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[]
Singleplayer[]
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. The wind is strong easterly. In contrast to historical circumstances, the Franco-Spanish fleet are attacking; if the clock runs out of time before the battle is over, the battle is considered lost. In singleplayer, the player controls the French fleet. The Franco-Spanish fleet 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 fleets inevitably clash, 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 Leviathon, 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
Multiplayer[]
The Battle of Trafalgar is available for 2v2 multiplayer. Players replacing the A.I aside and the wind direction changing aside, the battle is similar to the singleplayer version of the battle. In contrast to what history would dictate, the French and Spanish are on the offense, and it is up to them to take the fight to the British. The wind gives neither side a mobility advantage, though as the British ships are still far superior the Franco-Spanish fleet is still at an acute disadvantage.
Units[]
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:
Player 1:
- HMS Victory, 106-gun Ship-of-the-Line (Admiral Horatio Nelson's Flagship), 5 experience
- HMS Temeraire, 98-gun Second Rate, 2 experience
- HMS Leviathon, 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
Player 2:
- HMS Royal Sovereign, 106-gun First Rate (Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood's Flagship), 5 experience
- HMS Belleisle, 74-gun Third Rate, 1 experience
- HMS Achilles, 74-gun Third Rate, no experience
- HMS Dreadnought, 98-gun Second Rate, 2 experience
- HMS Tonnant, 80-gun Third Rate, 2 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[]
Napoleon: Total War Historical Battles | |
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Land Battles | Battle of Lodi • Battle of Arcole • Battle of the Pyramids • Battle of Austerlitz • Battle of Borodino • Battle of Dresden • Battle of Ligny • Battle of Waterloo • Battle of Friedland* |
Sea Battles | Battle of the Nile • Battle of Trafalgar |