Battle of Saint-Clement Part 1

So with the build up to the game complete, it was time to push little lead miniatures across the table for the fictitious battle of Saint-Clement. So Thom and Neil G, commanding the French would attempt to hold off the Prussians, commanded by Mitch, Robbo and Andy. Yours truly was umpiring and taking a lot of enjoyment out of the facial expressions of the Prussian Commander in Chief, Mitch when his subordinates attempted to carry out his orders for an aggressive advance on the French positions to knock out the 2 defending divisions before fresh troops began to reinforce their position.

The Prussian cavalry division, commanded by Andy began to push past Saint-Clement, while the Horse artillery deployed within the town, to begin firing on the french position at long range. It was at this point very early in the game that things began to somewhat unravel for the Prussians. The lead regiment came under fire and halted in disorder. After rallying they entered the woods to the right of Saint-Clement to try and engage the french chasseurs. However the Chassepot began to show its prowess, disordering the second regiment before the rear two regiments about faced and decided to ride back around the woods to come up on the french position. Meanwhile the Wurtemburgers under Robbo slowly advanced forward before pushing his cavalry and Jagers forward between Saint-Clement and Leibseviller. Robbo also deployed his 4 batteries to support the Prussian artillery in firing upon the French in Lunevile.

Prussian horse artillery deployed

Wurtemburgers move forward with the Bavarians making an appearance

As the Wurtemburgers slowly plodded forward they started to make room for the arrival of the Bavarian I Corps. However as they pushed further North West they also came under fire from Chasseurs. They did however reveal the position of the french 1st Division of II Corps to the west of Blamville. Now the advancing Germans were facing 3 french divisions.

1st Division of III Corps

Wurtemburgers pushing forward

Meanwhile the dithering Prussian cavalry Division was being slowly shot to pieces. 2 regiments trying to force their way through the woods were being picked off. Eventually both became so badly mauled from the french skirmishers that they broke and routed from the field.The other 2 regiments though did manage to swing around the roads and began to advance towards the french 3rd Division. However their journey also revealed the position of the 2nd division of XII Corps, dug in across the road to Blamont. The French though decided not to be idle and the 2nd division left their fortifications to advance upon the Prussian horse.

2nd Division of XII Corps

German troops getting bottled in

2nd division begins to advance

Prussian cavalry swing by the woods

The Prussian cavalry yet again met with disaster. As they came around the woods they also entered range of french artillery and a Mitrailleuse. Both firing in support of the Chasseurs hiding in the woods began to inflict more heavy casualties on the  Prussian cavalry. Meanwhile to the west of Luneville, a french cavalry division made an appearance and began to threaten the advance of the Wurtemburgers. Robbo wasn't fancying facing 3 french cavalry regiments with just 1 of his own. Luckily the 2nd division of the Bavarian I Corps had also arrived and swung west to reinforce the Wurtemburgers. Sending 3 regiments of cavalry from their reserve to support the Wurtemburg cavalry. Between Luneville and Saint-Clement both sides concentrated on counter battery fire with pretty desultory results for both sides.

The only other action on this flank was a battle between some Chasseurs and Jagers exchanging fire in the woods before the Jagers decided to fix bayonets and charge in. The Chasseurs were quickly swept away, yielding the woods to the victorious Jagers.

French infantry 

Overview of the action

French Chasseurs

Jagers capture the woods

AS time began to draw to a close, the lead elements of the Prussian 11th Division from VI Corps began to arrive on the field, having taken the road to Badonviller before advancing towards Ogreviller.

11th Division , VI Corps

So the game is all set for next week. After a lot of manouvering the Wurtemburgers, supported by the Bavarian I Corps will begin their assault on the french positions from Luneville to the west. The Prussian VI Corps will also be in a position to put itself in between the french III and XII Corps. The French however are still in a strong defensive position, waiting  for their enemy to bring the fight to them.All the while the rest of XII Corps gets nearer to the battlefield.

Barricades for the game

Finally completed the last bit of preparation I needed for the game in 2 feet of barricades for the French to use. They are simple affairs using modelling sticks, matchsticks and some modelling clay. The clay was meant to dry in 24 hours but took over 35 hours before I could then add some sane. They were given a quick spray of chocolate brown and a dry-brush with a sand colour. Each piece measures 6 inches.

