The Battle of Talavera, The Afternoon Attack - Tiny Wars Played Indoors

Bill Slavin and friends have concluded their marathon play through of O'er the Hills Peninsular War Scenarios with the 'big-one', 'The Afternoon Attack' (link below to Bill's AAR), the concluding Talavera scenario that recreates Marshal Victor's all or nothing throw of the dice that characterised his full frontal column attack on Sir Arthur Wellesley's line at Talavera, when he unleashed a forty-five minute mass bombardment from his artillery as a prelude to the attack by I and IV Corps, preceded by his pronouncement to his staff highlighting his frustration at previously failed assaults;

"If this doesn't work, it is time to give up the war!"

Tiny Wars Played Indoors - Talavera Afternoon Attack, 28th July 1809

This scenario can be linked with the preceding one that Bill played back in July, 'The Attack on the Pajar Vegara' which itself was designed to pin Wellesley's troops around the gun redoubt as this, the main attack, went in soon after, but as is often the case, seeing the plan change on first contact with the enemy.

JJ's Wargames - Attack on the Pajar Vergara

Similarly all four Talavera scenarios that Bill has illustrated, starting with Scenario 8, Casa de Salinas, can be linked into a mini-campaign with casualties and morale affects carried forward from one to another.

However if big games are your thing and big Peninsular War games in particular, this scenario should definitely float-the-boat, as Bills table seen below well illustrates.

Looking from French lines - Talavera, The Afternoon Attack.

Everything is here in this classic Peninsular War battle, a three turn pre-attack French grand battery bombardment of the British line, mass columns of veteran French infantry, the victors of Austerlitz, Jena, and Friedland, supported by massed ranks of French cavalry, foot and horse guns, up against British and KGL infantry, guards and riflemen, backed up by British heavy and light dragoons and Royal Foot and Horse Artillery gunners, having to rely on their steadiness to brave the shot and shell to deliver counter-charges, cannister or a steady volley followed up with the bayonet to see whose will-to-win breaks first.

Bill's British and KGL hold the line at Talavera for his recreation of The Afternoon Attack.

This is not the classic Anglo-Portuguese defensive battle that would come to characterise most of Sir Arthur Wellesley's early encounters with the French, lacking most obviously in the benefit of a complete front covered by a reverse slope position, and thus the British commander has to carefully manage his infantry, artillery and cavalry assets to hold areas of the line that are most heavily pressed making best use of combined arms tactics to compliment those of the British redcoat.

The French columns press home their attack

For the French it is a matter of pressing hard and reinforcing success quickly to unsettle a likely formidable British line, using the rapid manoeuvring capability of the French infantry and cavalry backed up with guns that can come up in support to win where it counts.

Having played this scenario and the full battle of Talavera many times I found myself recalling the euphoria of French commanders unleashing what looks like an unstoppable force, after dishing out the hurt from massed heavy foot guns, and the stoic determination of British commanders relieved and with confidence boosted, as a British line rises to its feet, delivers a crushing volley followed up by a cheering charge in the wake of several recoiling columns, but with a game not over until it was that last throw of the dice moment when concession by one side or the other was inevitable.

https://standtogames.co.uk/shop/ols/products/oer-the-hills-rules

From Bill's account of his game it was really great to see the scenario create the same drama for another set of players and it has been a real pleasure and privilege to follow Bill and his friends progress through the book.

Thank you Bill for sharing your tour-de-force, it has been great fun to follow.

JJ

The Battle of Talavera, The Attack on the Pajar Vegara Redoubt - Tiny Wars Played Indoors

The Spanish El Rey cavalry regiment sweep down on the German troops of Leval's division at the close of the battle for the Pajar Vegar redoubt.

Bill Slavin's adventures with the Battle of Talavera continues with his recreation of the Attack on the Pajar Vegara Redoubt scenario recreating the afternoon attack by General de Division Baron Jean Francois Leval's German Division on the redoubt, part of General Sebastiani's IV Corps and part of the 30,000 men destined to make the French afternoon attack of which this scenario was but a part of, designed to pin the Allies on that part of the line, whilst the main attack fell on the Allied centre.

