Another Review - Gripping, and Dripping with Details

I’m on an extended trip to India so the best I can offer at the moment is another book review.  So, cutting right to the chase, this is a truly absorbing and gripping account of Britain’s role in the War of the Austrian Succession (1744–1748). The author explores the consequences of the political decision making and management of the war on the outcome of the military operations, and indeed how the failure of the operations in the field influenced the politicking back home. Indifferent politicians, most of whom I am ashamed to say I had never heard of other than in the vaguest terms) often driven by their own agendas, competing priorities, the appointment of inadequate commanders and the general mishandling of the army, both British and |Hanoverian, all contributed to Britain’s failures in the war on a military, political and diplomatic basis. Add to these the impact of the Jacobite Rebellion and the strain this placed on British manpower it is all too easy to understand how the situation evolved and unravelled.(Interestingly the French may well have been the victors but they were to gain very little out of their efforts, and the stage was set for their failures in the Seven Years War some few years in the future, thanks in part to the lessons learnt by Britain).

I have some understanding of the battles of the war (the defeats, at the hands of the French, of Rocoux, Laffeldt and especially Fontenoy) but the author has conducted extensive research to present an exhaustive deep dive into the conduct of the war, resulting in a scholarly yet highly readable account of the war in its broader sense, which for me is far more interesting than simple accounts of its battles. Not everyone’s cup of tea perhaps but for anyone seriously interested in the war this is an invaluable piece of research, and the conclusions the author draws from the outcome of the war are argued well.

The book includes a number of contemporary black and white portraits of the key actors in these events (it is always nice to put a face to a name, and these portraits often give an inkling into the character of the man portrayed). There are also several maps, of the theatre of war and of the three key battles of Fontenoy, Rocoux and Laffeldt, together with two reproductions of contemporary maps originating in 1747.

This is another fine addition (number 116 no less) to Helion’s ‘from Reason to Revolution 1721–1815 series and one well deserved of a space on my bookshelves.

ISBN 978-1-804513-37-8 Soft back 263 pages.

Battling it out in Piedmont.

A sunny Saturday brought Conrad,Paul,  Nigel, John the Red, Shaun and Dave together at the Burrow for a game based incredibly loosely (ok, nothing much in common actually) on the battle of Assietta in Piedmont during the War of the Austrian Succession.  The similarities such as they were ended there, as this was hopefully going to be a little less one sided than the real battle. We used BP2 with a few house rules and lots of confusion. Big game, therefore while not always ideal Black Powder work best imho.

Conrad, Paul and Shaun played the combined Bourbon armies of France and Spain against Nigel, Dave and John as the Pragmatic Alliance army of Austria and in this case Modena, the latter standing in as I have no Piedmontese. Both armies were fighting for control of the road and the pass it ran through. The Pragmatic army started with their artillery emplaced in a redoubt and some smaller earthworks on their side of the pass supported only by some Grenzers hiding in the woods, Austrian grenadiers, some hussars and the Modena contingent. Further brigades would or could arrive during the game so the pressure was on the Bourbons to move quickly in overwhelming force before the enemy were reinforced. The twist in the plot was that the more successful the Bourbons, the quicker the Pragmatist reinforcements would arrive, and vice versa. The Modena and Spanish line were all classed as ‘untested’ and almost all the Bourbon horse were downgraded slightly to represent an issue around getting and keeping alive enough decent mounts. It would also give the opposing cavalry a chance as they were outnumbered 2:1 even when all the main Austrian cavalry commands (all good dragoon regiments) arrived.

I took loads of photos so I hope the course of the battle will be made clear.

Sunshine in Piedmont casting its light across the battlefield. Bourbons on the left.

The Bourbon right consisted of French and Spanish horse and six battalions of mostly dodgy Spanish infantry.

A slightly sunny view of the Bourbon right.

The Bourbon centre under Conrad consisted of a mere dozen or so French battalions, including a battalion of Gardes Francais, some Swiss and two battalions of Irish. 

My two regiments of Spanish horse. These were painted some time ago by my mate Vladimir of Old Guard Painting Services in Kyiv 🇺🇦 Old Guard Painters

Austrian hussars on their extreme right wing, facing seven regiments of French cavalry.

