Weekend in Paris

This weekend we were in Paris visiting my younger son Will and his girlfriend who are working their gap year as au pairs, teaching the children English whilst honing their skills with French.

It was also my wife's, birthday and so we spent plenty of time visiting the sights and dining out. On our wanderings I was able to pick up where I left off in the summer by grabbing some pictures of the monuments and sites of interest to the Napoleonic enthusiast.

The first site spotted whilst stepping out from the Paris Metro on our way to Notre Dame was this interesting little column, the Fontaine du Palmier, erected by Napoleon in 1808 to celebrate his victories and was one of fifteen drinking fountains placed around the city. It's a pity that an idiot called "Kamil" thought he could improve it by adding his own pathetic scrawl and a shame that the city authorities hadn't got around to cleaning it off.

Fontaine du Palmier

We were not planning to visit the Arc de Triomphe but, not having been before, I was so pleased we did. It really is a fantastic monument to the courage and triumph of French arms, and having seen the arches in Rome, earlier this year, it was easy to follow the influence these ancient monuments had had on this more recent construction.

Wills 18th birthday goes on tour to Rome

It was a pleasure to scan the lists of General Officers and battles recorded on this tribute, although I was a little surprised at some of the honours.

I assume La Corogne is Corunna in English, not a classic victory in any sense of the word, although I suppose the field of honour was left in French control once the British army had marched away. I rather think it might be one battle Soult would have glossed over and illustrated Wellington's point that Soult knew how to get an army to a battle, but just wasn't sure what to do with it once he got it there.

The inclusion of Toulouse might be stretching a point,
Battle of Toulouse (1814)
another affair that Soult would probably have forgotten and the inclusion of Fuentes certainly is. It was such a classic victory that Massena got the sack straight after it.

My "jousting at windmills" still can't take away the majesty of the arch and the view from the top out over Paris was breathtaking. Speaking of Windmills, our trip picked up where I left off in the summer following the discovery of a certain monument in the Place de Clichy.

Francois Rude's sculpture "La Marseillaise"

When we visited the city in the summer I came across a monument in the Place de Clichy commemorating the Battle of Paris in 1814.
Paris Summer Trip 2014

I was really interested in studying the area where the fighting occurred, primarily around Montmatre. The contemporary map below  shows the extent of the old city and the deployment of the troops.

Montmartre

The locals make reference to the fact that before the church, dedicated to the martyrs of the Paris Commune, was constructed, the hill was dotted with windmills.

Montmatre as seen from the top of the Arc de Triomph

The view below is from Montmatre looking towards St Denis with the Stad de France in the centre background. This is the ground that Blucher and Langeron's Prussian and Russian troops would have crossed as they assaulted the hill. The steep gradient of the hill is clearly appreciated in this picture and would have afforded the French gunners a perfect view as the allied columns approached.

The picture below gives a better impression of the ground in 1814 with what looks like the hill of Montmatre in the left background.

The battle at the Clichy Gate - see the map above for its location

The following contemporary views of the hill dotted with windmills. This would make an excellent centre piece on the table for any re-fight of the battle.

Entrenchments line the slopes of Montmatre as the Allied infantry make their assault on the hill

Russian Grenadiers storm the heights

The Allied victory parade on entering Paris in 1814

I hope you've enjoyed my little Napoleonic tour of Paris. The Battle for the city is an interesting scenario and I am sure I will get some figures together to recreate it at some time. We had a great time touring the city, eating in some lovely restaurants and getting the train from home and back using the Eurostar train which was so relaxing, I can recommend it.
Next up, more Romans, book review and some KGL Hussars.

Casa de Salinas 1809

The 60th Rifles played a key role in holding back the French attack at Casa de Salinas

With the completion of the German Division for the Talavera campaign it is time to get back on track with the plan as laid out in May.

