Last weekend we had a special guest at the Mess in Chris Packer, a North Island wargamer who has transferred to Christchurch from Upper Hutt. Chris has a massive collection of Napoleonic and SYW figures and kindly offered to put on a game using the Die Kriegskunst rules (try saying that in mixed company with a few beers on board!) created by Angus Konstam and the Edingburgh Wargaming group. A couple of the other Southern Strategists came along and a convivial Sunday afternnoon of wargaming and jovial banter was had by all. We were all impressed with how well the rules played, giving a fast and bloody result. We only used a fraction of Chris's SYW collection in a small game that saw an Austrian force defending a town against a Prussian force of equal size. A hard task for the Prussians, especially when the cavalry on their right flank routed and the attack on their left flank suffered heavy casualties. However, one Prussian battalion managed to force its way into the town before the Prussian commander conceded that he had insufficient forces left to win the action. Great fun was had by all and hopefully this will be the first of many such games with Chris.
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Prussian jagers |
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Prussian fusiliers |
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Prussian fusilier command |
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Austrian commander, Gavin Bowden (left), contemplates his defence while Chris Packer and Dave Houston (right) plan the Prussian attack. Seamus Stack (foreground) proved an able subordinate of his father who commanded the Austrian right flank. |
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The Austrian left flank |
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Two Austrian battalions held the town |
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A view of the town from the Prussian lines |
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Old Fritz himself with his senior commanders |
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An Austrian German battalion prepared to defend the town |
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The Prussian cavalry (commanded by Chris) brigade (in blue) charging the Austrian cavalry |
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Dave's Prussian infantry launch an attack on the Austrian right flank |
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Cavalry melee |
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The first Prussian musketeer battalion decimated by Austrian artillery and musketry |
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The Austrian right flank ready to receive the Prussians |
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The Prussian centre advancing on the town |
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"The way is forward, mein kinder!' |
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The Austrian centre defending a road |
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The Prussians attempting to turn the Austrian right flank, now minus a destroyed musketeer battalion |
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The Prussian cavalry on their right have been repulsed |
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Any chance of a Prussian victory relies on victory in the centre |
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Mein Gott! The Prussian cavalry are routing! |
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Prussian grenadier battalions are given the job of taking the town |
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Before the exchange of musketry |
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The Prussians charge in on the Austrian right flank |
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The Austrian musketeer battalion falls back, leaving it to the grenadiers and artillery to hold the flank |
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The Prussians moving forward while receiving flanking fire from the town |
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A Prussian fusilier battalion charging the artillery |
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Where did those Prussian fusiliers go?...Shot to bits by the canister of the Austrian guns |
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The Prussians now don't have enough strength to turn the Austrian flank |
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The Prussian attack succeeds in forcing an Austrian battalion to withdraw |
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A Prussian grenadier battalion forces its way into the town while a musketeer battalion is in melee with a Hungarian battalion |
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The Prussian hopes of victory are dashed as the Austrian left flank prepares to get behind the exposed Prussian centre |
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The victorious Austrian high command breathes a sigh of relief and prepares to celebrate at the local tavern |
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Bavarians in Austrian service |
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A battalion of Austrian light troops |
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An Austrian Hungarian musketeer battalion |
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An Austrian musketeer battalion on the march |
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The successful Austrian cavalry brigade commander, Graf Von Bowden |
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Austrian dragoons |
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Superbly painted Front Rank Prussian musketeers |