Napoleonics - French vs Russians pt2

After a few weeks gap I was up at Forres to see Graham H and finish off our napoleonic game. The first part is described here.

The Russians had suffered some losses but their force was now bearding down on the French, who were  now fully deployed to fight but further back from the road to the bridge.  The question was would the Russians be able to drive the French off completely or would the now prepared French cause too much damage. 

As Graham's Russian columns bore down I have to admit I wasn't feeling too confident. I had the upper hand in guns but no real centre to speak of, it would be a few turns til I could bring my Marines into position and I'd have to limber up and move my central battery to do that, I didn't think I'd get time...

On my left Grahams columns hit... and were brought to a halt. For the next few turns two regiments battered the hell out of each other, the combat flowing back and forth as each failed to drive home a decisive blow. Taking a leaf out of Wellingtons book I set one of the regiments of that brigade into line and it began to fire into the advancing Russian flank. 

Graham's cavalry was screening the bridge so remained in its position so my right flank was able to get time to form up. I was trading men for time and two French regiments were whittled down whilst I manoeuvred to a better position. But the battle had not reached its decisive turn. 

A combination of musketry and cannon fire stripped out three stands from Grahams attacking columns halting them on the spot. His battery in the middle was also destroyed and suddenly it was the Russians without a centre, not the French. 

It was time to head for the bridge. Graham's columns now had to turn and move across the table and it became a foot race. My lancers went forward into the open space but Graham pulled his screen of cavalry back and gained time for his wrecked infantry to escape. 

Great fun to play this scenario, based on the allied movements on Pirna in 1813 and good to get some Napoleonics out on the table.

Napoleonics - French v Russians

 I had the chance to head up to see Graham H this weekend and have a game of 28mm Napoleonics. Graham has been building French and Russian forces for 1812 and we fancied something bigger than the skirmish games we've been playing recently. I found a scenario based on Pirna 1813 in which the Russians under Wurttemberg were trying to get over the Elbe whilst Vandamme was trying to cut off their route. 

This was a good sized scenario as it mean we could both use figures for both sides, making sure that my French (painted 17years ago and still looking fresh, bar a bent flagpole and broken bayonet!) and the Russians I inherited from a late friend's collection were both able to get on the table as too were Graham's figures.

For rules we used a set I made up based on Neil Thomas's Napoleonic Wargames with ranges and movement tweaked a little to fit my unit frontages. They seemed to work well enough - although they're probably too simple for many tastes they allow a decent sized game (a corps plus a side in this case) to skip along with all the usual formations. We played over the afternoon, getting 10 turns and a lot of chatter and lunch in and I will be back at some point to finish the game.

Playing the French I brought my corps on to find Graham's rushing deployed in an arc just forward of a small village on the road to the Elbe. My deployment zone was tight and my scouting lancers took some hits before I was able to retire them behind my infantry. However I managed to get my artillery into play and my divisional and corps batteries were soon pounding the advancing Russians.

Grahams right flank was open, that nearest the bridge, so he threw his cavalry forward (we both need Russian light cavalry, so stand ins were used!) and I was forced into square to see them off. By now my guns had torn through two Russian units on their left and Graham pulled his men back to the road and out of range. It was my turn to advance.

I limbered up my guns and pushed my left flank, closest to the river, forward. Now it was the Russian artillery's turn to cause damage. My morale tests were good while Graham's shots on target were mercifully few until I got into close range with one battalion. This gave me time to open up my divisions and get the brigades moving on my right along the river to try to force the Russian flank away from the bridge. 

The Russian reserves were now on the table - 3 battalions of Grenadier Guards, marching straight for the bridge. It was going to be a foot race to see who got their first and that will have to wait til we play next. 

A Bit of a clear out - For Sale!

 Having reorganised my study and moved my bookshelves there was quite a few things which I've decided to sell off.  

