The Battle of Luzzera; Italy 1702.

This battle was one of a number of battles between France and Imperial Austria to take control of Italy. The battle took place in Lombardy on the 15th of August. This battle was a tough one with heavy casualties on both sides. At the end of the day, the French were fought to a standstill, with the Austrians to tired to push home their attack. Both sides dug in on the battlefield. A few months later the French Army retired.

The Armies are as follows;

France.
24,500 Infantry. = 24 1/2 points x2 = 49 points.
10,000 Cavalry. = 10 points x2 = 20 points.
Total = 69 points.


1) General Louis Joseph Duc De Vendome C-in-C =1point.
2) General Charles De Lorraine Prince De Commerci =1 point.
3) General Nicholas Catinat =1 point.

2 Stands of Grenadier Infantry @ 4 points =8 points.
11 Stands of Line Infantry @ 3 points = 33 points.
5 Stands of Line Cavalry @ 3 points = 15 points.
2 Stands of Light Dragoons @ 2 points = 4 points.
3 Stands of Heavy Artillery @ 2 points = 6 points.

Imperial Austria.
17,500 Infantry. = 17 1/2 points. x 2 = 35 points.
7,500 Cavalry. = 7 1/2 points. x 2 = 15 points.
Total 50 points.

A) General Prince Eugene of Savoy C-in-C = 2 points.
B) General Visconti = 1 point.
C) General Vaudemont = 1 point.

1 Stand of Grenadier Infantry @ 4 points. = 4 points.
7 Stands of Line Infantry @ 3 points. = 21 points.
3 Stands of Heavy Artillery @ 2 points = 6 points.
5 Stands of Line Cavalry @ 3 points = 15 points.

Notes.
● Stands can only be moved up onto the Dyke
via the slope at either end.

● Stands moving over the irrigation ditches must stop once the Stand is on them. The stand can be moved normally in the next movement phase.

● A Stand involved in combat whilst positioned in an irrigation ditch, deduct 2 points from their combat die roll.

● The fields do not impede movement or line-of-sight.

● The buildings represent large Farm complexes called "Casines". Stone farmhouses and buildings encompassed by a wall.

● The river Po can only be crossed via the pontoon bridge.

● The Dragoons can dismount.

The Prince De Commerci; This particularly brave Gentlemen was wounded seven times leading cavalry  charges! and expired at the end of the battle!. Therefore;
Each time the French Cavalry under his command move back or are removed,this figure suffers a wound. Should he gain 3 wounds within eight Game-Turns,the figure is removed.

●The battle is fought for 8 Game-Turns.The loser is the army with the most number
of stands lost. If the number of stands lost on both sides is equal, the side with the most
Points in stands looses the battle.

● I fought this battle three times. The first was solo. The second and third with my Wife Joyce and my Stepson Jason. The Austrians won twice and the French once.

This is a map of the battlefield with the positions of the respective armies.

This is the battlefield. I used 15mm 18th century figures. These are mostly Miniature Figurines with some Peter Pig additions.

The square bases are from picture framing card. The round 40mm mdf bases are supplied by Minibits.

The Dyke;
I made this from cardboard in sections. I then covered the sections with texturing
Paste and painting them once the paste had dried.

The fields are Mdf bases sectioned with Cold curing clay. I bought some " wheatfield"
Scenic scatter from War World Scenics. ( www.wwscenics.com).

The mdf bases came from S and A scenics, and Sarrisa Precision.

The mdf river sections came from a pack supplied by Sarrisa Precision. I added the river bank with Green Stuff putty. I then used emulsion paint and acrylic gloss varnish to finish them off.

The bridge " pontoons" were scratchbuilt as were the farmhouses using picture framing card and foamboard covered with texturing paste.

The Great Northern War Part 3 : Narva 20th November 1700

The forces I used were scaled down as follows;

Swedish Army : 11,000 = 11 points.

(11 points x 3= 33 points).

General Rehnskiold ( C-in-C )

2 stands of  line Cavalry @ 3points = 6 points.

 3 stands of Line Infantry @ 2 points =6 points.

1 stand of Grenadier Inf @ 3 points.

