Sunday, January 24, 2010

New Arrival

Oooooooooooooo Shiney!



This has led to some rebasing of course


For reasons passing comprehension*, I originally based my French on 50x50mm bases in 6s (along with my American militia) whereas everyone else is on 60x30 or 30x30s, in 8s or 4s. Probably some way of visually cueing 2nd rate infantry I guess. Anyway, time to fix that now .... sigh, rebasing is such fun


*i.e. I dont really remember

This month's painting

Well the painting schedule has been a bit disrupted (more on that in the next post), but so far I've gotten this lot done:
12 Colonian Dragoons
24 more Skyrian Cuirassiers
12 Kruppfalz Dragoons (to expand the current regiment sizes)
12 Kruppfalz Cuirassiers (again to expand the current regiments)
2 Skyrian Divisional Generals





All have yet to be flocked but, we're almost there

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Sitzungsaebel







The Arvergnian cavalry has swooped like an overweight eagle* upon a lamb**, catching the might of Kruppfalz on the march. They missed their primary target, the supply wagons, and caught the column just abaft that, with the last of the supply-guard, the venerable Ostergotland infantry, marching away, and the head of the column of rearguard, the 4th Kalkreuth and 5th Bayreuth Dragoons, marching up.




First to arrive was Martell's*** brigade, the Maistre de Camp Generale, and the Allemands Dragoons.




Lavoissier and Der Bayreutern leading the way

As they trotted forward eagerly, the leading regiments of Coirvoissier and von Rieslings' brigades followed up. Meanwhile, as the Ostergotlanders wheeled to face, and the Dragoons hurriedly deployed, the leading element of von Zieten's cuirassier brigade, the 3rd von Seelhorst, hustled up at the canter.

Les Mousquetaires lower left, Kurfurst Kurasserie upper left

Followed by the 6th von Lentulus, as the Bourbons, and Kornberg's Cuirassiers made their advent on the Arvergnian side.



The Arvergnian Dragoon brigade spurred forward quickly, cantering up and readying for a mad gallop into their enemies, ignoring the wheeling infantry on their flank, while von Riesling's brigade started manouevring with a view to overrunning these infantry, prior to galloping after the wagon trains to the northeast


Der Ostergotlandern wheel, ready to pour fire into the flank of les Allemands

Alas for Les Allemands, Colonel Bohrs kept a cool head, and the Ostergotlanders fire was sharp and accurate - a first volley in enfilade, emptying half their saddles. The Bayreuth Dragoons crossed sabres with them briefly, then held their tempers, and their reins, when the Allemands fled for the rear. The Kalkreuth Dragoons had a sharper tussle with the Maistre de Camp Generales, but after a brief exchange of blows, these also deemed it wiser to urgently retire to previously prepared positions.

Meanwhile, von Seelhorst's Kurasserie, disdaining to deploy out of column(4*), trotted up the small rise of Kuhberg only to meet, blade to blade, the wildly galloping Mousquetaires sweeping down from the hillcrest, and fought these to a draw.



On the Krup right, the heroic and somewhat inept(5*) Kornberg led his brigade into a charge directly into the infantry, having failed to find their flank, while the broken dragoons swarming past them caused the Bourbons to check their pace, rather than being entangled and disordered. The final Krup regiment, 8th von Seydlitz Kurasserie, also deployed in support of the Seelhorst Cuirassiers, while the broken Arvergnian dragoons, ignoring the pleas of both Brigadier Martell, and Major General Dubonnet, trotted steadily homewards.


Kornberg seeking conclusions against the infantry on the right

Once their friends had cleaned the way, Les Bourbons trotted forwardto support their brigade-mates, only to encounter the advancing Kalkreuth Dragoons, while the rather-bemused Bayreuth Dragoons wheeled around to menace their open flank.



In the foreground, the Lentulus Cuirassiers form column and start aiming for Kornberg's flank

Meanwhile, poor old Kornberg found the undamaged Ostergotlanders too tough a meat to chew. Although the closing fire was wild and ineffective, the wall of bayonets proved too much for his gallant sabres (*6), and one regiment broke and fled after the first exchange of blows, leaving more than half their men behind. The valiant Kornberg, to add insult to injury, had his horse bayonetted, and his favourite hat seized by a doughty infantryman, so fled afoot, calling his men to rally for another charge.



On the left, the Bayreuth Dragoons delivered their threatened insult to the flank of the Bourbons, but too late to save their sister regiment - both the Kalkreuth and the Bourbons broke and ran: while beside them, the Seydlitz Cuirassiers delivered a charge in fine style, breaking the victorious (but understrength) Mousquetaires



And on the right, Kornbergs' men, reduced to a moiety, finally ran from overwhelming odds.




The final flight of the Arvergnian mounted

Just as the dust was settling from the charges, General Lentulus trotted briefly onto the field of battle, peering around less than soberly and exclaiming, 'Enemy? I see no enemy here!'


