon too far back,Ney too far forward.

[17931815]

Chopped version of the film.Ney formed up the cavalry 'after' the allied line fell back to new positions.

[mdsaxc02]

Ney should have followed his attack with infantry, then once the english was in squares withdraw his cavalry and attacked with infantry while they formed back into lines. had he done that waterloo may have turned out diffrent.

[cliffhanger11414]

That blonde guy spoke some wise words.

[bluejacketbugler]

no square was breached

[FeynmanQuantum]

I wonder how these Marshals came alive - charging at the head , dressed like marshals.....wonder why someone would miss to shoot him

[Vampirewolfking]

This happens when Napoleon has to go to toilet.

[zenoist2]

whatever way you look at it this is a brilliant film.

[zenoist2]

Can anyone imagine what that was like? Your horse panting away beneath you and a target for British rifles On a fine summers day it seems a shame to die

>Shots going off and people bing killed all around you.

Its magnficent bit give me peace any time. You have to survive it.

[zenoist2]

Ney was barve no doubt about that. He fucked up here though.

[TrollBuster9090]

@zenoist2

I don't think the historians ever found out why the French cavalry charged without infantry support. In this movie version they had Napoleon fall ill and have to leave the field, and Ney stupidly charging without infantry while he was gone. But I think that was just made up for the movie. Ney's cavalry also overran some of Wellington's cannons, but failed to destroy them or carry them off. Another mistake.

[MegaNorman007]

@TrollBuster9090 He possibly saw wounded and stragglers heading away from the battlefield and maybe a redeployment and came to the conclusion that this charge was the answer. i've read before that Ney could well have been suffering some form of post traumatic stress disorder as a result of Russia, which also explains his actions earlier in the campaign at Quatre Bras.

[LimeyK]

Ha!!! At 3:02 no CGI there!!!

[striss7]

Quite nice. However, there were 15 British batallions arranged in squares. I can't see the British soldiers running away for their lives from those 6 which French cavalry trod in the ground.

[CaptainMiller1]

excelent movie,excelent actors,its pity that the official version is only 130 min long the original directors cut was 240min long!

[powerpats]

imagine how many figurants they had to use in this scene. Nowadays everyhing is computer.

[DaveMcColl84]

Yeah I never really understood why they insisted on Ney's death afterwards. Even Wellington campaigned for clemency on his behalf.

[cojoculo2000]

WTF, since when Wellington had a Red Neck Yank accent???

[joemaster89]

Marshal Ney is bad ass but this charge was rather foolish of him. Still legendary though.

"Come see how a Marshal of France can die!"

[ViejoCabo]

Marshall Ney, "the valiant between the valiants", was cowardly killed by the Bourbons when the war was over.

[heatflash888]

@ViejoCabo He was killed by Bourbon biscuits? How many did he eat :P

[slizzler1]

Common knowledge that most of Bylandt's brigade stood their ground in line with Picton's brigades taking on the brunt of the French columns pressing them back too before the charge of the Union brigade settled the matter.

[DebbieDowner18]

@slizzler1 I thought the british and their allies formed a square box bristling with bayonets, causing the french cavalry to halt, when a man fell one behind him formed up, in a manner of speaking it was slaughter, since french grenadiers shot wildly into the line, and the artillery struck first with grape through the line. Correct me if im wrong though.

[slizzler1]

@DebbieDowner18

Yes- you got my comment confused. Squares were a tactic done by all nations' infantry in the Napoleonic wars.

Regarding my comment, I was talking about another phase in the battle- which was the charge by British cavalry against the French attack led by Ney and D'Erlon.

The French cavalry charges happened 2 hours later.

Contact me if you want good links about the battle.

[Woodlander65]

It wasnt the first time Picton fought with non-regulation attire. In 1810 he fought at the Battle of Bussaco in his nightcap. Wellington didnt mind, he too was in civvies at Waterloo.

Picton was supurb though, saved the situation when Van Bijandt's Netherlanders were put to flight.

[Alienmad462]

what is taking the cololurs?

what is this america?

where people worship a piece of colourful cloth and don't like the spangle cloth touching the flooor XD

[ViejoCabo]

How many honour!! Marshall Ney was killed in Paris, when the war was over.... whithout a sword, and without the words "Ney, the valliant between the valliants"

[MrBilbo13]

Le maréchal Ney a clairement été trompé par le mouvement des Anglais en croyant, par erreur, à un début de retraite. Il ne faut pas trop le blâmer pour autant car la cavalerie à été employée avec succès dans d'autres batailles, à Eylau par exemple où elle a décidé de la victoire (charge de 8000 cavaliers, plus qu'à Waterloo !).

