Maloyaroslavets

Battle of Maloyaroslavets, by Peter von Hess

This was a very special game played in the War Room some months ago against old friend of my fathers.  Marshall R was a colleague of my fathers when I was a lad.  My Dad had dabbled in wargaming a bit when he was younger, but he never really took to the hobby.  I, on the other hand,  fell for toy soldiers and fell hard.  The good Marshall was very kind to me when I was a youngster, teaching me how to paint my Airfix French Foreign Legion and slipping my Dad spare copies of Wargames Illustrated. 

So it was a real treat to finally host him in the war room for a game of Command & Colours Napoleonics. We played the battle of Maloyaroslavets from the Russian expansion. 

The Field of Mars

The scenario introduction from the Russian expansion. 

Napoleon marched southwest out of Moscow on October 19th toward the fertile region around Kaluga where supplies could be obtained. Eugene commanded Napoleon’s advance guard and all was going as planned until reaching Maloyaroslavets. Kutusov had also directed Dokhturov to march for Maloyaroslavets and the Russian advance guard arrived first. A furious meeting engagement ensued as Eugene charged over the River Luzha bridge and into parts of the village. Both locations changed hands several times. At one point Dokhturov broke off the attack, but was reinforced by Raevski and renewed the fight. Eugene’s final effort drove back the Russians to the ridges that overlooked the village. Early in the afternoon Napoleon was near the village, but after a close encounter with a party of Cossacks, he decided not to renew the action and made the fatal decision to alter the route of retreat to Mojaisk, forcing the army to retreat through the regions devastated during the advance on Moscow.

The stage is set. The battle lines are drawn and you are in command. Can you change history?

Link to the official scenario. 

Mr R took the French as he is by inclination a vile canting Bonapartist of the worst sort and they're bit a easier to play for players who are relatively new to the game. 

The central position, the town of Maloyaroslavets, is held by the French, but not so strongly as to be impregnable. The French have forces to reinforce it, but they're not immediately in position.  The Russian player is face with a choice, do you try and crumble the flanks of the French position and push on one side or the other, or commit to frontal attack? 

I committed to a frontal attack early and though I took fairly heavily casualties, I managed to take the centre with enough force to hold it. The French held part of the town, but without reinforcements  they wouldn't be able to drive me out again. 

Meanwhile Marshall R realised relatively quickly that trying to retake the town was a fools errand and mounted an attack on the French left. The Old Guard Grenadiers and French infantry drove forward into a flurry of Russian musketry. 

The French infantry managed to drive a wedge into the Russian position and I had to bring up Prince Mishkins Hussars to plug the gap. 

On the Russian left, Marshall R pushed his cavalry and infantry forward.  He didn't have the edge in numbers (always a problem, if you're attacking), but he had the edge in quality. Time would tell if that edge would be enough. 

The battle raged all across the front, with Marshall R pressing forward on the flanks to see if he could put pressure on me.  Several Russian battalions were broken before I could shore up the left, but I was still ahead, just. 

The Prince Mishkin Hussars were pummeled by a charge of French dragoons on the right, sent tumbling back and only barely survived to reform in much reduced numbers in the Russian rear. 

Not only did they batter the Hussars, but they followed up and crashed into the line infantry behind them.  The Russian formed square and held tight while the Dragoons thundered around them.  Meanwhile in the centre, I was able to bring my guns to bear on the weakened French infantry and break their will to resist.  With that the French army began to retreat from the field and the Cossacks began their pursuit. 

This was a close fought game which ended 8-10 and was nail biting right to the end.  It was real pleasure to get Marshall R around the table and hopefully we'll be able to do it again before too long.  I can't imagine telling ten year old Kinch that one day I'd been able to host him at my own wargames table.  Definitely a hobby life time achievement highlight. 

 

Battle of Mohrungen

Marshall Bernadotte pictured in happier days

(thieved from here)

I'm not particularly well up on the fourth Coalition - I know it in a general sense, Jena and all that.  But I must confess, I'd never even heard of the battle of Mohrungen until Lord Siskington picked it out of the book.  Though it appears I'm not alone as a google image search for pictures of the battle drew a blank and I had to settle for the picture (above) of Marshall Bernadotte as an introduction. We're staying with Mrs Kinch's parents at the moment, but I needed to visit home to collect some things and feed Sir Harry Flashman VC, so I took the opportunity to arrange a game while I was at.  Lord Siskington kindly volunteered to join me and we had dinner and a game, which was a very pleasant way to spend the evening. 

The field of Mars arrayed for battle, Lord Siskington considering his options. 

