Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Battle for German Flat

The main battle report is on the Jackson Gamers web site. You can read more about the battle and the two sides victory conditions there.  Pictures have also been posted on the Nomadic Old School Gamer's blog (see link to right).  The pictures presented here were taken by Jim (AKA Col Campbell).  As usual, please click on the picture for a larger image.

We used the Konig Krieg (1st edition) rules for this game.

The British advanced guard and the 1st Brigade move forward down the rough trail towards the sleepy hamlet of German Flat.  With the rangers and light dragoons to the front, Col Campbell felt fairly safe keeping his 1st Brigade in march column.
Is the sleepy hamlet of German Flat occupied by the French?  Only time will tell.
With war whoops echoing in their ears, the British rangers and light dragoons deploy to face a French allied Indian warband.
As the lead battalions of the 1st Brigade cross the stream, French light infantry make themselves known on the right flank, surprising the other ranger battalion.
While the 42nd Highlanders deploy into the woods in the left background to face off against the French light forces, the other three battalions of the 1st Brigade and the four battalions of the 2nd Brigade began their deployment march to attack German Flat.  The aqua colored stone(s) you will be seeing designate which commands have already moved or fired during the turn.
Later in the action, the French light cavalry attempted to attack a British grenadier battalion in the rear.  In turn, the remnants of the British light dragoons rode to their rescue to attack the French in their rear.  But neither cavalry unit could muster enough courage to complete their attacks, allowing the British grenadiers to about face to oppose the threat.  The French cavalry rode away before the British grenadiers could give them a volley.
A look up the trail, showing the 1st and 2nd Brigades already deployed/deploying in the background across the stream and the long line of provincial infantry marching up the trail.  One provincial battalion is deployed to the left of the trail to provide additional protection against the French allied Indians in the woods.  The other flank of this column is protected by the Highlanders and the grenadiers.
Two French allied Indian warbands attempt to disrupt the deployment of the British infantry.  But two battalions are already turned to meet them, doing devastating execution with their controlled volleys, while the two brigade support guns have turned to fire at the Indians as well.  The Indians didn't like being on the receiving end of the artillery fire and quickly melted into the woods, ending the threat on the British left flank.
A larger view of the developing British attack against German Flat.  You can now see the "French" troops deployed in their defensive positions.  Because the gamemaster had only British and Hanoverian troops, the Hanoverians had to play the part of the French.  Being in red coats didn't help them much at all.
On the British right flank, the 42nd Highlanders try to close with a battalion of French light infantry.  But the Frenchies weren't about to cross bayonets with the "Ladies from Hell" and quickly faded back into the woods.  Another French light battalion is trying to come to the aid of the first but couldn't get close enough to support their comrades.
The British attack against German Flat proceeds apace.  Two French grenadier battalions crossed the wall and came out to "play."  One was destroyed by the green-flagged British battalion (in the center) while the other trades volleys with the yellow-flagged British battalion to the right of the gun.  The battalions in march column all belong to the 2nd British Brigade.  The French inside the hamlet are attempting to redeploy to counter the British moves.
More French crossed the wall to try to stymie the British attack.  The single stand in the left background is all that remains of one of the French battalions after receiving concentrated volleys from the green-flagged British battalion and one of the British guns.  The yellow-flagged British battalion against the wall got there by exploiting their destruction of another French battalion.

With the British 1st and 2nd Brigades closing on the hamlet from one side, the 4th (Provincial) Brigade deploying in the center, and the 42nd Highlanders and British grenadiers moving against the other side, the French in the hamlet decided that they had delayed the "Rosbifs" long enough and quickly decamped to the rear to join the main French army which had just completed the destruction of Fort William Henry and were moving back north to Fort Carillon (AKA Fort Ticonderoga).

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