It was something a bit different for me last week, as I went down to W.A.S.P. and had a 6mm Samurai game with my old mate Gareth. I’ve been admiring his astonishing 6mm Samurai collection for the last few years and his Tenka-Fubu blog is definitely worth a visit if you’re even remotely interested in Samurai warfare, or if not, just go for the eye-candy (a sample of which is shown above).
Sometime around 1994-1998ish, Gareth and I (along with our mates Jason and Doug) did a lot of 15mm Samurai gaming and put on a series of large demo games at shows such as Colours, Partizan, Warfare, Crusade, Warcon, Marston-Magna and WMMMS. They even appeared in the pages of Wargames Illustrated and Miniature Wargames, thanks mainly to Gareth’s astonishing castle models (that were eventually sold to a bloke from Dublin, thus saving me the job of driving the terrain home from Colours ’98!).
Doug, Gareth and me at Marston-Magna ’96 with Gareth’s first castle model. The second castle was MUCH better…
To be honest, I’ve no idea how we found the time, as we were also doing a lot of large 15mm Napoleonic and Seven Years War demo games at around the same time. I’m sure that there must have been a tear in the space-time continuum sometime around 1994 that allowed us the time and money to fit all this in… Anyway, I’ve still got my old 15mm Samurai collection here (the Uesugi clan), along with Jase’s collection (Takeda clan); around 1,000 figures all-told, which I must dig out for a photo-shoot one day.
Anyway, back to last week’s 6mm game: The game was played with Gareth’s own Tenka-Fubu: Warfare in the Age of Nobunaga rules (follow the link to his downloads page), which are an adaptation of For King & Parliament by Simon Miller (itself an adaptation of To The Strongest!). These are designed for large-scale battles and I found them to be quick and easy to learn and play. Unlike the modified version of DBR we used in the 1990s (and every other set of rules used to play Samurai warfare), Tenka-Fubu doesn’t break units down by weapon or troop-type. Instead, each unit represents an entire combined-arms Sonae (‘brigade’ or ‘regiment’ being the nearest western equivalent).
Sonae have two ratings, first indicating their ‘Command’ ability (organisation, communications, training and drill) and second their ‘Military’ ability (skill at arms, small-unit tactics, weapons, armour and experience). These factors range from 1 (Good) to 3 (Poor). Some lucky Sonae will also include guns, which provide defending units thus equipped with an initial strike against an attacker. Several Sonae are then grouped into a Shū under the command of a Bushō. Several Shū then make up the army, commanded by the Taishō. For a fuller explanation of the rules, go to Gareth’s download page, though note that a copy or knowledge of For King & Parliament will also be required.
Above: A small Shū of only two Sonae, belonging to Oda Nobunaga’s army. This is the Akechi clan, commanded by Akechi Mitsuhide (identified by the ‘F’ marker on the Sonae bases). The clan’s two Sonae are average across the board, with both Sonae having a factor of 2 for both Command and Military ability. The right-hand Sonae (to which Akechi Mitsuhide has attached himself) also has a dot above its Command factor, indicating the inclusion of guns.
Anyway, before we go onto the battle report, here’s some of Gareth’s scenery. I should add that Tenka-Fubu is a square grid-based game, so each terrain-piece and Sonae neatly fits one square on the board. The grid itself is marked by very subtle dots painted on the cloth, marking the corners of the grid-squares:
Above: Peasants work in the paddy-fields.
Above: In the nearby village, more peasants hang out the washing and do a spot of fishing.
Above: Other peasants take a stroll with the kids.
Above: Two peasants play Go in the shade of a pine tree, while a third looks on, probably offering ‘helpful tactical advice’.
Above: I thought I’d add this coin to show the scale of Gareth’s incredible modelling and painting. His figures are mostly by Baccus Miniatures, with a few 3D-printed models mixed in. The scenery is all scratch-built. For the purposes of our game, the scenic items (aside from woods and hills) were purely for decoration and were simply moved aside as troops moved through. The underlying terrain cloth is a golden-brown ‘teddy-bear fur’ rug, painted with large patches of green. This harks back to our old demo games, which used the same colour scheme in an attempt to match those wonderful Japanese folding screens (such as the famous Ōsaka Screen), which use gold leaf as the ground-colour, with large patches of green grass.
Above: The opening positions, showing the army of Oda Nobunaga on the left and the army of Mōri Terumoto on the right. The Mōri army is slightly stronger, but the Oda have the qualitative edge. Here’s Gareth’s outline of the scenario, together with a rough order of battle showing the ID letter for each Shū, the clan to which they belong and the name of the Bushō. Each Shū has 2-4 Sonae. Most Shū have one Sonae equipped with guns. I must add that this period is not my my area of expertise, so any errors below are entirely Gareth’s… 😉
Harima 1574
The basic and rather tenuous, premise is a ‘what-if’ scenario where Oda Nobunaga attacks the Mōri in 1574 after defeating the Azai-Asakura. The battle happens somewhere in Harima province.
Oda Army (Gareth):
ID Letter – ‘Clan’ – Bushō
A – Oda – Oda Nobunaga (Taishō)
B – Oda – Sassa Narimasa
C – Oda – Oda Nobutada
D – Shibata – Shibata Katsuie
E – Hashiba – Hashiba Hideyoshi
F – Akechi – Akechi Mitsuhide
G – Maeda- Maeda Toshiie
Mōri Army (Me):
ID Letter – ‘Clan’ – Bushō
A – Mōri – Mōri Terumoto (Taishō)
B – Mōri – Fukubara Sadatoshi
C – Kobayakawa – Kobayakawa Takakage
D – Kikkawa – Kikkawa Motoharu
E – Minor clans – Awaya Motonobu
F – Harima clans – Bessho Nagaharu
G – Murakami et al – Murakami Motoyoshi
Above: Mōri Terumoto’s headquarters is situated on top of a hill near the right flank. Terumoto gains a bonus when transmitting orders provided he remains within his headquarters, but will lost that bonus if he decides to mount up and move.
Above: To the rear of Mōri Terumoto’s headquarters are his household troops (A), consisting of three high-quality Sonae. On the forward slope is the Shū of Fukubara Sadatoshi (B) with two Sonae. On the right flank stands the large Shū of minor clan contingents (E), consisting of four Sonae under the command of Awaya Motonobu.
Above: In the centre of the Mōri line is the Shū of the Kikkawa clan (D), resplendent in their black-and-white-striped sashimono. This formation consists of three Sonae, commanded by Kikkawa Motoharu.
On the left of the Mōri first line and nearest the camera are the distinctive red sashimono and nobori banners of the Kobayakawa clan (C). This Shū consists of four Sonae, commanded by Kobayakawa Takakage.
The Kikkawa and Kobayakawa clans are among the more powerful Mōri contingents, consisting mostly of Average (as opoosed to Poor) troops and a slightly higher complement of guns.