I have lent my snowfield mat to someone and I can't for the life of me remember who, so we were obliged to play this on the green fields mat. Pardon gentles all. 

The introduction from the scenario booklet. 

"In early January Bennigsen ordered the Russian Army to go on the offensive. On the 19th Ney, who had extended his line in search of provisions, was attacked and brushed aside. General Markov then advanced toward Mohrungen where Bernadotte was concentrating his forces. 

Both sides had opportunity to deploy the morning of the 25th before Bernadotte’s cavalry launched a charge against the Russian center. The Russian cavalry, with support from their artillery, drove back the attack but were in turn driven back by French artillery fire and fresh cavalry. The ensuing artillery exchange inflicted little damage. The battle began in earnest when French light infantry advanced in the center to threaten the Russian artillery and Dupont’s arriving division pushed the Russians on the left back from their forest defensive positions. As dusk fell the French were making progress all along the line. Suddenly, Bernadotte heard firing in his rear in Mohrungen. Fearing the worst, he called off the battle to retrace his steps. It was a false alarm—only a few squadrons of Russian horsemen had entered the town and were pillaging the French supply wagons. They were quickly driven off."

Lord Siskington, naturally being the guest, had choice of sides and choose to play the Russians.  I was left with the dastardly French. 

Bonaparte's Legions falling into line

On the face of it, this is a very tough row to hoe for the Russian player. The French player has cavalry superiority, the advantage of numbers and the edge in troop quality.  The only thing in his favour was the terrain and time.  There was a mechanic which allow him to move a marker at the rear of the field which would eventually bring him 50% of the victory points required to win the game.  This meant that we Frenchers could not afford to hang around. 

My opponent rolled rather well on the Mother Russia roll.  This is a special rule the Russians use, which takes account of the add hoc nature of their mobilisation.   The Russian player is allowed add infantry figures to some of his units, raise extra cossacks or dig entrenchments amongst other things.  Lord Siskington created an overstrength, entrenched battery in the centre of his line as a result. 

Lord Siskington's lovely daughter

(aka Tolstoy's Death Star)

This was a perilous looking piece of ironmongery to tangle with and I spent most of the game trying to avoid it, while the Prince Mishkin Hussars (seen the left) pinned my infantry in the centre under its guns. I spent most of my time working around on the right and keeping an eye on the clock. 

Victorious French dragoons

Fortunately,  my success on the right caused Lord Siskington to thin his centre so much that I was able to mount an attack and isolate the battery.  The French guns mounted a Talavera style "artillery charge" combined with some dragoons who managed to get around the back of the redoubt and take it in the rear.  This spelled the end of the Russian gunners. 

French infantry advancing through some curiously un-snowbound fir trees. 

Once the Russian artillery was dealt with I was able to roll up on the right and take the defence apart. This is a tough scenario for the Russian, as the statistics on the CCN website indicate as they win less than a quarter of the time, but regardless it was a good game. Lord Siskington was good company as always.  We put the world to rights over a brandy afterwards.

An evening well spent. 

Borodino - 7 September 1812 (Utitza) - Part Two

 

The Kitchen 

As the ululating lament of McHibernia-McEireanneach from the kitchen had subsided somewhat -  I decided to risk putting my head around the door only to discover the kitchen swathed in mist. A single Wolfhound loped through the murk, pausing only to howl mournfully, and then disappeared. 

After dragging McEireanneach out of the kitchen and deciding that I was going to have to do something about the sudden appearance of trees before Mrs. Kinch came home, I pressed another medicinal brandy on him (his previous one was "with O'Leary in the grave" apparently - whatever that means) and we went back to the important work of Borodino. 

The French centre advances to contest the village

McEireanneach advanced in the centre, where I hoped to drag him into a firefight around the village. 

Cossacks supported by the Moscow regiment move to threaten the French right

With a dearth of centre cards, I moved up some reserves on my left as I thought at least if I could hit his left he would have very limited space to fall back into. 

A surprise attack!

Now as it happened McEireanneach spotted what I was doing and move his light cavalry forward.  These fellows are a lot more dangerous than my cossacks and would make short work of them. Not only that, but I'd ended up with two Cavalry Charge cards in hand. As I had no other cavalry other than the Cossacks, I formed the opinion that there was no point waiting to be attacked and I that I might as well extract as much as I could from the card before the French dispersed my horsemen. 

So I launched a sudden Cossack charge that knocked the stuffing out of the French light horse. 

The historians will be writing about this one for a while.

The French countercharge was pretty lukewarm and didn't wipe me out. I reckon that a lot of ink will be spilled on that particular engagement in years to come as Historians will try and argue that Cossacks were perfectly capable as serving as battlefield cavalry. 

