Skip to main content

10mm Black Powder. 1870 French VI Corps vs Prussian VIII & III Corps: Le Village Est Un Trou.

 Andy invited me over to the Aylesbury club for another Franco-Prussian bash. 

This uses these https://madlemmey.blogspot.com/2019/07/black-powder-1870-stats-and.html

The French VI Corps was holding 'Le Village Est Un Trou', The Prussians had the simple objective, Minor victory - get into the village. Major Victory, breakthrough and cut the French Lines of Communication.
The table from the Prussian lines.


Andy had rolled randomly and got the Prussians, so I was running Canrobert and the French.
French deploy on 'Une Position Magnifique'. Iem Division in the centre, 3em on the left, 2em on the right while 4em reinforces the hill centre.

Unfortunately, the French had not prepared and Iem Division was half-in, half-out of various built up areas and not a coherent line (and probably enjoying breakfast and the local population).

Generalleutnant Albert von Barnekow brings 16th Infantry Division forwards on the Prussian left.


Then Andy has an unprecidented run of blunders (two in a turn, one from the next), his 15th Division artillery wanders off randomly to his left!


While 15th Division advances bravely on the stream crossing, while Andy blunders again and the whole of 16th Division retires quickly, much to von Goeben's disgust.


Prussian guns deploy forwards and 16th Division reemeges from the woods, looking slightly embarressed and with von Groben's screaming ringing in their ears.


French try shooting at limbered artillery, with no effect.


On the left, the French try to advance off the hill to the gap between the village and the wood, their only movement is a single blunder forwards. They try this for six turns, not so much a position magnifique, but a position tragique!


Behind 16th Division, III Corps of the Prussian army arrives, and is brought to a tangled halt while caught up.


Crossing the stream (which turns out to be nothing more than a dry ditch, with the odd muddy patch that means some sergeant will be putting lots of soldiers on charges for muddiness), the 29th Prussian line charges at the village. They try charging, but are stopped by fire and also disordered by Prussian artillery fire.


Who promptly failed their morale test and broke.


Two Prussian regiments (one in line, one in assult column) crash into the 100em ligne.


The Prussians also bring up the fourth regiment in the division, hoping to take on the guns. The guns pin them in place, while the  mitrailleuse inevitably jams!


The Prussians assult the 100em again, this was my save roll, needing 4s to save...


Forcing a morale test on the 100em again.


Pushing them further back again into the village.


The Prussians push hard on into the village, past the gun line. The French 10em repositions to support.


The 100em take seven wounds in the next assult, breaking them and forcing the supporting 10em to withdraw.


Yeah, that went well!


The Prussians continued to make significant gains.


15th Division has done exceedingly well, whereas, the French could not form a coherent defensive line.


The 10em launched a flank charge on the Prussians, and miss with every attack, therefore losing the melee and breaking.


The general situation. The Prussians III Corp is massing to support the VIII corps assult. 15th Division are in the French Iem Division's rear and cutting their line of command. The French retired, split and diorganised.


The French spike their guns and evacuate.


Andy played it really well, great game, and a lot of laughs (especially with the blunders).Loved how the Prussians advanced in nice neat lines, but as soon as the fighting got nasty, it all went random. Gosh, it's almost realistic!
 
Andy sent me his shots of the game too, he's really got some atmospheric ones in here.
French on the central hill


VIII corps artilley form a deadly gun line


Prussian left advances


Prussian assults go in, viewed from the left


The demise of 10em and 100em ligne as the glorious Prussians take the village

 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Frostgrave Warband; a demon!

A demon Hard man - back armour Top down   An orc, been sitting in the pile of shame for a while. He's on a 30x30mm base Probably end up with my gobbos   Four more skeletons, a gift from my lovely neighbour Brian. Two Prinz August self molded skeletons and two games workshop skeletons. Back view Quite a mix of weaponry Charge   Antediluvian Miniatures recently produced these, and I just had to have them! Left - Right Heinrich Kemmler, Lord Krell, Ranlac the Black and Mikeal Jacsen! The four main characters based on the illustrations within 'The Terror of The Lichemaster warhammer 2nd edition mini-campaign. PDF here They are the main antagonsits of the campaign, and genuinely nasty pieces of work! I moved the arm pose on Krell to give him some depth For c£20 they are lot bigger, and a damn sight more affordabl...

Black Powder 1870 Stats and Modifications

1870 Franco-Prussian Conflict in Black Powder Hi all, If you are reading this, it's because. like us, you are Black Powder fans and want to know how we manage the Franco-Prussian War. Anything below is by no way official, just the house rules we have developed over the last few years of playing. A few thoughts first: Fighting in the period is best described as hard fought assaults by Prussians, supported by superior artillery against superior but very strong defensive French lines. All ranges and movements are in cm scale, just to be awkward! All my forces are modelled on 3” square bases, apart from divisional commanders, skirmishers and artillery which have a frontage of 1½” and Corp commanders who are on a 2” base. Feel free to ignore that. My units are regiments of infantry,   brigades of cavalry and skirmish squadrons of cav. Artillery is either battalion as one gun, or a battery of two guns on a base, horse artillery have limbers attached. Army composition...

The random miniatures in my lead pile thread

Hi all, As the months go on, I am finding more random stuff that does not fit into any catagory is creeping it's way up to the surface of my lead mountain.  I decided a few years back, rather than just throw it back like one of Nobby's escaped socks, I would actually paint some of them   Here comes the couragous WWI fighter ace in his Sopwith Camel. Hunting The Red Baron on the Dawn Patrol. Bit bigger than 25mm scale, but he will provide top cover for my Kindred WWI stuff. Yes, you have seen the flight stand before on my epic stuff. He's going so fast, the camera can't focus! "Curse you Red Baron!"   Two more Highlanders from the 80s, thanks to Brian up the road. Armed with two bottles or a sword, who is harder? More plaid Well hard! Top view   A chaos warrior It was free, and I've given it to a mate who runs a chaos armym=, hence th elack of basing as he will do it to his own style. Big chopp...