De plus Napoléon avait évoqué un grand mouvement de cavalerie avec ses Maréchaux.....

[xxXMRalexanderXxx]

@MrBilbo13 The language of the world is english not french!

[vistighe]

@xxXMRalexanderXxx c'est la langue de 300 millions de personnes dans le monde et plus de 30 pays.

Pauvre type.

[Briselance]

@xxXMRalexanderXxx

To translate what vistighe said :

" French is the language of 300 millions people in the world, and the official language in more than 30 countries. Poor sap"

On a more personal note, I'd say there's barely one so-called "language of the world". English might be used all over the world in economy, but in diplomacy, French still prevails.

[TrollBuster9090]

@Briselance

Or so say the French and the Swiss...

[Briselance]

@TrollBuster9090

Or so says the French, the Swiss, the Belgian, the Canadians and much of Africa.

Or so says the U.N.O..

Or so says the one who isn't blindfolded.

[ViccardXViccc]

5:05 HE I was enjoying the music!

[UDI1995]

5:35 this is a good example of what fredrick the great said: "if soldiers will start to think, not one of them will be at the army"

[ViccardXViccc]

@UDI1995 you play E:TW?

[UDI1995]

@ViccardXViccc

Yes,and it was a quote.

[hawkbit13]

Its sort of interesting to think that Both the British and French armies completely wasted their cavalry at Waterloo...The British heavy brigade by over-charging in a bloodlust, and the French as seen here.

[murphy3162]

Interesting side note, in this movie along with others, the demands of the filming and of the horses used were so high that some of these horses actually were killed during filming this scene.

[SUPERBAD119]

Wow if it weren't for Ney Napoleon would have a much higher chance

[MrBlurtit]

This movie had a high budget for its time

[MaxRWF]

4:46 and 5:05 Just shut up ! lol

[DarthFanta]

If the Prussians had not arrived, Wellington would be in deep shit.

[AndyCAgi]

Lol in 1815 Britains fought against French,and a 100 years on that they both fought together against Germany....

[cumbas]

@AndyCAgi

and ?

what is it this stupid point of view ?? lol

it's this that we call "The Geopolitical" who do an alliance in one time and other alliance in other time

all History is full of that

[Stuart0000X]

Perhaps you are not aware that hte Prussians are Germans ?

[LordMcManus]

EPIC WIN FOR BRITAIN!

[EUFede]

thanks to the prussians :)

[StephanSandiares]

Prussians helped a bit.

[gipcambero]

there was only 15% of British including the Irish at Waterloo. The Brits never defeated napoleon (only in your dream), France was defeated by a coalition of all European Monarchies (Prussia, Austria, Russia etc) and by Russian Winter

[bantermelon]

the British took on most of napoleons army when the prussians were meant to be there but turned up late. dont insult Britains role in this. both armies did well

[slizzler1]

@bantermelon

the Prussians never turned up late at all. At Ligny they suffered a major defeat but reassembled with great effort by Blucher because Napoleon didn't pursue them right away -like he did in older victories. The Prussians marched through muddy terrain and exposing themselves to flank and rear attack and away from their supply lines. They marched full force as promised and arrived halfway in the battle. Napoleon used almost one third of his army to face the arriving Prussians.

[slizzler1]

@bantermelon

It's no insult to mention what the total numbers of British were in the gory battle. It is an insult to ignore the rest of the two thirds of Wellingtons army which were in strategic spots and scattered along the front lines beside British units. The Dutch-belgians routed half of the Middle Guard Napoleon sent to attack Wellington at sunset.

[Alienmad462]

@gipcambero

it was said napoleon hated the brirish because he had the worst track record when fighting them.

every country has it's limelight.

America will one day become one of these nations that can no longer stick its fingers in everyones pie and will be put to rest.

[px4422Wellington]

Hmm they told the 27th to retire behinid th e Gordons but it appeared that the 33rd was the regiment shown

[slizzler1]

@px4422Wellington

yes- the 33rd was not even in Picton's division too.... they were on the other side of the Brussel's highway over half a mile away.

[Denis1980Kat]

Не Мильхуд, а Мильо (командир одной из дивизий кирасир)

[ThePetronius]

what a fantastic charge...and without cgi...Napoleon chastised Ney for not charging the Prussians and Austrians earlier...unfortunately Ney remembered this at the worst time

[Turenne64]

Ney siempre quiso realizar un ataque como el de Murat en Eylau, en 1807. La carga de Waterloo no contó ni con apoyo de infantería ni con despliegue de artillería. Ney que era muy valiente, finalmente no era Murat, ni contaba con D'Hautpaul (muerto en Eylau) ni con Caulaincourt (muerto en Borodino)...

