Retreat from Moscow - 25mm Battle Honours Cantinieres or Vivandieres

 

Back in June, Keith over at Bydad blog posted up some pics of some luvvly painted ladies, from Battle Honours here. I thought they would fit in pretty well with my Retreat from Moscow French.

I was a little surprised when the figures arrived in the post looking like they'd been attacked by a giant spider, but I've ot bought a lot of printed figures before, so I guess this is the norm?

Now of course I needed to winterize these luvvly ladies, so out came the Greenstuff, but halfway through I ran out, so instead of waiting for more to arrive, I used some kitchen towel and smothered it in PVA glue, which worked a treat!

I've lost most of the fab detail that was on the figures, but thought they'd like to bit a little warmer?

If you look closely at the figure on the left you can make out the circular pattern on the kitchen towel, but I think it add to the effect?

I must say I'm pleased with my new ladies, so thanks must go to Keith for pointing them out!!!

Retreat from Moscow - 25mm More French Wagons!

Here are my next 2 French wagons for my Retreat from Moscow wagon train.

Both carts are from Warbases, the left is their Hay Cart, the right is their Turnip cart, the horses are from Redoubt Enterprises.

The wagons have nowhere for a driver to sit, so I bought some Redoubt Enterprises French wagons leaders. I chose not to winterize these poor freezing chaps. The reason why was quite simple.....I'd ran out of greenstuff!

I've bought more of the green gold so may add a cloak to the figures.....but probably won't!

Rejects Ray's Ops Room.

 

My Ops Room is finally finished, the walls, ceiling, Painting table and Gaming table are complete!!!

Here's the old room, which I filled with all my stuff after moving in a year ago.

My daughters old computer desk was my makeshift work bench.

While most of my figures, paints and terrain were stuffed into boxes.

The first thing that need to change was a new garage door. Originally it was one of the old up and over style doors, but as this was going to be the new entrance, (I was using the back door, but had to go through my daughters bedroom to do that). I wanted a 1/3 door, rather than opening the whole thing.

The garage was split in two, the back half was the previous owners office, while the front was the home of the bins and any crap that wouldn't fit anywhere else in the house!

So this stud wall had to go!

Now once upon a time in my youth I used to be a bricklayer/builder, but my body now says, "No". So I spoke to Reject Steve who has every handy tool you can ever imagine, to come and do some work.

First thing was a new stud wall, up against the 2/3's garage door.

I did help......I made the tea!

There we have the new stud wall, ceiling, lights and plugs

And my new painting desk too!

Then I started the decorating.

Also need to extend the flooring out to the new threashold.

That's all the decorating done, walls and ceiling all painted white, so its nice and bright!

To give us room to do all that work, I'd put, most of my collection in storage, so with a little help from Postie it all had to be put back in.

Then a month or so later it was was time for the table, as its a garage and I've got a hell of a lot of stuff, I could only really fit in a 6x4 table, but that will do me fine!!!

I wanted it quite high as well, so I can fit loads of boxes underneath, full of terrain and the like.

Its also on wheels, so I can pull it away from the wall.

So here's the table. Well done Steve!

And here it is all loaded with boxes underneath.

 And with a Geek Villian wargaming mat too!

The plan is, when I get around to putting a game on for the Rejects, I can wheel the table to the right, so we can fit in both sides, although it doesn't look like it it does fit.

Now all I need is a name for the new room, anyone think of a good name?

 

1812 The Retreat from Moscow - Ben's 1st game!

 

Just a quick update, sales of 1812 The Retreat from Moscow are going great and today a fellow blogger Ben has posted up a battle report of his first game, 

1812 Retreat from Moscow - Scenario 1 - The Barn at Dawn

Check out Ben's blog  Miniature Wars you may have missed or click the link below. Ben took advantage of the offer to buy both the rules and the 10mm Pendraken figures, he's been busy painting up the figures and making terrain over the last few weeks, so check out his post, he had some real hard decisions to make!!!

https://miniwarsyoumayhavemissed.blogspot.com/2026/08/1812-retreat-from-moscow-scenario-1.html

Retreat from Moscow - French Wagons

Its back to the 25mm Retreat from Moscow project for todays post. I did want to have a few wagons in our first big game at Broadside, but ran out of time.

