Wednesday 13 May 2009

Zondorf 2008

In 2008 we did Zondorf for the club display at Claymore.

I have pulled the report posed to Mark's blog, and reproduced it here with some additional photos.

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A pic of the Zondorf game we did last year in 10mm.

This is well into the battle, over half way through. The Russians (in red on the Right Hand Side) have lost most of their first line between the stream on their right flank and the woods. But equally, most of the Prussians assaulting this area are also beaten.

This near side of the wood, you can see some of the Russian front line is angling to enfilade the second Prussian attack, advancing down the woods.

The Main Cavalry wings are beginning to engage to the fore ground over the small stream.

The Russian second and third lines in this second front look solid, and the baggage is untouched. The Prussians are pushing forward with their last real formed brigades against almost three times their numbers.

What is less clear, is the totally unhistoric (says the Russian) Prussian cavalry manoever around the rear of the Russian right wing by the town on the top right of shot. A series of appalingly lucky strikes enabled this to effectively beat any Russain hopes on that flank. In fact, I couldn't even claim a stalemate there (as happened historically)

Further, at the wood, the Russian regiment angling in its fire on the second Prussian advance is about to be charged in the flank by Prussian Hussars. You can't see those Hussars, they are pretty much the rear most Prussian figures on the table. But in the next firing phase, the remaining frontal Russian units on that far side of the wood are routed, and when the next Russian regiment along moves up to square off the line again, it to goes down in a hail of shell, leaving this angled Russian regiment with its flank in the air and engaged to the front.

Finally, all the Russian Cavalry in foreground, despite correctly being supported by second line troops, fails miserably, and the Russians are forced into a retreat for the end game.

But on the bright side, the Russian Horse Grenadiers did get to sweep over a number of Prussian units, as per the illustration in the Zondorf Osprey. Seidlitz's charge was never required however, so we must assume he was the clever sod who sent his troopers around the 'back' in a thoroughly gamey game winning move. Not that I'm bitter... Kunersdorf in a few weeks, we will see a different side then, I trust.

Sunday 10 May 2009

Kunersdorf 2009

Kunersdorf



The first real posting, is from yesterdays display game at Carronade in Falkirk.

Phoenix put on a 250th anniversary of the Battle of Kunersdorf.

All figures are 10mm Pendraken miniatures. Terrain is mostly scratch built by Alisdair, with a church from Timecast.

The battle opened from after the Prussians had made their attempted Oblique.


The assault on the Observation Corps quickly broke through, as Prussian numbers went in with bayonet fixed.





But as happened historically, the bottle neck coming off the Muhlberg soon halted the Prussian advance.


Saltyakov threw in sacrificial regiments to the Kuhgrund ravine which brought him enough time to reform a second line on the Grosser Spitzberg, and await the Austrian reinforcements which would give the numbers he hoped would crush the Prussians.



Our Frederick, had a Wateloo day, and repeatedly delegated control to his subordinates as he popped off to do some shopping. This futher added to the disorder in the Prussian plan (well, so they argued)


The Prussian attack from around Kunersdorf was soon met by the same historic difficulties as happened 250 years ago.




But our Frederick was able to get onto the Grosser Spitzberg, even though he was unable to maintain the volume of casualties needed to retain it.





Line after line of Russians was thrown in to hold the line, and the sheer numbers made the Prussian efforts fruitless.


Meanwhile, Austrian reinforcements were all ordered immediately to the flank, which at one point the Prussians thought may mean a weakness was opening in the Russian centre. It was not to be. Austrian pressure crumbled the remains of the Prussians on the flank, and at this point, the few remaining Prussians, who had by now all been committed into the Grosser Spitzberg and the Kuhgrund ravine conceeded that they had not only lost the battle, but would struggle to extricate much of their army at all.





Most of our references came from either Duffy or from Project SYW.

The game played brilliantly, as always with the excellent rules we used, King of the Battlefield, by Ian Godwin, which are available through Miniature Wargames Magazine.

Phoenix Horse and Musket Blog


Prompted by the closure of Geocities (and general slackness for over 6 years), Phoenix Wargaming is moving its club website to a series of period related blogs.


We hope this will allow us to keep ideas and recent games up for the world to see.


Also, its a lot easier to post a blog and some photos, then write a web page.


This one is for Horse and Musket gaming.


Enjoy.