Franco-Prussian War Tabletop Teaser Rearguard Action and the last game in the Dickensian garrett!

Conrad came up a couple of weeks ago for the very last ever game in my old games room. Most of my troops were packed up ready for the move but the Franco-Prussian figures were still out following the game earlier that week with Rob. I decided we'd attempt a version of "The rearguard action" tabletop teaser. In this scenario the French had to hold up the Prussian advance until a designated time and then extricate themselves off the central 4 feet of the rear table edge without the Prussians being too close or in a position to interfere with their withdrawal.

The forces were, to the best of my memory, as follows:

French (Me), CinC, Command 8

1st Infantry bde: 1 x Turco, 3 x line, 1 bty, 1 mitrailleuse (Command 8)

2nd Infantry bde: 2 x Zouave, 2 x line, 1 bty (Command 9)

3rd infantry bde: 1 x Marine, 3 x line, 1 bty, 1 mitrailleuse (Command 7)

Reserve artillery: 2 bty (Command 6)

Light cavalry bde: 2 Chasseurs a chevel, 1 Chasseurs d'Afrique, 1 bty (Command 8)

Reserve cavalry div: 4 x Cuirassier, 1 bty (Command 8)

Prussians (Conrad), CinC, Command 9

Advance guard: 1 jager, 3 line, 1 bty (Command 9)

1st inf bde: 6 line, 2 bty (Command 8)

2nd inf bde: 6 line, 2 bty (Command 9)

1st cav bde: 2 dragoon rgts, 1bty (Command 8)

2nd cav bde: 1 hussar, 1 cuirassier, 1 bty (Command 7)

Reserve arty: 4 bty (Command 9)

The French were deployed along the line of hills as can be seen in the picture below. The Seminary in the distance was garrisoned by a battalion of Turcos and the villages in the centre were each held by battalions of Zouaves. We both agreed to try and play the game in the spirit of the actual tactics of 1870, or at least as we understood them. Conrad pushed his advance guard brigade forward between the central village and the seminary on the French right. His artillery caused some damage to the French infantry but not enough to put them out of the battle completely. In true Prussian style his next brigade followed the advance guard straight into action, while their artillery joined the gun line forming on the hills opposite the French positions. The Prussian dragoons covered their left flank while the other brigade did the same on their right, lurking behind a wood out of sight. 

(Above, the French deployed awaiting the Prussian attack. Below, not long after, the Prussian advance guard surges towards the French)

The French reserve infantry and artillery proved very difficult to get moving but the infantry facing the main Prussian thrust were holding their ground (just!) despite being user a hail of artillery fire. The leading Prussian battalions attempted to charge the French; one battalion failed but the other succeeded but was driven off after a furious melee. The battered advance guard brigade was forced back broken.

(Above and below, the Prussian attack on the French right) 

Wave after wave of Prussians assaulted the French lines but fortune wasn't on their side. The Prussian artillery was unable to inflict enough damage on the French to weaken their positioning  as although my units were for the most part disordered, I rolled some useful saves. All the while Conrad's infantry were faltering under the withering effects of close-range chassepot fire to the front and the flank as my left-hand brigade had swung round to enfilade the Prussian assault. A regiment of Cuirassiers added their weight to the combat and although the Cuirassiers were broken, the Prussian brigade was forced to retire.

,

(Above, the ever expanding Prussian grand battery supports Conrad's ongoing assault, below, on the French-held hilltop)

(Above and below, while the Pussian advance guard and 1st brigade dashed themselves against the French in costly frontal assaults, they did however succeed in pinning the French while the 2nd brigade and the brigade of dragoons were able to move around the French right flank).

Meanwhile, Conrad's last brigade had moved round to the French right flank. Although an assault on the seminary was beaten off they continued round it to threaten the flank of the exposed French centre. The only troops facing the Prussians were the three remaining regiments of cuirassiers. These threw themselves repeatedly against the advancing Prussians but were unable to do anything other than halt them momentarily before being driven from the field.