Talavera Plans

So the first scenario to be played is the small rear guard skirmish that occurred at Casa de Salinas as Wellesley covered the withdrawal of Cuesta's army onto the Talavera position. Sir William Napier in his "English Battles and Sieges of the Peninsula" summed up the clash,

"Victor first marched on the Caza de Salinas, a house situated in the plain below. To reach it he had to ford the Alberche and penetrate two miles through the forest, yet the position of McKenzie's division was indicated by the dust, and as the British cavalry had sent no patrols, the post was surprised. England was then like to have lost her great commander, for Sir Arthur, who was in the house for observation, very hardly escaped capture ; for the French charged so hotly that the English brigades were separated, fired on each other, and were driven in disorder through the forest into the open plain. In the midst of this confusion the 45th, a stubborn old regiment, accompanied by some companies of the 60th Riflemen, kept good array, and on them Sir Arthur rallied the others and checked the enemy, covering his retreat with cavalry ; yet he lost four hundred men, and the retrograde movement was hastily made in face of both armies."

The action involved the French division of General Lapisse and the British brigades of Sir Alexander McKenzie, Sir Rufane Shaw Donkin and George Anson. The French forces are already done and so it requires the brigades of Donkin and McKenzie together with the 1st KGL Hussars in Anson's cavalry brigade. These units will then be used in the full battle of Talavera.

So over the next few weeks I will build the balance of British troops required, starting with the 1st KGL Hussars, before rolling out the scenario with a play through.

Division Lieutenant General Sir Alexander McKenzie

McKenzie's Brigade
2/24th Foot (Warwickshire Regt.)
2/31st Foot (Huntingdonshire Regt.)
1/45th Foot (Nottinghamshire Regt.)
McKenzie's Brigade Light Battalion

Donkin's Brigade
2/87th Foot (Prince of Wales Own Irish Regt.)
1/88th Foot (Connaught Rangers Regt.)
Donkin's Brigade Light Battalion

Anson's Brigade
23rd Light Dragoon's
1st KGL Hussars

Napoleon's German Division at Talavera

I have to admit that the completion of the German Division, although fun and something I have always wanted to do, was a major indulgence on my part and a slight variation on my Talavera project plan. That variation being, that I intended to complete units for scenarios that would build up to the full battle and the German Division don't feature until scenario three, and there are other units required for scenario one that remain un-painted.

That being said I am hoping to have scenario one up and running around Xmas this year so please bear with me and as recompense, I thought I would share some pictures of the German Division as a whole. I should add that for Talavera the two battalions of the 4th Polish  Infantry Regiment were under the command of Laval, but as they were an attachment and will be present in scenario three I will add them later.

2nd [German] Infantry Division 
GdD Jean-Francois, Baron Leval,

Brigade
OB Heinrich, Freiherr von Porbeck,
Baden Infantry Regiment Gross-Herzog Nr. 4: OB Heinrich, Freiherr von Porbeck, 1st Battalion
Baden Infantry Regiment Gross-Herzog Nr.4: OB Heinrich. Freiherr von Porbeck, 2nd Battalion

Nassau Infantry Regiment Nr. 2: OB August von Kruse, 1st Battalion

Nassau Infantry Regiment Nr. 2: OB August von Kruse. 2nd Battalion
Baden Foot Battery: 2 - 7pdr howitzers. MAJ Franz-Friedrich-Christian von Steimnetz

Brigade
GM David-Hendrik Chasse,

Composite Dutch Infantry Regiment: OB Baron de Grave,1/2nd Infantry Regiment
Composite Dutch Infantry Regiment: OB Baron de Grave, 2/4th Infantry Regiment
Dutch Horse Artillery Battery Nr.3: 6 guns, HPT Hendrik-Rudolph Trip

Brigade
GdB Balthazard Grandjean,
Hessen-Darmstadt Infantry Regiment Gross- und Erbprinz Nr. 4: GM Georg-Johann Schaffer von Bernstein, 1st Battalion
Hessen-Darmstadt Infantry Regiment Gross- und Erbprinz Nr. 4: GM Georg-Johann Schaffer von Bernstein, 2nd Battalion
Confederation of the Rhine Battalion Nr.3 (Frankfurt) OBL von Welsch
Hessen-Darmstadt Foot Batterie: 4 - 6pdrs, LT Ludwig Venator

Front Row- left to right, Baden artillery, Baden Infantry (2 battalions), Dutch Infantry (2 battalions), Dutch Horse Artillery. Middle row, Nassau Infantry (2 battalions), Hesse Darmstadt Infantry (2 battalions), Hesse Darmstadt Artillery, Back Row Frankfurt battalion.

