Month: April 2011

The Battle of Chancellorsville 1863, possibly Lee’s greatest triumph, dividing his force not once, but twice in the face of the enemy.
Re-playing this on the table top would take some careful planning.

Knipes Brigade of Williams division begin the advance.

On the edge of the Wilderness the battlefield is very heavily wooded, I chose to make the woodland dense and spread over 150 square feet of woodland around the tabletop. The next challenge would be the element of surprise for the Union ! Stonewall Jackson took the largest part of the Confederate army and performed a huge outflank manoeuvre, which took Howard’s corps completely by surprise. The outflank was more of a “Sur la Derriere” in my opinion. So how could we manage the surprise element.

Andersons men dig in.

Well the first thing I did was look at how we could fully utilise the full fifteen feet width and the entire length of the tables. If I moved the map three feet across, the battle would take place across the full scope of the table top.

The battle begins in earnest.

Friday evening arrived and the sides were decided. The Union commanders looked at the five corps available to them and began to strategise, the Confederates looked at the two divisions they had available initially and (I have to say this) gulped at the fact that they were so vastly outnumbered initially, Still they had Lee, what more did they need ? I made the Confederates aware of their reserves programme, Jeb Stuart may make an appearance early on, bringing four brigades of his excellent cavalry to support McLaws and Anderson, who were detailed with holding the line until Jackson turned up. They also knew that Jackson would be turning up at some point and the size of his corps. They just needed to weather the Union storm.

The edge of the Wilderness, the confontation picks up a pace.

The Union players held one of their corps in reserve, Slocum’s XII corps, deploying Meade (V Corps) on their right flank, Sickles (III Corps) along with Howard (XI Corps) in their centre and Couch (II Corps) on their left flank. The setup on their left was restricted in that Meade was not allowed to deploy within four feet of the board edge, (this would set an air of caution on the Union part for the dreaded outflank ).

The battle intensifies.

The Union started the ball game advancing in an orderly fashion restricting their movement to “tardy” (half speed) on most occasions to ensure that they kept an orderly line. Meade and Howard suffered from being within the dense woodland and their progress was slow initially. Couch however manoeuvred his Corps around looking to flank the confederate line of defence on Anderson’s right.

J.E.B. Stuarts Cavalry arrives.

Early on J.E.B. Stuart arrived with four brigades of the south’s finest cavalry, thundering toward Couch in an effort to slow him down. McLaws and Anderson opened fire along their front and managed to sow great disorder among the Union brigades. The Union however seemed unstoppable and reorganised their ranks and stepped forward again. Hooker ordered the centre to press the attack and Meade to close on the Reb left and outflank McLaws.

The Union advance along the line, with McQUads brigade in the foreground.

In the early afternoon of the first day of the battle Slocum began to move forward to support the centre, which had begun to suffer frightful casualties from the divisional artillery of the Confederates. On the Rebel right, Stuarts Cavalry dashed headlong into the Union lines, charging like wildcats, only to be slowed and stopped by the disciplined volleys of Gibbon’s division. The only blessing was that the rash manoeuvre by the Rebs had caused the Union to slow their outflank move, so job done I suppose, but at what cost, two of the cavalry brigades were already worn.

Schimmelpfennig’s brigade engage McLaws troops.

Not long after Slocums advance, the woodland behind the advancing Federals became alive with all manner of creatures fleeing the undergrowth! Stepping into the light of the sun was A.P. Hill and Colston’s division from Jackson’s corps. The Union were aghast, they had just moved Slocum, so all their forces were facing the wrong way and most of the reserve corps was in column of march. A.P. Hill’s division was due west of Chancellorsville and double-quicking either side of the Turnpike, heading straight for Birney’s division, as they in turn looked to garrison the house at the crossroads They weren’t about to give this up without a fight. The Union responded by turning Slocum on to the threat of Colston, re-deploying the corps artillery and standing ready to take on Colston’s boys. Artillery fire from Jackson’s corps silenced a number of the Union guns and nearly obliterated one of Slocum’s brigades, rolling on they were looking to sweep the Union before them.

