Monrovia V Fenwick : Holding action at Venkheim ..

Monrovia V Fenwick, the Bylandt incursion.... continuing from Battle of Lagerheim ... 

http://tidders-kingdomofwittenberg.blogspot.com/2021/06/the-battle-of-lagerheim.html

Took a while to find my notes on the unit's status after the battle and work out the next scenarios, first in this post a holding action, to be followed by a full rearguard action and then ...

---oXo---

As the Monrovia army retreated from the battlefield of Lagerheim, their cavalry mostly intact were used to shield the infantry as they withdrew (some in big hurry).  In order to give him some time to get some order into the army, the Monrovian commander Count Belladona instructs General Stricknein to block a pursuit by Fenwick with a brigade of dragoons and battalion of jagers at Venkheim.

Meanwhile the Duke of Fenwick consults with his staff on what units could be used for a pursuit...

Decision made, the Fenwick pursuit column is quickly assembled from the least fatigued units and sets off. In command is General von Kessing leading the provincial carbiniers, hussars and the regular horse grenadiers along with some jagers.

Waiting at Venkhiem, General Stricknein has drawn up the brigade of dragoons and placed the jagers on each flank in the woods

The Fenwick pursuit column arrives and starts to deploy..

von Kessing issues the order to attack and they start to advance at a trot...

then speed up to charge as they hit home with the Monrovia cavalry who are counter-charging; the jagers move to try and clear the woods.

The Monrovian leib-dragoons holds the charge from the Fenwick elite horse grenadiers, the second dragoon regiment pushes back the Fenwick carabiniers

The draggons have followed up too far and the supporting hussars attack them in the flank ...

The dragoons break and rout followed in pursuit by the carabiniers, the hussars don't pursue and reform; the horse grenadiers have been pushed back and are struggling to hold back the opposing dragoons

the hussars come to assistance of the horse grenadiers hitting the Monrovian leib-dragoons in the flank who break and rout

The Fenwick jagers have finally managed to clear the woods on either side as the cavalry pursue the fleeing Monrovian dragoons

After a bit the Fenwick cavalry break off the pursuit and reform, to their front a large formation of Monrovian cavalry can be seen in the distance; blown and fatigued they hold position - and await the main body of the Fenwick army.

A victory for Fenwick, but Monrovian holding action was successful in blocking the pursuit

The local Land Militia...

Recruiting party trying to get some men to join the land militia...(Black Hussar Miniatures set + a couple of other figures)

Recruits have flocked to the colours (I bought some nice figures from Eagle Miniatures, topped up with a few spares); on manouvers...

Palace denizens and those of the town ...

Finished my work refurbishing the palace denizens and the people of Wittenberg....

The royal family and close friends  ...

The palace gents

The palace ladies

Members of the royal society ...

The court musicians

The palace guards

King and queen have afternoon tea with some of the courtiers..

the llamas...

Monks and nuns..

Town garrison...

townies ...

Surveyors & Workers ...

bakers busy at military field ovens...

woodsmen at work on the edge of the Sackwald forest

A few more figures still on the painting desk, waiting to be done two sets of Ratnik civilians.

Re-furbishing the palace figures ...

Today got started on cleaning, touching-in and re-basing the palace figures.

First job was to cut out some new bases from clear plastic (culled from the other half's discarded Barbie doll packaging). To do this I used a 16mm crafting circle punch, just robust enough for the job.

The first batch of figures done, the above stairs staff...

quite a lot more to do ( I think I have getting on for 70+ figures for the palace and about 35+ others, then I'll have the Ratnik figures to paint and base - plenty to do 😀 )

Some new display cases ...

Currently for my 18th century collections I am in the process of re-furbishing the 28mm singly based figures along with painting some Black Hussar miniatures civilians; following that I will be re-furbishing the figures for the palace and then I have the Ratnik civilians to paint.

Also in progress is a 'storage jiggle', some of the more larger robust items have been moved to the garage freeing up space indoors for expansion.  I have been looking for some time for suitable display cases to add storage in the gaming room; I have found at last something suitable - acrylic display cases (https://www.acrylicdisplaycases.co.uk/product-category/wall-display-cabinets/) . I bought three two shelf ones - spent some time yesterday installing them.

Hofler's Pandours - Raid into Begovian territory...

continued from the previous post ....

Hofler's pandours approach the ford over the river ....

as they start to cross the ford they see a unit of Begovian infantry formed up in the road to their front

Hofler's pandours step across the ford and open fire,  the Begovians not liking so much hot lead fall back into the wood  ...

The pandours move towards the village and encounter some more Begovian troops on the road...

A couple of volleys from the pandours and they melt away, a Begovian officer is captured...

The pandours now get on with clearing the wood ....

The Begovians run out of the wood followed by the pandours...

The Begovians rally as they are joined by some more men from their main outpost nearby....

The Begovians exchange volleys then charge, the pandours (who had followed them out of the wood) hold them ....

the rest of the pandours join in attacking the Begovians flank, while Hofler contacts the local partisan leader at a nearby farm....

The Begovians out-matched turn tail and run .....

Hofler reforms his pandours and as they set off towards the road a couple of supply carts with infantry escort rumble by...

The pandours move forward and fire on the supply convoy ...

The Begovian infantry escort falls back as more pandours reach the road ....

The remains of the convoy escort joined by a nearby patrol move back towards the road as the pandours take control of the wagons .....

The pandours accurate fire deals with the remaining Begovian convoy escort, as they reach the bridge they can see more Begovian infantry and some cavalry... the way back via the ford is blocked ....

The wagons are set afire and the pandours start to wade across the river ....

The pandours head back to safety, they have the captured Begovian officer and a representative of the local partisans with them as well.

[

Notes: 

1.  Game setup and schema derived from a napoleonic command decision article in January 20201 Miniature Wargames - Peninsular Winter. The gaming table is divided into a nominal grid with Begovians in the way or not depending on dice throw and look-up tables.

2. Objectives

• Capture a Begovian officer - done
• Capture/Destroy supplies - done, supply wagons destroyed and road blocked
• Contact the local partisan leader - done.
• Attack and destroy the main outpost - failed to reach the outpost (just too many Begovians around)

]

Hofler's pandours cross the border ...

 The border area between Wittenberg and Begovia had quietened recently; more information on Begovian deployment and readiness was needed. A number of cross-border patrols and raid were organised.

A Begovian outpost near the border...

Hofler's pandour have crossed the border ...

Their objectives: disrupt the oppositions supply routes, capture a Begovian officer, and meet with locals disaffected by the Begovian armies depradation of the land.