1809 Game June 4 (FoB2) Game Start

On to the game.  As I mentioned in the previous post, the Austrians were in a position to catch an outnumbered Franco-Bavarian army and do some damage.  Unfortunately for the Austrians, they were up against an army, that while numerically inferior, had significant leadership and troop quality advantages.

The French are stacked in and behind the town; Bavarious in the woods.  The entire force is sandwiched into the left 1/3 of the table.  The French decided (correctly!) that they had little business in advancing into an attack on the Austrians.

The Austrians deployment.  A significant portion of their army is deployed to the far end of the table.  "Time to march Boys!"   A UFO hovers over the river at the center of the Austrian army...

The Austrians from that far flank muddle their way toward the river.   That's just plain ugly.

Austrian Hussars lead the way for the wayward left flank force.

Austrian infantry advance.  I have to admit...I love the way Austrian armies look.  I have SYW and 1859/66 Austrians, and I love 'em all.   The white uniforms really sparkle with the facing colors.

Austrian cavalry from the flank force makes its way forward.

The Austrian center at the river.  These are my new river squares...I found that I just couldn't get used to rivers and roads on top of the ground cloth...too much sliding around and dissarray.  

The French are waiting.....

More photos to follow as the battle continues.

1809 Game - June 4 (Field of Battle 2nd Ed.)

Played an 1809 game last night; Austrians vs. a French/Bavarian allied army using Field of Battle 2nd Edition (whew!  It feels good to be able to publicly mention FoB2).  The set up favored the Austrians, giving them a decided advantage in initial set up and army strength.  Pretty good considering how bad most of their officers were (nearly all D8s).  The French had a quality advantage, but were outnumbered by around 30%.  I'll include some photos of each army prior to the start of the game:

Bavarian Contingent

French Contingent, Infantry and Artillery

French Cavalry - Dragoons and Chasseurs

Austrian Infantry and Artillery (Hungarian regiment on the left; Grenadier battalion in upper left)

Austrian Cavalry

More game photos to follow.  This was also the first game with my new terrain squares; I was really happy with how they worked and looked.  More on those later as well.

We had a great, long ride today.  Beautiful warm day, with no wind.   Absolutely perfect weather for a ride!



Plains Indian Wars Books

As I was born and grew up a few miles from the site of the battle of Beecher's Island, the Plains Indian Wars have always held a strong interest for me.  I'm sure I'm not alone in being fascinated by the campaign and battle of the Little Bighorn.   I've always wondered what Custer was thinking when it was obvious that something very wrong was happening....all those battles in "the war", and its going to end here on this barren slope in the middle of nowhere??

Anyway, on to some of my favorites:

Yellowstone Command, by Jerome Greene.
(Greene is a retired National Park Service historian.  I've had the pleasure of listening to many of his author's talks at local bookstores.  This is a representative work of his, in this case covering Miles campaign in the Great Sioux War 1876-77.  He has a large volume of work; you can't go wrong with any of them.  I asked him what he was going to do now that he was retired...his answer?  "I'm going to read all of those books that I've bought over my lifetime!")

Life of a Soldier on the Western Frontier, by Jeremy Agnew.
(Paperback, nice summary of what life was like on the plains in the army.  Covers organization, armament, enemies, ...great stuff)

Lakota Noon, The Indian Narrative of Custer's Defeat, by Gregory Michno.
(Michno is a proflific Indian Wars author, and I consider this book to be one of the absolute best on the LBH.  Fascinating analysis of Indian testimonies; almost a time motion study of the battle.)

Great Sioux War Orders of Battle; How the United States Army Waged War on the Northern Plains, 1876-1877, by Paul Hedren.
(Great detail; not necessarily an easy read, but really interesting to follow the various deployments through the war)

With Custer at the Death, by Robert Burke
(Absolutely THE best mapped book of the LBH I've seen.  Follows the battle phase by phase)

The Last Stand, by Nathaniel Philbrick.
(I also had a chance to listen to Philbrick at a local author presentation.  This one was filmed for Book TV - I'm shown in the footage; a special prize to anybody who spots me!  This book reads like a novel, and really captures the drama and color of that summer in 1876)

Do I game the Plains Indian Wars?  Not yet....I've never found a way to resolve the proper feel of scenario.  I just find the environment, tactical situations, and personalities so compelling that they are of great interest to me as a period to study.

My Favorite Franco-Prussian War Books

Continuing on with the favorite book theme, today I'll go through my favorite FPW books.

Alphonse  De Neuville  L'epopee de la defaite  from Copernic books (1979)
(This is a beautiful book with page after page of exquisite ADN artwork of the FPW.  This is perfect for inspiration...no units marching in step in these illustrations!)

Tactical Deductions from the War of 1870-1871  by Albrecht von Boguslawski
(A reprint of the original 1872 work by Boguslawski, who was a Captain in the Lower Silesian Infantry Regiment No. 50.  A great on the ground view of how things worked.)