[Jacquinot1982]

Велингтон отступает! Велингтон отступает!

Милхуд следуй за мной!

Трубач - сигнал наступления, в атаку!

[magicstorm91]

you should never attack an enemy that behind a ridge and out of your sightline, otherwise this will happen to you.

[pobette]

I read a book that claimed Ney was suffering from what is now shell shock, he was a brave man and a good leader, but by this stage he wasn't fit for command.

[slizzler1]

@pobette

shell shocked soldiers don't attack like berserkers. In the entire Waterloo campaign Ney was in the thick of battle -right to the end.... shell shocked troops are numb and cannot fight at all in that state.... yes- He was incompetent as a field commander in 1815 though.

[Stuart0000X]

Shell shock is the expierence Tom Hanks went through at the beginning and ending of the Saving Private Ryan film, when time seem to slew and all the sound is all but sucked from his ears as he watched the battle still raging on around him.

[slizzler1]

@Stuart0000X

No not really- that's not shell shock..... that was the effects of a shell stunning him.

Shell shock is more accurately how Private Ryan/ Matt Damon was freaking out at the end.

You go nuts temporarily or forever.

Particularly in WW1 and WW2 barrages, soldiers suffered the worst shell shock and were hospitalized.

In Normandy, during aerial tactical bombarding by Allied bombers on troops, I read some Germans committed suicide during the bombing.

[Jo7welder]

Got to give Wellington his due keeping his cool throughout the days events, considering the reputation of his opposite number.

I would rate Wellington as one of the all time great Millitery commanders, all things considering.

[kamikazeboy123]

i don't understand y the french made the desicion to attack its cavalry like that.they are surrounded and are flank.they are taking too much rish.

[gipcambero]

the honour

[giavirtae]

1:44 - now THAT is a cavalry charge

[oarfrost]

@giavirtae "now THAT is a cavalry charge"

Legend has it ( and it probably is only a legend), that there were so many French cavalry in the initial charge that the men and horses in the middle were being lifted off the ground.

[CvilleStorm]

The squares are too close together. The British would have massacred their own men firing volleys at french cavalry between two squares that were less than 50 yards apart.

[j0andc0]

Ney lost a few horses underneath him during the day, and on the charge he was injured as his horses legs were taking out.

[KronprinzAdam]

This is a sample of how to film a napoleonic film without CGI and have success.

[Salvus967]

holy shit, at 0:45 when buddy goes flying off his horse!! that looked pretty real!

[2210ethan]

Great stunts in this movie, they had like fifty circus riders.

[Danskeren47]

Failed charge xD

[GeneralTTT]

Ney was just crazy when he arrived the British squares!

[devildamonster]

those squares are azmazing xD good tactic like the diamond

[JayvH]

The battle scene is amazin especially for 1970, but historical accuracy...oh my. First of all. Ney did not gather the cavalry and Wellington thought "cavalry without infantry, let's do al little trick". Ney misinterpreted the backward movement of wounded and charged. He only asked for a brigade but Milhaud's complete corps followed him. The french cavalrymen didn't get into one square (unlike this scene). But they charged 18 times (later supported by Kellerman) with heavy casualties.

[j0andc0]

I'm surprised Napoleon never ordered men to get up on trees and see what they could see over the other side of the ridge.

There are still fixed bayonets in war today, always have been since the rifle and war have been around.

And i disagree the film is very accurate to the battle events, orders, times etc.

[Mohawkmarcje]

Accurate? Please, PLEASE, don't tell me you're serious! This movie is everything BUT accurate, and this scene, with all the common mistakes and cliché's, is a fine example.

[j0andc0]

Which part are you having trouble understanding as the battle been accurate?

[slizzler1]

the ridge could not be seen over by climbing up trees Joandc0....... The film has alot of accuracy, but it misses much in reality- ie, the two thirds of Wellington's army that were not British, And it has annoying myths- like the Old Guard attacked Wellington.

[j0andc0]

I feel we are all aware that the battle was won by a coalation, no surprises there, and the film doesnt deny that fact either.

Prussians very well documented.

The Middle Guard were the main French force on the final assult, but its not a myth that the old guard werent present, 3 battalions in support of the middle, and some actually engaged, not all but some.

