Episode 2 Time Commanders

Sunday, 18th of June, 1815,

and a battle rages near the small Belgian village of Waterloo

that would set the course of European history

for generations to come.

Tonight, a team of archers and a team of aquarium workers,

watched by our resident experts, attempt to rewrite history.

They are going to fight each other in a virtual rerun...

Wait for it, wait for it...

..of the decisive battle of the Napoleonic era.

Right, right, right, right, right.

We're going to push everyone out to the right.

Can the attacking might of Napoleon's Grand Armee

overwhelm the ultimate defender - the Duke of Wellington?

Find out on Time Commanders.

Hello and welcome to Time Commanders,

the show that not only lets you relive history,

but lets you rewrite it, too.

We've brought together a team of experts

familiar with every weapon known to man,

and a military historian who brings years of experience

advising governments and armies on strategy.

And at the heart of it all is the engine

that brings our battles to life,

based on detailed historical research

and factoring in everything from the weather

to the troops' fighting spirit.

Tonight, we have a team of archers from Oxford.

That's Nat, Matthew and David.

Never fired an arrow in anger, I hope?

Er...

We don't tend to train for warfare in modern competitive archery,

but, you know, you never know.

-If you really get us angry.

-Right, OK.

And from Birmingham, a team of aquarium workers -

Richard, Reece and Maz.

I take it you don't want to go into battle swinging a fish?

No, not a fish, but anything else to hand. We'll be ready.

-Hopefully legions of sea creatures can come to our aid.

-Good.

Both teams, welcome to Time Commanders.

Tonight's battle is one that just about every schoolchild

in the country knows.

Teams, you are about to fight the Battle of Waterloo.

-Cool.

-Awesome.

-How about that?

-Yeah.

One of the most famous conflicts of all time.

Napoleon is on the march once more across Europe.

Can the forces of the Seventh Coalition stop him?

We've tossed a coin to decide which team will be Imperial France

and which team will be the Allies, led by Britain.

Teams, I can now reveal that, aquarium workers,

you are going to be Imperial France.

-Yay.

-OK.

-Excited?

-Yep.

-Angry, yet?

-Yes! We're ready!

Like someone's delivered the wrong feed for your fish?!

You're ready, you look ready!

That means that, of course, archers,

you are going to be the forces of the Seventh Coalition,

that's the British, the Dutch and the Prussians.

-So, no bow and arrow...

-Shame.

..but a fair amount of muskets, I should imagine.

So, France, your commander, obviously,

is one of the greatest figures in history.

He has a legendary status as a general, a politician and a leader.

He is, of course, Napoleon Bonaparte.

Napoleon Bonaparte used the power he gained during the popular uprising

of the French Revolution to install himself as Emperor of France

and conquer much of Europe.

Who is going to be your Napoleon?

I am stepping up. I'll be leading the troops into battle.

But why is this our Napoleon?

So if it goes wrong we can pass the buck and blame him!

The other two, of course, if you're Napoleon,

you are Napoleon's captains.

All right? Vitally, vitally important.

Now, Allies, your general is, of course, the Iron Duke himself,

Wellington.

The first Duke of Wellington was an Anglo-Irish soldier

and politician, who's regarded as

one of the greatest military commanders of the time.

Which of you is going to be Wellington?

-That would be me.

-You?

-Yeah, can't you see the resemblance?

-Why? Why?

-Cos she said so.

-Exactly, yeah.

And that kind of is the true qualities of a general, isn't it?

-To tell you what to do.

-Are you the toughest character of the three?

-Yeah. They're used to me being in charge, aren't you, boys?

-Yes, Miss.

Yeah, see?

Here to help us get to grips

with this momentous, era-defining battle, our two resident experts -

Dr Lynette Nusbacher and Mike Loades.

Hello, Time Commanders.

So, it is 1815, and Napoleon Bonaparte is out of his box.

He has escaped where he's been in exile on the Isle of Elba.

He has returned to France, he has been declared an outlaw by

the rest of Europe, but he has got 200,000 men rallied to his cause.

All of the other states in Europe -

the Russians and the Prussians and the British

and a bunch of the Germans and the Dutch -

are all going to go and stop him,

but, if Napoleon waits until all of those armies can be gathered,

then he'll be massively outnumbered,

so Napoleon has got to act very quickly in order to attack

those armies and defeat them one by one.

And just outside Brussels, near a town called Waterloo,

is the Duke of Wellington, at the head of the Anglo-Dutch Army.

That's Napoleon's first obstacle. He's got two battles to fight.

He's got to defeat that Anglo-Dutch Army

and he's got to defeat the clock,

cos the clock is ticking and the Prussians are on their way,

and he has to take out Wellington or Napoleon will not stand a chance.

So that's how we got to the eve of the battle, but before the teams

start fighting, here's our field team with the lowdown

on some of the soldiers of the time and the arms that they wielded.

France, you in particular should take special note of this,

because you will be fighting first.

OK. Bring it on.

Reload!

By the time of the Napoleonic Wars,

artillery was the dominant force on the battlefield.

Fire!

To operate artillery efficiently required a well-drilled team,

a gun crew, each with a different job.

Reload!

I'm inserting a pricket to clear the vent

and covering it to prevent sparks going in.

This is the worming tool.

We use this to clear the barrel of any debris or fouling.

Now, the sponge on the end of the ram.

Push it all the way home, get rid of any embers that might be in there.

I'm about to put a lot of gunpowder down this barrel.

Next, the charge.

Then we load the charge full of gunpowder.

Ram it all the way home, firmly, and then back out.

Next down the barrel would be the ball.

However, we're blank-firing.

Then we load the wadding.

Use the ram, and ram it home.

Gun ready. Prepare to give fire!

This is the linstock. Burning rope. Makes it go bang.

Fire!

Artillery must be sited, and it is the skill of the artilleryman

to calculate the trajectory of the shot.

Elevation is achieved here, but sometimes the entire gun

has to be shifted around,

perhaps because of a flanking attack by cavalry.