Above: The Mōri left wing is refused, lurking in the dead ground behind a hill. This wing comprises mostly Poor troops and is therefore kept as far away from the enemy as possible! Behind the Kobayaka clan are the Murakami and their retainers (G). The Sonae of Murakami household troops (with the brown sashimono and nobori) comprises average troops, but the two retainer Sonae on their right are universally poor.
On the left flank and nearest the camera is a Shū made up from the local Harima clans (F), consisting of three Sonae, commanded by Bessho Nagaharu. These are all Poor troops. The fences indicate that they are defending their starting positions, for which they have a combat bonus. This bonus will be lost if they move from their starting position.
Above: Gareth’s overall view of the Mōri army.
Above: Oda Nobunaga has also positioned his headquarters on a hilltop, to get a good view of the action. In front of him stand the three Sonae of his household troops (A); two Sonae with black sashimono and nobori banners, plus one Sonae (on the right) with yellow. On the left flank stands a Shū of four Oda household Sonae (B), under the command of Sassa Narimasa.
Above: To the right of Oda’s headquarters is a third Shū of Oda household troops (C), comprising three Sonae, commanded by Oda Nobutada.
Above: To the right of the Oda household is the Shū of the Shibata clan (D) commanded by Shibata Katsuie, with two Sonae carrying red sashimono and white nobori.
To their right are the blue banners of the Akechi clan (F), commanded by Akechi Mitsuhide. This Shū also has only two Sonae.
Above: In front of the Akechi clan is the Shū of the Maeda clan (G), carrying white banners. This clan again has two Sonae, led by Maeda Toshiie. Toshiie himself is easily identifiable on the battlefield thanks to his famous gold catfish-tail helmet and his personal banner depicting ‘Shoki the Demon-Queller’.
Lastly, on the Oda right flank and nearest the camera are another two Sonae belonging to the Hashiba clan (E), led by Hashiba Hideyoshi and including some exceptional troops.
Above: Gareth’s overall view of the Oda army.
Above: With a wave of his tessen, Mōri Terumoto orders his right wing (the small Shū of Mōri troops under Fukubara Sadatoshi and the large, rag-tag Shū of Awaya Motonobu to advance rapidly, to take up more advantageous defensive positions on the high ground to their front. The respective Būsho are marked with a circular base of pack-mules, indicating that they are under March orders.
Above: The rest of the Mōri army remains stationary in their original positions under Defend orders (as indicated by the fence markers). Terumoto-sama has decided to refuse his left flank and anchor it on dense woodland, but now starts to regret his decision, as the hill forward of the left flak might have been more defensive ground.
Above: Oda Nobunaga meanwhile, knowing the quality of his troops, decides on a much more aggressive approach. His entire right wing moves forward in echelon, hoping to destroy the poor-quality troops on the Mōri left flank and then rolling the Mōri army up from there. The tip of the yari is formed by the excellent Sonae of the Hashiba (red banners) and Maeda clans (white banners).
Above: Next in the echelon are the Akechi and Shibata clans. Note the marker with a mounted tsukai-ban (messenger) figure, wearing a voluminous red horo on his back (looking rather like a Ninja Turtle). This marker indicates a Shū on Attack orders. A marker with a single nobori banner-bearer indicates a Shū on Regroup orders, but there are none of those on the table yet.
Above: The Hashiba clan quickly closes to contact and charges the leftmost Sonae of the Harmia clan. The Harima are not good troops and casualties quickly mount, despite despite their reasonably good position.
Note the marker with a tuft of grass; these indicate ‘hits’ on the Sonae. Each Sonae can withstand three hits, but will be destroyed on the fourth hit. Hits can be recovered if the Shū as a whole adopts Regroup orders or if the Bushō gives a temporary Regroup order to an individual Sonae.
I don’t know if Gareth was invoking Matsuo Bashō when he had the idea of using grass tufts to represent casualties, but it makes me think of Bashō’s famous haiku;
Natsukusa ya
Tsuwamono domo ga
Yume no ato
“Summer grasses, all that remains of stalwart warrior’s dreams” (there are other translations, but I like that one best).
Above: Despite Bessho Nagaharu’s best efforts, his leftmost Sonae quickly collects a critical number of grass-tufts, but inflicts only one in return!
Above: The view across the battlefield from the endangered Mōri left flank.
Above: The view from the opposite flank. In the foreground, Awaya Motonubu’s mixed Shū has occupied the hilltop and adopted Defend orders in the nick of time as in front of them, Sassa Narimasa’s Shū is moving to attack the hill.
Above: Back on the Mōri left flank, the Harima clans are collapsing in the face of the ferocious Hashiba attack! Bessho Nagaharu has thus far managed to escape death or capture, but now he makes his last stand with his household Sonae.
Above: The ferocity of Hashiba Hideyoshi’s attack has been so astonishing and rapid that Murakami Motoyoshi has not managed to organise a counter-attack to save his neighbour!
However, in the distance, Mōri Terumoto has spotted an opportunity. While the Oda left wing has charged rapidly forward to get stuck into the Mōri left wing, a large gap has opened up in the Oda centre, covered by only the two Sonae of the Shibata clan (red sashimono and white nobori). With another casual wave of his tessen, the Taishō orders Kikkawa Motoharu’s powerful clan (with black-and-white-striped sashimono) forward to destroy the Shibata and cut the head off the snake!
Above: The Akechi (light blue) charge home on the Kobayakawa (red)! However, Oda plans quickly unravel as both Akechi Sonae suffer heavy casualties while assaulting a single Kobayakawa Sonae.
Above: Over on the Mōri left flank, Bessho Nagaharu is still holding out with the last remnants of the local Harima clans. However, the leading Maeda Sonae has charged home on the left-flanking Murakami Sonae, inflicting heavy casualties (at some expense to the Maeda). The second Maeda Sonae meanwhile, wheels to outflank the Kobayakawa, who are already hard-pressed by the Akechi! [edited to de-gibbish]
With his left flank going to nezumi no tawagoto, Mōri Terumoto starts composing his death-haiku…
Above: Over on the right flank however, things are going rather better. Awaya Motonobu’s Shū is still managing to hold his hilltop against Sassa Narimasa’s Oda troops, while on his left Fukubara Sadatoshi has charged into the fight with his Shū of Mōri household troops, inflicting significant damage on the right-hand Oda Sonae. All they have to do is hold their ground…
Above: In the centre, the black-and-white striped banners of the Kikkawa clan charge through the paddy-fields to strike home on the Shibata! However, Shibata Katsuie proves to be a wily foe and wheels one of his Sonae to outflank the Kikkawa assault. In turn, Kobayakawa Takakage orders his clan to counter-attack and succeeds in outflanking the outflanking Shibata Sonae! However, the Kobayaka are now being outflanked by the Maeda…
Got all that…?