[slizzler1]

To clarify, I never said the Old Guard was not present, they were simply no part of the final attack- they were held back in tactical reserve- where Napoleon watched the Middle Guard columns attack across the ridge. The Old Guard role was not supportive since the remained half a mile from the attack. When the Old Guard were attacked they were south of La Haye Sainte in squares after the rout of the Middle Guard.

The movie showed no 'allied officers' at all with Wellington- only Muffling.

[slizzler1]

haha- correction at 00:28 there is what looks like a Dutch staff officer in Wellington's entourage of British officers.

[j0andc0]

Yes, is that the guy with the red and white feather on his shako, and the guy next to him in blue uniform.

Also wellingtons Spanish friend from the peninsulars Miguel de Alava was present with him, the only proven man that was present at both Waterloo and Trafalgar.

[slizzler1]

yes- that guy in blue and the cocked hat looks like so....

[j0andc0]

But apart from the Prussians British had the next largest army of the coalation, the remaining two thirds were from 5 different states.

But i think what throws people is the vastness of redcoats seen in the film, but the Hanoverians wore red and that would bump the redcoat numbers up, in the movie anyway.

[slizzler1]

yes you are correct- up until 6pm the ridge from Hougoumont to the left flank was lined with 'red coated' troops except for the German and British rifle battalions and Bylandt's mostly blue coated Dutch-Belgian brigade- and Nasseurs on the Left. Of course in Hougoumont,and when Wellington pulled up his reserves of the Nasseurs, Brunswickers, and Dutch Belgians, the 'front line' was a kaleidoscope of uniform colours.

[j0andc0]

Is that bluecoats falling back with Redcoats at 52 seconds in.

Very accurately portrayed.

I want my comment noted. LOL!

[slizzler1]

haha- Nice try my friend!!!

actually- unfortunately- I think those are blue coated British foot artillery men.... LOL

- very similar to belgian infantry militia uniforms though- only Beilgian units wore the British false-front shakos too.

Also it's funny at that point in the clip Wellington tells 'Lord Hay to tell Lambert to retire 100 paces behind the reverse slope- in actuality, Gen.Lambert's Brigade was in reserve quite far behind the crossroads.

[j0andc0]

DOOOH!!!

[slizzler1]

LOL---> yes.... but--->

Hope Springs Eternal-> good attitude anyway!!!!

[Giles1814]

From 5:48 that scene just says it all about then, the past, now and the future.

[MaxRWF]

Vive les carabiniers et les cuirassiers !

[ratmaaan]

"the problem with the overhead shot, you can see squares firing in the wrong direction, often at other squares "

Another point is that the infantry have fixed bayonets, which would have made reloading very difficult.

The usual policy was to have the front couple of rows with fixed bayonets to fend off the calvary, while the next couple of rows would take potshots at the horsemen with their muskets.

Whatever, a great movie. Many thanks TheArquebus

[Cssfiend]

in general they are just piss poor squares, massive gaps and holes, men running into them right in front of cavalry and allsorts

[lfcdave8]

there werent any fixed bayonets after 1750 I think

[Mohawkmarcje]

Yup, there were. In fact, after the introduction of the ring bayonet instead of the plug bayonet, a soldier could easily reload his weapon with the bayonet fixed. Which they did.

[lfcdave8]

ah sorry i meant there werent any fixed bayonets before 1750

[Mohawkmarcje]

Loading a musket with bayonet fixed is not difficult at all, and all soldiers would have their bajonets fixed. Done it myself for around 15 years now. The power of a square is that it forms a hedge of bayonets in which a horse would never charge head on.

[Stormgebieder]

Within a blink of an eye the flower of the French army was destroyed. Ney was the bravest of the brave, but had lack of steel nerves.

[ImaginedWriter]

@Stormgebieder No the flower of French military power wilted in the cold winds of the Russian tundra, not at Waterloo.

[ltflak]

the problem with the overhead shot, you can see squares firing in the wrong direction, often at other squares

[vladastorian]

what a scene ... amazing movie making...

[Cssfiend]

amazing movie, little to no historical accuracy

[IIOllOII]

how the hell have they made this battle cene!

[FrootLuipz]

bagpipes guy gets owned at 5:06! HA :P

[Zodiamaster]

what would be the point of charging like that against that many squares? thats plain stupid

[BunkerFox]

They weren't squares when he charged, He thought that the opposing army had been broken and that he was attacking routed troops. The French artillery still managed to inflict very heavy casualties on the squares though, even though they were out of view.

[18151821]

Los holandeses si participaron en la batalla, pero su accionar hubiera sido mediocre sin el comando británico y porsupuesto, sin la ayuda británica, que alivió la presión a los holandeses.