Battles started with artillery,

softening up the enemy's ranks by decimating them,

but however big your guns are,

artillery won't win battles on their own.

So no doubting at all the impact of the artillery on the battlefield.

Time now to see them in action in the first of our skirmishes.

This is a chance for our teams to get used to working together,

and handling their troops.

The outcome won't affect the battle itself, but what they LEARN will.

-Lynette, could you guide us into this one, please?

-Absolutely.

You're going to run a skirmish that looks

a lot like the Battle of Ligny, an important pre-Waterloo battle

between the French and the Prussians.

Right there is a village.

It's got a strategic crossroads in it, so it's very important to you,

and it's currently held by the Prussians.

The Prussians need to hold on to this village,

so they've rammed it with artillery.

You've got to take the village from them in order to enable your army

to carry on and fight the Battle of Waterloo.

You've got infantry here, and those infantry have got to be pretty close

to anything you're shooting at to put it under effective fire.

You are going to have to be pretty much next to them.

Cannons, on the other hand, all right, just so you know,

they are going to be able to shoot on you from about there.

And your objective is to use your infantry to take the town.

OK.

So that's going to be a lot of time under fire.

You're going to have to hold your nerve,

and you're the French Army, so you've got elan and verve,

and you've got to display both of those on the attack.

You are going to lose people to cannon fire, and musket fire,

and canister, but that is the bloody business that you are doing here.

-Oh, God!

-Are you OK?

Because you actually look like you're about to march into battle, let me tell you!

-We're ready. We're going to go.

-Got our game faces on.

So, team, General, you will be here in the command position.

You are in charge of overall strategy, OK?

Captains, you'll be in the field with your operator down there.

He will take your commands and translate them into actions.

You'll be taking turns to be in position.

It's time to pick a fight.

Teams, take your positions.

-Time to skirmish.

-Let's go!

First to step forward, Captain Maz.

-Get the columns going forwards.

-Yeah.

And as soon as we've got an opportunity to cross the river...

-Yeah.

-..we'll have the front two columns.

-We've got five, so...

-Five.

..two or three going across the river?

-We'll take two across the river.

-OK.

And then the other three, we'll keep going.

Get to moving, get to moving now.

Richard's plan is to split his five units, sending two across

the river to the left, while the other three units continue

straight up the road to the village.

He's dividing his force in the face of the enemy.

He's putting part of it on one side of the river,

and part on the other, and that's going to make it really hard

for the French Army to be mutually supporting on its approach.

All the units moving forward,

do you want them in blocks or rectangles?

-Go for squares?

-Blocks, how they are, now.

-OK, OK.

As soon as you get across the river, we'll go as fast as we can,

try and take their position.

-If they run they'll get tired.

-OK.

Then they'll just get shot at and blown away.

THEY LAUGH

You are going to send them into a run as soon as they come under fire.

Whoa, look at those cannons shooting!

The French will have to hold their nerve, here.

They are already under fire.

Pretty brutal.

Now they're taking it, now, look, now they're starting to...lose men.

Start running all units forwards, the first two across the side.

The back three, engage.

The French troops have divided in two,

and the front units are now crossing at a shallow part of the river.

If you look at the French, as they are trying to cross the river,

they're allowing their formation to be exposed to fire.

Instead of being a narrow front of a column,

they're exposing a broad length of a column while they're crossing,

so they're conducting a river crossing under fire

and that is one of the toughest land operations you can do.

Whoa!

And a few casualties, there.

That first column crossing the river is...

-is taking a pounding, there, isn't it?

-How is it doing for numbers?

Are there many of them left?

We're doing OK, so far.

The Prussians are now also firing at the French

on the right-hand side of the river.

That middle column just got struck, look at that!

Do you want to split any of the three to go across the river?

ALARM WAILS

Right, guys, captains, swap!

Now Reece has his chance.

They're starting to use fused shot now. You see those explosions?

A cannonball doesn't explode unless it's got a fuse in it

and, inside, full of black powder, and then you're getting shrapnel.

-Bombs bursting in air.

-Bombs bursting in air,

that's causing a lot more damage than a simple cannonball would do.

-The second column seems to have stopped.

-Yes, yeah.

-Yeah, they're running now, the second behind.

-OK.

And the ones on the right of the river, they need...

-Are they all running?

-Oh, my God.

The French infantry on the left have crossed the river,

and those on the right are gradually nearing the town.

But they're getting pounded by the Prussian cannons.

We're getting absolutely decimated.

Would it be the best to widen the formation

-so that it's a longer range to hit?

-Yeah, spread them out.

-Spread 'em.

So would they be able to swap it sideways?

-Good call.

-Yeah, good one, Reece.

-Take 'em from column to line, right?

-All right.

Captain Reece is trying to save the troops on the right

by spreading them out into a line, but it's too little, too late.

The Prussians are decimating them.

On the upside, the troops on the left are being left alone,

and they're gaining ground.

-Look at the French units here.

-Yep.

The French units on the other side of the river are starting to

get really close to the village, and they're not taking much fire.

As soon as the three on the right of the river

are ready to start firing, get them firing.

So they can cause a distraction.

-Those guys are broken. Those guys are running.

-OK.

The mangled troops on the French right have lost morale,

and they are routing - running away.

Guys, on the left is a river they need to cross.

There's a bridge to their right.

They need to cross it and get in to attack on the artillery.

You've now got two units that have routed.

Reece, are you engaging on the left-hand side

-with the guys over the river?

-Yeah.

Do you want these guys going longways as well,

-like the other guys on the right?

-Yeah.

-Yeah, get behind them.

Maz appears to be taking command.

Your guys are now in the town.

The troops that crossed the river are entering the village,

but they're freezing in the face of the Prussian fire.

Reece, your guys that are just crossing the bridge,

you've got more troops coming to the right,

so the second column need to come out and cover on the right.

While the artillery does its worst,

Prussian infantry are also attacking the French as they come into town.

-Captain, do you understand this?

-Erm, not 100%, no.

If you don't understand it, tell 'em.

Again, our commanders are having trouble

keeping two things going in their heads.

