German Peasant War 1525 - somewhere near Frankenhausen

Apologies - for the long radio silence, but omni present covid seems to come in between everything ... end of a long story, I lost my job, but at least I tested negative (hey!) ... and as I had lately lots on my mind/and to organise ... I thought it would be good to get the toys out again, in defiance of the newly imposed "lockdown" measurements if nothing else ...

The German Peasant War, 1525, 28mm, nothing in particular specific just a generic scenario, the Peasants set up their fortified camp between two little forests, while "having persuaded" Götz v. Berlichingen and his small Landsknecht retinue and some of his small cannons to "help out" against the upcoming Swabian League and the "Peasant strangler", Georg III von Waldburg-Zeil.

The peasants are lacking experienced command (just 2 commands (8, Götz and 7 Thomas Müntzer), and are out gunned, and outnumbered on professional mercenaries and on horse and foot. But ist not all plain sailing for the Swabian League as well, the heavy horse, the big guns and most of the Landsknechts are being used and needed in the Italian Wars. So Georgs "Haufen" has to deal with just light guns and cavalry and just one pike block. At least they have 3 commands (all 8) and some angry priest mob - that‘ll do! 

As I played against myself, I decided to give the noblemen of the League a rather haughty inflexible two flank pincher approach, versus the dull rabble. While the shanghaied "Raubritter" (robber baron) Guotz, probably would have gone for the jugular vein and tried to attack Georg himself to disperse the otherwise in the long run overwhelming odds of the League.

The peasants started the game and launched a right flank upper cut - into the soft centre of the League. There the two main protagonists clash in a bad war style with their doppelsöldners. The two folded pincer attack enfolded quite quickly and brutally and depleted the peasants of a lot of units ... but thats what they have in abundance! The pike block attack got caught in a close range fire while attempting to break and enter the camp. But in the end the unit with Georg got flat out trashed and broke - Götz had the better luck and the centre of the league began to disintegrate.

The Peasants had won the day! Revolution! A new world! ... until the next League commander would be appointed to hunt them all down again.

The initial set up - left the Peasant camp and right the Swabian League

The Georg and his war council next to his tent with some overfed monks (they have even guiness in their crates!)

The only pike block he has - sponsored by the Fuggers

His other Cavalry and some angry monks coming in late

The big peasant mobs pouring out of the camp already ... lack of discipline

Götz Doppelsöldner and small Pike holding the centre/entrance of the camp

on the other side mob is pouring out  as well ...

Götz and Thomas in discussions ???

The peasant startling the soldiers by attacking

The monks are engaged and quite a match for the peasants

Then the professionals advance

The Landsknecht pike block advancing is a sight to behold

Götz and retinue leaving the camp

In anticipation of long pikes the peasants fall back ...

The sling and bow unit of the peasants fire ... no effect

The handgunners of both sides clash in an urgent melee!

The light cavalry charges into a large peasant mob

the mob breaks

meanwhile the doppelsöldner clash -  both Götz and Georg attached!!!

the battlefield is in turmoil

v. Berlichingen is victorious and killed Georg and his guard! - the snake is without its head!

the left cavalry flank is loosing men fast but extinguishes the right flank of the peasants

in the centre two small guns open fire close up to the advancing pike block - ouch!

the only gun on the right Swabian flank left wanted to do the same, but exploded!

its not looking good for the nobles

The bishop has been voted CinC in a hurry ...

Only the right flank with the pike block and the men-at-arms look steady

only to get under fire again ...

the last melee between the handgunner, lasted the longest, but inevitably the Swabians lost

time for the bishop to give up!

A victory for the rebellion! Another day to live!

Seven Years - Wargame - test game

Me and Peter met for an 28mm Seven Years War test game at his place. I would bring my entire Russians and Austrians (nearly finished) - while my Prussians had to wait, because their are still in the shop(s)...

My Seven Year wargaming project is nearly taking so long as its title, but I had some changes in mind that would speed up the process of leaving blood on the table!

1st I changed the charge order to take 1 support unit with them.

2nd the looser of any combat would suffer the combat damages PLUS on additional reduction in status! If it would be enough that he had to withdraw 2 moves, all his supports would have to move 1 movement back as well.

Peter took the Austrians and me played the manyfold Russians. The set up was plain, some woods and a BUA in the middle.

Peter got the 1st turn and advanced pretty quickly into the hamlet, but somehow got bottle-necked with his Imperial sized units between the two woods. On the other hand, I had more command, but struggled to make my numerical advantage felt - cumbersome, too many units and too many units needed repair.

Then Peters and his fabulous modernised Austrian gunnery system, not to mention his lucky dice annihilated my Russian medium guns. On top of that he shot away one of my veteran grenadier units.

At least at the flanks my cavalry superiority should make all the difference - but to no avail! We had agreed to that the Hussars were normal cavalry (just 2" faster), but again he seems to send me away to my lines again and again! In the end he agreed on a draw, but I think the Russian were in no state to expect an Austrian full fledged attack of his centre, but then we ended the game.

At the end Peter suggested a bonus/malus for "no clear target" (-1) and to speed up the cohaesion decline even further, that the Staff officer can only rally one unit status up regardless - which means that "routing/fleeing" units can only be pushed back to shaken status, after spending 2 SO‘s!!! Next time!

Apologise my camera was set up on non-auto focus the whole time and only a few images were thus representable ... 

Initial set up

The Austrian right cavalry flank

The Austrians came fwd and then got stuck

My veterans/grenadiers to get shout to pieces soon

the big gap in my/Russians centre at some point

the big gap in my/Russians centre at some point without blur

my final Horse attack that rolled too low ...

Just about 105BC somwhere near Greece

Last week we played Romans versus the Macedonian /late Greek Mercenary armies, by the rules of "To the Strongest", 28mm at Peter‘s. Campbell and Bart proudly presented their Roman armoured proletarian raffle, while me and Peter presented our Seleucid Specialist Forces (by the courtesy of Peters magnificent miniature collection). 

We had large unwieldy phalanges and both flanking cavalry and an elephant, that should count for something! While Campbell and Bart had just tough Roman Republican troops and people on horses. And a ballista (scorpio) that would count for nothing!

I don‘t know what their plan was, but it sure didn't seem to work. They seem to wait for us to come to them, which we did, which was nearly fatal for us, and also their Romans shittiest cavalry held out for a very very unbelievable long time ... just to succumb at last. On Peters side the elephant made its way and the cavalry outflanked the Romans.

In "To the Strongest" out-flanking is somewhat the beginning of the end! My classical Greeks can vouch for that (which weren‘t allowed to come out that day, probably not to demoralise the SPQR civilians too much). 

So to cut their "pilae" and "iugulae" and the rest of the story short, we put an end to their sufferings by thrusting our "lancea" in their "sterna" of some more units and won by coins ("nummi"), which is what you get when you annihilate units of the opponent in those times. What a mercenary mindset - but hey thats what we came for, isn't it?

initial set up

our ranks

Barts Romans

Campbells nervous Romans

Us Greeks coming to the enemy

Romans climbing hills

Helenistic Greek Cavalry meeting Roman Horse dilletarii

Romans still climbing hills or forming up

Roman "Friends on Horses" are getting decimated

Romans still climbing hills

Romans forming up around hills - they really like them!!

Peters Cavalry at their flank 

My cavalry searching for Equestrian hobbyists of the Romans