French guns barrage the village of Utitza

Meanwhile, the French infantry were proving stubbornly reluctant to close on Utitza leaving their guns to do the talking for them. 

With the French resolutely refusing to close - the Russian line creaks into action and moves forward.

On the left, the French close with bayonet. 

And do great execution.

The Russian line hits the Swiss and the lights in the centre.

As I had been forced to bring on a general engagement in the centre, I decided to push with everything I had there. Fire crackled up and down the line. 

Doing for the Swiss and their leader.

And driving the lights back.

With the battle hanging in the balance, the Russian line advances.

This was quite a tough decision, the scores were (if memory serves) even with the next scoring point taking victory.  I worked on the basis that attacking was preferable to playing it safe on the grounds that I was more likely to be able to wipe out or destroy one of the wavering French units. 

Follow me men!

As my gallant general closed the distance in the hope of smashing the tatters of the French centre, a lucky volley from the remaining lights put paid to that idea. 

And the cannonade finishes the business.

Counter attacking McEireanneach launched an artillery in the centre to blast the 18th Jeagers holding Utitza and that was that. 

It was a close game and an absolute pleasure from beginning to end.  Hopefully McEireanneach will return, though not before I've managed to get rid of the glade in the kitchen and the Dolmen in the hall. Sadly, the shock of victory as opposing to the traditional defeat and flight to France was too much for McEireanneach and he had to take to the bed. 

We hope he gets well soon. 

Borodino - 7 September 1812 (Utitza) - Part One

General Poniatowski - looking very dishy I must say. 

I'd love to say that I haven't been updating the blog because I've been flat out playing games and having way too much fun - but in actual fact, it's mainly because I've been flat out in work and attending college. The course has been demanding, but I'm enjoying it. Unfortunately it doesn't really leave time for anything else and between getting to work and to class, any spare time I have have has been spent with Mrs. Kinch. 

But I've had this sitting in my drafts section and I've finally managed to put some sort of shape on it. 

An unexpected reinforcement for the French

Prior to my dissappearing down a rabbit hole of legal studies, I managed to get a game in.  What I lacked was an opponent, but this deficiency was put right by the sudden arrival of a tall, wild eyed figure at my door. Lashed by rain and with his more delicate extremeties frostbitten - he was kept warm only by the burning flame of duty to the blood and soil. 

And it was  thus that I met my new old enemy, Lochlainn McHiberinia-McEireanneach an impecunious republican exile constantly surrounded by Celtic mist (which proved a swine to get out of the curtains - Mrs. Kinch still isn't speaking to me).  I hustled him into the wargames room before he caught his death and thrust a medicinal brandy into his hand. 

Pausing only briefly to sing a heart rending lament for the soft drizzle of home - he informed me that he had returned in secret to the Auld Sod. He had slunk off a French frigate at midnight in order to raise bloody riot and revolution and coincidentally wreak terrible vengeance on all filthy Kinchs. 

We agreed that a game of Command & Colours Napoleonics seemed the best way to raise the green flag and begin the rebellion. 

I happened to have one of the Borodino scenarios set up - so we played that. 

The field of battle

"The village of Utitza was at the southern end of the Russian left flank positions at Borodino. The Utitza woods, however, were very dense—well suited for Tutchkov’s Russian Jaegers that were deployed there in some numbers. All total, Tutchkov had some 23,000 troops, but many were untrained Opolchenye (militia). Poniatowski had about 10,000 trained Polish soldiers, very eager to fight.

The first attempt by the Poles, did capture Utiza, but Tuchkov’s Grenadier Division and the 3rd infantry division advanced and ejected the Polish forces in short order. General Junot then joined the attack and again captured Utiza, but as the Russians departed, the village was set on fire and no longer could be defended. After this, the Russians and Poles continued to skirmish for the rest of the day without much progress.

The stage is set. The battle lines are drawn and you are in command. Can you change history?"

Skirmishing in the woods

The initial few moves of the game were quite tentative. I had the edge in Light Infantry and hoped to drag the French into a fight on the right in order to whittle down their numbers and press my advantage. 

The 1ieme Suisse annihilate the 17th Jaegers

Unfortunately,  McHiberinia-McEireanneach counter attacked swiftly and managed to put paid to my jaegers. 

But run slap bang into the Parnau Grenadiers

I repaid him in his own coin. It's interesting how the battle ebbed and flowed, which is something of a recurring theme of CNN games.  It's very rare that there is general engagement all along the line.  It's much more usual to find that there will be a serious of hot spots that move across the table and often, as a general you will find yourself trying to use weaker cards to focus an opponents attention somewhere, while you build a knockout blow somewhere else. 