(Above, the French cuirassiers threw themselves time and time again against the advancing Prussians, but only succeeded slowing them down at the cost of the division being shaken and taking no further part in the battle).

On the other flank my light cavalry foolishly decided to try and drive off the Prussian cavalry facing them. They failed miserably and two fine regiments of Chasseurs a Chevel were broken (ok, by Prussian Cuirassiers), leaving the remainder of the brigade to withdraw powerless to continue.

(Above, another shot of the Prussian advance on the French left, and below, another example of the French cuirassiers vainglorious attempts to to stem the tide and give the infantry time to withdraw.)

Conrad was within a gnat's whisker of conceding but as the last move had seen the removal of the French cavalry I was the one who threw in the towel and admitted defeat. Both my cavalry brigades were broken. My infantry brigades were badly mauled and several battalions were disordered and unable to move. Conrad's surviving infantry brigade was ideally placed to roll up my line supported by his unscathed cavalry  on each flank and his grand battery facing the French centre which was about to turn its attention onto the French infantry that had earlier moved off the hills to enfilade the second Prussian assault. The French would be unable to withdraw off the field unmolested therefore the game was a Prussian victory, albeit a hard fought one.

As the title suggests this was the last game played in my old games room. Normal service will I hope be resumed by the end of October.

Forcing the Boinksyka River: Crimean War in 28mm, sort of.......

I've been keen to get my Crimean collection on the table again for a while so when Conrad asked to come up for a game I thought it'd be a perfect opportunity, knowing how much he likes gaming 19thC conflicts.

Now as we all know, the Crimean War (or at least the bit actually in the Crimea) is lacking in large numbers of battles to refight, but does that matter when you consider the command and control problems to be faced by all the armies involved, the effect of new(er) technologies on old tactics (e.g. Minee rifles vs assault column) and the glorious uniforms (ok, except for the Russians and Turks)? Of course not!

Anyway, I recently rediscovered my copy of  "Scenarios for All Ages" by Charles S Grant and Stuart Asquith. One of the scenarios sets the scene for an assault across a river while a flanking attack goes in further upstream. The attackers are restricted by limited crossing points and don't have a significant numerical superiority. The scenario is of course loosely based on the crossing of the Boyne, which in this game has been transported several hundred miles to the east and 165 years into the future.

Russians: CinC 7
Main Force.....
Infantry brigade: 4 infantry battalions (Command 6)
Infantry brigade: 4 infantry battalions (Command 8)
Cavalry brigade: 2 uhlan regiments (Command 7)
Cossack brigade: 2 cossack regiments (Marauders)
Rifle detachment: 1 small unit of riflemen (Command off CinC)
Artillery brigade: 2 heavy artillery batteries, 4 gun models (Command 7)

Flanking force:
Infantry brigade: 4 infantry battalions (command 6)
Cavalry brigade: 2 hussar regiments (command 8)
Artillery brigade: 2 medium artillery batteries, 4 gun models (Command 7)

Allied Force: CinC 6
Main Force:
Infantry brigade: 3 Foot guards battalions (Command  9)
Infantry brigade: 3 line infantry battalions (Command 7)
Cavalry brigade: 5 small regiments heavy cavalry (Command 8)
2 batteries foot artillery

Flank Force:
Infantry brigade: 3 line infantry battalions (Command 7)
Turkish brigade: 4 small infantry battalions, 1 regiment attached French cavalry, 1 light battery (Command 7)

Reinforcements (Random arrival anytime after our lunch break)
Infantry brigade: 3 highland battalions (Command 8)

Infantry battalions were all 24 figures strong. The Russian rifle detachment was represented by a small unit of 12 skirmishers. The British cavalry were represented by small units/squadrons of 6 figures. The Russian and Turkish cavalry units were all 12 figures. Allied artillery were represented by a single gun model and crew. My Turkish cavalry were finished and ready for the table but as I'd not blunted the lances, for health and safety reasons they were substituted by a regiment of less hazardous French Chasseurs d'Afrique! The Russian artillery establishment of the time was for 12-gun batteries. An infantry division had four of these batteries attached! I represented these by 2 gun models and crews, effectively a 'double' battery. However, while they had the advantage of twice as many 'shots' per  turn they weren't allowed to split their fire and as they are clearly a 'large' unit their stamina was set at '4' for the pair of guns in a 'heavy' battery and '3' for medium and horse batteries. Morale saves were 4+. My thinking behind this was that that the bigger Russian batteries should be pretty dangerous but hampered by poor command and control they may not be the dominant feature on the table given that they could be outshot at longer ranges by Minee-armed British troops.