Troops from McLaws division defend the makeshift barricades thrown up to help repel the advancing Union troops.

On the other side the Union pressed home the attack all along the front. A wild counter attack by a Reb brigade offering some relief, before being swallowed up by the advancing hordes! J.E.B. Stuart saw a chance and took it, riding to the head of Fitzlee’s brigade he led them on into the glades beyond the woodland into an extended line of blue bellies, the combined fire on the way in sowing disorder and plucking several riders from their saddles, the cavalry checked their pace and tried to re-organise, more fire poured in, more men fell. Seeing the desperation of the situation Stuart asked his men for one more effort, they charged pell-mell into the extended line! Gun batteries spat canister and the volley from the infantry couldn’t stop the charge, the fight was bloody, seventy five percent of the brigade was down, the remainder fighting bravely on, all was lost though when Stuart was plucked from his saddle ! The first Reb commander to become a casualty !

Couch’s Artillery open up on the advancing Rebs.

Along the Confederate line battle was joined, the men of the North repeatedly assaulting the makeshift barricades of their southern brethren. Headway was gained against Anderson and a gap appeared, riding to the front of Mahone’s brigade Anderson led the men back into the gap! He fell, the brigade panicked and faltered, the fire from the Union boys proving too much. McLaws faired better holding the line and having to refuse his right flank.

Zouaves advance along the front line to intercept Jacksons advance.

There was another card to play yet, Rodes, strung out on the march around the Union flank arrived, on the left flank of Slocum, who had stepped forward to engage Colston. Pouring disciplined volleys into the flank of the luckless Union brigade. The surprise for the Union was perfect, they pulled back their lines from the new front, turned their rear brigades from the fight with McLaws and Anderson on Lee’s front and moved to take on Jackson in support of Slocum and Sickles. Couch began to divert half of his untouched corps toward Chancellorsville in attempt to draw off some of A.P. Hill’s brigades. Meade and Howard pressed on. We called it a day and went to the pub for a bite to eat and a welcome drink.

Devens division look to stop the advance of the outflanking Rebs.

On the Sunday, the battle continued, the Union were beginning to get a much more defensive line against Jackson, Couch moved over half his division in to support Sickles around Chancellorsville. Von Steinwehr’s division from Howards corps left the fight against Mcaws and turned toward the threat of the Confederate, Rodes, while Meade sent Humphreys division from his corps to help.

The fight for the road down to Fredericksburg began to intensify as Andersons division began to fight a bitter rearguard action while the Yanks of Howards corps pressed them hard. McLaws was now outnumbered by at least four to one and was going down fighting.

The main fight was going to be won by the men of Jacksons corps, Rodes pressed on, flanking the reserves from Meade hastening to the fight. A.P.Hill attacked the Chancellorsville house and was repulsed with heavy losses, the boys rallied and went in again, more men went down, still the boys from South Carolina would not give up, the fighting continued with many more brave men falling. The Confederates finally falling back, rallying for another assault.

Heth’s brigade of Hills division were maintaining the link between Colston and Hill and these plucky Virginians suffered a terrible pounding, advancing on to the teeth of the re-aligned Union defence they were reduced to a fraction of their strength and were foced to retire out of range to re-organise. Colston was faring a little better, some of his brigades forcing the Union artillery to re-locate for fear of being outflanked. Rodes was on a mission, he was already in sight of McLaws and was forcing his men on to break the Union Brigades that stood between them.

The Rebel cavalry move into position for a desperate attack.

