More Canaanites

MY Pendraken order, as well as giving me enough figures for four units of Canaanite open-order javelinmen, has allowed me to create another unit of Canaanite biblical infantry.

As usual with my 10mm figures, they are best viewed from a distance

I now have six units of specifically Canaanite biblical infantry, and four of open-order javelinmen

Under Neil Thomas's biblical rules in Ancient & Medieval Wargaming, a Canaanite/Philistine army has 2-4 units of chariots (light, bow-armed, elite), 2-4 of spearmen (biblical infantry, light protection, levy), 2-4 units of skirmishers (javelinmen, light protection, open order, levy) and 0-1 of archers (light protection, open order, levy).

A Philistine army has an extra option: up to one unit of guards (biblical infantry, medium armour, average).

"The list is designed to cover states operating in what is now Israel, Palestine, Lebanon and Syria," Thomas states.

He adds: "It can also be used for the armies of the Mitanni, and even the Hammurabic Babylonian armies."

The latter get an addition to their list: 1-2 units of close-order archers (light protection, levy).

My biblical forces now total:

Close-order infantry 17

Open-order archers 15.5

Close-order archers 4

Chariots 12

Camels 9

Open-order slingers 6

Auxiliaries 7

Open-order javelinmen 7

Close-order cavalry 2

Open-order cavalry 12

Close-order infantry with spears and bows 3

Point Taken

WHILE carrying out my biblical stocktake a few weeks ago, I noticed I was somewhat short of open-order javelinmen, having just three units.

Since a Canaanite/Philistine army requires at least two such units under Neil Thomas's rules in Ancient & Medieval Wargaming, and can have as many as four, action was needed.

I accordingly sent an order to Pendraken, which, among its many virtues, is a fast turnaround.

Four new units of light javelinmen

They have joined units of close-order biblical infantry in the Canaanite box

Revised unit totals.

Close-order infantry 16

Open-order archers 15.5

Close-order archers 4

Chariots 12

Camels 9

Open-order slingers 6

Auxiliaries 7

Open-order javelinmen 7

Close-order cavalry 2

Open-order cavalry 12

Close-order infantry with spears and bows 3

Full Force

I AM glad I decided to take stock of my biblical forces as it turns out I have quite a bit more of a collection than I realised.

This is what comes from buying and painting in dribs and drabs, rather than following a plan.

Some troops, eg the bulk of the Egyptians, have such a distinctive appearance that it would be difficult for them to pass as anyone else's.

However most troops, especially open-order archers, slingers and javelinmen, are much more interchangeable.

Here are the unit totals:

Close-order infantry 16

Open-order archers 15.5

Close-order archers 4

Chariots 12

Camels 9

Open-order slingers 6

Auxiliaries 7

Open-order javelinmen 3

Close-order cavalry 2

Open-order cavalry 12

Close-order infantry with spears and bows 3

It seems the one troop-type I am definitely short of is open-order javelinmen, and I am taking steps to rectify that.

I fielded massed chariots at Kadesh, but perhaps a few more squadrons for my collection would also come in handy

First Canaanites Painted

I FOUND it difficult sourcing suitable Canaanite infantry for my biblical project, until I came across Pendraken's Great Fyrd Anglo-Saxons from the company's 10mm Dark Ages range.

The spearmen, suitably painted, would clearly make ideal Canaanites, and so I ordered four packs of 30 figures.

The order arrived in one large pack, but unfortunately there were only 119 figures.

However, this turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as I made up the shortfall with a leftover Assyrian standard-bearer.

His distinctive appearance, having scale-bronze body armour, will come in handy should I need to designate one unit as of superior quality to its brethren.

The 'Assyrian' is in the front row of the unit on the extreme left

I have been steadily painting figures for my project, but I have been doing it largely without a specific plan, painting more-or-less what takes my fancy.

So I reckon it is time to go through what I have ... and what I still need.

(to be continued)

Refighting Hohenfriedberg (part two)

The Prussian army consists of King Frederick (rated exceptional), seven battalions of regular foot, 1.5 battalions of grenadiers, one unit of jäger, four squadrons of cuirassiers, four squadrons of dragoons, two squadrons of hussars and three guns.
The Austrian army consists of Prince Charles, 10 battalions of regular foot, one battalion of grenadiers, one unit of grenzer (light infantry), three squadrons of cuirassiers, one other squadron of heavy horse,  five squadrons of dragoons and other medium horse, two squadrons of hussars and three guns.

