The Battle of Waterloo: Opening Moves (part 2/2)

As both armies face each other, Welligton uses the cover of the hill to avoid the French 'Grand Battery'. "At 11:00, Napoleon drafted his general order. Jerome's corps would make an initial attack on Hougoumont, which Napoleon expected would draw in Wellington's reserves, since its loss would threaten his communications with the sea. A grande batterie of the reserve artillery of I, II, and VI Corps was to bombard the centre of Wellington's position from about 13:00. D'Erlon's corps then would attack Wellington's left, break through, and roll up his line from east to west. In his memoirs, Napoleon wrote that his intention was to separate Wellington's army from the Prussians and drive it back towards the sea."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Waterloo#Hougoumont

From the movie Waterloo.

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• waterloo
• battle
• napoleon
• wellington
• war
• napoleonic
• musket

[chopinandliszt]

This movie doesn't show the battle correctly. After it rained and the ground dried up, the French heavy artillery rained terror on the British lines.(Wellington didn't fire back because he wanted to save his shots and use them on the charging French infantry, cavalry)

[Zappiss]

The artillery barrage is shown in the movie (and in this clip), or is it not? It actually wasn't that effective as Wellington had placed most of his troops behind the hill.

[ThaMahstah]

It's funny when you consider that France and Britain have been at war more years than the United States has been a country. =P

[bouncydave]

Yup Blucher appears and says "Raise the Black Flag my children. I will shoot any man with pity in their eyes". Actualy this film is pritty historicaly accurate (there are a few niggles) but there is a 4 hour version kicking about (the DVD and VHS is about 2 hours long) and it would be great if they released it because there would be more action and probably more Prussian action. The Battle of Leipzig was more important to the allies but i have yet to see a film about it unfortunatly.

[craigclay821]

Your video went viral on France

[DonMeaker]

@lxgiwylgta Either stomach cancer or arsenic poisoning...

[DonMeaker]

@spinynorman230 In the absence of night vision devices, it was crucially important to know how much time was left in the day.

[MrGrafted]

@ThaMahstah How meny years were the British and the French at war for? 300 yours? off and on?

[UtahMike41]

Historical inaccuracies aside, this is one hell of a reenactment. During the actual battle, in nine hours of fighting both sides suffered almost as many casualties as there were in three days of fighting at Gettysburg.

It must have been surreal to have wtinessed such carnage and that men could slaughter eachother in such huge numbers.

[spinynorman230]

a major historic battle is begining and their checking their watches!!!

[JayvH]

2:32 and 2:37 show the same scene from different camera positions or the artilleryman falls the same way by coincidence.

[Rickinsf]

I read somewhere that Jack Hawkins by this time had lost his ability to speak, cancer of the esophagus, I think. So he "mouthed" his dialog and Rich Little was called on to dub in Hawkin's lines.

True? Makes for a good story anyhow.

[Paranomasia12]

Shame about that.

And the english Napoleon.

And the cannonballs exploding.

[bunterx]

sounds more like billy bunter....