You can read Bill's account of his refight in the link below.

Tiny Wars Played Indoors - Pajar Vegara Redoubt, Battle of Talavera

I had a lot of fun putting this particular little battle, within a much larger one, together and after reading Bill's account I found myself scanning back on the posts to see the first attempts to run this as a distinct scenario in its own right with the idea formulating in my mind that the battle itself could be split up into distinctive scenarios which resulted in those contained in the O'er the Hills Scenario book.

This map comes from my post covering Carolyn's and my visit to Talavera in 2019 with the numbered points showing where I took time to photograph the battlefield as it looks today, with Point 1 showing where we stood to take pictures of the modern day Pajar Vegara hill. 

The forces involved fought their very own little action with Brigadier Alexander Campbell's British brigade in support of General Portago's Spanish infantry Division tasked with holding this particular part of the line and backing up the British and Spanish guns ensconced in the hastily built redoubt to their front, dug in on a very insignificant little hill or mound in front of the French lines.

The French troops detailed for the attack on the Allied line in the afternoon of 28th July 1809. The French IV Corps were very much in a supporting pinning role to the main punch coming from Victor's 2nd Division part of his I Corps. 

As you can see from the map above, I took the pictures below from amid the positions of Campbell's British troops with the view across the field ahead scanning out to the small hill that is the Pajar Vegara today and then scanning left to photograph the ground over which the main French attack was pressed on that very hot afternoon in July 1809, with similar weather on the day we visited.

The ground behind the Pajar Vegara

 

The small hill seen from the Allied line on which the gun redoubt was built.
https://jjwargames.blogspot.com/2019/09/battles-and-actions-in-tagus-valley.html

My interpretation of the Pajar Vegara Redoubt back in 2015

The view out to the left over which the main French attack was made and with the British line to the left of picture.

It was way back in 2015 that I first play tested this little battle using Carnage & Glory and with Steve M. and Will taking the respective commands on that day, as their official portraits record and I've put a link below under the official regimental picture of the El Rey cavalry regiment if you want to have a look.

As with Bill's battle our games of this scenario have always produced a tense hard fought affair with the Germans occasionally battering their way into the redoubt defences, but usually ending up so battered in the attempt that like the historical action they are forced back, although achieving such a result is one up on Leval's men and so a French commander can congratulate himself on the achievement.

My interpretation of the El Rey Cavalry Regiment during our game back in 2015.
http://jjwargames.blogspot.com/2015/12/talavera-attack-on-pajar-de-vergara.html

As always it was great fun reading Bill's account of the game and very interesting for me having written the set up for this game seeing how others have interpreted it.

The El Rey Cavalry Regiment charge home at the end of Bills refight of the Pajar Vegara Redoubt.

If you are interested in picking up a copy of O'er the Hills Peninsular War Scenario book, pdf copies are available from Stand to Games in the link with a picture of the front cover, at top right of the blog page.

Next up, I have some new model ships to show you that will be taking part in our two day refight of the Battle of Trafalgar later this month.

More anon

JJ

The Battle of Talavera, Dawn Attack, Part Two - Tiny Wars Played Indoors

Battle of Talavera, July 28th 1809, published by J. Jenkins, June 1st 1815 - Drawing by William Heath, Aquatint Engraving by T. Sutherland

Picking up from my link post from the start of this month, Bill Slavin has concluded his Talavera Dawn Attack game which if you haven't read yet is well worth a look as he and his friends produced a real toe to toe set-to that left both sides well and truly bruised and battered.

Tiny Wars Played Indoors - Talavera Dawn Attack, Part Two

Bill's work on building the necessary forces to play this big scenario has been repaid with a hum-dinger of a game and the spectacle of massed forces arrayed across his table as evidenced by one of his pictures below from the concluding part of this game.

I really enjoyed this AAR read and would recommend a look.

Well done Bill.

