Mustering Napoleonic army part 2 (4 Viewers)

[Middleguard]

I do not understand why the posts do not show up in the order they are written, so to keep things simple I've started a new thread.

My back and legs still hurt but not enough to keep me from playing with my toys.

 

[Middleguard]

 

[Middleguard]

 

[Middleguard]

Day 6. The Austrians are at the breaking point. The Russians grudgingly give up the town foot by foot. Napoleon rides out to oversee the final push to victory.

 

[Go for Broke]

What a massive layout. Love it! Fishhead must not be on the Forum lately or he would be astounded to see it.

 

[Middleguard]

Thanks for viewing. I was thinking about Fishhead too. He must be working on something big right now for him to have been so quiet for such a long while. I haven't seen a comment from him on anything lately. I marvel at his work, and the volume of it.



View of the French left. The Russians pivot to attack the flank of a French column, and the French respond in kind.





A French Marshall (Suchet ?) moves to lead the Imperial Guard into battle.





The French center right. Waves of French infantry assault the town proper, overwhelming the Russian defenders and driving them back.





The Saxons prove their metal as they use cold steel to pry the determined Russians from the town center.





Hungarian Infantry stoically awaiting the onslaught of the French attack formations.

 

[Oldallamerican]

I must admit I am totally blown away by this - I wish I had a place to set my stuff up. It would be worth the bad knees and aching back just to see it all set up. Thanks for sharing your fun.

 

[Colebraden2011]

Middleguard, I may actually weep at these pictures. I haven't set my guys up in a year or more but seeing your set up makes me want to SO MUCH MORE. I have a whole lot of redoubts and whatnot for a big Borodino set up but just no space!

 

[Middleguard]

Thank you for the supportive comments guys. There seems to be a theme woven in amongst the replies. Everyone has a huge collection and nowhere to set it up with enough space to be worthy of the investment.

What we need to do is get together and rent a college gym or a convention center like a GENCON or COMICCON kind of thing. Each person could contribute such and such many figures or a specific unit to build a huge diorama.

Imagine a diorama Taking up 3 basketball courts side by side. All parts of a particular engagement could be displayed including the rear area support groups not just the front line troops. Or the WW1 WW11 artillery which would have to be normally set up in a different room to be in proper scale could be in its proper place on the actual field where the target is.

Charge admission to cover some of the costs. Each participant would only have to bring a few storage containers full of guys so would be able to travel by car or truck.

We would be able to met each other in person.

Form a group. Elect a director and a coordinator and have a council decide on a period, battle or fantasy set up idea. Each of us could then volunteer figures or terrain or plan out the layout or time to set it up and take it down. Or if we don't collect the period that is being represented we could just donate money to help it come together.

Invite some of the manufactures to the show and have them set up a booth, for a small fee. Nothing makes me want to buy more soldiers like seeing a fine giant layout of toys.

Maybe I'm just reaching to high right here, but then again that's what I thought when I started to do my little project here. See where that got me?

I know. A huge undertaking. Where would we begin? Quite an investment in time and thought. Is there an organizer in he house?

And now, to supply the incentive.






















Well, a guy can dream, can't he?

 

[Middleguard]

The Russians trying to drive back the French left find their success short lived.




French Saxon and Westphalian troops have the town well in hand.



The Russians are driven entirely from the town and more troops pour in to secure the recent gains.



Austrian sharpshooters watch as their brothers in arms falter and then break completely against the onslaught of French light infantry and cuirassiers and the carabineers.



Austrian hussars flee as the withdrawal becomes a route.

 

[Middleguard]

As the Russians push forward they are unaware that the French units which have taken the town are now sweeping around to envelope them. The Russians are in grave danger of being surrounded.




In the French center more troops are pushed forward to make the town their own stronghold. If the town is held against counter attacks the Russians and Austrians will have no option but to retire.



On the French right the Austrian route is underway. A mass of fleeing men keep the Austrian lancers from engaging the French cuirassiers.



I just like this picture.



The Austrian Commander has ordered a retreat. The second battalion is to cover the withdrawal of the first. The Austrian first battalion tries to march off the field in good order but the Swiss and Bavarian elements of the French army are making things difficult. Morale collapses and disorder ensues. To the right an Austrian grenadier company valiantly tries to hold their position to allow the forward battalion to evacuate.

French guard artillery hammers the left end of the Austrian first battalion, adding to the confusion and further degrading morale. Hoellenzolleran accepts that the battle is lost and now tries to save what he can of his army.

 

[Colebraden2011]

I think it would be very cool to get a little (or big) group together to set up battles for different eras. I have a bunch of Nap guys and a ww2 Russians and Germans, plus a number of vehicles, although all CTS and some are not too taken with the scale of those. Plus, I have like 20 mini redoubts from All Must March, that are still for sale btw haha, and love to make buildings. So basically, if this gets going, I am very willing to join up.