Shaun commanded on the Bourbon left. He was expecting three brigades of cavalry but after Paul took two for the other wing he was left with just two. (Ok, a typo on the order of battle didn’t help). However, his command did include two squadrons each of the Cuirassiers du Roi and the Carabiners du Roi, both excellent regiments.

John arrived late to find he was the Duke of Modena in command of his Guard battalion and Guard cavalry regiment and four ‘untested’ infantry battalions. On the upside they’re all a very pretty little army.

Conrad’s infantry advance en masse, a stirring sight.

The French attacking battalions were taking a hammering from the Austrian artillery.

The Irish of Bulkley’s regiment made it right up the mouths of the cannon.

Buckley was supported by another Irish battalion, the regiment Rooth, and the French Royal Italien regiment. Bulkley was soon to break under the pressure.

Modena line infantry holding the Pragmatic left.

The Gardes Lorraine soon took their turn at getting a hammering from the Austrian guns after the Gardes Francais were forced to pull back.

Over at the church of Our Lady of Biscotti St Beluga the Pragmatist the choirboys gave an impromptu concert supported by the  nuns’ cheerleader team!

Conrad made a bold move with his recovered Gardes Francais and swung round and closed to point blank range of the Austrian grenadiers. He did this on an initiative move which allowed him to fire (we use a different sequence of play as all agree it works better - Move CinC, Initiative Moves, Firing, Commanded Moves, Melee, End of Turn).  Another French unit moved up into close range of the Austrian cannon but predictably the French musket fire was largely ineffective.

With the end of the two Irish battalions the Royal Italien found themselves in the front rank. They were blasted by canister from this gun and one in the redoubt and driven off. 

Over on the flank Paul was hesitant about committing his cavalry in the face of steady infantry, even if they were from Modena. The Spanish infantry had advanced on the village and the gap beyond it but were harassed all the way by a battalion in the village, the Grenz in the wood and by a Modena battalion posted to cover the gap. Some of the Spanish foot were classed as untested so their stamina was randomised the first time they took losses, and two of these battalions received poor dice scores resulting in reduced stamina of '2'. During this advance two Spanish battalions were destroyed.

The view from behind the Pragmatic centre. Conrad's attacks were getting nowhere.

Paul then launched his cavalry against the Modena infantry as they had obligingly moved up the the low rise where they could shoot the Bourbon horsemen. Suffice to say the dice gods were clearly Pragmatists and Paul's first wave was destroyed or forced to retreat.

Modena's finest driving off the Bourbons.

The Spanish commander.

More French were attacking in the centre, advancing through a storm of shot.

The Bourbon horse then repeated their charge against the Modena troops. This time one battalion was destroyed and another forced to retreat.

The victorious Bourbon cavalry halted in the face of four Austrian dragoon  regiments which had been supporting the Modena infantry. The opposing horsemen did clash but the result was inconclusive other than for breaking a brigade of French horse.

On the other flank things were very confusing, and I have to be honest and say I lost track of exactly what went on. Suffice to say, the French horsemen slowly advanced, driving the Austrian hussars before them. 

After a failed attempt to hit the Austrians on the hill in the flank, four of Shaun's horse units were disordered by charging across the river, and although they overran some artillery and damaged two Austrian battalions they were forced to retire. This was a good thing as it transpired.

The French cavalry didn't know whether they were coming or going!

Conrad's big attack fizzled out as one brigade was broken and the other perilously close

 to suffering the same fate.

More reinforcements arrived to bolster the Pragmatic army and Shaun's cavalry had to turn to face a new threat to their rear.

The Austrian infantry formed an angle against the riverbank.

A retreating French infantry brigade.

The remnants of the beaten and withdrawing Bourbon centre from the Pragmatic perspective.

The Bourbons were unlucky that they were not able to make best use of their artillery for much of the battle as they were unable to hit their targets due to the French infantry who were up close and personal with the Austrians. 

So, with their main attack defeated and their wings not making much headway this was a clear Pragmatic victory. The Bourbons were very unlucky with their dice as the plan was a sound one. It might have worked if they had managed to get their underused artillery to soften up the Pragmatic centre. If....? Oh well.