Von Porbeck's brigade

Chasse's brigade of Dutch

 

Grandjean's brigade

For close ups of the individual units just click on the links in the order of battle above.

Miniature Wargames Issue 379 - Let's Fight Oporto 1809

If you were following the Oporto project earlier this year, you will have seen some of the steps along the way about bringing the game together, and will, from all the feedback I received, have been very much part of the whole thing.

The game had three play-tests incorporating, along the way, feedback from the players involved. That feedback led on to the final design. At the completion of which, I staged a last game and put together the final draft and a series of three articles which will feature in Miniature Wargames starting this month in issue 379.

One thing that followers on the blog will not have seen is the the superb model of the Bishops Seminary, built by Mr James Sharpe, the talent behind Oshiro Model Terrain, which ended up gracing the table and formed the centre piece of the battle. The first time the model will be seen in action, so to speak, will be in the covers of Military Modelling, together with the battle report to accompany the pictures of the game.

The articles are an homage to the series of articles written by Peter Gilder in the 70's, whose work has greatly influenced my own approach to the hobby and looks at the history of the campaign, the design of the tabletop battle, the choice of rules and how the game played.

Issue 379 was published last Friday 24th Oct, so if you would like to read the conclusion of  the Second battle of Oporto, then make sure you grab a copy.

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the journey and I hope you will enjoy the read.

Jonathan

Baden Foot Battery

The final unit to complete the German Division at Talavera is the Baden Foot Artillery under the command of Major Franz Friedrich Christian von Steinmetz.

2nd [German] Infantry Division 
GdD Jean-Francois, Baron Leval,

Brigade
OB Heinrich, Freiherr von Porbeck,
Baden Infantry Regiment Gross-Herzog Nr. 4: OB Heinrich, Freiherr von Porbeck, 1st Battalion
Baden Infantry Regiment Gross-Herzog Nr.4: OB Heinrich. Freiherr von Porbeck, 2nd Battalion

Nassau Infantry Regiment Nr. 2: OB August von Kruse, 1st Battalion

Nassau Infantry Regiment Nr. 2: OB August von Kruse. 2nd Battalion
Baden Foot Battery: 2 – 7pdr howitzers, MAJ Franz-Friedrich-Christian von Steinmetz

Brigade
GM David-Hendrik Chasse,

Composite Dutch Infantry Regiment: OB Baron de Grave,1/2nd Infantry Regiment
Composite Dutch Infantry Regiment: OB Baron de Grave, 2/4th Infantry Regiment
Dutch Horse Artillery Battery Nr.3: 6 guns, HPT Hendrik-Rudolph Trip

Brigade
GdB Balthazard Grandjean,
Hessen-Darmstadt Infantry Regiment Gross- und Erbprinz Nr. 4: GM Georg-Johann Schaffer von Bernstein, 1st Battalion
Hessen-Darmstadt Infantry Regiment Gross- und Erbprinz Nr. 4: GM Georg-Johann Schaffer von Bernstein, 2nd Battalion
Confederation of the Rhine Battalion Nr.3 (Frankfurt) OBL von Welsch
Hessen-Darmstadt Foot Batterie: 4 - 6pdrs, LT Ludwig Venator

The artillery wore the same coats as the infantry, but with black collars, lapels, plain round cuffs and turnbacks. The helmet was topped just with a black caterpillar crest, with brass fittings as were the buttons and shoulder scales.

The soldiers of the train had dark blue uniforms with light blue facings and brass buttons.