Above: Back on the left flank, Bessho Nagaharu’s heroic resistance finally ends as he goes down fighting, having inflicted heavy losses on the Hashiba in sweet revenge. The brown-bannered Murakami Sonae has also gone down fighting, beset on two sides by Hashiba and Maeda Sonae. However, Murakami Motoyoshi is starting to get his act together and has managed to turn one of his Sonae to face the threat on the flank.
Above: Over on the opposite flank, Awaya Motonobu’s mixed bag of minor clans is starting to be pushed off his hill!
Above: At last, the Mōri army has some success as the Shibata clan is destroyed by the combined efforts of the Kikkawa and Kobayakawa! However, One of the red-bannered Kobayakawa Sonae has been destroyed by the combined efforts of the Maeda and Akechi clans, while the hoped-for Mōri breakthrough in the centre has now been blocked by the intervention of a fresh Shū of Oda household troops led by Oda Nobunaga’s son and heir, Oda Nobutada.
Above: “Amaterasu on a jitensha! Do I have to do everything myself?!” Alarmed by the deteriorating situation on the left, Mōri Terumoto calls for his horse and leads his personal household troops to stabilise the situation!
“And don’t forget to roll up the wind-breaker! “
Above: Determined to push Awaya Motonobu off the hill, Sassa Narimasa presses home his attack. However, Sassa Narimasa’s right-flanking Sonae is destroyed by Fukubara Sadatoshi… The battle for the hill could still go either way.
Above: Suddenly, the gods smile on the Mōri! By some miracle, the Murakami, hard-pressed on the left flank, manage to repulse yet another Hashiba attack, breaking one of the two Hashiba Sonae! Shocked by the repulse, the rest of the Hasiba clan break and run, closely followed by one of the two Maeda Sonae! The astonished Murakami immediately advance, hoping to crush Maeda Toshiie in concert with the Kobayakawa and roll up the Oda right flank.
Perhaps the Tasihō‘s reserves aren’t required after all?
Above: However, Oda Nobutada soon pisses on the Mōri osumi… The injection of a third Kikkawa Sonae into the battle at the village makes little difference as the other two Sonae are destroyed. The lead Kobayakawa Sonae is similarly destroyed by the Akechi and yet another Kobayakawa Sonae flees the field in response to the unfolding disaster!
A huge, four-Sonae gap has suddenly appeared in the centre of the Mōri army… Thankfully, Mōri Terumoto is perfectly placed to plug the gap with three elite Sonae!
Above: As the Taishō leads the charge against Oda Nobutada, the Murakami advance to roll up the Oda right flank. However, Maeda Toshiie escapes the trap, ‘advancing to the rear’ with his remaining Sonae to regroup. The Akechi meanwhile, find themselves in trouble, having suffered heavy losses and now beset by the remnants of the Murakami and Kobayakawa clans, as well as fresh Mōri household troops! In the distance, Oda Nobunaga has also mounted up and is riding to join the battle…
Tragically, that was where we had to leave it! The battle was on a knife-edge and the loss of one Sonae to either side would have secured (a rather Pyrrhic) victory!
My sincere thanks again to Gareth for a superb game and a wonderful introduction to his magnificent collection and to Tenka-Fubu rules.
There’s another AAR with Gareth to follow (Mollwitz 1741) and yet more SYW. Sadly we had to cancel our Warburg game due to illness, but we’ve re-booked that one as our Christmas game (which gives me time to paint more scenario-appropriate units). 🙂
Historical Background – The First Silesian War
The Austrians meanwhile, were in complete panic, as the Prussians had appeared in their rear, forcing them to deploy in an unthinkable (for the 18th Century) reversed deployment (the shame)! However, perhaps due to inexperience and caution, Frederick decided to deploy his army instead of charging headlong into the panicked enemy, thus giving the Austrians time to recover their composure and await the Prussian advance… And wait… and wait…
When the King finally returned to the army, he was clearly a man on a mission. The shortcomings of his cavalry arm were manifest and despite the war in Silesia still going on, he immediately implemented a programme of reforms and training, often conducting the training in person. In the meantime, the Silesian Campaign remained locked in a stalemate and on 9th October 1741 he agreed to an armistice that ceded Lower Silesia to Prussia.
The Prussian Army – King Frederick II
The Austrian Army – Feldzeugmeister von Neipperg
Terrain and Weather Notes
Above: The bulk of the French army starts the game having just been alerted and in the process of forming up in its camping-grounds (Note to self: I must make some tent-lines…). The Gendarmerie de France are in the foreground, with the remainder of the French cavalry and d’Auvet’s infantry in the background.
Above: Ségur’s infantry, consisting of eight battalions from the Auvergne Regiment and the blue-coated Alsace Regiment (here represented by my German Brigade) are deployed in the straggling village and farmland of Rosenray, with a battery of heavy artillery to the rear.
Above: Historically, Ségur was very aggressive, throwing his infantry forward to meet the Allies at Kampenbrüch. However, on this occasion he’s happy to wait at Rosenray until Thiard de Bissy’s cavalry and d’Auvet’s infantry secure his left flank.
Above: D’Auvet’s division has ten battalions from the Normandie, La Tour-du-Pin and Briqueville Regiments. Aside from the aforementioned Gendarmerie de France, Thiard de Bissy’s cavalry consists of two brigades, each of four weak regiments (in game terms, two large (16-figure) units).
Above: Seeking a better view of the situation, de Castries takes up position on the high ground, next to the heavy guns.
Above: The French guns are presently facing north across the canal, covering the approaches to the bridge at Rosenray. However, they will soon be slewed left to engage the approaching Allies.
Above: Meanwhile in Kampenbrüch, the picked Highlanders of Keith’s 87th and Campbell’s 88th Regiments make short work of the French picquets.
Above: The Highlanders push forward into the village, passing an old redoubt left over from earlier wars.
Above: With the Highlanders making headway in Kampenbrüch, Waldegrave’s infantry swing right into the open ground south of the village. The division is led by a British brigade of three battalions; the 20th Foot (Kingsley’s), 25th Foot (Home’s) and 23rd Royal Welch Fusiliers. A German Allied brigade forms the second line; the Hanoverian ‘Marschalk’ and ‘Reden’ Regiments and the Hessian ‘Erbprinz’ Regiment. The two British grenadier battalions, Maxwell’s and Lennox’s, are formed on the extreme right flank. The only artillery support is provided by a handful of battalion guns.
Above: Elliot’s cavalry brigade forms up to the rear of Waldegrave’s infantry. Elliot has two small British regiments; the 1st (Royal) Dragoons (Conway’s) and the 6th (Inniskilling) Dragoons (Cholmondley’s), which for game purposes are massed into a single unit. On their right is a detachment of the Prussian ‘Malachowski’ Hussars; this theoretically small unit of only two squadrons has been reinforced to around 400-500 men, so I’ve represented it as a separate unit, rather than mass it with the dragoon brigade.