The Russian line moves forward dressing from the right

As the French had proven quite adept at pulling weakened units out of the line and I didn't have the cavalry to go hunting them down it was proving frustratingly difficult to break any particular part of the French line.  McHiberinia-McEireanneach was quite cautious and I knew that if I maintained the defensive, he would simply pick a point and steamroller me. This obliged me to attempt to keep him off balance and prevent him from withdrawing shaken troops and replacing them with fresh ones. 

With that in mind, I pushed forward in the centre in order to prevent him bringing his cavalry on the left into play, which I didn't have the resources to counter. Holding the village of Utitza allowed me to make the battle about the built up area and not get drawn into a fight in the open, where the French horse soldiers would inevitably prevail. 

Lochlainn McHiberinia-McEireanneach

Warmed somewhat by his medicinal brandy -  McHiberinia-McEireanneach was in good spirits, until a chance remark reminded him that he was in mourning, whereupon he immediately retreated to the ktichen, Covering his head with a black cloth he began to sing a mournful dirge bewailing the recent death of his favourite potato (which he had hand raised since he were a lad, yer honour).

It was going to be a long night. 

Borodino Roll Call

"It's 106 miles to the Berezina, we got half a battalion of grenadiers, a dead horse and the woods are full of cossacks."

"Hit it."

I'm terribly sorry. I'm not entirely sure what came over me there. 

A detail from the Borodino panorama 

With the prospect of heading back to school coming ever closer, I have been applying my great mind to getting a proper game in before I dissappear into a death march of school work and work work. With that in mind, I've settled on Borodino as a suitably epic game to keep me occupied. It has meant that I've been frantically basing my Russian troops in order to have everything ready.  OldJohn has also very generous offered to bring some reinforcements if they are needed. 

As with all wargaming projects this starts with a list. There are two Overlord style scenarios on CCNapoleonics.net for the Russian campaign, both for Borodino.  Two Overlord scenarios is plenty for a days gaming. 

Borodino - Shevardino Redoubt & Utitza

Borodino - Village of Borodino & Raeviski Redoubt

I compiled a spread sheet listing the troops required and there appear to be a few problems.  I will be able to cover the Russian light cavalry requirements by shifting the Hussars of Conflans into Russian service for the day, but I will need a unit of Russian Guard Heavy Cavalry. I have sufficient line infantry for the Russians, but I am short three units of light infantry and two units of Guard Light infantry. I am short one unit of Russian horse artillery, though truth be told I've simply been substituting a unit of foot artillery and adding a mounted figure as no one seems to make Russian horse artillery. 

Not entirely sure how I will square this particular circle, but we'll make it happen. 

	Russian						French
	shevardino	utitza		village	raevski		shevardino	utitza		village	raevski
Light Infantry	5	4	9	3	4	7	5	2	7	3	5	8
Line Infantry	4	5	9	6	5	11	9	7	16	6	9	15
Grenadiers	2	2	4	2	1	3
Militia		2	2
Guard Light Infantry				2		2				1		1
Young Guard
Guard Grenadiers					1	1
Old Guard											2	2
Light Cavalry				2	3	5	3	2	5	1	3	4
Heavy Cavalry	2		2	1		1	1		1	2	1	3
Cuirassiers	1		1		1	1					1	1
Cossacks	1	2	3	2		2
Guard Heavy Cavalry					1	1
Foot Artillery	2	1	3	2	4	6	1	2	3	2	3	5
Horse Artillery	1		1				1		1
Guard Foot Artillery					1	1					1	1
Leaders	2	3	5	2	3	5	3	3	6	2		2

Art of Tactic Napoleonic

The only image I can find relating to Art of Tactic Napoleonic

I've been regarding Zvesda's recent output with a great deal of interest. They are the Rolls Royce of 1/72 plastics in my opinion and they have never failed to produce good stuff. I've been disappointed by their decision in recent years to shift away from big boxs of toy soldiers to smaller boxes aimed at the board game market, but you can't blame a fellow for making a living. 

Their Art of Tactic stable of games covers Samurai Warfare, the Second World War and a hypothetical World War Three. But what has really sparked my interest is the news that they will be releasing a Napoleonic version. I don't think I'll be changing games anytime soon, but Zvesda will be releasing figures for this game in their Art of Tactic boxes. These are small, containing at most half a dozen figures and cost about 2.95, but they are lovely. 

I imagine they will be working on the 1812 campaign with a view to the domestic Russian market, but I wouldn't mind paying over the odds for a few specialist figures particularly if they were of the gem like beauty that characterises most Zvesda releases. 

