sudayev 27 Posted June 20, 2015 (edited) Running Wild - Battle of Waterloo* A grand battle of the nations that took place in 18th of June A.D. 1815 near Belgian village of Waterloo where alliance of British-Prussian and Dutch forces led by Duke of Wellington and Gebhard von Blücher defeated the forces of Emperor of the French Napoleon I. This epic battle have decisively ended the rule of Napoleon and became a symbol. The French fought bravely, but lost more then half of 73,000 soldiers. After the battle Napoleon attempted to flee to the United States, but the British blocked his escape route. He surrendered to British custody and spent the last six years of his life in confinement on the remote island of Saint Helena. His death in 1821, at the age of 51, was received by shock and grief throughout Europe and the New World. In 1840, a million people witnessed his remains returning to Paris, where they still reside at Les Invalides. The battle of Waterloo started the new era in European history -The Holy Alliance consisting of Kingdom of Prussia, Russian Empire and Austrian Empire. More & details https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Waterloo By the way. If you have a chance on 20th of June. Check your TV stations and the internet for streams and transmission from reenacemnt of the final chapter of the battle - the allied counter-attack. This is epic mark in historical reenactment where nearly 5000 thousands of reenactors from all over World do their best in recreating historical events. Today while checking what's on the tv I was lucky to see the live transmission from the first day - "The French Attack". Really impressing sight. Thousands of men dressed in accurate uniforms, manoeuvres, firing columns and dense gunpowder smoke covering the theatre of battle and not to mention commentaries from historians in the studio - more like this on the tv please :) Official programme https://www.waterloo2015.org/en/programme Link to the transmission http://www.waterloo2015-live.org/en/events/1053232/the-allied-counterattack looks like it's in pay per view, but like I said check on the TV or search for web streams. FB event https://www.facebook.com/Waterloo2015?fref=nf Press on Waterloo 1815-2015 https://goo.gl/wdc3aS https://vimeo.com/114346713 Hail to the fallen soldiers! I can't imagine how these men managed to march in line while shooting their rifles to the last man standing, without a chance to take cover ;)PS* Footage from this music video comes from Soviet-Italian film Waterloo (1970). Check out these massive and outstanding ballistic scenes. No computers, all real, real cinema! Edited June 20, 2015 by Sudayev Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ProfTournesol 956 Posted June 21, 2015 I'm there my bad ; ) I'll try and post some pictures when i'll be home. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ProfTournesol 956 Posted June 22, 2015 Here my video, i was sitting in front of the Hougoumont farm (the red one) on the left side of the battlefield. So i hardly saw the two third of the battle (sometimes you can see La Haye Sainte in white), because of the overwhelming smoke. I'll post some photos soon, from the bivouacs. Watch it on full screen, if you wann see anything. VjJHr7jhBEA Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tonci87 163 Posted June 22, 2015 Holy shit, that´s a lot of smoke Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ProfTournesol 956 Posted June 22, 2015 Indeed. It gives a failry realistic impression of what a battlefield was like. Soldiers didn't know what was happening, they hardly saw their neighbours and probably not much of their targets. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sudayev 27 Posted June 22, 2015 I'd not expect other than being there from the creator of Napoleonic War mod :) By looking at your video it kinda give this "real life feeling" or at least how it was described in historical sources, lots of acrid smoke with only gunfire flashes tearing through this thick curtain of smoke. Later on soldiers were fighting like blind. Center of battlefield was one big mess. When I was in Belgium years ago, I was at Waterloo Lion monument https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion%27s_Mound, statue is really impressive and mound itself is a great vantage point. Bought me a painting reproduction of Napoleon returning from the battle of Laon and created a commemorative medal from a coin. Wonder if this coin stamp machine is still there :) ? PS. Check out this documentary on Waterloo hosted by Sean Bean http://www.history.co.uk/shows/sean-bean-on-waterloo Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tonci87 163 Posted June 22, 2015 I'd not expect other than being there from the creator of Napoleonic War mod :) By looking at your video it kinda