The assault on the Fredericksburg road intensified, the Cavalry that was left from Stuart’s command were thin on the ground, Lee had ridden over to re-deploy them and organise what remained of his artillery. A salvo from the Union battle line roared out, a natural “10” was rolled followed by an “8”, Lee was grievously wounded and removed from the field. This heralded a couple of hours of bloody hand to hand fighting for McLaws division, that culminated in him being carried off the field with one of his brigades. Over on the Union line opposite A.P. Hill Sickles had his horse shot out from under him, Major Generals, Williams, Sykes, Birney and Owen were killed! To top it all, Hooker was hit by a stray shell and suffered a grievous wound! The assault on Chancellorsville broke down, Couch had orchestrated a flank manoeuvre on to the artillery of Hill’s division, taking it out of the game, Hill began to fall back decimated. Colston was not much better. Rodes succeeded in getting to the original deployment lines of McLaws, but the ground was strewn with dead Confederates and the rest of Meades men were falling in behind what was the original Confederate defences.

It was over, the evening was drawing in and the guys all agreed that it was a great scenario and a smashing weekend.

The new Fire & Fury Regimental worked well with the Brigade mechanisms, the Gallant generals work well while the various arms used added the variety needed. The whole weekend played out reasonable historically. The differences being Jackson surviving while Lee received a grevious wound! Overall the players were very, very pleased with the way the whole thing played out. So a good result.

Roll on Gettysburg!!

Well the visit to Salute went extremely well, I met a lot of potential visitors to the Centre and got to help promote the “project Hougomont” guys with a couple of tickets for the Wargames Holiday Centre, which was run on a private auction at the stand.

SS Recon awaiting orders to engage the Paratroopers in Arnhem.

A friend of mine, John Lander and a cast of many thousands it seemed had put on yet another, now famous, 54mm WWII epic demonstrations. I just can’t resist putting a few photos on here just to highlight the amazing job he’s done with this. John has spent most of his spare time over the last 18 months building this set.

Command Section, Gepanzerte deploying from their Hanomags.

The kit is a fine array of different manufacturers, there are models scratch built, Airfix 1/32nd figures, such as the DAK which make fine late war German infantry. The array of heavy German armour, such as Panthers and Tigers was simply breath taking while the lighter kit such as the PZ IV’s and Stugs looked magnificent.

Here are some of the tanks held in reserve, well their transport trays, beautifully turned out!

The best part about John’s demo has to be the work he carries out on the scenery, the buildings and in this case Arnhem bridge are superb. Ironically in all the excitement I didn’t get a proper photo of the bridge although you can see some of it in the other photo’s.

The British Paras covering the bridge, these chaps held on all day and managed to be the last on the bridge.

Deployment for the Paras was literally an air drop, purpose made counters were held on a metre length steel rule and tipped off from about 7-8 feet height, the corresponding squads wre then placed on the spot where the markers fell. Very authentic I thought!
The rules used are Crossfire, a fine set of quick and definitely playable rules.

Here are some more of the photo’s which I took of this fine game.

The German Gepanzerte deploying from their Hanomags.

The Germans begin to set up defensive positions.

This fantastic model of a Hawker Typhoon makes a fine addition to the game.

British Para’s reconnoitre into the suburbs.

The German counter attack is underway, time to dig in.

The fight for the LZ heats up! The burning German tanks stand testament to the determination of the British troops defending it.

Another view of the LZ at the start of the engagement.

I hope you enjoy the photo’s…

Dresden 1813, the only battle won during 1813 by the French. Here was a chance for the Allies to change the course of history, or were the French up to the job and could they defeat the huge army of the Allied nations of the Sixth Coalition?

The defence of the Gross Garten on the first day.

Well everyone arrived Friday afternoon and took in the ambience of the Wargames Holiday Centre, I am still genuinely pleased whenever we receive newcomers to the Centre, the moment they come through the door and stand there taking in the grandeur of the shelves, the look on their faces is priceless, it’s like Christmas as a kid!

The Three Emperors oversee the fighting in the Suburbs near the Landgraben (figures painted by Julian Wates and Doug Mason).

