Austria Triumphant !

This is become a regular event - we congregated at Steve C's again yesterday for another Black Powder game.  This time, he and Graham had diced to see what terrain was created and they had both  picked 1200 points based armies from the Clash of Eagles supplement - Graham the French, Steve the Austrians. I assisted (?) Graham on the French left flank.

The French Commander briefs his ADC

French cavalry arrive on their right flank

Austrian hussars on their right flank

supported by Jagers and Grenzers

and line infantry nearer the centre

on the French left a strong infantry brigade with supporting artillery arrives

and they get forward in attack column quickly

the brigade cantiniere wagon !

Mde. Nicholette with driver

the French infantry are ordered to press on 

their gun struggles to keep up !

In the centre of the French position, another infantry brigade arrives

Austrian command plot their moves

The Austrians struggle to get their regiments to work in concert on the right 

except in the centre although progress is slow

Austrian infantry and cavalry arrive out on their left

The French left infantry brigade charges the most advanced Austrian infantry regiment

behind them, on the French start line, French heavy cavalry arrive

amazingly, the French battalion leading the attack fails and is broken meaning its support units have to check too

Gaping holes show that half the French brigade has fled !!!

The remaining French battalions have to reconsider their position - although one has charged again against the Austrian infantry

if they fail again, the brigade will have to retire as it is in danger of becoming completely broken

over on the other side of the battlefield, the opposing cavalry clash in the centre

Austrian Jagers take advantage of the gaps in the French lines and advance on the extreme Austrian right flank

as other battalions come forward

the French problems get worse - disorder !

the French heavy cavalry threaten the Jagers and force them into square for a while

Graham needs to win in the centre and out on the right if the French are to recover

the French heavy cavalry advance to try and shield the retreating infantry

battle has yet to develop in the centre apart from long range artillery shooting

French dragoons make contact with a hastily formed and disordered square of Grenzers

infantry clashes in the centre show French infantry thrown back

the Austrian columns are now well across the battlefield

despite the French cavalry winning out on the French right flank

the Austrian infantry has control of the centre and right

the French lancers have broken the enemy dragoons

but they will not be able to budge the Austrian in fan try so easily 

Indeed, the French infantry brigade in the centre has broken

The French cavalry will have to extricate itself and retire as swiftly as possible.

Emphatic win for Steve's Austrian army.

Graham will blame our failure on my disastrous dice throws on the left flank which lost us half of our infantry in no time - oh dear !

Oktoberfest ! Time to get put the frothy beer swilling Bavarians again

Four of us assembled at Steve C's yesterday for a "made up" up Black Powder game. Mike brought along Russians, I brought Bavarians and some Saxons, Steve supplied the French & Poles to fight them, Ian assisted on the French side.

The objective is to be in control of the village and crossroads in the centre of the battlefield at the end of the game.

We diced to see which brigades came on and when with my mixed Saxon-Bavarian infantry brigade arriving first and they headed straight for the village

A Saxon light cavalry brigade arrived next and went out on the left flank

My infantry have taken the village and occupied the buildings before any Frenchmen arrive !

Ah ha ! Now we see some enemy troops arriving - a cavalry brigade

Next on is Mike's formidable looking Russian infantry brigade with heavy guns occupying the high ground out on the left flank. My Saxon cavalry had moved back to allow this formation to advance.

French cuirassiers and dragoons move across the battlefield on the French left

They fan out into line as they hear the drums of a French infantry brigade coming on behind them

Looks like they plan to sweep around our open right flank

Mike's Russian cavalry brigade consisting of cuirassiers, dragoons and hussars arrives right of centre to oppose the enemy

and my heavy cavalry brigade of Saxon and Bavarian cuirassiers arrive too, so the right is no longer hanging in the air

The Russian guns have spotted enemy and open fire

French columns advancing across the fields screened by skirmishers

Steve's cuirassiers have charged the Russian cavalry

with one unit of dragoons in support - the third part of the brigade has become disordered by artillery fire from a Russian horse battery

At this point, my Bavarian brigade arrives on the high ground on our extreme right

The first French cuirassiers have been beaten

so the Russians charge into the flank of the disordered French unit

amazingly, they survive and the Russians are forced to retreat

Whilst all this is going on, my Bavarians have advanced in "Ordre Mixed" and get off some long range shots at the enemy dragoons

The French heavy cavalry are now in an exposed position taking casualties

they withdraw to allow the French infantry to take over the attack

In fact, the French heavy cavalry brigade has become broken due to their losses

Ian's French columns charge against my Bavarians

The Bavarian & Saxon heavy were ordered to charge but failed to make the distance !

Steady lads, here come the French infantry

The advanced Bavarians are in skirmish formation on the low hills

The French columns by-pass them and attack on the extreme end of the battlefield

French light cavalry have now arrived and they charge the first Saxon cuirassiers

Bad move ! They are destroyed.

The melees continue on our right flank

The Russian cavalry await further orders

as do my Saxon hussars who have failed to get involved at all !

With two enemy brigades now taking on Mike's Russian infantry, my Saxon-Bavarian brigade emerges from the village and charges the enemy

Two Bavarian infantry units have been forced to retreat but the fight continues

The Saxon Grenadier Guards have beaten a Polish unit and another Saxon battalion has over run a French artillery battery

The French counter attack

whilst Mike's Russian infantry are locked in combat with the first wave of French 

The Bavarians are beating Ian's Frenchmen, watched by the "Heavies"

Fierce fighting continues on our left - a Russian battalion has gone !

The French columns try another charge but are beaten by the Bavarian gun and infantry

The French break and retreat

The Saxon unit that defeated the French gun is now charged by French light cavalry - they manage to form a disordered square but survive the melee

Gaps are appearing in the French lines as the Russians get the upper hand but undeterred, some Poles charge the Saxon Grenadiers

The village and crossroads are not in danger as three battalions guard this

The Poles won that tussle and the Saxon Grenadiers have fled disordered

but at this point the rest of the Saxon-Bavarian brigade charge forwards

The Bavarian gunners in the village seem happy to leave the fighting to the infantry !

The Poles are now outnumbered

With Russians and Saxons & Bavarians hemming them in, the French and Poles are unable to continue the fight

The Polish brigade breaks leaving the remaining French infantry to find a way to extricate themselves too.

The sides were fairly evenly matched - three infantry brigades apiece, three cavalry brigades too and I think both sides had six artillery pieces.

Naturally, we retired to the Chequers for lunch and a pint during the day - it would be rude not to after all !

Oh well, thats Bavarian Oktoberfest for you !