Preparing for first Sharpe's Practice game.

Time for my sort-of monthly blog post and there's been plenty going on since painting the French-in-Egypt Camel Corps. For starters there were hordes of Galloglas axe murderers and a few Saxons to paint and base for Doug to pay for my Badener army.  My apologies to Paul of Murowski Miniatures as almost as soon as I'd bought Doug's figures Murowski announced their range of superb Badeners. Bad timing dammit. Nonetheless I can't complain as I now have another full brigade to game with which won't take me long to get up to gaming standard - if I ever get the time that is. Having a few health issues and storm damage to my house at the same time has seen me also preoccupied with many things other than the hobby.

Preparing the single based officers and NCOs for Sharpe's Practice

The boys have discovered Sharpe's Practice from the indomitable Two Fat Lardies and after their experience with Chain of Command, want to try a small unit skirmish rule set for Napoleonic warfare. Given that skirmish tactical doctrine began  in this era of massed infantry formations (Sir John Moore's famous Light Division that gained deserved fame in the Peninsular Campaign being the ancestor of modern squad infantry tactics) I was somewhat skeptical of the historical accuracy of applying such a set of rules to that era. However, I must say the rules read well enough and they are, as most rule sets nowadays, well presented and full of eye-candy enough to entice any old rusted-on Napoleonics gamer. So I thought I'd give'em a go save for one small problem - an unforeseen family issue arose and I had to miss the game - so I'm still waiting to play it.  Despite this setback I have had the time to prepare figures for three armies: French, Austrian and Russian. All the figures are now painted and based, just have to make up the movement trays.

Officer and NCO in forage cap lead the dismounted French dragoons

Here then are the figures and units as per the SP lists. For the French I made up an 8 figure unit of dragoons under an NCO. They are the only cavalry unit that can dismount and fight on foot (historically the Austrian light cavalry especially dragoons also skirmished on foot but rarely did so as they trained to shoot from the saddle) so I adapted the Perry's plastic dismounted dragoons, creating a junior officer and a horse holder stand.

Dragoon horse holder conversion. Thinking of putting a carbine in a bucket strap on one of the horses to represent the horse holder.

All in all its a lot of extra work for a small unit that will probably operate 90% of the time as cavalry but at least it gives you the historically accurate option. They were also armed with the long carbine rather than the quite useless short cavalry carbine carried by everybody else and which was as accurate as the Charleville musket in trained hands i.e. 100-150 paces effective range.

Officer and NCO for the three 8 figure line units.

I've tried to come up with a minimum of one NCO and one officer for each group of three 8-figure units, with another NCO for the specialist skirmisher unit, with two groups of six infantry units commanded by a mounted officer. Each group of six has a light gun (6 pdr) & 4 crew and an 8 figure cavalry unit attached (Dragoons for one and Line Chasseurs for the other).  For the first French army this included 3 x Ligne (Line) units, 2 x Legere (1 x Voltigeur, 1 x Carabinier) and one specialist skirmisher Corsican Light Infantry (Tirailleurs du Corse).  The second French skirmish army is 3 x Ligne and 3 x Foreign Regt. #4 (Irish)/Croatian/Chasseurs d'Elbe - technically Legere (Light Infantry) also with a specialist Tirailleur skirmish/sharpshooter unit led by an NCO.

Legere led by the Corsican Brotherhood (aka 'the Emperor's Cousins') NCO and a Leger officer.

Tirailleurs Du Corse  ('Les Cousines')

Legere with Voltigeur (left) and Carabinier (right, in Kolpac)

Chasseurs D'Elbe Tirailleurs with junior officer (left) and senior NCO in Pokalem (on the right)

The battle-hardened Chasseurs led by their battle-damaged officer.

Ligne (Line) officer with its Voltigeur (light) company & NCO 

Mounted senior officer (Captaine) in overall charge of 12 infantry , two cavalry & two guns

French gun & crew. Unfortunately its an old Elite model so more like an 8 rather than 6 pdr.

