SYW Prussian Dragoons

 As I continue to work through my Eric Knowles collection of Seven Years War figures, over the weekend I refurbished another cavalry Regiment.  This unit is marked up as the 1st Prussian Regiment of Dragoons.  The figures are 25mm Minifigs and they look splendid in their light blue, trimmed yellow uniforms:

SYW Russian Guard Grenadiers

In a batch of figures, purchased as part of the Eric Knowles collection, I was intrigued by some rather odd looking figures. They are typical SYW figures, but their Russian grenadier helmets are adorned with massive plumes made from ostrich feathers. I just had to paint them.

After a bit of research I was able to work out the uniform colours and importantly what the plumes might look like. It seems officers wore white, rank and file a dark red and NCOs and musicians a combination of red and white.

The figures are by Minifigs and they join my slowly expanding SYW forces:

I have enough SYW figures to keep me going for many months, if not years. I have decided to paint a brigade size element for each major nationality, plus some of the minor states. This will quickly give me enough troops to try out some table top action.

Help Request!

Can anyone please assist in identifying these Minifigs mounted personality figures? They are either SYW or AWI. The first two are the same figure and top right looks Prussian:

Many thanks in anticipation.

More Seven Years War British

Slowly working my way through my new pile of SYW soldiers, I have just completed two more battalions, to form a brigade.

First off is the King's Regiment:

Then we have the Dorsets:

Brigaded with the Norfolks and the new brigade commander:

Another New project? SYW British

Sometimes the planets align in a certain way and you are pointed in a new direction.  On this occasion two things occurred.  First, I was able to acquire a large number of Seven Years War Minifigs, all unpainted, but sufficient to make up reasonably sized British and French armies. The second occurrence was the purchase of this:

I have been after a copy of Charge for years and last week a nice clean copy arrived in the post.  This has given me the inspiration to have a go at the Seven Years War.

Now my knowledge of this period would barely fill a postage stamp, but with Charge providing the basis for some simple rules and lots of background reading, I am beginning to make sense of things.

I do not plan to have the huge battalions used in Charge or Grant's book the Wargame, but I intend to use much of their systems. 

To get things rolling, I have decided to test paint a unit. First off is this British line Regiment:

Only 31 more battalions to paint!

Minifigs 25mm AWI Gunners

Continuing working through my box of Minifigs AWI figures for refurbishment, the latest victims are two artillery crews with their guns:

British Artillery:

American Artillery:

I am now almost at the end of refurbishing my old painted figures and now must decide whether to work through the unpainted lot. However; I have other projects that I am keen to get my teeth into and may may put the AWI figures away for a bit.

Yet More Refurbished AWI 25mm Minifigs

Working my way through the pile of old figures the latest batch to be refurbished are a mix of American and British troops:

42nd Highland Regiment:

American Minutemen:

Another British Line Infantry unit:

A few more to go..............

More Minifigs AWI/SYW Refurbishments

Over the past few days I have been touching up and rebasing a load of my AWI 25mm Minifigs units. Here are the results:

Hessian Jaegers:

British Line Infantry:

Canadian Light Infantry:

American Infantry - Georgia Regiment:

More to come..............

Butler's Rangers - Minifigs Refurbishment

Continuing to work my way through my old figures, for a change, I thought I would refurbish some Seven Year's War and American War of Independence subjects. Starting off with a unit of loyalist light infantry, in the form of Butler's Rangers. These were painted some 20 years ago and all I have done is rebased them:

Refurbished Minifigs French Infantry

I bought a huge pile of secondhand, poorly painted Minifigs 25mm napoleonics some years back and every once in a while I dig some out and repaint them.  Over the last couple of weeks I have been repainting three French line units.

This is what the figures looked like when purchased:

They needed stripping back and cleaning up. 

Here is the first unit, French Fusiliers:

The second, Line Voltigeurs:

And another Fuslier unit:

And the lot brigaded together:

Just too late for the action at Klingenhofen!