This was a super game and it was certainly full of spectacle and action. If the Bourbons had been able to win decisively on even one flank and got their guns into action sooner to soften up the enemy centre I reckon the result would have been very different. I hope everyone enjoyed themselves. 

All the figures and terrain are mine, mostly painted by me, and are 28mm miniatures from a variety of sources, notably Cran Tara, Front Rank, Black Hussar, Ebor and Elite. The eagle-eyed will perhaps wonder at the mix of manufactures on the Bourbon side. I got a fabulous deal with Ebor for their WSS French. There’s not much difference in their dress between 1715 and say, the War of the Polish Succession of the 1730’s to the War of the Austrian Succession. The other manufacturers were add ins as the collection grew, mainly as I like the look of the figures. My toys anyhow. 

You Have to Die in Piedmont Review

I have had my eyes on this title ever since it was first listed as a forthcoming release quite some time ago, so was thrilled when the book was published. ‘You have to Die in Piedmont, the Battle of Assietta, 19 July 1747’ by Giovanni Cerino Badone is one of many recent releases by Helion, this one as part of the excellent ‘From Reason to Revolution’ series.

The scope of the book focuses on the almost legendary Austro-Piedmontese victory over the vastly superior numbers of invading French. Despite their overwhelming superiority in numbers every French attack was driven back, their commander-in-chief was killed and the army defeated with heavy losses. The author begins with a detailed summary of the war in Italy, in particular how the long war so far had impacted on the Piedmontese and Austrian armies after nearly seven years of bitter conflict. He then takes us on a journey through the seat of the war, Northern Italy, and the reasons why after almost arriving at a final peace. The war kicked off again with the French advance into Piedmont and the French invasion plans are also outlined.

The chapters on the state and organisation of the Piedmontese and Austrian Armies is quite revealing in level of detail when describing the organisation and effectiveness of both armies, but by far the most interesting section is a series of detail pen pictures of each of the Piedmontese regiments that took part in the battle. The same is done for the small Austrian force that fought alongside the Piedmontese troops.

What follows is a blow by blow account of each phase of the battle and its aftermath. The author has done an excellent job in presenting his step by step analysis of the battle, and gives the reader a clear impression of the events on the fateful battle and the days leading up to it.

The book benefits from 45 black and white images, many of which are contemporary but others are of the battlefield and its environs today. What I found really important were the present-day photos of the battlefield with the locations and movements of the armies during the battle. What struck me was the apparent harshness of the terrain shown in these photographs with steep slopes and the extent the entrenchments and their significant impact on the battle. There are also several really helpful maps, and the ones illustrating the battle at different points during the engagement are especially useful in getting a feel for what unfolded. The orders of battle make the Austrian and Piedmontese victory even more of an achievement given the disparity in the armies in terms of numbers and quality.

A remarkable book and a definitive detailed account which should be a great addition to the book shelves of anyone with an interest in the War of the Austrian Succession.


ISBN 978-1-911628-50-70 340 pages, Hardback

This week’s game. Back to the Eighteenth Century.

This week I arranged an 18th century game using Black Powder for the Burrowers. It wasn’t based on anything in particular but I intimated that it was. I also took the opportunity to field some troops that had never yet had their baptism of fire, which turned out to be a mistake given the usual mantra that new units always run away!

The French were one of the belligerents. On the other was a combined allied force of English, Hanoverians, Brunswickers and Hessians. The French had more and slightly better cavalry and heavier guns, while the allies had a couple more battalions of infantry. Most of my French are Ebor WSS figures but there are some Cran Tara, Black Hussar and Foundry in there as well. I went with Ebor as I got an unmissable deal (working out at about 25 quid for a 40 figure battalion as I bought LOTS) and I thought I'd base the army around the French during the War of Polish Succession to account for their slightly out of date appearance. My toys so I do as I wish of course! The Allies are a mixture of (mainly) Cran Tara and  Minden with some Foundry and Warlord.

Paul, John and Nigel were the French while Neil (British and Brunswick), Richard (Hanoverians and English horse) and I ( Hessian and Hanoverian horse) were the allies. We used Black Powder 2 with my house rules, some of which we forgot of course.