Use the contact box on the RHS of the blog to get in touch if you want anything - postage will be £2 or £4 where the book is asterisked - these are quite heavy!!

UK purchasers only. PayPal please.

Force of Force - never used it £5

Saga Crescent and Cross - unwrapped but never used, with boards. £5

Field of Glory Napoleonics - never used either  £5

Mad Dogs & Englishmen - Colonial Rules - £4

Attack on the Junger - Charles Grant 18th Century Mini campaign - £10 sold

The Annexation of Chiraz - Grant and Olley 18thC - £10 sold 

Touching History - Spanish Penninsular (slight fading at top, but perfect inside) £4

Jena Auerstadt - Historical Collections £15  sold

Eylau to Freidland - £15  gone 

The Boer War £3

Armies of Early Colonial North America £7 Sold

Lutzen and Bautzen, hardback £12*

Lobositz to Leuthen hardback, as new £15*  sold

Olmutz to Torgau, as new, hardback £15* sold

Art of Paul Bonner, £8

Regimental Fire and Fury £10

Regimental F&F Scenarios vol 1 £8 sold 

Hannibal and Punic Wars WAB £12

Osprey Portuguese Army Age of Discovery £3

Lutzen and Bautzen Campaign Series £3  gone 

Leipzig 1813 Campaign Series £3 gone 

Maurice - Sam Mustapha £12 sold

Roman Military Equipment (w/ a few pencilled notes) £5

 

Napoleonics - Using Lasalle

I had a good game of Lasalle this week with the lads at Oldemeldrum - my French vs Alistair and Mike using the Russians.

We played on my snowy terrain cloth, a good old fashioned felt piece a terrain mat. It had been up int he loft since we played Mollwitz 3 years ago abut looked perfect.

The game kicked off over on my left with what can only be a described as a direct assault  by one of the Russian horse batteries. It rode up and unlimbered getting ready to sweep away my own smaller battery in a hail of canister. However due to the turn sequence it was my guns that fired first and forced the Russians to limber back up. Later that turn I sent my Lancers after it and they caught it before before it could react and destroyed it. 

Lancers ready to pounce as the guns fire into the Dragoons

The same unit of Lancers were then charged by then a big 6 base dragoon unit and lost the melee but it was inconsequential and they were driven back with few losses. I was soon able to recover their status and, after giving his cavalry several turns of artillery fire which saw the loss of the original Russian dragoon rgt, all three regiments of French Lancers attacked and drove back another unit of dragoons and a regiment of Cossacks.

On the right I lost an artillery battery on the first turn, knocked out by his heavy battery. My second battery was also forced to limber up and I took hits on my infantry. Not a good start. However I got my infantry moving in assault columns, covered them with a regiment in line to soak up some hits and started to cross the ground quite quickly. My remaining foot battery was soon in action again and kept a lively fire on his infantry. My troops were closing and as expected the leading line regiment was soon broken by the fire from the Russian guns. However the columns behind were effectively fresh and so attached the battery which was destroyed. 

French advancing to close on Russian right.

Back on the left Alistair infantry had at last reached the point when they could wheel onto the flank of my position,  although they were still too far to fire on my men. 

The threat to my left.

With my cavalry out of the way clearing the Russians, I was able to being my horse batteries to bear on this threat.

On the right I had 5 battalions, all of them fresh, converging on the Russians, plus my supporting battery. 

The French attack develops.

The Russian cavalry were worn and on the back foot. However there wasn't time to finish as it was now after 1030. A bloody nose for the Russians and some winter cheer for the French.

Russian gunners getting nervous and under fire as the as the French close on them

There were not many obstacles other than two woods, which freed things up and the slightly narrower table made for a quick engagement. It was a good game and it looked great on the snowy terrain too! 

That's probably it from me in terms of games til new year sadly! But I have almost finished painting and building up my Crimean War armies and will be basing them soon and I have some French Horse Artillery crew to paint too. I should have those done by the end of the year.