Overview of the battlefield as dawn breaks with the armies already very close to each other

Looking from behind Pilgramshain and the Austro-Saxon left

Looking from behind Günthersdorf in the centre

The situation on the Austro-Saxon right

For a battle not involving British troops, Hohenfriedberg is surprisingly well-covered in English-language publications.
As usual I will be relying mainly on the accounts of two historians: Thomas Carlyle, who walked the battlefield while preparing his biography of Frederick, and Reed Browning, whose book The War Of The Austrian Succession came out in 1993. There is also a short account on Wikipedia, a surprisingly full one at BritishBattles.com and another one online at   https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclop%C3%A6dia_Britannica/Hohenfriedberg
All the units on my battlefield are Pendraken figures painted in the uniforms of the three countries, and in several cases I have managed to put regiments in more-or-less their exact positions on the battlefield.
For example in a prominent position on the Austrian right are the Hohen-Ems Cuirassiers and Sachsen-Gotha Dragoons, whose defeat by Prussian horse led to the wounding and capture of an Austrian commander, General von Berlichengen, who was later reprimanded by Frederick, tongue-in-cheek it would seem, for verbally abusing his captors.

In the front line of Austrian horse beside the hamlet of Thomaswaldau are the Hohen-Ems Cuirassiers (right) and the Sachsen-Gotha Dragoons (left), and between them are the Liechtenstein Dragoons

The battle is considered to have been quite a close affair until the Bayreuth Dragoons, an oversized regiment of 10 squadrons, held back in the centre for just such a moment, charged into a gap in the Austrian infantry line and began a general rout.

Frederick, on a grey charger, can be seen attached to the Bayreuth Dragoons in the rear

Victory in our refight, in which I will be up against my regular wargames opponent in our continuing campaign of recreating the War of the Austrian Succession, will be decided as usual on army points.
The relevant rule in Game Of Kings reads: "Total each side's army points at the start of a battle using 3pts for a general, 2pts for a foot battalion and 1pt for each other unit (including light infantry) ... an army loses when its army points fall below half the starting total."
In this case, Frederick's half-battalion of grenadiers on the Prussian right will count as an 'other unit'. So the Prussian army points are: Frederick (3), seven battalions of regular foot (14), 1.5 battalions of grenadiers (3), one unit of jäger (1), four squadrons of cuirassiers (4), four squadrons of dragoons (4), two squadrons of hussars (2) and three guns (3). That is a total of 34pts.
The Austro-Saxon army points are: Charles (3), 10 battalions of regular foot (20), one battalion of grenadiers (2), one unit of grenzer (1), three squadrons of cuirassiers (3), one other squadron of heavy horse (1),  five squadrons of dragoons and other medium horse (5), two squadrons of hussars (2) and three guns (3). That is a total of 40pts.
Prussian foot, excepting the jägers, get a +1 modifier for musketry throws.
Grenadiers in both armies count as elite, as does Prussia's Garde du Corps cuirassiers, who are on Frederick's right supporting the attack on the Saxons, and Austria's Modena Cuirassiers, who are in reserve with Charles behind Thomaswaldau.
The river can only be forded by cavalry, and it takes them a complete turn.
The hamlets played little part in the battle - they were apparently too insignificant, among so many troops. to be garrisoned. Accordingly they provide no cover but do affect line-of-sight. and they slow movement by half.
Charles's forces were somewhat demoralised by the realisation they had been caught on the hop - not for the first time - by their enemy. Frederick has the initiative for the first five turns, which gives him the right to go first or second in those turns, and any Austro-Saxon unit having to take a morale test in those turns suffers a -1 modifier.
By the way, reports of the sizes of the two armies nearly always show the Prussians having a huge preponderance in artillery. This is usually the case in the War of the Austrian Succession, but it is because the numbers include tiny battalion guns which were given to Prussian infantry. It is partly to account for these that I give Prussian infantry a +1 modifier (but the main reason is that Prussian foot were the best in Europe).

Mid-18th Century Update - Austria

Here are my Austrian forces

Front row (left to right) are battalions of Baden-Baden and Prinz von Sachsen-Hildburghausen foot, a 12pdr gun, a howitzer, Grenzer, a battalion of Prié-Turinetti foot and a half-battalion of Deutschmeister grenadiers.
In the second row are two battalions of von Lothringen foot, a combined battalion of Lothringen-Los Rios grenadiers, and battalions of Los Rios and Deutschmeister foot.
The third row has Hohen-Ems kürassiere, Liechtenstein dragoons, two squadrons of Modena kürassiere supported by a further half-squadron, Csáky de Keresztszegh hussars (temporarily missing their commander) and Eugen von Savoy dragoons.
At the rear are Nagy-Károly hussars, von Cordova kürassiere, Sachsen-Gotha dragoons, Fürst Batthyányi dragoons and four generals: von Kornberg, von Neipperg, Prinz Karl von Lothringen (aka Prince Charles of Lorraine) and Fürst von Lobkowitz.
In all, the Austrians have 8.5 battalions of foot, one unit of light infantry, four squadrons of kürassiere, four squadrons of dragoons, two squadrons of hussars, a gun, a howitzer and four generals.