Above: The Gendarmerie de France move forward, determined to dominate the southern flank of the battle and threaten any Allied advance on Rosenray.
Above: As Waldegrave’s infantry advance, Elliot’s cavalry take post on the right flank. However, Elliot is outnumbered and outclassed by the Gendarmerie and doesn’t fancy his chances!
Above: The Highlanders meanwhile, mop up the last French picquets in Kampenbrüch.
Above: At Rosenray, French battalion guns begin to open a long-range fire on the approaching lines of infantry.
Above: On the hill behind the village, Castries and his staff watch as the 12-pounders commence their bombardment of the approaching enemy force.
Above: As the two formations close with each other, Elliot seizes the initiative and orders the ‘Malachowski’ Hussars to charge! However, the leading squadrons of the Gendarmerie de France, their lineage and traditions going all the way back to the Hundred Years War, contemptuously repulse the Prussians with ease, sending them reeling back through the supporting British dragoons!
Above: Retiring from the combat with only light casualties, the Gendarmerie are sure to rally… Aren’t they…? However, the Gendarmerie have succumbed to 
Above: The British dragoons breathe a collective sigh of relief and reform their ranks alongside the grenadiers. The ‘Malachowski’ Hussars also failed to rally, but the Erbprinz considers this to be a fair swap; two squadrons of Prussian hussars for four squadrons of elite French heavy cavalry! The dragoons also don’t seem to be too bothered about the loss of their Prussian comrades, despite the mass of French cavalry building up to their front.
Above: Thankfully for Elliot, Harvey’s reserve cavalry division has crossed over the canal and is marching to deploy on Elliot’s exposed right flank, just in the nick of time. Leading Harvey’s column is a combined brigade formed from the British 10th Dragoons (Mordaunt’s) and a Hanoverian regiment of heavy horse, the Leibregiment. These are followed by the Hessian ‘Einsiedel’ and ‘Prüschenck’ Regiments of Horse.
Above: Bringing up the rear of Harvey’s column is the Hessian ‘Prince Frederick’ Dragoon Regiment, resplendent in their Prussian-style sky-blue coats.
Above: However, the remaining half of the Gendarmerie de France are très énervé…
Above: The cavalry clash once again as the Gendarmerie de France charge the combined British-Hanoverian brigade. Elliot’s British dragoons also get stuck in, but the Allied cavalry is thrown back by the vengeful Gendarmerie. The British-Hanoverian brigade manages to rally, but Elliot’s dragoons keep running, carrying Elliot along with them. A short while later, the brigade of Hessian horse also makes a charge, but too is defeated by the Gendarmerie! The situation is starting to look bleak for the Allied cavalry. In the meantime, the French Royal-Piémont cavalry brigade charges the right flank of the British grenadiers, but is beaten off and retires to rally behind the Royal-Étranger brigade.
Above: As the cavalry battle continues on the flank, Waldegrave’s infantry press on and are soon engaged in a sharp firefight on the southern edge of Rosenray, with elements of Ségur’s and d’Auvet’s divisions.
Above: Waldegreave’s confidence is soon shaken, as the French infantry are numerous and are closely supported by artillery. Allied casualties quickly mount.
Above: On the flank, the Allies have another crack at the Gendarmerie de France, again throwing in the British-Hanoverian brigade, as well as the fresh Hessian ‘Prince Frederick’ Dragoons. The Hessian Horse move up in support. This time the Gendarmerie are thrown back with heavy losses!
Above: However, Waldegrave’s Allied infantry are starting to suffer very heavy losses in this increasingly attritional battle. This style of battle suits the French, as they have a lot more men to throw in to the fight.
Above: At long last, Howard’s reserve infantry division has arrived at Kampenbrüch! This division consists of three British battalions; the 11th Foot (Bocland’s), 33rd Foot (Griffin’s) and 51st (Brudenell’s), as well as the Hessian 2nd Guards, Müller’s Hessian Militia Battalion, some battalion guns and a position battery of Hessian 6-pounders.
Above: But is Howard going to be thrown into the existing battle on the right? Or is he going to open up a new axis of attack against Rosenray on the left?
Above: The Highlanders continue to skirmish in front of Rosenray, but are only a minor irritation that would easily be swept away if Ségur decided to attack
Above: A slightly more serious threat to Ségur are Winzingerode’s Hanoverian volunteers, who have inflicted losses on the 1st Battalion of the Alsace Regiment, as well as the heavy battery on the hilltop.
Above: On the French left, Montbarrey’s division deploys to form a second line behind d’Auvet’s extreme left flank. He also pushes a 12-pounder battery forward to provide close support. In the foreground, the Normandie Regiment finally moves forward from its camp. The regiment has remained inexplicably motionless for much of the day until now, but finally lurches forward to form a second line extending south from Rosenray.
Above: With the Gendarmerie de France beaten off, the British-Hanoverian brigade exploits the situation, launching a desperate charge against the Royal-Étranger cavalry brigade, who had been disordered and halted by fire from the grenadiers.
Above: Allied worries soon prove unfounded however, as Andy’s dice once again snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. With the loss of the Royal-Étranger brigade, Thiard de Bissy’s division has lost 50% of its fighting strength and now decides en masse to quit the field!
Above: With the French cavalry cleared away by Harvey, the threat to the Allied flank is removed.
Above: A short time later, the British grenadiers, with the Hanoverian Marschalk Regiment in support, have advanced to plug the gap between Waldegrave’s line and the southern woods. The Allied cavalry’s part in this phase of the battle is over and they form up to the rear.
Above: The infantry lines become more generally engaged. The Allies have the qualitative edge, but have taken more casualties. The French also have a lot more battalions in reserve and also now have a battery of 12-pounders right in the firing line! However, most of the French battalion guns have been knocked out by British musketry.
Above: The Thianges Dragoons arrived with Montbarrey’s division and now form up on the left flank, ready to pounce on any Allied breakthrough. With both flanks anchored and with stacks of reserve, the French seem set to win this battle of attrition, though Castries doesn’t look very happy about it!
Above: Meanwhile, the Erbprinz orders Howard to open up a new axis of attack on the left, where the French Alsace Regiment, defending the northern half of Rosenray, looks much weaker. However, Howard’s column has drawn the attention of the ever-present French 12-pounder battery on the hill.
Above: With the French slowly winning the battle of attrition in the centre, the Allies MUST do something to break the impasse!