The river was fordable around the whole curve of the big bend but at reduced speed. It was possibly crossable on a score of 5 or 6 on 1D6 for each section, except at the bridge where it was too deep, crossing only being possible in march column across a very long bridge. The marsh slowed movement and the cultivated areas blocked line of sight. The main village with the church was class '3' i.e. very tough. The other village was a '2'.

We threw for sides and randomised the command levels. Conrad got the Allies. I have yet to play in command of the Allied troops but was ok about that as I have become quite used to how to handle the Russians.....a least in theory.

The Russians began off table. Most of their army appeared in turn 1, but very slowly. Conspicuous by their tardiness were the ALL artillery and half of the flanking force. Hey ho!

 (Above, the Russians, or some of them at least, begin their advance while below HM 23rd Foot and the Royal Artillery prepare to defend the village of Staryymoct).

 (Above, the Russian left crest the hill to the front of the British while below the Brigade of Guards and the Heavy Brigade wait in reserve).

 (Above, Russian Orthodox priests. I give the Russians a re-roll on a break test if they're within 12" of this group. Below, the Russian right).

 (Above, its those Gypseys again! Below, the Turks redeploying from the Allied left to fill the large gap in the centre. Behind are the Chasseurs d'Afrique masquerading as Turkish cavalry)

 (Above, the dung heap of despair is passed to the Russian right flank commander after he threw a double six. Below, the intrepid Russians launch their first assault across the river).

 (Above, the far right flank. Russian guns finally in position to give the Turks a good battering, and the remains of the 6th Uhlan Brigade after its ill-fated attack across the river. In the far distance the Moscow Regiment lining up to cross the bridge).

 (Above, better later than never the Highland Brigade advance onto the table as below, the Russian assault is above to overcome the gallant defenders of the village).

 (Above, the lead battalion of the Moscow Regiment takes a volley from HM 7th Foot while below, the Guards move into action).

 (Above, The Russians close with the British over the river while below the 6th Hussar Brigade fails to find any crossings further upriver).

 (Above, more Russians begin to cross the river while below, the yawning gap in the centre of the Allied line is evident).

 (Above, Russians backed up nose to tail on a very narrow and long bridge while below the Lord Raglan looks on as the Guards prepare to counter attack and assault the village). 

As can be seen from the photos, the Russians were successful in taking the village by the river crossing. What can't be seen is their failure in the centre when the Uhlans charged across the river but fell sort of their target before being hit in the flank by two squadrons from the Heavy brigade. One Uhlan regiment was destroyed and the other was forced to withdraw but only after breaking one of the British heavy cavalry squadrons. The Turks were eventually forced to retire rather than face a rather one-sided duel when the Russian artillery deployed to their front. 

On the right flank the Russians were dogged by blunders and poor command, meaning that they never really got up enough steam (for their steamroller?) to mount a coordinated attack over the bridge. The Hussars were similarly unable to get into action or find a way to cross the river. The didn't stop them from being hit quite hard by long-range Minee fire.

Around the village the Russians made hard work of throwing the British out but in the end the garrison were thrown out and broken. Immediately Conrad counter attacked with the Guards but they were unable to break in.

