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.

Compatible Compatriots - Prussians

Back in the late nineties I was introduced to the Kennington Miniatures range, probably at a Napoleonic fair in Russell Square, London. Having lost any hope at the time of substantially increasing my Hinton Hunt collection, Kennington were a very welcome discovery. The figures are slightly larger than Hintons but not enough to notice en masse. Being modern castings, their crisp detail offered a distinct contrast to my usual Hinton painting experience. It was also during this period  that a very enthusiastic stall holder at the Napoleonic Fair persuaded me to ditch enamels for acrylics. I think the fairs only lasted a few years but were a really enjoyable mix of stalls with some wargames thrown in. Of course my main reason for going was to chat to the proprietor of Kennington and buy some more figures. When Kennington was eventually absorbed into SHQ they started including figures from Fine Scale Factory. I had previously dabbled with FSS figures in the form of their RHA Rocket Troop but found them a little slender. Latterly I recruited some Newline figures which, although very well cast and animated, are generally a little too small, especially when stood next to Kenningtons. I also have a some excellent French and British Qualiticast artillery, although the single unit of French infantry I bought seemed closer to 25mm so sadly remain unpainted. Anyway, here are my Prussian "compatible compatriots". 

Kennington 6th (2nd Silesian) Hussars

As usual the standard is hand painted on wine bottle foil

It makes a change for hussar models to be wearing their pelisses rather than across their shoulders.

Kennington cavalry command packs usually have an officer, standard bearer and bugler

The 6th Hussars were part of the 1st Cavalry Brigade at Waterloo leading the advance from Wavre

Kennington 6th Neumark Dragoons

6th Neumark were part of II Army Corps during the Waterloo campaign and saw action to the West of the Ligny battlefield.    

Newline 1st Koningin Dragoons also part of II Army Corps

These were finished just a few weeks ago. They were an impulse ebay buy a few years ago (I mistook them for Kenningtons)

Blucher by Kennington

SHQ generals

The light cavalry brigade

"Forwards my children, no prisoners!!" (Sorry....still stirred up by watching "Waterloo" again recently)

Waterloo in Reverse Part 3

 The final set of photos from this 2020 game.....

This is where we left it last time, the 2nd Nassau in square to the left of the picture and British/Brunswick troops facing artillery and advancing opposition. La Haye Sainte looks pretty secure in French hands.

Prussian 6th Hussars (by Kennington) join a strong push on the allied right wing

The initial British/Brunswick attack in the centre has evaporated but a rather lonely looking column of French infantry are all that remain after victorious lancers were blown and recalled. A fresh, strong mixed force of Spanish, Portugese, Prussian, Brunswick and British, are now on the right and centre of the allied line.

Further left, 42nd highlanders & 27th Inniskillings form part of a British infantry brigade

...and to their left Spanish Princessa line are on the retreat after temporarily slowing the French advance. 79th Camerons and 32nd Cornwall hold the line to their right. 

4th Cuirassiers and Guard Horse Grenadiers start their charge on the French right.

Marshal Ney can just be seen in the foreground leading the cavalry attack. Casualty markers show the Prussian Guard Grenadiers are now at 2/3 strength, the Prussian Jagers down to half and the Landwehr in retreat also 2/3 down 

The 12th Dutch column is also weakened but the Prussians have not been evicted from the orchard 

The 16th light dragoons look to be the only cavalry regiment remaining on the allied far left to take on the oncoming heavy cavalry 

In the middle ground the French dragoons have vacated LHS and remounted. Carabiniers support their rear.

Good old vintage HH line fusiliers lead the charge up the road

Sadly that's where my photos of this game ended! I know there were not many more moves as my diary tells me I packed the table up shortly after the last photo. I think that the fresh allied push on the centre and right proved too much and the French right wing became isolated. I do remember the French Dragoons being finished off trying to attack the artillery on the allied ridge. 

This has now given me the appetite to have another go at a refight of that area of the Waterloo battlefield (the right way around this time!)