Napoleon's hat...

I have had a very good year business wise so when pondering my "self-pressie" for Christmas I simply couldn't resist bidding on this iconic piece of head wear. Sadly I couldn't fly to the auction at Fontainebleau in person so my P.A. (Christina) kindly handled my phone bids - which she won!

It seems like  a lot of money for an old hat but hey - like Napoleon found out "you can't take it with you!"    

My new hat.

My new hats provenance, quite a tale. 

Naturally I'm bullshitting as usual - I didn't really buy it. I do have Wellington boots and an eye patch  a bit like Nelson's though! I also quaff Napoleon Brandy on occasion.

However I thought you might like to ponder the value of an old hat once worn by someone famous. He owned about 120 of these in his lifetime apparently. I like to think a fabulously rich wargamer now wears it whilst playing with amazing toy soldiers on a huge table somewhere out there.

Be good, JJ.  

From the archive - some lovely close-ups

I stumbled on these pictures by accident today and decided to share them here with you. Most are of Tony's Russian artillery and baggage train. Many have been converted, possibly all of them. The shots are a mix of his and mine hence the difference in lighting and texture. There are also some atmospheric shots of our Austrian collection which somehow missed the main Vienna Vogue post.

Have a poke about and see what you like.    

Wow Tony.

Hot work.

Gallic trousers - Warband Inferior?

Stop looking at me.

Cheery gunners on the march.

Smoking and drinking will...

... kill you.

Handsome devil.

Walking alongside the guns in the sunshine.

Horse artillery and Uhlan escort.

More horse artillery.

Russian baggage trundling through fir forests and villages.

Aerial shot of the above baggage.

Another aerial shot.

I wander what they wrapped up so safely?

A pretty scene.

Booze on the move.

Bringing up some Russian heavy metal.

Cracking the whip!

Headache. 

I love this, most of us put a grassy tuft, flock  and a rock on our bases, Tony models a whole fallen oak tree! 

Timbeeeeerrr.

Here are a few piccies of our Austrians which you haven't seen before.

Grenzers in line.
Elite Miniatures expetly painted by Blue Turkey.

Austrian artillery crews.

Schwarzenburg's Uhlans.
Foundry toys by tony Laughton for Chris, GMB pennants.

Two 48 strong Hungarian firing lines - FIRE!

Austrian LDW.
Victrix by Barry Hill for Chris.  

Hungarian marching columes.

Hessen Homburg Hussars.

Austrian grenadiers being a bit dodgy.

A walk in the country.

Atmospheric.

Taking pot shots from behind the tree stump.

Same again.

Enthusiastic jaeger officer.

Heading for home as the sun sets. 

That's all I have for you for now, hope you enjoy them as much as I did unearthing them.

Next week we begin a refight of Eggmuhl so some of these Austrians will reappear then.
Have fun out there, Jeremy.

Lutzen 1813 - Part 3 - The Finale.

This game took three or four evenings and an afternoon to play out, the events are squeezed into three photo reports for your delectation and delight. Without spoiling the plot one player decided his side had lost - his chum didn't, three of us met up again one afternoon to play out the vinegar strokes, sometimes you need to experience defeat not just see it coming I guess.

Welcome to the finale of Lutzen 1813 - The Marauder Remix.  

Italian 12lb foot battery from Bertrand's Corp.
These are Elite Miniatures guns & crews, I plan to replace all my batteries with Elite Miniatures kit. Size matters.

Same battery with supporting caisson. Note the "N" embossed on the gun barrels.
I have an Italian limber/caisson waiting to based up, just need the motivation & time to base it.
.

This battery found a target rich environment and remained unmolested, happy days!

I promised you the Orders of Battle from the original article by Steve Shann, I have added Divisional/Brigade generals where this fits the General de Brigade model versus the Grand Manner rules which he wrote the scenario for.

Here is what the Allies had to play with;-

Blucher – Prussians, C-in-C.

Ziethen 2 x 32 Vets, 2 x 32 line, 8lb Foot battery

Klux 2 x 32 Vets, 2 x 32 line

Yorck 2 x 32 Vets, 2 x 32 line, 12lb foot battery

Dolf 24 Dragoons, 24 Uhlans, 24 Hussars

Wittgenstein - Russians

Berg 5 x 32 line, 6lb foot battery 6 guns

Winzingerode 5 x 32 line, 12lb foot battery 3 guns

Duka 32 Dragoons, 32 Hussars, 32 Uhlans, 2 x 15 Cossacks

Life Guard Corps, Baron Rosen 2 x 32 Guards, 2 x 32 Elites, 12lb foot battery of 6 guns

Life Guard Cavalry, Deproradovich, 32 Guard Cuirassiers, 32 Guard Hussars

Totals 26 Battalions, 10 Regiments of cavalry and 5 batteries.

