A Coach for His Grace

I finally managed to get round to painting my Warlord "Napoleon's Berlin Carriage". Frustrating model which resisted many attempts to get it to stick together. 

I wanted it looking like it's been travelled in, not just out the showroom! 

Still needs the lamps and driver attached, but almost there now.

Christmas Game - Mollwitz

There's been a lot of discussion on the A Military Gentleman forum about the battle of Mollwitz, Frederick's first battle and the opening gambit of the wars between Prussia and Austria over Silesia. How to represent the armies and whether there was snow or not and if so how best to model this on the table top have been debated with various ideas being suggested. When the topic of a Christmas game came up at my local club it wasn't too difficult for me to find something to put on!

The Battle 

Mollwitz was fought on an April afternoon in 1741 in what is now Poland. Spring you might think, however the topic of snow is mentioned in one source who claims it was up to 2 feet deep! Living in Scotland snow is not unknown in April, indeed we had a flurry in May last year. But I wanted to look into this further. 

The winter of 1740/41 was particularly harsh and cold. Temperatures as low as -12 were recorded indoors. Across Europe people shivered and suffered and a frost fair took place on the Thames that year. In Ireland the bad weather made crops fail and caused a famine which took the lives of more than those killed by the more famous potato famine. Even today that part of Poland does have a 15% chance of heavy snow in April - how much greater would that have been during the period known as the little ice age in the conditions described above? 

Weather conditions appear to have been poor at best and warranted the use of my winter cloth and snowy pines. I also knocked up some frozen streams from white craft foam and snow flock.

The Prussian and Austrian armies had become separated and the former found itself one cold morning a few miles to the rear of its opponent. Frederick decided to give battle and the army advanced and began to deploy, hoping to surprise it's enemy. Surprise was indeed caused with the Austrian army being forced to redeploy hastily to meet this threat to its rear. However it was given time to do so because the Prussians had formed up so far off and we're moving very slowly forward. 

Had Frederick, not quite the tactician he would become in later years, deployed to soon in order to maintain a neat and geometric formation?  Was the wintery conditions a factor - causing the Prussians to be slowed by the snow ? Who knows now but the Austrians were able to reform and prepare for battle, albeit with their normal order reversed. 

It became apparent as the Prussians advanced that they had left their right flank in the air and appeared to be anchoring their formation on the banks of a stream. They had bunched up and some of the units of their first line had been forced into the interval between this and the second line. This was to have an unexpected benefit as the day wore on. 

By early afternoon the armies were close enough to for action to commence. On the Austrian left it had been noted that the Prussian flank was exposed and a heavy cavalry assault was launched in this wing by Ganeral Romer. The Austrian cavalry proved by far the better of the two sides and its better lead, more numerous troops sent the Prussians crashing to the ground or fleeing in defeat. Despite having infantry deployed with the cavalry, the Prussians were unable to prevent their loss and the right flank of their army was left open and exposed to being rolled up. The Prussian general Schwerin, the most experienced man in the field, reccommended that Frederick left their field as things began to look bad and he did so taking no further part in the battle. 

All was not lost however, the grenadiers deployed in the interval between the two lines and other elements of the Prussian infantry turned to face the threat and in the absence of leadership from their command, the unfortunate and late General Schulenberg who had been slain by a cannon ball, fell back in their training and sent volley after crashing volley into the Austian horse, stabilising the situation and allowing the army to continue to advance into range of the Austrian Infantry. 

These fellows didn't have the drill and discipline of their counterparts and still used wooden ramrod straight and a deeper, less effective firing formation. The Prussian musket volleys poured into them and their regiments began to crumble, with one source seeing them crowding round their flags in deep masses. 

Light began to fade and this saved the Austrian army, allowing it to withdraw. However it just have seemed a godsend to the Prussians too that they had driven off their foe despite their cavalry's ineffective performance.

 

This was the only major action fought between Prussia and Austria for over a year and Frederick used that time to drill and retain, applying the lessons learned from Mollwitz. The Austrians were still engaged against France and Bavaria and so didn't have time to learn or apply any lessons. The next encounter would be a very different battle.

