1866 Austrians and Allies take on Prussians and their Allies

Finally got around to having the game with Jack and Bob that I threatened.  Way too many figures but an opportunity to show them to Jack who hadn’t seen them before, despite making a number of the moulds for me.

It started as a game using Black Powder but quickly degenerated into more of a chatting match.  After Jack had his second glass of Shiraz and a bacon sandwich and we discussed which of us was going to get to the pearly gates first this just turned into a photo shoot opportunity.  So lots of pictures not much text but we enjoyed ourselves which was all that mattered.

On the Prussian left flank is a brigade of light and heavy cavalry consisting of Hussars, Uhlans and Cuirassiers

 

The next to them a brigade of Allied troops from Oldenburg, Mecklenburg, Lippe and Saxe Coburg

 The centre is made up of Prussian infantry supported by artillery

On the right is another allied brigade of troops from Brunswick, Bremen and Waldeck

On the extreme right is another Brigade of cavalry consisting of 2 regiments of Prussian Dragoons and Dragoons from Mecklenburg and Oldenburg. 

  

 The Austrians had a mixed force of Austrian. Bavarians, and Wurtemburgers supported by troops from Nassau, Saxony, Scheswig Menningan, Baden and Hesse Kessel.  On the right was a mixed brigade of cavalry with Austrain Uhlans, Bavarian Cuirassiers and Light dragoons and Hesse Kessel Hussars.

 

Supported by Wurtettemburgers and Bavarians  in the centre and the Austrians on the left flank.

 Jack and Bob plot the Prussian strategy. Which quickly goes to pot as Jack never seeing the opportunity to wait with his cavalry launches a frontal assault on the Austrian artillery and Jagers on the hills to his front.

  

The Mecklenburgh Hussars charge the Austrian artillery.  Needless to say they are driven away.

 The same is true for the first regiment of dragoons who are charging up hill into the Austrian Jagers.

A lot of head scratching about what to do next.  Withdraw the remaining cavalry or plough on!   This is of course Jack and retiring isn't part of his vocabulary so they charge on!

 In the centre the Prussian infantry brigades advance

The Prussian artillery enjoy some success routing an Austrian regiment

 Poor Austrian artillery allows the Oldenburg Hussars to charge home routing the gunners but at the same time running into the Austrian cavalry brigade who drive them back.

 The second regiment of Prussian Dragoons also enjoy success with some pitiful rifle fire failing to stop them they rout the Jagers.

Jack celebrates this brief cavalry victories.

In the centre the Bavarians close on their Prussian enemy.

 The Prussian regiments form a formidable firing line 

The second glass of Shiraz slows the thought process!

The Bavarians quickly try to counter the Prussian firing line.

The combined allied cavalry of the right finally get moving and charge the Prussian Hussars who are put to flight

 

 The Austrian allies and Prussians firing line grows in length.  Unfortunately, the actual firing ranges from feeble to pathetic and even the extra boost given to the Prussians fails to have any effect.

Another Prussian Hussar Regiment is put to flight.

 Even at close range the firing is hopeless

 The Brunswickers and Bremen infantry rush to join the fray.

 Still the deadlock goes on.   The Austrians throw the last of their allied reserves into the firing line but still both sides remain locked in a series of hopeless firing throws and good saving dice

At this point and with 2 glasses of Shiraz and a bacon sandwich having an effect we decided to call it a day.

Austrians and French clash at Idonuwhere – The final day

After a week or so's break Bob and I returned to the clash.  Things were reasonably balanced at this point.

The French attack began with the breaking and pursing of the 12^th Austrian Uhlans and their final rout.

This left only the Hesse Kassel Hussars on my right facing a unit of ‘blown’ Dragoons, a unit of Carabineers and a fresh unit of Dragoons!!  Needless to say that Bob took full advantage launching his Carabineers.  The only saving grace was that they already had some damage which gave the Hussars a bit of a chance.  Miraculously they managed to only get pushed back and not broken!

To their right The French began their assault on the earthworks with the fresh centre brigade failing to get enough of a move to charge, but moving up to close range with the Baden infantry defenders!

Further to the right the Papal Zouaves joint the Guards in the assault on the Austrian earthworks.  This spelt disaster for the defenders who failed their break test and fled.

It wasn’t all going Bob’s way, some devastating artillery fire saw the French Zouaves break and leave the table.

I rapidly formed my remaining Austrian regiments into a firing line with the intention of blasting the Papal Zouaves and forcing them to withdraw from the earthworks so that I could retake them.  The road to heaven is paved with good intentions, needless to say the firing was hopeless!

I had more success on the extreme left with my Cuirassiers seeing of the last of the French Cuirassiers.

A second attack by the Carabineers saw the Hesse Kassel Hussars finally routed and forced to flee.

The French central brigade finally managed to charge the earthworks and the Baden infantry and Hesse Kessal Jagers offered pitiful closing fire!

On the Austrians left, the failure of my Austrian regiments to stop the French resulted in return fire which saw one of the Austrian regiments break leaving the wing in tatters.

Things were now looking particularly grim for the Austrians and their allies. The French Guards brigade had breached the earthworks on their left and there was the risk that they could attack the defenders from the flank and rear.

At this point it was time to start to save the army!  The town gates were flung open and the Austrian army, what remained of it,  managed to 3 moves for almost every unit that could move and melted away. The Sachsen Meiningen regiment also sought safety using the other gate

Only the Baden Infantry and Hesse Kessal Jagers remained engaged in their tussle with the French infantry, eventually managing to throw them back after dogged hand to hand fighting.

Meanwhile chaos ensued in the town with units becoming muddled.

While the French found themselves masters of the table!

All of the Austrians and their Allies were conversions; either individual or homemade moulds in the case of the Allies with some 188 infantry and 42 cavalry and 6 Artillerymen forming the army.  

The French were a mix of original S range Crimean War figures with additional recasts and the Franco Prussian War French were all recasts.  The Papal Zouaves were homemade conversions.  The French totalled some 200 Infantry, 54 cavalry, 3 Mitrailleuse and 4 batteries of artillery and 18 gunners.