As they pay attention to one unit,

they lose their attention of the other one.

This is no time to dither.

-The troops have just crossed the bridge.

-Yes.

They're attacking from the left.

-Yes.

-They're being...

They're being surrounded. They need to start...

Are those troops actually shooting at anyone? Right, change captains.

Change captains.

'Their challenge is to regroup their units on the right-hand side

'of the river.'

You've got lots of troops coming on your right side.

-OK, can we get them engaged to the right side, right?

-Yeah.

-OK.

-They're taking fire from their right-hand side.

-OK.

Are we just going to meet them head on or try and curve round?

The ones that are moving, get the second group into support.

-What does that mean?

-Get them alongside them

-and get them both firing.

-OK.

So are all units there...

Is that the best way to attack cannon? To shoot at it?

-No.

-What's the best way to attack the cannon?

-Charge in?

-Yeah.

-Go!

-All right, charge.

-Do it! Captain, do it! Too late, too late.

You've taken fire, they've routed again.

-OK, you've still got...

-What about the other guys?

-HE LAUGHS

-It's going a bit pear-shaped.

Get them charging in.

-Get them in as quick as possible.

-They're routing.

-They're routing.

-For God's sake!

I think we're learning that standing looking at cannon firing at

-you is not the best way to attack it.

-Uh-oh.

You've lost.

'A bad day for the French.

'They've completely failed to get to grips with that Prussian artillery.

'And that could be a disaster in the main battle.'

I don't think that went particularly brilliantly.

I agree with you, not brilliant at all.

But it started... You were clever to start with.

I think it was, on our part, a lack of communication.

-We were communicating, but...

-Yeah.

I don't think we were saying the right things.

But you guys split your force in the face of the enemy.

You took half of your force and you put it somewhere where it

couldn't share support with their comrades.

-Yeah.

-And it was a clever idea but when it came to it,

you could only pay attention to one part of the field at a time.

-What do you think you learnt from it?

-We need to move quicker.

And, yeah, the problem with dividing the force was just that it

was just too difficult to keep up with both sides of what's

going on, so maybe a bit more compact...

and actually just remember to charge in and attack.

I think you learn how quickly it gets very confusing in battle...

Yeah.

..very, very quickly.

OK, time for another insight into the warfare

of the Napoleonic period with our field team.

Listen up, because all of this information will help you in battle,

but, Allies, it will be particularly helpful to you

when you take to the battlefield in a minute.

Cavalry during the Napoleonic period was incredibly diverse.

Amongst them were the heavy cavalry of cuirassiers and dragoons,

and the light cavalry of chasseurs, hussars and lancers.

SCREAMING

Heavy cavalry, these are big men on big horses.

Can you imagine a wall of horses, all their knees locked together,

and that wall of scarlet jackets coming towards you?

-And here is a huge cutting sword.

-And what a sword!

I mean, this is the 1796 heavy cavalry pattern,

and it's been described as a butcher's blade

and you can understand why.

It's the best description.

All the weight in that blade, so it naturally comes cleaving down,

and with that weight it just chops straight through.

Lock up your daughters, it's the light cavalry.

Ambush, raiding, reconnaissance, that's what we do.

We manoeuvre as well, we're really good at moving around

the battlefield, changing position,

and then we use this, a razorblade.

As the blood spills, the enemy's morale drains.

The lance is a superior cavalry weapon.

I've got a really good reach for other men on horseback,

and for men on the ground.

I've got the momentum of the horse to drive it home,

and I just press the horse forwards, and can cherry pick them all off,

skewering them on the end of the lance.

But remember, Time Commanders, when commanding cavalry,

the big challenge is keeping them under control.

Not being able to pull up their horses and disappearing for

miles led the Duke of Wellington to chastise the cavalry

for galloping at everything!

So we've moved over here to the British side,

and I hope you watched that film carefully.

There are so many different types of cavalry on the battlefield,

and with the smoke and the confusion, I know for a fact

it wasn't unheard of for regiments

on the same side to attack each other.

Well, you're right, there's a lot of smoke,

there's a lot of confusion.

It's one of the reasons why at this period

everyone's wearing such bright, colourful uniforms,

and nobody wears such bright, colourful uniforms as the cavalry.

They've got more flash, dash and panache

than you can wave a stick at.

But there's a reason for it.

It's A, so they can identify each other,

so they don't shoot each other.

And it's B, to give that devil-may-care attitude,

that, "I am dressed for dinner but I'm going for war."

I like that. What was it? Flash, Dash and Panache?!

'In the face of cavalry charges, infantry can seem very vulnerable.

'But it is possible to defend against those mounted forces.

'It's all about how you organise your troops.'

Can I get you guys down?

I need the aquarium workers for this.

I want you guys to come and stand in a line here.

You are in line, so if you all have muskets.

Let's imagine you with muskets. Sort of.

But you've got a very wide range of fire, OK, a broad fire.

Now, advance on me with your best war face.

Come on. Advance!

-THEY SHOUT

-Halt!

Can you see the problem?

So if there are obstacles, advancing in line is not good.

There's something else, it's called a square.

So, Nat, kneel down. Here. There we go.

-We are the front line, my dear.

-I'm ready, I'm ready.

We're going to hold them off.

So this is called a hollow square.

Imagine this all the way round, 500 men, you've got a square,

it's a very, very good defensive position.

Now, advance! Oh, you can't...

So there is a problem to a square

because you're not very quick on your knees.

All right, stand up now, that's it.

So that's what you've got to consider.

Now, it's your chance to skirmish. Could you guide us into this?

What you've got is you've got three units of British infantry.

The threat to them is all these French cavalry over here,

there's lancers that will kebab them in an instant,

and there are French cuirassiers - heavy cavalry.

Cuirass is the steel breastplate.

You have got a potential rescue, which is your cavalry down here.

FANFARE

British heavy cavalry but look at the distances.

Can you hold them off until they get there?

Or do you make a run for the town?

You have judgments to make.

'Can the British infantry defend itself against that deadly

'French cavalry, or can the British cavalry come to the rescue?'

