Carpanian Regiment Schweiger

In January, the Margraviate of Carpania added a new infantry regiment to its army with the completion of the outfitting of the Infantry Regiment Schweiger.  This 24-figure regiment is patterned after the Prussian Infantry Regiment No. 22, Prinz Moritz Anhalt-Dessau and is composed of 28mm Sash and Saber Prussian figures.

The regiment can be used for either the "Batailles de l'Ancien Regime" rules or the "Der Alte Fritz Seven Years War" rules.

Here the regiment is deployed in three ranks for use with the
"Batailles de l'Ancien Regime" rules.

Here the regiment is deployed in two ranks for use with the
"Der Alte Fritz Seven Years War" rules.

Although I have plenty more SYW Imagi-nations troops to paint, these may be the last for a while as I have other, more pressing painting requirements - 28mm Britannian and Gallian units for the "Gallian and Indian War" (AKA French and Indian), a 15mm Union brigade for the ACW, 28mm infantry sections for early WW2 British and Germans, and a 28mm improvised Malcolm-Campbell armored car for the Very British Civil War.

Carpanian Regiment Clausthaler

I just added a new battalion to my Seven Years War imagi-nations forces, the Carpanian Regiment Clausthaler, named after a German beer.  It is patterned after the real-world Prussian Regiment Braunschweig-Bevern (#7).  The only distinctive change I made was to substitute a more redder "rose" for the pink rose listed on the Kronoskaf web site.

The figures are 28mm Old Glory SYW Prussian infantry and the flags are from the Warflag web site.  The battalion, like all my SYW imagi-nations forces, is organized for Bill Protz's "Batailles de l'Ancien Regime" (BAR) rule set.

Please click on the photos for a larger image.

Configured in two "companies" with three ranks each per the BAR rules.

Configured in a two-deep single line for use with other horse and musket rule sets.

Next month I hope to add another two companies to the Gallian (read French) Regiment Royal Ecossais.

Amusette for Staffeldunkel Jagers

The Jager Corps Staffeldunkel of the Margraviate of Carpania has added some additional firepower - an amusette!  Manned by two volunteers from the corps, the amusette should prove useful to the corps as it acts as part of either the advanced guard or the rear guard for the Carpanian field force.

Amusette 2-man crew with Major Staffeldunkel

Rear view of the amusette

Another rear view with Major Staffeldunkel supervising the firing

The amusette is a Fife and Drum Miniatures piece (# AE-006).  I obtained it from Der Alte Fritz some time ago and have just gotten around to painting it.  The crew are in the green uniform of the Staffeldunkel jagers with Britannian light dragoon helmets procured by the major so the team can be more distinctive.

Spring Campaigning is Beginning in Central Europa

The campaign season is upon us.  The snows in the Thuringian Forest have melted and the grass is lush in the valleys and dales.  Commissary agents for the various Electoral and Imperium states as well as from Germania, Britannia, and Gallia have been scouring the countryside for food stuffs and animal fodder.  The bakeries and cannon foundries are working overtime.  Surely war is coming once again to Europa.

Eisenmuhlen cannon foundry in Carpania (picture by Col Campbell)

Field bakery in Hesse-Seewald (picture from Der Alte Fritz's blog)

Having heard rumblings of Imperial activity in the Saxon lands near our neighbor and ally the Kingdom of Hesse-Seewald, the Markgraf has directed his small army to march southeast through Coburg to threaten the Imperial base at Bayreuth.  General der Infanterie Baron Rolfe von Stuppe, commander of the Carpanian army, is mustering his regiments, aided by a Britannian infantry regiment and heavy dragoon squadron as well as several guns.  Baron von Stuppe is using the appellation Electorische Armee Thuringen (Electoral Army in Thuringia) for his small force since Carpania supports the Electoral forces headed by King Friedrich II of Germania.

