The Battle of Trafalgar is a historical battle in Napoleon: Total War.
Description
The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) forever confirmed Britain's naval supremacy, leaving the Franco-Spanish fleet, Villeneuve's career and Napoleon's invasion plans in tatters off the coast of Spain.
Narration
Villeneuve understands nothing. Villeneuve has achieved nothing! Without control of the seas, how can I invade England? Now the army of England must move against Austria. Villeneuve can earn his pay and go into the Mediterranean. That should be simple enough for him.
Pre-Battle Text
Napoleon: October 21st, 1805. Off the south-west coast of Spain near Cadiz my Franco-Spanish fleet, under Pierre de Villeneuve, has unwisely set sail for Naples.
The nearby British fleet, under command of Admiral Lord Nelson, has tracked the French fleet for some time. It has formed into two columns and is looking to use the prevailing wind to attack from the west.
At the heart of the fleet is the 106-gun first-rate, HMS Victory, the British flagship. If my fleet is to defeat the British, this vessel must be stopped by any and all means.
This will not be easy, but my Franco-Spanish fleet contains some of the largest ships in the world, including the 140-gun Santissima Trinidad, a ship bigger than anything Nelson commands.
Victory Text
Napoleon: This is not a victory for France or Spain! It is a victory for all Europe who hate the British, which is to say: all of Europe!
Defeat Text
Napoleon: The British are fine sailors, but so what? Frenchmen should not suffer defeat at their hands!
General Information
Map of the initial deployment. British ships are red, French ships are light blue, and Spanish ships are dark blue. The wind is in a strong easterly (right facing) direction.
Winning the Battle of the Nile or the Battle of the Pyramids unlocks the Battle of Trafalgar.
The Battle of Trafalgar pits the Franco-Spanish fleet against the British. In singleplayer, the player controls the French fleet. The Franco-Spanish fleet has the advantage of defending, has slightly more ships, and has its ships arrayed in a line perpendicular to the British navy, which in turn is arrayed in two columns. However, the British fleet is better in terms of both ships and crew quality: while Spain has the individually most powerful ship in the battle, the Santissima Trinidad, the British fleet as a whole fields heavier, more powerful ships. Further complicating matters for the French fleet is that they do not control the Spanish fleet, which, when controlled by the A.I, always breaks formation and makes a beeline for their British foes, who outnumber and outgun the Spanish fleet comfortably.
The French fleet can get a couple of volleys off before the British close the gap, damaging or even disabling their front-most ships; the Spanish and British fleet inevitably clashes, however, and the British almost always decisively wins this encounter. The French fleet can either attempt to help the Spanish fleet, or pull back to deal with the weakened British fleet after it disentangles itself from the Spanish ships.
Winning the Battle of Trafalgar (or the Battle of Austerlitz) unlocks the Battle of Borodino.
Units
Neither the French nor the Spanish ships have any experience. Most of the British ships have some experience, however. Compounding with the innately superior statistics of British ships, they are generally superior to their French/Spanish counterparts on a ship-to-ship basis.
French Fleet:
- Bucentaure, 80-gun Ship-of-the-Line (Admiral Pierre de Villeneuve's Flagship)
- Formidable, 80-gun Ship-of-the-Line
- Mont Blanc, 74-gun Ship-of-the-Line
- Redoutable, 74-gun Ship-of-the-Line
- Fougueux, 74-gun Ship-of-the-Line
- Aigle, 38-gun Frigate
- Argonaute, Brig
Spanish Fleet:
- Santa Ana, 106-gun Ship-of-the-Line (Admiral Ignacio Alva's Flagship)
- Argonaute, 80-gun Ship-of-the-Line
- San Justo, 74-gun Ship-of-the-Line
- Santissima Trinidad, Santissima Trinidad
- Neptuno, 80-gun Ship-of-the-Line
British Fleet:
- HMS Victory, 106-gun First Rate (Admiral Horatio Nelson's Flagship), 5 experience
- HMS Royal Sovereign, 106-gun First Rate, 5 experience
- HMS Belleisle, 74-gun Third Rate, 1 experience
- HMS Tonnant, 80-gun Third Rate, 2 experience
- HMS Achilles, 74-gun Third Rate, no experience
- HMS Dreadnought, 98-gun Second Rate, 2 experience
- HMS Temeraire, 98-gun Second Rate, 2 experience
- HMS Leviathan, 74-gun Third Rate, 2 experience
- HMS Orion, 74-gun Third Rate, 1 experience
- HMS Minotaur, 74-gun Third Rate, no experience
- HMS Sirius, 38-gun Fifth Rate, 3 experience
History
The Battle of Trafalgar was a major naval battle between a Franco-Spanish fleet and the British navy. Both the British and Spanish admirals were killed in action. The battle was a failure for the French as their invasion fleet against Britain was destroyed and they failed to the weaken the Royal Navy. From this point on in the Napoleonic Wars, a French invasion of Britain would be impossible.
Gallery
