Pictures of Wargames Past.......Shades of Havoc Past

More photos from the Havoc held at the former Grant Road gym, now removed.   A game of La Haye Saint with Scott Montieth pictured moving some French figures and a bout of Shako with Steve Umbrell.

Steve Umbrell takes center stage in this game of Shako

Mark Fatuso watches as Steve makes his cunning move

Wellington's eye view of the action at La Haye Saint

Scott shuffles his French forward

Pictures of Wargames past....Scot Montieth's Alternative Waterloo

My Friend Scot Monteith ran an Alternative Waterloo at another Havoc....

Where is Ney?

Combined arms

Action on the flank

I forget what made this an alternative Waterloo.  .  I just remember the fun and camaraderie and my late friend Scott.

En Avant!

Big Battle!

Pictures of Wargames Past.... Honor and Courage Waterloo at Havoc

I found a treasure trove of old pictures from wargames past and thought I might add them to my blog.  Here goes.  The first series of photos come from a game of Honor and Courage Napoleonics designed by my good friend Matt Iverson.  This was Waterloo played at a Havoc Convention at Fort Devens where I work. 

The French shelter behind their damaged grand battery.

Matt, on the left, leans into the Allied defense along the ridge.

The French cavalry advance

The British cavalry packed onto the reverse slope

The Dutch Belgians and Nassauers anchor one flank

The ridge at Waterloo

The conflict rages

Chain of Command France 1940 Campaign at Old Colony Wargame Club

It's 1940.  While German engineers work to restore a damaged bridge, forward elements of a German Motorized unit, sans vehicles, are under orders to clear two of three French controlled areas and exit a unit off the board.  After a well played patrol phase the game begins.  Tom Desmond created a beautiful looking French Village.  After having their ability to call in artillery from off board frustrated by the French judicious use of chain of command dice to interrupt their efforts, the Germans, mindful that this is a campaign, chose to cut their losses and withdraw. 

The beautiful village of Martini sur Desmond

Beware the killer jambon! The cows didn't fare too well in their presence.

Obiarschina 1812

This scenario is taken from Michael Legrand's new Carnage and Glory Scenario Book for the Northern wing of the French invasion of Russia (1812).  The scenario book covers the clashes and battles of the Franco-Bavarians under Oudinot and later St Cyr (the Owl) as they cover Napoleon's left flank during his advance on Moscow.  Wittgenstein advances on the French and covers St. Petersburg by doing so. 
In this action GM Kunliev leads Wittgenstein's Advanced Guard following up on General of Division Legrand's retreating French.  After retiring for a few days the French turn to face their pursuing enemy at Obiarschina. 

Kunliev's Advanced Guard moves on to the constricted terrain in maneuver column.

The Russian cavalry deploy into extended order and enter the protection of the woods to avoid the batteries lining the high ground to their front.
 

The French begin to move off the ridge, taking care not to mask their batteries.  Legrand's division of 4 brigades of infantry and Castex's cavalry brigade have changed their orders from defend and support to attack!

The crossroads showing the Advanced guard cavalry of Cossacks and Hussars in extended order in the woods while Leo's Dragoons approach in maneuver column down the other road. 

The Division batteries on the crest of the hill. Already the French advance is beginning to obstruct the guns.

 

Peter runs the computer under the watchful eyes of Napoleon himself.  Rich contemplates his next move.

Russians continue to use the cover nature has provided. 

Things begin to bunch up on the French left

The action begins with a cavalry melee between three French Chasseurs a Cheval (CaC) and two Russian Dragoon units.

Close up of the cavalry clash as the troops move closer together.

The French infantry move forward.  The guns are masked.

The Russian Commanders.  Mark has the infantry, Leo the dragoons, and Steve the Advanced Guard cavalry.

Steve's Cossacks and Hussars in extended order attack a French battalion in Division column along with a Russian infantry battalion in column.  The Coordinated attack in the woods causes the French to fall back prior to melee.

Rich's CaC falter in front of the Russian horse artillery battery Leo has deployed whilst his dragoons also falter in front of the French infantry in line.  Ouch.  One of Leo's dragoon units has withdrawn to the right.

The commander's contemplate the action.

