WSS: Thursday's Game - the Initial Set-Up

 This is the battlefield which I showed in uninhabited form a few days ago. We have now decided:

(1) The action is the little-known Battle of Oosterkasteel, somewhere in a very flat part of Wallonia, probably in 1703.

(2) Stryker will be the esteemed Marshal Rabachière, with a Franco-Bavarian force

(3) I [Foy] will be Lieutenant General "Charlie" Churchill, defending with an Allied army which has British, Austrian and Hessian contingents 

(4) The Allied army, which is rather smaller, will be fully deployed at the start of the game, having spent a week digging earthworks to strengthen what looks rather like a hopeless position. This army has 4 brigades present - 2 foot and 2 horse

(5) The French are marching onto the field at the start of the game - they will have 2 brigades present at first, with 3 further brigades to follow as opportunity and activation cubes allow.

Here is the position at the beginning of Turn 1

 

Looking along the Allied line at 6am, before the French arrive. Chubby Charlie is very keen that his army should die in straight lines, like gentlemen

 

A better view of the Allied left; Niederhammer's cavalry (Austrian and Hessian) provide rear support for Pentecost's (Anglo-Hessian) infantry brigade, which is manning the new earthworks as far as the protruding section in the centre. Pentecost has two artillery batteries dug in - if I can find some, there may be a few gabions added to the batteries by Thursday

 

The Allied right flank; Pickering's cavalry on the end of the line, with the Earl of Cirencester's infantry beyond

 

This very early drone shot shows Dutch mortars in the citadel, trying to find space to deploy

 

Aha - the French are arriving. Here we have Bourgeois' cavalry in the foreground...

 

...and here Alessandro Maffei's Bavarian infantry brigade; the French have 3 more brigades to arrive after the preliminary artillery battle

 

A general view at this stage shows the French avoiding the earthworks...

 

Specially for Matt, who has a thing about guys with big hair, here is Charles Churchill

 

and the Comte de Rabachière, who will be along soon with the rest of his army

 

and Alessandro Maffei, born in Verona, one of a bewildering number of Italians who held high command in the Bavarian army during the 18th and 19th Centuries 

Stryker has sent word that his boys are to rest on their arms until Thursday. I believe the terminology is correct, but it sounds uncomfortable.