Armies of Phillip IV of Spain from Helion

Helion, and especially the ‘Century of the Soldier’ series, only get better. This quite hefty volume is jam packed full of a vast amount of detailed information relating to the armies of Philip IV of Spain through a tumultuous period of European (and wider afield) warfare. In addition to informative
chapters on every aspect of the Spanish army including armaments, clothing and equipment, organisation and recruitment and tactics to name but a few, the book also covers every campaign undertaken during the period covered. Spain was fighting a long series of wars on multiple fronts against tenacious enemies, from Flanders and Germany to Italy and the Iberian peninsular, in addition to her overseas possessions, and this took its toll in terms of men, money and resources. There are numerous contemporary black and white illustrations, 15 useful maps and eight pages of colour plates detailing soldiers’ dress and standards carried by the army. There are some useful appendices covering muster roles and commanders. The book is well written and judging by the bibliography very well researched. Anyone interested in Spanish military history and the army of this period really must buy this book, as must others with even just a passing interest in the era. You will not be disappointed. Well, I hope not. I like it.

Sikh Wars odds and ends

I managed to finish a few more bits and pieces for the Sikh Wars over the past week or so.

Another Sikh Zamburek battery.

A brigadier, as yet unnamed.

Another as yet unnamed commander

Baggage camels.

A couple of shots of another unit of Sikh Feudal infantry

I still haven't finished my Bengal Horse Artillery limber teams and I really really must. Next week perhaps.

The Battle of Champagne Farm, part deux

John was back over on Monday evening for another 42mm Franco Prussian War engagement. In this scenario the dastardly Hun had managed to cross the river and turn the French left flank, forcing a rapid deployment by the latter to face the new threat.

The French centre with Prussians and Bavarians in the distance.

The Prussian artillery would potentially dominate the battlefield.

We swapped sides this time and remembered to include a couple of house rules, namely, an infantry unit taking two unsaved hits would go to ground, requiring an order to stand up again. Also, artillery taking two unsaved hits would be forced to limber up and retreat a move (as well as becoming shaken of course).

The French cavalry before it blundered off in the wrong direction!

Some fast moving Prussians beat me to the church.

The Bavarians took their time advancing on their objective but still proved to be a nuisance.

A lone French 4pdr covering my extreme right.

Chasseurs making heavy going of crossing the river.

The Prussian attack in the centre developed slowly and John's Jager in the wood to the left were driven off by some snappy chassepot fire.

John deployed the Bavarians on the left on the ‘wrong’ side of the river with orders to advance and storm across the river ( and bridge no doubt) to assault Champagne Farm. Being Bavarians they were less than keen to do this, blundering on turn 1 and then making slow progress.  I tried to get a battalion of chasseurs across the river, eventually making it and ensconcing themselves in a wood.

On the Prussian right Johns Artillery blunted an advance by my troops trying to cross the river and occupy the church and farmhouses. At this point there were only cavalry and artillery facing them on this flank so it seemed like a good idea. Tell that to my shaken and disordered Zouaves as their bodies floated down the river after being shelled by the Prussians! Things got worse when my cavalry blundered and failed to cross the river as well! All this farting about gave the Prussians time to push a battalion into the church and some jäger into the vineyards.

In the centre the Prussian attack was slow in coming and eventually fizzled out although some progress was made against Champagne Farm by the Bavarians and supporting Prussians. They failed to get in though, despite giving the defenders a battering in the run up to their assault. Sniping by my Chasseurs in the wood to their flank lessened their enthusiasm slightly, er.... lots. The Prussians did manage to kill one of my brigadiers, meaning that the entire centre and right was without a commander for a turn.

The Prussian Uhlans were broken after failing ALL their saves.

The Bavarian assault on Champagne Farm.

My dragoons running away.

Back over on the French left I had finally got my cavalry over the river and in a position to charge, although my Dragoons took a hit and became disordered. My Cuirassier charged but were defeated in the combat by the Prussian Uhlans when I failed to make ANY saving rolls! John then  launched his cavalry at my disordered Dragoons. His Uhlans drove them back in melee but didn’t break them. The Uhlans then made a sweeping advance into my Chasseurs a Cheval and miraculously were totally defeated when this time I made all my saves, failing their break test.

Meanwhile my Chasseurs a Pied were making no progress against the enemy in the church but the
Zouaves and Turcos were moving up in support. However, both of our cavalry brigades were somewhat battered, the Prussian assault in the centre had stalled and no progress was being made  by the Bavarians against Champagne Farm.