Next time I need to make the rolls for arrival a little more difficult to make I think.
-----------------------------------------------------------
*Apologies to the spirit of Peter Young for the stolen imagery
** A lamb armed with an AK47 mind you...
*** with the advent of reading EvE regularly, I notice that my generals nomenclature has become considerably more bibulous, not to mention comestible!
*4 This is definitely a problem basing in 3s, when the regiments are so small - the 'march column' is only a 3x4, leading to too advantageous a battle formation. I need to think about addressing this.
*5 It seems a bit cruel to condemn him for my ineptitude - I was angling to take the infantry in flank, but hadn't allowed for how relatively quickly a 9" move allows them to wheel

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Privates on Parade

The last of the reviews - first up, the Colonian infantry. Two brigades of Continental infantry, each 3 smallish regiments:



And the Colonian States Guards, in 4 regiments, plus 2 battalions of skirmishing riflemen:





Well, last, and least,  is the might and power of Skyria .... well actually, just a tiny contingent, as I fear they have been very much the poor relation up to now. So far, all I have is 3 regiments of Line, and a stray regiment of Kalugans (the unpainted figures were dirt cheap on eBay and I couldn't resist ... another army to collect!)






Friday, January 8, 2010

New recruits 2!




Well, latest off the painting table, a new regiment of Skyrian cavalry, the Kurfurst Kurasserie

 

Second, the 4th Dragoons (the Royals) for the Icenians - they've been hanging around waiting to get based & completed for a while:







Regent Park in winter

And today it's the turn of the perfidious Icenians, that chilly isle. A rather smaller contingent, based on three regiments of mercenaries*


I've extended this to 2 brigades of 2 Line regiments, each with attached grenadier company ready for detachment.



And a brigade of 2 Fusilier regiments, with the recently-completed Hanoverian battery.



In order to make up 2 full detached grenadier battalions, I have 2 stray companies of grenadiers - the regiments they are detached from are currently languishing in garrison, awaiting the first sniff of undercoat.

I debated internally whether to depict the grenadiers in bearskin (a la AWI) or mitre (per SYW), but the existence of the fusiliers in mitre, together with (to be honest) a horde of cheap bearskin-clad Foundry AWI grenadiers on eBay, rather tilted the decision. In an ideal world I would have both available ... but then, I would also have the whole British army represented on a 1:10 figure scale, painted and ready for action, in an ideal world.



*purchased already painted, quite splendidly, on eBay. I regret that I've forgotten the vendor, who was I think moving out of the period, but they were beautifully & sturdily presented.

Thursday, January 7, 2010

La Tour de France

Well after the lads had their day in the sun, their principal (but unprincipled) opponents should get theirs, I guess (in more ways than one).

Ladies, gentlemen, and Stagonians, I give you the Might of Arvergne -

Two cavalry brigades, one of cuirassiers and one of dragoons, both looking sadly bedraggled as they have shed numerous flags*. The hussar brigade is on the drill ground at the moment (waiting to be rebased from single figure bases)



The infantry, four and a half regiments at the moment, with the scurrilous Chasseurs Polonaise on the left.


 

The Good infantry - three regiments Hibernois, the Grenadiers d'Auvergne, and the (half-strength, like their Colonel) Grenadiers Dauphin


 

And finally (as always) the artillery







* Part of the moving house syndrome

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

Le Tour de Force

Well, it's that time of year again*, time for the parade of Kruppfalzen might known as the Tour de Force. Prior to the march down the Unterdentannen, here's the army in the wintry fields of North Kruppmeissen. First, the cavalry - a brigade of 3 cuirassier regiments, and a brigade of 2 dragoon regiments, all woefully under full strength:




Next is the infantry - 2 brigades, each of a pair of line regiments and a fusilier regiment, and a stray fusilier regiment bringing up the rear (their accompanying line regiments are still drilling** and missed the parade).


 

And finally, the grenadiers - a brigade of Erprinz*** along with the Garde zu Fuss, and a brigade of 2 combined grenadier battalions, with a couple of scruffy Freikorps shuffling along on the flank.




 




* well this is the first, actually, but let's be optimistic!
** on the waiting-to-be-painted board, anyway.
*** Yes, like everyone who started on Charge!, I had to get this regiment


Saturday, January 2, 2010

New recruits


Some new recruits - these guys didnt actually make it into the pix of undercoated figures earlier (I forgot, they were on the spraying board out in the garage, duh), but given my perennial shortage of artillery, I thought this is the place to start. First off, 2 batteries of Skyrians, resplendent in their evil leers of positively Bearsteinian aspect:




Next, a draft of levied peasants fresh from the toil and soil of beautiful Arvergne, still with the vines in their pockets (and ears)



Finally, the Thuringer have eventually gotten around to paying their Kanonmeister, so a battery of 12 pounders has wended its dilatory way into the ranks:




I'm reasonably content with getting that lot done since Christmas, in between the usual festive duties, and a little more surgery on one leg.

I should perhaps note that the Arvergnians (French), contrary to my usual standard, have been uniformed in grey rather than the more appropriate dark blue, primarily because almost -everyone- seems to have uniformed their artillery in blue and I wanted to stop losing them in the general ranks of the Prussian crews.
---------------------------------
Update note:

I had a quick run of the Skyrian artillery nestled on a ridge (just testing out rushing artillery with cavalry, then with infantry) and they proved positively Bearsteinian in their accuracy and morale as well, destroying a brigade of valiant Cuirassiers before the glimmer of a drawn sabre was seen, then crushing a brigade of Colonia's finest continentals, repelling the final bayonet charge in fine style with swinging rammers and a volley of complaints about their bad backs. Most fiercesome - if they carry on with dice rolls like this, they will prove a formidable obstacle to the victorious march of Kruppfalz