SHAKO II - a meeting engagement - in the War Dungeon

On the last day in June we packed up and headed out to the War Dungeon.

McLean was a great host again and experienced the grand old Napoleonic tabletop for the first time!

we used the 'terrain random' table for continent from SHAKO (version 1)

Then with about 1:5 to one three French foot divisions and a light and dragoon division took on allied Austrian mixed division and a Russian foot division along with a heavy dragoon division.

the Austro-Russian allies went with full deployment in a wide line ...

Austrian mixed on the right

covering a woods and with a hill top to support

Russians on another hill, though very far forward deployed in full view of French cannon

The Russians did have some impressive batteries

Italians in the center, with Poles and Germans to the right and fully French division of foot to the left ... no reserves if anything went wrong

French artillery on the top of the tall hill dominating the field

Baron Sacken commanded the Austro-Russian forces

French light cavalry on the far right flank

The forces are arranged and this table was so small as to make contact immediate, so they slammed each other directly, the battle going more like a 30 years war engagement, than a Napoleonic one.

field in action

some French batteries could not engage immediately as their foot was advancing thru the woods

slowly the French division crept through the woods

turn 3 was to be the critical one, with many Allied cavalry being chased from the field

Russian foot pushed forward to cover the attacks at their battery locations

meanwhile more French forces moved up

center of the action

even disordered, many French units did well against the Russians

it was an amazing performance by the French horse that really won the day

Italian Grenadiers moved up to take the Russian hill ...

Turn 4 all is done as the Russian division and cavalry have broken

scene of the carnage

French greatcoats to the front

Italian division marches over Russian dead

the all French division breaks out of the woods

Russian artillery firing one last desperate round to attempt to drive back the greatcoat German forces

scene of carnage in the Italian center

View from General Mouton's position

Austrian milita are thrown against Italian regulars as a final rearguard action

the milita unit surrenders as it was surrounded on all sides

Very busy and crammed in space on the minimal 4x6 table space.  Though after some consideration the Russian commander (eldest son) realized his mistake in not taking on a truly defensive position versus a numerically superior opponent.

Good fun and learning at the same time.