Fortress Construction Update

Plan A

Well I cut out the paper template and then proceeded to carve the polystyrene. As many of you predicted, this led to ‘rough edges’ due to the nature of the material.

The side that the template was on wasn’t bad.

Template side: I left the ravelins until later

But the other side was as rough as a badger’s arse.

The fact I'd not cut out the ravelins makes it look worse than it probably is.

In one respect this isn’t a showstopper because the polystyrene sheet at c.2cm is much thicker than I need and the rougher bits can be carved away.  But that is a lot of work. 

Plan B

Before I went away on a project I found and ordered a thinner sheet made out of a different material that looks like it is less likely to suffer from the bobbliness* of expanded polystyrene. * that’s the correct technical term by the way. 

'XPS Board'.

This is produced for underfloor heating and comes in sheets 6mm thick. One sheet was c 5 quid for more than enough to layer up. One layer will do for the glacis level, one up from that will do for the ravelins and one more up for the bastions and curtain walls.  It's easier to show than to describe......

Cross-section Plan B

The issue with this method is that I might need to draw a new template (the original will probably tear when I unstick it from the polystyrene). And I might need different templates for each layer OR use each layer as a template working up from the bottom.

This is where a potential Plan C came to my attention. I think it was Neil who found a supplier of ‘Vauban’ fortress pieces in different scales. My issues with this option were (a) that the geometry of the bastions etc was limited and not suitable for the dimensions and angles I wanted, and (b) the website for the e-Bay seller was difficult to navigate and work out what the products were exactly like . Then last week another blog (sorry I forget which) showed some products from another company. They have options for different bastion ‘angles’ and the dimensions are close to what I drew on my template.

I’m hoping to see some samples on Saturday at Broadside which should help with my remaining questions. Plan C could turn out to be much easier to execute than Plan B. In a way that would be a shame because I was finding the ‘self-build’ route satisfying. But at least the XPS board could be turned to other uses, like trench lines where the little guys can actually be below the surface of the table!

We’ll see.

If you’re going to Broadside on Saturday and would like to say hello let me know through the comments.

A bientôt mes braves.

Fortress update

I think I've completed the drawing stage. The serious work begins tomorrow if I can get the workspace cool enough. Here's the plan.

A few comments about 'design'. I've pretty much kept to the same ground scale as the tactical rules (2cm = 100 yards).  The distance from the apex of the two end bastions is c.30cm so about 1500 yards. I've strayed from the ground scale when it comes to the ditch and the glacis. I've made the ditch a bit too wide at 1.5cm or 75 yards. This is in order to get bases of infantry comfortably inside. As compensation I've made the glacis the same depth and therefore a bit too short. But both added together are about right.

Another 'design decision' is to simplify things. I've done away with a separate covered way and ditch. The covered way would be too small at the right scale. The eagle eyed will note there are no places d'armes either. Too small and fiddly. No distinction either between terreplein and banquette either.

The plan now is to cut out the ditch and the area outside the glacis leaving me with a template. The template will get stuck down to a sheet of expanded polystyrene (somehow) and then I'll cut out the shape. Simples! Well, probably not. Something is bound to go wrong, but nothing ventured nothing gained. Once I've got the shape cut out I'll apply the paper stone walls I bought years ago from a model railway supplier. Next will come the embrasures and the talus. Then the whole lot will be stuck on a piece of board and I can 'do' the ditch floor and glacis. The trickiest bit I think will be chamfering the polystyrene to form the slope of the glacis.

Well that's the idea.

End of Season / Drawing Progress

Saturday afternoons are now free for the next three months. Grimsby got knocked out of the playoffs on Friday night. We went out in a slightly disappointing way but the club has made progress over the last 12 months. 78 points versus 68 points last season and we reached the 4th round of both major cup competitions. Along the way we've had some great times, including THAT win at the end of August. A night that will live with me for the rest of my life. I'm sure my son will also be boring future generations with the tale long after I'm gone!

Just before kick off on That Night.

My mood was not helped on Saturday by Celtic beating Hearts in the last game of the season to take the SPL title. Not because I have any particular feeling for the Jam Tarts, but because, in common with many fans, I want to see the Old Firm stranglehold loosened. I have a feeling though that Hearts will be competitive again in the coming seasons and punch above their weight.

Happier memory.

*************************

So what of the drawing? Well I managed to grab some time between work and dinner to experiment a bit and I think now to actually make a proper start. The amount of good quality light in the early evening, despite the weather not being great, is a real help.