Allies, are you ready to face a charge

by the famous French cuirassiers?

Yeah, bring it on.

-Ready to skirmish?

-Ready.

-Yep.

-Take your positions.

BUZZER

'First captain to take up his post, David.'

Select all the... We want all the cavalry.

-Do you know what we're doing?

-Right... Go!

We want to bring them up to here.

Three infantry regiments deployed in square. Stagger to give support.

I want the village at your rear so they can't bring in from the rear.

That's a lot of separation...

Yeah, close them up, they need to be closed up.

They need to be in range of each other.

-Do you want the cavalry running?

-Good plan!

I want the cavalry getting there as quickly as they can.

'Nat's plan is to get her infantry in place as fast as possible

'to meet the oncoming French cavalry.

'Meanwhile, her cavalry are on their way as backup.'

So, it is going to take a long time for that British cavalry

to get all the way from that rear area up to that village.

But at least she's got them moving, they're already on the move.

-First thing she did.

-That's right.

-Smart.

-That's right.

These two infantry units, they're parallel to each other.

Are they in the right kind of position you want to hold?

So long as they can cover each other with their arcs of fire. They need to be within arcs of fire.

So what's your idea, quickly, Wellington?

I'm forming square to receive the cavalry,

so I can't be cut to pieces by them, and so that the fire from the

three squares can take out the cavalry attacking each other.

-Look at the way the British infantry are coming together.

-Yes.

-They have been mutually supporting...

-Yes.

The front will be able to go between them, but when they do,

the French can be shot at from all directions.

-Your cavalry's coming?

-My cavalry's coming.

I'm told my cavalry is coming, aren't they, Captain?

They're coming.

'Nat needs to organise her infantry very fast now.

'The French cavalry are steaming towards her.'

You've got about 30 seconds to form square.

This unit, bring it back into this position.

-Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up.

-OK...

-OK, good luck.

-They're coming!

One of them's not in square. One of them's not in square!

Is one of them in square?

Right side, right side, why am I not in square, right side?

You're bringing them into position.

You've not got long, you've not got long.

Form up, form up, form up.

-What's going on...?

-Why are they not in square?

-They're in square, they're in square.

-OK, good.

-Well done.

-Prepare to receive the cavalry.

-Well done!

-That was close!

You want to see where the infantry is coming...

You can leave these squares to it, guys.

I want you to bring up the cavalry.

This is working. This is working.

'The French cavalry are being hammered by the overlapping

'arcs of fire from the squares of British infantry,

'and now the British heavy cavalry are nearly upon them.'

-Can you bring the cavalry into line, please?

-They're lining up now.

Wait for it, wait for it.

OK, bring your cavalry in, as quick as you can.

-Go, go, go!

-Tally-ho, chaps!

The French have gone to pieces.

Look at that, the French lancers are running for it.

Yep, the lancers have turned.

-Captain...

-Straight over there.

..have you got control of these cavalry?

Yep, they're moving in now. The cavalry are attacking now.

You keep control of my cavalry.

I've got two units left flank who don't seem to be doing anything.

-Can you form them up, please?

-Charge them, charge them.

Cavalry are attacking.

-OK, drive them towards my squares, please.

-They're going in.

Drive them towards my squares.

Why do you want them towards the squares?

Because I want to drive them into the fire from the squares,

I want to drive them towards the muskets.

She's created a spider's trap,

and she's pushing them into that trap

and she's not chasing them out, she's bringing them in.

You think the French will follow you?

I'm going to drive the cavalry with my cavalry towards our own muskets.

'The British have succeeded in flattening five French units,

'and are now chasing the two remaining units of

'French cavalry back towards their infantry squares.'

Drive them back towards the squares, that will do for them.

Do not pursue...

Captains, switchover, switchover, switchover. Matt, get in there, son!

Get in there. Get yourself a saddle.

You've got a unit of cavalry in reserve back by the village.

-Yeah, well spotted.

-Did you hear that, Matt? To the rear.

We've got cavalry coming up the road between the infantry squares.

Yeah, bring them on, bring them on.

I've got a square that's close to breaking here.

Can we reinforce with cavalry, bring them in?

Yes, you've got it, all right. Finish them off, Matt.

Finish them off.

It's game over.

The French cavalry have just been crushed.

Skirmish is finished.

'So victory to the Brits, who handled that skirmish brilliantly!

'Their infantry defence against cavalry was faultless,

'and that should be a big, big help during the main battle.'

Masterful.

But only one master.

I think Nat was calm and collected throughout.

I think she maintained control of her subordinates and she kept

everything on the field happening just as she wanted it to.

What I loved was the way you brought your squares together,

everybody was in support of everyone else.

I think I would just liked to have seen

a little bit more communication from the front line to the command.

Talk to me, guys. A bit more data, that would be good. Yeah.

I particularly liked Lord Nat Wellington saying,

"Why haven't we formed in to square on the right?

"Why haven't we formed into square on the right?!"

What did you learn from that, guys?

That the infantry can defeat cavalry on the defensive.

So if we hold firm, the cavalry's impotent.

You've seen each other in action now.

Can I ask you, British under Wellington,

what you thought of the French under Napoleon?

It was a brave move to divide the forces

and cross that river under fire, one side on to the cannon.

You did well to get troops round the back into the city...

It nearly worked.

Yeah, the courage is something to look out for, I think.

-But could be potentially a bit reckless.

-You think?

-Potentially, yes.

-What did you think of their display?

-Pretty organised.

They seem to have that sewn up pretty quickly.

So I think we're going to have our hands full with what's coming up.

Teams, the battle is imminent. Yes!

But before that, there's time for one more of our guides

to the weaponry of the time.

Here's the field team with, I'd say,

possibly the most important weapon of all at the Battle of Waterloo.

The flintlock musket was the workhorse

of the Napoleonic battlefield.

It was the universal weapon of everyman.

Simple to use and, in the right hands, deadly.

-So all flintlocks work the same.

-Yes.

You put black powder in this pan here.

That powder is ignited by a spark from this flint striking

this steel plate, known as a frizzen.