Markgraf von Hapnich of Carpania watches his army muster (picture by Col Campbell)

 

The advance guard of Carpanian jagers and dragoons leaves Potsdorf for the field (picture by Col Campbell)

 

At the Imperial base at Bayreuth, the Reichsarmeeabteilung Obere-Sachsen (Army Detachment Upper Saxony) has been marshalling its forces under the command of Feldmarshall-Leutnant Freiherr Bernard von Alderheim.  It consists of forces from Courland, Sachsen-Wachsenstein, and Gallia.  Von Alderheim has deployed his pulk (regiment) of Courland Cossacks out to the northwest of Bayreuth to keep an eye out for the Carpanians, whom he is sure will march to the support of the Hesse-Seewalders.

FML Freiherr von Alderheim (picture by Col Campbell)

Courland Cossacks and Pandurs deploy to screen the mustering (picture by Col Campbell)

 

For additional details of developments in Hesse-Seewald, please refer to these blog postings from Der Alte Fritz:  

http://hesseseewald.blogspot.com/2015/03/paint-it-black-regulators.html

http://hesseseewald.blogspot.com/2015/03/the-hesse-seewald-army-goes-on-maneuvers.html

http://hesseseewald.blogspot.com/2015/03/breakfast-in-potsdam.html .

This is in preparation for a SYW imagi-nations game on Saturday, April 18.

3rd Squadron, Hapnich Dragoons (Carpania)

The final squadron of the Carpanian Dragoon Regiment Hapnich has finally been completed.  Their uniform is a copy of the Prussian 10th Dragoon Regiment.  They are Old Glory figures.

The second image uses the new background that I acquired at Bayou Wars last month.  It was an insert in a prepainted 28mm building I bought from Bobe's Hobby Shop.  I think it gives the picture a little more realism than the plain blue background I have been using.

In June I also started painting on the first of three squadrons of heavy cavalry for the Duchy of Sachsen-Wachsenstein, using a mix of Austrian and Russian SYW figures from Miniature Figurines.  Pictures will be posted soon.

Finally I also began work on some Europeans and natives for my Darkest Africa forces, getting ready to run a game in early November in the inaugural Colonial Barracks convention in New Orleans.  This will be an all The Sword and the Flame rules Victorian era Colonial gaming convention.  See Larry Brom's webstore, Sergeants3, for more details.

Two New Officers

I just added two new officers to my imagi-nation forces.

Marechal-de-Camp Francois Lucien, Comte de Merlot, Commander of the Gallian expeditionary corps to the Imperium's Reichsarmeeabteilung Obere-Sachsen.

He is an Old Glory French and Indian War mounted French officer that I purchased as part of an e-Bay lot.

Oberstleutnant Freiherr Hans von Stuppe is the commander of the Carpanian von Stuppe Hussar Regiment.  His uniform is based on the Germanian 8th (later 7th) Hussar Regiment, the "Canaries."  He is the older son of General der Infanterie Baron Rolfe von Stuppe, commander of the Carpanian army.

He is a Front Rank figure, Prussian hussar officer in mirleton.

Works in Progress

I am currently working on some artillery crews for Britannia, Gallia, and Kreis Obere-Sachsen/Asturia, as well as a couple of mounted officers.

The first is a mounted commander for my Gallian and Asturian forces in the New World.  He will also be available for operations in Germania.  He is an Old Glory mounted French officer who will be getting plenty of gold lace on his uniform coat.  In the back ground you can see the other officer.

He is a Front Rank Prussian hussar officer who is being painted to replicate the Prussian 8th (later 7th) Hussar Regiment (the "Canaries").  The 8th fought in Brunswick's His Britannic Majesty's Army in Germany.  In my imagi-nation world, he will be the commander of the Carpanian von Stuppe Hussar Regiment.

And here he is a little further along in the painting process.  The blue I'm using is a Delta Ceramcoat paint called Ocean Reef Blue.  I painted the shabraque white, then yellow.  Then I drew in the "hound's tooth" pattern with a pencil and painted on the blue.  After this picture was taken I used a 10-0 liner brush to carefully paint the silver piping between the blue and yellow.  The rest of the two-squadron regiment should look very nice on the battlefield.

The Affair at Eisenmuhlen - Part 3

As the cavalry was battling to and fro off on the flank and Phil's Imperium brigade was tangling with the Brittanians in and around the woods, the rest of the Imperium army continued their advance against the Electoral defenses around the cannon foundry.

As usual, please click on the pictures to see a larger image.

