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. 

Swedish Jäger, 1808 and a few 1866/1871 command stands.

We’ve been very busy having a major reorganisation and cull of my stuff, mainly as Katherine wants her study back as it was an overflow room for numerous boxes of items I’d in many cases forgotten I had them. Usual story I suppose, of buying for a rainy day then getting distracted and forgetting about the purchase.

Anyway, first up is a unit of Swedish jäger for my Russo-Swedish War 1808-1809 collection. The unit is the Varmland Jäger by the Perry twins, although I have read somewhere that this battalion didn’t see active service defending Finland. Well, whatever the case, they’re in my collection and I’ll use them.

Next we have some more command stands for ‘Bismarck’sWars’. Two of these are Prussian from North Star 1866 and the third guy all on his own is a generic commander complete with Federal brassard to command elements of the Federal VIII Corps which fought in the western campaign. The figure is actually a Balkan Wars general from Tiger Miniatures but he has the right look.

I have a game here on Saturday so this afternoon I shall have to finish setting it all up.

A few more Swedes for 1808-1809

 

These photos are of the Abo Lans infantry regiment, raised in Finland. Perry Miniatures painted by Barry and based by me. Just waiting for another set of flags off Maverick to finish them off properly.

Soldiers of the Shogun volume 2

One of Helion’s ‘Century of the Soldier’ series recent publications is ‘Soldiers of the Shogun, the Daily Life of Samurai and Soldiers in Edo Period Japan, 1603-1721 volume 2’ by Michael Fredholm von Essen begins where the previous volume left off with the start of the Edo period and the beginning of a significant change in Japan’s outlook on the world. Previously outward looking, the shogunate soon moved into enforced seclusion, which it was to maintain until the mid-nineteenth century.

The book is part military history and part social history. Japan at this time was technologically quite advanced in a number of fields, thanks in many ways to at the time welcome European influence. However, this was all to change, and the book explores what happened when the samurai class were no longer expected to fight but turned their hands to becoming policemen or fire wardens.

The purpose of the book is to provide a better understanding of how the Japanese martial expertise and the Samurai class as a whole declined alongside their integration into mainstream town life. We get extensive chapters on education, sports and religion, entertainment, crime and punishment and finally concluding remarks on the changes in society relating to soldiers and civilians. It is all fascinating stuff.

As one expects, the book is full of lovely contemporary colour artwork, numerous black and white images and some gorgeous original artwork depicting Samurai in their new civilian roles. I especially like the Japanese fire brigade officer in all his ‘fireman’ paraphernalia as well as his traditional pair of swords.

Another well chosen niche subject presented in a very readable form, this book is one I would recommend highly.

ISBN 978-1-804512-50-0. 183 pages, softback.

New project for 2023 making good progress in the background.

Every Christmas over the past three years I’ve been taking advantage of the Foundry sale to buy some early Napoleonic Russians. I chose to get them in greatcoats, primarily to ease the painting marathon that 20-odd assorted battalions of musketeers, grenadiers and jäger would otherwise pose.

The Russo-Swedish War 1808-1809 has interested me for many years so, it seemed like a good opportunity for another niche campaign to hit the Burrow. The Swedes are going to be mainly Perrys with some Eagle miniatures as well. These are the first of the Swedish/Finnish army, two units of Perry cavalry.

Karelian Dragoons

Both regiments. 

Nyland Dragoons 

Painted by mate Barry, based by me. Of course I also have a couple of other side projects to get on with this year. But more on them later.

More units for the 1866 collection

It’s amazing (actually if you think about it, it isn’t) but my lead mountain has managed to yield these figures, enough for several units. 

Cuirassier Regiment No.6 (Czar Nicholas I of Russia). These are wearing the early version of the helmet. North Star 1866  miniatures.

Two battalions of Baden infantry with a battery of 12-pdr smoothbores (one gun model needed). These are actually Danes from the North Star 1864 range but they’re almost right as the Badeners went, albeit unwillingly, to war in peaked forage caps and greatcoats.

Another Austrian battalion for 1866. This has been on the painting desk for six months at least but I finally completed them yesterday. North Stae ex-Helion 1866.

I have one more Austrian battalion to complete then they can join their regiment’s 1st battalion in my fourth brigade of Austrians, making a total of 28(!) battalions, which is the equivalent of an entire corps. And that doesn’t include my Saxons, Hessians, Bavarians and minor state chums or the cavalry.

Prussian cuirassiers and Baden infantry painted by my mate Barry of the Like a Stone Wall Group. I did the Austrian battalion and I based and flagged all of the units.