Spark goes through the hole, into the main charge and bang.

Once you start shooting, your world is just one of your own smoke.

And the more you shoot,

the more the sticky black powder clogs up and fouls the barrel.

After the battle, if you survive,

you'll put boiling water and sloosh and scour out the barrel.

But in the middle of a battlefield,

the only option you might have is to pee down the barrel to clean it.

So the stopping power was said to be up to 150 metres

but it wasn't accurate up to that range.

Both sides would wait until they were about 40 metres away

and they could see the whites of their eyes.

After the firefight came the grisly business of hand-to-hand combat.

A musket with a bayonet attached is a highly effective weapon

for close-quarter fighting.

It has good reach and plenty of weight behind the thrust.

And the butt end became a lethal club.

The musket was as versatile as it was ubiquitous

and it changed the course of history for over two centuries.

Teams, we are on the eve of battle.

Please listen carefully

as our experts guide you into the main event.

So, Time Commanders, it comes to Waterloo.

If you have a look at the map there, you can see that there is a ridge,

a bit of high ground,

and on that high ground is the Duke of Wellington

and the Anglo-Dutch army.

He needs to hold that ground

until Blucher and his Prussians can come to his aid.

Napoleon is coming from France up into Belgium,

he's heading right for that position on the hill

where the Duke of Wellington is poised.

He wants to destroy the Duke of Wellington first

and then turn and destroy the Prussians afterwards.

So Wellington is not in a hurry,

but Napoleon is in one devil of a hurry, because he must do this,

he must do this before Blucher arrives.

The other thing to note on that map - do you see those buildings?

They are farm compounds, a farmhouse with a walled compound.

Those farm complexes can be powerful protection against French attack.

All right, teams, time to get the sense of your troops

and where they've been positioned.

Napoleon himself supposedly said the battlefield is

a scene of constant chaos.

The winner will be the one who can control that chaos,

so get to know the forces at your command.

Go.

All right, guys.

Right, guys, as soon as you're ready, let me know what you've got.

So I've got two lots of light infantry.

We've got 12 each, OK.

So what we have is we have two major armies.

You've got the Anglo-Dutch army under the Duke of Wellington,

and you've got the Prussians under Field Marshal Blucher,

and they are gathered near Brussels.

Wellington is surprised by how quickly Napoleon

has moved up from France and into Belgium,

and that means that Napoleon has stolen a march,

he's stolen a day from Wellington.

Everything hinges on Waterloo.

Napoleon has assembled a massive army...

..but all Wellington has to do is hold out and wait.

If Gebhard Blucher can join up with the Duke of Wellington,

and the two of them together direct their combat power against Napoleon,

Napoleon is finished forever.

So the attacking French under our Napoleon, Richard,

have superiority in cavalry.

They also have bigger guns in their artillery, and more of them.

However, the Allied forces under our Wellington, Nat,

have the upper hand in infantry and a strong position to defend from.

Right, Time Commanders,

you now have a chance to scout the enemy's position.

So, off you go, send some horse out there, have a look at your enemy.

Go for the centre.

Time Commanders, just so you know,

if you get too close to the enemy, they will fire on you.

-Hold, hold, hold.

-All right?

You've got troops coming up, straight ahead of you.

You might want to consider coming round.

Maz, I think you've got the fort coming up on your right.

-Is it OK or shall I hold off?

-Keep going, keep going.

-We want to have a good look at it.

-OK.

They've not made it up the ridge yet, they're at the fortified farm.

-We need to see what they've...

-OK. That's the other fort.

The French are looking to where the nearest farm buildings are.

-That's what we saw there.

-Because they plan on taking them.

They've latched on, they're going to turn history on its head.

-That's...

-Right, guys, just 30 seconds left.

-We're going to go for the right and the left fort.

-The right and left?

Yes, so we'll go central first.

Once we've got that,

we will send some troops to the right hand as well.

Can we see...?

Can Nat repeat her phenomenal success in the skirmish,

or can Richard come back from his crushing defeat and rewrite history?

Right, stop, stop the chat, stop the chat.

Otherwise you'll be up against the firing squad.

Now time to ramp up the pressure on you, Wellington, and you, Napoleon.

Now you have to command both your captains at the same time.

It is getting tougher. Time to earn those stripes. OK?

Don't forget, each general can call a time-out

at any time during the battle.

It's a chance for the generals to get their captains and our experts

around the table to discuss the battle's progress, but

you can only use it once.

OK, so make sure you choose your moment wisely.

So, it is Sunday the 18th of June, in the year 1815.

Europe is on a knife-edge and two enormous armies

face each other across the fields of Belgium to decide its fate.

Will Napoleon march on to dominate the Continent once more?

Or will Wellington, the ultimate defender, halt him here at Waterloo?

Let's find out. Let's see if history is about to be rewritten.

Let's fight!

OK, are you guys ready? Let's go.

Reece, what we're going to do is get your infantry to the two forts

as quickly as possible, the central one and the one on the right.

Richard, our Napoleon, is sending his infantry, commanded by Reece,

in a dash to take two of the farmhouses

to use as defensive positions.

Meanwhile, Maz is looking after the cavalry and artillery.

I want artillery in the centre, thank you.

Cavalry as a mobile reserve.

-Anything changing at your end?

-No.

-OK, thank you. Keep me updated on progress, Matt, please.

-Yes.

Infantry still advancing on the farm,

the artillery is moving into position as we speak.

Nat, our Wellington, and her British and Allied forces,

commanded by Matt, have got to the farmhouses first.

David is commanding the Prussian forces of Blucher,

so all he can do for the time being is wait.

The French are moving very rapidly to their front.

I don't know whether they've figured out that the British have

already taken those three key farmsteads.

-RICHARD:

-We've got troops at all three now.

Is there a backup plan?

Right, they've only got one unit of infantry at each one.

We are going to have to move everyone up.

Reece, get your troops out. We won't engage straightaway.

We're going to go for the right-hand forts

and we'll work our way across.

We're going to swamp that farm,

we're going to take it and then move across to the middle one.

-Infantry coming right, attacking first?

