Hinton Hunt Royal Horse Artillery

Hinton Hunt RHA rider with a horse of uncertain ancestry

I'm nearing the end of my project to complete British and French armies for the Peninsula. There are plenty of other projects beckoning (Cold War Force on Force, Memoir '44, Samurai, Spaniards, India and on and on and on), but one of the luxuries of nearing the end of at least one project is a filling in of gaps, indulgence in certain extravagances that would not otherwise be entertained except in the happy time when the main work is done. These fellows are one such extravagance, a gift from a chum, Jack Hixon, in old Virginny who saw my Newline Designs RHA and took such a dislike to them that he sent me these.

RHA gunner

I find it hard to look at this pose and not think of briefings in black and white war films, anything with Kenneth Moore or Jack Hawkins, where a moustachied Rupert would importantly jab a stick at map with the words, "Jerry is here, here and here." Though in the circumstances it should probably be, "Francois is here, here and here."

They are beautiful figures, though Krisztian was unimpressed by their tiny feet, but their upright posture and good carriage remind me of figures from a Hillingford painting. They've done good service too - they saw their first combat a few weeks ago at the Redinha and confounded the normal expectation of newly painted figure, by charging forward and blasting the French with grape at close range in the best Royal Horse Artillery tradition.  

Sergeant, pot that fellow would you? Hinton Hunt RHA officer

So these chaps have been replacing my Newlines on the field of Mars, though I can't quite find it in my heart to dispose of them. Krisztian did a lovely job on them, for all their tiny feet and I can see them giving good service for many years to come. God bless Jack Hixon and the Christian Brothers who taught him and left with such an affection for the Auld Sod.


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The Russians are coming!

While the photographs of miniatures on this blog are generally me stealing other men's glory - these chaps are Russians are actually painted myself. I've been chipping away at a Cold War collection for Force on Force, mainly inspired by the beautiful work produced by Elheim miniatures. The sculpting, the proportions of the figures, the little touches like the Russian sniper having a smoke make them really stand out.

I've been painting these fellows up with a mind to playing the Top Malo House scenario from the main rulebook with the dastardly Reds taking the role of the Argintineans, mainly as I didn't like any of the Argies currently on the market. The painting is very simple and based on some excellant advice I received on the Guild.

1. Undercoat black. This is harder than it looks with a spray as there are plenty of undercuts.

2. Paint uniform Vallejo Khaki.

3. Wash with GW Devlan Mud.

4. Paint hands and face with Vallejo fleshtones.

5. Paint webbing with Vallejo Dark Brown and bag, etc with Vallejo Khaki.

6. Paint Helmet Vallejo Reflective Green.

7. Paint wooden weapon furniture Vallejo Mahogony Sand

8. Paint weapon an off grey, I usually mix black and white and then add a slightly lighter grey as a highlight.

9. Crush capitalism to taste.

My research into Russian Cossacks is going very well. 

In other news, it appears that Command & Colours: Napoleonics will be getting a Russian expansion next with a tentative release date of November. This is great news, though I haven't managed to finish playing all the scenarios in the basic set yet! Certain parties have prophesied that this means that I will have to study an aspect of the Napoleonic wars that doesn't involve Wellington or the Peninsular an area, they have rather laughingly described as "the real Napoleonic wars" (I'm looking at you Takacs). I'm skeptical, but I'm digging into Zamoyski's 1812 again and I'm quietly confident that this won't result in too many new books...

Fortunately, I'll be able to reuse a lot of my French troops and Strelets and Zvesda have almost everything else for the Russians covered. 

And lastly, there are Russians coming for one of my favourite computer games Company of Heroes, a skirmish based real time strategy PC title. It's tremendous fun - it's a historically based game rather than a historical wargame per se, but it provides an entertaining game and I find playing against the computer very relaxing. It's like playing a game of 1960s Second World War films. It's not exactly right, but it is close enough. The original game featured Americans with the British forces arriving two years later in an expansion. The third expansion wasn't up to much - but apparently the sequel is due in 2013. It will feature a single player Soviet campaign and in addition to having terrain that can be blown up and deformed, will also feature snow fall that will affect visibility and movement and that will build up over time.

There are questions of course of whether it will run on my laptop, but we live in hope.


