LAST BATTLE OF THIS YEAR - Gross-Peronitz 1760

As my club mates mostly are too lazy to read my SYW rules, they wanted to test Rank&File in that era, which inspired me to not read these rules either. As this was probably the last proper battle of this year, I wanted to do something differently in this total fictional scenario and gave the Russian a nice sturdy veteran army, while the Saxons and the Prussians were mostly uninspired greenies or just about to desert. (Miniatures by Front Rank, Foundry and Crusaders all my collection apart from the Cran Tara Saxons in Barts possession).

The Russians (Peter and Mike) had more shock troop cavalry, better guns, and better troop quality (all veterans). While the Saxo-Prussian force (me, Alisdair and Bart) had one infantry brigade more, but less guns, all light cannons, and all infantry were down graded to greenies (and the grenadiers to normal) and just two shock cavalry instead of four. It would be a walk over for the Russians.

So the Russians appeared on the hills and began to shell our lines with their medium guns. We instead capturing the two BUAs Gross-Peronitz and Klein-Peronitzen in the second turn. Our CinC General Entschuldigung (Sorry!) Alisdair didn't throw very good at the initiative and helped to paint a picture of an totally un-prussian force phlegmatic and slow.

But then Peter attacked with his Cuirassiers and the real battle began. As per usual I could count on his abysmal red skull dice, he is particular unfortunately with red dice lately (political? subconscious??). So I slaughtered his Hussars with my "black"!!!! Death Skull Hussars (maybe black skull dice next? just a suggestion ... or just throwing the dice instead of laying them out like a gout ridden rabbit).

We didn't have that much time as we liked, due to the fact that the people who had read the rules, didn't have read them as good as the ones who did not.

My Black-Death-Skull-Judgement-day-Hussars couldn't be stopped at flanking fire from a half blind Russian veteran musketeer regiment and chased the remnants of the Hussars and nearly killed the Russian CinC. Then they broke through and were behind their lines - Ouch!

Mike wanted to save the situation but his dragoons were just a bit too late, so that I could let the Black Skull Hussars charge the Pavlovian Palast Guard from behind! They had to flee through their frightened comrades toward the Prussian lines. This is when we decided to pull the curtains over the ensuing massacre because of the the festive spirit of this seasonal event! We killed more Russians than them Prussians - so a clear victory for the underdog!

We had all a wonderful time! - and the lesson is: Don't drink diet fizzy drinks, don't buy red dice and read the goddamn rules! ;)

The Prussian initial deployment - the Peroni fraction

The Russian initial deployment - the diet coke fraction

The battle field at the beginning

The Prussian advance to the Klein-Hill

The Hussars of both clash for the first time

all other march along

The Russians set position on the Gross-Hill.

While the Prussians slow down

The other Russian flank advance

The Saxon flank under the iron grip of the Peroni fraction.

Black (and Skulls) beats Yellow

That regiment had it that day!!!

Flanking fire from Musketeers? - pah!

The two armies come nearer

Again the Prussian Hussars attack!

While the Prussian centre gets hammered

Shot to pieces by the Russian artillery

Line after line marched into the hellish din

Gross-Hill is Russian hand

The battle of Klein-Peronitz is full swing

The Russian cuirassiers could have swung the tide but decided otherwise
(Peter is NOT a cavalry man!)

And then my Death Skull Hussars were behind enemy lines!!

The Russian flank just closes up

The last attack of the Hussars

The Pavlovian Guard has to stumble toward our lines

In an all out attack the Russian stumble forward

But just as expected by the Saxon flank

Gross-Peronitz still in our hand

English Civil War - Big Sunday Game!!!!

It was again time for a Big Sunday Game: this time ECW (some fictional scenario of two armies/infantries moving up against each other while the horse is away missing the first two turns. Peter and Bart and Fred were talking the Royalist standarte while me and Mike were conscripted for the Parliament.

The scenario design was for 8 players so we had many Cavalry to deploy between us. Bart was in his element! Both sides could muster up to 8 regiment of horse on each flank!!!

In the middle were a forrest and a city located that hindered initial deployment, so a fine case terrain decision for two different battles. Also who controlled the middle would control the battle with flank attacks. So we decided to deploy 4 of my horse regiment for the "middle", while I block the overpowering 8 Royal horses... if just the other flank would not break ... against Barts 8 horse regiments - he is renown for his cavalry attacks!