 1 General=2 points.

General Vellingk:

2 stands of Line Cavalry @ 3 points= 6 points.

3 stands of Line Infantry @ 2 points = 6 points.

1 stand of Grenadier Infantry @3 pts= 3 points.

1 General @ 1 point.

The Russian Army : 20,000 = 20 points.

( 20 points x 3= 60pts ).

General Duke Charles Eugene De Croy  C-in-C.

General Sjeremetiev.

 3  stands of Cavalry @ 3 points = 9 points ( dismounted ).

 3 stands of Grenadier Infantry @ 3 points= 9 points.

                                        

14 stands of Line Infantry @ 2 points = 28 points.

  6 stands of Militia Infantry Skirmishers @ 1 point = 6 points.

 3 stands of Cossack Light Cavalry @ 2 points = 6 points.

                 

 2 Generals @ 1pt= 2pts.

NOTE:  The Swedes get the initiative on every Game-turn.

●  The Swedish garrison did not play any part in the battle.

●  The artillery of both sides did not play any part in the actual battle.

●  The Russian army totalled 45,000 men, but only 20,000 faced the Swedish army.

●  The Russian defenseworks were given as 2 metres ( 6 feet 6 inches ) in height.

●  The  Swedes managed to break through in two places, hence the gaps. Therefore stands of both sides cannot move over the defense works or engage in close combat.
   

●  Opposed stands cannot fire across the defenseworks at each other if positioned in squares either side of the defenseworks. However Russian stands can fire out at the Swedish stands if the Russian stands are positioned against the defenseworks on their side and the Swedes are two squares away on the outside.

●  Stands cannot add points for " support " if there is a defense work section between friendly stands.

●  If any Russian stands suffer a " move-back" as a result of Firing or Combat, those stands are  moved toward either the camp or the bridge depending on their position and facing. Any stands that cannot be " moved back" are removed as casualties.

●  At the end of any Ģame-turn should the Russians have two stands on the bridge, a 6 sided die is thrown.   If a " 1" is thrown, the bridge collapses and any stands on it are lost.

Map of the Battle of Narva based on a 2" ( 50mm ) grid.

The " Snowstorm" at Narva.

The Swedes attacked as the storm blew toward the Russian position. Thìs is a procedure devised in an attempt to simulate the event.

GAME-TURN 1:     The Snowstorm is moved forward to the next square as shown in the  photo below. The Swedish stands are moved first.

 
 If the Swedish stands are moved beyond the " Storm" they  can  be shot at by the Russians.
 
If any Russian stands are moved there are only two options.

     A:  Turned on the spot.
     B:  They are moved toward the bridge WITH BACKS TO THE ENEMY. 

GAME-TURN 2:    The Snowstorm is moved forward to the 2nd position. The Swedish stands are moved forward.

If any Swedish stands are moved beyond the storm they can be shot at by the Russians.

The Russian movement is either on the spot or toward the bridge.



AT THE END OF  THE 2ND GAME-TURN:

The Swedish player throws a 6 sided die. If a 1or 2 is  scored the storm lifts. The Swedes become visible to the Russians.
                                                         
GAME-TURN 3:  The Storm is moved forward to the 3rd position shown on the map. The Swedish player moves their stands. The Russian stands can be turned on the spot or toward the bridge.

AT THE END OF GAME-TURN 3:   The Storm is lifted!.

GAME-TURNS 4 TO 8 :  These are now played as normal, however even in Solo play the Swedish army moves first on every turn.

THE WINNER.

At the end of the 8th Game-Turn : This will be the player who has lost the lower number of stands.

This photo shows the starting position of the respective armies;

                       
                             
In the actual battle the Swedes charged into the Russian positions under cover of the storm even managing to move some cheveu-de-frise out of the way.

The Swedes needed to win. The small Swedish garrison in Narva was close to exhaustion. The Swedes in the attacking force had left their greatcoats and packs at their camp. The cannon were not used by the Swedes so as not to slow the attack.

The Russians didn't fire their cannon because they could not see the Swedes advancing.

The Russian high command did not expect the outnumbered Swedes to attack!.

Toward the end of the battle a large number of Russians ran for the bridge. There were so many Russian soldiers on the bridge, it collapsed and many drowned in the
icey waters. 