The Game 

I used a 6x4 foot cloth for the battlefield. The terrain was very flat and featureless so a cloth was perfect for this. The material was a synthetic felt bought from John Lewis and did a good job of representing snow. Trees were winter pines from Lemax,  a small copse appears in front of the Prussians as they advanced. As noted above I used craft foam for the frozen stream. This worked well but did curl a bit as the game went on. I will need to look at that.

The Order of Battle and deployment was based on the excellent entry on the battle on the Obscure Battles Blog (http://obscurebattles.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/mollwitz-1741.html). I took the units listed there and working out the average frontage for horse and foot based on some other information I have. My 4x 40mm units represent 2 battalions of infantry so this gave me a ground scale which I was able to us for the game. Forming up the Prussians from the stream left with their flank in the air, just as in the battle, all was set. We didn't quite have enough figures, so there some stand ins were called up, but almost all the infantry were the correct nationality. Lastly I halved all movement and ranges, this being the effect of the snow and to allow the Austrians time to pounce. This worked perfectly and the battle very much followed a historical line. 

The Austrian cavalry chewed up the Prussian right, but the infantry turned and closed off the formation, giving the front line enough time to close and begin firing into the Austrian infantry, who began to suffer.   Despite repeated charges the Austrian cavalry commander could not break down the Prussian lines and despite some decent shooting, the outnumbered Austrian infantry were forced to withdraw. 

The result was an excellent refight of the battle with the 7 players, 4 Prussian and 3 Austrians, having to cope with much the same issues as their counterparts did. 

Merry Christmas

Christmas morning!

This morning I received some lovely gifts and amongst them;

From my lovely and thoughtful wife - "A Histroy of the Kingdom of Naples" 1734-1825 by Colleta. A facsimile of a book written by a Neapolitan officer , with a supplement covering the period from 1825-56, just shy of Garibaldi's invasion of Sicily. 

From my son, smart enough to follow his mothers lead - "Fight for a Throne" by Duffy. The Jacobite Rebellion Reconsidered. It's been many years since I last read a history of the '45. Prebble's "Culloden" was my introduction when I was a kid. This book will be a far less emotional and much more up to date and detailed study!!!

I also received "The Curious Bartender - An Odyssey of Malt Bourbon & Rye Whiskies" - this also looks to be an interesting read and one which I am sure will inspire a few choices of bottles and beverages to accompany my games. 

There is a trend to pair whisky with food.....perhaps I could do the same with battles? ☺️


Merry Christmas!

On the painting table.

A quiet-ish weekend and a chance to sort out the painting table. 

I've been a,amending the rules set I use for my Bier wars games to give some better results for smaller battles. Skirmishing cavalry may play a bigger role in these battles so I wanted to represent a cloud of Cossacks or Hussars rather than a regular formation. I'd already based some napoleonic hussars on an old DVD, but I wanted to be able to take the figures off and use them in other ways. 

I got in touch with the folk at Warbases as they had done my slot type bases for my Pyrrhic army and told them what I wanted. The results dropped thru the letter box today.

Two round bases with a cross shaped slot cut to take 25x50 bases as Modelled here by some Freikorp cavalry who happen to be on individual bases anyway. Once textured and tufted they'll look great I think. 

Also on the table waiting to have their bases done are my two regiments of Neapolitan cavalry - Naples and La Reine, actually cunningly disguised French Cavalry from Crann Tara.

Lurking in the background of the top pic are some Minden labourers who have ahead a few artillery tools added to make them generic gun crew, a Hoegaarden colonial unit from the HSBC awaiting dry brush and flock, pack mules, Ingo's Russians and some Eagle Jaeger who will form the other half of the Carabinier unit I painted the other week. 

Plenty to keep me occupied!

