1/32 Austrians vs French (Part 1)
Dated: June 12, 2008.
Last Sunday, my youngest son asked me to play a wargame. He choose the Napoleonic wars, with the Austrians against the French. I used a lot of Hät figures to make my Austrian army. The landwehr units (grey jackets with red facings grey breeches Upper Austrian, white breeches Lower Austrians) and Jägers (grey with green facings) are Hät. For the Austrian cheveaux legers, I converted Hät French dragoons. Also, for the Austrian Uhlans and Hussars, i used the Hät horses, being the best option price/quality.
We used my own 54mm Napoleonic rules, which we've used in our wargame group for the last 10 years. The last year, I spent a lot of time to make the rules publish ready, which is almost done. It has become a book of 78 pages, but I intend to add some scenarios and maybe a skirmish rule.
The French had possession of the town. We started with exchanges of artillery fire and skirmishing. As the line infantry was receiving some blows, and behind the jäger screen, there were only landwehr, I started to advance. My son however charged one of my legere units with the chevaux legers. Two stands could escape, but two were caught and massacred, while one of my cuirassiers countercharged. The cuirassiers chased the cheveaux legers back to their lines with one figure lost, but with the loss of two figures.
Now halved, the cuirassier unit was now charged by hussars and swept away. The hussars, with a breakthrough, charged the second cuirassier unit. They stood firm, destroyed the hussars, but with the loss of two figures. My cavalry was reduced to almost nothing, with two uncommited cavalry units opposed, the situation was desperate. In the center, my infantry advance was stalled by the cannonry and skirmish fire, and on my right I tried to stop the advancing Austrion columns with a cavalry charge. The first hussar regiment was destroyed with almost no losses inflicted. With a river in the rear and my situation turning sour, I started to retreat. Also one hour of playing, was enough for my son, who was very happy to have won the fight.
Dirk Donvil
Belgium
Many thanks to Mr. Donvil