Today we look at the Austrian Light Brigade attached to 2nd Division, I Corps .. who fought at Wagram in 1809.
 |
| 2nd Jagers - only 1 base, but they do pack a nasty sting thanks to the skirmisher stand. |
 |
| The Hornist sounds the call for the skirmishers to return to the safety of the woods. |
 |
| 2 battalions of Erzhog Karl Legion. I have used the standard shako infantry here, with a little bit of greenstuff modification to give the rim of shako a little 'top hat' effect. Used a slightly dritier grey for the equipment straps in place of white as well. |
 |
| The command group for the Charles Legion with a non-regulation flag. |
 |
| Something a little different on this flag - a large 2 headed eagle with the body painted in a red and white chequerboard pattern. |
 |
| The strangely unique Shakos can be seen well in this shot of the command stand. |
Very, very nice. A bit of a break from the normal Austrian uniforms.
ReplyDeleteI like them both, and as Ray says, they're not... white! :-) I especially like the shots of them "skirmishing" in the woods.
ReplyDeleteI'm known to be particularly partial to the Archduke Charles (Ezherzog Karl) Legion!
My poor Charles Legion just had their first taste of combat today.
ReplyDelete:(
At least they got in the very first shot of the game.
The Austrians are defending a town at the end of a valley. There is a road that runs through this valley diagonally off to the right leading up the town - and that is the expected line of approach of the French III Corps. The far left is dominated by a large hill with a monastery at the peak, and orchards leading down to a small creek.
The right flank has wooded hills on a slope overlooking the valley - giving a perfect field of fire for an ambush against any approach up the road. The Austrian Advanced Guard Division with light cavalry is covering this approach, with scouting orders whilst the main Austrian force is resting up.
The Charles legion were well out of harms way, on the extreme left flank, in wooded ground on an advantaged slope. To their front is open ground, with the monastery about 5 miles distant - with clear fields of fire all the way.
The French managed to slip their entire III Corps through the orchards on the Monastery hill - keeping under cover of the Orchards the whole way.Taking the difficult path through the orchards, they made good time, and caught the Austrian centre napping. The Austrians were in reserve status, waiting for action on the right flank to open the battle.
Anyway, the French were spotted emerging from the base of the Monastery hill on the left flank, but with extreme speed, managed to get an independent cavalry brigade of around 10 sqns of Dragoons across the valley and into position to threaten the Austrian left flank. With a quick change of orders (Davout himself was right up front, within a few hundred yards of the Cavalry general) - the French dragoons managed to make an opportunistic strike on the exposed left flank.
The Austrian 2nd Division just had enough time to form up, swing their guns around to the main French centre, and get their flank battalions in square to meet the Dragoons.
.. but the Dragoons altered their charge to hit the Jagers and Charles legion ... who were still in loose order with skirmishers deployed.
2 waves of Dragoons hit hard !
The Jagers and Charles legion skirmish line managed to get off an ineffectual volley before the first massed cavalry hit home. The first wave hit the Jagers - pretty even dice rolls saved the Austrians for this first part. However the Dragoons easily managed to breakthrough the position, leaving the Jaegers and the Charles legion in disarray and severely rattled.
Then the second line of Dragoons following about 100 yards behind hit again. The French rolled a 10, the Austrians rolled a 2. Counting up the various tactical factors, the results were literally off the scale. The Charles Legion are gone !! Lost for good !! The lovely hand painted speculative standard trampled into the dirt on their first ever action.
:(
The French Dragoon brigade may be blown by their charge - but they now sit on top of the hill to the left of the Town, only a few hundred yards from the Austrian I Corps HQ, with no other Austrian troops between them and the target of the Corps HQ. Under a kilometer away, and its the undefended Austrian Army HQ sitting behind the mass of I Corps.
Its not barely lunch time, and in the space of 40 scale minutes of time, the French may have won the entire battle already before any of the main troops are even close to engaging. Austrian General Bellegarde is pretty much a write off, and Archduke Charles himself may well be a dead man walking unless he gets the heck out of there immediately.
Ah well - will finish lunch and get back into the battle.