Mike deploy's has CaC squadrons into extended order in the woods on the French left.  Note the Russian horse battery is in play and the CaC in extended order on the French center are masking the infantry as Rich pulls back to the wood line.

Cavalry battle it out in the woods.  The Grodno Hussars are rated as crack versus the CaC who are veterans.  The hussars prevail with minor casualties on both sides as they are in extended order.

I made a mistake as GM and allowed the cavalry to charge out of the woods.  After rereading the rules I determined that this is not allowed and it seems to make sense to me.  

The CaC retreat behind the safety of the guns to lick their wounds and recover command integrity. 

The guns are finally unmasked.  Rich has established a defensive line on the French right, the French center and left are in disarray.  A major Russian victory has been achieved.  The French will not be able to secure their territorial objective of driving the Russians from the board. 
 

A fun and challenging game.  The terrain (nice job constructing this Steve Umbrell) provides a real challenge for the gamer.  I am looking forward to playing this scenario again now that I have contemplated the terrain and seen how a different commanders are approaching this puzzling scenario. 

Fall In 2018

Steve Umbrell and I drove down to Fall In at the Host in Lancaster, PA.  This was the first Fall In I had attended (it usually falls astride my wife's birthday and I had to receive special dispensation to attend this year).  I ran the Battle of Oravais, 1808 between Sweden and Russia.  This was the largest battle of the war with about 5000+ troops on each side.  After a play test I had adjusted the objectives for each side in an attempt to get the Swedes to operate in a more aggressive posture.  This worked and resulted in a minor Swedish victory.  The actual campaign and battle ended with a Russian victory and resulted in Finland become a Russian province.  Unfortunately I was so caught up in running the game that I failed to take any photographs.  I remedied that error with the other games I participated in, two games run by Tom Garnett as part of a Peninsular War Campaign set in 1808.  The French must breach the Ebro River line.  In the first game I played the Spanish, in the second the French.  It's good to be French.  I also played in a Prussia versus Saxon 1813 game run by John Snead and took photos of the Battle of Champion's Hill (ACW) and another 1813 Saxon versus Prussia contest.   


Champion's Hill.  The photo shows the vice which caught the Rebs between three union fires at the angle of the fence and stream.  After surveying the terrain I would have pulled the Rebs back to the hill - beyond the far tree line and defended in depth from that location.  Easier said than done of course. 

A close up of the bloody angle. 

The first of the Peninsular War games defending the Ebro River Line.  The French approaching the Ebro, attempting to cross at the ford on the left.  Our Spanish militia garrison the town. 



The French were mostly conscripts and Spanish Militia would make them work hard to dig us out of our sacred land. 

The Spanish grenadiers come down from the reverse slope to face off against the French crossing the river.  This was a mistake in hindsight.  They were defeated and Spanish Army morale broken.  It was a challenge to play the Spanish and as long as your expectations were in line with historical reality, it could be fun.  Indeed it was in this case. 

I learned my lesson and was the French in the second game in the campaign.  We had moved down the Spanish side of the River to the next town and encountered a line of Spanish set behind a ridge to the left of the town pictured above.  The French quickly swept the Spanish off the ridge using a combined arms attack of cavalry and infantry and artillery.  Pictured above is a spoiling attack launched by the Spanish cavalry as the French pursue the remnants of the Spanish infantry toward the town and off the table. 

My best troops were two Polish battalions who didn't get into the action until the final turns, smashing the Spanish behind the walls in the orchard on the right of the picture.  A major French Victory was achieved against a well played Spanish foe.  It was good to be French. 

1813, looking from the Saxon camp towards Yorks advancing Prussians. 

The game gets under way.  Weather played a role in this one.  Heavy rain kept the effectiveness of the  musketry to a minimum.  I ran the Prussians at the top right or Prussian right flank.  We should have spent a few more turns softening up the Saxons before launching our attacks.  We paid the price.  Tony, who commanded our left flank was more judicious in his approach and ended up doing better.  Good job Tony.

A final shot of the first Spanish game showing our militia dug into the town.  The smoke denotes a fire started by French artillery fire.  My militia were unable to get out of the town section on their initial attempt and over 50 were roasted in the flames. 

Another Saxon versus Prussian clash I watched unfold before running off to another game.  The Saxon's are poised for a counter attack.