EVEN MORE SEVEN YEARS WAR UNITS

 As I said in my last Seven Years War/Imagination collection update I have been working on more units and they are now all based.  Here are photos of them - the Prussian 35th/36th combined grenadiers and Von Kleist's Green Grenzers, the Reichsarmee  Brandenburg-Bayreuth cuirassiers and additionally some Palatinate artillery.  I still have to add the standard I designed to the cuirassiers.  The 35th/36th is my fourth and last Prussian combined grenadier battalion and all from fusilier regiments.  Next addition will be two Prussian musketeer battalions and a detachment of French light troops.

As before they were painted by my friend Kevin Bowman and my contribution was the basing.  They are all Front Rank figures and the uniform details came from the great Kronoskaf website.

MORE SEVEN YEARS WAR UNITS

Over the lockdown I have added more units to my Seven Years War collection. As before they were painted by my friend Kevin Bowman and my contribution was the basing.  They are all Front Rank figures.

Here are some photos of my new Prussian higher command vignettes both with Frederick the Great and 2 Prussian combined grenadier units the 38th/43th and 37th/40th battalions.  I added a sutleress and table to the Front Rank dismounted command pack as the great man always deserves a decent lunch.  Now working on the 35th/36th grenadiers, Brandenburg-Bayreuth cuirassiers and Von Kleist's Green grenzers.

Below is a link to all my SYW photos on Flickr: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmPgSDru

MORE BOOKS FROM NAVAL AND MILITARY PRESS

 Latest arrivals from N&MP - I have added to my books on the Seven Years War and early WW1.  Once I read thru them I will add short reviews.  Nice image of 18th century Dresden on the cover of the Saxon Army book.  The cover of Gilbert's WW1 book is a photo of men of the Army Service Corps in England at Christmas 1914.  This is actually an Osprey book of 304 pages.  My great uncle was lost at 1st Ypres serving with the Seaforth Highlanders - he is one of those listed on the Menin Gate..

SEVEN YEARS WAR FIGURES

As I said in my Reichardtswerben report in the autumn Donald Adamson and I combined to buy Angus Konstam’s 28mm Front Rank Reichsarmee.  Over the winter I added appropriate cavalry, staff, grenz units and artillery to build up my Reichsarmee contingent.  They finally got onto the table in late February.  They were painted by my friend Kevin Bowman and are all Front Rank figures.  My contribution was the basing and standards.

During the lockdown I have taken photos of the units.  Below are some photos of higher commands and the unit command stands.  

Here is a link to all my photos on Flickr: https://flic.kr/s/aHsmPgSDru

Once I have time I will add descriptions to all the photos on Flickr.

Reichsarmee Command

French Command Marechal Soubise

Hungarian Hussars

Hungarian Hussars

Prussian 7th Dragoons

Ansbach Dragoons - I used a Nuremburg standard

Hohenzollern Cuirassiers

Wurtemburg Kreis Dragoons

Staff Officers and ADCs

Reichsarmee Artillery

Hungarian Hussars

REICHARDTSWERBEN: SAXONY AUTUMN 1757– THE 2ND YEAR OF THE 3RD SILESIAN WAR

In the autumn Donald Adamson and I combined to buy Angus Konstam’s 28mm Front Rank Reichsarmee.  Donald and I both already had figures suitable for the Seven Years War.  I had 2 brigades of AWI Hessian and Brunswickers who could be employed on the Prussian side.  Over the winter I added appropriate cavalry, staff and Grenz units to my Reichsarmee contingent.  So we decided that once I had cleared my entire table from the debris of various projects that we would put on a Seven Years War game.  I finally achieved this in early February.  John Perkin brought along his French units to bolster the Reichsarmee. The first wargames book I bought was Charge or How to Play Wargames in 1967.  So the Seven Years War has always been one of my favourite periods and finally I have the toys to play it in 28mm.

The field of battle - Prussians on right - Sud Farm  in foreground - in distance the walls of Reichardtswerben

We played the game over 2 Wednesdays.  It was a fictional scenario based on the campaign in Saxony in 1757.  Sorry no prizes for guessing the historical inspiration.  We used Black powder with our alternative turn sequence with some additional 18^th century rules listed at the end of this report.
Players day 1 Allied French John Perkin,  Reichsarmee  myself,  Prussian – Donald Adamson and Iain Gale.
Players day 2 Allied French John Perkin,  Reichsarmee  Tim Watson,  Prussian – Donald Adamson and Colin Jack, Umpire Myself.

Donald - Frederick the Great,  Iain - Seydlitz

John - Charles de Rohan, Myself  - Saxe Hildburghuasen

Here is a link to my photos on flickr
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmLrG3r9

The scenario
Near Reichardtswerben Saxony autumn 1757 – the 2^nd year of the Third Silesian War.

The allied French and Reichsarmee are moving slowly eastwards to join the Austrian forces in Silesia.  They are facing a force under Frederick II of Prussia which has marched from Silesia to face this incursion into his vital milch cow of Saxony.

The armies are near the small fortress town of Reichardtswerben where the Prussians camped the previous night.  The Allied commanders (Charles de Rohan duke of Rohan-Rohan, and Joseph Maria Frederick Wilhelm of Saxe Hildburghausen) are confident in their numerical superiority and have decided to manoeuvre their forces to the south of the town turning the Prussian left either to bring on a battle or at least threatening their supply lines to the east. 

The allies have 4 infantry brigades 2 French and 2 Reichsarmee with supporting cavalry, artillery and numbers of Croats.  The Prussians have 3 infantry brigades, cavalry and artillery.

