Hooptedoodle #490 - Power Supply Management in the Post-Truth Age?

 

Last night I received a text message from our electricity supply company, apologising for frequent short outages over the last few months, and especially during 27th-30th Sept (?). This remarkable note explains that these are due to environmental situations such as trees touching overhead lines and cattle rubbing against electricity poles - yes - you did read that last bit correctly. They go on to state that they are going to build some fences and do some tree-trimming to address these problems.

 

Of course we have to be grateful, and one is keen not to say the wrong thing, but it seems there may be evidence of bulls making a bit of a mess as well. I would be more convinced if the lady on the supply company's helpdesk in Birkenhead hadn't told me a month ago that the problem seemed to be the supply being (automatically?) switched between areas at times of peak load. [We the customers have already done some investigation to check whether the outages coincided with time-switches turning on the big grain dryers on the local farms, which was interesting, though inconclusive.]

 

It also surprises me that cattle should rub against the poles at exactly 6:30am or 7pm each day - creatures of habit, obviously. I consider it unlikely that there are any livestock (apart from horses, which are fenced away from poles, and pigs, which are kept indoors) within 30 miles of here. Generally, I'd be more convinced if the note didn't read as if it were written by AI, or maybe Ms McOswald's class at the primary school.

WSS: The Battle of Neues Ritterheim, June 1703

 Busy day today, as I was delighted to welcome my good friend Baron Stryker to take part in my first face-to-face wargame at Chateau Foy for more than two years.

The Baron had to travel by a relay of stagecoaches, so we were under a little pressure to crack on with the action in the available time. Stryker was Prince Eugène, commanding the Imperial troops, and I was Marshal Marsin, in charge of the French. Let's start here with a battlefield map and the OOB:

French Army (Maréchal de France Ferdinand, Comte de Marsin)         
(9 horse; 14 foot; 2 art; 5 leaders)

Vertilly’s Cavalry Brigade [1] (Marquis de Vertilly)

Gendarmérie de France (6 Sqns) (elite)

Régt de Grignan (3 Sqns)

Régt de La Baume (3 Sqns)

Régt de La Vallière (3 Sqns)

De Broglie’s Cavalry Brigade [2] (Marquis de Broglie)

Régt du Mestre de Camp (3 Sqns)

Régt du Roi (3 Sqns)

Régt de Tarnault (3 Sqns)

Dragons de La Vrillière (3 Sqns)

Bligny’s Infantry Brigade [3] (Marquis de Bligny)

Régt de Béarn (2 Bns)

Régt de Champagne (2 Bns)

Régt du Dauphin (2 Bns)

Régt de Languedoc (1 Bn)

1 field battery

De Maulevrier’s Infantry Brigade [4] (Marquis de Maulevrier)

Régt de Navarre (2 Bns)

Régt de Nettancourt (1 Bn)

Régt de Poitou (2 Bns)

Régt de Saintonge (1 Bn)

Régt de Toulouse (1 Bn)

1 field battery

 

Imperial Army (Prince Eugène de Savoie)         
(8 horse; 15 foot; 2 art; 5 leaders)

Niederhammer’s Cavalry Brigade [1] (Generalmajor Graf Niederhammer)

Alt-Hannover Kürassiere (3 Sqns)

Cusani Kürassiere (3 Sqns)

Gronsfeld Kürassiere (3 Sqns)

Aufseß Dragoner (Franconian) (3 Sqns)

Kegel’s Cavalry Brigade [2] (Generalmajor Dieter-Sebastian von Kegel)

Jung-Darmstadt Kürassiere (3 Sqns)

Lobkowitz Kürassiere (3 Sqns)

Leibregiment zu Pferd (Hessen-Kassel) (3 Sqns)

Spiegel Karabiniere (Hessen-Kassel) (3 Sqns)

Furneburg’s Infantry Brigade [3] (Generalmajor Furst von Furneburg) 

IR Alt-Salm (1 Bn)

IR Gschwind (2 Bns)

IR Palffy (1 Bn)

IR Scharfenstein (2 Bns)

IR Thürheim (2 Bns)

1 field battery

Backer’s Infantry Brigade [4] (Generalmajor Von Backer (Osnabrück)) [3 Bns have battalion guns]

IR Lothringen (3 Bns)

IR Erbprinz (Hessen-Kassel) (1 Bn)

IR Leib zu Fuß (Hessen-Kassel) (1 Bn)

IR Prinz Wilhelm (Hessen-Kassel) (1 Bn)

IR Stückrad (Hessen-Kassel) (1 Bn)

1 field battery

 

We started the game at 11am, and Stryker clinched victory with the required 9 Victory Points at close to 3pm, which is good going, allowing for a 45-minute lunch break. Rules in use were my own CJ Lite set - a streamlined version of Corporal John. This was also the first time CJ Lite rules have been used in a f2f game - no problems, I'm pleased to report.