Russian SYW - Schilling Figuren

I'm looking ahead to next years project as my Neapolitan Army is almost complete. Years ago whilst I worked in Holland I collected and painted a 15mm Russian Army based for Volley and Bayonet. This was made up of Observation Corps troops using French inf in Waistcoat from the Essex F&I range and I think some Old glory figs in normal uniform. I always liked the look of the Observation corps and the small number of units in the formation made it an attractive proposition for 28mm.

But which manufacturer? 

Minden and Crann Tara don't do Russians and their unusual grenadier cap/helmet means other figs can't stand in for them. As much as I like the graceful style of these figures I had to discount them. 

So I took to the net and googled......up popped Ingo's Figuren at Schilling. Link

Infantry and grenadiers are available. Nice clean looking figs, simple poses, decent prices at €1.25 each....right I thought, let's give it a go.

I ordered enough for a unit of infantry for the rules I play. 12 musketeers, 2 standard bearer, officer and....a fifer. I like these and it's a nice wee change from drummers, ask my Neapolitans! Ordering was easy and Ulrike at Schilling was good enough to give me the tracking number so I could check on their progress. (Actually Ulrike was very helpful with this and a couple of other points - a nice guy and great service.)

So here they are - 

           Ingo, Minden, Perry, Ingo, Crann, Minden

They are probably most compatible with Perry miniatures in terms of height and build. Bigger and bulkier than Minden or Crann Tara - not hugely so - they wouldn't mix well in a unit, but then they aren't going to and I'd have no problem placing them against one another on the same table. 

The figs are cleanly cast, with no flash. The level of detail is good, remembering the uniform and equipment is plain and simple. Two poses of musketeer are available, with slightly different arm and head poses, so you can have a little variety. 

Overall I am very pleased with these and plan to stick with them for my Russian infantry for 2016.

A very sad loss.

A few weeks ago I caught up with an old wargaming friend at the Kirriemuir show. We talked for a little while and did not see each other again after that. We did exchange some emails and discuss rules and figures as we had done over the last couple of years since I left the Aberdeen club. I last heard from him just a week ago. Sadly I received the news that he passed away suddenly and tragically on early Thursday morning.

Ian Macdonald was nice guy, quiet, soft spoken and very knowledgeable of both the hobby and of history in general. I have known him for many many years and faced him across the table and had him by my side in games of every period and scale, every one a pleasure. A gentleman and someone whom I am very pleased to have known and gamed with.  My thoughts go out to his partner and family. He will be greatly missed.

"Hige sceal þē heardra,      heorte þē cēnre,
mōd sceal þē māre,      þē ūre mægen "

Best wishes, rest peacefully and keep rolling 6's. 

Bier Wars - the Battle of Amaretto

As a warm up game for the next part of the Bier wars campaign we fought the battle of Amaretto on Tuesday night. 

This was based on the excellent scenario "The Garrison of Tilsit" written by John Rae, author of "A Military Gentleman of the 18th Century". 

Planning 

What was supposed to be an action by Austrians against The Duke of Campari's men turned out to be an invasion by Hoegaarden instead as I forgot to pack the Austrians. However.....

We got set up and I managed to put the Faller buildings I have been keeping my eye out for on EBay. As you can see the large church is still a very big building one scale up from its intended use. I saw a similar building on the Cröebern 1813 (www.croebern-1813.de) site and book, so couldn't resist when I saw this on up for sale. 

Defending the little border village were two units of The Duke's infantry, a unit of Grenadiers, dragoons and some light guns. Attacking were 2 line regiments, a grenadier regiment, unit of Croats and some rapacious Cossacks, attracted by the potential of plunder (yeah picking's must have been thin elsewhere!) 

Things got underway when the morning mist cleared and the Garrison found the foe deployed in the fields across from the village. An artillery duel commenced while Hoegaarden troops advanced. 

The light infantry screened the advance, but began to take some casualties as they shot at the exposed crew.

Campari's officers are disturbed from their devotions and observe the enemy closing on their positions.

From the flank, Campari's dragoons threatened the left wing of Hoegaardens army. The Cossacks were employed to disrupt this advance, ready to pounce on an exposed unit. It worked for a while and the cavalry danced for advantage.