This is a massive initial advantage, the challenge is to make it count... read on...

Dolff and Ziethen move up to secure the centre.

The action here see-sawed violently, you will recall the Italian battalion blown away by Yorck's Prussian 12lb which was then flank charged and cut down who were in turn charged and cut down by the Lithuanian Uhlans seen above.
More of Bertand's Corp is arriving to threaten Yorck's increasingly perilous position.  

Part of the Russian Guard arrive including Finish Guard Jaegers and Marines of the Guard along with a 6 gun 12lb battery. 

Russian Guard Cuirassiers and Guard Hussars march on in some style.
32 strong cavalry regiments look the biz in my view,

The French have markedly more kit than the Allies but it arrives all over the place and pretty late in some respects. They also have two C-in-C's, initially Ney with the massive 3rd Corps and from turn 7 Napoleon arrives with more toys. Here's the French run down;-

III Corps – Ney

Souham  2 x 36 line, 1 x 36 2^nd class, 8lb Foot battery

Souham’s ADC 1 x 36 line, 2 x 36 2^nd class

Girard 1 x 36 line, 2 x 36 2^nd class

Brennier 1 x 36 line, 2 x 36 2nd class

Ricard 1 x 36 line, 2 x 36 2nd class

Pajol 1 x 24 Chasseurs a cheval

IV Corps – Bertrand

Morand 2 x 36 line, 1 x 36 2nd class

Peyri’s Italian Division 1 x 36 line, 2 x 36 2^nd class, 8lb foot battery

VI Corps - Marmont

Campans 2 x 36 line, 2 x 36 2^nd class, 8lb foot battery

Friedreichs 2 x 36 line, 2 x 36 2nd class, 24 Light cavalry

XI Corps - MacDonald

Gerrard’s Italians 1 x 36 Veterans, 1 x 36 line, 2 x 36 2^nd class, 8lb foot battery

Charpentier 1 x 36 Veterans, 1 x 36 line, 2 x 36 2nd class

I Cavalry Corps – Latour Maubourg 32 Cuirassiers, 32 Dragoons, 24 Hussars, 4lb foot battery 3 guns

Imperial Guard

Roguet 40 Old Guard Grenadiers, 40 Old Guard Chasseurs

Domoustrier 4 x 32 elite

Dulaloy 12lb Foot battery 4 guns

Walther 20 Guard light, 20 Guard lancers, 20 Guard heavies

Totals 44 battalions, 8 cavalry regiments, 6 batteries.

 

Winzingerode's Russians finally charge the Saxon Grenadiers - a move 12 turns in the making!!! 

Lovely shot of Tony's Russians. Not sure which Regiment.
Foundry toys, hand painted rolled copper flags on titanium banner poles. He takes this stuff very seriously.
Bicorne finials & cords.

Latour Mauborg's heavies cross the bridge east of Klein Gorschen.

Latour Maubourg's horse battery canters along, hussars bring up the rear. 

A strangely out of sequence shot! This happened last week, the Leib Hussars are about to charge and rout the line of legere.
Technology eh?
shITe.

Winzingerode clears the Saxons away from Gross Gorschen only to face French reinforcements arriving in increasing numbers. 

Another out of sequence shot, this time looking over Ziethen and Dolff. French Guard foot approach over the Flossgraben.

Allied cavalry face off against Marmont and Bertrand in the west.

Good shot of the Leib Hussars and Brandenburg Uhlans.
Calpe miniatures painted by Perry Pender and topped up by Tony Laughton, it's a long story, maybe one day... 

Tony charges the New Russia Dragoons into the Neuchatel.
We rolled the dice and totted up the factors, then we recounted as I had lost by just one which meant my battalion was cut down, we recounted again. I knew we were missing something, was Russian General of cavalry Duka excellent, average or poor? Tony couldn't find the paper work. In General de Brigade a poor general can't lead a charge and add +1 to the units score, however Tony still couldn't track down the roster sheet...    

Bertrand and staff join the search for the missing paperwork... 

Eventually Tony finds the roster, Duka is indeed poor so it's a draw!
Massive sigh of relief from me after an unseemly factor grabbing exercise, the New Russia Dragoons withdraw, the Nuechatel remain standing and the French right rolls on.
Duka is such a loser!