Mid-18th Century Update - Prussia

I HAVE been gradually expanding my collection of mid-18th century armies.

Frederick the Great and his Prussians in five rows

At the front (left-to-right) are a combined battalion of Glasenapp-Lehwaldt grenadiers, three 9pdr guns, von Leps grenadiers and Jäger von Noble.
The second row has single battalions of von Grävenitz and von Röder foot and, to the right, two battalions of von Glasenapp foot.
The third row has von Lehwaldt, von Leps and Markgraf von Brandenburg-Schwedt foot.
In the fourth row are King's hussars, Garde du Corps (kürassiere), Markgraf von Bayreuth dragoons, von Platen dragoons, Markgraf von Brandenburg-Schwedt kürassiere, Red hussars, von Buddenbrock kürassiere and Porzellan dragoons.
At the rear, either side of Frederick the Great, are the yellow-coated Prinz von Preussen kürassiere and the blue-coated Württemberg dragoons.
In all, the Prussians have one general, 8.5 battalions of foot, one unit of jäger, four squadrons of kürassiere, four squadrons of dragoons, two squadrons of hussars and three guns.

The Battle of Mollwitz

TOMORROW sees the 275th anniversary of the Battle of Mollwitz - the opening major clash of the War of the Austrian Succession.
It should also see the start of my refight of the war, which will consist of recreating the major battles from the key central European theatre of the war on or as close to their 275th anniversaries.
I hope to refight each battle against my regular wargame opponent, using a campaign system adapted from chapter seven of Donald Featherstone's 1970 book War Game Campaigns.

The cover of my copy of War Game Campaigns fell apart through frequent use

Since I will be hosting each battle, my opponent will have choice of sides (although his strong pro-French sympathies will often make this a foregone conclusion).
The winner of each battle will score two points, with a bonus point if a victory reverses the historical outcome. A draw will mean one point for each general.
Mollwitz, with the possible exception of the Battle of Fontenoy, is probably the most refought battle of the mid-18th century, largely due to the exciting version recorded in Charles Grant's book The War Game (a glance inside the front cover shows this sold for £3 when it was published in 1971).
He gives a good, brief account of the original battle, and an even easier-to-access one can be found at Wikipedia.
I will be basing mine largely on the accounts by Thomas Carlyle and Reed Browning.

I obtained Browning and Carlyle secondhand

The forces for my refight will be as follows.
Prussia:  King Frederick II, seven battalions of regular foot, one battalion of grenadiers, two squadrons of cuirassiers, two squadrons of dragoons, half a squadron of hussars and three guns.
Austria: Count Wilhelm Reinhard von Neipperg, four battalions of regular foot, one battalion of grenadiers, four squadrons of cuirassiers, four squadrons of dragoons, one squadron of hussars and two guns.
A word is on order about the number of guns (or batteries, if you prefer). I have seen refights on the internet in which the Prussians are given up to five times the number of guns of the Austrians. This is inherently quite improbable and seems to be based on including 3pdr Prussian battalion pieces as part of the general artillery.
The firing of battalion guns, at least in my rules, is subsumed within the rules for musketry, and in my defence I can point out that my numbers are not too far off the proportions of those used in Grant's refight. He gave the Prussians eight units of line infantry, two of grenadiers, two of heavy cavalry, one of light cavalry and three batteries. The Austrians consisted of six units of line infantry, one of grenadiers, four of heavy cavalry, two of light cavalry and one-and-a-half batteries.
Grant's forces consisted of 30mm Spencer Smiths on a table 9ft by 7ft. That is a substantial size of table, but the use of 30mm figures and the large size of Grant's units - a regiment of infantry was made up of 48 men and five officers - meant a considerable edge-of-the-world effect played its part on both flanks of the table.
My forces will be 10mm Pendrakens on a table 6ft by 2.5ft. These factors combined with my smaller units - a battalion of infantry consists of 16 men and one officer - means that whatever other criticism can be made of my refight, edge-of-the-world should not be among them.