So the guys chose their respective sides, elected a CinC and got busy with the choice of tactics and deployments. Once this has been decided it’s all about writing out the tiles, for those of you who don’t know, this is how we impart a bit of fog of war. The tiles can take up to two battalions of infantry and sundry skirmish screens, a battery of artillery or up to one regiment of cavalry. This means that on setup, one doesn’t really know what’s in front of them, you could guess, but it could be wrong!

German infantry from Colloredo’s Austrian Corps.

The Allied plan was to hit the defenders of Dresden hard on the French left. This presented the shortest distance to cover, albeit the most difficult ground (crossing the Landgraben), but still two Russian divisions, one Austrian Corps along with the Austrian Grenadier division should suffice, this would be a real battering ram. The Allied Centre was held by the Russian Guard and Grenadier division along with a Prussian Division, while opposite the French right the rest of the Prussian force deployed. One of the Austrian Corps under Gyulai was deployed to attack the Gross Garten.

The suburbs of Dresden and the approach of the Austrian Corps.

The French started the game with a bluff on their right, they had decided to deploy the Imperial Guard Cavalry division along with Latour-Maubourgs Cavalry Corps in the form of infantry, the plan was to lure the Allies toward them only revealing that they were cavalry once the enemy was within sight, some of this being at very close quarters, given the lay of the land.

The Russian Guard Division got as far as the Redoubt in the centre of the French lines as night fell.

The Dresden Garrison of six Westphalian battalions and the Old Guard were held in Dresden itself, while St Cyr and Victor’s Corps deployed across the Centre. In the Gross Garten were the Young Guard divisions, with Victor holding the French left in front of the Land Graben.

From the off the Allies were extremely aggressive with their tactics, the opening shot from the Russian 12lber battery smashing Marmont’s foot battery and destroying one of his guns with the opening salvo. Luckily for the French we had four redoubts placed with three gun position artillery, so they still had plenty of firepower. The Russian divisions surged toward the Landgraben, the Austrian Corps under Colloredo on the Allied right moved into the suburbs of Dresden and tried to get an angle on the batteries of French artillery deployed in front of them. Gyulai’s Austrians marched toward the Gardens with the Combined Russian Grenadier division in support. On the Allied left/French right the plan seemed to be working, the Prussians ploughing into the village on that flank and pushing in to the centre of the right wing. The French cavalry moved as infantry and remained hidden on tiles.

Position artillery in their redoubts outside Dresden, there were four of these overall.

Very quickly the Russian Grenadier Division outstripped the pace of the Austrian Corps and charged into the south-west section of the Garden, they were met by some devastating fire from the Veterans in the Young Guard, one of their battalions being stopped in it’s tracks. The rest of the division hit the outer wall and a hard fought melee ensued. The Russians threw their second wave into the melee, unforming themselves in the process, still the Young Guard held on! The third round saw the French hang on further and the Russians retired to reform for another attack.

Prussian infantry on the Allied left, retire through their own lines.

Across by the Landgraben the Russians plunged into the ditch, coming out the other side to be met by volley after volley, driving them back onto their supports. The Austrians managed to get a Battalion of Jaeger into the suburbs and volleyed the deployed artillery with devastating effect.

On the French right The French Cavalry regiments crested the hills in front of them to look down upon and reveal the Prussians, it wasn’t quite what either player expected, the Prussians had two batteries of deployed six pound batteries, one of which was a horse battery, while the Prussian, expecting some infantry got Saxon Elite Heavy cavalry in regimental formation. The Prussians fired killing twenty five percent of both formations, the French tested and held their nerve! They charged down the hill, into the batteries, it was the only thing to do! The Zastrow Cuirassier taking a murderous canister rounds from the foot battery only to turn and flee.

The Saxon Garde Du Corps fleeing back to their own lines, pursued by the Prussian Cavalry.