The Prussian Infantry in the War of 1870-71 by Prince Kraft zu Hohenlohe Ingelfingen
(Taken from an 1889 translation.  Absolutely fascinating detail of all the stuff that makes us want to wargame a period.)

The Campaign in Alsace, August 1870  by Brigadier General J.P. Du Cane
(Reprint of 1907 work.  A great, detailed look at the battles of Weissenburg and Woerth)

The Battle of Spicheren, August 6th 1870  by Lieut. Col. GFR Henderson
(Reprint of 1891 work.   Pretty much as above.   Very detailed look at Spicheren)

The Franco-Prussian War, 1870-71 by Quintin Barry
(Maybe not the best books in the world, can be tedious at times.  On the other hand, when was the last time you saw a recent 2 volume history of the FPW published?  If you're interested in the period, you should have it.)

The Franco-Prussian War, by Michael Howard
(I bought this back in my college years, before I'd even heard of the FPW.  Howard sets the standard for FPW works)

A Day of Battle, Mars-La-Tour 16 August 1870, by David Ascoli.  After Howard, this was my next book purchased on the FPW many years ago.  Excellent writing and presentation...buy this if you can find it)

The Franco-Prussian War, by Geoffrey Wawro.
(Nice general history.  You either like Wawro or you don't.  I like his style...a nice easy read).

I'm Baaaaaack!

Sorry, no game report this time.  I had knee surgery a week ago, which cancelled the usual game.  Our next game is set for June 4, so a game report will follow that.

In the meantime, I thought I'd start a series of posts that list my top 10 favorite books I own for each period.

So - I'll begin with my ACW book collection.   These are just the top 10 - not in any particular order:

Last Chance for Victory;  Rober E. Lee and the Gettysburg Campaign, by Scott Bowden & Bill Ward
(Fantastic book; this is on my list for regular re-reading).

Gettysburg, The Second Day by Harry Pfanz
(the 2nd day at Gettysburg is to me the most fascinating of the 3 days, full of what ifs and possibilities.  If you have this book, you don't need any other for this day)

Gettysburg, a Journey in Time by William Frassanito
(Fascinating study of battlefield photos and identifying their actual content and location....great stuff)

Antietam, The Photographic Legacy of America's Bloodiest Day, by William Frassanito
(as above - GREAT book).

Landscape Turned Red, The Battle of Antietam by Stephen Sears
(My first book on Antietam, and my most often returned to.   Its odd to me that Antietam has a tiny fraction of books written about it compared to Gettysburg)

Of Sabres and Carbines: The Emergence of the Federal Dragoon, by Laurence Schiller
(Brilliant pamphlet studying Federal cavalry development and tactics)

The Quest for Annihilation, The Role and Mechanics of Battle in the American Civil War, by Christopher Perello
(This book seems to have been written specifically for wargamers.  If this book doesn't grab you, you're probably not interested in the ACW)

The Union Cavalry Comes of Age, Hartwood Church to Brandy Station, 1863, by Eric Wittenberg.
(Wittenberg specializes in books covering ACW cavalry.  He is a great writer, and his books are meticulously researched.  I have a thing for ACW cavalry actions, and you can't go wrong with anything done by Wittenberg)

Grant Wins the War, Decision at Vicksburg, by James Arnold.
(Jim Arnold is a wargamer, and his books are universally well written and interesting.  This book covers the Vicksburg campaign in a clear way that makes you want to break out the figures)

No Better Place to Die, The Battle of Stones River, by Peter Cozzens.
(I bought this many years ago during a visit to the Stones River battlefield.   Great book, as I've come to expect from Cozzens.   Buy each and every one of his books, you won't be disappointed.)

That's it for today!   The knee is doing GREAT; as the surgeon said - I'm only limited by my pain threshold.  Recovery pain is a whole lot better than injury pain.

1866 Game Wrap Up

Finishing up with the photos from last week's 1866 game:  The Austrians massed a line of artillery in the center of the battlefield at effective range and (gasp) took time to soften up the Prussian infantry and artillery.  This allowed the Austrian infantry, spearheaded by Jaeger and Grenze units, to close and crush the Prussian line.  Well played by the Austrians!  (John, Ed, Greg R., Brad)   Maybe next time, Prussians!  (Chris, Greg C., Terry).

Austrian cavalry swing toward the flank

Austrian gun line appears depleted...Prussian guns have done some damage!

Jaegers close on a Prussian battery

Austrian infantry flow through their gun line

Austrian Jaegers protect a flank near a Class II river

Defiant last stand of the Prussian center...holding on to the end...standard waving in the breeze

1866 Game - April 2

I'm a bit behind - this game photo summary is of last week's Austro-Prussian 1866 game.  The Austrians had a substantial numerical advantage - 24 units to 14.  The Prussians held on valiantly, but the Austrians ended up steamrolling them in the center of the field. 

Here come the Austrians!

Austrians come over the hill to attack the Prussian left flank

Now THAT is a gun line....facing the Prussian center

General Toby makes a new friend

More in a later post.......