Digby Smith states in "Napoleon's German Division in Spain" 

Until recently, it has been unclear as to what calibre or model of guns this battery used, but a participant recorded that early on the 13th October (1808 in Bayonne) the drummer beat the general march. We were soon all busy receiving bread, meat, camping equipment, cooking utensils, cartridges  and exchanging our artillery guns for French cannon.

He then goes on to state that the battery was probably issued with six French 4 lbr cannon and two 6 inch howitzers as replacement for their original Hanoverian 6 lbr cannon and 7 lbr howitzers.

As you will see I have modelled all the artillery in the division along these lines, as I think this makes most sense in terms of handling the logistics of supply and to my mind it would seem unlikely that only one unit was issued French equipment and the others were not.

The figures I have used were AB Wurttemberg foot gunners, Blue Moon French 4lbr guns and the train are a French limber and team from Warmodelling. 

With my preference to using Carnage & Glory rules I am now setting my artillery units up to one gun base representing 3-4 guns and with a train that needs to be positioned behind the battery in base to base contact to represent the foot print of the unit when deployed. 

As I had originally built my units around the "Napoleon at War" system it now means their 4 model French batteries give me two two model batteries and I am adding a British foot crew to bring my British artillery component up to five foot batteries, although I still need to add three limbers to complete them.

Next the German Division on parade.

Fury

My son Tom and I went to the movies last night to see the brand new WWII film doing the rounds, "Fury" starring Brad Pitt.

We've been anticipating the launch of this movie since the announcement of its making and we were both looking forward to seeing it on the big screen, though with some reservations. The reservations being that as someone interested in the period and knowing more about it than the average film goer, you are never quite sure what you are going to be served up by the money makers of Hollywood.

I have been interested in following the discussions on various wargaming forums about the frustration of seeing historical themed films distorted in the name of artistic licence and the drive to make money on the project. I, personally do not buy into the theory that you can't have historical integrity and entertainment (I use that word in its widest meaning) that will draw in the audience.

With this preamble in mind I thought I would share our impressions of the film

Pictures like the one above were surely in the mind of the writer and director David Ayer when putting this film together. As the introduction to the film announces;

"April 1945. As the Allies make their final push in the European Theatre, a battle-hardened army sergeant named Wardaddy commands a Sherman tank and her five man crew on a deadly mission behind enemy lines. Out-numbered, out-gunned, and with a rookie soldier thrust into their platoon, Wardaddy and his men face overwhelming odds in their heroic attempts to strike at the heart of Nazi Germany".     

Well that sort of captures the theme of the film, but doesn't really do it justice. I came away from it with the feeling that at last we have a war movie that doesn't make it easy for you to take sides about who the heroes are and who are the villains. 

We see a crew that have become desensitised to the war and seem to have only a few objectives in mind, achieving the mission, killing the enemy and protecting each other and those around them. Their focus seems to make them oblivious to all other considerations and the war crime committed by murdering a prisoner, is simply a way of recommitting to that focus. It makes the point that "total war" the war that WWII was, is not a simple case of right vs wrong, good vs evil; as with most conflicts, the boundaries between the opposing sides can become blurred, and at times I found myself questioning the morality of the crew and what they were doing and the drivers and emotions involved in their decisions. I thought the challenge that war presents to morality was very well portrayed, with the character "Wardaddy" explaining that peaceful morality is achieved at the expense of extreme violence.

The moral challenges presented by the crew were counterbalanced by the extreme horror of the latter days of WWII with the Nazi regime on its final path to complete destruction, committing the final atrocities on their own people, with men women and children seen hanging from lampposts with signs around their necks explaining their treachery to the state and the punishment that awaited others like them. The Hitler Youth, boys and girls, enrolled into the Nazi tank hunting teams that lurked in the fields and villages of every German neighbourhood, and the utter waste of life and futile nature of the resistance was well portrayed.