Well, this is my take on the battle. Because this is a 3 foot x 2 foot table ( 90cm x 60cm) I only put in stuff that actually affected the situation.

Credits:   As explained in the previous blog the figures are a mix of Peter Pig and Miniature Figurines. The scenery is from the following souces:

The defense works are homemade using cardboard and cold-cure clay.

I  painted them white then painted over with Tamiya snow-effect paste.

The trees, I got from Amazon. I glued them to to 40mm square cardboard. I mixed up some white acrylic paint and some PVA glue with water so it's nice and runny. I then brushed the mixture onto the tree.

While the mixture was wet my Wife Joyce helped me in sprinkling on the snow dust. I got a " snow kit " from: www.scenics.com.

The " snowstorm" is white card. The bases I got from: boardgameextras.co.uk

The tents of the Russian camp are resin and from the Peter Pig scenic range which I painted white and with snow scenic material added.

Finally, the field is overlapping  thin white card sheets with grey squares painted on.  The river is thin blue card. It doesn't look as picturesque as custom made river sections but it makes it easier forming sections for different battles.

I have played this game solo and with my Wife Joyce. In both instances the Swedes won. However if the storm of snow clears early, the Swedes could face a storm of lead instead!!.

The Northern War part 2

I thought I would do another piece just to show you the results of the last 6 months in preparing the the two armies. Although retired I still found myself " burning the midnight oil" to get them completed to war game standard. All 15mm.

The Russian Army;

The Swedish Army;

The camera on my tablet is not brilliant, but I have tried to get some close-ups of the musketeers converted from the excessive pile of pikemen I bought plus the pikemen themselves. The flags are made from masking tape and painted free-hand by myself. They would not win any medals for artwork but at least you know which army the unit belongs to.

The Top picture here shows Russian musketeers converted from the large number of pikemen I didn’t need! The figures are from Miniature Figurines.

The middle picture here shows dismounted Polish cavalry ( red and white squares ) which are from the Minifigs range. The horse's and riders are converted from the Peterpig AWI range with Peterpig monteforino heads.

This is a part work to represent Narva in the board. Using a square grid makes the measuring and cutting of building parts a lot easier.

This was also built and painted in a day. I covered the whole model in texturing paste (sometimes called Gesso?? ) before doing the paint job.

I used all picture framing cardboard for this job.  The weather was bad in November 1700 so all battlefield effects need to have snow in them, but on this fortress piece I want a temporary effect so I can use it for other battles.

I still have some defensework pieces to prepare that will fit the grid.

Why bother? Well, I find that even when you are doing a war game solo, having the scenery near enough to something like the actual conditions adds to the "mental immersion" into the battle itself. It's all part of the enjoyment of the hobby.

I have used the weather rules before ( See Table Top Battles, Wargaming on a Grid 2nd Edition). A French force had to dislodge a Piedmontese force from a siegework at the point of the bayonet. The weather during the game came up with a die result of " storm" so muskets could not fire.

However this will be the first time I have tried to recreate a historical winter battle, ( in 50 odd years in the hobby! ). This is one of the many reasons that I love war gaming. There is always something new that surprises me even now.

If you have managed to stick with me so far, the next blog will be the battle. Oh! Just to re-cap;

The musketeers and pike men are from Miniature Figurines which is part of Caliver Books.

All the cavalry are from Miniature Figurines Northern War range but the heads on the Line Cavalry were converted from lobsterpot to Peterpig Tricorn heads.

The Cavalry Standards are conversions of the same cavalry figures. The standard pole is from North Star 50mm javelin.

The line infantry Standard bearers, Officers and Drummers are Peterpig AWI range.

The dismounted cavalrymen are Peterpig Jaegers.

The cavalry markers are Peterpig AWI British horses, the horseriders have Peterpig tricorn heads (conversion).

The Small Cannon and crews are all Peterpig AWI range as are the Generals. The Large Cannon are from the Peterpig English Civil War range.

The 40mm square Stands are cardboard I cut myself.

The round 40mm round mdf Stands are supplied by Minibits which I think is linked to Pendraken Miniatures.

I think thats covered everything for the moment. ( hopefully!! )