West Country Quatre Bras: A look at the pre-game deployment 1745 hours 16th June 1815

Further to my post on the tabletop terrain yesterday QB2 Terrain ready this one is just for the sheer pleasure of indulging in our wonderful hobby and the ability to bring some of that pleasure beyond my four walls. Kevin and I spent some very enjoyable hours today setting up the starting positions much as things finished last September but on a new "stretched" terrain. So a very enticing gap has presented itself to the French on the Western approach to Quatre Bras and we shall see what emerges tomorrow.

So just the photos unedited, as I still have lots to do to prepare. Most of the figures are Perry's from Kevin's and James' collections, with a few of mine. Tony's and Richard's will arrive tomorrow so there are one or two gaps in this line up.

However in prospect is the arrival over the weekend of hundreds more infantry and cavalry as reserves, some are historically accurate and others of the "historically available so what if.......?" variety.

Hope you enjoy the photos - proper AAR next week hopefully.

West Country Quatre Bras Part Two: Terrain is ready

Getting a bit excited now and keen to show my followers what I've been doing for the last month. Completely reworked the terrain from Quatre Bras part 1 but managed to keep the essential features very similar. Kevin has been working his socks off finalising figures, orbats, briefings and he gave a lot of thought how to bring the results of our QB1 refight through to start the game sensibly for Part Two. I produced a new terrain map in Photoshop on which he has superimposed every unit and commander approximately as we finished last September.

Where we got to, with the French in advanced positions, gave us the opportunity to turn the terrain through 90 degrees and recreate it with a more historically realistic ground scale - about 200 metres to 12 inches on the table. That will stretch the Allied lines somewhat and should give us a very exciting game since we have close fighting from the off - about 10 am on Saturday. We pick up the action about 5.45 pm on 16th June 1815 and hope to get enough 15 minute moves done in our two days to get to "nightfall".....we shall see.

But on to some random photos of the installation art...........

View from the North-west

Above and below: bridges across the Gemioncourt stream

The paved chausee towards Quatre Bras from Gemioncourt farm
and past La Bergerie

Above and below: two views of the Materne lake and the difficult hedges along
Gemioncourt stream

By the end of our QB1 the French had managed to make three significant gaps in
 the hedges along the stream

Above and below: The road through Bossu Wood.
These trees will be much disrupted by the warring battalions (sob!)

Reverse view South down the chausee towards Gemioncourt

The road to Namur from QB crossroads crosses two streams and a deep cutting
which historically gave some cover from French cannon fire

 All the above photos were taken a couple of days ago, but today I have tidied up the room and the Duchess has helped me lift the "extra bit" of terrain into position.  This time it is 94 inches by 24 inches and we have managed to get it almost in syncronisation with the main table (see the Z -shaped cutout). I suspect if the French can carry on their advance we will see it fully used. So the photos below were taken today with the low evening light messing them up - I will close the blinds during the game when the sun is in the West.

Above and below: Again using the metal oven tray and magnetic tape
 unit markers for all the off-table but on-map movement and reserves.
 Kevin has made some superb time line and victory point charts.
More of all this in the game reports 

Just a few of my units on the table so far, most will arrive tomorrow

So these poor photos are the best I can do today, but Kevin is bringing most of the figures on Friday for us to get everything ready, and I hope I will have time to give you a "full dress" preview in 24 hours, not just the scenery.