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Update with another game- mine a few weeks ago.
With 50/50 hits prob you just can’t tell. Here we had an arriving ‘flank’ marching force [actually it was merely a separate road of advance for the ‘army’ involved].
The French were in retreat and to retire to their base line. These two battalions and a Kurassier [Austrians] did more damage than the rest of the army put together [another 8 batts/ 2 cav / 2 arty] who didn’t quite make full contact with my French.
The Austrians flank force heavy cavalry charged the arrogant French lines who stood before them. [Here you see a combined regiment but it was all Kurassiers!].
I decided NOT to form square and chose to test for ‘opportunity fire’ for the close in support rear battalion. It passed and therefore could fire at the attackers (perfectly reasonable given the period and distance). Both battalions only got the 3 out of 4 hits- pretty good which caused 6 hits- bringing the chargers to a withering halt.
Despite their great dice advantage, the player rolled poorly only getting 1 hit on my infantry. Because higher/ lower counts, not the quantity, they recoiled. Lucky for them my small Chasseur regiment in the rear was just that bit too far away to charge them.
Given this is exactly what happened at Austerlitz and other battles where infantry stood in confidence, the result seems characteristic. I still lost the game, as the rest of my outnumbered infantry was crushed/ routed and I had no reserves than these poor sods that had one lucky fire!
This was a larger game than we had previously played out of about 8-9 and with a more specific scenario (the retreat in advance of a mass advance)- all based on Neys withdrawl from Ampfing in 1800, the day before Hohenlinden.
https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bataille_d%27Ampfing
Our battle started like this- two French battalions vs the Austrian Army- time to leave…
With a flank assault; two battalions broken and mounting losses the French couldn’t have held much longer as the Austrians had the reserves to go on.
Thus after 8 moves and 3 3/4 hours fighting and marching, we called it an Austrian victory.
regards dave
Research- J’étais Soldat de Napoléon!
A lot of examples, and that’s 200 of them, of research and decades of sweat has gone into it by the owner/ millionaire collector and author.
Complete with superb descriptions of not only the source, bona-fides and historical errors and mistakes that haunted some pieces, but explanations of the deals and trades that had to be made in the science of ‘Aquisitions’ (Ferengi cf).
Glorious full page captures, like this custom-made (of course) dolman of a General de Brigade of the Cavalerie Legére. Take the colour as gospel- it is not ‘French/ Royal/Empire’ blue! Full colour of the pelisse with brown fox fur as well!
Tells a much bigger story in the close up photos and excellent colour depictions; with a high degree of fluid text describing attributes; far more value I’d say than half a dozen so called traditional ‘artwork’ type prints and books that cover huge swathes of subjects.
More importantly, having been 34 years since I was in Europe/ France doing my research in multiple cities and museums- as well as private visits to collectors– if you can’t or havent been- this is the next best thing! Honestly, you will be repaid for the cost of it.
My thanks to Marcus Stein @ http://www.napoleon-online.de/ for facilitating my purchase- some French businesses just won’t make sales outside of France! Go figure! SO mine had to come ex-Berlin!
Simply breathtaking, well worthy of my 65th birthday (near when it eventually arrived) ~ Covid style~ two months later than expected.
regards davew
(3d Artillery Regt.) Battery-Company:
Col. Kudryatsev. (Who apparently ran away from the battle!).
In the days setting sun, reflecting off the snows, the battery sans pieces rests after their matt spray was applied.
I had to correct the pompoms to add the white bases, but overall I am pleased to have them done. The ‘snow’ -two layers of pure white aquarium sand is rock hard -dabbed into fluid PVA looks good to me.
regards dave
Reading Mikaberidzes’ fine authorship, I was interested to read about the beginnings of one famous Russian :
Davidov, young hussar officer… seconded to Aide to Prince Bagration (1807)
“But this very field offered another disgraceful sight that shattered my very soul. As I mentioned, we were on the site of the battle of Mohrungen … Driven by curiosity, I examined the field of battle. I first travelled along our position and then visited the enemy one. I could see where the gunfire and attacks were most intense based on the number of corpses that covered the ground in those areas. Colonel Alexsey Yermolov commanded the artillery of our advance guard and its fire had devastated, in the fullest sense of this word, infantry columns and lines of the enemy cavalry that lay in heaps near the village Pfaresfeldschen, lying stricken by cannonballs and canister in the same order as they advanced or stood during the battle.”
I had associated the name with being THAT cossack officer… funny if not scary incident soon after…
“No longer expecting any help from the Cossacks, I was supremely confident in the prowess of my steed. Filled with anger against a total stranger who, God knows, was simply carrying out his duty and obligations just like myself, I drew closer to him, brandishing my sword and swearing at him in French as loudly and expressively as possible. I challenged him to leave his line and engage me unassisted in a combat. He swore back at me and offered the same conditions; but neither of us took up the challenge and we both stayed rooted to the spot. But it must be said that I had, in fact, strayed quite a distance from the Cossacks and was within only three or four horse bounds away from the French flanquers while the [enemy] officer was within the flanquers’ line itself. To be honest, I have done everything to deserve to be patted on the head but also yanked by the ears from my horse.
At that moment a Cossack uryadnik [non-commissioned officer] galloped over to me, exclaiming: ‘Why are you swearing, Your Honour? That’s a sin! Fighting is a sacred business and swearing in battle is like swearing “inside a church. God will punish you! You will perish and so will we. Please, better go back to where you came from!’ Only then did I realise the absurdity of my pretension to be a Trojan hero and rode back to Prince Bagration.”Excerpt From: Alexander Mikaberidze. “Russian Eyewitness Accounts of the Campaign of 1807.” iBooks.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denis_Davydov
A very brief bio, and it misses any reference to his memoires, but explains why I thought he was Cossack, actually ennobled Tatar, if he ‘designed’ the resistance to N. invasion… quite interesting…
https://tinyurl.com/Denis-Davydov
cheers d
Well I can only apologise for the two months delays… life has certainly been throwing bricks, and then I have a limited attention span sometimes ;-?