-Yes.

Which troops have you decided to attack, which farmhouse?

-Everyone is heading towards the right.

-Are they?

-Are they now?

-Yes.

'Richard's plan is to send his entire army to Papelotte Farmhouse

'on the right in order to steal it from the British.'

The French have got the freedom of movement to go charging right

up the middle like that, because the British haven't yet deployed

their guns to bring them under effective artillery.

-Let's see if they've noticed that.

-What's your plan, general?

I am going to batter the French as much as possible as they come

up between my fortified positions.

Then I'm going to batter them with the troops in line, lots of...

Is that what they're doing, coming between your positions?

Yeah, they're coming in between my position here,

-my fortified positions.

-To, what, attack you on the hill?

They're going to come to us on the ridge,

where we will be in line ready to receive.

-You are sure of that, are you?

-We will.

The commander here is very sure

that she thinks she knows what the French are doing,

but I'm not sure she does.

-Are we in line and ready to receive columns?

-The infantry are

moving up as we speak, they're still behind the ridge.

You need to be pretty quick because the French are

coming on pretty quick now. You've not got long.

OK.

The French have taken the British by surprise by moving so quickly.

They're launching a full attack on Papelotte Farmhouse.

Whoa.

What's happened there?

Good luck to the enemy cavalry coming to attack walls.

OK, have we got our line engaged?

Yes, our line is engaging on the left flank.

LAUGHTER

The British have rallied, and now they're hitting back with

short-range canister shrapnel fired by cannons.

The canister has started, so the French are now close enough that

the British are unleashing that terror of canister shot.

That's really going to tear into those French.

On the day, Napoleon delayed his advance for a long time.

These guys have not delayed a bit in making the French attack.

And now we have a cavalry action.

-NAT:

-Cavalry, cavalry reserve, left flank, left flank, Matt, now.

-Now, overrides, everything else. Go, go, go.

-What is going on here?

The French have managed to take the farmhouse

and now they're pushing up onto the ridge, but time is against them.

They've committed everything to the left.

They have committed literally everything to the left.

-It's a bit messy.

-There's a massive cavalry battle

-going to happen over here in a minute.

-We'll bring in our cavalry.

We'll do what we did before - drive them towards the square.

Hear that, Matt? Bring the cavalry round the back,

drive them towards the squares.

Oh, my word. Oh, my word.

-You've taken the farmhouse.

-Yeah.

Reece, Maz's troops are taking heavy fire on the right.

There's another army come into play. Is there any chance...?

-Whereabouts?

-They're coming from the right-hand side.

That is von Muffling,

and von Muffling is the liaison officer from Blucher to Wellington.

He's arrived, which means that the Prussians are on their way.

The Prussians are coming! The Prussians are coming!

And that means the pressure is piling on to the French

to get a quick victory.

Reece, the cavalry is coming in on the right.

How are your cannons doing, Maz?

-They are miles away. They are miles away.

-OK.

The French cavalry were so quick off the mark,

they've left their artillery far behind.

OK, what are my cavalry doing now, Rich?

They've pulled back.

Hold them there for the moment.

-Are you OK with what's going on here?

-Should we call a time-out?

-Time-out?

-Yeah.

-You want to call a time-out? Time-out.

Despite taking one farm, the French assault has come to a standstill.

Their hesitation to push the infantry forward

has allowed the British valuable time to regroup.

Let's have a look at this battlefield.

What do you want help with?

Basically I wanted to speak to these guys.

We're about to lose our front line.

Should I go all-in with cavalry straight across?

By the time they come, we'll be screwed.

-LYNETTE:

-You've got to destroy Wellington's army

in the time you've got,

before Blucher comes in and puts you into a Frenchman sandwich.

-RICHARD:

-Yes, so we can use cavalry to get round there.

Our cannons are so far back.

We moved them forward but they're so slow.

You've got to make a decision on what to do with your artillery.

-Experts, any suggestions?

-Get it moving.

-Engaged.

-You know what your plan is?

-Yes.

Infantry hold, cavalry round the side, artillery engaged

-in the centre. Is that the plan?

-Yes.

-Let's go, let's go, let's go.

So the French need to get their artillery involved in this battle,

hold the line with their infantry as much as they can and use

their cavalry around the sides.

-I want infantry holding the line until...

-Yes, pull them back,

get them into a line. Protect your front and your left.

-And then get firing.

-OK.

The French artillery has finally got in position,

giving Napoleon much-needed extra firepower.

-LYNETTE:

-This is really an important time for the English.

The French have the possibility right now of smashing

Wellington's left flank and rolling him up off that hill.

If the English don't judge their moment well and leave their

positions wisely, the French could destroy the Allies

before the Prussians come to the fight.

-NAT:

-French cavalry, left wing, left wing, come on.

Wellington, there was a time-out there.

How did you use your time there?

We've done a little bit of planning, as you see.

We are going to try and swing the door on them,

because the battle lines have turned.

-Basically you're turning the whole battlefield on a right angle?

-Yes.

Nat's swinging the entire Allied army across the battlefield,

crashing into the French.

But the French are not giving in easily.

There's a massive cavalry battle going on down here.

Yeah, and I'm not feeling particularly positive about it.

Can I have a report on the cavalry left wing, please?

-They've come in to envelop the French...

-OK, under control?

How is it going on swinging around? I've got a unit that needs rallying.

They are coming back. The French cavalry are coming back.

OK, guys, square. Matt, square.

The French are repeatedly attacking the Allies with their cavalry.

Wellington is losing cohesion along the left flank of his line.

This is a very dangerous moment.

Matt, I've got units to the right...

British units routing here.

Those French cavalry attacks are working,

but the Prussians are on their way to support the British,

so the French have got to crush the Brits quickly.

They're coming in with the horses on the right-hand side.

-Keep firing and kill a few before they get there with horses.

-OK.

Another cavalry skirmish.

OK.

We're having to be in square

at the moment cos we're being menaced by cavalry.

Do we have any spare cavalry to bring along that right wing?

I'm bringing my cavalry round

the rear towards the right flank as we speak.

