Sunday 28 March 2021

Gunners Inglorious

Marshal Blücher has assembled General von Pirch's entire division to watch the Prussian artillery at gunnery practice.

With his beloved  Schwarzen Jäger all around him, Colonel Ludwig von Lützow is bursting with pride.

The gunners swing into action like a well-oiled machine, loading the shot...

...and then ramming the charges home.

Blücher gives the order to open fire.

Blücher: Artillerie ... Feuer!

The guns discharge simultaneously with a deafening roar.

It's all a bit too much for the sensitive intellectuals in the Königlich Preußisches Freikorps von Lützow, who turn and flee. Von Lützow is powerless to stop them!

Lützow: Körner! Eleonore Prochaska! Kommen zurück!

Blücher is furious!

Blücher: Lützow!!!

My sincere thanks to Mr A. Gentlemen for allowing me to fulfill my Lützower ambitions.

In other news, which underlines perhaps just how necessary it is to secure a powerful gunline, Mr Rob G in the UK  has sent me some sensational photographs of his superb 6e régiment de chevau-légers lanciers:




I think you've really outdone yourself this time, Rob.

Best regards

WM


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19 comments :

  1. Rob28 March 2021 at 19:55

    I enjoyed the gun drill, although I was expecting Morph to show up at some point.

    I think the Lützowers have the right idea, my freshly painted lancers agree that discretion is the better part of valour when a whiff of canister from that lot will kill 9 figures - ON AVERAGE!

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    Replies
    1. Wellington Man28 March 2021 at 19:58

      Quite so, Rob. It was for that reason that the last time I played Lewis Gunner it was forbidden to concentrate more than two batteries against a single target. My massed columns were very grateful for that.

      Delete
  2. Mark Dudley28 March 2021 at 20:40

    Lutzow can console himself that at least this was only a practise session. Now to runaway from those dammed Frenchies that really would be hard to live down.

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    Replies
    1. Wellington Man28 March 2021 at 21:04

      Or worse, captured, which actually happened, apparently. The French did not treat them kindly!

      Delete
    2. the Archduke28 March 2021 at 22:40

      Oh Matthew, you do have a talent for de bagging a chap’s childish fantasies. Never mind. They still have the best uniforms. A great show. Thank you for brightening my Sunday breakfast.

      Delete
    3. Wellington Man29 March 2021 at 05:55

      I'm still smarting about the way they casually annihilated my crack 13e Legere at the Battle of the Holzberg, Archduke. This is just my petty revenge.

      Delete
  3. Stryker28 March 2021 at 22:46

    Great work and wonderful photos. I suggest that the Prussian guns are issued with flour in the place of gunpowder, just saying.

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    Replies
    1. Wellington Man29 March 2021 at 05:57

      That might be more effective than their current issue of cotton wool, Ian!

      Delete
  4. WSTKS-FM Worldwide29 March 2021 at 02:44

    What a beautiful array of figures and units. Smashing even, what?

    Best Regards,

    Stokes

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    Replies
    1. Wellington Man29 March 2021 at 06:02

      I see what you did there, Stokes. Salutations!

      Delete
  5. David29 March 2021 at 05:53

    So just to be clear this is a stunning divisional display, but that is a ton of artillery (yes I am guilty of that as well). Time to get cracking with that brushwork. I reckon you need to paint another 13 Infantry battalions at the very least! :) (less the Prussians of course - how many does that leave to do?) Not that I would propose a virtually insurmountable goal for you or anything, but just think how stunning all that infantry would be!

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  6. Wellington Man29 March 2021 at 06:28

    I have eight close-order Prussian battalions now David, so four batteries is probably about right for them. My two Anglo-Hanoverian battalions, however, have nothing, so another battery may be on the way! As for the rest of the Prussians, I'm not quite half way....

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    Replies
    1. David29 March 2021 at 06:41

      Wow! Do you already have eight Prussian battalions! I am impressed. I keep forgetting the Peninsular armies were artillery poor. I have about 1 battery per 7-8 battalions.

      Delete
    2. Wellington Man29 March 2021 at 06:54

      Each of my battalions represents a three-battalion regiment, which is why I can claim that three of them represent a division!

      Single batteries in M&M aren't all that impressive, but once you get three or four of them it all gets really nasty!

      Delete
    3. David29 March 2021 at 14:07

      Of course real me paint each battalion and use 36 figures (or wimp out and get lucky/crazy enough to just buy them).

      Delete
  7. Matt29 March 2021 at 10:37

    This is what happens when you fail to conduct a full Health & Safety risk assessment. If they had been given earmuffs and promised a sweetie afterwards (low sugar to prevent gum decay) this sort of thing would not have happened.

    I'm sure with your soldering skills 20mm earmuffs could be produced in next to no time!

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    Replies
    1. Wellington Man29 March 2021 at 17:46

      *Laughter".
      I attended the NZ Army's 175th Anniversary celebrations here in Wellington last week. This included thee NZ Army Band playing the 1812 Overture, complete with 105mm Light Guns firing black powder. Ear protection was provided, which was just a well as they made a hell of a din! You can get a flavour of it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8STz0XlUT8s

      Delete
  8. Aly Morrison30 March 2021 at 12:34

    Marvellous stuff Matthew...
    Clearly the Lützowers thought the big boom was the signal the curry wurst was being served and raced to get a seat at the table...

    All the best. Aly

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    Replies
    1. Wellington Man30 March 2021 at 19:02

      You could be right, Aly. The dinner gong at the University of Göttingen sounded a bit like that, now I come to think of it.

      Delete

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