Editing Battle of Waterloo (section)

==={{anchor|Capture of Plancenoit}}Prussian capture of Plancenoit===
[[File:Ludwig Elsholtz Erstürmung von Planchenois.jpg|thumb|right|The storming of Plancenoit by [[Ludwig Elsholtz]]]]
At about the same time, the Prussian 5th, 14th, and 16th Brigades were starting to push through Plancenoit, in the third assault of the day. The church was by now on fire, while its graveyard—the French centre of resistance—had corpses strewn about "as if by a whirlwind". Five Guard battalions were deployed in support of the Young Guard, virtually all of which was now committed to the defence, along with remnants of Lobau's corps. The key to the Plancenoit position proved to be the Chantelet woods to the south. Pirch's II Corps had arrived with two brigades and reinforced the attack of IV Corps, advancing through the woods.{{sfn|Hofschröer|1999|pp=144–145}}

The 25th Regiment's musketeer battalions threw the 1/2e Grenadiers (Old Guard) out of the Chantelet woods, outflanking Plancenoit and forcing a retreat. The Old Guard retreated in good order until they met the mass of troops retreating in panic, and became part of that rout. The Prussian IV Corps advanced beyond Plancenoit to find masses of French retreating in disorder from British pursuit. The Prussians were unable to fire for fear of hitting Wellington's units. This was the fifth and final time that Plancenoit changed hands.{{sfn|Hofschröer|1999|pp=144–145}}<!--This citation is paragraph inclusive.-->

French forces not retreating with the Guard were surrounded in their positions and eliminated, neither side asking for nor offering quarter. The French Young Guard Division reported 96&nbsp;per cent casualties, and two-thirds of Lobau's Corps ceased to exist.{{cn|date=September 2024}}

[[File:Ontmoeting tussen Nederlandsche en Pruisische troepen Bij Waterloo.jpg|thumb|right|The first meeting of Dutch and Prussian troops in Plancenoit in the evening]]
[[File:Cuirass holed by a canonball at Waterloo Antoine Fauveau 18Juin 1815.jpg|thumb|upright|''[[Carabiniers-à-Cheval|Carabinier-à-Cheval]]'' cuirass holed by a cannonball at Waterloo, belonging to Antoine Fauveau ([[Musée de l'Armée]])]]

{{blockquote|Despite their great courage and stamina, the French Guards fighting in the village began to show signs of wavering. The church was already on fire with columns of red flame coming out of the windows, aisles and doors. In the village itself—still the scene of bitter house-to-house fighting—everything was burning, adding to the confusion. However, once Major von Witzleben's manoeuvre was accomplished and the French Guards saw their flank and rear threatened, they began to withdraw. The Guard Chasseurs under General [[Jean-Jacques Germain Pelet-Clozeau|Pelet]] formed the rearguard. The remnants of the Guard left in a great rush, leaving large masses of artillery, equipment and ammunition wagons in the wake of their retreat. The evacuation of Plancenoit led to the loss of the position that was to be used to cover the withdrawal of the French Army to Charleroi. The Guard fell back from Plancenoit in the direction of Maison du Roi and Caillou. Unlike other parts of the battlefield, there were no cries of "Sauve qui peut!" here. Instead, the cry "Sauvons nos aigles!" ("Let's save our eagles!") could be heard.|Official History of the 25th Regiment, 4 Corps{{sfn|Hofschröer|1999|pp=144–145}}}}