Saxon recruits and casualty markers

I really am down to the bottom of my lead pile now and amongst the odds and ends were some Hinton Hunt Saxon Line (SXN04) with missing bayonets. I obviously didn't fancy having a go at restoring them in 2017 when I completed a battalion of Prince Frederick August Line. Accordingly they have ever since graced the table with 6 members short (my standard infantry battalion is 5 bases of 6). However, I had some spare, poor quality copies of Brunswickers plus one other headless figure who donated their bayonets and were then perfect fodder for casualty markers.

The Saxons were bought second hand in 1997 and appear to be vintage castings. I think they may have been misdescribed as French as I didn't record them seperately in my inventory.

First step was to clean up some excess flash, particularly in the space between the right arm and the torso with my new mini rotary tool. Bayonets were secured with superglue.

Each new bayonet was held in a block of BluTac while the glue dried

A minor challenge for the Saxons was remembering which shade of Vallejo green I had used for their facings in 2017.  After an aborted trial with Deep Green, I found a match with Military Green.  

The finished 6...only 8 years after their comrades

The full battalion with my usual hand painted, wine bottle foil flags.

They can now properly form square. Plus 5 new casualty markers.

Battles from the archives

Here are a smattering of photos from 3 games from several years ago. All were taken for my own gratification with no blog in mind at the time so limited commentary I'm afraid.

The first engagement is between a combined allied force and the French. The objectives as I recall for each side were to secure two bridges and maintain presence on the opposite bank. Deployment was decided by throw of a dice.  I have absolutely no memory of the outcome of the game! 

Plenty of Hintons on display, allied forces to the left

A wider shot of the same point in the game. British 7th Hussars galloping over farther bridge while resistance is low.

It looks like the French cavalry are wisely leaving the infantry to do the job on this bridge and turn their attention to the incursion upstream. 

I don't think the French assault stood much chance of succeeding with this lot facing them. Artillery by Qualiticast.

Those are Kennington Spanish Hussars ready to pounce

Hinton Hunt 4th Hussars bought from Clayton in 1995. 

Kennington 2nd Nassau fighting against the French this time. (They were my last unit painted with enamels).

Next up is a staging of the action at Hougoumont. The model and grounds took up a good deal of my table. I stuck as far as possible to the historical script for this one and it played out pretty much according to the real battle. 

The card model was originally a 15mm scale self assembly by Pireme. I had the components scanned and blown up to 20mm to match the scale of the Airfix La Haye Sainte. 

You get a better idea of the scale here

No scratch built terrain required for this refight apart from the garden walls.

A Hinton Hunt voltiguer regiment in the forefront of the French attack. This is another action due a restaging. 

I used my sole battalion of British Guards to represent the light companies of the 1st and 2nd Guards.

Ramsey's RHA battery on the heights overlooking the chateau

Vintage Hinton Hunt 1st Guards defending the exterior of the West wall

2nd Nassau defending the garden wall

Brunswickers in front of the garden wall representing Hanoverians. 

The defenders look somewhat sparse against the oncoming hoards

The French view of proceedings

52nd Line taking the role of Guard reinforcements move into the orchard

There was space on the table to introduce some cavalry action on the French left wing (Kennington figures)

I should be able to field a better representation of Pire's 2nd Cavalry Division next time out. These Kennington carabiniers should be Chasseurs a Cheval.

The third game was another imaginary scenario with random deployments again. Both sides occupied high ground with a road running through a valley and a strategic farmhouse to occupy/capture. Once again I have no recollection of who won.  

The allied lines. The 95th move forward supported by the 92nd. Brunswick and Nassau troops in square with 1st Guards to their rear

The farmhouse in French hands

French cavalry move towards the allied lines supported by horse artillery

A very strong cavalry brigade on the French left comprising Guard Chasseurs (just visible to the left), Empress Dragoons, 1st Lancers and Red Lancers 

Spanish and British hussars move to intercept the French cavalry in the centre  

Meanwhile weakened Prussians take on the farmouse. The Line regiment has just one more hit before they are removed. 

Prussian Guards have added their weight to the farmhouse fight

Kennington Polish Lancers

Kennington French Line

2nd Nassau in square as Spanish Hussars hurtle past

Multiple melees in the centre of the battlefield

Kennington 1st Cuirassiers

The French are holding the garden with allied columns moving in.

Hinton Hunt Guard Grenadiers a Cheval supported by Kennington Carabiniers press on against the squares

The Brunswicker columns viewed from the allied heights 

Hope you have enjoyed a look at some of my collection through these battle photos. That's the last in the archive (I think!) so all new games to come in the New Year. Best wishes for the season.

The Hanover Battery

I've accumulated a number of additional Hinton Hunt British Royal Field Artillery figures over the years plus field pieces. I realised not too long ago that I had enough to put 4 guns and crews together. In my world that is 2 x 2 gun batteries. As I already have 2 batteries of vintage RFA I decided that these would be designated as King's German Legion Hanover batteries. 

The KGL artillery uniforms were pretty much identical to their British counterparts, however I was very taken with the illustration of a Hanover artillery officer in Philip Haythornwaite's Uniforms of Waterloo. This shows him wearing a yellow sash rather than British crimson which was good enough for me!  

So each battery has one officer plus miscellaneous crew. Four of the second hand figures had already had some conversion done by their previous owner. Three of the four are in fact BN7 "British infantryman with seperate musket", some more of these appear among the crews. The fourth, which is holding a handspike is a mystery. He has a similarly shaped base and proportions to HH figures but has no pack.  He may have had a new right arm fitted but if so it is an almost invisible piece of surgery or just a casting inperfection. His base markings have been filed away so no clues there. 

Of the four field pieces, three are Hinton Hunt and the howitzer is an unknown make but is a very good model. As we all know the Hinton Hunt cannon's wheels are quite small whereas this howitzer looks correct.

Guns undercoated, crews next.

The mystery figure. 

I left the hand spike added by his previous owner rather than try and add a thicker one as per Hinton Hunt crew. This was primarily because I couldn't dislodge what was already there!

The howitzer. Could it be a Hinchcliffe?

BN7 with rammer added by the previous owner but with new top and bottom. 

2x2 gun batteries completed and based

For painting reference, as well as "Uniforms of Waterloo" I also dusted off Almark's excellent "Soldiers of the Napoleonic Wars" by Alan Kemp.

There are subtle differences from my original vintage crews as I've gone for yellow shako cords and red turnbacks rather than white.

These will see their first action during my next Waterloo refight 

The officer's yellow sash clearly distinguishable from his British counterparts

I don't normally add smoke effects to my games but, as these turned out quite well, I may change the habit of a lifetime

 

Blasting away at unseen enemy.

Another BN7 convert in the howitzer crew with fuse wire porte fire

All original castings in this crew 

Hopefully these additions to my collection will not fall foul of the "curse of the new units" in their first engagement.