My plan was or should I say is, to paint up a dozen or so wagons, so we can field a large wagon train running away from Moscow.

So here are the first two. This one is from Iron Gate Scenery with a Redoubt horse.

With a Warbases load.

The next wagon and cart load are both from Depot Battalion, sold by Warbases, The two horses are Iron Gate. 

Now the problem I found is I couldn't find French Napoleonic drivers sold singularly. Most nowadays are sold along with a wagon. Now of course, I'm painting up French figures who should look cold, preferably in a great coat. What to do?

I searched through my massive box of unpainted figures and found these two figures, which are actually, Depot Battalion c17th Century Civilians.

The big cuffed coat worn in that period looks very similar to a Napoleonic French greatcoat. I did need to file the cuffs down a little and replaced the floppy hatted heads with some Warlord plastic heads. I'm very pleased how they came out!

 

15mm Debris of War trees

Daughter no3 Holly, has finally moced all her crap out of my Garage, which has given me time to tidy up a bit before Reject Steve cones round next Friday to build me a wargame table.

Now in this tidying up, I found a bag and to my delight it was a bag of Debris of War trees, that if I'm being honest, I forgot I'd bought.

Now I'm pretty sure these 7 15mm trees were purchased at the very last minute at this years Broadside Show.

They're the start of my 15mm tree collection, so I'll need a few more, that's if Tony at Debris carries on making them?

I do hope so.

The figures are 15mm Essex ysed to scale the wondwrful looking trees.

The Battle of Sezanne 8th Sept 1914 - A WWI Batrep

Six Rejects got together at Reject HQ last Sunday for a game using Posties excellent 6mm Baccus collection, using his own rules, which I think are his best homebrew set!

The side were picked out randomly, Surj and Colin would play the defending Germans with Surj as CiC

While the French were play by me as CiC, Dan and Steve.

This was a semi fictional game set in late 1914 in and around the town of Sezanne, the German army has advanced into the region and set up camp and settled in for the night. The French army are charged with pushing the Germans back off the table edge, by taking 12 of the 22 terrain objectives, the choice was ours. These points were, buildings, crossroads, German camps and a single bridge.

The plan was for me on the right, to try and flank the Germans, Dan in the centre to attack Sezanne and Steve on our left to try for the left flank.

OOB

French

18th Corps - General de Maud'houy

35th Div - Gen Marjoulet

69th Brigade - 6th 3 Battalion & 123rd 3 Battalions

70th Brigade - 57th 3 Battalions & 144th 3 Battalions

Reserve Brigade -  218th 3 Battalions & 249th 3 Battalions

Support - 1st Chasseurs a Peid 1 Battalion

Support - 17th Chasseurs a Cheval 1 regt + Horse Artillery Battery

Support - 1 Company of Pioneers

Artillery - 9 Batteries

Germans

VII Corps - Gen der Kar von Einem

13th Infantry Division - Gen LT von Dem Borne

25th Brigade - 13th 3 Battalions & 158th 3 Battalions

26th Brigade - 15th 3 Battalions & (in Reserve) 55th 3 Battalions

Artillery - 6 Batteries + 3 in Reserve

Steve's troops in the left of the pic

Dan's in the centre, facing Sezanne on the crossroads.

Me on the right

This was an early morning attack, so undercover of a mist we stared moving forward.

All moving up on top of the three hills.

The German's were quite sparce on my side of the table, the points I had to capture are marked in red. First shot of the day, I fired my artillery at the village top right. It would take 12 hits to destroy the village, on that last point, any troops left in the building would be destroyed. BUT, it was hard to hit. O a D10 only a 9 or 10 would count, a 10 being 2 hits.

