The Battle of Les Aveugles - A Report

With the Rejects slowly drifting back from their various holiday locations refreshed and tanned (or is that weather beaten?), it seemed like a good moment to put on a remote game.

With David, Ray, Lee, Steve and Surjit taking up the reins I decided to put on a fictitious battle set in the Austrian War of Succession between the Austrians and the French.  The main purpose was to have a game that involved some fog of war.  Hence the use of blinds, both real and dummy.  

The rules in use were Koenig's Krieg.  All figures are Baccus 6mm and the buildings are Brigade Models.

The scenario was that an Austrian army had thrown back French defences on the Rhine.  The French king, Louis XV, had ordered a counterattack near to the small town of Les Aveugles.

Both commanders both sides must first seek to outmaneuver each other to gain a tactical advantage.

The aim on both sides is to force the opposing force to retreat.

The Armies

David and Ray made up the Austrian commanders.  Whilst Lee, Steve and Surjit took up the challenge of the French commanders.

The forces consisted 4 brigades each hidden amongst 8 blinds made up as the following:

Austrian Army

Brigade A	2 heavy cavalry units
Brigade B	Cavalry dummy
Brigade C	2 dragoon regiments
Brigade D	Cavalry dummy
Brigade E	3 infantry units and one artillery battery
Brigade F	Infantry dummy
Brigade G	Infantry dummy
Brigade H	3 infantry units and one artillery battery

French Army

Brigade A	Infantry dummy
Brigade B	4 infantry units and one artillery battery
Brigade C	4 heavy cavalry units (small but can be merged to create 2 normal size units).
Brigade D	Infantry dummy
Brigade E	Cavalry dummy
Brigade F	4 infantry units (including one grenadier unit) and one artillery battery
Brigade G	2 dragoon regiments
Brigade H	Infantry dummy

Initial Deployment

Both sides sent their deployment to me prior to the evening.  The following photo shows how the blinds were set up on the table.  You might be able to start working out possible tactics for the battle ahead.

Initial deployment.  The letters on the cards represent those in the army lists above.  The individual trees are just decoration.  The woods are impassable to formed infantry and cavalry.

The French commanders chose to combine their four smaller heavy cavalry into two larger regiments.

The Maneuver Phase of the Battle

Each side moved various blinds.  As one blind moved into range of another it would have to reveal itself.  If it was a dummy then the opponent could remain hidden.  If the blind was a real brigade it would have to be deployed and the opponent would have to reveal the contents of their blind as well.

By the end of second turn of the maneuver phase the Austrian and French were moving into sight of each other.  All the cards with the white and red poker chips will have to reveal themselves, with the white ones only doing so if the red ones are real brigades.

The two sides seemed to have collided. 

The opposing cavalry on the near edge were close enough to all be pinned in position until the end of the maneuver phase.

At the end of the maneuver phase all the blinds not already revealed were now done so.

This is how the battlefield looked.  Both sides successfully managing to squeeze their forces into a space effectively 2x2 feet.

The French, on the right had deployed their brigades better and were able to inflict some early damage on the Austrian infantry isolated in the centre.  Now realising that this was a dangerously exposed place to be, David made the decision to order a withdrawal in order to redeploy.

However, what turned the brigade withdrawal into a decision to retire the whole Austrian army was the effective destruction of their heavy cavalry brigade nearest to the edge. 

Analysis

An Austrian retreat was the right decision at this time.  Their difficulty may well have started with the deployment of the blinds that left their infantry separated and one brigade bottlenecked behind the cavalry.  However, the French were able to impose themselves on events by understanding and utilising the initiative when it came their way.  In this sense, the rules provided a level of nuance to command and control that I had not fully appreciated. 

Koenig Krieg used with their rules on blinds brings the opponents into a position of engagement quickly.  So, careful deployment is key but poor deployment is not irretrievable. 

In an age of linear warfare, the French in this instance had the line.  The Austrians' struggled to achieve theirs.

Afterthought

I think that I would like to try something like this again on a bigger table 6x4ft instead of 4x4.  It should make for a different game with space for flanks and scope for greater initial maneuver.

Apologies for lack of photos - I still struggle with the umpiring a remote game and recording the action.  Perhaps I should rope the wife in to take the snaps?

2mm Medieval Buildings

I made a village!

Well... with some newly painted 2mm buildings from Brigade Models.

Don't look too closely.  Brigade's website shows them off much better.

