FPW Hessians

As I am in the planning stages of our third Franco Prussian game I have quite a few troops to paint up by the end of April. So here are the first couple of regiments completed, both for the Hessian Division. First up is the 3rd Hessian Infantry regiment, 6 stands representing 2 battalions.

The other completed regiment is the Dragoons for the Hessian division, the 4 stands represent the 2 regiments. Unlike the Prussian and Baden dragoons I've already painted, these have a Dark green tunic instead of the more common light blue.

I've also come up with a plan to expand my French forces, namely option 2, start IV Corps. However I will cheat a little. The last french division I painted will be moved over from XII Corps, reducing it to 2 divisions, the extra cavalry division will also be moved to IV Corps. This gives me a good start on IV Corps, I've got the figures undercoated to complete a second infantry division as well as some artillery on order. To back up these I will also complete one of the 2 Reserve cavalry divisions of 3 regiments, mainly because the French cavalry in our games are rather under strength.

A Fistful of Quar

So on Thursday night at the club we had to make a quick adjustment to the games due to an absence. So we decided to dig out Fistful of lead , but used some Quar, 1 figure each. It took about 5 minutes to work out the weapons and away we went. We ended up getting through 3 games with the Coftryans taking the spoils 2 games to 1. I didn't get many pictures as I spent too much time laughing. So many natural 10's were rolled, resulting in 'out of action' Thom rolling 5 of them in the first 2 games to claim 5 kills, before I took him out in game 3 with a natural 10. 

The layout

The shooting begins

It's now 2 on 1

The only fisticuffs of the game.

After the games, I think we need to write up some of the adaptations we made and have a few more games to test them out.

Painting update

In between running the latest Franco Prussian War battle, I've been trying to get a little painting done as I prepare for the next game in the campaign. So first up was a few extra buildings from Battlescale in their 10mm range. For the latest game I've had to use a few buildings that were too early for the period. These were done to rectify that, though the watermill is more suited to an American theatre.

Watermill

Townhouse 1

Townhouse 2

Townhouse 3

I've also been adding to the FPW collection. First up was some spare mounted figures I had left over and a mounted Divisional leader. As the cavalry brigades are generally of mixed horse I can simply add these two stands to the existing brigades.

And lastly was a start on the infantry regiments for the Hessian Division. Thankfully they are equipped the same as their Prussian counterparts, but they do have their own distinctive flags. So the 1st and 2nd infantry regiments are done. They are smaller than the Prussians as they are only fielding two battalions instead of the normal three. The figures as usual are from Outpost/Reiver castings.

I've already got the next batch of figures prepped and undercoated. They are a third Hessian regiment, Hessian cavalry, a French infantry regiment and some Chasseurs.

FPW - Battle of Drouvile Part III

So to the final entry of this encounter. The French needed to hold out for at least 5 more turns to secure their victory conditions. III Corps was trying to grimly hold on to Drouvile, but the pressure was increasing. They had already faced repeated assaults from the Prussian 11th Division, who seemed reluctant to call off their attacks despite heavy casualties and kept throwing their brigades in. Manwhile the Bavarians were approaching from the west, driving off the few defenders protecting the Drouvile-Nancy road. To try and ease the pressure, the french threw in their cavalry against the advancing Prussian columns, but it wasn't enough. The cavalry were decimated after repeated charges. 

French cavalry attacking a Prussian cavalry

Bavarians surrounding Drouvile

Pressure on Drouvile building

Let's charge again and see if the result is different. It wasn't

Prussian guns begin their cannonade

In the centre, there was little movement. The Prussian 12th Division was pinned down in front of the French 2nd and 3rd divisions. Casualties were building and there seemed to be a reluctance from the Wurtemburgers to leave the shelter of the woods and face the Chassepotte at close range. Over on the right wing, the Prussian and French cavalry put in repeated charges, eventually the Prussians driving off their opponents and pushed through to Valhey, threatening the left wing of XII Corps. It was at this critical point disaster struck for the French. the 2nd Division from the newly arrived I Corps, failed to advance to relieve the pressure on XII Corps. The 1st division also struggled to move before finding its lead brigade pounded by mass Prussian artillery. With both wings capitulating the French commander called off the defence, ceding the field to the Prussians. 