Poor Surj was very upset with my throw!!

6 hits of the buildings and 7 casualties caused. The company holding the villages were slaughtered to the man. So a great start for the French!!!

Surj did get his own back the following turn destroying one of my batteries.

They're quite hidden, but my Chasseurs a Cheval are sneaking through the woods on the right while their Horse Battery unlimbers by the woods, out of range of the German rifle fire.

Dan, in the centre is moving full speed ahead

And so is Steve

Back to the right flank, my Chasseurs a Cheval are lurking in the woods, waiting for their opportunity to try for the flank. My machine gun can be seen hiding behind the infantry. 

Dan heads towards the hedge for some much need cover.

I take my chance, Surj can only shoot one way, infantry to the front of Cavalry on the flank???

The Germans are putting up a very stout defence of their lines. As they're in cover we need to kill on 7's or above, out in the open its 5 and above. Dan has lost a lot of troops crossing the open ground.

Steve's dice are on fire, he is battering poor Colin out on our left, there are 10 points for Steve to collect here.

Disaster for the Germans but delight for the French. I push the defenders out of the village once again, they failed their morale test after I threw a 10 in artillery firing. They retreat 4 inches, right out into charge reach of my Cavalry. This couldn't have worked out any better???

Steve continues to batter the German's on our left. the retreating Germans can be seen behind the building. But as you can see, Steve's force have also been hit hard. The blue dice are casulty counters

The Chasseurs bugles blow for a charge!

Posties luvvly painted french cav

Surj, realising he's going to lose the melee, withdraws an infantry unit that was dug in on the road, so we didn't follow up our future victory and hit them in the flank.

Its not looking good for Surj?

The German's continue so soak up the fire in the centre, the only way we'll get them out of Sezanne is through those 10'd in artillery fire. But, you can only change who your artillery is firing at if after you've thrown d 10 on a D10 forcing them to take a morale check AND them failing that check. Dan was having a little trouble finding that 10.

Steve takes points for the bridge, the bend on the road the brown building and the T junction.

After destroying the Infantry on the left , I take the points for the camp, having already taken the village and the T Junction. The German Commander narrowly escapes capture.

Dan goes in for a charge

And is heavily defeated and pushed back.

Meanwhile the German reserves have finally entered the battle, on turn 4. They could have come on sooner but they failed the test each time.

Surj also abandons the protection of the hedge and fails back 12 inches. He had to do it or he'd have been over run. But I then moved my Cavalry round again. I've my pick of what to charge next turn

Colin's Reserve 55th Infantry, enter the table, but instead of going to help their own 26th Brigade on their right, they head over to help the 25th.

Steve moves over the hedge, capturing the German camp.

I lose another of my artillery, but all the remaining fire go on the newly arrived German infantry of the 55th Battalion

I start to turn my infantry towards Sezanne. And fire my artillery at Surj's Infantry on the hill.

Again I threw a 10, the German's failed there moral and were pushed back another 4 inches, now with their flank and rear showing.

The German lines are thinning out as they try and cover the French forces.

Surj is starting to realise they're done for.

Its only a matter of time?

Finally both Colin and Surj throw in the towel, they just haven't enough troops left to counter our moves.

Conclusion
Its been a while since we last played Early WWI, looking back it was nearly 2 years ago, here. I must admit I really enjoyed this game, It was very difficult for both sides, The Germans were outnumbered, as they should be with the French doing all the attacking, But they just couldn't handle our dice rolls and not getting the reserve on in time. I was very pleased with how my Chasseurs a Cheval got around the flank and caused havoc. We had a choice where to put them and I'm pleased we picked the right flank, I'm not sure they would have been that effective being deployed anywhere else.
It was the right time to end the game, Surj usually carries on and stays when all hope is lost, but he saw the light and we finished around 3 o'clock which was an early one for us!

Well done to all involved

Ray