The Battle of Talavera - Tiny Wars Played Indoors

 

Mr Bill Slavin has picked up his series of games working through the scenario book O'er the Hills from where he left off with the French conducting a fighting retreat from Oporto to turning his attention to the series of games representing the fighting that characterised the Battle of Talavera, broken up into specific phases of the battle.

If you haven't seen Bill's renditions of these games in 1/72nd scale miniatures using Over the Hills Napoleonic Rules, then you can follow his series of games in the link below to my previous posts with links to each of Bill's games referred to;

JJ's Wargames - Tiny Wars Played Indoors

He started this series of games back in November last year when I was off on my travels, hence this has been my first opportunity to comment on his progress, which commenced with the rear-guard action fought at Casa de Salinas as General Sir Arthur Wellesley, shepherded the Spanish army of General Cuesta back into his line leaving a brigade to cover their withdrawal onto the position chosen to offer battle to Marshal Victor's French corps in hot pursuit.

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You can read account of his refight of the Casa de Salinas scenario in the link below;

Tiny Wars Played Indoors - Casa de Salinas

The next game, played in January, saw the action move on to Marshal Victor's famous and rather unique night-attack when he perceived an opportunity to unsettle and eject Wellesley from his strongest position on his chosen line atop the Cerro de Medellin on the night of July 27th 1809.

In this game, special rules to cover the confusion of moving troops at night play a big part in dictating the action and help demonstrate why these actions were so rare in the Napoleonic period, when controlling the movement and coordinating attacks of troops in darkness was so problematic.

Bill's table set up with the British occupying the Cerro de Medellin and the French attack group on the slopes ahead, readying to set off into the darkness.
Tiny Wars Played Indoors - Talavera Night Attack

The latest game played at the end of last month has progressed on to the set-piece French Dawn attack, that saw Victor, having been frustrated in not achieving the success in his night-time assault, turning to using the tried and trusted methods practiced by his Grand Armee veterans across the battlefields of Europe with an unbroken chain of success, namely the set-piece assault, heralded by a mass bombardment from his assembled Corps Grand Battery atop the Cerro de Cascajal, to soften the enemy lines up, before an advance by massed columns of French infantry preceded by a skirmish swarm, designed to overwhelm the last remains of enemy resistance, shocked and disordered by the effects of the pre-attack bombardment.

The scenario map for Dawn Attack, Talavera

This is a 'big battle scenario', even though just a fraction of the two sides forces are involved and Bill's table recaptures my own in its look, with the massed French columns on one side of the Portina Valley faced by Wellesley's lines of British and KGL redcoats.

Tiny Wars Payed Indoors - Dawn Attack, Battle of Talavera

I played this scenario several times prior to writing it up for O'er the Hills, using Carnage & Glory and Over the Hills rules and this fight always gave a nail biter struggle, with much 'tooing and frowing' backwards and forwards as the fighting flowed up and down the slopes on this part of the line, with the battle, as it should be in a Napoleonic fight, going to the side with the last group of fresh reserves to force the other side to lose heart and break off.

Steve M and myself played Dawn Attack, back in 2017 using Over the Hills and you can read the report of our test game here, together with previous posts covering the Talavera project in the link attached,
JJ's Wargames - Talavera

It would seem that Bill's refight has produced a similar situation, but I will leave it to you to read his account accompanied by his pictures of the game to show you what I mean.

In 2019, Carolyn and I walked the battlefield of Talavera in the wake of writing this scenario and I got to see the terrain recreated in the game as it looks today, and it really brought home the broken nature of the ground these troops were likely struggling across and the heat they were enduring whilst doing so, amidst the carnage and smoke of battle.

My view of the Cerro de Cascajal and the French positions in 2019 seen from Wellesley's line atop the Cerro de Medellin with the valley of the Portina stream in the low ground between.
JJ's Wargames - Battles and Actions in the Tagus Valley

Thank you Bill for a very entertaining series of games that has brought back lots of memories from a previous project and I'm looking forward to your next 'Part Two'.

Meanwhile, I'm joining family and friends to celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III, a long and ancient tradition in the UK to formerly recognise the accession of a new monarch to the throne, and one that marks the start of a new era.

No doubt we will be raising a glass or two to the new king, today when this post is published, 6th May 2023, so I shall sign off on this very historic day in the traditional manner for a loyal subject of his majesty, 'God Save the King'.

More anon.

JJ