Friday, 3 April 2015

Saratoga Campaign 1777: German units

For this campaign, the British rented several regiments from the German principalities of Brunswick, and Hesse. I will be posting shots of my own figures in the coming weeks. I have recently purchased some  Seven Years War Prussian HaT figures which will be painted as below. I just need get some dismounted dragoons for the Brunswick dragoons.
 first group of Prussians getting based.

The uniforms of these regiments were modeled off of the Prussians.
Guidon bearer, Brunswick Dragoner-Regiment Prinz Ludwig, 1776-1777
Guidon bearer, Brunswick Dragoner-Regiment Prinz Ludwig, 1776-1777
Among the German mercenary troops arriving at Quebec in 1776 was a unit of cavalry from Brunswick. Dragoner-Regiment Prinz Ludwig (or 'Prince Ludwig's Dragoon Regiment') was supposed to be given horses in North America, and wore high leather riding boots. Still waiting for horses, they marched south with General Burgoyne's army in 1777 and were captured after the British defeat at Saratoga. Recruits sent from Brunswick allowed the regiment to be reformed at Quebec in 1781. This man's uniform is in the traditional cornflower blue of the Brunswick dragoons. He holds a swallow-tailed cavalry flag called a guidon. Its pole is made in the form of a joisting lance, a fashion of the time. In the centre of the guidon is white horse of Niedersachsen, the crest of the Dukes of Brunswick. Confusingly, a very similar white horse of Hanover was used on British flags at this time. Reconstruction by Gerald A. Embleton. (Parks Canada)
a Grenadier battalion and a regiment.



From www.cmhg.gc.ca The English government had decided to "hire" from German princes the services of their small armies to reinforce its own. At the time, Germany, except for Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony, was divided into hundreds of small autonomous states. Thus, beginning in 1776, thousands of German soldiers crossed the Atlantic to fight alongside the British.

These British and German troops together totalled 8,000 men, approximately 5,000 of whom came from Brunswick and Hesse-Hanau. All were under the supreme command of General John Burgoyne, supported by General Friedrich Adolphus von Riedesel of Brunswick. Burgoyne's primary task was to rid Canada of the Americans, which he accomplished easily in 1776. The next year he was to go with his army to Albany in New York State to join up with the forces of General William Howe. This would cut into two the United States of America - the American colonies had declared their independence on July 4, 1776 - and thus make it easier to neutralize them.


Sapper, Brunswick Infanterie-Regiment von Riedesel, 1776-1777
Sapper, Brunswick Infanterie-Regiment von Riedesel, 1776-1777
Infanterie-Regiment von Riedesel was one of the Brunswick units that marched south with General Burgoyne in 1777. The sappers were tough, elite soldiers whose task was to clear obstacles laid by the enemy. They wore the mitre, the emblem of elite German soldiers, and their uniform was protected by a leather apron; they were equipped with an axe and a saw. Reconstruction by Gerald A. Embleton. (Parks Canada)


Drummer, Brunswick Infanterie-Regiment von Specht, 1776-1777
Drummer, Brunswick Infanterie-Regiment von Specht, 1776-1777
Infanterie-Regiment von Specht was one of the regiments of German mercenaries hired from the duchy of Brunswick that arrived at Quebec in 1777. It accompanied General Burgoyne's expedition south in 1777. Amongst the various German states of this period, it was still common for infantry drummers to wear a uniform in the colour of their colonel's livery. This drummer wears the yellow and red livery of the von Specht family, whose patent of nobility from the Holy Roman Empire dated from 1662. The use of this uniform in Canada is proved by surviving tailors' bills submitted by the regiment to the British authorities. Reconstruction by Derek Fitzjames. (Parks Canada)

Hat Prussian Command and Marching troops


Tuesday, 31 March 2015

Saratoga Campaign 1777

As my main black powder games, I plan to refight the Saratoga campaign based off of the Osprey Publishing. For the next while, I shall be noting the forces of both sides in addition to what I have already posted.



Sunday, 29 March 2015

All work then play

My kindergarten had a graduation ceremony then we had a staff party
First up, s shot of one of the side streets with the Cherry Blossoms coming out.
 Myself with my co-worker, Mike Heffer, ex RAF PTI Corporal, but now our roles are reversed as I'm helping to train him up as an EFL teacher. I wore my Royal Stewart kilt, and now he wants to buy an Irish Revenge one from Sport Kilt. 

The staff party was held at a small bar which also cooked Italian food. This steak was rather good, plus they also had made a good salad, a frois gras plate, smoked salmon, and Lasagna. 

Monday, 23 March 2015

Ye Muntinous Crew of Scurvy Dogs against The King's Men

This was my first play test of "On The Seven Seas". I've read a review of the game after I bought it, but thought, it shouldn't be too bad. It looks like an interesting game, but some of the firing rules are a bit annoying, but that might be to reflect how terrible flintlock and muzzle-loading firearms.
So our story begins. A small port town on a market day. Two ships of His Majesty King George I keep guard over a small colonial town in the colony of Newfoundland 

A small shallop pulls up, with a 12lb gun 

 Some Militia horse come to protect the town.

A battalion of uniformed militia with a gun.

Citizens take up arms to protect their town.

In one of the more insane moves, the Pirates ignore the King's ships and run right into the beach.

Two pirates skiffs run onto the beach, much to the amusement of the Royal Navy.

The Pirates, soused on rum run ashore, attempting to use their fierce and drunk demenor to scare off the militia.
But the townspeople hold their own and begin to trade musket fire
And pirates begin to fall.
The Royal Navy begins to sink the pirate skifs
One final push by the pirates to try and steal some supplies.
A militia cavalry charge
Fierce hand to hand combat results in casualties on both sides.
More pirates are shot down.
Some militia begin to go down.
The central market is becoming a place of death. The King's Officer takes on the Pirate captain, and the officer wins.

The pirates, taking more gunfire from the ships pulls off, even losing their gun.

Note to self, have pirates storm the ships at first to gain the fire support. They will sail into a port again, just maybe one not so well defended.
After I played this game I found the rules to be something which wasn't comparable with my other rule book so I sold the book the figures I have kept. Any pirate style games will be using the Field Glory rules

Saturday, 21 March 2015

The King's Men for On the Seven Seas

These figures I have done up for a variety of periods from 1680 up to about 1765. Granted, by the upper time period, they are stretching it just a bit.

The first figures up are a generic Grenadier/Marine unit, originally a Zeveda Russian Infantry of Peter I for the Great Northern War. I have painted these up as a Grenadier company of the 17th Regiment, but can also become a Marine unit.

I also have a Grenade/Hand mortar fellow, and some choice officers.
Unfortunately I found this gaming system to be too complex with musket, pistol and cannon firing. So it was one of the few and only Osprey publishing book I willingly parted with.


Sunday, 15 March 2015

Happy Birthday Emi

 We took Emi to The Hotel New Otani in Makuhari, Chiba-shi for an all you can eat Strawberry buffet.

Being a 5 star hotel, the restaurant had some really good food. It wasn't just desserts, but also pastas. sandwiches and beverages.