The Garde Du Corps however were made of sterner stuff, they rode down the horse battery, rallied the other side of it, charged head long into the Prussian Dragoons, beat them cutting down the lone squadron, rallied again and charged into the supporting Dragoons, Uhlans and Landwehr cavalry, this time the Saxons were deep in the Prussian lines! The ensuing melee saw hundreds of dice being rolled, the Prussians snatching victory. The Saxons were down from thirty two figures to sixteen, they broke and fled…what would the Prussian cavalry do now…PURSUE, Dragoons, Uhlans and Landwehr flew after the fleeing Saxons heavies. Just at this time a regiment of Chasseurs charged into the throng adding their weight, so the fight was on again. Over twenty figures killed on either side and still it raged on. The final fight went the full three rounds, both sides retiring to lick their wounds.

Another pivotal moment was on the Allied right, the Russians were making headway over the Landgraben, the Austrian 12lber batteries were duelling with the French artillery when a lone French Cuirassier Squadron finally broke through the hail of fire and charged them!

The French Cuirassier charging headlong into the Austrian guns (Connoisseur figures painted by Doug Mason).

They weathered the canister and charged home cutting the gunners down, the resulting retreat causing mayhem in the Austrian ranks, only the Austrian Grenadiers of Chasteler’s Division saving the day.

The French Old Guard attacking the Austrians in the suburbs of Dresden (Connoisseur figures painted by Doug Mason).

While this was going on the French had moved the Old Guard from Dresden to bolster their defences. Seeing the success of the Cuirassier, the 1er regiment of the Chasseurs a Pied charged the Jaegers in the suburbs, the Jaegers stood their ground and held on, the Grenadiers poured in to support their plucky brethren along with a forty eight man Austrian line battalion, the ensuing melee saw the Old Guard bounce back from the combat, retiring behind their gun line to re-group.

The Old Guard take on a German Grenadier battalion in line.

The French Carabinier manage to break a German Grenadier in line.

Night fell, on the second day, the French right was reinforced with the Dresden Garrison and Testes division with orders to take the fight to the Prussian Corps, more Prussian cavalry had moved in overnight, so this was going to be a tough one.

The Russians here decided to place one of their six pound batteries to pound the French of Victors Corps, their Uhlans would flood through the gap in the Landgraben, deploy into lines and then attempt to charge the French gun line. The Austrians pushed their Cavalry forward to try to punch a hole through the French line just North of the Gross Garten, the other Austrian Corps squared up for another attempt at the Garden.

The Austrian Uhlans punch through the French lines.

In the Centre of the French lines Vandamme had arrived overnight, the Old Guard had moved to the Centre and an all out offensive by the French looked possible.

It started well for the 1st division of the Young Guard, they moved out of the Gross Garten towrd the Austrians, they had the support of Vandamme and the Old Guard and Marmont to their right. St Cyr moved out in support but was harried by the Russian Guard cavalry, so his advance was slow.

Westphalian Chevau leger move to counter the Austrian cavalry pouring through the gap in their lines.

Over by the Landgraben the Russians finally got a foot hold, the French were still in position however and they were dealing some heavy casualties to them, still the Russians advanced. The Austrian cavalry on this flank charged into the French Cavalry reserve, catching some of them at the halt. The Austrians dealt a huge blow to the French but had to return to their own lines as a result of the casualties they had received.

Over on the French right the Cavalry of the Imperial Guard was now getting heavily involved, swirling cavalry melee’s were seen with neither side giving quarter.

Heavy cavalry of the French Imperial Guard.

To the south of the Gross Garten the Austrian lines deployed into lines to volley the Young Guard, however after some initial exchanges of desultory fire the Austrian nerve broke, the front line retreating through it’s support allowing the Young Guard regiments to plough into the unformed columns behind, the ensuing melee’s being pure carnage!

In the end the French were driving the Allied Centre back while their flanks held on grimly, so the overall concensus was of a French victory.

Everyone had a great weekend, it didn’t rain once, (in the game) there is a roll for light rain you see! However it just never happened, over twenty turns of combat not a drop of rain.