give this "real life feeling" or at least how it was described in historical sources, lots of acrid smoke with only gunfire flashes tearing through this thick curtain of smoke. Later on soldiers were fighting like blind. Center of battlefield was one big mess. When I was in Belgium years ago, I was at Waterloo Lion monument https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion%27s_Mound, statue is really impressive and mound itself is a great vantage point. Bought me a painting reproduction of Napoleon returning from the battle of Laon and created a commemorative medal from a coin. Wonder if this coin stamp machine is still there :) ? PS. Check out this documentary on Waterloo hosted by Sean Bean http://www.history.co.uk/shows/sean-bean-on-waterloo Was it a coin machine that stamps Napoleons head on a coin? If yes then it´s gone. It belonged to France and The Belgians took it down after France didn´t let them do a celebratory Euro coin for the anniversary of the battle. Saw it on TV a few days ago, seems like some people in France are pretty butthurt that they lost that battle..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sudayev 27 Posted June 22, 2015 (edited) Heard about it ;) My coin has an image of Lion's Mound, 1815 and crossed sabres. Edited June 22, 2015 by Sudayev Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ProfTournesol 956 Posted June 22, 2015 Was it a coin machine that stamps Napoleons head on a coin? If yes then it´s gone. It belonged to France and The Belgians took it down after France didn´t let them do a celebratory Euro coin for the anniversary of the battle. Saw it on TV a few days ago, seems like some people in France are pretty butthurt that they lost that battle..... Well, there are a few politicians who are stupidly narrowminded, and some don't get that wasn't the celebration of a French defeat but, as my mods, the commemoration of a memorable historic period and of all its casualties. But i can assure you there were a lot of French among the audience, and among the 6000 reenactors (while not the most numerous, there were 53 different nationalities among them). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
negah 26 Posted June 23, 2015 Soldiers didn't know what was happening, they hardly saw their neighbours and probably not much of their targets. Well not much has changed since then :D Btw, great video! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
oxmox 73 Posted June 23, 2015 Quiete impressive..... I imagine you would have seen only smoke and not much else, if as many reenactors would have taken part like in 1815. :p Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ProfTournesol 956 Posted June 23, 2015 Quiete impressive..... I imagine you would have seen only smoke and not much else, if as many reenactors would have taken part like in 1815. :p Indeed, they were 200 000 in 1815 vs 6000 reenactors... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sudayev 27 Posted June 24, 2015 Some photos from the event http://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2015/06/reenacting-the-battle-of-waterloo/396479/ Sean bean on Waterloo https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgA0WJ4pNZwTXmMatrFXlag New French documentary - "Waterloo, l’ultime bataille" (only in French). Btw, seen this on tv last Sunday. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUpFRzVCZRo Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dmarkwick 261 Posted June 25, 2015 IMO the best Waterloo representation ever: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ProfTournesol 956 Posted June 25, 2015 Some of my photos : https://goo.gl/photos/v94AGQiNo5eSoQTG8 For those who like uniforms, a very nice reference website : http://centjours.mont-saint-jean.com/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
.Taffy 10 Posted July 1, 2015 For those who are fans of the Sharpe series of books (and TV/Film adaptations with Sean Bean), the author Bernard Cornwell has released a non-fiction history book about the battle. Rather than a dry recounting of the battle it's told as more of a narrative switching to different individuals who made accounts of that day. I've not had the time to finish it yet but have found it very entertaining so far. http://www.bernardcornwell.net/waterloo-the-true-story-of-four-days-three-armies-and-three-battles/ (Was half price in WHSmiths when I got it) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sudayev 27 Posted July 8, 2015 (edited) Found interesting video showing the reenacted battle from "helmet" or bearskin cam :D It's pretty lengthy to watch but it places the viewer in the first line of infantry offering good insight into the battlefield (smoke, battle ambience, drums) Edited July 8, 2015 by Sudayev Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