Plus, it would be super cool to set up all these guys with you middleguard cause you look like youre having a blast

 

[Middleguard]

Colebraden, I don't know if something like that could be gotten off of the ground. It would be way much cooler if all the figs I set up were painted. Or if someone who really had a well put together building arraignment would supply something so my slapped together stuff wouldn't embarrass me.

As far as what we all have and what scale is used, I don't hear anyone saying that I have 60mm (Jean-Hoeffler) guys mixed in with some 45mm (ESCI) guys and that it looks wrong.

This is about having fun. I intentionally did not do a historical battle simply to avoid the remarks of "Oh, such and such unit wasn't at so and so battle". And more of the same. I am more interested in the tactics employed by the various armies of the time. I tried to keep what I know of how each country handled their armies to be as authentic as I could. It is hard to think in 3 different styles an at the same time put something together that is fun and photogenic.

I am not over thinking it and that is why I AM having a blast. Don't worry about what someone else thinks of your stuff. If it makes you happy and you are paying for it all then do what you want to.

It would be great to have you here for this set up. Just hashing out tactical possibilities with someone else who understands what I am talking about would help to keep me from talking to myself.

You inspired me. Now I hope that I have motivated someone to do something they have wanted to do. I didn't know what kind of comments I was going to get as I was mixing painted and unpainted and even making regiments out of pieces of this and that. The response has all been very supportive and I am glad for that but I did it for myself and shared it with all so that those who wanted could enjoy it also.

Now, It's your move.

 

[Middleguard]

 

[Go for Broke]

Middleguard, your depiction of the battle has peaked my interest in Waterloo. Do you know a good book of the battle? I like first hand accounts from the point of view of the common soldier, being in a square against cavalry for instance.

 

[Colebraden2011]

Go For Broke,
I have read a couple but one of my favorites is Alessandro Barbero's book, The Battle. Weaves alot of first hand accounts into the narrative. Very well written, easy to follow, reads more like fiction but still discusses many scholarly subjects on the battle.
If you want a real technical book, to the point where you get maps of where each regiment and squadron was placed, then look at the Waterloo Companion. Very helpful getting a full visual grasp of the battle and allows for great strategic and tactical oversight.
Bernard Cornwell also recently came out with a nonfiction book on Waterloo. I have not read it but have read a number of his fiction. he writes his fiction well. He is probably not trained as a true historian, however, but that may not matter.

Middleguard, your depiction of the battle has peaked my interest in Waterloo. Do you know a good book of the battle? I like first hand accounts from the point of view of the common soldier, being in a square against cavalry for instance.

 

[Middleguard]

Go for Broke, A good read in the style you are describing is " The Waterloo Campaign" by Albert A. Nofi. Quite a few quotes from the participants of the battle and not the dry reading of orders of battle that so many military books seem to be.


Colebraden, I was going to do a redoubt scene but ran out of space and time. It would have been quite a thing to put that together. In what I did I barely had time for counter attacks at all much less an actual back and forth kind of thing. The walled farm thing went way to fast also.

 

[Go for Broke]

Thanks Cole and Middleguard. I'll look for those books on Amazon.

 

[Middleguard]

Last day of the set up. The pictures speak for themselves. At this point the battle is mostly over and it is all a retreat or consolidation of gains. I had a lot of fun doing this. I learned a lot about my limitations, but I learned even more about how to maneuver my armies. The next time I do this it should be a smoother run. Probably will break up a battle into smaller sections and have a written out plan for how it will develop and what shots I want to take with the camera.

Also I will try to find some help. I had a friend and his son only for the last day and things went much faster as far as moving everyone. Next year I will have to schedule my set up for after school lets out.

I have to finish each battalion and company with a command group. Then get a little paint on every figure.

Thankyou to all of you who have viewed this project and double thanks to those who commented. Any future advise or suggestions are welcome. By the way these are all the figures I have as far as armies go. There ended up being about 5000 French and allies and 3500 Russian and Austrian coalition troops.

I wish some manufacturer would make more Austrians, as they are poorly represented by volume. AIP would be my preferred choice for a few new sets as they are affordable and a set is either 8 or 10 different figures for infantry and 5 for artillery and 4 for cavalry. I don't think Hat is going there and ACTA sets are only 4 poses of figures per set.

 

[Colebraden2011]

I agree, Middleguard. I wrote AIP a long email asking them to make Austrian infantry and Russian and Austrian artillery, ripe with facts, statistics and emotion! But alas, nothing yet. Maybe one day.
Thanks for posting Middleguard. It was an inspiration and pleasure to see your set up!