Above: Waldegrave orders four battalions of his first line to charge! In the centre, the 20th Foot and Lennox’s Grenadier Battalion are halted by fire from the two battalions of the Briqueville Regiment, but the two flanking battalions (25th Foot and Maxwell’s Grenadier Battalion) make it into contact with two battalions of the La Tour-du-Pin Regiment.
Above: The British charge is a partial success; while the Briqueville Regiment stands firm in the centre, the two flanking battalions are smashed.
Above: French retribution is swift! The 1st Battalion of the Horion Regiment (on the left) and the 3rd Battalion of the Normandie Regiment (on the right) advance to plug the gaps and the French line charges the impudent Rosbifs!
Above: However, the French charge is something of a damp squib as 1st Horion are stopped by the fire of Maxwell’s grenadiers, while the 1st Briqueville and 3rd Normandie are repulsed by the 20th Foot and 25th Foot. The only successful French battalion is 2nd Briqueville, who throw back Lennox’s grenadiers, though only inflict light casualties.
Above: The situation as viewed from the southern flank. Lennox’s Grenadier Battalion has retreated, but manages to rally behind the cavalry.
Above: The situation as seen from behind French lines. The retreating battalions of the Briqueville and Normandie Regiments have managed to rally behind the second line.
Above: Another view from behind French lines. At present the French line appears rather ragged with two battalions destroyed and another two thrown back. Another British charge at this point might break d’Auvet’s first line altogether. However, the French still have sixteen battalions in this sector, nine of whom are completely fresh. By contrast, Waldegrave has eight battalions, all of whom have suffered losses, some of them dangerously so! Three of Waldegrave’s battalions are elite (so have a morale and combat grade one better than the French) and three are large units (so absorb an extra hit before breaking), but it’s unlikely to make a difference in the long term.
Above: However, Castries’ main cause for concern is now on his right wing.
Above: In front of Rosenray, Howard’s reserve division is advancing with grim determination against three battalions of the Alsace Regiment. The Alsace Regiment’s 1st Battalion is still pinned down, fending off Hanoverian and Highlander skirmishers near the canal.
Above: The Auvergne Regiment, deployed in the southern half of Rosenray, has been largely unengaged, aside from an indecisive firefight near the chapel with the 23rd Royal Welch Fusiliers and Waldegrave’s battalion guns. The Erbprinz was terrified that these battalions might move to envelop Waldegrave’s left flank, but this for some reason hasn’t happened.
Above: Sadly, that was where we had to leave the Battle of Clostercamp! It was 3pm and the open day was winding down, with everyone else packing up to leave, so we thought we’d better do likewise… 🙁 As mentioned above, I blame myself, as Andy and I probably wasted FAR too much time talking to old friends (and a few new ones)… However, we had played through fourteen turns in around four hours, so it wasn’t too shabby! 🙂
With Howard’s reserve infantry now finally arriving, the Erbprinz was able to withdraw his corps back over the canal without further incident. The battle had been an Allied defeat and a very bloody one, with 1,170 men being killed or wounded and 462 captured, along with a gun and 14 ammunition wagons. The butcher’s bill for the French had been even higher, with 2,661 being killed or wounded. The battle had also been very costly for both sides in terms of senior officers being killed, wounded and captured.
Scenario
The Allied Army
Notes
Allied Reinforcement Arrival Schedule
The French Army
Notes
French Reinforcement Arrival Schedule
As mentioned in the last few articles, I’m presently expanding my ‘western’ armies for the Seven Years War (France, Saxony, Great Britain, Hanover, Hessen-Cassel, Brunswick and Schaumburg-Lippe), with plans to refight the larger battles in western Germany, such as 
The Gendarmerie de France were considered (not without some justification) to be an elite corps, being classed as senior to all French troops excepting the guard regiments of the 
Above: The Gendarmerie de France had a unique organisation and was very strong indeed. It wasn’t the strongest in the French Army; that title was held by the Royal-Carabiniers, but it still weighed in at a whopping sixteen companies, organised into eight squadrons! At full strength, the regiment had 1,240 enlisted troopers, so once the company, squadron and regimental staff are added, the regiment had around 1,400 men of all ranks.
Above: Due to the colossal size of the Gendarmerie de France, I’ve represented the regiment as two tactical ‘wings’, in much the same manner as the ten-squadron Prussian Hussar Regiments and larger Dragoon Regiments. However, I must confess that I have cheated slightly, in that I’ve made each wing a ‘Large’ unit of 16 figures. I’ve done this for purely aesthetic reasons, as I wanted the frontage of the entire regiment to be divisible by eight, so that the sequence of squadron bandolier colours looked ‘right’ across the front of the regiment. In game terms they should really be two 12-figure units. I’ll make it up to the Allies…
Above: As mentioned above, the eight squadrons of the Gendarmerie de France consisted of two paired companies. Six of the sixteen companies were known as Chevau-légers rather than Gendarmes, but the title made no difference in terms of seniority, uniform, tactics or fighting ability. The 1st Squadron consisted of the 
Above: Each squadron of the Gendarmerie de France was identified by the colour of the central stripe of their bandoliers, sword-belts and shoulder-straps: 1st Squadron – Yellow. 2nd Squadron – Purple. 3rd Squadron – Green. 4th Squadron – Aurore. 5th Squadron – Cherry Red. 6th Squadron – Red. 7th Squadron – Dark Blue. 8th Squadron – Medium Blue.
Above: The 1st to 4th Squadrons of the Gendarmerie de France. Three companies had slightly different lace decoration on the coats:
Above: A rear view of the 1st to 4th Squadrons of the Gendarmerie de France. The identifying belt-colour for each squadron was repeated on ‘rosettes’ attached to the horses’ manes and tails. So from right to left we have yellow (1st Squadron), purple (2nd Squadron), green (3rd Squadron) and aurore (4th Squadron). The regiment’s trumpeters wore the standard Royal Livery of blue with red cuffs and lace in a silver & red ‘chain’ pattern.
Above: The 5th to 8th Squadrons of the Gendarmerie de France. The regiment’s horses are recorded as being of ‘mixed colours’, so I’ve gone with a mixture of chestnuts, browns and bays, with greys for the trumpeters.
Above: A rear view of the 5th to 8th Squadrons of the Gendarmerie de France. Again, the horses’ manes and tails were decorated with ‘rosettes’ in the squadron colour, so from right to left we have the 5th Squadron (cherry red), 6th Squadron (red), 7th Squadron (dark blue) and 8th Squadron (medium blue).
Above: The Gendarmerie de France. Each company had a standard, so there were sixteen standards in the regiment, in a dazzling array of designs. Frédéric Aubert of 
Above: The Gendarmerie de France. As mentioned before, I tend not to paint badges, crest, cyphers, etc, on horse furniture, as they tend to obscure the actual colour of the horse furniture. But if you’re interested, the holster-caps and the rear corners of the shabraques were decorated with the crowned cypher or badge of the company’s Colonel-in-Chief, which was embroidered in silver.