1st French skirmish army

I've organised the Austrians and Russians the same way. Basically six infantry units, one cavalry and one gun per skirmish 'army'.  The Austrians are best suited as they actually had the right troop types who were also experienced in the irregular warfare of the day - the Grenz or border units from the Balkan frontier being the most experienced - followed by the famous rifle armed Jaeger (who the French nicknamed 'the Grey Devils'). The Austrians are composed of 3 x 8 figure line units, 2 x Grenz and 1 x Jaeger.  The Grenz and Jaeger each are led by an NCO (recognizable by the brass tipped cane NCOs carried). Each Line unit has an NCO and there are also three officers - two line and one light/Jaeger - not because they have them on the list but because I had the extra figures if I just wanted to field Austrians, for example.

Warasdiner St. George (fearsome Serb frontiersmen!) Grenzer with NCO and Austrian LI (or Jaeger) officer.

Jaegers led by an NCO - this can be a specialist sharpshooter unit all rifle armed.

Austrian Dragoner (dragoons) led by a bald NCO type. They are armed with the Austrian cavalry carbine which, better than the standard French cavalry carbine, was not nearly as effective as the long barreled version used by the French dragoons.

Austrian Line officers & NCO, with mounted 'Inhaber' (senior officer) They are old Foundry figures and a bit hobbit-like next to the Perry's 28mm plastics

Austrian light gun & crew.  Austrians still used battalion guns (particularly with Grenz and Hungarian regts) so had plenty of 3 pdr pop-guns available as well as 6 pdrs.

Three units of the Hapsburgs finest - Hoch & Deutschmeister - with their NCOs.

The Austrian 'Skirmish Army'

Although the Austrians had a modicum of skirmish experience with some specialist units as the war progressed the Grenz became more and more like standard line as high losses meant experienced Grenzer were replaced by conscripts only trained in basic drill and formations (column, mass and line - NOT skirmish).  At the same time they did eventually grasp that entire battalions of line could be used as a skirmish screen - same as the French. The true skirmishers were of course Jaeger, a third of who were rifle-armed sharpshooters. They were crack shots but never employed in large enough numbers or formations to be as effective as the British Light Division, for example.  The Russians were a different case again. They had dedicated Jaeger units for skirmishing - usually assigned a battalion for each brigade of line or Guard however they were not rifle armed and Russian tactical doctrine relied on mass formations and the bayonet throughout the Napoleonic Wars. What the Russians did have was a plethora of irregular units developed during 1812 and of course huge numbers of mounted Cossacks. They were the most outstanding irregulars of the period and even before 1812, terrified the French (and everyone else) with tactics that were never really effectively countered, if only because of the numbers of Cossacks available to the Russian armies of the time. Naturally my skirmish army had to have a Cossack cavalry unit. I even have a Cossack light gun (6 pdr) I can swap with the Russian line artillery piece.

Cossack 6 pdr.

There are five line units and one jaeger with three NCOs and three officers (one a Cossack?)

Russian Infantry units with officers, NCOs.

Russian line with NCO, line officer and Cossack officer

Jaeger unit with officer and NCO

Russian Line artillery with 8 pdr

Cossacks!

Mounted Russian commander

Russian skirmish army

Because I've had to adapt the basing to fit the single base model used by Sharpe's Practice, only officers and NCOs are individually based. All others are 2 figures on a standard 30 x 20mm base. To indicate casualties I've made up plenty of figure casualty markers for each army.

French casualty markers for relevant skirmish units

Russian markers

Austrian markers

 The only thing left to do now is make movement trays for each unit. I've made them before for WRG basing so it shouldn't present too much of a challenge after just painting and basing nearly 40 figures!  We are just about set for our first game of Sharpe's Practice which I will report on in due course. Really looking forward to it actually.

Perry's Austrians finished (well, just about)

First post of the new year - only taken a month and nearly longer after the storm that came through yesterday evening and damaged my house. A few nervous moments atop a ladder desperately trying to clear hail out of my roof gutters as water started to come through my ceiling!  Crisis averted, I've remembered to photo the new Perry's Napoleonic Austrians I've just finished.