Also my figures arrived from Lancashire games, enough for 2 infantry regiments and 3 artillery batteries. Size wise they are not a bad match, height wise with the Outpost miniatures in my collection. I took a comparison photo against an Outpost marine I had left over.

Though the bases are a little thicker, I am more than happy with them and will likely add more if I continue to build the forces. My thoughts are already mulling over adding the 4th infantry division for the French III Corps and the Baden Division for the Prussian XIV Corps

FPW - Final prep and set up

With the game approaching and the final orders in from the respective commanders I got a rough map drawn (excuse my handwriting) and sent to the players. On theirs I marked their respective deployments. I then went down to the club and got the armies sorted out and those that can be seen on the table.

The game will begin after the Prussian cavalry under Prinz Albert reported that he had engaged and pursued some Franc-Tireurs just north of Baccarat and continued the pursuit until he came under fire from French troops dug in south on Luneville. He immediately called up the Wurtemburg Division to support him, hoping the rest of the army would march to the sound of the guns. Prinz Albert estimates he has around 2 Divisions of French infantry to his front and it is his belief that the rest of the French army is in the area.

My badly drawn map

The troops that can be seen by either side are now deployed on the table ready for the start.

Prussian Cavalry and Wurtemburgers

Their view north towards Luneville and the French

French 3rd Division, III Corps

French 2nd Division, III Corps

Looking south to Saint-Clement and the Prussian cavalry

The rest of their troops are on trays ready for deployment. The French will have two more divisions on the table, just at the moment the Prussians cannot see them.

Remaining Wurtemburgers

Prussian VI Corps

Bavarian 1st Division and Corps troops

Bavarian 2nd Division

French XII Corps

French 1st and cavalry Division, III Corps

I now just need to finish painting up 2 ft of trench works to cover some of the French infantry and to help represent them as dug in. Looking forward to the game now.

Franco-Prussian War French

In preparation for the game next week I was sorting out the army lists for each side. What I realised was that both of my French Corps are not at full strength. III Corps is short of an infantry division, it seems that the first 3 Corps in the Imperial French army had 4 divisions and not 3. XII Corps is also short of a division of infantry, a brigade of horse to make a second small cavalry division. Now I have ordered the horse to complete the second division of cavalry and some additional commanders. Ideally I want to complete both Corps, but that will take time and which one first? III Corps in theory is the quickest to finish, but for multi-player games at the club, it would be better to add the 3rd infantry division to XII Corps, making them both roughly the same size.

I decided on XII Corps and completing the 1st infantry division made up of the following 4 regiments, the 22nd, 34th, 58th and 79th. It does not have any chasseur regiment attached. So these 2 infantry regiments are the last of my Outpost figures, representing the 22nd and 34th infantry regiments.

The last 2 regiments will be made up of the Lancashire miniature when they arrive. However as an added bonus, Reiver Castings now carries the Outpost range. This is great news as it is a very comprehensive collection. It already has me thinking about finishing both of these French Corps and then doing the Baden Division to complete the Prussian XIV Corps.

 On to the game prep, both sides submitted their map moves and deployments and we will have our battle at Saint-Clement, the Prussian cavalry supported by the Wurtemburg division have engaged the French 2nd and 3rd division of III Corps. Unbeknown to the Prussian commander there are actually 4 French divisions on the table.

2024 a Year in Review

Thought I'd do this a little bit early. I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year and hope 2025 is a belter for you all. So what did I paint up in 2024, quite a bit by the looks of it, 2995, just 5 short of reaching the 3k mark.

6mm foot - 72

6mm vehicles - 80

10mm scenic/building - 6

15mm artillery - 32

15mm foot - 2434

15mm vehicles - 56

15mm mounted - 91

15mm scenic/building - 26

28mm artillery - 2

28mm foot - 137

28mm monster - 6

28mm scenic/building - 44

28mm vehicles - 9

So what did I paint this year? It started off with the ECW project for Marston Moor. In the main the Scots Covenanter contingent. I also completed another 10 sprues of infantry for Simon. It was quite an undertaking and I am pleased with the final results and the game seemed to be well received at the Border Reiver show. We even managed a few games at the club while we fine tuned the rules for the game.

