10mm 1870 Prussians for Volley & Bayonet

Now it's the Prussians turn in the spotlight.

If you go back a couple of posts, you'll see that I highlighted my 1870 French in 10mm for the wargame rules, Volley & Bayonet. I have been building the two opposed forces that took part in the battle of St. Privat in August of 1870. The Prussian and Saxon attacks on the French lines has been likened to Picketts Charge at Gettysburg, only this attack went on for hours, into the evening and eventually the Saxon XII Corp, turned the right flank of the French VI Corp, while the Prussian Guard units, who had been pinned down all day, sensed just enough of a let up in French fire to rush forward once more.

I went with Volley and Bayonet rules, as they seem to be fairly simple to play, but give you the feeling of large masses of troops and a feel of combat at that time. I also have "1870" rules, "They Died for Glory" rules, "Chassepot & Needlegun" rules and "Ever Victorious Armies".

All for gaming the Franco-Prussian War of 1870.

Why do I like this period; the combination of, massed units, colorful uniforms, with the dawn of modern technology and the development of new tactics, there are many areas of interest for someone interested in military history. And while the results were lopsided, most battles could very easily have gone the other way. the Franco-Prussian War, laid the foundation for the First World War, which set the stage for the Second World War.

But for now, lets have a look at my Prussian miniatures:

Here are two "big picture views of my Prussian Infantry regiments, Jager Battalions, Artillery batteries and Cavalry. These are all based in accordance with the rules "Volley & Bayonet". The large squares are 3"x 3" and each has 20 figures on it, including a leader, color bearer and drummer. For anyone not familiar with wargaming sizes, a figure that is in the scale of 10mm is a half inch tall. Down below here is a side view at the Prussian 2nd Armee, that I have done so far.

I really like the look of a massed body of troops you have with 20 10mm figs on these bases. Since the Prussians fought in a more loose order or skirmish formation, I didn't rank these boys up as much as I did the French. When I paint and base my figures, I go for not only the historical look but the feel of an army.

The next photo is a closeup of one of my regiments. You might notice one of the figures lying down on the base. When I prime and paint my figures, I use Elmers glue and attach them to a craft stick. Sometimes I use too much glue and the poor guy snaps off at the ankles as I try to pop him free. So, he becomes a casualty on the base.

Here's a side view of the same regiment.

And here is the back view....All of my figures are primed in black and then a Prussian Blue basecoat. I always matt spray my figs, but unfortunately it really darkens them up to almost black. I do the leather straps in black, the greatcoat in a lighter grey to stand out. Helmets are black with brass trim.

Now any army is not just riflemen, you need Artillery and Cavalry, you need Combined Arms. Here's my Artillery, which could be either 4 pdr or 6 pdr pieces.

The next photo is of my Cavalry; at this time most cavalry was used as Skirmish or patrols, although there were several instances of massed cavalry charges, which more often than not, went down in a shambles from disciplined infantry fire. In this photo I have my Hussars, who were armed with sabres and a carbine. In the actual battle of St. Privat, there was no French Cavalry and the Prussian Cavalry was off on the flanks trying to find an opening, so they really didn't take part in the battle.

These are my Uhlans or Lancers...the coolest looking Cavalry around. Think of the "Charge of the Light Brigade when you think of this type of unit. Prussia used their cavalry much more effectively in the scouting role. There is a story of a Prussian cavalryman, who came to a river bank, and saw what he thought was the French Army on the other side. The rider then dismounted and swam across the river to scout out the French positions and then swam, back to his horse and rode back to HQ with the information of where the French army was. That's how you scout:-)

And of course you need an Army Commander, This is Major General von Pape, Commanding General of the 1st Guards Divison.....or a close approximate.

Finally, a ground view of my troops moving into action.

enjoy;

Mr. Joe