At the close of play neither side had achieved their objectives in full, nor had sufficient brigades been broken for one side to claim a victory. It was a tough battle as the Russians were rightly struggled to get anything resembling a coordinated attack together anywhere but the British and Turks had to be very wary of the Russian artillery. Overall I believe Black Powder worked well. The Russians were hard to hurt, but it was clearly quite possible to damage them from afar with long-range rifle fire. The Turks did quite well and as usual the cavalry looked very pretty but didn't do much after the first inconclusive scuffle. A great and very enjoyable game. Thanks to Conrad for coming. 

Another Tabletop Teaser: Reserve Demolition - Franco-Prussian War

Over 20 years ago when I had a proper job I worked in the same company as a chap called Clive. Neither of us knew the other was a war-game player or collector, but recently through the magic of the war-games blogosphere we 'bumped' into each other again. Anyway, to cut a long story short I invited Clive up for a game this week. As I'm currently in the mood to try out as many of the scenarios in Charles S Grant's Tabletop Teaser book I thought I'd set another one up. I'd originally planned to set it in the Crimea but at the last minute, due largely to having finally got enough French completed (but also because I couldn't find the box with the British in under my table), I decided to move it 16 years into the future and to a sunny Alsace during the early days of the Franco-Prussian War.

In this version of the classic scenario, the French were tasked with denying the bridge to the Prussians long enough to prepare it for demolition, withdraw across the river into Metzburg or Sedatz or some other fictitious (or not) fortress city where they could be bottled up and surrender ignominiously, and then blow the bridge.

The forces available were as follows.

French: CinC command 8 

On the south, i.e. wrong side of the river.....
Infantry brigade of 4 battalions, 1 gun and 1 mitrailleuse (command 8)
Infantry brigade of 5 battalions, 1 gun and 1 mitraileuse (command 9)
Reserve Cavalry division of 4 regiments (yes 4!) of cuirassiers and 1 horse battery (command 7)

On t'other side:
Infantry brigade of 4 battalions (including 2 of Guard) and a gun (command 8)
Light cavalry brigade of 1 regiment of Chasseurs d'Afrique, 2 of Chasseurs and a gun (command 7)
1 heavy gun (in the fortress)

The command levels were decided randomly so its a shame that the French cavalry ended up with poor commanders for both brigades, which was to prove decisive in the the game.

Prussians: CinC command 9 
Prussian infantry brigade of 6 battalions and 2 guns (Command 9)
Bavarian infantry brigade of 5 battalions and 2 guns (Command 7)
Prussian infantry brigade of 5 battalions and 2 guns (Command 8)
Prussian cavalry brigade of 1 regiment each of Hussars and Cuirassiers (command 8)
Bavarian cavalry brigade of 2 regiments of Cuirassiers and 1 horse gun (command 7)

The French had to hold the Prussians off long enough for their engineers to prepare the bridge for demolition. Once ready, they would have to wait for the order to set the fuses and blow the charges, at which point it'd be a race against time to get as many troops across the river before the bridge vanished in a cloud of dust and debris. The Prussian objective was to seize the bridge before the French could blow it or to prevent too many French from escaping by keeping them from making an organised withdrawal. All these points in time were dictated by the alarm on my phone and a few dice rolls. Tense stuff eh?

We threw for sides and Clive got the French. There were three roads onto the table that the Prussians could enter on. Two were on the short edge furthest from the bridge, the other was close to the top corner and much nearer to the bridge. Where and when (and which brigade) the Prussians would enter was to be decided for randomly.

 (Above, French dispositions on the south bank defending the bridge, while below, a close up of the Cuirassiers of the Reserve Cavalry division. Prussian entry points were off the top right hand/south east corner and from the north or south west, about six feet below the bottom of this picture)

The first couple of moves saw the Prussian cavalry and a brigade of infantry enter on the north western entry point while a brigade of Bavarian cuirassiers entered on the south western road. The French countered by moving their reserve cavalry division up past the village, which was put into a state of defence by a battalion of infantry. The remainder of the French deployed behind the village in case the Prussians made an entry from the south east, and on the ridge line and orchard west of the village.

