Hurrah for the Portuguese

A French column marches on Le Cor's men. 

(Please click to enlarge)

One interesting side effect of last week's entry was an email from a regular reader of Joy & Forgetfulness, who was not aware that I write regularly for Miniature Wargames. I shall save the poor chaps blushes as he is a subscriber and had been reading "Send three & fourpence" for a while, but had never connected the two. 

Keeping up the column has taken more application that usual over the last year - but as my faculties improve it is getting easier.  It also gave me the excuse to have a look at the battle of St. Pierre, part of the 1813 battle of the Nive, where Sir Rowland "Daddy" Hill held off far superior numbers under Marshall Soult. A goodly portion of his forces were Portuguese and I found that after taking the pictures for the article, I had completely missed out the "Fighting Cocks" of the army.  The scenario will be appearing in the next issue of Miniature Wargames.  It was a bit of a challenge, as the battle itself involved the defender facing two to one odds and winning.  

The view from the French side

(Please click to enlarge)

My miniature photography is slowly improving, but I really need to work on my post production. The white balance in these is all over the place. That background could do with a bit of an iron as well.

I might have tilted the camera slightly, er, 

what I mean is I tried out some Rodchenko angles

(Please click to enlarge)

It seems ungrateful  as these fine fellows have done Trojan service over the last few years, but the Ykreol plastics are without doubt some of the most lumpen figures in my collection.  If only I had realised that HAT Peninsula British would do as well with a lick of blue paint.

With drums beating the pas de charge - the French close on the Portuguese line

(Please click to enlarge)

On the other hand, my venerable NIKON D40 is still doing stalwart service, even if it does excite some eyerolling when it is produced in public.  It isn't broken, it takes perfectly good photographs and I see no reason to go for a more expensive option.

The Portuguese musketry begins to tell

(Please click to enlarge)

Arranging some toy soldiers for photos is actually a very pleasant pastime and I should do it more often.  I've never really understood the diorama impulse before, but I think its attractions are beginning to dawn on me. 

....and casualties begin to mount. 

(Please click to enlarge)

French peasants regard the occupation forces with curiosity tinged with fear

(Please click to enlarge)

The chaplain from one of the British regiments converses with some local monks

(Please click to enlarge)

The ill fated Col. Bunbury makes inquiry of the corporal on guard 

(Please click to enlarge)

I hope you've enjoyed these. I certainly enjoy taking them. Perhaps we might see a little 

more of this sort of thing. 

Spanish/Portuguese Infantry

Hat Spanish Geurrillas, painted by Boomer

I've been building up my Spanish forces for a while now while we've been waiting for the Command & Colours: Napoleonics Spanish expansion, which apparently will be with us in late November. Even after pre-ordering I very much thought that I'll get my copy before Christmas, which curiously enough will mean that I'll get it at around the same time as I got Napoleonics last year.

These are all HAT chaps from their Spanish Guerrillas set. They are all in round hats and a variety of differant uniforms. I took the decision to paint them up in red and brown as it leaves them relatively flexible.

The chaps advancing through the garden, officer and musician from Kennington

If my Ospreys are correct, the Almeria Regiment wore this uniform from 1808 to 1811, while Mina's first regiment of Alva wore something very similar with white gaiters. The homespun brown and black round hat combination was also worn by Portuguese militia units towards the end of the Peninsula war. Consequently, they'll be doing duty as Spanish and Portuguese line infantry for a while. Eventually of course, I'll need to organise proper Portuguese line infantry, but these will do for the time being.

An American officer from Kennington's 1812 range,

he seems a reasonable match to some of the Portuguese uniforms I've seen

The Almeria Regiment was a two battalion regiment organised in 1808 from the third battalion of the Zaragoza regiment and the Volunteers of Granada. They took part in the defence of Barcelona in1808 and were heavily in Catalonia and Aragon.

They were wiped out by the French in fighting Taragona in 1811.