JJ

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.

https://standtogames.co.uk/shop/ols/products/oer-the-hills-rules

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  

Assault River Crossing, Second Battle of Oporto 12th May 1809 - Tiny Wars Played Indoors

The Serra Convent overlooking the River Douro at Oporto from where British infantry led by the 3rd (Buffs) Foot crossed to occupy the Seminary on the cliffs above on the opposite bank and around which Sir Arthur Wellesley placed his gun batteries in support of them and other Allied troops crossing to attack the French under Marshal Soult who occupied the city, 12th May 1809

 

A few weeks ago, Bill Slavin sent me an email giving me the 'heads-up' on his next game in the series from O'er the Hills Scenario Book which I have been looking forward to with great anticipation following his post about how he had built his table to refight the Oporto Crossing.

Stand to Games - O'er the Hills, Early Peninsula War Scenarios pdf Version

This scenario playing follows the others Bill has been working through since he started his series of games with 'The Leopard's Debut, The Battle of Rolica, played back in December 2020.

I personally have really enjoyed seeing someone else translating this scenario book, designed to be played with the rule set Over the Hills, and Bill's games have brought back lots of memories of the original play tests Steve M and I did when I was working on putting the book together.

If you are new to the series of games then I have listed below the series of links here on JJ's that will take you to Bill's blog, Tiny Wars Played Indoors where you can see his AAR's for each of the games played so far.

https://jjwargames.blogspot.com/2020/12/the-leopards-debut-battle-of-rolica.html

https://jjwargames.blogspot.com/2021/02/vimeiro-hill-battle-of-vimeiro-1808.html

https://jjwargames.blogspot.com/2021/03/flank-attack-at-ventosa-battle-of.html

https://jjwargames.blogspot.com/2021/07/battle-of-corunna-elvina-ridge-tiny.html

https://jjwargames.blogspot.com/2021/09/the-march-on-oporto-part-one-retreat-to.html

https://jjwargames.blogspot.com/2021/10/the-march-on-oporto-part-two-rearguard.html

When writing the Oporto scenario, I was adapting an earlier game that we played with the computer moderated rules, Carnage & Glory and needed to make the game a much more easily translatable set up for most wargamers to be able to set up on the table.

The battle was fought over and around a deep cliff edged river gorge with the outskirts of the city of Oporto and the key stronghold of the Seminary, occupied by British troops, the main features of the terrain to be fought over once the battle commenced, following the discovery of the British troops by part of the French garrison.

Our Oporto Table from the original game set up.

Thus, to make this a more easily playable game I opted to leave the gorge out of the map, using the wargamers old friend, 'the dreaded edge of the table' to represent this imposing terrain feature with the possibility of British reinforcements arriving in the Seminary from said table edge together with supporting British artillery fire directed from it on to certain areas of the table representing the batteries of guns Wellesley set up in support of his assault crossing.

Of course Bill was having none of that and opted to go large by building his representation of the gorge, cliffs and wine barges carrying British troops to produce, in my humble opinion his best table yet, leaving me rather 'gobsmacked' at his ability to 'adapt adopt and improve' with a post detailing his build for others interested  in having a go.

Tiny Wars Played Indoors - Building Porto

Frankly, I never imagined anyone going this far with this scenario and was amazed at the ingenuity of this table, and Bill's post is well worth a look to see his ideas on how to put together a put up and take down version of this game.

So if that little preamble hasn't wetted your appetite to see how Bill's game turned out with the troops in battle array across his table, then move on and wait for my next post about something else, but I think a few of the pictures of the game below will prod your curiosity still further.

The game was quite remarkable and one I would not have expected after playing it several times and seeing others having a go with similar outcomes.

When writing a scenario based on an historical actions and constrained by certain known limitations you tend to end up working within a bell curve of outcome probabilities with the the extreme, but still possible, outcomes hopefully moved to the ends of the curve and with the more likely outcomes very much in its centre.

I think Bill's account of his game shows what happens when the game starts to explore the less likely extremes and also the historical peril that Marshal Soult and his corps faced once Wellesley had established a foot hold on the French side of the river, requiring bold and immediate response to stabilise the situation.

The fighting that followed in this game is a classic struggle to retain and regain initiative and made for a fascinating read.