Photo by Bill Hamilton

John Murdaugh's brigade of Imperium and Reichsarmee battalions advances towards the Eisenmuhlen Regiment defending their cannon foundry.

Photo by Bill Hamilton

Across the road to their right, Mark Stevens' Courland and Sachsen-Wachsenstein grenadiers advance forced the Carpanian jagers to give up the outlying farm after a token resistance. After all, if you were a jager would you want to tangle with grenadiers?

Photo by Jim Pitts

And to the left of John's brigade, Clay James continued to advance his brigade of Courland and Sachsen-Wachsenstein infantry on the Imperium's left flank.

Photo by Ed Sansing

The might of the Imperium army gets closer to the Electoral defenses.

Photo by Ed Sansing

Meanwhile, Larry Reeves, on the Electoral right, adjusts his Carpanian defenders while the Britannian light dragoons and Carpanian jagers regroup behind him.

Photo by Ed Sansing

And the cavalry melee continues into a second round while the Imperium infantry gets ready to attack the Brittanians in the woods.

Photo by Jim Pitts

While all this was happening, Mark Stevens consolidated his army's heavy artillery on a small hill to begin bombarding the Electoral defenders around the cannon foundry. A Courland 12-lbr is in the foreground, with a Courland 20-lb licorne in the center and a Sachsen-Wachsenstein 8-lbr on the other end of the gun line.

Photo by Ed Sansing

Mark's Courland grenadiers get ready to cross the hedge around the farm yard.

Photo by Ed Sansing

The Electoral defenders await the initial onslaught of the Imperium forces. In the foreground are some of the newly cast guns from the foundry, while to their rear a company of Carpanian jagers regroups after the light troops battle earlier in the game.

Photo by Ed Sansing

The Courland Constantine Horse (left) is getting the worst of its melee with a squadron of the Carpanian Hapnich Dragoons. It will soon fall back, followed by the Carpanians. In the background, the Reichsarmee troops have inflicted some losses on the Brittanians defending the woods.

Photo by Bill Hamilton

The Reichsarmee and Courland/Sachsen briagdes haven't made much progress in their attack. Could the Electoral defenses look too formidable?

Photo by Ed Sansing

But finally Clay's Courland and Sachsen-Wachsenstein battalions begin to put pressure on Larry's Carpanians, forcing some of them back across the stream. Ed Sansing has moved a company of Carpanian jagers to screen the far right flank of Larry's line.

Photo by Bill Hamilton

As John Murdaugh's Reichsarmee battalions begin their assault in the background, the rest of the Electoral line still awaits the Courland grenadiers. But they seem to be moving very slowly.

Photo by Ed Sansing

And here's the reason - they have been taking casualties from the Electoral artillery and appear not to want to give up the scant protection of the farm yard hedges.

Photo by Ed Sansing

At the end of the battle, Mark Stevens, the Imperium commander, takes a close-up look at the Carpanians of Larry Reeves brigade. In this picture you can also see how close some of John Murdaugh's Reichsarmee battalions got, and the casualties they took doing so.

The battle was deemed a draw by the umpire (yours truly). Although the Imperium had failed to take the cannon foundry, they were in good positions to outflank it.

This was the second actual battle we had using Bill Protz's Batailles de l'Ancien Regime rules. I'm sure there are some things we didn't do quite correctly, but it appeared that everyone had a good time and seemed to master some of the intracacies of 18th Century battle field maneuvering.

Lessons Learned: First of all, I would not have a light troops battle before the main affair. It took up too much time and didn't really affect the battle. Secondly, as in the first battle, I should have already had the armies set up and allowed only a small amount of adjustment before the start. Thirdly, the Carpanians had too many guns and their defenses were very strong. The Imperium troops would have been hard pressed to actually break into the cannon foundry grounds if the battle had gotten that far.

Although we won't have any more battles this campaigning season, you can look forward to some more in 1760/2010.

Affair at Eisenmuhlen - Part 2

As the light troops began to fall back, the "big boys" of the Imperium's main battle line approach the field of battle.

Please click on the pictures from a larger image.

Photo by Ed Sansing

Mark Stevens, the Imperium commander, watches as the light troops battle winds down and his two center brigades begin to appear on the battlefield.