As mentioned 
On 18th November we have a refight of the 
However, in 1760 the new Landgraf Frederick (Friedrich) II, having served as a Prussian general, reorganised the army along Prussian lines, splitting each regular infantry regiment into two small battalions of five companies apiece. The grenadier component of each regiment was expanded to two full companies. In wartime the two grenadier companies would now be paired at the start of a campaign with the grenadiers from another regiment, forming one of six permanent, Prussian-style grenadier battalions.
Above: The Grenadierregiment was originally formed in 1672 as a combined grenadier battalion, but in 1702 became formalised as a regiment in its own right. It kept the status of grenadiers and therefore continued to wear grenadier-caps, but was also granted the right to carry colours and a regimental Chef (Colonel-proprietor) was appointed. By the time of the Seven Years War, it was therefore just another line infantry regiment (6th in order of seniority, although regimental numbers were not used at this time), albeit one with fancy headgear. We could argue until the cows come home as to whether it should be classes as ‘elite’ or not, but it seems to have been a good, solid regiment and in 1760 Frederick II re-designated the regiment as 2. Garderegiment.
Above: The Grenadierregiment. In 1760 the regiment was re-titled as 2. Garderegiment and the uniform was altered, removing the white lace edging from lapels, collar and cuffs and reducing the number of buttons and lace buttonholes. However, the buttonhole lace bars had small tassels added. A white aiguillette was added to the right shoulder and a red shoulder-strap was added to the left. The colour of smallclothes was changed to lemon yellow. This uniform change probably came into effect during 1761.
Above: The Grenadierregiment. Reversed colours for infantry drummers had been discontinued in the late 1740s or early 1750s. They wore the same coat as the rank-and-file, with the addition of red-and-white ‘national’ lace edging the facings and seams, as well as ‘swallow’s-nests’ on the shoulders and inverted chevrons down the sleeves. Drummers’ pompoms were coloured red & white.
Above: The ‘Haudring’ Infantry Regiment was the 2nd most senior infantry regiment in the army. In 1757 the regimental Chef, Colonel Otto Friedrich von Haudring was killed at the Battle of Hastenbeck and so the regimental title changed to ‘Capellan’ for Colonel W. F. von Capellan. In 1759 the regimental title passed again to Baron G. H. von Toll and yet again in 1760 to Colonel G. F. von Bartheld.
Above: The ‘Haudring’ Infantry Regiment. In 1760 and as mentioned above, the regiment was changed to a Fusilier Regiment. The basic uniform didn’t change very much; the white lace disappeared from the lapels and cuff-flaps, the neck-stock changed to black and the breeches were confirmed as white. Once again, sources are split over whether the tail-turnbacks were red or orange. The newly-authorised fusilier-caps had brass metalwork with an orange ‘bowl’, though these may have been slow to arrive and one source describes hats with green pompoms.
Above: The ‘Haudring’ Infantry Regiment. Again, the drummers wore the same coat as the rank-and-file, though with the addition of red-and-white lace decoration.
Above: The Cavalry Regiments ‘Ysenburg’ (on the left) and ‘Miltitz’ (on the right). The four senior Hessian heavy cavalry regiments were organised very similarly to those of Hanover and Great Britain, each consisting of two squadrons of three companies, for a total of 362 men. This was increased in 1760 to 412 men. One regiment on it’s own is not therefore really viable as a Tricorn unit in its own right, so I ‘brigade’ two regiments together to make a 12-figure unit, though from 1760, these units might tip the scales into 16-figure ‘Large’ unit territory.
Above: The Cavalry Regiments ‘Ysenburg’ and ‘Miltitz’. All Hessian Cavalry Regiments wore the same style of uniform, namely a white coat, waistcoat and cloak, with the regimental facing colour displayed on the lapels, collar, Swedish-style cuffs, shoulder-straps, tail-turnbacks, aiguillette, waistcoat-edging and cloak-lining. The facing colour was repeated on the horse-furniture. Breeches were straw or ‘pale straw’, neck-stocks were black and belts were white and ‘Prussian-style’, with the buckles at the back. Hats had lace edging in the button colour, with a black cockade.
Above: A cavalryman of the ‘Ysenburg’ Cavalry Regiment, painted in 1748 by David Morier. The armorial details of the horse furniture had changed by the time of the Seven Years War and the button colour had (probably) changed, but the rest of the uniform was unchanged. This painting gives an excellent indication of the shade of blue facings.
Above: The Cavalry Regiments ‘Ysenburg’ and ‘Miltitz’. Each cavalry squadron carried a fringed square standard; the 1st Squadron in each regiment carried the Leibstandarte, which had a white field decorated with the lion badge of Hesse-Cassel, either in a ‘metal’ colour or in ‘true’ colours. The 2nd Squadron carried an Eskadronstandarte of the same design, though having a facing-coloured field. The standards of the ‘Miltitz’ Regiment are recorded as having gold fringes and armorials, while those of the ‘Ysenburg’ Regiment had silver. Staves are variously described as red or brown.
Above: The Cavalry Regiments ‘Ysenburg’ and ‘Miltitz’. Trumpeters are recorded as wearing ‘reversed’ colours in both the early and late versions of the uniform, but I’ve been unable to dig out any more details. I’ve given them red & white ‘national’ lace edging on their collars, cuffs and lapels.
Above: The ‘Prinz Friedrich’ Dragoon Regiment was one of two Hessian dragoon regiments. I should clarify that this regiment was actually titled the ‘Sachsen-Gotha’ Dragoons until 1758, having Prinz Moritz von Sachsen-Gotha as its Chef. However, by the time they were actively engaged in the war, the title had passed to Prinz Friedrich von Hessen, who owned the regiment for the duration of Hesse-Cassel’s active participation in the Seven Years War, so I’ll refer to them as the ‘Prinz Friedrich’ Dragoons.
Above: The ‘Prinz Friedrich’ Dragoons wore a sky-blue uniform coat that was almost identical to that of the Prussian dragoons. The lapels, cuffs, collar, shoulder-strap, turnbacks and waistcoat were all yellow with white metal buttons and a white aiguillette at the right shoulder. Breeches were straw and neck-stocks were black. Belts were white and the cross-belts had the buckles at the back, Prussian-style. Unlike Prussian dragoons, the hats had white lace edging. The horse furniture was yellow with a double strip of white lace around the edge. A black sheepskin or bearskin covered the horn of the saddle and the tops of the holster-caps. The cloak was white, lined yellow; this was rolled with the yellow lining outermost and stowed behind the saddle.
Above: The ‘Prinz Friedrich’ Dragoons had square standards with silver fringe and embroidery. The Leibstandarte was white, with the arms of Hesse-Cassel in silver, while the Eskadronstandarten were of the same design with a pale yellow field. Some sources describe the arms of Hesse-Cassel as being in ‘true’ colours, including a red & white-striped lion-rampant.