After dabbling around with slightly different dimensions I settled back on the original ones from my first version last week. With a minor tweak. The first job was to plot the overall shape of the fortress. I went for a 'decagon' with elongated sides. The shape joined up the apexes of what will become 12 bastions.

Getting the basic shape down. The points with circles will be the apexes of the bastions and the 10 sided shape will therefore represent the outside points of the enceinte. Beyond that there will be a ditch, possibly with ravelins and then the glacis.

Drawing in the bastions in accordance with the guidelines shown in Fire and Stone. The slight tweak mentioned above is that with the corner bastions I adjusted the re-entrant angle between the flank and the curtain wall so that it is less acute. This means the bastion gorge is wider than t would have been. Overall dimensions are 30 cm by 20cm. 2cm = 100 yards.

Once I've drawn the rest of the bastions I'll add in some gates. One main one and a couple of smaller ones. Then add the ravelins - at least to cover the gates. I think that will require more trial and error. On the finished model, I will also have detachable parts so I can split the walls and have a river.

As the overall scale is pretty true to the ground scale of the tactical rules, there isn't space for my normal base sizes along the walls and in the covered way. For that I plan to use guns and infantry figures from my spares box. I might even have a bash at making some guns on fortress carriages (the ones a bit like ships' gun carriages).

Post Script

I finished off the bastions and main walls, adding in ravelins where I want to place the main gates. As luck would have it, two railway tunnel entrances that I bought a few years ago are almost exactly the same width as the space between bastions on the long sides of the fortress. Also, I worked out roughly where I want the glacis to start and finish. The key question in my mind now is whether to place ravelins all the way round. At this scale they are quite small, so they will be fiddly to model. Once I've decided on that I can draw in the covered way.

Ships and Planes

The Ships

Bit of a departure for me this. At least partly. One of the books that I fairly recently bought was a bargain from Naval and Military Press. It wasn't something that I was looking for but because it was great price it was a good opportunity to spread my wings. The book in question was Lepanto by Nic Fields. [Insert barrel-scraping pun about  the French version of Puss in Boots].

It's a great introduction to the subject, at least from my point of view being a complete novice. It's broken into three main parts. The first concerns the various parties and factions involved. The second part deals with the nuts and bolts of the technology, the men and how galley warfare worked. The final part covers the lead up to the battle and the actual combat and its aftermath.

There is a fourth part which describes some of the stories of participants, which included the Spanish Golden Age writer Cervantes. 

The Planes

Bit of a ruse this because the planes in question aren't flying machines but the drawings of a fortress I am planning to build. These are rough (very rough) attempts at drawing using the guide given in Duffy's Fire and Stone. I did two versions on spare pieces of A4 paper I had lying around. A4 works because it is about 30cm in length, which is a bit shorter than a mile in the ground scale of my preferred battle rules, where 2cm = 100 yards.  This would allow for a pretty big city. From memory, I think Prague in the mid-18th century was about a mile long excluding the Kleine Seite.

The idea is to create a template on paper, and then to use this to cut out the material for the walls.

The Duffy guide (based on one of Vauban's 'systems') has bastion faces of 50 toises (100 yards). Or in other words 2cm. All the angles are worked out so the flanks of each bastion covers the face of the neighbouring bastion. The first drawing came out more 'wonky' than I would like. For example, bastion #3 in the picture below could be moved so the apex is further 'north'. However, I'm not that bothered about a really regular shape as nothing is in reality.

The first system. I can see here that I haven't drawn in the walls joining bastions 8-9 and 9-10.

The second attempt was to get bastions on a bigger scale. The reason for this is to fit my 3cm wide artillery bases in the bastions. I doubled the scale so that the bastion faces are 4cm long. The problem is that where the outer trace takes a sharper angle, the bastion neck is very narrow and the gun bases might still not fit. Allowing for the depth of the walls I really don't think I can go less than 4cm long faces to have an internal length of 3cm. I personally don't think this looks as good as the smaller scale with more bastions.  Another advantage of the larger scale is it will look better with my 10mm ECW and AWI figures.

The second system

Both versions are also deficient in three key aspects:

1. No gates
2. No river - there probably should be at least one waterway involved
3. No covered way or ravelins etc.

1. could be fairly easily addressed. For 3. I need to plot the whole thing on a bigger sheet of paper. 2. is a bit trickier and will need more thought. I think I need to look at several examples of city plans from the period. Also I need to look at how many had the earlier Italian style bastions with retired flanks and how many had the straighter 'later French' style, especially as I seem to be basing a lot in the Italian theatre these days. Though to be honest, the thought of carving recurved bastion flanks scares me.

