"Special Request" - Jessica and Heather Vs The Hittites!

I don't usually do (or even get) special requests from people who want to see models of themselves in battle, but I got one last week so here goes.....especially for Jessica and Heather!

I'll let them figure out which of the two girl fighters they are, but they seem to have got themselves into a bit of strife with the local (Hittite) city guard while wandering around the town from my "Battle of Kadesh" setup.

(I was planning to fight this battle this weekend, but it has been overtaken by other stuff - a combo of work and events in my horse and musket campaign, which will almost certainly mean my next battle will be between my French and Austrian armies. Maybe I'll be able to try Kadesh again in a couple of weeks!)

The two female figures are from Cesar's set of "Fantasy Adventurers". Hittites also by Cesar and buildings by Hovels.

Prussian vs Russians (Post #4)

This time I'm focusing on my Prussian (and Saxon) heavy cavalry.

All these figures are cuirassiers - a full regiment of Prussians on the left, with a lone squadron of (Napoleonic Wars) Saxons on the right. The Saxons wear a (black) metal breastplate to provide extra protection. It wouldn't have been very effective against gun fire, but the main role of the cuirassier was to sit out the bulk of the battle - presumably somewhere safe from gun fire - and charge in at the decisive moment and hammer a hole that had opened up in the enemy line, hopefully to the point that the damage scattered the enemy. Against swords and bayonets, this breastplate would have been effective.

This was actually the first battle for my Saxons, and they performed very well.

After this defeat, the Russians sued for peace, but the Prussians don't appear likely to accept, so it looks as though I'll be preparing for a third clash between the two over the next week or so. It could be a busy time for me as my Austrians have also decided to go to war with my French, so I have at least one battle their to arrange. I had been hoping to give my Hittites and New Kingdom Egyptians a run but that might have to be pushed back a bit.

Then, of course, I still have all those other figures still waiting to be painted....aaaarrrrgggghhhh. I need more free time!

Prussians Vs Russians (Post #3)

Having withdrawn from the field in good order after the first confrontation, the Prussian general dug into a strong defensive position in a narrow pass, with his flanks protected by hills.

Eager for a result, and encouraged by oncoming terrible weather (which would limit the damage the more numerous Prussian guns could do to his troops) the Russian general decided to launch a full on attack.

It all started well enough for the Russians. The Prussian hussars couldn't repeat their heroics of the first day and were themselves scattered by a squadron of Russian dragoons enabling the Russians to get a foothold on the entrance to the pass. As the rain began to fall the Russians pressed forward. The Prussian guns got off a few rounds before having to cover the powder, and inflicted some heavy damage on the advancing Russian infantry regiments - just enough that when the two sides infantries came together, the Prussians had the edge.

With a gap emerging between the infantry melees, the Russian general threw his heavy cavalry forward to try and bust the line completely open. Unfortunately, as they forced their way trough the gap, they found the Prussian heavy brigade and its Saxon allies waiting for them. Seeing his cavalry overwhelmed, and his infantry beginning to give ground as the Prussian foot were finally able to use the numerical advantage their guns had given them, the Russian general decided it was time to flee the field.

A decisive win therefore for the Prussians.

Pictured above are:

1: The initial skirmish between the Prussian hussars (again in black) and Russian dragoons (in dark green)

2: A view of some of the Prussian infantry, again as seen from the Russian lines, lined up to protect their side of the pass.

3: Russian (green) and Prussian (blue) infantry come to grips.

Prussians Vs Russians (Post #2)

The above pics give a closer look at how a (Seven Years War) Prussian infantry regiment deployed for battle.

The two grenadier companies of each (of the two) battalion are combined on the far right of the front rank, with the battalion guns between (and about 20 paces in front of) them and the lieb battalion of infantry. The oberst battalion is deployed at the back, covering the gaps in the line, but far enough back to provide a clear path for the limbers (that tow the guns) and ammunition wagons (that keep the guns supplied) that would normally accompany the regiment to access the guns as needed.

The officers in charge of each battalion occupy the far right of the rear rank, while the mounted colonel (and his assistants) would be wherever they were needed the most, but generally somewhere between the two.

Pictures and summary of battle #2 from this series to follow......

Prussians Vs Russians (Post #1)

I didn't get too much painting done during April, but the 1700s campaign I'm running to playtest my campaign rules threw up a couple of battles pitting my (7-Years War) Prussians against my (Napoleonic Wars) Russians. This wasn't an historical matchup, but given the Prussian army at the start of the Napoleonic Wars wasn't much different to that of 50 years earlier - it was the defeat at Jena that woke the Prussians up - this was a "could have happened."

Originally I expected this to only be one battle, but it split itself into two, and both armies are gearing up for "Round 3" as I write.

The Russians were a little quicker off the mark and began to arrive on the field first. The Prussian commander took a more cautious approach though, and rather than commit his full army from the outset, sent ahead a small advance guard, comprising one of his infantry regiments and some (hussars) light cavalry to test the water. This advance guard performed extremely well; although both battalion guns of the infantry were destroyed, they took out one of the two guns the Russians themselves had, and after a downhill charge and a short melee, they scattered tree times their own number of Russian hussars, killing the Russian colonel and effectively taking most of the Russian light cavalry division out of play.

As the day wore on, the numerical superiority of the Russians began to tell, and it looked as though the Prussian advance guard would be surrounded and overwhelmed. Just in time the main Prussian army arrived on the scene, and was able to secure a route of escape for their colleagues. Seeing the Russians pretty securely lodged in a strong position, the Prussian general decided to content himself with having done some serious damage to the Russians, and withdrew from the field under the cover of nightfall.

Pictured above are:

1: The Prussian advance guard as seen from Russian lines

2: The grenadier battalion of one of the Russian infantry regiments marching forward into battle

3: The small group of Cossacks that were helping the Russians - they got themselves wiped out trying to scatter the Prussian infantry.

4: The hussar melee with the Prussians in black on the right of the picture and the Russians in the red jackets.