The next major project was the Afrika Korps for Rapid fire. Now WW2 is not normally my thing, but I really enjoyed painting these up. Need to get them on the table more as they only saw 2 games this year. So need to speak to Mitch about getting his allies on the table for a game.

After these 2 major projects I then went off on a tangent, picking up a couple of projects just because they are different, namely the Quar and Battletech. Really enjoyed painting these up and even got a couple of games in as well. These will definitely see more action in 2025.

The year ended with another diverse project, namely Burrows and Badgers. These were a joy to paint up and I have plenty of ideas for scenery as well as scenarios. Got my first game this week to test out the rules.

In gaming terms an old collection got a run out, namely my ACW as Neil B put on th battle of 1st Bull run. I found this inspired me to get another collection out of storage, the Franco Prussian War and start planning a learge club game for mid January, It even got me painting up a few unfinished figures for the collection. I can see this collection getting expanded in 2025 as my French need a few more troops to balance out the numbers. I also fancy completing the Badener's to complete XX Corps for the Prussians.

The only other planned project for 2025 is my Republican Romans, just need to think of a suitable opponent, the choice is between Carthaginians, Spanish or Gauls. Gives me something to ponder over the coming weeks. I'll also be looking to move on a couple of armies in the New Year, my WW2 Russians and Germans for Chain of Command. They take up space and never get used. I also need to get the Infamy collection on the table. All painted up during Covid lock-down and never been used, something to look forward to in 2025.

Have a good one folks

A mixed bag

With a few days off enjoying the festive spirit, it was an opportune moment to get a few figures painted up during some quiet time. So with the upcoming Franco Prussian game I managed to finish a small brigade of French Cavalry. I'll be adding them to one of the existing cavalry divisions for the game but they will actually form part of a second small cavalry division in XII Corps. The figures are all from Outpost, such a shame the range is no longer available as I discovered 2 unpainted units of French infantry which were probably the start of a 3rd Infantry division in XII Corps.

The next batch of painting was some scenic items I picked up from Debris of War. They'll always come in handy for a variety of skirmish games we play.

I do have another 11 of the bags with various crops to paint up, you can never have too many Just need a few more different items for variety. The last painted items were the remainder of my figures for Burrows and Badgers. A second badger, a spaniel, a mole and a squirrel. Loved painting these up and will likely pick up a few more in the new year.

Now back to planning the next stage of the Franco Prussian game.

It's all in the planning

After 2 weeks at the club, re-fighting 1st Manassas or Bull run if you prefer, organised by Neil B. It was great to dig the collection out of its storage boxes. Not sure why I didn't take any photos! The game ended with a very narrow Union victory. I decided that I would put on a large Franco Prussian game. It was really just an excuse to get another collection out of storage as it has been some time since it was used.

The game will revolve around elements of the Prussian 3rd army, namely VI Corps, Bavarian I Corps supported by a Wurtemburg division and a Prussian cavalry division, crossing the Rhine before swinging North West seeking out and engaging the French around Nancy.

The Prussians will be initially deployed between Stuttgart and Ulm. Mitch who has taken on the command as KPz Freidrich, has to plan their order of march to get them across the Rhine at Breisach and form up at Colmar, before advancing upon the French. 

The French, with Thom taking on the role of General Bazaine, will have most of III Corps and XII Corps trying to keep the road open between Nancy and Strasbourg. He will have to deploy his army between Charmes and Sarrebourg.

Mitch has already sent his orders in for crossing the Rhine, just waiting for Thom to provide the French deployment, once those are in, both sides will get a chance based on reports to begin re-ordering. Once first contact is made on the map, this will be the location of the battle. The French will be able to end dispatch riders to call in any divisions nearby, meanwhile the Prussians will follow the doctrine of marching to the sound of the guns. 

We should be ready to play mid January. This is handy as I realised I need to paint up a regiment of French dragoons. I also need 4 artillery pieces for the French. Looking in the lead pile unearthed 2 extra French brigades of infantry, but no artillery. For the game I will just proxy in, 4 artillery from my ACW Union forces. But now I have ideas of completing the 4th infantry division for III Corps, however Outpost are no longer in business so will have to have a little search for compatible alternatives.