 

Before the soldiers came (and before the dining chairs were taken away), here's a peaceful view of the field, showing the coach road to Landau passing through the village of Sankt Albertus Magnus. Possession of the village was to be worth 1 bonus VP

 

More Tripadvisor stuff - here is the monument to Charlemagne on the south side of the valley...

 

...and here you see the statue of the Saint, with a very fine dunghill at the end of the church. [Merde]

 

First action was the cavalry on the French right [Allied left] squaring up to each other; a lively start, but the ground was not ideal for mounted action, and this quickly bogged down. The units with the red counters attached are the two sections of the Gendarmérie de France, no less, the only elite troops on the table, who performed very disappointingly throughout...

 

...here you see this position from behind the Allied lines, with General von Kegel putting pressure on the French elites

 

This is Furneburg's brigade, preparing to advance

 

Predictably, there was some cavalry activity on the French left also; Niederhammer's Austrian brigade managed to gain the initiative, but this, too, ran out of steam. Here you see the French Régiment du Roi suffering the embarrassment of being forced to take shelter in a kale field, to avoid the Imperial cuirassiers 

 

 

French elite cavalry making very heavy weather of a situation which Vertilly expected to dominate

 

In the French centre, Marshal Marsin (grey coat) brings up the Regt de Nettancourt

 

The infantry engagement in the middle of the battlefield developed into a grim struggle, both sides managing to gain some successes. Furneburg made excellent use of some favourable movement bonuses to bring up his line

 

 

At this stage the Austrians have an impressive line across the centre, but they are getting short of reserves

 

The French took possession of the village very early, but were driven out rather easily - the Austrians made effective use of battalion guns in this particular fight

 

A sight to chill the bones of any commander: Baron Stryker seen looming over the field, photographing his troops' glorious progress for posterity

 

Thus the battle settled into a situation where the Imperial troops had a firm hold on the village, and the two cavalry fights were indecisive...

 

...though the French did manage to lose both their cavalry commanders in quick succession

 

The Gendarmes were still failing to impress anyone...

 

...and Eugène/Stryker won 9-6. No complaints from the opposition - a worthy victor

 

 

A couple of incidental shots; this is the Régiment de Lavallière, on the French right, who spent most of the action in reserve, trying not to block possible retreat routes for their more illustrious colleagues

 

 

The French still had some units in good shape at the end, but they had no opportunity to make a comeback

 

The village is in Imperial hands

 

One of Eugène's Hessian auxiliary units - they didn't do very well; looked nice though

 

Random shot of an Austrian gun - this is a real oldie - 1970s miniatures from the original Eric Knowles collection I purchased in 2019

My thanks to Stryker for his company and courageous disposition; excellent fun!

WSS: Game Coming Up on Thursday

 All set up, ready. This will be the first face-to-face game I've hosted for over 2 years, so I'm really looking forward to it.

Somewhere in the Rhineland, not far from Landau, mid-1703. On your left you see Prince Eugène of Savoy with an Allied army (Austrians and Hessians), opposed by a French force commanded by Marshal Marsin.

If you drop by here later in the week, you should read more about it. 1970s-style 20mm toy soldiers; linear warfare - you'd better believe it.

Hooptedoodle #489 - It's a Living

 My compliments to Count Goya, who has outed me. He sent this evidence of my current gig in the real world. Well, in Fife, actually.

It isn't easy keeping things together when you are a a 250-year old retired general without a Skilled Worker visa. If you live near Kinghorn and you want a little plastering or light joinery work done, I might know someone. Cash only, please.  

More Hills and Even Further Away

 Travelling again - my life seems to have taken on an unfamiliar level of sophistication, not to mention luxury. I have just returned from the home of the Archduke, in the mountains of Northern England - a wild region which was once known as Scottish Cumberland, I understand. There we were joined by more travellers - Stryker and Goya - for a very fine day of Old School Napoleonic gaming, and of gazing in awe at the resident soldier collection.

Our game scenario was from 1809, the setting being what is now known as the Battle of Aspern-Essling, taken as a single action, and fought on the open ground between the two villages. I shall not attempt a detailed account of the action, but will include a series of my own photos, to give a taste of what the day looked like. I was Hiller, commanding the Austrian right flank, fighting alongside Stryker. [You will find rather better pictures and a more coherent narrative on Stryker's blog here.]  

