Month: November 2011

Now that the Russian Guard had been mobilised it was time to press the attack along the whole front. VIII Corps was ordered to support I and III corps and break through the Russian Centre.

The counter attacks were taking place from the Russian lines.

The French reserve cavalry corps charged the Russian lines, into and over the Fleches, but at what cost?

The drums beat and the reserves began to press forward, the Russian reserves got to the defensive lines with some difficulty. The press of fugitives began to tell, the Russian Guard was manoeuvring to the Centre, where the greatest threat lay. VIII Corps and I Corps were pressing the attack supported by the Guard foot artillery and Napoleon himself was there to oversee the action.

The Russians, in square to hold back the Cavalry onslaught awaited the arrival of the massed infantry brigades with a bitter resolve, there was still a lot to fight for here!

VIII Corps added to the pressure from I and III Corps, this must break the Russian line or the Guard would be needed.

The climax of this tempestuous battle, tomorrow!

The French began to pour shot into the Russian defenders. The Russians, stoic as ever, took it…not without giving something back though.

All along the front the French began to engage the Russians with Musketry, shot and sabre.

The Russian infantry began to volley the advancing French.

Casualties began to mount, the Great Redoubt lay empty as the battery, now depleted of ammunition departed. Tolstoi’s infantry would have to hold it. The Fleches began to exact a heavy toll though, a Russian 12 pdr wrought great destruction on the advancing lines of infantry.

Russian reserves poured forward to hold the line.

In the Russian centre, the Guard was mobilised.

(These are some of the early figures of the Wargames Holiday Centre collection. Hinchliffe models I believe.)

The fight was really beginning to pick up a pace. The Russian artillery reserve was stationary, no order having been issued to move it. Where was the Commander? It all began to feel quite historical!
More tomorrow.

The guns were roaring, the French reserve cavalry corps were advancing to support the infantry Corps of the French Grand Army.

Over on the French let North of the Kolocha river the IV Corps advanced on Borodino village, the Russians had opted to keep their Guard brigaded together, so the village was abandoned early on. The rest of the Italian Corps manoeuvred to support Davout’s push on the Great Redoubt.

The Russian gun line roared into action tearing great chunks from the French lines.

In the centre the Russian reserves began to move into the frint line for the anticipated fight at close quarters.

I am going to bring more on this battle next week, I am off to the sunny south-west for a well earned rest. Back on Monday. more of the Borodino fight then.

The Poles came on the road south west of Utitsa.

These are from the Elite Miniatures range of Duchy of Warsaw figures, great models to paint.

In the centre, just to the North of the V Corps (Poniatowski), the Wurttemburg 25th Division of III Corps (Ney) approach the Russian Fleches and the wood between Utitsa and the southern Fleches.

The III Corps advanced under the Guidance of Marshal Ney, attempting to drive a wedge between Utitsa and the Fleches. The III corps stretched from V Corps North to the French I Corps.

All along the front line the French advanced into a hail of fire from the Russian positions.

Casualties soon began to mount, the Russian Guard Battery suffered major logistics problems, finding themselves low on ammo with the first double 1 of the game in turn 1! This was then quickly followed by another double 1 in turn 2, this resulting in an “out of ammo” situation! The battery had to be withdrawn from the Redoubt, leaving it to the “poor bloody infantry” of Ostermann-Tolstoi’s VI Corps! (All this happened so quickly I didn’t get a chance to capture it on film)

I’ll bring you some views from the Russian side tomorrow.

The 21st October saw the Wargames Holiday Centre hosting it’s very first General de Brigade weekend. Borodino was the battle of choice and fourteen guys enrolled to make war upon each other.

The Poles headed toward the village of Utitsa, the flank march being something of a halfway meet for Davout’s outflank proposition. Over the coming days these hardy veterans would become embroiled with two Russian Corps in a private battle in and around the woods of Utitsa.

The majority of the Polish troops belong to Philip Marshall, we have our own, however Philip doesn’t get the chance to play with his own figures too often and very kindly offered them in lieu of ours. They do look exceptionally good too!

In the centre the French deployed the Westphalian VIII Corps along with the Imperial Guard.

The majority of the Westphalians are from the Elite Miniatures stable, they offer two battalions of Guard infantry and all the line infantry. They re lovely casts and paint up really well.

In front of the reserve and advancing toward the most Northerly fleche and then North to the Great Redoubt was the I Corps under Davout.

The III corps occupied the front from the rest of the Fleches up to I Corps, the Russians were deployed in depth and offered a huge gun line to prevent the advance of the French troops.

More tomorrow.