By now the lines of white uniformed infantry were approaching musket range and closed to blaze away at the defenders.

However the light infantry had not been able to drive off the gun crew and the Campari guns fired into the foe with canister shot.

Facing this onslaught there was little the Hoeggarden men could do. And they began to fall back. 

On the left the Dragoons had finally driven off the Cossack swarm and we're ready to engage the shattered infantry.

From the windmill, the Archbishop's staff ordered a withdrawal! His generals arguing about the quickest route back to safety!

A great game with some rather excellent inspiration provided, saving me form actually working much out. The positions of the defeated units varied slightly and the numbers of casualties varied greatly from the original, but that was a consequence of the rules. 

NT's rules coped well enough with a slightly smaller game, but we both thought we could up the hits each unit suffered from 4 to 6 before losing a stand if we were going to play at this scale again.  

Now we will see if Campari retaliates and opens a new front in the south. However his health and behaviour has become (more) unbalanced of late, so who can tell what the future holds!

Targe - A Grand Day Out

A couple of pic from Targe at Kirriemuir last weekend.

Our 6mm Quatre Bras game caught the eye of many of the visitors to the show and the judges as well. We received 3rd Prize for best demo. 

6mm isn't a great scale for visual splendour I have to say, but Mike's terrain drew them in.

Well done lads!

See you at Targe

Oldmeldrum Wargames Club - Quatre Bras

Off to Targe in Kirriemuir today to take part in a game of Blucher refighting Quatre Bras.

More when I get back. 

Catching up with some older paint jobs

A nice relaxed weekend so I got tidied up and finished off some figures that I had been lingering for a while.

The Balti of Roganjosh, Old Squire and his daughter, Confused staff officers, rocket men and lurking in the background - the Warlord Napoleon Coach and a unit of Buckberg Carabiner still to be finished off.

Garibaldini and Neapolitans - ready for action

I've been collecting these excellent figures from Gringo40 for a while and have had them painted for me by Dave Baker. As the range has grown my collected has expanded to the point where I have enough figs to put on a Minigame encounter from Neil Thomas's 19thC Wargaming. 

Ged's figures are tall and fairly robust, but they are very well sculpted and animated with particular attention paid to the bewhiskered features of some of the men. Particular praise must go to the Picciotti - a nefarious bunch of brigands and bandits who gave their support to the Redshirts but when the Bourbon regime collapsed returned to their form and became a thorn in the side of Sicilian and southern Italian life on a more and more organised basis as time went by. Other particularly nice figures are the Cavalry including an officer in a fetching mantle or cloak and the Horse Artillery crew.

I am assured that more figures will be forthcoming before Xmas and I really can't wait. 

Meanwhile some of my figs saw action on Tuesday night in a fire is set of skirmishes. Some pics of the latter are below.

In Neil's rules the Neapolitans are truely dire as his morale rating for them is "Rabble" . Although this reflects both poor training and leadership as well as a lack of esprit de corps, it's possibly a little harsh with the poor chaps losing most morale tests meaning bases fly off the units at an unsustainable rate. Three battles were fought with Garibaldi's men prevailing in two and only the timely commitment (or tardy arrival !) of reserves saving the day and Bourbon honour in the third. Still these are good fun and  all who took part enjoyed. 

A different kind of Pyrrhic victory - Asculum Day II

Yesterday saw our second day as Asculum being fought out, this time on much better terrain for Pyrrhus and his Allies.

Following the first day's encounter Pyrrhus mustered early and deployed on better terrain, more suited for his army than the previous days fighting. Taking full advantage of this he deployed his strong cavalry force on his right wing, intending to replicate his famous cousin's charges. On the right he deployed his light infantry and several of his elephants. This flank would have no horse, so the elephants would serve as both anchors and battering rams if they could over come the secret weapons the Romans were rumoured to have ready. The Pyrrhic center was formed from his Italian allies on the left and then the phalanx. Lastly he deployed his remaining elephant, again to act as an anchor for that flank should it become exposed by the lack of cavalry protection.  To allow time for his cavalry to charge and take out their opponents and arc round the rear of the Romans, Pyrrhus staggered the positions of his phalanx, deploying in echelon back from the left.

