Friday, 6 May 2022

An attempt at refighting Wittstock 1636 using my Sun King 1670s figures, with the French as the Swedes-Germans and the Allies as the Imperials-Saxons. My regular opponent, Steve, took the Allied side, I took the French side. The table is 6' by 4', the terrain reduced to the very basics of the 1636 battle and with the Allied army deployed first, the French then being positioned, but with them dicing for their reinforcements. The rules are my own; the small dice by the units represent "Fatigue Points", basically "combat wear and tear"  - not very photogenic, I know, but quicker than writing them all down and keeping track on paper! The cavalry action on the steep hill was fast and furious, with the French eventually prevailing, as they did on the other side of the field, but the opposing infantry did not come to blows by the time the game had to end. Here are some photos of the engagement.

The battlefield with the Allied camp in the lower right corner and their army deployed on the plateau beyond the steep hill.

The Allied army deployed to resist an expected attack from the south.

The Allied camp - figures, I think, are by Colonel Bill.

The Allied dragoon regiment in the woods - completely forgotten by Steve for the entire game!
The Allies' fieldworks - the artillery could not move, lacking teams and limbers, these having gone to the rear, i.e. the camp.
The French deploy onto the battlefield - right wing in front, centre behind; their left wing and reserve were reinforcements whose arrival was dependent on the result of regular dice rolls.



Regiment Douglas.
Regiment Anjou.
The Allied left wing lined up in the valley between the plateau and steep hill - cuirassiers and light horse units; the cuirassiers are double squadrons, large and hard to beat!
The Dutch Regiment Reede.

The Allied right wing cavalry - light horse and cuirassiers units.
Allied foot - Ingen-Nielant and Münster Regiments.
French cavalry on the steep hill; the latter counted as severe ground so units accumulated "Fatigue Points" just moving over it.
The Allied left wing moves to engage the French force.
Hasty redeployment by the Allies on the plateau.



The Spanish Alcantares Regiment.
The French reserve arrived on the battlefield pretty promptly and was soon moving up behind the right wing and centre troops.
The opening cavalry fights on and around the steep hill.

The French left wing makes its way onto the battlefield through the rough ground south of the Allies original position.

The French ignored the Allied camp and concentrated on defeating the Allies' troops first.

Brandenburg foot - Regiment Graf van Dohna.




A cuirassier squadron of Austrian Regiment Bamberg.

Regiment Grancey waits behind Regiment Anjou, with a light gun in draught close by.

The French have cleared the steep hill of their cavalry opponents, but the line of foot was too intimidating to attack!
A cuirassier squadron from the Austrian Regiment Caprara about to beat a squadron of the French Regiment Foix.
A French light gun deployed for action.




The ongoing cavalry action on the Allied right wing.


The Brandenburgers have formed Stand of Pikes in the lower part of the picture, the best all-round defence against cavalry, whereas the Regiment Münster has remained in line.





The closing phase of the battle, with the steep hill in French hands...
...but with the plateau still held by the Allies.





6 comments:

  1. Looks great! While the game is played on a grid, it does not appear that play is actually governed by the grid. Is this correct?

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    1. Hi, the grid is just the terrain hexes, which I acquired many years ago and had "improved" by Steve of Tunnies Terrain. The game plays to normal wargames rules.

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  2. Thank you for taking the time to put up so many pictures and to record the game. I am a big fan of your blog, especially as it marries the larger table with the 6 x 4, which is where i find myself. Thanks very much for sharing your game, very inspiring for me to get more and painted and games to the table.

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  3. Superb armies, gabbions and camp!

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