Above: The ‘Prinz Friedrich’ Dragoon Regiment’s drummers were initially dressed in ‘reversed colours’, which I’ve interpreted as yellow coats with light blue facings. These were decorated with ‘swallow’s nests’ of red & white national lace on the shoulders and possibly other lace decoration (I’ve edged the collar, cuffs, lapels and pockets with lace). In 1761 the ‘reversed’ uniform was changed to the same colourings as the rest of the regiment, though still with lace decoration (i.e. Prussian-style).
Above: At the start of the Seven Years War, the Hessian artillery arm occupied a very low status in the pecking order of the army and had not even been given official status as a ‘corps’. As a consequence, it had fewer than 100 men of all ranks and very few heavy guns. However, it slowly began to expand at the start of the war, initially providing a detachment of two 3pdr battalion guns for each of the eight infantry battalions contracted to serve in Britain. With their departure, a further five 3pdr detachments were formed to serve the infantry regiments remaining in Germany.
Above: The uniform of the Hesse-Cassel Artillery Corps was very Prussian in style, comprising a dark blue coat with white belts and straw smallclothes. However, unlike the Prussian uniform, the coat had lapels and the facing colour was crimson, being displayed on lapels, collar, cuffs, shoulder-straps and turnbacks. The cuffs were Swedish in style, with two buttons. Buttons were pewter. Gaiters and neck-stocks were black. Hats were edged in white lace and had crimson pompoms. It was simple enough to paint the lapels onto these Prussian gunner figures.
Above: Hessian gun-carriages were traditionally painted white with ironwork painted red, reflecting the red-and-white stripes of the national lion-rampant badge. A bad batch of Humbrol 60 Scarlet (which is the colour of dried blood) always comes in handy for these red-painted guns! 🙂 It’s entirely possible that the guns supplied by Hanover and Schaumburg-Lippe remained in their original paintwork, which for Hanover was red with black ironwork and for Schaumburg-Lippe was probably white with black ironwork (a surviving Schaumburg-Lippe 12pdr at Bückeburg Palace has been mounted upon a white-painted carriage as far back as records can ascertain). However, I’ve gone with the traditional Hessian colours, as they look rather spectacular! 🙂
Last time, in 
Above: DeLaune’s (4th) Battalion of the Légion Britannique. Major William DeLaune (also sometimes spelled ‘DeLawn’, ‘De l’Ane’ or ‘DeLanne’) was unusual among the Légion Britannique, in that he was seconded from the British, rather than the Hanoverian Army.
Above: DeLaune’s (4th) Battalion of the Légion Britannique. This unit wore red coats with light blue cuffs and turnbacks and white metal buttons. Hat-tassels were white. Waistcoats were a pale shade of straw.
Above: DeLaune’s (4th) Battalion of the Légion Britannique. Again, I’m lightly in disagreement with David over his choice of flag colour, as he interpreted the facing colour as more of a blue-grey/turquoise/sea-green shade. But as before, David does a wonderful job, so I’ve used the flags regardless (my 4th Battalion clearly had a misunderstanding over the colour swatches at their tailor’s)! 🙂
Above: DeLaune’s (4th) Battalion of the Légion Britannique in skirmish order.
Above: The Dragoon Squadron of DeLaune’s (4th) Battalion of the Légion Britannique. As usual, the Dragoon Squadron wore the same uniform as the parent battalion, with the addition of a button-coloured (white) aiguillette on the right shoulder. Horse furniture was the same for all squadrons; red with button-coloured lace edging and embroidery.
Above: Fircks’ (5th) Battalion of the Légion Britannique. This battalion was officially commanded by Major von Fircks for the duration of the war, though executive command was actually exercised by a Major von Mauw for most of that time (for reasons that are unclear).
Above: Fircks’ (5th) Battalion of the Légion Britannique. This unit also wore red coats with white metal buttons, though this time with black cuffs, white turnbacks and white waistcoats.
Above: Fircks’ (5th) Battalion of the Légion Britannique. David’s lovely flags again follow the British regulations of the period, which stated that regiments with black facings were to have a Regimental Colour with a black field. superimposed with a red St George’s Cross.
Above: Fircks’ (5th) Battalion of the Légion Britannique deployed in skirmish order.
Above: The Dragoon Squadron of Fircks’ (5th) Battalion of the Légion Britannique. Once again, the squadron wore the uniform of the parent battalion, though with a button-coloured (white) aiguillette on the right shoulder and red horse furniture with button-coloured lace edging and embroidery.
Above: The massed Dragoon Squadrons of the Légion Britannique. As discussed in Part 5, each battalion of the Légion Britannique had its own organic Dragoon Squadron, comprising 101 men at full strength. However, in battle the five dragoon squadrons were often grouped together as an ad hoc regiment. One well-recorded example is that of the Battle of Warburg, fought on 31st July 1760, where the five squadrons were grouped together on the right flank of the Legion, under the command of one Major von Hattorf. This grouping was formalised in October 1762, when the five squadrons were officially brought together under Hattorf’s command as Dragoon Regiment ‘Von Hattorf’.
Above: The massed Dragoon Squadrons of the Légion Britannique. 
Above: The massed Dragoon Squadrons of the Légion Britannique. I’ve already covered all the uniform details, so I won’t repeat myself here. I wanted to use the 1st Squadron guidon as the unit standard, so 1st Squadron needed to go in the centre… Not very historical, but again, sue me… So from left to right as we look at them, we have the 4th Squadron, 2nd Squadron, 1st Squadron, 3rd Squadron and 5th Squadron.
Above: The massed Dragoon Squadrons of the Légion Britannique. David Morfitt again came to the rescue with regard to flags, producing a very nice sheet of five squadron guidons. They’re in typical British style; the crowned central panel has the letters ‘LB D’ for ‘Légion Britannique Dragoons’. Two of the corner panels have the running horse badge of Hanover, while the other two panels have the squadron number in Roman numerals. It’s just a shame to waste the other five guidons! 🙁
As discussed 
In December 1759, five ‘free battalions’ were formed from PoWs, deserters, foreigners and other assorted riffraff at Paderborn by the Hanoverian General von Spörcken. Two months later in February 1760, 30 officers and NCOs were assigned to the new battalions from Hanoverian infantry regiments, while 10 officers and 20 NCOs were assigned from Hanoverian cavalry regiments. Each battalion was then organised into four infantry companies, totaling 500 men and a dragoon squadron of 101 men.
