Wednesday 30 November 2011

1st West Prussian - Dresden 1813

Regiment of the Day

Today we look at the impressive 1st West Prussian Infantrie Regiment, who fought with the 9th Brigade under Von Kleist's Corps at the battle of Dresden, 1813.

Monday 28 November 2011

Vauban Fortification for the tabletop

Scenery of the Day


Today we look at simulating a small city on the tabletop that uses the Vauban style fortifications.

Prussian 3rd Division, von Schmettau - Jena Auerstadt 1806

Corps of the Day

Today we travel back in time to the town of Auerstadt, 1806 ... and put together all of the forces of von Schmettau's ill fated 3rd Division.

Lets see how these units form together as a combined arms force under the command of GM von Schmettau.

Friday 25 November 2011

Prussian IR 35 Prinz Heinrich - Jena Auerstadt 1806

Regiment of the Day

Today we have the impeccable Prussian Infantrie Regiment Nr 35, Prinz Heinrich, which fought as part of von Schmettau's 3rd Division at Jena Auerstadt in 1806.

Thursday 24 November 2011

Prussian medium foot artillery - 1806

Regiment of the Day


Today we look at the combined medium foot batteries of a Prussian Division from Jena Auerstadt 1806.

Prussian Dragoons von Irving - Jena Auerstadt 1806

Regiment of the Day


Tioday we have the indefatigable Dragoons of von Irwing, which fought as part of von Schmettau's 3rd Division at Jena Auerstadt.

The miracle of IsoPropyl Alcohol

Tip of the Day



On another site somewhere, some time ago, I read about using Isopropyl Alcohol to clean brushes.

If you are using acrylics such as Vallejo model color - which tends to dry very hard after a few days, then  I am pleased to report that this stuff does an excellent job of  restoring life to your favorite brush.

All those little dried up particles of acrylic paint that gather in the head of the brush and cause the tip to spread out .... gone !

Well pretty much gone anyway. After a quick thrashing in the alcohol, the whole brush recovers it's smoothness and fine tip.

So from now on, before any painting session, Im giving all the brushes a quick re-wash in this miracle substance before use.

Give it a go !

Monday 21 November 2011

Prussian IR 33 Alvensleben - Jena Auerstadt

Regiment of the Day


Today we have the magnificent Prussian IR 33 - von Alvensleben, which fought as part of von Schmettau's 3rd Division at Jena Auerstadt.

Figure Modification - Austrian Charlies Legion

Tip of the Day



Today I had a small opportunity to modify some figures for my Austrian Charles Legion battalions, as part of I Corps at Wagram.

A simple mod with greenstuff, and hopefully pretty effective.

As you may know, my 15mm Austrians are all from the warrior miniatures range, which includes 3 basic types of uniforms - Shako, Helmet, and Corsehut.

What to do with the Charles Legion then ?

Sunday 20 November 2011

Prussian IR 40 von Schimonsky - Jena Auerstadt 1806

Regiment of the Day

Today we have the legendary Prussian Infantrie Regiment Nr 40, von Schimonsky, which fought as part of von Schmettau's 3rd Division at Jena Auerstadt, 1806.


Saturday 19 November 2011

A bridge not too far .. and not too expensive either

Scenery of the Day

Today lets have a look at putting together a bridge so our troops can march over rivers in style. Lets see if we can put something together that fits the style of the scenery, whilst keeping it under the magic $2 mark.

Friday 18 November 2011

Video - Jena Auerstadt

Cool Video of the Day



Thanks to Rossbiffrog for sharing this find.

An excellent video of the Battle of Jena Auerstadt, made using screen captures from computer animations, and narrations in various languages.

I place a computer above the gaming table, and play various period videos and marching music whilst the game is in progress. This one is definitely going on the queue !

Click Here for the video.

Cheers

Austrian 7th Jagers, Wagram 1809

Regiment of the Day

Today we look at the incredible 7th Jaeger regiment, that fought as part of the Nordman's Advanced Guard Division at Wagram, 1809.

Thursday 17 November 2011

Prussian Kurassiers von Bunting - Jena Auerstadt 1806

Regiment of the Day

Today we have the fabulous Kurassiers von Bunting, which fought as part of von Schmettau's 3rd Division at Jena Auerstadt

Wednesday 16 November 2011

Le Farm

Scenery of the Day


Today we step into our little imaginary shrinking machine, and scale ourselves down to battlefield scale - grand tactical style.

Lets have a look at building a farm that sits on a plot of land approx 400m x 400m, and offers defending troops some cover and concealment. 

All for under the magic $2 mark !

Schack und Krafft Grenadiers - Jena Auerstadt, 1806

Regiment of the Day

Today we have 2 small but important units of Prussians from the Jena Auerstadt campaign.

The Grenadiers von Schack, and the Grenadiers von Krafft.

Tuesday 15 November 2011

Prussian IR 28 Malschitzski - Jena Auerstadt 1806

Regiment of the Day

Today we have the famed Prussian Infantrie regiment 28 von Malschitzski, which fought as part of Von Schmettau's 3rd Division at Jena Auerstadt.


French Middle Guard

Regiment of the Day

Today we have another French Guard unit - although not the bearskin clad Les Grognards ... instead we have the Middle Guard.


