Yesterday, after an interesting drive
Iain Burt –EB- and I arrived at Gary’s (garyp) humble abode in the wilds of
Norfolk for a day’s gaming. Using only
two large and lovingly painted collections –those of Gary and Iain, the sizable
table was soon covered in lots of 20mm Les Higgins goodness for a game loosely based on the
Battle of Minden. As Iain missed his chance and was too late choosing any other
command except the Guards Brigade, he was by default made the French and allies
CNC, while Gary’s friend Iain determinedly grasped the nettle and took on the
mantle of the British commander.
Opposite me on
the British right Mark (Peeler) and his host of Bavarian allies marched
resolutely forward towards my stoic defenders who left the relative safety of
the village to meet them in open ground. His cavalry soon outpaced the infantry
and two cuirassier regiments decided to make a name for themselves and charged my
infantry lines. Not knowing a great deal about this particular period it was with
a certain amount of trepidation that I rolled the dice for musketry and was pleasantly
surprised when, after a volley and melee, the French cavalry were pushed back
in some disorder.
In the British
centre, Iain and Peter (Purps) for the Brits against Iain (no relation) and Simon
(Goat Major) for the French, advanced towards the town but with a shorter
distance to cover, the French arrived first and set about defending the place.
On the British
right centre and far flank, Peter and Tim (Tim Hall) began their steamroller
advance despite being faced by at least six regiments of Simon and Gary’s French
cavalry who, like the two against me decided to ‘get stuck in’ as soon as
possible…with pretty much the same result.
With the Bavarians
and my infantry soon in firing range we began blazing away at each other with positively
alarming results and the casualties began to mount up. Alternatively falling
back to recover and moving back up into the line, the fight went on for quite a
while until my cavalry advanced. Seven regiments from Ian’s and my command
charged forward across the killing ground and fought their way into the Bavarian
infantry, forcing some to rout, others to retire, but worryingly, supported by
two artillery pieces, one remained and for a time, held off all comers.
Behind the
British centre, an angled second line had been formed to stop our victorious cavalry
from wreaking any more havoc; it was just in time. In the centre, Iain and Peter
were making inroads in and around the town while on the far flank, the French ended
up with only one usable infantry battalion out of several brigades after some very
spirited fighting by the British against determined defending.
Peeler’s Bavarians
started doing some damage and my casualties were beginning to mount when fortunately, 'time' was called.
After the
inevitable post mortem it was unanimously decided that the French would have
been able to make a fighting withdrawal leaving the British in control of the
field. The phrase ‘marginal British victory’ was bandied about by the French in
more hope than anything -the British commanders just sat there with smug looks
on their faces.
All joking and
partisan reporting aside, it was a thoroughly enjoyable day, great company and hearty
cuisine -I mean you can’t really go wrong with jacket spuds and chilli- coupled
with an almost endless supply of cakes, tea and coffee. Thanks must got to Gary and Iain (no relation) for putting on a really good game and letting the rest of us play with their little chaps and to Gary alone for his hospitality. Brilliant!
Mark's Bavarians facing me.
Simon's infantry in the fore with Iain's (no relation) Guards Brigade behind.
Simon's massed cavalry
British infantry of Iain and Peter waiting for the French cavalry to charge.
Iain (no relation) indicating to Gary how many ladle's full of vegetarian chili he wanted for lunch !
Panorama just before lunch call.
The single minded French -l to r, Mark, Iain (no relation), Simon and Gary.
The thoughtful British - l to r, Tim, Peter and Iain.
Traffic jam in the centre of the battlefield.
British pressure increases in the left centre and flank.
Gaps appear on the French right flank while the British movement gods continue to advance their army.
A last panorama as the sun begins to set over Norfolk and the battlefield.
Perhaps a little too late, Marks Bavarians sense the British left is faltering...I had lost 3 battalions by this time and decides to advance.
A final note. From a period novices’ point of view the rules -Rank and File- seemed to work quite well, simple enough to pick up, reasonably fast paced and seemed to capture the ‘flavour’ of the period. Iain’s (no relation) innovative idea of using red flags to denote morale checks was a great success, with many of us thinking that the idea could find its way our own tables in the not too distant future.
Iain's (no relation) rather nifty morale flags in action.
