My First Game of Shako

 

Raphael kindly hosted and umpired a 15mm Napoleonic game of Shako with your humble correspondent handling the French whilst Paul Izzard had the Austrian army.

 

View along the French lines at the start

View along the Austrian lines

 

Close up of the town on the French right occupied by two units of infantry

 

Murat's cavalry and horse artillery move up 

 

Lannes pushes forwards the infantry in the centre

Whilst columns of infantry backed up by light cavalry advance on the left

 

The Austrians on the high ground opposite

 

The Austrian commander plots his moves

 

Whilst Raphael bamboozles him with rules minutiae

 

Austrian heavy cavalry and lancers threaten the French centre

 

Range sticks in use here !

 

French columns move steadily forwards on the left

 

French carabiniers tackle the Austrian cavalry

as more cavalry moves up in support

what are these two up to now ?

 

the French left get closer to the Austrian lines

this is the centre at the same moment

 

the cavalry duel at its height

one French unit has broken

but the support moves up instead

this time the Austrians broke and the French retired to reform

 

the Austrians opposite the French held town now move forwards with guns on the higher ground

 

another Austrian cavalry attack in the centre reaches the first French guns

over runs them but are blown before they can advance any further where the French 12pdrs are

 

French columns are right in amongst the Austrian lines

 

but previously unseen Austrian hussars catch a French column trying to form square

 

French light cavalry try to plug the gap and cross sabres with the Austrians

 

Back over on the French right, heavy cavalry stream across towards the enemy Uhlans 

 

Get those guns turned around and quick !

 

The Austrian line stands firm

 

Cavalry now join the French attack left of centre

 

and the Austrian guns are reached

and destroyed

 

the French light cavalry have been defeated by the Austrian hussars and retire behind the infantry

 

French hussars attack the blown Austrian cavalry in revenge for the loss of the guns

 

In the centre, victorious French heavy cavalry are prevented from attacking the Austrian grenadiers by fresh Austrian curassiers

 

 

 

the French attacks all along the line hammer away at the stubborn Austrians

 

but repeated French cavalry successes in the centre turn the tide

 

The Austrian commander, lured by a call from his cantiniere back home decides to concede, with a fresh gammon beckoning, who could blame him ?

 

A great day's introduction to Shako and thanks to Raphael and his wife for their kind hospitality

 

... and another game tomorrow beckons - I think a Wild West shoot out at Steve Clarke's ranch (or is it Dux Britanniarum instead ?).