OK, thank you.

We've got the Prussians coming in.

It's a little bit tricky because we've got French cavalry

hopping around. Calvary.

A major assault. Look at that!

They just tore into you.

So the French are going in with the cavalry on the right.

They are seeking to use the arme blanche, a bare blade,

to achieve a tactical effect.

-NAT:

-Please, cavalry, left flank.

I've got units threatened by cavalry and it's not looking great.

Can you get them in, please.

Don't care what your units are doing because my infantry are running.

The Prussians have finally arrived on the battlefield,

but it might be too late.

The British are being hammered by the French cavalry.

The French now own that farmhouse, don't they?

The French do own that farmhouse.

-My cannons are firing on it.

-Thank you.

My right flank is looking vulnerable now.

It is, can we bring up support?

Wow, where is that French cavalry going, where is it going,

where's it going?

Are you formed square ready to receive?

Where is it going? Oh, here it comes!

I want both of those units in square.

-Here it comes.

-Quickly, quickly, quickly.

-Wow! Smash!

-Now form the square, come on.

-GREGG LAUGHS

Timmons, I need your flank to move quicker.

I'm getting battered.

Can we move them back?

-This is French cavalry smash-and-grab raids.

-Absolutely.

-It's skilful light handling of heavy cavalry.

-For crying out loud.

They are just turning up...

The French cavalry are turning up anywhere on the British side.

Absolutely. Taking advantage of their mobility.

But they're not making any difference.

The French appear to be making huge strides

but they're not following up their cavalry charges with their infantry

and don't seem sure how to use their artillery effectively.

We need...

All the reinforcements are coming on the right-hand side.

What is your artillery now firing at?

Basically all the cannons firing on this side...

-So, all of your artillery is hitting the Prussians?

-Yes.

Maz is running the French army.

Maz appears to have taken charge.

He's trying to drive the French army up the hill

but, like the Allies, they're also suffering heavy casualties.

Are we running out of units? It looks like we've got a lot less.

We are shrinking. I think...

I'm going to try and get Reece to pull some of his.

We need to tighten this up a bit.

-Maz, how many units have you got left? Four?

-One heavy...

Should we just mount...? Rich, because we've got no units,

should we just mount an offensive on the left-hand side?

All of Reece's troops are together at the moment.

I can get them moved over there.

-Guys, guys, is this your last throw of the dice?

-Yes.

-And what is it?

-Right, we're going to...

-Rich, if it's the last

throw of the dice, should I just get the generals as well?

-Get everyone together.

-I'll just get all those units.

Maz, we're going to rally them at the farm.

-Yeah, I'm going to get them to push out.

-Right, right.

We're going to push everyone out to the right.

Napoleon is going for a last furious assault with his remaining units.

Can I get all the cannons protecting us from this side

from them reinforcing?

Reece, we're going to try and take out everything we can on the left.

It looks as though Richard has taken up his position as general again.

And it's working. The Allies are being hammered.

-NAT:

-Not looking great.

Have things changed for you?

Things have changed, because my Prussians are beginning to run.

Run, what do you mean, run?

They're running, they're running away.

-Guys, I'm going to call time-out.

-Call it.

-Call it, time-out, please.

The British counteroffensive on the French left has been crushed,

opening a door for Napoleon to advance further.

But if the Prussians can rally,

they could still stop the French in their tracks.

Right, how do you see this, and what sort of help do you want?

We've been badly pulled out of shape.

Because we lost a lot of troops on the right wing,

the French cavalry attacks were quite punishing.

We need to work out now what we're going to do strategically to bring

the Prussians in on the left, cos I've really not got much

strength left on the right.

You're not using your guns, and you're losing your guns.

You're allowing the French cavalry freedom of action

-all over your flanks.

-You've got a minute left,

so make the decision on what you're going to do.

I've got a unit of infantry here. Going into the guns up here.

I've got two units engaging in the farmhouse there.

I've got a unit of artillery there, Bluchers' there, and these two units

have rallied, both infantry, but they'll be badly battered.

-Do you want to bring those guns up to support here?

-Yes.

-MIKE:

-What about your farmhouses? What about the fort?

-NAT:

-I think we can hold on the right.

They might not matter if all they are now is

a place for people to sit and get killed.

-Join up with your Prussians.

-All right, let's go. Let's go.

Clock back on.

So Nat is going to try bring her guns up to support her infantry

and do everything she can to link up with the Prussians

arriving from her left.

So, we need to come out, we need to form lines,

we need to roll these French artillery up, do you understand?

-What have you got left? Do you know what you've got left?

-Yes.

Medium infantry are trying to take this farmhouse.

Reckon we can get it.

Cannons are going to clear out that supporting British unit.

And then we're just going to try, if we can get that farmhouse,

to concentrate all our fire on...

-Where is your fire going to come from?

-The cannons.

The French have got very little combat power left.

What they've got, they're using to hold a farmhouse that was

very important once, but right now it's just going to be a graveyard.

-RICHARD:

-It is storming straight toward your cannons.

-Oh, smash!

A unit of Allied cavalry has torn into the French artillery,

wiping it out.

That's that cannon gone.

Maz, do you know our cannons are in big trouble?

Yes. There's nothing I can do. They can't really run.

-I know.

-It's over.

Oh, no, the French are giving up before the end.

I can't believe Maz is saying it's over.

Right, you have now got your only foot soldiers that could

support your guns in farmhouses, haven't you?

-Yes.

-Right, and your guns are exposed.

-Yes.

-Right.

Generals are losing their nerves,

they've stopped giving clear instructions.

They are asking them what to do rather than telling them what to do.

The French forces are dangerously depleted,

leaving their legendary commander exposed.

Reece, if you can pull Napoleon over to one of the farmhouses, do it.

Can you put him inside a farmhouse?

Whatever you can do to get safe, try and do it.

Is Napoleon within or without that fortified position?

He is right next to it, I think.

Let's have a bit of a foray, see if we can get him out.

Napoleon and the rest of the French infantry

are holed up in a farmhouse.