I will use these with my 2mm French Wars of Religion and 6mm collections (I usually like my buildings one scale down from the figures).

And a couple for those that like to compare scales.

The units behind are Baccus 6mm Seven Years War Austrian with 15mm Essex Franco-Prussian War French.  In the foreground is a Huguenot pike and shot unit.  Apologies for the blurred shots.

I like the models.  Especially as a number of them seemed to be modelled on buildings in my home town.

Off to prep the buildings on the table, including some farms and churches.

Indulge Me A Little Longer

Most of my holiday pics have family posing all over them, but as requested, here are a couple more from Paris. 

First up, another view from inside the oldest café in Paris, Le Procope.  This a one of the dining rooms.  They are all like this.  There are paintings of their most famous patrons including Voltaire, Diderot, Benjamin Franklin, Danton and Marat amongst others.  It was in the Le Procope that the philosophes came up with the idea of the Encyclopédie.  With Voltaire reputedly drinking 40 cups of coffee a day it can be no surprise that they were buzzing with ideas... if not heart palpitations!

One of the dining rooms in Le Procope.

Not too far away from Le Procope is this concession my family granted me.  A quick visit to Au Plat d'Etain (literally a tin flat or flat miniature).  A tin soldier shop.  

It was absolutely bursting with painted miniatures of all scales including flats and paper miniatures.  Stunningly painted as you can hopefully see below and, alas, a little beyond the depths of my wallet.  An enjoyable interlude nonetheless.

Our first day was to Pigalle, Montmartre and the Canal St. Martin.  This photo below shows the basilica of Sacré Coeur on top of Montmartre.  However, instead of navigating around the tourists who pose on the steps etc. to the front, just pop round the side and head to the park to the rear for some of the best (and crowd-free) views.

While in Montmartre, we visited its cemetery.  Apart from the famous that have been buried there it is just a great sight to see.  It is like nothing any cemetery you'd see in England.  Every grave was like these below, or even more elaborate.  What we all thought amusing and curious was how the decision was made to build a road over part of the cemetery, and how they left the tombs under it.

My last picture comes from the rue de la Ferronnerie.  Outside number 11, to be precise.  This spot is marked as the spot where Henri IV (Henri of Navarre) was assassinated, on the 14 May 1610, by Francois Ravaillac while his carriage was stuck in a traffic jam.  Ravaillac was an extreme catholic who detested Henri, and when presented with the opportunity jumped onto the running board of the carriage and stabbed the king 3 times.  For his crime, Ravaillac was executed by having his wrists scalded with sulphur while his breasts were torn apart by pincers and the wounds filled with molten lead.  He was then pulled apart by horses.

I didn't take a wider picture of the street as it is full of restaurants and tourists close to the Pompidou Centre.  Plus, more recent research has shown that the assassination took place outside number 8.

Thank you for joining me in this show and tell.

A Little French Indulgence

A splendid 15 days of vacation in Brittany and Paris has sadly ended. So, apologies as I indulge in a little "show and tell".

First up is the result of a fairly expensive dinner at Le Procope, the oldest cafe in Paris, founded in 1686.  It boasts such famous clientele as  Voltaire, Frédéric Chopin, Maximilien Robespierre, Napoleon Bonaparte, Victor Hugo, Benjamin Franklin, Honoré de Balzac, and Jean-Jacques Rosseau.  However, the place is as much a museum as a restaurant, and the staff were happy for people to wander and take photos.  It really did feel like stepping back in time.

Amongst the items are what is claimed to be a hat from a young Napoleon which he apparently left as payment for his meal.

What may be a little more believable is that they have the desk that Voltaire used for writing.  Regardless of what one may think of the food and service (which I thought was good on both counts), it was worth the money for what was quite an experience.

On an outing to the area of Paris known as La Défense, which is better known for its large square arch that is in alignment with the Arc de Triomphe and its modern architecture, I happened across the statue below.

It is called "La Défense de Paris", by Louis-Ernest Barrias.  Barrias won a competition in 1879 to produce a sculpture to commemorate Paris' defence against the Prussians in 1870-71, beating the likes of Rodin.

Paris is represented by a woman wearing a National Guard uniform and acting as the proud standard bearer.  The soldier and the young woman (other side of the statue) at Paris' feet embody the heroic resistance of the population during that winter.

You can see the arch in the background.

This statue gave its name to this area of Paris, and is the only 19th century piece of art on the esplanade.

Thank you for your indulgence.