Sorry for the lack of photos, I got so engrossed in the game. When totalling up the victory points it ended up a 28 points to 25 points, minor victory for the Prussian 3rd army. It could have been so much better for the Prussians. The Bavarians decided to skirt around the woods towards Crevic before swinging back north, this delayed their arrival against Drouvile. This left the Prussian VI Corps to advance straight into the French position with little support, especially when the Wurtemburgers also remained in the woods. It suffered horrendous casualties. Of its 8 brigades, 1 was destroyed, 4 were spent and the last was worn, the regiment of dragoons and the Jagers were also destroyed. The Baden division also was reluctant to advance, relying on its artillery to hit the french at range. It was only the advance of the french cavalry that brought the Prussian horse forward.

Well the players enjoyed the game and all are looking forward to the 3rd battle. I need to give myself a few weeks to paint up the Hessians and allow Thom to complete the French I Corps 

FPW - Battle of Drouvile Part II

So Thursday night was back into the grip of the game. We got through about 5 more moves which was good going, considering the amount of troops and both sides finally getting really stuck into each other.

On the Prussian left flank the Bavarian I Corps continued to swing around the woods to bring pressure on Drouvile from the west. All that stood between them and the town were parts of the french 1st division of III Corps. Both sides began to inflict casualties as they came within rifle range. 1 regiment of French chasseurs were caught in a cross fire and wiped out. Meanwhile the 11th Prussian Division head straight into the gap between Drouvile and the woods. The closer they got, the fire from the Chasspotte began to inflict horrific casualties, but still the division came on before eventually crashing into the french line. They even began to force the defenders of Drouvile back. But the cost was high, 3 of the brigades were now spent and the 4th not far off. The 12th division had a bit more luck as they came forward through the cover of the woods. It took a couple of turns to flush out some Franc Tirreurs and chasseurs before they eventually hit the french line. However even they are starting to see the casualties mount. They lost a regiment of Jagers and then the dragoons were wiped out after charging headlong into the french line.

French defenders await 11th Division

Bavarians massing to the west of Drouvile

Into the teeth of the chassepotte

Too few defenders to face the Bavarians

12th division forcing a way through the woods

Over in the centre, the Wurtemburg division pushed forward supporting the Prussian 12th Division's right flank as they slowly came to grips with the french line. The french though were proving resolute, holding on to their ridge in the face of the German aggressor. The Baden division though was holding its position, providing support to the artillery which continued to pound the french XII Corps. When the french tried to advance off their ridge, the barrage of artillery shells forced them back.

Over of the right flank, the Prussian cavalry division was supported by cavalry from the Wurtemburg divisions as they faced off against 2 french cavalry divisions. Both sides seemed to have great difficulty in getting the cavalry to move. It took until the 5th turn of the night for the Prussians to commit themselves to the charge. A glorious charge it turned out for the uhlans who smashed through 2 regiments of french cavalry, punching a hole through their lines. The other 2 combats were even affairs.

12th and Wurtemburg divisions close on III Corps

Baden division holds back

The cavalry stare intently at each other

Dragoons charged into a hail of fire from which they didn't return

Prussian coming to grips with the french

Battered remains of the 11th division

Attacks stalling under heavy french fire

Who fancies charging first?

Charge!!!

So next week should see the last 5 moves of the game. The defence of Drouvile is precarious as 2 Bavarian divisions are about to hit from the west. The centre is still up for grabs, as the closer  the Prussians get the more casualties they suffer. The french are desperate for their reserves, they have 2 divisions from I Corps. The 1st is just north of Drouvile about to enter the table, so will go some way in trying to shore up the french defence. The 2nd division though has found its advance stalled as they need XII corps to advance to give them room to deploy. It's all to play for next week.

FPW, the dilema

While I have been painting up additional troops for the Franco Prussian war, with more to come, especially for the Prussians. I need more French, even with Thom starting on I Corps. So dear readers I painted up another French regiment and this is where my dilema begins. I have so far come up with 2 relevant options and a 3rd.

Option 1, is to use them as the start of the 4th Division of III Corps, which would actually complete the Corps. However I'm not sure if a single division would be enough, especially when I'm about to add a division of Hessians. I could look at adding either 1 or both Divisions of the Guards.

Option 2, is to start another French Corps, probably IV Corps. It does have 3 infantry divisions, but just 2 would probably suffice and also add in the cavalry division.

Option 3, this is in addition to either option 1 or 2. Paint up the cavalry reserve for the Army of the Rhine. Gotta love cavalry for this period, even if they weren't very good.

Got a couple of weeks to make a decision and then start to make the purchases that I need. Meanwhile here is the painted regiment.

The figures, as always from Outpost/Reiver castings. I'm now awaiting a small order for the Chasseurs and a second line regiment.