 (Above, the French deploying to defend the village. Below, heavy artillery on one of the fortress's outer works covering the bridge)  

The Bavarian cuirassiers crossed the river by the bridge, formed up and charged the lead unit of French cuirassiers. The slightly smaller 'Irregular miniatures' figures struggled against the much more chunky 'Hero's of the Dark Age' models (no, seriously, the Bavarians lost the melee due to a very obvious lack of enthusiasm when it came to saving rolls and had to take a break test) and were thrown back, but the French were also shaken and chose to withdraw.

 (Above: Bavarian cuirassiers march onto the battlefield. Below: The French Cuirassiers thunder towards the Prussians and finally engage in a short sharp melee with the Bavarians)

Meanwhile the Prussians were steadily forming up and attempting to close with the French. The superior chassepots did severe damage to several battalions, breaking one and pinning another, but once the Prussian artillery got into play the damage was repaid with interest. A battalion of French Marine infantry were destroyed by a maelstrom of artillery fire and two battalions of zouaves were pinned or shaken on the ridge. Slowly the Prussians gained the upper hand and drove the exhausted Zouaves back to the shelter of the orchard and village.

 (Above, its those Gypsies again........ while below the Imperial Guard march across the bridge to lend support to the defence of the south bank)

Clive decided to commit the Guard to help support the troops across the river. They formed column and marched across, only for one battalion to blunder and head off to the east. More Prussians and Bavarians arrived on the western entry-points and when it became clear that none would be entering from the southern road, the Guard were quickly withdrawn back to the safety of the north bank.

 (Above, the French ready to try and and ultimately fail to throw the coming Prussian attack back. Below the Prussian cavalry manoeuvring into position after I remembered the small river was fordable!)

 (Above, the Prussian second wave attacks the French line, the first having been stopped in its tracks or repulsed. Below, the Bavarians deploy in preparation for their attack. Before anyone asks, the Bavarians shown are painted for the 1866 campaign in which they dispensed with the Raupenhelm and wore a soft peaked cap instead. My 'proper' FPW-uniformed Bavarians are not quite ready).

 At around this point I suddenly remembered that the stream in front of my Bavarian brigades was in fact easily crossable, so having got over my 'Burnside Antietam moment' I deployed as quickly as my unenthusiastic Bavarians would allow me. The opposing cuirassiers clashed again, and my second unit of Bavarian cuirassiers were forced back shaken. Thankfully the French were in no position to pursue so I was able to slowly deploy in the face of an increasing number of French infantry which had moved up from behind the village.

 (Above, the French light cavalry brigade that spent the entire battle with nowhere to go. Below, the Imperial Guard reformed after their brief road-trip across the bridge and back again).

 (Above, the French CinC ponders, head in hands, wondering what wine to have with 'le dejeauner', while below the Prussians succeed in their final assault to drive the French back, off the ridge and out of the orchard).

The Prussians finally got into position to assault the withdrawing French in the orchard which they managed, albeit not without losses. The French were ejected but fell back to the village. At about this time there was a massive explosion as the French engineers blew the bridge, trapping the remaining French on the wrong side of the river. Clive tried to launch his cuirassiers in a final series of charges to buy some time for his infantry to retire but sadly, and luckily for the cuirassiers, they failed to move largely due to their poor commander.

 (Above, as the long shadows cast by the setting sun bring the day to a close, Prussian wounded being taken to the rear by wheelbarrow, while below the retreating French reach the village to find the bridge already blown).

So honours were about even. We had each had a brigade broken. I had failed to prevent the demolition of the bridge but the majority of the French army were trapped on the south (i.e. wrong) side of the river. No doubt they would be able to extricate a few troops from the eastern edge of the table so a draw with both sides able to claim a moral victory. I enjoyed the game and I hope Clive did too and wasn't put off BP forever. A good day spent playing with my toys.

And so, to the fading and haunting sounds of violins and the clash and gentle tapping of tambourines, the battle ends......

More photos can be found on Clive's own blog 'Vintage Wargaming'; I think the title has more to do with the age of the figures rather than of the players! Clive, we can try the promised Crimean game next time assuming I can find the British!