Both sides were against the clock as there was a chance that either could be reinforced by a brigade entering in the flank of the enemy. This was decided by me rolling a dice each turn, adjusted depending upon how the battle was playing out, by which I mean that the side nominally loosing had a better chance to get reinforcements. In truth there were NEVER going to be any for either side but nobody else knew that. Tee Hee. Hopefully these photos, some of which were taken by Richard, give an idea of how the game played out.

The Allied line seen from
their right wing.

The stage is set for battle to begin.

The French left wing. Why on earth did I give them a redoubt?

A taste of things to come in terms of extreme dice rolling! Neil's first shot with his cannon scored four sixes! Their target, the Royal Italian were pulverised and forced to retreat. They never recovered.

This was me. I needed anything but a 1! 

Paul's first move on the French right was to launch his cavalry at the Brunswick brigade on our left. 

The Hanoverian cavalry brigade advanced towards the French  left wing.

Wave after wave of French cavalry kept the Brunswickers pinned down almost on the table's edge.

Slowly but surely the Brunswickers were being worn down.

Neil's Brunswickers were also attacked by French infantry. 

Yet more pressure on the poor Brunswickers (First time out on the table too!)

The Hanoverian cavalry brigade was beaten badly by a combination of French artillery, infantry and  some dreadful dice rolling on my part (see above for the 'anything but a 1' result). 

The French cunningly screened their best infantry (the Garde Français and a battalion of Swiss) with a battalion of the Gardes Lorraine, who obligingly soaked up a great deal of damage before being forced to pull back.

French infantry of the Bourgoigne regiment supported by the Irish Rooth battalion attacking the English brigade.

My Hessian cavalry were very slow to get up into action, despite having a '9' commander! They looked on as the Hanoverians were demolished.

The English cavalry were led by a '6' rating brigadier but Richard still got them to move into musket range of the French.

The Hanoverians blundered and assaulted the church. 

The blundering Hanoverian infantry brigade  attacked the Irish in the church. After one turn of melee they routed after a dire break test, taking another battalion with them in the process. That left this battalion rather exposed and the brigade almost spent.

The Hanoverian grenadier battalion had advanced to occupy the farmyard but got no further for a while at least.

The Irish and HM 12th Foot locked in combat.

Meanwhile, having seen the Hanoverian cavalry disposed of, the Hessian  cavalry tried to break the French left by a series of futile charges.  In the background the Hanoverian infantry tried vainly to destroy the French centre. 

And still the French poured more horsemen at the Brunswickers, eventually they would break enough battalions to knock the brigade out of the game.

The centre as seen from behind the French line.

Swiss and Brunswickers locked in combat. It just wasn't the Brunswicker's day!

The Irish Bulkeley battalion in the churchyard were a thorn in the side of the Hanoverian brigade. 

The Hessian horse and dragoons on our right formed up for another attack on the French.

....it failed of course, and the Hessians were bounced back from whence they'd come.

The Brunswickers had defeated the Swiss but were now attacked by the Garde Français.

I love this figure of the the French Cuirassiers du Roi. The Brunswick grenadier battalion didn't.

After seeing of the Cuirassier du Roi the poor Brunswick grenadiers were hit by a squadron of the Royal Carabiniers.

Esme decided she would join the French army. Traitor!

HM 12th Foot had seen off the Irish Rooth battalion but were hit in the flank by Paul's horsemen. despite the flank attack the English held. 

At the end of the game the English brigade was still holding on in the face of  eight squadrons of French horse and the cream of their infantry. 

Well, talk about extremes! The dice just didn't fall right for the allies during this game. When we finished it was a clear French victory, given that half of our brigades were out of action. It was actually closer than the end result suggests. Black Powder being what they are it was a fast and bloody game, but maybe rather dull after the past couple of weeks of playing some rather more dynamic ancient games. Nevertheless it was great fun, and I had at long last  got my 18thC Brunswick, Hessian, Hanoverian and English on the table for the first time, on which basis it was expected that they'd not do terribly well so my expectations were met. The French played well and their horsemen under Paul kept the pressure on the Brunswick brigade throughout the battle.  I don't know what the French plan was but our went t*ts up from turn 1. Those dice scores! If only...........