This film is a hard watch in terms of the brutality and the senseless destruction that is the nature of modern war, and we both came away with that message reinforced, but this film is also an adrenalin rush when the shooting kicks off. We move from one scenario to the next with that tense expectation of death and destruction awaiting the soldiers around each and every twist in the road. The military kit on display was excellent as were the costumes and the combat scenes which were everything you would expect from a modern war film with the sound and visuals of the tracer and antitank rounds flying over the open muddy fields truly exhilarating. 

The combat with the Tiger tank was the crescendo in the tank fighting and I found myself mentally driving that Sherman as the duel reached its conclusion. I remembered the comments from my Dad about the manoeuvrability of the Sherman and how he felt they could move more quickly than their German counterparts. I also remembered his comments that are echoed by all "tankies", that the tank and the crew were their home, and that in many respects that was what they were fighting to protect.

I can't say a little bit of artistic licence didn't creep into this movie. The inability of the German anti tank gunners to get a second round hit on tanks moving towards them head on seemed a little bit suspect. In one scene a Sherman is hit on the side at respectable range by a panzerfaust that somehow avoids an ammunition explosion (must have had FOW wet stowage) and the crew don't bail out. However this is just small critiquing on my part.

We both felt that Fury is the next step on from "Saving Private Ryan" and "Band of Brothers" where the action is matched with a gritty reality that there really isn't much "Spielberg schmaltz" in war and that sometimes the good guys do bad things. I thought Brad Pitt's performance, as the other actors, was well done and I felt they captured the cynicism of a battle hardened tank crew that just wanted to get the war over as soon as possible. 

2nd Battalion, 4th Baden Infantry Regiment

2nd [German] Infantry Division 
GdD Jean-Francois, Baron Leval,

Brigade
OB Heinrich, Freiherr von Porbeck,
Baden Infantry Regiment Gross-Herzog Nr. 4: OB Heinrich, Freiherr von Porbeck, 1st Battalion

Baden Infantry Regiment Gross-Herzog Nr. 4: OB Heinrich, Freiherr von Porbeck, 2nd battalion
Nassau Infantry Regiment Nr. 2: OB August von Kruse, 1st Battalion

Nassau Infantry Regiment Nr. 2: OB August von Kruse. 2nd Battalion
Baden Foot Battery: 2 – 7pdr howitzers, MAJ Franz-Friedrich-Christian von Steinmetz

Brigade
GM David-Hendrik Chasse,

Composite Dutch Infantry Regiment: OB Baron de Grave,1/2nd Infantry Regiment
Composite Dutch Infantry Regiment: OB Baron de Grave, 2/4th Infantry Regiment
Dutch Horse Artillery Battery Nr.3: 6 guns, HPT Hendrik-Rudolph Trip

Brigade
GdB Balthazard Grandjean,
Hessen-Darmstadt Infantry Regiment Gross- und Erbprinz Nr. 4: GM Georg-Johann Schaffer von Bernstein, 1st Battalion
Hessen-Darmstadt Infantry Regiment Gross- und Erbprinz Nr. 4: GM Georg-Johann Schaffer von Bernstein, 2nd Battalion
Confederation of the Rhine Battalion Nr.3 (Frankfurt) OBL von Welsch
Hessen-Darmstadt Foot Batterie: 4 - 6pdrs, LT Ludwig Venator

The completion of the German Division, took one step nearer with the addition of the 2nd Battalion of the 4th Baden Regiment. For a potted history and links I referred to in the construction of the regiment just click on the link in the orbat above for the 1st Battalion.

As previously the unit is composed of Warmodelling figures except the skirmish elements which are adapted AB Bavarians.

The Baden colour (Regimenterfahnen) is for the 4th Regiment, white with the yellow cross and reversed to that carried by the 1st Battalion. As before this was supplied by Maverick Models, a link for which is in the side bar.

I thought it would be complete to show the Regiment together with their brigade commander, OB Heinrich Freiherr von Porbeck, who was modelled using a Warmodelling Austrian commander.  

Next up the final unit in the division, the Baden artillery and then it's on to some Germans serving in Wellesley's army.