Blenheim: the refight, part I

The battle starts following the historical plans: Eugene and Cutts attacking on the wing, then Marlborough pushing at the center. 

Here the Imperial cavalry crossing the  Nebel to engage the Franco-Bavarians:

Cutts and the Palmer cavalry crossing the Nebel towards Blenheim:

The cavalry battle developed with a see-saw evolution which will last nearly to the end. At the first stages the Imperial are at disadvantage since they must stop to cross the Nebel being penalised in melee:

Eugene infantry moves to attack Oberglau (to make things easier I removed the village to arrange troops inside)

Lord Cutts has crossed the Nebel without any French reaction and closes on Blenheim. The French choose a defensive attitude, with Clereambault being careful to not be sucked into the battle for the village: at the end this will prove a costly error.

The cavalry battle still rages without a clear winner, to this moment

                       

Clereambault unleashes the Maison du Roi on the flank of Cutts, with Palmer's cavalry closing in support

The situation becomes hot in Oberglau, the garrison commanded by Blainville puts up a stiff resistance and Eugene infantry must retire with losses to reorganise

 

Under Cutts pressure Blenheim falls, despite a spirited counterattack of Clereambault, which arrives too late to prevent the disaster.

On the Franco-Bavarian vs. Imperial side, the Confederate are slowly taking the edge:

This is the situation at the end of the 5th move: Tallard and Marlborough are still idle, waiting for the battles on the wings. Maybe Tallard should send reinforcements to his right.

To follow.

Happy New Year. 

Last post of this strange 2020, with more GNW Russian Dragoons.

The Life Regiment in its 1708 uniform. The regiment was raised in 1707 from men of Zybin’s Dragoon regiment (disbanded in 1706). The first uniform was with a red coat. It was at Holowczin, Lesnaja, Poltava and Perevolotjna. Then at Riga 1710, at the Pruth disaster in 1711 and finally in Poland 1711-18. From 1719 it becomes the St. Peterburgski Dragoon Regiment.

The other newcomers are the dismounted dragoon from the Zvedza box (with some Strelets added). They are not intended to represent specific regiments, rather act as war-games “tokens” to represent the dismounted status of a unit.

That’s all for 2020. I wish you all to have a happier 2021.

Cossacks and other gentlemen

A Great Northern War army can’t stay without Cossacks: there were the Russian ones, the Polish, the Swedish Allied Mazeppa’s and the Swedish Valacker which collectively are all Cossacks. My idea is to have a suitable numbers of them and then add a base with a Polish flag or a Swedish officier in blue to represent Polish Cossacks and Valacker respectively, whereas all the other not identified units would represent Russians.

Thus far I painted the 12 miniatures from the Orion box. The only fault of an otherwise very nice set are the horses: never Cossacks dreamed of such beautiful horse like those sculpted by Orion. Aside form this remark, the miniatures are well cast and detailed and it was a pleasure to paint them. Browsing Pinterest of other websites I found many images, painting and reenactor pictures to have a basic guidance to the dress of riders and horses.

With 12 figures I painted 6 bases which can represent when paired twice three V&B irregular Cavalry units, or one and half Maurice unit. The wild bunch:

A closer view of the bases:

On the more responsible side of the army, another Russian dragoons regiment, the Archangelgorodski in the yellow coat in use in 1705. The regiment was raised in 1703 in Jamburg from men of selected regiments as “Field Marshal Sheremetiev dragoon battalion”. In all the major campaign from 1704, at Poltava, then in Pomerania 1711 and in Poland 1716-17.

I finish with two command bases were I was able to use some weird figures from Strelets boxes. The first base represents a generic general in white coat: with him the giant kneeling figure from the Strelets Swedish artillery box. 

The second base represents Prince Menshikov: with him one of the many Semeonovski grenadiers I was left with and the weird surrendering Streltsi from the “Streltsi Bonus collection” series.

More GNW miniatures

End of holidays painting: the Busch Grenadier regiment, raised in 1708 from the grenadier companies of the Belozerski, Lefortski, Viatski, Kievski, Rentzel, Rostovski, Tobolski, Olonerski, Koporieski and Ivangorodski regiments, from 1715 Weide’s Regiment. Present at  Holowczin and Poltava, then at the Prut an from 1711-19 in Pomerania. The blue uniform was introduced in 1711. Three grenadiers are from Zvedza “Russian Infantry of Peter the Great” box, the other three are converted from the Preobrazenski grenadiers from the Strelets box “Guard of Peter I”, by modifying the grenadier cap.

The cavalry was from the Zvedza box “Dragoons of Peter I”: they are simply outstanding, areal pleasure to paint. The flag has the motif in relief but it was not a problem since it was exactly the motif of the Moskowsky regiment I opted to paint. The only drawbacks of the box is that it has only 10 figures on the horse, the other being dismounted dragoons (nicely done with the horse holders and different arms): this requires a disproportionate amount of boxes to obtain a sizeable force. However one can have also a sizeable force of dismounted dragoons. The Moskowsky regiment was raised in Moscow in 1700 as Gulitz’s (Goltz). At Narva, then in the baltic theatre, at Kalisz 1706, Poltava and Pruth. The officers wore the red waistcoat with blue cuffs, a nice variation.

To finish, a third artillery base for the Danish army, once again from the Strelets “Artillery of Charles XII”:

It is time to make the second base for all the Danish cavalry I did previously: then I shall have enough bases to replay Helsinborg with both Maurice and Volley&Bayonet. Stay tuned.

Russian Infantry, part III (or IV, maybe)

Three more russian regiments, in different coat colours. The first one is the Vojvod Apraxin Regiment: raised in 1700 in Moscow from volunteers. At Poltava 1 battalion guarding the camp, the other with the city garrison, then in Finland. Merged with Galitski regiment in 1712.

The second is the "whole red" Regiment Moskovski, here in its 1709 uniform: raised in 1700 in Moscow from volunteers as Col. Ivanitski’s Regiment. At Narva 1700, then in Russia. At Poltava in the Hallart division. Then in Baltic, Pruth 1711, Finland 1713-14 and at the Staket landing, 1719. 

The third and last is the Regiment Nisjegorodski: raised in Moscow trough conscription in 1700 as Col. Bolmann’s regiment. At Narva 1700, Baltic 1702-04. At Poltava in the Hallart division, then Baltic 1710, Pruth 1711, Finland 1713-14 and Swedish east coast 1719. Green uniform 1708-11.

With these six units the infantry for the Maurice refight of Poltava is nearly completed. Only a blue-clad grenadier regiment is still missing, then I had to paint 7 more Dragoon Regiments and a bunch of Cossacks.

The whole August production is here:

More Russian Infantry for Poltava

Two more GNW Russian units, this time in yellow and in white outfits:

Regiment Kievski. Raised through conscription in Moscow in 1700 as Colonel W. von Delden. At Narva, then in the Baltic theatre. At Grodno 1706 then in the Russian campaign: present at Poltava in the Repnin’s division. At Riga in 1710 then in Pomerania. The 1708 yellow coat changed to red with yellow lining in 1711.

Regiment Troitski. Raised in 1700 as the previous, first Colonel Fliwerk. At Narva and in the Baltic. At Poltava garrisoned the main camp; then again in Baltic and Finland campaign. Here is depicted wearing the 1708 white uniform. The white flag is the Colonel flag.