Po Valley Campaign - 10 September to end October 1742

I left the campaign in the aftermath of the (2nd) Battle of Cuneo. The Gallispans had been retreating ahead of the combined Austrian and Piedmontese armies when they were caught a few miles from Cuneo. The Gallispans fought a rearguard action and came off the worse in terms of casualties suffered but held off the enemy long enough for the bulk of their forces, including artillery and transport train, to escape.

The next map turn was the week commencing 10th September 1742. Whilst King Charles Emmanuel's Piedmontese dug in across the Stura opposite Cuneo and the Gallispans did likewise on the ridge by the city, Traun led his Austrians east to Alessandria. They were on their way to relieve the siege of Piacenza by Monetmar (Spanish), Francesco d'Este (Modenese) and King Carlos (Neapolitan).

In the final week of September, as Traun approached Piacenza the three Bourbon leaders held a council of war. What should their outnumbered forces do? D'Este was ready to stand and fight the Austrians, but he was outvoted by Montemar and Carlos. [The dice decided: 3 dice, one for each leader, needing a 5 or 6 for battle]. The Bourbons retreated into Parma, Modena and Guastalla as their best chance of survival. Once the Bourbons had gone, Traun had their siege works outside Piacenza destroyed so if they came back they would have to start all over again.

Meanwhile the Gallispans and Piedmontese eyed each other from their entrenched camps either side of the Stura. The Gallispans outnumbered the Piedmontese but it would have been too risky to attempt a storm of an entrenched camp. After 3 weeks in camp, and exhausted by countermarches and battles, the Piedmontese were prey to disease. They were afflicted by plague which took away 10% of their number. [As October came round it was time to see if an Event occurred and sure enough one did. I rolled against the Event Table and it came up 3. The first time this would mean a Jacobite uprising in Britain. The second time it would be an outbreak of plague in either the Austrians or Piedmontese. Unluckily for the Piedmontese the die picked them].

By and by King Charles Emmanuel realised that he could not remain in his pestilential camp and marched back to Turin and sent a force under Aspremont to guard Ivrea. Working in agreement with the Piedmontese, Traun distributed his force between Milan, Alessandria and Piacenza. Traun already held Cremona so he had a good central blocking position to hold off any advance by whichever Bourbon force ventured forth, and he would be able to concentrate quickly.  And the opposing factions stayed in their respective strongholds for the next 3 weeks when the first snows began to fall in the mountains. The campaigning season of 1742 was over.

Late campaign moves and final positions (circled)

It had been an active campaigning season. Four large field actions had taken place (Parma, Piacenza and 2 outside Cuneo) all won by the Austro-Piedmontese. Several sieges had resulted in two cities changing hands: Piacenza from Parma to Austria and Cuneo from Piedmont to Spain/France. A large Bourbon supply train had been ambushed which led to a weakening of the Bourbon forces. The French were plotting with James Stuart (James VIII and III) to return him to the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland. Nothing concrete had come of that, but it was a useful lever for the French. And finally, the Piedmontese had been hit by plague.

The rules, such as they are, have developed piecemeal. Occasionally I have fudged or diced my way out of uncertainty. Late on I added siege attrition rules, which stupidly I'd overlooked. And I have factored in a rough and ready 'Capitulation' provision for when a fortress falls. In the first week I assume to be by coup de main when losses on defenders are heavy and I'll dice for whether they go 'in the bag' or march out. In subsequent weeks the defenders (less accrued attrition) march out. Later still the defenders must go back to their 'home country' and can even lose their artillery. I don't make any provision for storms. Everyone is far too rational for that!

I think I will return to the campaign for the 1743 campaigning season. It's been enjoyable, if a bit tricky sometimes with less than tip-top admin. Maybe the next season will see an attack on a prepared position, or an escorted supply train. The latter could be played out with a different troop and ground scale. Lots of hussars swirling around or Piedmontese militia in the mountains. That's all some months off I think as I'd like to get some different toys out next.

Po Valley Campaign - The Battle of Cuneo, 1742

After quite a gap I got the battle on the table yesterday and played the game over two sessions. I used the 8 foot by 4 foot table top.

The available Franco-Spanish forces (aka the Gallispans). French to the left, Spanish to the right. The small round bases are hits which were carried over from earlier in the campaign.