The grenadiers complete my Reserve Div brigade (4 x 16 figure battalions, two German, two Hungarian).  They can of course double up for larger Black Powder units. But the two others I admit I've been pestering the Perry's to make for years - Jaegers and Uhlans (Polish lancers in Austrian service). Finally they did so late last year so I bit the bullet and ordered them in time for Christmas.  Well worth the wait - beautiful figures (as you'd expect) - particularly the Uhlans.



Initially disappointed the range only included skirmishing figures, the Jaegers are also beautifully done and my 16-figure unit of them came up a treat as well.  I've grown to like the Jaeger's action poses as at the end of the day, they're only doing what Jaegers are supposed to do, right?



The Grenadiers suit the marching poses and the only complaint I have about them is that the heads & packs conversion pieces came out a week or two after I ordered them!  Could have saved $$$ with a conversion set but there ya go...



The foot figures all finish off brigades - the second Jaeger battalion for my second infantry brigade.  trouble is the Austrian formations were so huge (and unwieldy in the field) that to reporoduce them at scale for Black Powder games takes several body-weights in metal (and plastic) as well as a second mortgage.  But they are so nice... so I had to get a full regiment of Uhlans (18 figures) of which I've just finished painting the first six.





Just another 12 to go [sigh]... then another two battalions of infantry to beef up the line brigades. It never really ends, does it?





Skirmishing Jaeger - whats not to like?

And the view from the back.



Mustn't forget the Grenadiers.





And a last one of the Uhlans as they bid a farewell...



That's it for a bit until I finish the regiment (1st Uhlans recruited from the Hapsburg's Galacian holdings) A fourth regiment was raised by the end of the Napoleonic Wars with Austria's recovery of its Polish provinces, temporarily lost to the short-lived Duchy of Warsaw. They remained in Austrian hands for over a century until the fall of the Hapsburg Empire in 1918.  Here endeth the history lesson. Happy Australia Day to all my fellow Aussie gamers and bloggers.

Napoleonic Austrian Hussars

I really should have waited before posting on the Perry's French wagon because I just finished my Perry's Austrian Hussars.  They are quite a nice figure and well animated, with a choice of sword arms to vary the action a bit.  If I have one criticism its that the horse's fetlocks and bases are way too thin and can bend or even break getting them off the painting stick I hot-glue them to.  I've used the hot-glue gun method for years and its mostly the new Perry's that have caused me grief - although I did also have problems for the same reason with my WWII RifRaf Greeks.  Its a production problem I've heard of from quite a few others so I know I'm not alone. Some of my wargaming colleagues refuse to buy any more Perry's, particularly cavalry, because of this problem.  Its a pity because they are, like most other Perry stuff, beautiful figures. I've not encountered the problem with their plastic cav figures either.

Every man and his dog when doing Austrian hussars seems to pick the more riotously coloured ones like #4 'Hessen-Homberg' with their bright blue shakos and parrot green pelisses but I decided on the more quality and somberly coloured Regt. #3 'Erzherzog (Crown Prince) Ferdinand Carl d'Este' - still colourful enough in my opinion!

Gradually re-building my Austrian army after selling off most of my old figures. Big job! But its good to take a break from WWII stuff for a bit and paint some Naps - always my first love when I started collecting!

They'll fit in nicely with the hordes of other Perrys I've bought.  Still got artillery limbers and several battalions of infantry (@ 48 figures each!) to paint up before I start the Russians. I haven't entirely abandoned WWII either as I have a Fairy Swordfish bomber to build - the old Airfix kit which should be a challenge - and an Italian army to put together.  I still want to have another go at Galatas Part 2 again.  Plenty of other ambitious projects in the wind too - Austrian 1859 army, WW1 Belgians & Germans, Italian Wars Landesknechts & Pike and finishing my TYW dragoons etc, ACW - it never ends really.

Lotsa of lead to paint - so little time to paint it! Still, more time now the AFL footy season draws to a close, my son's team out of their finals (no more goal umpiring duties for me) and my beloved Saints seemed destined for yet another wooden spoon. [sigh]
Think I might paint some more figures...