The French are in front of you,

occupying both of these farm buildings?

What can they do from fortified positions? We can leave them there.

All we've got to do is hold on. They've got to defeat us.

Can we have Prussians down from the rear to attack?

You hear that, Timmins?

Reece, defeat is imminent unless you attack.

More units of the heavies to send towards the artillery?

-That's all we can do, take them over.

-One or both?

-Take everyone.

OK, OK. It might be worth one last big charge, look.

-You've got to the guns.

-Come on, Reece.

-Go on, Reece.

-OK.

Do you think you might have taken the left-hand side here?

I think that's all we can take.

Having pulled all his French forces out of the farmhouses,

Reece is mounting one last stand.

He's charged that and destroyed the Allied guns,

and he's consolidating his remaining troops in a hollow,

including Napoleon himself.

Oh, and there is Napoleon Bonaparte,

fat, middle-aged artillery officer,

fighting for his life against prime Prussian cavalry sabres.

I think Napoleon is under attack there.

Desperate times for the French.

They cannot afford to lose Napoleon.

-You've got everyone coming together now.

-There you are.

-Are you...?

-GREGG LAUGHS

Right, Reece...

Napoleon's gone.

Napoleon is dead.

With Napoleon down,

there's no reason for any of the French to go on fighting.

But the French on the ground don't seem to realise

their general has fallen and are fighting with all their might.

-Reece? Reece.

-Yes?

Your right-hand troops, the ones at the back,

are they involved with the British behind them?

-Yes.

-That is it, that's it.

-You've got another...

-Wahey!

-To your right you've got another lot of infantry coming.

This is pivotal.

-Your two most forward units.

-Yeah.

Bring them into support on the other ones.

-You've got infantry coming in...

-Now you sound like a general!

Now you sound like a general. Go!

-NAT:

-Right, we've got them concentrated.

Prussians, I want you surrounding now.

Use the terrain now.

-Use the terrain.

-Use the terrain how?

The French are in a dip, we've got the high ground surrounding them.

-Have you?

-We're just going to keep battering them.

-Are you surrounding them in that ditch?

-Yes.

This is actually on a knife-edge, this, isn't it?

OK, Timmons, your cavalry straight in, please.

No messing, straight down the middle,

straight down into the cauldron, take them out.

-Look at this.

-That is excellent.

That's excellent, well done, good charge.

Keep control of them.

Keep control of them. Do not let them out of that pocket now, boys.

Attack, attack, attack the grenadiers.

Charge home, charge home.

This is desperate, absolutely desperate.

Absolutely desperate.

Come on, boys, let's finish it off.

All right, whatever reserve we've got now, boys, bring it round.

That's Wellington included.

-Are you confident?

-No.

-You're not confident?

-It's on a knife-edge right now. OK.

-More Prussian cavalry.

Wellington, get ready.

She's calling Wellington into action.

-OK, Wellington, in, go.

-I am putting my cavalry out to you.

I tell you what, the French are holding their own here.

The French are holding their own.

I want everyone regrouped and back in with Wellington. Go.

Another cavalry charge. Another cavalry charge!

Do not lose Wellington.

Pull him out if he looks like he's in danger.

Oh, my word.

Is that Wellington? Is that Wellington running away?

He's not running, he is withdrawing.

-He's tactically running away.

-Yeah.

Come on, we've got them on the run. Come on, boys. Finish it off.

-I'm not convinced we have, but...

-We've got one unit on the run.

I can't believe the French are strategically holding on to a pit.

It's thanks to Captain Reece.

He's driving the British into a furious hand-to-hand fight

in the hollow, and the French excel in close quarters.

The battle could not be closer.

Come on, Reece.

-Do you think Reece should have been your general?

-Perhaps.

-Reece...

-Whoa!

-..how many are engaged?

You are just about hanging in there.

I think we're down to two units.

What have they got? What have they got?

-Reece, the two units...

-What have they got?

-One medium, one heavy.

-They're charging.

-Here they come again!

That's Wellington!

-Kill Wellington.

-All right.

-Reece, are any of your troops still engaged?

-Are they routing?

I think they're running.

Wellington's charge may have proved decisive.

KLAXON Oh!

APPLAUSE

Do you know what? That was closer than the real battle.

Closer than the real battle, that was.

Did the French impress you? Because they impressed me.

They impressed me enormously.

The French would have been very happy

to have had your cavalry command on the day.

You guys destroyed Wellington's army,

and it was only the timely arrival

of Gebhard von Blucher and his Prussians

that enabled the Allies to win at all.

What really interested me, Nat, was how you changed.

You have been so confident, so authoritative, so Wellingtonian

all day and then, with those cavalry attacks, it really threw you.

The cavalry really did throw me.

I lost so much strength to those cavalry attacks.

-I get a feeling it was a closer-run thing than you expected.

-Yes.

It definitely was. I would have liked to have finished

with more units than just my general.

I just don't know my place.

We all know that Wellington and Blucher were the victors on the day

at Waterloo but, Lynette and Mike,

our teams didn't exactly fight it out in the same manner.

Can you show us briefly what really happened

on that fateful day in 1815?

Well, they started the same way.

In other words, there was a race for farmhouses and the British won.

So the British got Hougoumont, La Haye Sainte and Papelotte.

They got those farmhouses and garrisoned.

What happened on the day, though,

was Napoleon became obsessed with taking Hougoumont.

That became the scene of fighting for hours and hours and hours,

vicious fighting, lots of personal heroism and attacks.

The story of the French at Waterloo

is that they acted with insufficient verve.

They didn't take the initiative and hold it,

they were constantly behind Wellington's running

and, as a result, they were unable to beat Wellington and therefore

they were unable to turn and fight the Prussians separately.

Of course, in real life, Napoleon didn't die at Waterloo.

Instead, after the battle, he was exiled to the island of

St Helena, where he lived out the rest of his life.

Wow, what a fantastic battle. I loved every moment of that.

Teams, thank you for reliving the Battle of Waterloo with us.

Join us next time to re-fight

another of history's most famous battles

in Time Commanders.