So here are the full size pics of ‘5’ models for you to examine. Sorry the ‘flash’ ones could possibly be redone now we have a lot more sunlight to use! Navigate left and right to see all round views.
Cuirassier General
IMG_6078_ c1980_ Cuirassier General_Special Command Figures 03-4_©dww 2022 .Lasalle
IMG_6051_Hinchliffe Catalogue 1976_extr. .Dragoon General
IMG_6083_ c1980_ Dragoon General_Special Command Figures 04-4_©dww 2022 .and Napoleon
IMG_6073_ c1980_ Nap1_Special Command Figures 01-4_©dww 2022 .Finally, a repeat of the slightly updated GDV Hulin model- a Minifigs ‘Garde Impériale’ General-Commandant of the Grenadiers.
[/url]IMG_6087_ c1980_ Grenadier á Pied Colonel Commandant- General_Special Command Figures_©dww 2022 .by DaveW, on Flickr. Album: https://tinyurl.com/davew-Flickr-Collection
Trust these may help
davew
I hesitated to reply, given every book and reference that I own in 40 odd years has always shown such, in mostly official diagrams, one way or another. Many subject authors punt them out …
OTOH I’ve never seen a single reference to Austrians deploying standards at the ends; it even seems like a SYW thing to do perhaps. More likely some bad translation of positioning of guide banners and not regimental artefacts.
I used the above linked data, and several similar/ uodates on same. In designing my ‘new’ backdated 1805 Russians I decided I’d pretty them up and designate two banners per battalion, as 1805 was technically the last year they did carry company style, two per bn in the line. I came up with this as placement- simply because I don’t want a top heavy element; nor covering those beautifully embroided banners with two side by side.
Per the given translation, or guessing, in battle the ‘Emperors’ white colour was in the 3rd rank, not the first. Doubtless on parade it would be in front. The naive drawing represents both column and line.
My interpretation anyway… cheers d
Many years ago … Since I’ve focused on smaller skirmish in the 1990s… Then I found that for nearly all contexts they attracted other similar troops that other players already had …or decided to have. One example the late 16th C. Wars of Religion for which I painted about twenty figures some years ago, intending to run only very small games with them; and when I began to display them other players suddenly unearthed from their hidden and almost forgotten reserves, or bought and painted, much more.
Bazinga!!!
I’d painted 17 figures, a dozen mounted knights and some dismounted, expecting to make an ‘alternate’ time travel Medieval force- however after 20 years in the shadows I gave them to a friend who also, was going to create a force.
Then last year I asked him- what are you doing with those knights? Nothing he said- he already had so many projects he couldn’t get completed, so he gave them back to me!
And to boot, he dredged out another 200 figures of the same brand, partly painted second hand from yet another old local friend. So I quickly catalogued these and began a slow path toward DBMM.
While these remain in the background to my Napoleonics, I have purchased a modest amount of ancilliary figures and types to complete a somewhat hypothetical, almost irreverent, ‘historical force’ according to rule lists (which I despise as much as pumpkin!):
cheers ~d
Well a bit more scurrying around the depths of interwebs and one finds some more clarification:
@ https://sites.google.com/site/culturamag0/histoire/les-legions-polonaises-1796-1807
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B) The creation of the Danube LegionSeptember 8, 1799, it is decided to create a new legion Polish, who this time must serve in Germany. The general Kniazniewicz is appointed head of this legion. In order not to live again the same event in Mantua, the convention of 7 Fructidor Year VII considers Polish soldiers serving in this legion to be French soldiers.
The Danube Legion is divided into two forces, one in Strasbourg under the orders of General Moreau, the other in Mayence under the command of General Klein.
They return to campaign on April 30, 1800. This legion served in Germany until the signing of the Treaty of Lunville, February 9, 1801 (20 Pluvise Year IX). Once again, the Poles are sidelined. Once again, to raises the question for France of the usefulness of the Polish legions.
So we have a title, origins and some clarity on where this legion sits when almost all English language info resides around the various uses and creations that occured solely in the Italian domains.
I also had in my possession, yet without specific linking of facts, an illustration of their alleged uniforms. Were such as newly raised ‘foreign’ troops really this well dressed in a time of war?:
The abuse of their subsequent roles as detritus cannon fodder hauled off to the West Indies comes under the ‘Inconvenient Truth’ banner of colonialism and corruption.
cheers ~d
I’ll just add some modelling… the very centre of the Russian ‘advance’ at Austerlitz was one Heavy Battery-
CRM ‘Early Russian’ artillery in uniform and greatcoats. Shown with 6 pounders and not the heavier 12s yet available. Following others I’ve used a grey rather than pure black for shakoes, but didn’t like the ‘lines’ or splodges effect so made them wholly grey, with peaks retouched in black.
Of course the figures aren’t truly ‘early’ as they have 1808 styles fittings however as a style thats ok for me. I varied the costumes deliberately and applied not quite ‘regulation’ things like yellow cuffs on greatcoats etc. and mixed the placements of a ‘working’ company.
The snow effect I hope is reasonable as I’ve used a double layer of pure white aquarium sand for coverage at exorbitent expense [when compared to the ‘free’ sand] I’ve stolen from local beaches and ‘purified’ myself 🙂
Trust you like them, only my second ‘official’ full Russian unit supporting the Kaiserliks all around them, cheers
davew