 

General view at commencement; Austrians on the left. Both sides are expecting reinforcements, but the French reserves may only arrive if they can still get across the Danube. The Danube, you understand, is just off the table-edge on your right, and there is a wooden bridge on the edge of the table to represent this crossing 

 

This is my command, the Austrian right flank. You can see me (Hiller) bravely leading the infantry forward

 

 A look over towards the Austrian left. The cavalry unit nearest the camera is the best the army has to offer - because of problems with Austrian command, all the rest of the cavalry were rated as "militia". The unit pictured here looks very impressive, and it took me 5 or 6 turns to remember that these were mere chevauxlegers (O'Reilly), however smartly turned out

 

Here I am, with me boys, steadfastly remembering not to fight uphill

 

Our plan was to get cracking, just detaching small forces to watch the edges of the villages and sweeping everyone else forward and toward the bridge in the centre. The idea was that this would restrict the space in which the French could deploy their reserves, and in any case capture of the bridge was a potential game-winner. Here you see my advance getting a little bogged down, as my own regiment of infantry takes a battering from the French artillery

 

View from the French side. The battery in the lower left corner caused me a lot of discomfort throughout the day. I should mention that for years it has puzzled me that one's own army in a wargame always looks more intimidating from the front...

 

After a while, the Austrians are definitely cramping the space available for the French reinforcements. You may notice a number of guns facing the wrong way - this is obviously because they are now limbered up, trying to advance with the army. We were reminded that if you rush forward over flat terrain there is a tendency to mask your own artillery

 

The French are bringing more troops over - things getting more crowded all the time

 

At the very end of the day, I made a token attack on the brickyard of the village at my end of the table, and was reminded that stone walls are tough going. At this stage we ran out of time, and had to end our game to address the requirements of transport and dinner 

At the point at which we broke off, there was still some fighting to be done, and the Archduke continued later, solo, for about 4 hours; once again history required the Battle of Aspern-Essling to extend into a second day. He subsequently sent a photo of the Austrians in command of the crossing of the Danube, so Stryker and I had won, if only in absentia. It could be argued that we are usually at our best in absentia, anyway, but that's a discussion for another time.

My thanks go to my colleagues for their company and enthusiasm, and most especially to our hosts (Mr and Mrs Archduke) for their kind hospitality and a great deal of work - a splendid trip in every way, and very much appreciated.  

Over the Hills and Far Away

 Excellent day out yesterday; I drove up north to Stryker's estates, for one of his fabulous Napoleonic extravaganzas. Waterloo re-revisited, and very good too. I know Ian will make a wonderful job of putting together an appropriate report, so this is the most humble of glimpses of what went on - no thunder will be stolen. Here are a few of my own photos of the battle, just to give a taster.

It's been 12 weeks since my last involvement in any wargaming at all, and yesterday was really most enjoyable; Stryker's magnificent collection of Hinton Hunt figures, proper Old School rules and organisation and game management, faultless hospitality and a sunny day spent in the company of friends. Good chat, no issues with attitudes or alternative agendas. Restorative.

My thanks to Baron and Baroness Stryker for all their hard work and kindness, and to everyone involved. 

Hooptedoodle #488 - Berries on the Whitebeam - Autumn May Be a Little Early This Year

 A bit earlier than usual, the Whitebeam trees at the bottom of our garden are coming into berry, which is always a cheering sight. This year, understandably, they look a bit parched to me. Usually these things are at their peak in mid September, when sometimes we get raided by flocks of Redwings, who just hoover the berries and move on; this is mysterious when it happens - we never see Redwings at any other time, in fact we hardly see them when they come, since they huddle into the trees and get busy, very early in the morning. If we are up early enough we will certainly hear them, but they are hard to spot; you just have a vague feeling that you have been robbed.

 

Whitebeam gets its name, I am told, from the fact that the leaves are very pale on the underside, so the tree seems to shimmer in a breeze. Weißbaum

 

Elsewhere the new hedge plants at the front are starting to look worryingly autumnal. I have put in many hours in the early mornings, trying to keep them watered (no hosepipe bans here), but they do not look happy at all. Perhaps they will be all right.

Tomorrow will be a very heavy day putting fresh gravel down on the driveway. It was delivered last Wednesday, and once again I am astounded by the skill of the driver, manoeuvring an 8-wheeler in through our gate, which is tricky enough in a car. I am pleased to note that the spray that I put down on the gravel area about 5 weeks ago has removed all the weeds in preparation for the big day. It takes a while (much longer than the old stuff, now illegal), but quietly we get there in the end.

 

Border Aggregates of Kelso - good lads. I had ideas about doing the job in instalments this year, but it's £50 delivery whether you get one bag or a load, so here it is!

 

 

 

***** Late Edit *****

 

 

And here we are, one day later - job done!

 

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