But then something happened ... or better nothing, as Barts cavalry seemed to lacked the will or the monetary funds to move forward, typically these royal mercenaries! Throughout the day Campbell kept the pressure up and Barts units were melting faster than snow in hell. As it turned out a major drain in the Royal funds!

Mike was first too quick advancing and loosing his veterans vs Peter in the centre, but that might be just a ruse just to assure them in their perceived security. 

I just advanced and took position and hold. After one unsuccessful charge I learned quick. My fire was just about better than the enemy, but enough to keep them in check. Even my newly recruits weren't even tested, as nobody approached them in the hedges.

The Royalists waited too long, bottle-necked their overwhelming cavalry opposite my lines, while Bart lost the other flank. It was just a question of some turns as finally the war chest of the king was empty...

A resounding victory for the Parliament and progress! The conservative approach of the Royalists did not helped them in the slightest to master this crisis before them ... when did it ever. ;)

The Parliamentarians on the right and the Royalists on the left

in the foreground left my flank ... ordered to hold

8 Royal cavalry regts vs my 4

a little forrest helped me in my deployment

And some hedges that were easy to reach

to link to the center

that was the complete battle bottle neck

and the hedges held too

while the rest of our cavalry could wreak havoc in the centre

Guns Of August - 08/1915 - 02/1916

 Apologizes again, it seems life comes in between me and my hobbies.

The last Big Sunday game was Guns Of August, the 6mm recreation of the Avalon Hill board game.

Last time (the first half of the 1915 year) left the Central Powers stuck and ended their overwhelming superiority in offensives and structural force. The Allies had landed successfully in Gallipoli! The balkan front was established. Italy was joining them on by sheer luck earlier in their war efforts to free Europe from the anti democratic empires.

Now it would be the question if they could keep on their momentum. And that was quickly answered on the Italian front. The Italian forces that swept way beyond their supply lines retreated and the Austro-Hungarian flottila made an attack the second naval battle of the war ... and was sunk. The front lines hardened and are probably beyond the capabilities of either side to break the stalemate.

The western front kept quiet troops were shifted, forts were build, but everybody seems to be waiting for the big push that whisperingly would be announced soon ... all quiet here.

The Balkan front, despite numerous counter attacks ordered by v. Hotzendorf, the French-Serbian balkan front established itself and kept digging in, probably with the same perspective as the Italian one. Nobody wants to storm entrenched positions in mountains. On the Turkish side things got from bad to worse,. They are just hanging in there by their teeth. And we all expect Constantinople to fall in the next half year.

The Russian front never kept quiet. As the A-H line kept quiet (their men were needed elsewhere to fill gaps), the German pushed steadily foward towards Riga and Minsk. Not quiet there, but close to be a major concern.

Even though the overall situation has been lesser successful for the allies, by the rules if the game would have stopped, it would be a "strategic victory" for them, the grand diplomatic situation though is less than optimistic. 

We have 1916 and the first "Big Push" attacks happened in Belarus and the Karparthien (without much success though this time) - BUT if Russia falls 3 strategic cities would immediately swing the pendulum to the Central Powers (Operative victory). Also very disappointing is the abscence of the United States of America and Romania. Both could be and will be game changers, but remain still neutral to the anguish of both sides.

Also as we entered the phase of the moral check for each major combatant (each 3rd month),  the forthcoming year 1916 will be a very decisive and unquestionably intensive year. 

Even if Constantinople will fall, it will be too late for Russia. Rumania can elevate the Central Powers struggle on the Balkan, but can it help sufficiently to erase the front?

Same with America, even if it enters, it will take a year at least until its land forces can make a difference - will it be long enough for the Central Powers to turn the tide? 1916 was always (in previous games I played) the year of the Central Powers, the make or break - if played correctly and with a bit of luck they can smash the starting allies of the war ... or go down.

Barts blog for more images and a monthly description:

http://asienieboje.blogspot.com/2022/10/guns-of-august-3-081915-021916.html#comment-form

The western fronts in the summer 1915

The eastern fronts at the same time

The German start the Belarus offensive

All quiet around Swiss

The Germans before Riga at February 1916

And threatening Minsk

The eastern fronts at February 1916

The western fronts at February 1916

Casualties in relative relation so far