Austrian 'Wurst' Gun, Crew and Limber

Just completed one of the most challenging models I've put together in some time - one of the Perry's latest releases from their metal range of the Napoleonic Austrian army: the 'WurstKanone' with crew, limber and team.  Its a huge metal model - together with some of the Russian gun limbers, one of the largest Perry's make.  The metal kit consists of six horses, three of which have the 'Fuhrwesen' teamsters molded with the horse, the seven part limber (seven parts!), the 6 pdr gun and four man crew.  

Its a beautiful model and up to the Perry's usual high standard.  The poses of the teamsters and gun crew are fantastic with one leaning on his pommel while his horse crops the grass, another twisting in the saddle - so I've got him talking to the gun crew Kaporal who's probably telling him not to take off before the crew are properly perched on their precarious looking 'sausage seat' on the gun trail (and from whence the gun got its name).  I note there are no handrails or anything to hold onto, just a foot-rail on either side of the seat, so you'd think going at anything faster than a brisk trot could be a tad risky!

Although beautifully made, putting the limber together with its very fine metal parts and the two-piece limber shaft was a real pig! There are plenty of limber pieces - more than you'll need, so that putting the team together even with (if you were a real pedant) fine jeweler's chain is distinctly possible.

There is some flash on it here and there, requiring a bit of clean up with scalpel and fine file before gluing etc. Because of its size (its over 26 cm long) I decided to approach it a bit at a time, including dividing the base into three.  Once I'd finished putting the limber and gun together (the limber over and over again!), I base coated and painted all the figures horses and pieces separately.  Once these were just about finished - I did the mounted teamsters first on the middle base section, removing them from the paint sticks. [A word of warning here: I use a hot glue gun to put 'em on wooden ice cream sticks - don't overdo it with the hot glue!  The horse and figure bases are quite thin and will bend and break when removing them from the paint sticks unless very careful!]  After a few anxious moments I mounted the three teamsters & horses on the main base and let dry while I finished the gun, crew and limber.

I decided to mount up the gun on a separate base so that the limber can be used with or without and with a full six horse team or four (thinking about the size and the room it takes up on the wargaming table here).

The crew mounting up on the 'sausage seat'

The corporal has a word...

A precarious looking enterprise

The idea of just having a limber is so it can deploy behind the battery (once I've finished it!) or be limbered up - (about to be) on the move as it were.  The other piece I've got to go with this is the Austrian horse artillery caisson - it also looks like its going to be challenge!  Artillery batteries with attendant limbers, caissons, extra gun-handlers as well as the guns and crews themselves were an enormous enterprise and quite difficult to represent on the wargaming table.  The sheer room the establishment of a three or four gun battery requires would be just too prohibitive - mind you, if you were of a mind to, Perry's produce all the bits and bobs you'll need for any of the main armies. I did see one done once of a French battery with 'hired help' resting limbers, caissons - the lot.  The full thing looked magnificent but would have taken up a sizeable chunk of an average table!  What I want to do is have that higher level of detail but take up the minimum space.  At least that's the plan!

Four horse team and limber section

Detachable lead team

The gun and crew also presented a bit of a challenge to base separately as the gun trail had to be able to be mounted on the limber as well.  I'll just have to remember to lift it separately when I put it on the table for a game!

Gun base section

The thing to remember is that Austria was the only major army NOT to have true horse artillery!  The 'Wurst Kanone' were the closest thing that they did field - more of a mobile artillery than a true horse artillery.  I don't believe they moved anywhere near the speed of the cavalry they were meant to support - certainly not comparable with the French, Russian, British or even Prussian versions.  Limbered up with crew straddling the long gun seat they reportedly moved at a brisk trot at best.  These were not sprung so you can imagine it would have been a fairly bone-jarring trip across the battlefield before leaping off to unlimber and deploy.  The seat could be removed but it was often left on during action so they could rapidly limber up and move at a moment's notice - even if they didn't travel that fast!  Nonetheless they were a mobile artillery and considered themselves elite artillerymen - the Austrian artillery was never less than proficient and at least as professional as their French opponents, even if tactically they didn't match the French use of artillery.

So, a 'Wurst' battery is a must-have for any respectable Austrian army - one limber down, one caisson and battery to go!