As the allies begin their advance they realise that part of the Prussian army has moved south from Reichardtswerben bringing on the engagement they were seeking.

Donald massing on Schloss Ridge

Reichsarmee take position around Sud Farm

Day 1 struggle for the Wald Forest

What happened

The allies decided to use the French contingent to screen the advance of the Reichsarmee as it carried out the turning movement.   The advance did not get far as they discovered the Prussian army arrayed against them.  The Prussians engaging the French with one infantry brigade whilst their other 2 infantry brigades took on the untested Reichs infantry.  The Prussian commanders on the first day of the game, Donald and Iain, proved to be hesitant concerned due to their perceived numerical inferiority and missed their opportunity to strike a heavy blow with their ‘Superbly Disciplined’ infantry on the poor quality Reichsarmee. They made a single brigade advance on the Wald Forest which was held by the ‘Freshly Raised’ Imperial infantry and then withdrew having lost a single unit.  Their only cavalry attacked bounced of the target Reichsarmee battalion due to their disordering fire. 

On the second day of play there was a more general engagement with the Prussians launching a major attack on the Reichsarmee.  The highlight was the crushing attack of the left flank Prussian cuirassier brigade which shattered the Reichsarmee Dragoons.  However the Cuirassiers were than scattered by the gallant Hungarian Hussars  (they of the fiercer moustaches!).  Luckily the Prussian Grenadiers had carried the Sud farm and this success prevented their left flank from collapsing.  At the end of play the Prussian Army had suffered heavier losses than their stunned opponents who claimed the day.

View from north - French occupy the Waldberg - but Prussians are resolute on the line of the ridge

Walls of Reichardtswerben - defended by Prussian soldier's wives and a flock of sheep

The exhausted players after 2 days of action.

Orders of Battle

Prussian Army

3 Infantry brigades of 4 Battalions
2 Cuirassier Regts
2 Dragoon Regts
Cuir Regt & Drag Regt
3 Artillery batteries
3 Btn guns

Allied Army

2 Reichs infantry brigades of 4 battalions
2 French infantry brigades of 4 battalions
2 Grenz detachments (small units)
2 Reichs Drag Regts
2 Austrian Hussar Regts
2 French Horse Regts (small units)
2 French Dragoon Regts (small units)
4 Artillery batteries
2 Btn guns

Command Levels

The Prussian CinC was rated 9 and their brigadiers rated as 8. Reichsarmee and French commanders were rated 8 except the 2 French infantry commanders who were rated 7s.

PERIOD SPECIFIC HOUSE RULES – mainly from Last Argument of Kings

Cavalry which become Disordered by closing fire retire disordered one move.

Infantry in combat with cavalry get a +1 combat resolution if they have a flank which is secure against cavalry even if the flank is not supported by a friendly unit,  The flank is secure i.e. by a building or terrain impenetrable to cavalry.   

Artillery, other than battalion guns, once deployed cannot be manhandled or relimbered but can turn in place as a move.

Infantry in line cannot use more than 2 moves.

28MM BLACK POWDER: SYW ACTION AT FICTIONBURG

On Saturday John Perkin and I went to Methil in Fife where some members of our AB1 group were testing out new facilities for our big six monthly games.  The game the group staged was a fictional Seven Years War game – the Action at Fictionburg – using Black Powder.  The terrain was provided by Dave Imrie and the players brought along their own toys.

View from Schloss Fictionburg before the armies deploy

We had six players – the allied Prussian and British forces were commanded by Jack Glanville, Chris stone and Ken Pearce whilst the allied French, Austrian, Russian and German states troops were commanded by John Perkin, Dave Imrie and myself.  The battle took place on the river plain below the mighty Schloss Fictionburg.  The other commanders started with 2 brigades on the table with a further brigade in reserve.  I held back a 2^nd brigade to see how the game developed.  Generally all the forces advanced to meet their opponents whilst my first German states brigade stood on the defensive on our right wing.

Troops deployed - Chris's Prussians await to cross the Fictionburg stream

Things went well for us at the start and by lunchtime John’s French on our left wing had pummelled Jacks Prussian infantry.  On our right my initial infantry and artillery decisively shot Ken’s British infantry (good shots) to pieces.  Our centre under Dave was under heavy attack by the massed cavalry of Chris and Ken.  It looked like it would be our victory. 

British cavalry charge an Austrian line

Sadly it all changed after lunch.  On our left John’s French lost all their cavalry to the 2 brigades of Prussian cavalry and his flank infantry brigade was forced to withdraw.  I lost 2 battalions to the fire of Ken’s 2^nd Brigade.  In the centre Dave’s Austrian infantry were forced back by the enemy cavalry charges but the situation was stabilised by the gallant efforts of the Russian cavalry brigade.  They were outnumbered by the heavier Prussian and British horse but held them of with both sides having to withdraw shaken to reorganise.  At the end the game was judged to be a draw with both sides losing 10 battalions/regiments and 2 guns.

Action on flank - my troops in firefight with the British - my gun proved decisive

It was a fun, exciting game that could have gone either way fought on wonderful looking terrain.  Here is a link to all my photos on Flickr:

https://flic.kr/s/aHskWW3nMU

Situation early afternoon

Prussian dragoons crash into an Austrian line

End situation on our left flank - French infantry making fighting withdrawal in front of advancing Prussians

Anglo-Prussian command - Jack, Chris, Ken - pondering how they managed to draw!