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Schilling French Grenadiers

Schilling French Grenadiers

Sharp eyed readers will no doubt have observed the freshly painted grenadiers lurking at the rear of the French line at the Battle of Vimeiro. The fellows pictured above are Schilling French Grenadiers bought from John Cunningham of 20mm Nostalgic Revival. John lectured me during his last visit that no true Napoleonic wargamer can be considered as such until he has fielded Old Guard Grenadiers. However, being of a Peninsular turn of mind, I didn't have much call for them at the time. However with Waterloo looming it seems I'll have to field some after all. 

And in close up

These were painted by Krisztian Takacs and they're brilliant figures well painted. Krisztian is also a photographer of some skill. He took the pictures above for Uwe of History in 1/72, who is also selling the Schilling grenadiers. As you can see they are crisp, beautifully proportioned castings about equivelent in height to SHQ I think, but I'll try and get a comparison photo posted soon.

From left to right, Officer, Pioneer and two grenadiers

I've also discovered that there is so little differance between Guard and Line Grenadiers that I'm happy to use the same figures for both. As Windrow & Embleton write in Military Dress of the Peninsular War,

"British diarists recalling the fighting in Fuentes de Onoro mention being attacked by "Imperial Guards", but there were no units of la Garde present.  The troops who made such an impression were three battalions of detached grenadier companies drawn from all eight of Drouet D'Erlons two divisions. It was a natural mistake for any man to make in the heat of battle, with the massed ranks of tall bearskins coming at him through the powder smoke."

The paths of glory lead but to the grave...

Lastly, there is the ever important casualty figure to mark where the unit has fallen.  Inigo, Uwe's sculptor has done a wonderful job - there is pathos there that gives weight and feeling to Thomas Gray's words.

All in all, two wonderful units that will hopefully break as soon as they see the sight of cold steel.

But somehow I doubt it. 

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This is an appeal...

...to raise awareness of sausage fingered blogger syndrome. 

Every day dozens of people read your blog.

People like Dan Milligan, a man so lazy he is actually fictional.

People like Conrad Kinch of Kingstown, Ireland - a man so feckless and a sluggish that he frequently reads your blog on his phone in bed, when he's meant to be sweeping the kitchen or writing that article that he promised to Donogh months ago. But mainly on his phone, because he's too lazy to wrest his laptop away from Mrs Kinch, who is probably doing something productive with it, like getting a Tesco shop in or arguing with people on the Internet.

Conrad reads your blog.

Conrad likes your blog.

Conrad would like to comment on your blog, but he can't.

Because Conrad suffers from Sausage Fingered Blogger Syndrome.

This is a real condition, a very real made up condition, that makes it too much trouble for Conrad to comment on your blog. Why?

Because your blog has "Show word verification" enabled.

Every day, Conrad expends seconds, sometimes entire minutes if he's bothered to write a long enough comment, trying to type a random word to prove that he's not a robot. He does this in spite of a tiny screens and the cruel vagaries of predictive text.

Conrad is not a robot.

For one he lacks their work ethic and unrealistically high standards of personal grooming.

Disabling "Show word verification" doesn't mean that your blog will be suddenly filled with comments offering you penis enlargement pills, Nigerian bank accounts or pictures of Hot Girls waiting for you live on their webcams.

Well, actually it does, but they will all end up in the spam filter, which empties itself anyway.

It doesn't mean that you can't moderate your comments. You will be able to. 

So take this small step and make it easier for people like Conrad to comment on your blog, rather than mashing their chubby fists against an iPhone screen while queuing at the Post Office.

It would be better. He is beginning to frighten the children there.

Thank you.

I don't write games...

....but if I did they'd have a samurai. 

As all dilligent readers of Battlegames are no doubt aware, Zvesda is releasing a new game called Samurai Battles. This is an unusual game in that it actually includes two rule sets, one based on Zvesda's house system Art of Tactic and the other using Command & Colours by our old friend Richard Borg. You can find a PDF of the Command & Colours rules here.

I fear another period looming.

The Battle of Vimeiro (21st August 1808) Part two

Things are hotting up around Ventosa with the Connaught Ranger attempting unsuccessfully to evict the French interlopers. It remains to be seen whether General Solignae's haste to take the village, leaving two battalions to follow on behind will prove wise.

Fire from the French troops ensconced in the town pushed the British back while the French light troops moved forward to support their embattled brothers. There was some debate on the French side on whether it would have been wiser to bring the guns forward, but in the end the Light infantry carried the day.

