Napoleonics is popular at the moment at the club - probably because everyone now has a reasonable sized army in 28mm.
In this game, a French force just about managed to winkle out a very timid Spanish/Portuguese defending army. The highlight/lowlight of the game was when the French commander of the Light Cavalry Brigade was mortally wounded in melee. Still - everything he gave, he gave for the glory of France
At the club, a refight of the Battle of The clouds during the American War of Independence was hosted. The British seemed to have the unenviable task of dislodging the Americans from a defended ridge line. In the actual battle, fought in September 1777, there was a torrential downpour and the American cartridges were soaked and ruined by the rain. Washington was then forced to retreat, leaving the field to the British.
I didn't stay long enough to see if history was repeated or reversed, but a certain club member completely redeemed himself, after last week's despicable table-top cowardice (see 23rd January post), when he was seen admirably leading the Queen's Rangers in bravely attacking the American positions!
In this reverse of historical fortunes an army of dour Scots Covenanters defeated a New Model Army force led by the Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell, himself. The Parliamentarians held the Scots off effectively on the left flank and in the centre of the line, but the Scots horse overwhelmed a smaller company of Ironsides on their far left flank and broke a unit of foot on the left-centre of the line.
Cromwell himself was wounded and had to be escorted from the battlefield!
In this well-balanced scenario, the Americans - represented by 2 infantry battalions, supported by a company of Shermans, and off-table 105mm howitzers - had to clear several villages of German defenders - represented by 2 understrength infantry battalions and a couple of Stugs.
The American infantry battalion on the left flank made steady progress in pushing towards their objectives, whilst the battalion on the right flank exhibited one of the most sickening acts of cowardice in the history of Nottingham Wargames Club, when they decided to hide behind cover and refuse to advance against the enemy! This left the Shermans to advance unsupported, resulting in two of them sustaining heavy damage.
Despite this disgraceful display, the German morale eventually cracked and they retired from the battlefield, giving the Americans the win.