An American bugler from Kennington's 1812 range,

painted up as a gallant Spanish/Portuguese

Don Francisco Espoz y Mina had three battalions of uniformed guerrillas in his band, all of whom wore the black round hat and brown coats, but with gaiters and a colour coded facings red for the first battalion, green and yellow for the second and third.

The Ordenanza chaps were probably happy enough to have any uniform at all, but Rene Chartrand states that their uniform jackets were brown faced in a uniform colour.

This approach probably doesn't do much for the purist, but it allows me to bulk up my forces quickly and get games on the table.

Attribution: Most of the above was cribbed from the relevant Osprey's, both of which were written by Rene Chartrand.

Ordenanza

Ordenanza advancing through the garden

(click to embiggen)

We had a wargames evening the day before yesterday and managed to get five games in over the day. These were mostly Second World War engagements and we finished one Overlord game (albeit with only four players) of the Market Garden scenario.

I would have pictures up, but the cable for my camera seems to have gone walk about.

We did however get a Napoleonics game in, though one that ended poorly for the redcoats. It was the first Busaco scenario in the book and featured a unit of Portuguese militia. I had forgotten about these chaps and subbed in the Irlanda at the last minute, but thinking about it afterwards they were a very poor choice.

The above are HAT Spanish geurrillas which I'm using as Portuguese Ordenanza. The Ordenanza were a home guard of sorts and were called out in times of national peril. Made up of every able bodied male, they had no uniform and were were armed with a mixture of firearms, pikes, scythes, slash hooks and like manner of improvised weapons. If I recall correctly they were mainly useful for eating up provisions and murdering their officers for suspected treason, which they did with a regularity that makes for depressing reading.

In fact you can read about it here and here.

My Ordenanza are all armed with firearms as I haven't found the time to convert any chaps with pikes and I will probably be using them as guerrillas once the Spanish expansion arrives.

Portuguese Cavalry

Portuguese Cavalry
(actually French Carabiniers by Newline Designs)

The two chaps pictured above are officers who'll be joining my Portuguese forces, their arrival means that their comrades, along with cazadores (Revell British Rifles) and John Cunningham Sepoys can be shipped next week to Mark for painting.

Command & Colours: Napoelonics has had a broadening effect on my collection as I scrabble to fill the orders of battle necessary. This is no bad thing as it does mean that a lot more colour and interest is being injected into the collection. The net effect is that I've begun to muster forces that are - quelle horreur!- neither French nor British.

I haven't gone completely barking however, there are no Dutch-Belgians yet, as I'm concentrating on the Peninsular battles. I have some Portuguese infantry from Ykreol, which I bought during a sudden rush of blood to the head, they aren't exactly pretty, but hopefully Mark will be able to dolly them up a little. I'd been scouting around for Portuguese cavalry and not having very much luck, when I mentioned the matter to Sean at Newline Designs, who recommended French Carabiners as a possible substitute. Mounted on horses with British saddlery, they look the part.

What really boiled the old noodle was the Portuguese Heavy Cavalry. I was not alone in this. However, Foy had the understanding to realise that the Portuguese were substituting for the Dutch-Belgians rather faster than I did. I did spend rather more time than I would like to admit trying to find these gentry.

I think I may have inadvertently found the wargamer equivalent of a glass hammer and a long weight.

American Militia

SHQ American Militia of the War of 1812
(Left to right - Militia man loading, Militia Bugler, Militia advancing, Ensign, Officer)

After some messing about, I took delivery yesterday of an order from SHQ. It contained an interesting assortment of chaps, but today I'm turning my attention to the American Militia.
I had sworn off the War of 1812 as a dangerous diversion that dangled the superficially attractive proposition of burning the White House while drawing resources away from the main effort, the ever important Operation Kicking the French in the pants. Despite appearances I've managed to keep to my promise, for the above Militia will be mustering with my Portuguese troops.

I'm using the round hatted figures from HAT Spanish Guerrillas set as Portuguese infantry and I've painted most of a battalion. These figures will allow me to finish the battalion and field the valiant Pork and Beans on the field of honour in the very near future.

