Selling painted 20mm WW2 German units

 

A group of half-tracks - 20mm WW2  

uk ebay 

Three Stug III 

UK ebay. 

Napoleonic blogs from the last few weeks.... April 2022

Never say never - the revival of Napoleonic Naval games is clearly in part because they look amazing! 

JJ"s Wargames have been at it:

Picking up from my post in February, work has continued to put together some fleets for my friend and fellow clubmate Bob, which started with the build of the British Navy boxset from Warlord Games and has continued with this the French Navy set.

Warlord really is brilliant at making game systems.  I remember a long long time ago some Hinchcliffe system 12. Warlord's Epic Battles has the same ambition and wonderful execution.  

The Wargames Room ponders, points, campaigns and scenarios

Campaigns have a strong draw. Historical campaigns have the same appeal as historical refights, yet my experiences suggest a successful campaigning can deliver terribly unequal battles, which are not particularly satisfying. I’m of the view that campaign mechanics must be simple providing a narrative for a scenario game, or be played as a seperate campaign in an evening, likely as a board game.

 

Sgt Steiner tries out Soldiers of Napoleon - a card driven rules set: 

Overall a thumbs up and if you like (Sam Mustafas) Maurice 18th Century rules these have a similar feel regarding card deck use and level of complexity (low to medium) but with of course own feel and twists.

 Devon Wargames played the Battle of Maida 

The Battle of Maida was fought on 4th July 1806 and is popularly (and erroneously) seen as the first time that the fire power of the two deep British line overwhelmed an attacking French column, but let’s not go down that particular rabbit hole. It was a welcome victory after the humiliation of Ulm and crushing defeat at Austerlitz and showed that a French army could be defeated. Maida Vale owes its name to the battle, there apparently being a pub called The Maida or The Hero of Maida in reference to Sir John Stuart (later Count of Maida) who led the British troops.

The British force landed on the Italian coast and force marched to attack the French camp at Maida. Stuart’s force, numbering some 5,000 men, was made up of 11 battalions, (two of which, the 78th and the 81st were untested) and 8 guns. Regnier, the French commander, was notified of the British landing and with a slightly larger force of 8 Battalions, 4 squadrons of cavalry and 4 guns, left his well-fortified position to confront Stuart’s force. Confident of victory and eager to avenge his defeat in Egypt five years earlier, Regnier immediately ordered an attack on the outnumbered British force.

 Helion and company say they've book on the way about Leipzig - a Wargamers guide. 

Battlebrush studios says they actually like painting Austrian White! 

 

Half an Hour at Arcis-sur-Aube

This is map of a few photo's taken at Arcis-sur-Aube.  The photos are on the map and show the postion looking out from where the French were - with one exception, which looking  across the ground that the main Allied advance took from St Remy.  

The town has grown since 1814 but the land around is largely unchanged since the battle in March 1814. What did I get from being there?

1 What amazing cavalry country albeit maybe not in March 1814.  Have a click on the photos and they show wide open spaces.   The Cavalry of the Guard fought here against  Austrian and Russian Cavalry.

2 Napoleon fought with back to a river.  Zoom in on the map and since how little space there was for some of his troops to manoeuvre. It was really my first genuine appreciation of why it's such a difficult position to be in. There is almost room to rally any units before they hit the river - and then they might disintegrate.  The River itself is not easily crossed other than by the bridge. 

Here's a map that matches the one you see above 

I only had this book with me.

A fab diorama of the battle. 

Napoleonic Wargames Blogs I've seen in December

Bavarians, Bavarians, Bavarians!   

Amongst the best looking with amazing flags. The plastic Victrix are now for sale as vonpeterhimself  points out. The breakdown is as follows: 

36 x Marching units

16 x Firing units

4 x Command units

2 x Mounted colonels

all for £30  (just about 50p per figure - when was a quality 28mm figure last that cheap!) and they look amazing.   The balance of marching to firing could be improved - it feels like more skirmishers thane most will need. 

I also spotted some beautiful Perry Bavarians in their pre christmas napoleonic game:

With that fab falling figure from the pack of figures under fire.   The depth of figures now available in plastic 28mm is extraordinary - I was a delighted to see Prussian Reserve Infantry from Atlantic appear in 2021 : £25 for 60 rank and file (buy your command from others.)

Rules 

Dining Table Napoleon has reviewed Lasalle II, concluding:

this is an excellent game system, fully justifying the rave reviews I have seen of it. The turn play system – both sides interact without the use of phases or player-turns – is especially clever and works really well. There are intricacies which you can miss on first play, but generally the rules should be very quick to pick up

Other bits: 

Storm and Conquest blog has added some painted Mamelukes - very clean painting style. 

Cirencester Wargames Club put on a Christmas 1812 game, summer 1812.

Thomas Reviews the Spanish company Campaign Miniatures and their 18mm Austrians 

Chris Greggs review of his gaming year includes some 1806 battles in Gloucestershire. (amazing table)

 

Napoleonic Blogs - some things I found recently.

 

I was frankly amazed at the quality of information and images in the site https://miniatureaddiction.info.

I really good example is this on ... 

Go and gorge on the fab pics of this Battle of Borodino on Dave's One Man His Brush blog... here's a taster 

https://wargamingraft.wordpress.com/  talks us through building an Austrian Farmhouse circa 1809... click to have a nose at it finished. 

 

Valleyboy blogged months ago about Napoleonic commanders. I love the vibrancy of the painting here. 

and ...

Victrix have some British Dragoons in the pipeline....

along with Bavarians.... 

and Chasseur-a-Cheval of the Guard....

Then there is the return of Partizan: 

https://youtu.be/HJ5Wk5GREkM

Salute 2019 - picture review (yes I know I'm late)

Prussian Battle Flag from Leipzig in 1813 - Landwehr? Something Else?

I spotted this flag for sale.  It appears to have been white (or gold?) with embroidery and to have hung vertically.

The seller says it Prussian and from Leipzig in 1813 but doesn't give any explanation of why?  Does this flag ring true? Which service would it be?  More details here.

The Battle - By Patrick Rambaud, a short review of a Napoleonic Novel

Usually novels set in the Napoleonic Era use battles as the back drop. In this the Battle of Aspern Essling is the main character and it looms large.

The Battle is an award winning novel written by Frenchman Patrick Rambaud.

He tracks the two day battle itself through a combination of personalities,  Berthier and Bessiers, Massenna and Davout  and Napoleon himself, alongside a voltigeur a cuirassier and a staff officer.  The characters are filled out (although maybe could've been a little fuller).

The struggle of the battle, the choices and hazards, the way in which fate shapes futures are vividly painted, at times brutally.

I raced through this - reading it filled out my understanding of this piece of history more vibrantly than any traditional history might have done.  I recommend it as a great way to while away some time.

I bought a used copy from my local Oxfam shop.  You can also look here:

Amazon      EBay
Military History on Audible.

bookshop.org (support local indpendent bookshops this is a link to one of three graphic novels.