Facing him the Romans deployed their allies on the left along with the bulk of their horse. The legions deployed to their right whist the remaining roman cavalry unit and the velites deployed at the far end of the line.

Emulating his famous cousin, Pyrrhus lead his cavalry out on a wide attack on the right, quickly detaching the Roman horse from their battle line. His second line of cavalry turned sharply and headed towards the now exposed Latin infantry. In the center the two lines advanced to contact. However, perhaps shaken by the non appearance of one of their maniples, perhaps by the wall of spears facing them over level ground, the Roman dice throwing was poor and the phalanx drove the legions back.

On the left the light troops skirmished with the velites as the Italian hopltes advanced and the Elephants moved up. Hoping to cause mayhem the Romans drove their cart and herd of pigs forward. Seeing an opening the Romans put touches to the pigs and sent them rushing towards the nearest elephant.....

The beast was surprised, but it's mahout kept it under control and the poor porkers were seen off by the crew with javelin and bow fire.... Secret weapon one had been foiled and emboldened by this the Epirote lights swarmed over the cart and destroyed it too. Suddenly this flank looked unstable as the Italians locked their shields and lowered their spears to charge into the legions.

The Epirotes had driven off the Roman cavalry on the right and were dealing with horse brought across from the opposite flank, but had succeeded in starting to roll up the legions from the side. Caught between phalanx, elephant and cavalry the Roman line started to give way beginning with the Italian allied troops.

The end was nigh, the Roman consul screamed to his tribunes to withdraw, before turning his horse and galloping from the field. The battle was over. 

"One more victory like this....and we shall have them!", said a triumphant Pyhrrus as he watched the Romans stream defeated form the field.

A Pyrrhic Victory? Ascalum Day 1

Had a cracking game on Sunday at my local club. Having decided to refight Ascalum we were lucky enough to manage to squeeze in another game before hand as it was my local club's Sunday game slot, so rather than make up another scenario I decided it would be good to take advantage of the club's terrain and fight the first day's action as well. 

At Ascalum Pyrrhus was forced initially to fight on ground which was less the suitable for his phalanx. However he was able to commit his reserves and drive the Romans back, despite setbacks. By doing so he was able to seize better ground the following day and fight another costly battle, after which he was heard to proclaim that another such victory would be his undoing.

For our Ascalum day 1 we used some existing terrain build for the club's Cruden Bay game some years ago. It featured a steady slope and some ridges which would give the Romans a clear advantage. We dotted some trees around to break things up and set a wood up on the highest point of the battle.

We used the Neil Thomas Ancient and Medieval rules adapted by John and myself to fit our single based armies. Small dice are used to track the hits, rather than base removal. 

John and Eric took the Romans and their Latin allies and Mike and myself the Epirotes and their Italian allies. 

The Advance to Contact

Both sides advanced to close with their foe, Pyrrhus's men crossing a stream and moving up the slope to engage. Treachery had already weakened their ranks, (a random event card!), and a phalanx unit had failed to deploy. This probably had a serious effect on the battle, as its presence would have meant the Romans would have been outflanked early on.

 

The Clash of Spears

The battle was in the favour of the Romans as they could draw on their supporting troops in manipulate formation and the benefit of high ground, however the Italians had surprising success on the far left, coupled with a light infantry skirmish on both flanks that lasted far into the game. However eventually the toll began to tell and the phalanx units collapsed. 

This was the signal for the reserve to appear.

The Thunder of Beasts!

The Elephants crashed into the legion inflicting heavy losses, whist the Pyrrhic heavy cavalry swept in on the flanks. Unable to move their anti elephant devices to the front line, the Romans were clearly in trouble and facing heavy losses. 

A perfect point to pause and regroup for day two.....!

So next Sunday, will Rome triumph or will the gods favour Pyrrhus? Will one more victory be his undoing......?