What I've been up to lately ... WIP

... some generic French Gendarmes, the horn blower from Uri and some pavises for Angus' Serrenissimost army ...

Battle a la Garigliano, 29 December 1503

This was to be my last game in this year, so I looked for a kind of a cosy winter battle for our little Christmas bash and found Garigliano (1503). A retreating battle of an sickened French army attacked and defeated and driven before them by the Spanish under the great de Cordoba (maybe with heavy rain, wet powder and an ailing French rump army ... hmm we will see) . The Spanish would split forces and in a pincer movement attack the weakened French in their camp.

As we don't have Spanish (Yet!!), I took my Landsknechts (all Habsburg anyway in the end), I also reduced the Castellos Suio, Castelforte and Traietto to mere hills with gabbions and switched the two Habsburger commander. Bart got the Imperial high command as De Cordoba (staff rating 9) and the southern half of Andrades army, while I (as Andrade or Mendoza) overslept the night march and attacked Suio in the north at daybreak.

I also refrained to weaken the French troops any further as a very grumpy Angus thought he was out numbered and out-manouvered right from the start. He had to play the French, because we loved it.

The start was a bit slow as Bart suddenly decided to start off table (??) and we had some difficulties to cross the little Garigliano River. My flank attack on the French crossbow position on "Castle" Suio was, to say the least, abysmal, if not out right uncoordinated. I attacked with my light horse the French archer and got very badly beaten and whittled down by bolts and guns powder ...

On the other side, Bart tried to save the day by an all out cavalry attack, destroyed some of the French feared men-at-arms, but crucially not all, not the Gendarmes. The rest of his Horse battalia had to withdraw and rally, while heavy losses occurred form the French Basilisks (heavy artillery) and Swiss halberdiers.
The day had shown a total reversal of history. We had to end the battle, but it was clear that the French had won the day and we could be lucky if the gendarmes would not follow us over the river ...

Still it was an immensely enjoyable game (and year).

Angus Rap:
http://www.edinburghwargames.com/Journal%20113.htm
Bart's Rap
http://asienieboje.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/garigliano-1503.html

Merry X-mas to you and everybody and all the club mates (SESWC) and a wonderful new year to come!

... maybe Santa is bringing some more lead ...

The Merry Christmas fun at the Garigliano crossing on the road to the Traietto camp

The Imperials at the Garigliano River

The French camp

The attack of the Arquebusiers on Suio ...

... with Angus Landsknechts unit (each figure took a year to finish)

Suio and its cool south french defenders

the French archer are coming!

The Swiss centre a display of vulgar aggression

The clash of the Gendarmes

..and its final winner - The French

at Suio nothing has changed apart from decimating the Spanish/Imperials

The Landsknechte are pushing forward

the Swiss still blurred in the faint distance

some fearless Doppelsöldner are attacking the Scharfmetze

somehow a concert of an attack looks different

Still the Swiss are standing in defiance.

Much Funken around Liliane shortly after 1758

At the time of the Seven Years War somewhere in the middle of Nordrhein-Westphalen (i.e. nowhere), Angus came up with an meticulously researched occurence around the north German settlements called Liliane und Funken and we embellished the table top accordingly.

On the "Schäl"side (a crypto-rheinlandic diminutive, meaning always the east-side of said river) was His Britannic Majesty's Army led by Bart, adjudantiert by myself and Herr Campbell, where as on the right side the French came along led by anyone of the following Monsieurs: Angus, Tim or Bill. Who in the end, was in charge of the lot I dare not say, as they did not move a lot. All Gentlemen agreed on the terms and conditions of the "Honours of War" by Osprey-hausen.

The objectives where the capture of the villages. Beverages were served and so we were promptly able to advance.

Me and Campbell pressed forward and got a foothold in both settlements successfully. Despite massive Royal shelling of our good Fusileers we took it on the chin, hold out and pressed onwards.

Against our superior Hessian musketry the French invaders were powerless and their lines melted away like bacon in a hot pan. Our plan, we never had, worked just fine.