Photo by Ed Sansing

On the Imperium left flank, Clay James' brigade of Sachsen-Wachsenstein (near) and Courland (far) battalions march on in perfect order, flags flying and drums beating!

Photo by Jim Pitts

In the Imperium center, Mark Stevens brigade of Courland and Sachsen-Wachsenstein grenadiers (on the left) and John Murdaugh's brigade of Imperium and Reichs Armee battalions (on the right) advance astride the road from Alt Kirchendorf to Eisenmuhlen. A few Pandurs are still in front and the light cavalry melee is drawing to a close on the far right.

Photo by Jim Pitts

And on the Imperium right flank, Phil Young's brigade of Reichs Armee battalions and two squadrons of Courland cavalry march on in good order.

Photo by Bill Hamilton

Another picture of Phil's brigade, this time as seen from the Carpanian defender's perspective.

Photo by Bill Hamilton

A company of Carpanian jagers hides behind a small woods as the Courland Timofievich Cossacks ride by on the far side. The jagers battle was over and they did want to tangle with those madmen and their lances!

Photo by Ed Sansing

The Carpanian and Brittanian light troops continue their withdrawal behind the main battle lines while the Imperium forces begin to advance onto the main table.

Photo by Bill Hamilton

Clay James observes the Carpanian light troops withdrawing behind their battle line as his brigade continues its advance. Just beyond the roofs of the cannon foundry stands the red-coated Fusiliers of Bremen, a battalion hired by Brittanian gold to assist the Electoral cause.

Photo by Jim Pitts

The Carpanian right, commanded by Larry Reeves, and center, commanded by Bill Hamilton, man their defensive works as the Imperium troops continue their slow approach.
[NOTE: The Martian walker is NOT part of the Carpanian army!]

Photo by Bill Hamilton

Phil's Imperium brigade and cavalry continue to advance. So far as they can tell, there are no defenders to their front. Can this be true? Do they have an unimpeded route into the electoral left rear?

Photo by Jim Pitts

Larry Reeves keeps a hawk eye watch on the Imperium forces as they advance toward his defenders. In the foreground, the Carpanian defenders of the cannon foundry are ready to repel any Imperium assaults. They have pulled the four newly cast guns into the line and spread their available gunners out to man them, assisted by some drafted infantry.

Photo by Ed Sansing

A view from the perspective of the Carpanian defenders. A company of jagers temporarily mans an outwork around a small farm while the Courland and Sachsen-Wachsenstein grenadiers approach them.

Photo by Ed Sansing

A good picture looking down the Carpanian defensive line with Campbell's Highland Battalion in the foreground, anchoring the left of the defensive line.

Photo by Jim Pitts

An overview of the main battle field with the Imperium attackers on the right and the Electoral defenders on the left.

Photo by Ed Sansing

Phil's Imperium brigade continues its unimpeded advance on the right flank. Is there really nothing ahead of them?

Photo by Ed Sansing

Well, not exactly. As the Courland cavalry advances around the tip of the woods, they suddenly espy the two squadrons of the Hapnich Dragoons, who immediately begin to trot towards them.

Photo by Jim Pitts

With a clash of sabers, the two evenly matched cavalry forces meet!

Photo by Bill Hamilton

Men shout! Horses scream! Sabers ring against each other!

Photo by Jim Pitts

And while the cavalry engage in the background, Phil's Imperium infantry get just close enough to the woods to observe that they are filled with the red coats of a brigade of Brittanian infantry.
Where did they come from?!? They were reported by spies to have marched off to rejoin their comrades northeast of Minden with the main Brittanian army!
Just goes to show that you can't believe everything a spy tells you. He may be working for the other side.

[Note: The game master learned this deviousness from his long time gaming partner, Jay "Lord Sterling" Stribling.]

Photo by Bill Hamilton

As the Imperium troops begin to react to the surprise appearance of the Brittanians, the Fusiliers of Emden (another Brittanian hire) on the far left of the Electoral line breath a sigh of relief. They really weren't looking forward to having to deal with four Imperium battalions, even if they were all Reichs Armee units.

Stay tuned for Part 3 of the battle report as we resolve the action and conclude the battle.