My Metal Meneken

Thursday 18 April 2024

17th of June 1775 - Bunker Hill - AWI

It was the Second Game of our mini campaign: 28mm, American War of Independence (Black Powder); Bart, David and Tim were defending the heights for democracy, while John and Alisdair were real Crown Gentlemen. It was the battle after Lexington and Concord, which was going remarkabley well for the British in this historical mini campaign about the start of the war.

To be honest the American were a wee bit smug, the British didn't had enough troops (my fault gift me money for more minis!!) - soo! the British started a left hand flank attack directly on the gabbion-redoubt. Alisdair was the excellent artillery officer who ala Napoleon moved the guns and shot the shit out of an American militia, then John started to move up the hill, first the Fusiliers of the 5th but they took to much heat and had to retreat.

Johns Grenadiers were the first to reach the line and jump over the fence.

Bart was very unamerican and started to advance with 3 Militia battalions against a shaken Light Infantry unit, John's only hope on his right flank.

John shot, 3 sixes and a flank attack disintegrated. second unit down.

But then the grenadiers walked on into the "flank" (just geographically) of the redoubt and fought a bayonet charge. Alisdair joined forces and joined the fight with a line regiment. They won the fight but didn't break the the redoubt.

Next fight was the decisive: Tim lost - America lost - the whole front inclusive the light gune was lost. 4vs 0 points and the American side retreated off the hill - an amazingly swift British victory - they could have taken on the other hill as well ... naah the troops were rightly so exhausted, but not beaten!

Next time we will give it a go at Harlem Heights. We close the red curtain over Long Island and Kips Bay as no player shoud be subject to such conditions...

Initial set up - British first move.

Barts steady Militia line

The undoubtable redoubt!

The Hill ...

... in the hands of the patriots ...

... but the redcoats ...

... are marching in!

A classic pincer move.

While Barts militia didn't move.

The Crown forces moved the guns!

And the first line was on the hill!

Still the redoubt was in American hands...

Shaken, but it looked good!

Then the British attack!

Barts militia moves out of the trenches!

British lines at the hills foot ...

The British look britle!

Still in American hands ...

But the redcoats fire ...

... and the militia run!

Then the Grenadiers attack the hill!

Even with fence its a no for the Militia ...

The Grenadiers breach the Hill defense first!

In the "flank" of the redoubt.

A fight about the redoubt begins ...

The Jons LI shoots a hole into the advancing Militias.

The Second round of the fight about the redoubt ...

The Amrican break - game over!

scenario

British stats

American stats

Thursday 4 April 2024

The Battle at Klein-Soor, 1745 just after the Prussians had breakfast...

28mm, Second Silesian War - Rulset: (Seven Years) On The Prussian side as Frederick: Peter with his friend Fred and John and Gordon.

While I jumped in as the The Austrian Generalissimo with my Brigadiers, Bart, Alisdair and Tim.

Obviously my name is not Kroesos and I can only field that much on troops, but the blue print of the battle was Soor, just with a lot less units. Just after the Hohenfriedberg disaster the Austrian army wasn't in the best of shape and the surprise attack wasn't going to happen either - short after breakfast time the Prussian line had just arrived behind the road through Burkersdorf where we actually wanted to "surprise" them - how do they do that?

In short the cavalry was equal the guns as well, the skirmishers, just Austrian had one unit more but the Prussian had way more veterans and elite. The Austrians must deploy similar to the historical line plus a 3 turn block of offensive for one cavalry brigade - what could possibly go wrong?

Actually nothing - we peppered them with our guns (every gun just had 6 shots) and then again once they came nearer. They just did not attack until the very last turns!!! John was the only who attacked with his cavalry and thus lost it because Bart was free to concentrate his fire on the poor dragoons and cuirassiers - ouch! 2VP in advance! Then Alisdair, the best artillery commander, shot a whole infantry unit away.

We had a pretty good time. Then our ammo ran out and that was the start of the Prussian attack -They really punched a pack with their re-rolls and quickly two of our line units were dead. But we managed to withdraw our empty guns and Tim attacked with out second cavalry brigade... not much glory for Frederick-Peter this time!

In the end we still kept our 2 VP advance and won this time, Huzzah! Would we had to fight for another 3 turns it would have looked very different - but the end of club time saved our Austrian derrieres.

Rules on: https://meneken.blogspot.com/p/seven-years-set-of-rules-for-gaming.html

Initial set up

The Prussian have free re-deployment

And the Bayreuth Dragoons from last time ...

While our units were phlegmatic sitting on the hill ...

But somehow the Prussians were ...

... not the Prussians today ...

No attack on the Graner-Koppe

only at the very last urns ...

when we send our guns home ...

as they were running out of ammo ...

The guard came out of the Burkersdorf houses ...

not really sure what they should do ...

the scenario set up

Saturday 16 March 2024

1775, 19th April - Lexington & Concord - AWI

It was 28mm again and the old AWI collection PLUS some newly arrived Militias had to be dispersed on the table. I just wanted to replay some of the more interesting battles of the initial Northern Campaign, so what better way to start than the actual search and destroy mission, that started the whole thing ...

After Bart went to the bar ... everybody else decided to be American and to give him the British, what would certainly an easy win, hey, (later Tim defected as well). So Campbell, Alisdair and David were fighting for the Rebellion, while Bart and Tim tried to find the gun and the powder in some hay stacks. We all used Black Powder 2.

Far from being nice, I didn't told them all victory conditions and changed even later some even against some protests on both sides - war is never fair...

The British arrived outside Concord ...and ... drumroll .. the American definitively shot first this time and started the whole disaster - boys, it is on you! I gave them minus 1 VP for that.

Then the skirmishing game and hunt started. Bart had actually a wonderful plan, to amuse "the rustics" with the Light infantry (under the able command of col Tim), while his Grenadiers did a southern-east swing directly bypassing everybody through cross country and attack Lexington directly.

The Americans, a bit rusty with the rules and amateurs of warfare, had severe initial problems of command and coordination. That showed and Barts Grenadiers were able to set two of 3 BUAs of our Lexington alight! (2 Victory points).

Then I changed the incoming time of the Earl Percy by the difference of the VP, and thus counted the grenadier as 1 VP instead of 2. The two grenadier units perished in the following massacre and two further Militias were broken - thus tolling up the bill to 5 vs 3 (2 dead grenadiers and one saved BUA).

That was when Percy actually arrived. Tims LI was saved and the Militia wasn't in the position to really do much more damage and thus I declared the Battle a British victory. We will all wait of course for the Patriot propaganda following suite - see campbell report on SESWC.

Next time, in this line of fire, it will be the infamous slaughter at Bunker Hill ... get ready to make some more recoats even more red!