Happy New Year, 2013!!!!!

Happy New Year everyone!!  2013 is only 3 hours away here on the west coast of the United States.

This has been a fun wargaming year for our little group.  While I didn't get a lot of painting done like I had hoped, I did get a campaign based on the Italian war of independence in 1859 started.  This was the first time I had ever started something this large and for this long.  The guys in the group seemed pleased so far with the campaign.
I am hoping that the campaign will wrap up in the next 2 or 3 months.  I will continue to post after action reports on the battles.  At the end of the campaign I will post a narrative of the campaign itself, to help fill in the blanks the battles aren't covering.  I haven't done it yet as I don't want the two commanders seeing the other person's moves etc...

For 2013 I have a few projects that I want to start and hopefully finish.

The first is my 10mm AWI armies based on the Battle of Monmouth.  I've already started collecting the troops for this.
I also have some 1/600 scale Ironclads to paint to run some Sail and Steam Navies rules.  I played these at Enfilade in 2012 and loved them.
Check your 6 Jet Age is also sitting in the wings, waiting to be used.  I picked up some planes to do Israel and Egypt.  I'm hoping I can get them painted before the year is over.
I also want to rebase my WWI 15mm collection so I can float between using Through the Mud and Blood and Piquet's Barrage.

Terrain wise I'm going to push to finish the 10 to 12 buildings I had bought at Enfilade.  They are 3/4's of the way done, just have to finish them.
The big thing I want to work is smaller terrain boards.  My first set was 6 boards that were 2'x4'.  I want to do 2'x2' boards now and correct some of the mistakes I made the first time.

I would also like to thank all of you who have visited my site and left comments and encouraged me with this hobby.  It means a lot.  Thank you!

So to wrap up 2012, from my family here in Portland, Oregon, we want to wish you all a Happy and Prosperous New Year!

The Battle of Torre Beretti

The Battle of Torre Beretti in April 1859 (week 5) of our campaign played out on December 1st.

The Italian Commander Camerana after sitting for three weeks near the town of Torre Beretti facing his enemy Zobel decided to attack.  The exact reasons for Cameranas sluggish moves against his enemy are unknown but his timing proved exceptional as his entire army made the battlefield. It was then he launched his attack.  On the reverse Zobel's forces failed to rally to the Austrian flag and leaving most of his army strung out along the roads and villages coming to the battlefield.  

Italian Commander Camerana on the left.

The Austrian Commander Zobel.

The hilly terrain with its dense packs of trees worried both commanders.  The limited Austrian troops spread themselves out along the rolling hills and waited.

The Austrians commander on the right defied orders and moved out to probe the Italian left.  Witnessing the Austrian approach the Italian cavalry began moving to intercept them.  The Italian center moved forward.

Most of the Austrian activity floated around their right side of the battle.  Pushing forward but ultimately this would prove costly as the Italian guns gained the killing range and wiped out most of the advance force.  The Italian guns did their damage all along the Austrian line.

The Italians continued to push forward and the Austrians with almost no morale chips left, started to fall back.  Leaving only his cavalry to screen the retreating infantry the Austrian cavalry took the brunt of more withering Italian rifle fire.

At the end of the night the Austrians gave way and left the field to the Italians.  A crushing victory for the Italians and a another crushing defeat for the Austrians.

The last two battles have been very costly for the Austrians and it will be interesting to see how they recover.  The string of victories for the Italians have bolstered their morale and they continue to push on and around the Austrians.