Battle of Klingenhofen Part 2

Austrian Right
The French were making good progress on the Austrian right, having routed the Jaegers and pressed forwards; however, the Austrians formed a strong defensive with a line regiment and newly arrived Grenzers:

The French column surged forwards, but is destroyed having routed the Grenzers. The advance of French dragoons forces the Austrian line regiment into a square:

This was the position on this flank up until the end of the battle, with an Austrian square being harassed by French skirmishers firing from the protection of a wood:

The Centre
The situation in the centre was much better for the French, having destroyed one Austrian unit and forced some Grenadiers to retreat, the French columns surged forward:

 The Austrian Grenadiers rally, giving a slight breathing space for Austrian reserves to plug the gap:

 ...but the Austrian Grenadiers are destroyed and newly arrived Grenzers sent packing; the French columns bush forwards destroying the Austrian artillery on the ridge:

 In the tough fighting, one French column is destroyed, but in the background a Polish regiment ejects the Austrian defenders of the town, while the battle continues on the ridge:

 The French capture the ridge as the Grenzers, now rallied, attempt to stem the tide:

The Austrian Left
Having been brutally punished on the left, the French advances pause allowing time for a strong Austrian defence line to form; however, it is not long before the French columns, supported by artillery and cavalry begin their advance once more:

 A regiment of Austrian grenadiers is chased of by musketry and the threat of cavalry and they retreat behind the farm and form square. A great exchange of fire takes place destroying an Austrian line regiment, but the French take heavy losses too:

 Austrian reserves plug the gaps as the firing continues, but then a French column assaults the depleted Jaegers in the farm:

 The farm falls to the French:

Back in the Centre:
Seeing the success of his columns in the centre and with the Poles now in the town, Napoleon releases his reserves in the form of two Guard regiments that smartly advance along the road:

 The French Guard quickly brush aside the defending Austrian line infantry and assault into the town:

The Austrians collapse, having reached their exhaustion point. The score is 9 - 4 to the French; however this masks the serious losses suffered by French regiments, with several units down to just one SP.

What a game, very well balanced and good fun.

Battle of Klingenhofen - Command and Colors Napoleonic Part 1

1809, in a surprise move Napoleon makes a thrust south deep into Austria. To counter this move, Archduke Charles rushes his army north to a steep sided valley, the Sneetal (all made up of course), in an attempt to block the French advance.  The Austrians position themselves astride the village of Klingenhofen, lying in the rolling floor of the valley.

We join the action on the third move, as the Austrians rush columns of troops forward to form a defence line:

View from the east, Klingenhofen village at the top, Austrians on the left:

View from the west:

Napoleon surveys the field and determines that the village is heavily defended, so he decides to apply pressure to the Austrian flanks to draw off Austrian reserves, then if the flank attacks are unsuccessful, to push into the centre.

The action starts off on the Austrian right as French voltigeurs seize a wooded knoll to cover the advancing French columns.

The Austrians counter with their Jaegers, who skirmish forward downing some of the French:

However, French fire from the knoll and artillery devastate the Jaegers, who break and retreat:

As the skirmishing unfolds on the flank, the Austrians continue to build up the defence line in and around the village:

Napoleon orders his heavy artillery to bombard the village:

On the Austrian right centre German grenadiers come under fire from French columns supported by artillery and, despite accounting for some of the French, the grenadiers give ground after 50% casualties:

The action now switches to the Austrian left, which is dominated by an old stone walled farm, that is defended by light troops and grenadiers:

French artillery fire causes some Austrian casualties as a Polish column surges forward to assault the farm:

The devastating fire from the farm and supporting grenadiers rips into the Polish column, wiping them out:

First blood to the Austrian (1 VP), as Napoleon decides to invest in the action on the other flank, until he can amass sufficient strength to take the farm.

More to come..........................