So if you would like to know more then just follow the link below to Tiny Wars Played Indoors for the full details and more great pictures of the game as it unfolded.

Tiny Wars Played Indoors - Second Battle of Porto, 12th May 1809

Next up: Mr Steve and I have been battlefield walking with a trip back to the early English Civil War in Cornwall and the seat of the Prayer Book Rebellion in Devon, and I have a book review.

More anon 

JJ

The March on Oporto, Part Two, Rearguard at Grijo - Tiny Wars Played Indoors

Battle of Grijo, 11th May 1809

Well I've had a busy-fun non-wargaming week away after driving down to Plymouth last Thursday to attend Will's graduation ceremony where he joined other graduates from Plymouth Medical School to celebrate the end of their five years of study, to begin work in the NHS.

He and they were alongside Professor Chris Whitty, the Chief Medical Officer for England and one of the chief architects in the UK battle against Covid 19 and the roll out of the national vaccination programme, to receive an honorary doctorate from the University that was awarded prior to the Covid outbreak, highlighting his other significant contributions to medicine which were rightly included in the address and recognised with a standing applause.

Following that we had a family gathering in a local restaurant before heading off down to deepest-darkest Cornwall for a family week away and more dining out, walks and plenty of banter and laughs - good times.

However the wargaming keeps going on here on the blog even when I'm away enjoying myself and Mr Bill Slavin has had his blog highlighted on the 'followed list' of great blogs, with his next game of Peninsula War Napoleonics from O'er the Hills.

O'er the Hills contains twelve scenarios, including this one, covering the early years of
 British involvement in the Peninsula War during the years 1808-09

Continuing from his last game, 'The Retreat to Albergaria, (see the link below) Bill has followed up with part two of these linked games from O'er the Hills with his rendition of 'Rearguard at Grijo'.

This scenario is designed to link in with the previous one by potentially inflicting Fatigue Hits (FH) on units involved in the previous fight depending on how they were at the end of that action. 

JJ's Wargames- The March on Oporto, Part One, Retreat to Albergaria

The map below illustrates the position that General Franceschi occupied on May 10th 1809 after extricating his forces and wagons back from Albergaria the previous day, hotly pursued by General Sir Arthur Wellesley's Anglo-Portuguese force, eager to cut of the French advance troops from their falling back to Marshal Soult's main army occupying Oporto.

The Grijo Scenario map with the blue area indicating the French set up position and the Red the British with additional arrival points along the French retreat route back to Oporto.

As in the previous scenario Wellesley is planning to envelope his enemy with flanking columns, set to arrive in the red areas of the map whilst Franceschi now joined by General Mermet's 2nd Infantry Division seek to fend the Allies off as they facilitate the continued retreat of their supply wagons.  

As in the previous game the scenario presents a retreat/rearguard situation with all the drama that these kind of games can generate, in terms of knowing how long to hold the ground and when to retreat and with who.

Bill's splendid table with the initial forces set up ready to go

Although the French have received a strong reinforcement with Mermet's infantry, Wellesley now has Sherbrooke's British 1st Division with two battalions of 'The Gentlemen's Sons' otherwise known as His Majesty's Foot Guards, who present a potent spearhead to the Allied pursuit force.

French Legere and cavalry prepare to hold the rear as the retreat commences

Bill's game turned out quite different from our own playtest posted here on JJ's back in February 2018

JJ's Wargames - Over the Hills Playtest - Rearguard at Grijo  with, in our game, the French opting to make a strong stand early on in and around Grijo before falling back and a strong attack put in by the Guards at the end.

French Hussars on the move

Of course if you haven't read Bill's post then I will not spoil the fun by giving away the end so just pop over and take a look if you're interested, in the link below, and as you can see from the few pictures I grabbed, Bill's tables and figures are always well worth a look anyway.

Tiny Wars Played Indoors - The March on Porto, Part 2, Rearguard at Grijo

So a nice way to resume normal service to be followed with a post this weekend looking at some additions to my Mohawk Valley collection of AWI Perry Miniatures that have been feeling rather neglected since time spent in JJ's Shipyard over the last two years - More anon.