Peninsular dust-up!

We kick off 2016 with a Napoleonic bash set somewhere in the Peninsular. We played a few Team Yankee games over the first week or so but this is back to real wargaming in my view.

Overview of the battlefield. This is the French left comprising a mostly 2nd class brigade propped up by a veteran Polish battalion. The 2nd class muck is Italian, Westphalian, Nassau, and a French depot battalion.    

Chris was "ill" so the two Tonys squared up over the sun baked landscape. This is the first of a few smaller games designed to last one or two nights at most. The emphasis is on fun, nail biting decision making and nailing the rules and tactics. The movement of formations in "Time and Space" is vital to mastering warfare in this period so that challenge is built into the scenario too.

The French right hand brigade. This was smaller but better quality featuring an elite light battalion, two 1st class line and a foot battery. Nearly all the French battalions detached the light companies to form brigade skirmish screens. 

Lastly the French had an under strength regiment of 18 hussars arriving on the right flank.   

Deployment areas were rolled for randomly and literally by chance created a perfect set up with scattered forces converging to contest a road and a few farms and vineyards - a fine prize indeed.

Here we see the majority of the Allied army, ie two Portuguese brigades. The top left brigade has four battalions, two 1st class line two 2nd class, the other has two battalions, one 1st, one 2nd and a foot battery. The remaining brigade was a light brigade made up of Scots light and the Loyal Lusitanian Legion with a brigade skirmish screen.  

The object of the game was easy - defeat the enemy and drive him from the field.

The French right makes good progress on turn one.

Grainy close-up of the Loyal Lusitanian Legion, the models are Elite Miniatures Brits so note the very British burners.  

New unit alert. 

These are Elite Miniatures Portuguese foot artillery with a Front Rank mounted officer as is my want it seems. I am undecided about the black iron barrels but for now they look fine and are a point of difference, no bad thing in a world of brass cannons!

"FIRE"

"Join the army they said, travel the world they said! No one mentioned carrying buckets around all day! Wankers!"

Portuguese top brass. One from Front Rank the other from Elite Minis, both on Front Rank horses painted by Tony Laughton.

More Allied senior staff, this time British and Portuguese, both from Elite painted by Tony L again.

The French C-in-C hides in a dust cloud behind the walled vineyard - he is a feted coward!
(I think that's how it's spelt!) 

More senior staff, here a French general of hussars leads the 5th into combat.
Trent Miniatures lead Perry plastics, all painted by Tony L.
Note dodgy rock formation behind.

The French right moves up. More French generals leading from behind!
All Perry's shown here and all painted by Barry Hill's mob, hi Barry. 

Portuguese advance in column to beat the French at their own game, no need to form line and blaze away
- screw historical tactics.

The attack on the French left.

The French left runs into the Allied mini light brigade who make the hill crest first, mercifully in line!
Here we go, typical Peninsular action despite everyone's best efforts not to do so - grim inevitability... 

In they go, French and their allies in column surge forward.

Skirmishers are withdrawn to allow the main lines to engage. The 71st are a 40 strong elite battalion lining the crest against 2nd class attacking columns, place your bets gentlemen.  

In they go, 800 muskets blaze away, the slope is littered with dead and dying, the French must test to close...  

The French battalion retreats in the face of defensive volleys, the Italians actually rout from the Loyal Lusitanian legion, fleeing through the supporting Poles unforming them, but the Westphalians close even though unformed, the 71st stand.
Bet again gents.   

The 71st only just repulse the Westphalian charge but repulse it they do. This leaves the French Division in a total mess but it holds in there, for now at least.

Back on the French right.

Blizzards of French skirmishers screen the advancing columns. The pesky hussars loiter on the flank - clever.

This unit was a freebie from Barry Hill, I think they are Portuguese, I have no idea of the manufacturer either, possibly Falcon or Connoisseur? GMB flag like all the others.      

Elite Miniatures Portuguese advance, the far one has formed square to deal with the marauding French hussars.

The "time and space" thing is well displayed here, sadly the Portuguese artillery has yet to fire a shot and the two accompanying battalions are in the wrong place, miles away from the enemy! So where the allies were numerically superior they are somehow out numbered all the same. 

Finally the Portuguese battalions threaten to do something, just the small matter of facing down a storm of canister fire!
Which they do and cut down the battery.   

New unit alert 2.

Nassau battalion, these are Perry toys with GMB flag, I have two other Nassau Battalions by Elite Minis.
Must find something to top that pole.    

Despite the disastrous carnage in the aftermath of the French attacks the Poles keep a cool head and mount a determined counter attack against the loyal Lusitanian Legion  who prove rather less than loyal and are forced to retreat! 

The victorious 71st look down on their handiwork as the French battalions fall back in disorder.

A Portuguese square prepares to face off the French cavalry to shore up the Allied left. The wily French have pinned this battalion in square with the threat of cavalry while an elite battalion bares down on it.
The ensuing charge saw this unit routed too, the battle here was very fluid, both sides toing & froing back & forth.    

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The French left is in some disarray - the far side is still undecided.

There we leave it until next week, a small battle but an interesting challenge none the less. Pop back to see the outcome next week. Be good, best wishes,
Jeremy J,