[rhuntingdon]

how many horses were harmed in the making of this film i wonder??!!!

[Zodiamaster]

who knows

[Northgrant]

who cares

[rhuntingdon]

LOL - so many "yo mama" jokes could be thrown in at this point. Think about it - horses mean riding...now how can yo mama and the verb riding be used to form the perfect cuss. the possibilities are endless!!

[theWall0719]

Ney should really have known better. Those troops were not routed, just retreating. Furthermore, he charged before fully observing the situation.

[Cssfiend]

Wellington loved hiding infantry in dead ground, its amazing the french never caught on

[dumnypolak123]

Attack of the French and the best Polish cavalry Don't forget. We had to attack. This film is fantastic :-)

[jramos117]

THINK OF ENGLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND (boom! headshot!)

[HimWotMustBeObeyed]

The Dutch did do a fair bit in the battle, as did the Prussians and the other allied forces, I think peoples remember the British Army more than the others because of the overall comander being Lord Welligton, and because of the bad rap Prince William gets due to some of his mistakes (actually because of his inexperience).

The British Army, which was equally Irish as much as English and more so than Scottish, Welsh or Cornish. Which a lot forget.

[agonefire]

3:06-3:20-Holy Crap! Awesome shot.

[DutchPetriot]

do you brits ever heard of the dutch in the batlle of waterloo

[BTT125]

Amazing moovie!!!

[24878281]

the stupid claims on these pages of minimal British involvement on Waterloos fighting a complete nonsence.

You just need to scratch the surface of this day and know that British troops spearheaded the overall victory at Waterloo.

[DutchPetriot]

yeah you dont know nothing about waterloo

[gipcambero]

There were only 15% of British at Waterloo including the Irish. During 15 years, 90% of the fight was done on the Continent against the Austrian empire, Prussia, Ottoman Empire, Russian Empire. Britain only decisive Battle was Trafalgar which didn't end the War against France

[raindancer39]

@gipcambero Wellington had a force of 67,000,of which 25,000 were British,back to school for you!

[MrStig691]

@raindancer39 It was a little more than 25,000. Try 2/3 of that number.

[gipcambero]

@24878281

It's like American who think they Won WW1 for the Entente power by just fighting a few months at the end of the conflict

[NoNoseProduction]

@gipcambero well with the americans it would of been a longer bloodier war. Just saying all parts of the Entente was needed to win the war.

[Redheadfury]

@NoNoseProduction the first world war was won at the Somme ;)

[mrhivefive]

@NoNoseProduction Nope, the war was ending anyway by the time Americans decided to join the fight because the german economy collapsed. And this is the actual reason the war ended, together with the German Revolution of 1918-1919.

[slizzler1]

@mrhivefive

When the Russian Revolution [ helped by the Kaiser ] freed several dozen German divisions to switch from the East Front to the West Front to be used in a last massive German offensive by Ludendorff to win the war in 1918. The attack had initial big successes before failing.

[frobacca24]

@gipcambero we only fought a few months cause because it only took us a few months to end it

[TalonMercenary]

@frobacca24 actually the war was in it's final months anyway. Learn your history kid

[DeuceSixBravo]

@gipcambero Fresh troops are fresh troops. Can't say the Doughboy Soldier didn't help. Just like Americans can't say they won the American Revolution alone. Props to the French for giving us a hand!

[mdsaxc02]

@gipcambero we did have an impact that led to ending but the english and the french did take the brunt of that war thanks to our allies and hey america is made up of people of ALL beliefs don't take one comment and imply to ALL of us.

[24878281]

At 1.30pm Derlons I corps advanced against the allied centre, formed into large columns. Sir Thomas picton British division checked the French advance with muskets, and although picton was killed, the French attack was halted. Wellington ordered a cavalry charge and the French divisions were routed.

Just a shame the Scots Greys cavalry pursued as far as the French artillery line. But the French mass attack also failed. And British took 2 eagles to Frances 0 colours at Waterloo. So again makes

[Kronstadtsuperior]

``And british took 2 eagles to Frances 0 colours.´´

Wrong. The french took 3 colours in the battle.

[JamesBenwick]

Kronstadtsuperior

The french took 3 colours in this battle?

Well. Maybe you would like to think so.

[Kronstadtsuperior]

It´s true that the french took 3 colours in the battle. What source says they didn´t take any?

[JamesBenwick]

You are very misinformed on that one, french captured 1 at quatre bras, but none at waterloo.