Above: Command of the newly-created Légion Britannique was given to an adjutant of Ferdinand of Brunswick, the Prussian Major August Christian von Bülow (a great-uncle of the famous Napoleonic Bülow, the Graf von Dennewitz). This talented officer achieved some remarkable feats during his time in command of the Legion, including the storming of the town of Warburg and would probably have made an excellent general. However, he was severely wounded in the Combat of Rhadern on 13th September 1760 and died on 24th September. Following Bülow’s death, command of the legion passed to the Hanoverian Adjutant-Major Emmerich Otto August von Estorff, who commanded the Legion until its transfer to Prussian service and Beckwith’s command.
Above: Stockhausen’s (1st) Battalion of the Légion Britannique. As in pretty much all armies of the period (except the British Army), the battalions of the Légion Britannique were known by the name of their commanding officer and not by a number. The commanding officer in this instance was one Major von Stockhausen, who remained in command of the unit for the duration. However, there was an order of seniority within the Legion and the battalions are therefore referred to by number in most histories. As has previously been discussed with regard to the Prussian, Austrian and Hanoverian armies, using anachronistic unit numbers makes battle-maps FAR easier to label!
Above: Stockhausen’s (1st) Battalion of the Légion Britannique. While the Legion’s five battalions each had radically different uniform colourings, there were some uniform features common to all five battalions:
Above: Stockhausen’s (1st) Battalion of the Légion Britannique. The Legion is recorded to have carried flags ‘of the British pattern’, though nothing more is known about them. After much badgering, David Morfitt very kindly produced a set of battalion colours and dragoon squadron guidons ‘of the British pattern’, using a Roman numeral to identify each battalion/squadron (in this case ‘I’). The Regimental Colour here is straw/buff, matching the battalion’s facing colour.
Above: Stockhausen’s (1st) Battalion of the Légion Britannique. As I was feeling keen, I decided to do a pair of skirmisher stands for each battalion, thus enabling each battalion to deploy in skirmish order.
Above: Dragoon Squadron of Stockhausen’s (1st) Battalion of the Légion Britannique. As mentioned above, each battalion included a Dragoon Squadron of 101 men at full strength. However, in reality the Dragoon Squadrons were usually massed together as a de facto regiment and this grouping was formalised in October 1762, with the formation of a Légion Britannique Dragoon Regiment under Major von Hattorf, who had previously commanded the informal grouping since of dragoon squadrons at least 1760 (being named as the commander of the massed squadrons at Warburg).
Above: Udam’s (2nd) Battalion of the Légion Britannique. Major von Udam remained in command of the 2nd Battalion for the duration of the war.
Above: Udam’s (2nd) Battalion of the Légion Britannique.
Above: Udam’s (2nd) Battalion of the Légion Britannique. As the facing colour for this unit was red, David has used the ‘St George’s Cross’ pattern of Regimental Colour, which was the pattern used for British regiments with red or white facings. The St George’s Cross was also used with a black field for regiments with black facings.
Above: Udam’s (2nd) Battalion of the Légion Britannique deployed in skirmish order.
Above: The Dragoon Squadron of Udam’s (2nd) Battalion of the Légion Britannique. Again, the uniform is the same as that of the infantry, except for the addition of a white aiguillette.
Above: Appelboom’s (3rd) Battalion of the Légion Britannique. Major von Appelboom remained in command of the unit for the duration of the war.
Above: Appelboom’s (3rd) Battalion of the Légion Britannique.
Above: Appelboom’s (3rd) Battalion of the Légion Britannique. David went again with the St George’s Cross pattern for this Regimental Colour. He was working from the view that ‘orange is a sort of red’. However, I do have to slightly disagree here, as the British 35th Foot had orange facings and they carried an orange Regimental Colour. However, beggars can’t be choosers and David has once again produced a magnificent set of colours, so I’m more than happy! 🙂
Above: Appelboom’s (3rd) Battalion of the Légion Britannique, here deployed in skirmish order.
Above: The Dragoon Squadron of Appelboom’s (3rd) Battalion of the Légion Britannique. This plate, copied from the Gmunder Prachtwerk (the same source as the infantryman shown above), raises several questions: First, the facing colour is a very dark shade of orange, bordering on red. This may be caused by the contrast being cranked up by whoever scanned the original image and may also be the reason why the 2nd Battalion Dragoon plate above is shown in a very dark blue coat. Second, the aiguillette appears to be red or orange, rather than the regulation button-colour (white). Third, the cross-belt appears to have two bands of orange or yellow lace, though this may be a misinterpretation of the two stitched seams running along the edges of the belt. Fourth, the valise is red, matching the horse furniture, whereas the previous dragoon had a blue valise, matching the coat.
With the 
Above: The 
In February 1758 the mixed companies were increased in strength to 54 fusiliers and 44 dragoons and the worker company to 32 men, for a total of 1,304 men.
Above: The 
In 1757, half the unit was split off to become the 
Above: As mentioned above, the 
Above: The 1759 organisation remained in place until December 1762, when the unit was amalgamated with the Volontaires d’Austrasie. The unit was then renamed in March 1763 as the Légion du Hainaut.
Above: The uniforms of the Volontaires du Hainaut were very similar to those of the Volontaires de Flandre, essentially just replacing the red facings with black. To recap, the coat and waistcoat were blue with white metal buttons. The coat had blue tail-turnbacks, black lapels and black cuffs. The lapels, cuffs and lower breast were decorated with white buttonhole lace. Headgear was a cocked hat with false silver lace and white or black cockade. Breeches were white or black. Belts were natural leather and the cartridge pouch was black.
Above: When formed in 1757, the Volontaires du Hainaut were issued with the old colours of the Arquebusiers de Grassin. This famous unit had been one of the units amalgamated into the Volontaires de Flandre at the end of the War of Austrian Succession and so the colours were still held by the Volontaires de Flandre. New colours were eventually issued to the Volontaires du Hainaut during the course of the Seven Years War, but I’ve used the former colours of the Arquebusiers de Grassin, as I really like them.
Above: The drummers’ livery for the Volontaires du Hainaut is unknown, so I’ve just used the standard Royal Livery. There’s no information regarding any specific items of dress for the grenadier company.
Above: In addition to the formed Volontaires du Hainaut, I again did a couple of skirmisher stands. Again, the Volontaires du Hainaut are all 
Above: Waaay back in 
Above: Rather than re-paint my existing gun-carriages red, I relegated the old guns to various Reichsarmee contingents and bought some new 12pdr and 4pdr guns from 
Above: My French artillery figures are all 
Above: Here are the French ‘Swedish’ 4pdrs. These models are excellent value, as they come two per pack. The barrels and trails are cast as one piece, which also means less sticking.
Above: Again, I’ve used Eureka artillery crewmen for the 4pdrs, giving them the men with shorter rammers. However, I do rather regret not replacing the shafts with brass rod, as I did with the longer rammers, as again, they’re very bendy.
Above: A last view of the French artillery.
The long and winding road has finally reached its destination! As discussed in 