We called it a night at this point. The Prussians had done better than last week but had still failed to dislodge the French from their ‘position magnifique’. A minor French victory I think, but probably a short lived one.

Looking forward to the coming weekend when I hope to be joining the other Wild Geese down in Kenilworth. I'm not putting a game on this time so will enjoy playing in some of the others.

The Battle of Champagne Farm. A 42mm Franco-Prussian game.

John the Red came over last night for a game. For a change, and to give their first outing under their new management I set up a Franco-Prussian War game using my 42mm collection. I bought these off Graham Cummings who was selling them on behalf of the widow of one of his long-time wargaming friends.

The scenario was simple. Both sides needed to gain control of the three bridges across the river, the French to safeguard their flank and the Prussians to threaten said flank of the main French army.  The bridge on the extreme Prussian right was a wooden one in a state of disrepair. On reaching the bridge whoever did so would have to throw a dice to see if it was ok to use, in need of several turns' repair work or totally dilapidated and unusable. The French had two brigades of infantry (11 btns) a brigade of cavalry (3 rgts) supported by two cannon and a mitrailleuse. The Prussians had two brigades of Prussian infantry (9 btns), a brigade of cavalry (3 regts) supported by 4 guns. and a brigade of Bavarians (5 btns) with a gun and two regts of cavalry attached.

We used suitably modified Black Powder 2 to try and reflect the period in terms of weapon effectiveness and tactics.

John took the French and I had the Germanic hoards. As usual I will let the dodgy photos taken during the game tell the story of how the battle panned out.

The Prussians advancing from the right. Champagne Farm on the left.

Chasseurs in the vineyard adjacent to Champagne Farm.

The Prussian 1st Bde on my left.

The rather less than enthusiastic Bavarians

I miscalculated and my bold move to advance my artillery to be in a position to pound the French from close range failed, leaving them in a very vulnerable position. One gun is quickly disordered and the other takes a hit.

The Prussians on the left advance.

The exposed position of the Prussian artillery. Sitting ducks!

A Zouave battalion on the French left.

My Prussian cavalry brigade on the extreme right. They were supposed to cross the river  and pin the French while I attacked in the centre.

John launched a furious attack over the bridge to try and take out my artillery.  Thankfully the French column didn't quite make it, leaving two battalions stuck on the bridge.

The Prussian cavalry advance towards the righthand and possibly usable bridge.

French cavalry on their left.

The French left.

The creme de la creme of the French cavalry

The Prussian 2nd brigade advances in the centre.

The Bavarians are also advancing through fields of largely standing crops.

On the left two of my battalions had crossed the river but had suffered from French fire. John threw his flank guard at my disordered battalion but in the melee the outcome was a draw, both units being shaken and requiring a break test. Both withdrew as a result, the French in better order.

Zouaves and Chasseurs on the French left advance to the riverbank.

In the centre the Bavarian cuirassier (Austrians standing in) break under long range Mitrailleuse and Chassepot fire.

The Prussians in the centre cross the river under heavy fire. The brigade of four battalions tried to drive the French away from the hedgerows but are shot down, one battalion breaking.

Back on the Prussian left the French are broken.

Sadly the Prussians also suffer reverses, a battalion facing Champagne Farm breaks back across the river.

In the centre another Prussian battalion covering the retreat of the brigade is broken. The remaining units are already shaken and the remnants of the brigade had to retreat.

The French hurling insults and blowing raspberries at the Prussians.

The mitrailleuse and cannon on the French left were very effective in helping pin the  Bavarians across the river.

A battalion of La Garde defending the orchard.

The Zouaves crossed the river supported by the Turco battalion.

The Bavarians were quite happy to remain in the fields safe behind the hedges.

John pushed his cavalry up the the river's edge, supported by a battalion of Chasseursthus blocking any opportunity I might have had for crossing. 

The situation at the end of the game. The Prussians had been held all along the line.

 So that was it. A French victory no less. Had I been less cavalier in the use of my artillery I wouldn't have thrown away my sole advantage over the French. I really should have known better. Nevertheless the game was played 'in period' so my Prussian bull-headedness ensured my attack in the centre was shot to pieces. The timid Bavarians did well against the best of the French army and my cavalry covered themselves in glory by retreating in the face of long range Chassepot fire.

What a great little game played in good spirit and to the period and not to the rules. BP2 (with my amendments) worked really well and I look forward to getting these figures on the table again. Maybe the Austrians next time? I may even paint up some more from the big box of unpainted figures I also received as part of the purchase.