Barricades completed

Following on from yesterday's post, I completed the batch of barricades I was working on. After glueing some sand to the slopes, they were given a spray coat of Chocolate brown. Once dried it was a simple drybrush with cream and some small areas of static grass added. For the artillery redoubts I just had to pick out the gabion.

Quick, simple and very easy to do. As they are generic enough I can use them across a variety of conflicts.
 

FPW extras and some terrain prep

So in the middle of our second large battle at the club, my mind is already working out the details of game 3 and what I'll need. Thankfully Thom has committed to painting up the French I Corps, this has 4 infantry divisions and a cavalry division. It would be a welcome boon to my french troops. However Thom is a notoriously slow painter, though his armies look superb, putting my efforts to shame. He should have 1 division completed for next week and made a start on a second. I have said I will proxy in 2 Zouave regiments from my Union ACW (They are close enough) to make up a second division. Will certainly help in the current game.

Going forward I have another French regiment on the painting table and have ordered enough figures to complete a second regiment and a unit of Chasseurs. I may increase these to complete a division or even look to complete a small French corps.

Back to a game 3, the French, even with increased numbers will probably need some additional help, so I've set to work on making a few more barricades. They are still a work in progress. Made using modelling sticks, match sticks, some cheap air drying modelling clay. These will eventually have some sand added for texture before being painted up. I also had a few left over gambions which I've used to make 3 gun emplacements.

Gun emplacements

Barricades

Please ignore the bright coloured clay. Once painted over you will never know. Now the French aren't the only ones getting reinforcements. I did manage to complete the dragoons I need to complete the Baden Division. 6 stands from Outpost Miniatures.

I have also decided to add the Hessian division, basically because I like the look of the flags and because it is actually quite small. The 4 regiments are only made up of 2 battalions, which would make the 6 stand units instead of 10. They also have a small unit of cavalry and a couple of Jager regiments. So the Divisional commander and the 2 Jager regiments are done. I like the Jagers as the headgear is slightly different from the Prussians and their coat is blue instead of green.

So both units are done, 1 advancing and the other as a firing line. Now I need to start prepping the 4 line regiments while I wait for the cavalry to arrive.

FPW - Battle of Drouvile Part I

So Thursday night and we had a full complement of players to kick off the game. No need for any last minute re-shuffling of the commands, which was a bit of a relief. Both Commanders, Thom and Mitch were given five minutes to brief their Corps commanders and then the game to start.

It was a very cagey opening 4 moves. The French were showing a reluctance to move off their ridge, looking to protect the road to Nancy and obviously a source of any reinforcements. The Prussians advanced in 3 columns. The Bavarian I Corps on their left decided to skirt their way around the woods, allowing a French cavalry division the opportunity to retreat back to Drouvile. They did though quickly get their artillery deployed, learning from the last game and began targeting the French batteries on the ridge. In the centre the Prussian VI Corps, advanced cautiously, slowly pushing into the woods to their front, they began coming under fire from some chasseurs and Franc-tirreurs. Their own guns deployed and quickly got the better of their french counterparts, knocking out a number of batteries. On the right, XIV corps quickly identified that their flank was exposed to two french cavalry divisions which moved off the ridge at Valhey. New orders were received to re-direct their own cavalry division to intercept. However they weren't quick enough as french batteries around Valhey opened fire, destroying a regiment of hussars. The Wurtemburg Reiters were quickly sent to reinforce the flank. Meanwhile the infantry pushed on towards the french lines.

Despite taking a pounding, the french batteries did gain some successes, apart from the hussars, they inflicted casualties on a number of advancing enemy infantry regiments. They were not helped by a number of '10s' rolled, which reduced 90% of their artillery to low on ammo, hampering their effectiveness.

Baden Division of XIV Corps advancing

Bavarian I Corps swinging around the woods

XIV Corps and french XII corps exchanging fire

Bavarian I Corps, slowly getting into position

French III Corps defending Drouvile

French cavalry from XII corps rumble forward

Prussian and Wurtemburg cavalry move to intercept the french

Prussian VI Corps engaging skirmishers in the woods

French III Corps awaiting the Prussian assault

French cavalry re-deploying in Drouvile

So as the Prussians maintained their relentless advance, disaster began to befall the french. From the constant pounding from Prussian artillery both III and XII Corps had lost a number of batteries. Already outgunned at the begining of the battle, their defence of the ridge was about to become more difficult.

So we are poised for next week, with rumours of elements of the French I Corps moving to support the position between Drouvile and Valhey we should be in for an entertaining battle. The Prussians also have a small cavalry division about to arrive, supporting the Bavarians on the left flank.