Some of the French right moving up.

The 2nd Swiss Regiment.
Perry plastics painted by Barry Hill, GMB flag. Another one that needs basing finished.

General Freiderichs receives a visit from Head Office.  

Yorck has been thrown back along with Duka giving Marmont and Bertrand room to deploy for the attack on the centre.
French Imperial Guard mass on the ridge behind. The Prussians are losing their nerve across the front.

Russian Guards begin to arrive to prop up the Allied centre, (aka Chicken shit Prussians).

Russian Guard Cuirassiers line out.
These are Front Rank models painted by Tony Laughton.
There are two regiments of 16 combined here, I fully mean to increase both to 32 in time, and sort some flags out.   

Not such a great moment in the history of the Imperial Guard Lancers as they are routed by Brandenburg Uhlans. 

Winzingerode on the Allied right faces pressure from Ney as Latour Maubourg begins to arrive in the back ground.  

Berg arrives to support Winzingerode, just in time.

A French general rallies the Legere fleeing from the Prussian cavalry.
Some fast talking needed I fancy! 

The commander of the Imperial Guard foot artillery consults his pocket watch,
"Prepare to fire Monsieur".  

 Imperial Guard gunners look down on the Guard Lancers making a mess of fighting some pedestrian Prussian Uhlans.

The Emperor and Guard Grenadiers a Cheval. Marmont & Bertrand mass to sort out an attack on the Allied centre. 

Guard Chasseurs and Grenadiers a Cheval in reserve.

The remarkably successful Brandenburg Uhlans looking smug.

Time to open fire on the Brandenburg Uhlans to teach them a lesson.

Milan Civic Guard - swarthy looking fellows. A very pretty formation - all mine.

Many nationalities massing on the French right.

Russian Guard artillery deploy to face down the threat from the west.

Russian Guardsmen deploy into attack columes.

French Guards dry-off after fording the Flossgraben.

Latour Maubourg deploys in support of Ney's counter attack. 

Duka's cavalry rally in the Allied rear.

More Prussians leave the party as Ziethen and Klux call it a day.
Russian Guards won't be so easy to shift though. 

Realities of war.
General Klux and staff oblivious to the dead and dying.   

Prussian guns limber-up and ride off as the Prussians quit Gross Gorschen. 

Marshall Ney looking pretty straight faced.

Disengaging in the face of the enemy and maintaining order is not easy; especially with French Guards breathing down ones neck.

These Russian Guards will have to have to cover the Prussian retreat.

Lithuanian Uhlans and New Russia Dragoons still rallying.

French Imperial Guard in reserve - except the useless Guard Lancers who are rallying to the rear - saps.

Not a bad body guard for a little Corsican chap, the boy done good.

Ney goes over to the attack - Berg stands as Winzingerode has withdrawn too.

Blucher despairs as all the Prussian formations go home.
Time to hit the gin and pickled cabbage you nutter.

Russian Guard foot battery opens fire with six 12lb guns.
Elite Miniatures painted by Tony for me, the battery was a Christmas gift from my father-in-law.

Close up of the same battery.
I included a British military attache in the batteries command vignette to represent my benefactor.

British military attache keeps an eye on the brandy barrels lest his hosts neck the lot. 

The French heavy cavalry reserve gets into action. 

Latour moves against Berg.

French Guard catch up with withdrawing Prussians.

The French right looking very powerful as it swings towards the centre.

Over view of the battlefield at the close.
Chris gesticulates as he explains to Tony just how great his is, Tony has heard all this before ad nauseam.  

So a French victory! The Prussians made big initial gains but couldn't build on them as the Russians weren't in the mood for a fight early on. Mounting French pressure left the allied front over extended in places and disjointed. Marmont & Bertrand were lucky in that Yorck was in the wrong place which messed up Duka and Dolff who would have been better placed in the open ground away from their own infantry with whom they became hopelessly muddled. The arrival of Berg's Corp and Rosen with the Russian Guards looked good but actually only served to cover the retreat as Winzingerode bailed out as Ney and Latour Maubourg's attacks gained momentum. The French never even deployed McDonald's Corp!

This is a tough scenario for the Allies to win as Blucher found out 201 years ago. I would replay this possibly down the length of the table which is our next challenge - mind the gap!

As usual a fun time was had by all, chatting, drinking, pissing about and pushing lead around on the baize with your mates - living the dream! Hope you enjoyed this too, feel free to comment and pop back next time.

Best wishes, Jeremy