The rules are quick to learn and quickly you do learn that fire power can harm you – a lot. Never the less a beautiful evening, albeit tactical a bit stiff, we all agreed to intensify our efforts to learn about the Honours of War.

Angus's rap:

http://www.edinburghwargames.com/Journal%20113.htm
Bart#'s rap:
http://asienieboje.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/the-battle-of-liliane-funcken-1758.html

The French centre

The Hessian von Mirbach Brigade captures Liliane

THE Formidable Hessian Grenadiers

Some Brittanic Cavalry that got lost in the garden

Still the French Centre, not much of a difference

View from the top of Funken, The Hessian Jaeger are coming!

His Britannic Majestiy's Army advances 

Liliane is under threat from some French rabble ... 

But the attack is countered and the counter-counter attack is smashed 

The French fire gallantly, all they can do ...

The beautiful cavalry just standing around

Funken and Liliane are finally ours!

The Fall of Fort Washington

Greene had promised Washington the forts would be impossible for the British to take. Now after the disaster of White Plains the fort becomes untenable and the next disaster is about to happen.

Bart (as General in command) just took the brigades from Percy and half of Knyphausen and left more than half of the historical army up north. Angus was starring as Percy this time commanding the British lot while Bart took up the Hessian contingent including the Jaegers.

Admiral Howe was giving artillery help and pounding the overcrowded fort from the Hudson into submission. Jim was brave enough to take overall command of the American forces as colonel McGraw. I "helped out" as an unnamed sub-ordinate, but I use that term help very loosely here.

As the said fort was untenable the British just have to reach and claim the southern battlements and the battle would be over, as the Americans would then surrender.

The British main force came from the south (New York) but Bart waited and let all the brigades to be shipped towards the north of the peninsular, the British coming from the east at Kings bridge and the Hessians from the west at the Hudson bank. The Battle pretty much panned out like the historical one -  the American served out some fire, but were unable to destroy one single British unit. After massed counter-attack of the crown forces, the rebel lines stared to crumble and the Hessian jaegers were the first to reach the fort. The American flag was cut off the Fort after turn 7.

There was a window of an opportunity to give the British a harder time, but we missed it. The American cause lost 3 Continental Regiments and five Militia Regiments!!!

Now the Winter campaign has left the historical fundament (as best as it was possible to me) and lift off to what ever outcome it might will take. No offence, but (naturally) it looks bleak for Washington.

The 1st turn (week of October) of the 1776 is over and the Loyalty index is swinging towards the Crown (-1)!!! Next supply rolls will be less plenty for the rebels.

Bart's battle rap:
http://asienieboje.blogspot.co.uk/2015/12/fort-washington.html

The status quo of the campaign after the 1st October week

The southern part of the Fort and the initial British deploymen

After turn 3 the British shipped their whole force up north

The first attack of the Hessians cuts a swathe into the American line

Percy presses forward past Kings bridge

The Rebel line is faltering

The British attack the Militia (wavering) ...

... butthe Militia is holding 3 turns effectively the whole battle.

The Rebels lost control of the hill

... still the stubborn Militia holds the ground (Breaking every turn but saving with 10 or more each time)

finally the Militia breaks ad a Continental Army Regt. steps in

... while more Jaegers storm the walls of the fort - the wall is broken

... the last actions on the hill ...

... the American surrender. McGraws brigades will vanish into the bowels of the British prison ships.

Bärn

„The bear has long served as symbol of Bern. Legend has it that, in 1191, Duke Berthold V of Zähringen vowed to choose as namesake the first animal his hunt met in the wood that was to be chopped down for his new city. As Konrad Justingers chronicle puts it:

„Then they caught a bear first, which is why the city was called Bern; and so the citizens had their coat and shield, which was a black bear in a white shield, going upright.“

The first records of bears being kept in the city come from 1513, when the chronicler Valerius Anshelm described how the Bernese returned home victorious from the Battle of Novara, carrying both the captured standards and a living bear as spoils of war.“

... shortly afterwards I started a pike block of that very provenience. And now I finished twelve Halberdiers.

The figures are Perry miniatures, "Famous Seamus", my 12 year old lurcher agreed to help out posing as the bear.