CRAVEN’S WAR BY NICK S. THOMAS

Spanish armies collapse under the weight of a new Spring offensive and only one bastion of hope remains, the last place Craven would ever want to be. A vast French army now marches to invade Portugal. Wellington rides North to face them, but if resistance in Spain is defeated there can be little hope of victory, and the British will be driven into the sea.

Captain Craven thought his work was done, but the army now marches to meet the French in open battle! The time to advance into Spain has come and disrupting the French lines of communication is essential to covering Wellesley’s advance and preventing the French armies from combining into an unstoppable force.

The British army is in flight, but not Craven, who remains in Spain to continue the fight. The Battle of Talavera was a great success, but not the fatal blow many had hoped for. Now the French move to encircle the British army in Spain. A gruelling and disheartening withdrawal to Portugal is the only course of action to save the army.

Spanish armies collapse under the weight of a new Spring offensive and only one bastion of hope remains, the last place Craven would ever want to be. A vast French army now marches to invade Portugal. Wellington rides North to face them, but if resistance in Spain is defeated there can be little hope of victory, and the British will be driven into the sea.

After a stinging defeat, Craven’s Blades wonder if their Captain will ever recover. The French have captured the Spanish fortified city of Ciudad Rodrigo and the third invasion of Portugal has begun. The only barrier between Wellington’s army and the huge French invasion force is the fortress of Almeida

The retreat to Lisbon continues and there is nowhere left to run for Wellington’s army. When the French find a path through the mountains to outflank the entrenched Anglo Portuguese army at Bussaco there is no choice but to continue the retreat to Lisbon. Craven and the Salford Rifles are tasked with slowing the enemy advance.

Lisbon is safe and now it’s time to chase the French out of Portugal. The French suffered a bitter defeat at the Lines of Torres Vedras and had to wait out a horrendous winter with few supplies. But Marshal Masséna is not finished and means to build a bridge across the river Tagus.

A single battle will decide the future of Portugal. A lone French garrison holds out in Portugal at the fortress of Almeida. Marshal Messena has regrouped in Spain and now leads a reinvigorated army of fifty thousand troops to relieve the encircled French troops.

French armies combine to create an overwhelming force. An astonishing and daring breakout at Almeida plunges Craven into battle and is set to humiliate Wellington’s war efforts. The situation worsens as the fighting moves south to the siege of Badajoz,

Craven faces enemies on all sides. The villainous Timmerman has poisoned the army against Craven in a desperate attempt to bait his brother into another duel. Lisbon is no longer safe for Craven and his comrades. He is ordered to return to England to ease tensions and recruit for the Salford Rifles.

Winter is ending. War is coming! 1812 approaches quickly and it will make or break Wellington’s Anglo-Portuguese army. A bleak and uncertain Winter has left the army anxious for the future.

The mighty fortress of Badajoz must be overcome or the war will be lost. Craven and the entirety of Wellington’s army know what is coming next. They must march on the great fortress of Badajoz, the final key to a breakout from Portugal.

Battle must be forced upon the enemy, but will they stand and fight? Spain is finally open to Wellington’s army, but the vast French force at Salamanca must be forced into battle before they can be re-enforced further.

As French armies throughout Spain march to combine into a terrifying force, will Wellington have enough soldiers to resist them? Madrid, the French seat of power in Spain, is now within reach.

The defining battle of the Peninsula Campaign is now in sight, but can it be won? A new campaign has begun, and morale is sky high. The aim is smash the French and drive them all the way back to the border of Spain.

Two great fortresses stand between Wellington’s army and France, but can they be taken? The French now make their stand at the heavily fortified port town of San Sebastian and the equally well defended city of Pamplona

Major Craven gathers unlikely allies, but will they be enough to stop Napoleon’s vast army? Napoleon marches across Europe once more, and all eyes are now on the Eastern states of Germany where a newly formed Coalition has united to resist his advances.

The day has come to face Napoleon in open battle to decide the fate of all of Europe. When Major Craven learns of a spy who may have information which can reveal Napoleon’s plans, he sets out on a dangerous path into enemy territory to retrieve it at any cost.

As Napoleon turns his attentions back to Spain, a desperate race against time is all that can stop him. The Battle of the Nations is won, and Napoleon has suffered his greatest defeat. Delivering this news to London is now of the utmost importance.

Winter is coming, but there is time for one last strike! Wellington’s army has gained a foothold in Southern France, but the Spanish soldiers among the allied army now seek revenge upon the local population.

The Coalition is closing in on France, but Napoleon is not done yet! As Christmas approaches, the first peaceful one in years. Wellington and his army celebrate from their Winter Quarters inside Southern France.

Napoleon continues to fiercely resist the Coalition, but can one fatal blow end it all? Wellington continues to push further in to France in pursuit of Marshal Soult, but where will the Army of the South make their stand?

Napoleon has been defeated, but Craven faces a new threat in the West! News of Napoleon’s abdication is spreading quickly throughout France, the war is over, but not for Craven. With the French defeated all efforts now turn to the far side of the Atlantic.