The Austrians to the left, the Piedmontese to the right.

The Gallispans' objective. Cuneo. They had to reach there before being overrun by the enemy. Madonna dell Olmo at the road junction. The French will head up the left hand road and the Spanish to the right, but both meet at Madonna dell Olmo with potential for traffic jams!

Turn 6 of 20. The Austrian and Piedmontese cavalry arrive (right). Piedmontese on the top. Spanish rearguard facing the Piedmontese, French facing the Austrians. The Gallispans are greatly outnumbered in cavalry so they have to use infantry too.

The Spanish infantry are turning off the road before they reach the junction. Being a proud man, their commander the Infante, decides to face the enemy and allow the French to withdraw first. There had been a traffic jam (decided by dice roll) when the two allies' wagon trains arrived simultaneously.

The opposing sides face each other across the Grana. I decided this was fordable, it being late summer. No movement reduction but units had to dice to cross, which did cause some delay and disruption on the Austro-Piedmontese side.

The Gallispans decide that rather than wait to be overwhelmed they would attack the enemy first. Fortune favoured the brave, to some extent, with first blood going to the Spanish. However, given the French cavalry contingent went into the battle already weakened (each unit started with 1 hit) they were eventually routed.

The combined supply train reached the first bridge and were directed to the second bridge upstream of Cuneo to allow the infantry to enter the town. Surprisingly as it happens - they passed this second test for a possible traffic jam.

With the Gallispan cavalry cleared, it was left to the infantry to hold off the Austro-Piedmontese cavalry. Between the two roads, the French foot have been charged by the Austrian cavalry. Again, the defenders beat off the first charges.

Another view of the same stage. The Gallispans still hold the villages of Roata Rossi (left) and Passatore (centre).

After some initial confusion (again determined by dice roll) the Gallispans train crosses the bridge over the Stura and climb onto the ridge on which Cuneo sits.

The last stand of the Spanish rearguard. One brigade has been routed by the Piedmontese cavalry, but the second bravely sticks to its task, their commander invoking the tercios of the past!

The train is almost home. The bulk of the remaining French infantry are in Cuneo. The rest of the Spanish are in line ready to repel the enemy when night has fallen and the Austro-Piedmontese decide that they have lost enough today whilst the Gallispans have been chased away.

Orders of Battle and Losses

Piedmontese

	No. of bases	Hits at Cuneo	Losses at Cuneo
Cuirassiers	4	1
Dragoons	4		2
Hussars
Grenadiers/Guards	2
Musketeers Artillery	16 3	1

Austrians

	No. of bases	Hits at Cuneo	Losses at Cuneo
Cuirassiers	6	2	2
Dragoons	4		2
Grenadiers/Guards	1
Musketeers	12	2
Militia
Skirmishers
Artillery	4

Piedmontese and Austrian Total at Start: c 52,000

Total losses 6 cavalry bases, 3 cavalry and 3 infantry hits. Total c.6,000

Spanish

From France	No. of bases	Hits at Cuneo	Losses at Cuneo
Cuirassiers	2		2
Dragoons
Hussars
Grenadiers/Guards
Musketeers	15		5
Militia
Skirmishers
Artillery	2

French

	No. of bases	Hits at Cuneo	Losses at Cuneo
Cuirassiers	2	1
Dragoons	2		2
Hussars
Grenadiers/Guards
Musketeers	12		4
Militia	2
Skirmishers
Artillery	4

Spanish and French Total at Start: c 40,000

Total losses 4 cavalry and 5 infantry bases, plus 1 hit to cavalry (2 cav hits = loss of 2 bases). Total c.9,000.

Conclusion

So mixed results. The Gallispans suffered 50% more losses than the Austro-Piedmontese, but escaped with their train and artillery intact. They still hold Cuneo and are in a strong position. With no formed cavalry however, they won't be troubling the Queen of Hungary and King of Sardinia with offensive operations again this year. But they might be able to hold on to Cuneo over the winter, giving them a base of operations on the Italian side of the Alps for 1743.

I still have to dice for how many of these losses each side recovers in the campaign. And then work out the next map moves. Both sides will probably dig in on opposite sides of the Stura. The Austro-Piedmontese won't be able to make a proper investment of Cuneo, let alone siege with a sizeable Gallispan army. It's likely that part of the Austrian force will head off back to the Po and help oust the Bourbons from the Parma region. We'll see.