Facing the British Guards (Break through mission at the Whiz)

Some where in Belgium or Holland a company of Panzer Grenadiers are facing off with member of the Guards Armor.

Platoons of Sherman swing to the right and left flanks.

My 15cm Guns are dead by turn 3 but the bought me time to move troops on to the objectives even if no Tanks were killed.

25 pounder artillery and mortars spent most of the day pounding these men to limited effect though they did kill my 2iC early on and got some other men latter.

I have the front of the objectives pretty well covered with AT guns and StuGs and my 3rd Platoon is on the objective but efforts to dig in have failed

And then... more Brits arrive infantry and tank destroyers...

Ricardo got lots of hits on me as his men fired before moving in I survived his first swing with only one kill and then drove him off...

I got lucky the ID only got one of my StuGs and my return fire killed three Shermans (Ricardo had doubled) the British 2iC took his best shot but missed

My own tanks failed to hit but 3 of 4 died to Firefly fire.

Ricardo has horrible luck with his shooting and my moral test when well holing the objective with what was left of my 3rd Panzergrenadier platoon and I have other troops closing in on the position.  Ricardo decided to concede.  He was probably right his chances of wining would depend on me rolling very badly and the recall officer from his Commander in Chief  (wife) may have played into his calculations :)

Combat of Blar a'callaid

The name of this battle is taken form Am Faclair Beag  My rough translation is the battle of the hedge ("Blar" is battle "callaid" can mean both hedge or fence which is perfect for this fight. I Claim all credit for any miss-translations)

The fight started well for me Wulfric defeated Uthred the Briton Champion.  I also had some luck with passing the horn giving me an extra dice per stand.

I also made it to the fall first with most of the  troops that mater (not levies)

Looks like a formidable position if only I could form a shield wall....

John can and does form a shield wall.. but that formation on the left is still not in the shield wall...

So I took a risk and them... I drove them back but...

John managed quite a counter stroke hitting with two units and charging with shield wall at the fence.

The fighting was fairly inconclusive but I got the worse of it... and Bregred and his band int eh center is in a bad fight.

on the left I was able to drive john's men off breaking that formation my troops int he center were also lost. After the fighting I sent my formation on the left in behind the shield wall while my elitists moved to it front. I also sent the troops on the right off in a flanking movement.

John got lucking with the cards and got to move first my force was broken..

We then spent several tuns circling each other until it became clear that with the edge of the world I couldn't out flank John's shield wall and I elected to withdraw. John secured a 5 point victory... I realized after the battle that I had not brought a unit of Warriors with me to the table.  I don't think they would have made a difference. John played too carefully and didn't take any of the chances I was able to capitalize on in previous battles.  Casualties were actually pretty low on both sides about a dozen men each John is now besieging my province.

Sunday Huzzah: The Great Battle of Waterloo

This is the BIG ONE Boston Trained Bands organizations huge multi-table Napoleonic Battle using Blackpowder. 

My own command two Brigades of infantry and a small corps of cavalry in the town of Plancenoit facing the on comping Prussians.

My pal John running the Hougoumont table the building is lovely but 15mm which actually gives it the right foot print

Chris is helping run the center table.

The Carriere Division holding its position in Plancenoit

The Young Guard marching hard to the relief under Jonathan's command and more troops under Bergi's command are to the north of the the image.

One Prussian command(Scott) had good luck and advanced up on the right if that cavalry gets around us we are in trouble.

Maureen however rolled poorly for command including a blunder that send her men haring off in a hedge in field.

I threw my men forward to buy time for the Young Guard. My tiny cavalry corp (two under strength units of Dragoons) charges and one of my infantry battalions sweeps in to take the advance Prussian gun.  We took the gun but my infantry fell to the counter charge and my cavalry had a unit Broken then other fell and was hit again in the follow on sweeping charge by the Prussians.

Prussian artillery bangs out across the line but we bought the time needed the Prussian cavalry under fire falls back and after a turn or two more of fire I have to pull back my broken infantry brigade and replace it with the second.

The Prussian troops are stacked up but they have cover and more artillery but we have the infantry to hold them back thanks to the sacrifice of two of my brigades. Johnathan holds the left(as seen above) Begi has the right with men dug in the house and my men hold the center.

At this point we declare our table a draw... eventually Blucher comes up with more troops and drive us off but the Prussian pursuit after the main battle will be much reduced. So history doesn't change but a few hundred or a few thousand more French men get home.   The rest of the pictures are from the other tables. 

The French on the center are advancing in large supporting column of infantry.

The allies on the high ground though some of them have advanced.

This is a truly massive battle no idea how many troops are here but both sides look impressive.

Hougoumont battle is looking just as impressive if a lot smaller

on the left side of the big table French Cavalry and British Squares do battle as they did 200 years ago.

In the center its an infantry on Infantry fight

Hougoumont's garrison is just barely hanging on

French Cavalry faces English and Allied troopers on the Allied flank. The central table didn't really follow history but the results were about the same the Allies held its on the flanks that history changes. Jonathan, Bergi and I hold off the Pussians and

Hougoumont falls to the French... I don't think this changes the exact out come but... I also have not heard Rich Clayton's official ruling on the results of the battle.

Huzzah Day two Part 3: Quatre Bras

Saturday night I attended Christopher Boynton's Battle of Quartre Bras. He had an impressive selection of miniatures as you can see the British, Hanoverians and French in the center.

and a number of special command cards with various officers such as this one with General Pack.  Playing against type I was with the English and really playing against type I was the Duke of Wellington as well as having General Pack's command

To the left two Brunswick light infantry battalions would play hell with the French advance for a while.

The French advanced on the center left  but bad command rolls kept them form moving as a body.

On the right the Brunswick Division soon found it self under pressure

The center left of our position was under some pressure as well but the flank was my main concern as I directed my fellow players to move the Hanoverian Landwehr to use the woods to cover our flanks.

The Brunswick troops have managed to disengage and gain some space their cavalry has forced the French into squares.

In the center Belgian Cavalry is advancing thought the town not were I would wish them to be but I wasn't asked... Sadly that is as far as they got.

More French are advancing on the left the 95th Rifles has taken casualties and is shaken so I move in with the Duke to rally them

The French in the center have advanced and Kellerman's cuirassiers are moving up with them but on the left disaster strikes the Anglo allied  army.

The 95th rifles attacked by no less than 3 battalions of French Infantry are overwhelmed in hand to hand combat. The Duke of Wellington is caught up in the route and loses control of his horse and is swept from the battle field.

Pack Moves up to support Picton in the center and their combined fire hurts the French badly the Landwehr are also fighting like lions to our suprise.

To our great surprise the Brunswick cavalry throw back part of the French cuirassiers and for a moment it looks like the French flank will be rolled up.

But the french recover and are putting pressure on the Allied right..

and center..

The fight is rolling back and forth.

Keller man break through on the right as well just as the Light infantry battalions on the far left give way to a combined arms assault and the french Cavalry whips around the Allied left flank.  Nay's armies are badly cut up.  Both sides are down 3 brigades but the loss of Wellington is deemed a tie breaker making a minor French victory.