But they were not enough, as the combined fire of the Connaught Rangers and the Royal Horse Artillery drove the French troops from the town.

With their right falling back, the French decide to up the pressure in the centre. Playing the "Elan" card - they send two battalions of the Legione Irlandaise forwards, one on the left and one in the centre. Risky, but in their present staits - nothing will be gained by caution.

And with that in mind, the push on the right recommences with the Hussars of Conflans moving forward to support the infantry.

The Legione Irlandaise manage to cause some casualties amongst the Royal Artillery on the ridge line, but nothing more.

And are promptly wiped out by return fire. Things are looking grim for Junot and his staff. It may be time to commit the grenadiers who are in reserve. These are very beautiful Schilling figures bought from John Cunningham and painted by Krisztian Takacs.

The Fourth Foot and the Portuguese cavalry move forward to meet the advancing grenadiers, but neither side can gain a decisive advantage.

Meanwhile, the battle still rages around Ventosa. The Connaught Rangers managed to retake the village, but were badly cut up doing so. Could the French eject them with one last push?

With the score 5-3 to the British, General Creanor orders a cavalry charges in the centre, risking a costly reverse to break the French quickly. He throws two regiments of cavalry down into the valley between the two armies and between them they claim the French battery watched over Junot himself. 

General Du Gourmand typically jolly in defeat, while Polish emigre General Siskey shakes his hand. General Savage is phlegmatic, while General Creanor somehow manages to get out of shot.

This was a good game, though I feel the French handcapped themselves by being too aggressive at the outset and not properly preparing their attack.

The Battle of Vimeiro (21st August 1808) Part one

This battle was played some weeks ago, before I was overcome by a blogging lethargy that has left me bizarrely unenthused with the whole project. However, nothing overcomes a lack of writing like applying the seat of the pants to a chair and waiting until inspiration strikes.

The battle of Vimeiro as you all very well know, took place in 1808 during Wellington's first outing to the Iberian peninsula. Wellington or Wellsley as he was known at the time, arrived in Portugal and beat the French at the battles of Rolica and Vimeiro. He was then superceded by Generals Dalrymple and Burrard, who concluded a peace which while it cleared the French out of Portugal, was so politically disasterous that of the three British commanders that signed it, only Wellsley ever held high command again.

But enough of that.

The strategic situation was as follows, the British forces had recently arrived in Portugal at Mondego Bay near Lisbon. Wellington had had been tasked with kicking the French out of Portugal and was had been eying the seat of the pants of Jean-Andoche Junot as a likely spot for a boot.

Wellington had fought a battle with the French under Delaborde four days previously at Rolica in one of those strange engagements that neither side could be said to have lost. The British took the French position, but the French had retired in good order. Not bad for a Sepoy General who had not commanded an army against the French in battle before, but one does not break the aura of Gallic invincibility by pushing half your number of Frenchmen off a hill. The positions were now reversed, Wellington was on the defensive awaiting reinforcements (and supercession by a more senior officer) and Junot was eager to shatter his force before it could consolidate. 

This wasn't the first time we'd played this battle, but it was the first time Krisztian had joined us, though he mysteriously appears to have dodged all the photographs.

The French opened the ball with characteristic ferocity, a full throated bayonet charge straight into the heart of the British line.

Which was promptly shot down after some muttering from the British staff.
"What the hell does he think he's playing at?"

Meanwhile on the French right, the Line infantry begin to advance

...and the cavalry in the centre charge! But fail to make much of an impression.

While the "thin red streak tipped with steel" drives the Chasseurs back in disorder.

General Solignae moves up to join the front line.

Meanwhile in the French centre, all is not well. The 13ieme Cuirassiers have been driven back and the 60th American have skirmished forward, picking off a few of the 22ieme Ligne. There was back slapping all around from the British.

But they spoke too soon, a powerful cavalry charge backed up by the weakened 22ieme Ligne wiped out the over confident riflemen and swept the 4th Foot who unwisely tried to take the charge in line from the ridge. Though the Frenchmen were 2-1 down, the 4th were barely hanging on and even if they managed to form square on the following turn, there was a better than even chance that they would be ridden down.

But it was not to be, a counter attack by British Light Dragoons supported by their Portuguese brethren, put paid to the over extended French cavalry. "Good Lord," muttered the British IC, "I do believe they've been stealing our tactical manuals."

On the French left, General Solignae spurred his men to great efforts, taking the village of Ventosa despite tough British opposition.