Russian Rostov Musketeers - Eylau 1807

Regiment of the Day


Today we have a look at the stoic soldiers of the Rostov Musketeers, which fought as part of Osterman Tolstoy's 2nd Division on the left wing of the Russian army at Eylau, 1807.

The road to perdition

Scenery of the Day


Any good battlefield needs some roads, whether that be a Napoleonic battlefield, a DBA / HoTT game, or even Zombie blasting skirmish wars of the near future.

One can go to a great deal of effort and expense to put together superb roads for their tabletop ... but then the inevitable happens.

Monday 14 November 2011

Friday 11 November 2011

11 - 11 - 11


Montage I put together from photos taken at the Australian War Memorial.

Foreground is a wood carving depicting an array of typical young lads on the Western Front.


Another way to remember the day is Solo Wargaming Day, as described Here.


I will see what I can put together today, and post the AAR on here.

Until we meet again ...

Thursday 10 November 2011

Effective Battlefield hedges and stone walls on the cheap

Scenery of the Day


Today, we look at putting hedges and stone walls on the battlefield .. all for well under the magic $2 mark.

Whilst there are several hedge products on the market for reasonable money, here is an ultra cheap alternative :


White Boards of Doom

Tip of the Day

Every commander needs a great big board to plot his plans upon.


Next time you are out shopping, and passing by CheapWorld with a few spare coins jingling in your pocket, dive in and grab a couple of these small but fantastically handy white boards for use in your next game / simulation ...


Wednesday 9 November 2011

Les Grognards - French Old Guard (1800 - 1815 ?)

Regiment of the Day

Today we have a look at an iconic French 'Old Guard Grenadier' regiment, as present at pretty much every major battle of the Napoleonic era.

Saxon Advanced Guard Division - Jena 1806

Corps of the Day

Today we will put together all of the Saxon units in the Advanced Guard Division at Jena, and see how they operate on the battlefield.

Storage for Napoleonic Divisions / Corps

Tip of the Day

A quick and dirty tip on storage for Divisions / small Corps.




For the DBA armies, I have these excellent little wooden boxes that are just the right size, and paint them up to suit the particular army. But what about the Napoleonic armies ?


East Riding Miniatures

Gift of the Day

Received a few new items today from the postie - an order from East Riding Miniatures ... Yay !

This is part of a number of presents on the way to kick off my 18th Century imagi-nation HoTT Project.

Tuesday 8 November 2011

Infantry Brigade Belvilaqua, Jena 1806

Regiment of the Day

To complete our Saxon Advanced Guard Division at the battle of Jena, we have today the Infantry Brigade Belvilaqua.

This is a composite brigade made up of the following regiments :
Müffling Musketeers, Prince Clemens, Kurfurst.

It presents something of a challenge then to model as a single brigade. We some battalions of a Prussian Regiment, IR 49 ... and battlions of 2 different Saxon regiments.

In other Divisions, there are similar infantry brigades, again made up of battalions pulled from several different regiments.

Bit of a mess there .... what to do ?


Fusiliers von Pelet, Jena 1806

Regiment of the Day

More 18mm Saxons from Eureka. Today we have the Light Infantry Brigade from the Saxon Advanced Guard Division at Jena, 1806.

Light infantry is not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of the Prussian army during the 1806 campaign.

However, the Saxon forces which fought at Jena, contained a high proportion of light troops compared to the Prussians. Especially in the Advanced Guard Division, we find 3 'regiments'  (at Battalion strength) brigaded to form a large brigade of light troops.

Specialist sharp shooters, the Saxon light infantry were the equal of the French in the theory of light infantry. However, their small numbers and their lack of real experience separated them dramatically from the French.

So today, we have my interpretation of a brigade of mixed Saxon light infantry battalions  at Jena, 1806

Saxon 1806 Artillery (Jena Auerstadt)

Regiment of the Day


Today we dive back into some of my 18mm Eureka Saxons from Jena Auerstadt.

The artillery component of the Saxon Advanced Guard Division !

Saxon von Trützchler Hussars, Jena 1806

Regiment of the Day



Today we have a small unit of rather elite cavalry - the von Trützchler Hussars, being part of the Saxon advanced guard division at Jena 1806.


Austrian 1st

Regiment of the Day

Today we have a look at a couple of small detachments of Austrian Jaegers.

1 Base, 1st Jaeger Regiment, Advanced Guard Division, Wagram 1809.

Austrian medium foot artillery - Wagram, 1809

Regiment of the Day


Today we have a look at a battery of Austrian medium cannon from the Napoleonic period.

Since the time of the Seven Years War, the Austrian artillery arm had been recognised as one of the best drilled and equipped in Europe. 

During the wars of the French Revolution, and the subsequent Napoleonic Wars, the Austrian field armies had been generally outclassed by the French with their new fangled ways of waging war.

However the artillery arm of the Austrian Army remained an impressive match for the French. By the time of Aspern-Essling, and the following battle of Wagram 1809, the Austrians had truly mastered the art of using massed batteries to great effect.

Russian medium foot artillery - 1807

Regiment of the Day

Apologies for the short break in blogging ... has been a busy couple of weeks over here, including quite a bit of new painting. So that means lots of new posts coming up.


Today we travel back in time to the battle of Eylau, 1807 and have a look at some Russian artillery.