I'd certainly be interested in some Zvesda produced Russian horse artillery, but at present (stolen from plastic soldier review.com), the releases will be as follows. 

Art of Tactic Napoleonic 

• 6808 - Russian Line Infantry
• 6809 - French Foot Artillery
• 6810 - Russian Foot Artillery
• 6811 - Russian Dragoons
• 6812 - French Dragoons
• 6815 - Russian Infantry Command
• 6816 - French Infantry Command
• 6817 - Russian Dragoons Command
• 6818 - French Dragoons Command

Multipurpose Russians

A tray full of Russians

It might seem a bit previous to be working on Russians before we've played all the scenarios in the Spanish expansion, but not only am I thinking ahead with regard to my Napoleonics, the little grey cells are positively vibrating with wizard schemes for the Crimea. 

These chaps are all being prepared to be sent off to Mark as soon as the last few standard bearers and musicians arrive from OldJohn. 

I shall have to write a review of this one, it's holding my attention so far. 

In fact this whole idea started with OldJohn, who has a lot to answer for frankly. Essentially it started like this, Old John pointed out that the undress uniform of the Russian army stayed essentially unchanged for about fifty years. While the Russian infantry of the Napoleonic Wars wore shakos and gaiters and all that, they usually kept them packed away for good wear. Victory marches that sort of thing. 

In the field, they were more likely to wear a sort of flat cap like the one pictured above and a great coat. This uniform persisted and was still worn during the Crimean War. 

Now as it happens, I have five or six battalions of Napoleonic Russian infantry in shakos and fine fellows they are too. However, I realised that if I added some units of flat capped infantry, not only would it finish off my Napoleonic army - it would also give me the start of a Crimean army. 

Note the Crimean era Russian trying to do for one of the Light Brigade.

To be honest, a lot of this Crimean fancy has been spurred on by Bob the Painters 20mm Douglas Miniatures blog, which is about his extensive Crimean collection. This blog is a treasure trove of beautifully painted 20mm Crimean war figures and is criminally under-subscribed, so I would go have a look if I were you. 

A Russian infantryman (or possibly a gunner) next to an artillery caisson

Speaking of blogs that are worth a look, Uwe's History in 1/72 blog is always worth reading, but it featured a particularly interesting post about an exhibition in Germany about the Napoleonic wars 1813-1814.  There are some wonderful pictures there, both of artifacts and of model soldiers. 

Note the chap in the curiously Crimean uniform in the picture above. 

Russian generals

Lee over at "A Napoleonic Therapy Project" has just finished some Russian & Austrian generals for me and they really look fine. He's done some cracking work on them and more than that donated his fee to the Kathryn Casey Memorial Fund, the act of a gentleman of the first water.

I would suggest making your way over to his blog and having a look at some of the really fine work he's been turning out of late as well as the stirring of an interesting looking Command & Colours Napoleonics variant for the American rebellion.

Regiment Gluchow

Pictures of the Regiment Gluchow from Our Man in Budapest 

These are Russian cuirassiers for Command & Colours Napoleonics. The figures are Zvesda Russian cuirassiers and I think they are particularly lovely. 

Officer & Bugler

Having finished what was probably one of the longest weeks I've spent in work ever - I will hopefully get a chance to make some more progress on the War Room. I would at least like to finish off the ceiling and get some start on the woodwork. We shall see. 

Rear view

The Gluchow Cuirassiers were originally a unit of carbiniers in the 1790s and were converted to cuirassiers at that time.  They served with distinction at the Shevardino Redoubt at the battle of Borodino. 

Trooper

They served in the Russian army that harried Napoleon out of Russia and also in the 1813 campaigns, being awarded a St. Georges standard for their service. 

Troopers from the side

As I always play the allies, I have never actually had the chance to play with cuirassiers (I've always been on the receiving end), so I'm looking forward to seeing just exactly what sort of damage I can do to Frenchy with these. 

The last thing many a Frenchman every sees

You can hear the thunder of hooves

Urrah!

Onward

Banner flying

I must also thank Uwe Wilde of History in 1/72 for his assistance with flag information. The man is an endless flood of erudition. 

Charging off into the sunset.

Le Blesse

I am always eager to have casualty figures as they greatly simplify the business of keeping score when playing Command & Colours Napoleonics. The figures themselves are still with Krisztian in Budapest, but hopefully by the time I get my greasy paws on them, I will have been able to get a table into the War Room.

In other news, welcome aboard to some new followers.

Grigork

alastair

thedancingcaketin.blogspot.com

Pierre le Poilu

Surfless in Chicago

Millsy

MiniMike

shaun

Captain Richard's miniature Civil War

jacksarge