Command & Colours: The Pork & Beans

A Portuguese Light Infantry of the 6th Cacodores

(source The Napoleon Series artist Unknown)

Oddly enough for a game whose initial outing will be an entirely devoted to the Peninsula Campaign and the Hundred Days, there will only be pieces for three armies in Command & Colours: Napoleonics, the British, the French and the Portuguese. The lack of Spaniards, who might have done a spot of fighting in Spain, and Prussians, who I believe turned up late on the 18th of June 1815, but who did turn up, has excited some adverse comment*.

The explanation for this is of course that there is actually a limit to what you can put in a box and still expect it to sell or more to the point still expect gamers (not the fittest of constituencies) to lift it. Further troops will be released in future expansions (*fingers crossed for Austria and Prussia*), though I'm told the Portuguese will be representing the Prussians in the Waterloo scenarios included in the basic set.

I don't think I'll go down that road, but fortunately HAT Industrie have stepped in the breach and should be releasing Prussian infantry in march attack very shortly. I was tempted by Revell's very fine effort in this field, which has the advantage of being currently available, but I think my love of marching figures will win out.

But the Portuguese listings are as follows.

Line Inf - 6 units of 4 blocks each

I am relatively well provided for here. I have a Charge! regiment of Portugese Line Infantry prepared, but unpainted. That should cover me for three Command & Colours units. I have some painted chaps in round hats, though technically they may be militia, I think I would rather try and field an Ordenanza unit using a mix of guerrilla and infantry figures.

Light Inf - 2 units of 3 blocks each

The famed Cacadores. I don't have any, I will probably use British figures with a paint conversion. One Charge! unit would cover the requirements amply.

Militia Inf - 1 unit of 4 blocks each

As above, I'm tempted to make this a showcase unit with a few conversions. I see pikes...

Light Cavalry - 2 units of 3 blocks each

Nothing doing unfortunately, these will need to be represented by British light cavalry in Tarleton which are not currently available in plastic. A Charge! regiment will do the trick.

Heavy Cavalry - 2 units of 3 blocks each

Sean at Newline is sending me a Charge! regiment of these chaps in metal along with a regiment of British heavy cavalry. The tricky thing now is to decide which regiment they should be...

Foot Artillery - 2 units of 3 blocks each

I have no Portuguese artillery and I can honestly say I have no idea what they should look like, beyond a vague belief that they probably wore a shako of some kind. I'll have to dig out the references for this one.

Leaders - 2 blocks

I have no Portuguese officers, Field officers wore a uniform very similar to the British one, as for higher ranks I cannot say - another one for the library.

As for anyone wondering where the "Pork & Beans" came from, it was a slang term used by British troops during the Great War for their Portuguese allies. Pork & Beans was a common canned foodstuff and supposedly the two sounded the similar. The Portuguese refered to the British as "the Beefeaters". Source, A Dictionary of Slang and Unconventional English by Eric Partridge & Paul Beale.

*I write this safe in the knowledge that somewhere Peter Hofschroer is beating an effigy of the Duke of Wellington with a poker, in spirit, if not in body.

The Pork & Beans

Portugese Infantry from Ykreol

I took delivery the other day of two new battalions of French infantry, the 22nd Ligne and the 1st Swiss. Both need to be based, but they will form a new and interesting addition to my French forces - which are growing at a frankly alarming rate.

With that in mind, I've sent off another regiment of Redcoats to Mark Bevis, this time the 28th (North Gloucestershire) regiment of Alexandria fame to boost my British forces which are rather heavily outnumbered at present. I think it's only reasonable that they should be expect to be outnumbered no more than two to one any more than that is simply unsporting. The above figures will be mustering in soon, though I'm not sure what regiment they'll be joining.

I'm experiencing a little buyers remorse with regard to these chaps. The figures themselves will never win any beauty contests and they cost me 24 euro for one regiment. I could have bought far neater figures in a consistent pose from Newline Designs for about the same money. Not a mistake I will repeat.

Pictures of the Swiss and the 22nd Ligne as soon as I work out how to make Blogger co-operate.