Monday 5 December 2022

Action at Quiberon Bay

Today’s game was set in 1795 and based loosely on the disasterous attempt to establish a Royalist base at Carnac at the northern end of Quiberon Bay. In the original expedition the four British infantry battalions failed to cross the Channel due to bad weather, but in this expedition a significant British force of eight  battalions plus a force of marines and sailors from the fleet supported a small emigre force four battalions and a gun in a beach landing somewhere in the bay.

The map of the table is as below, with the starting positions of the French Republican forces shown in blue and the landing places of the British/emigre forces shown in red (the emigre troops landed on the extreme left, the British infantry in the two centre locations and the naval troops with the two arrows on the right.

The Republicans had heard from their spies that an attempt to land was to be expected and as the game began the French hussars picketed the shore line, although a heavy fog prevented them from seeing the approaching boats (the fog would lift on a die score of 4+).



The boats hit the shore just as the fog began to lift and the battalions disembarked.



The French pickets raised the alarm  and the Republicans were called to arms.




While the British and emigre forces formed up on the beach the Republicans came forward more quickly than anticipated and a difficult fight developed in front of the emigre landings where two attacks from the cavalry were repulsed before a proper line could be established.



At the British landing point things did not go well with two battalions sent packing. Only the intervention of two battalions of guards in the second wave brought some stability.

An attack in the flank of one of the guard battalions threatened to turn the tide again, but by a miracle of dice rolling the guards repulsed the attack.

Then conjunction with the emigre troops they pushed back the Republicans and things looked grim for the Republican cause.


But the naval contingent, despite the efforts of the gunners and the marines, failed to make any headway against the Republican left. 


When the naval contingent gave way, four fresh Republican battalions were free to operate against the British flank and the line was rolled back on the emigre forces. An evacuation was the only option, but no one will ever know the number that got away…because we called the game there.

With the loss of the American Revolution and the disasters of Dunkirk and Hondschoote, this was the last straw. The British military had fallen to its lowest point. Questions were asked in the house and there were calls for the Government to resign. The only positive to come out of the whole debacle was that the Duke of York undertook a series of reforms that would transform the army and turn its fortunes around.




18 comments:

  1. Mark, this is a nifty action. Opposed landings are a tough straw to draw as the British discovered. Terrific seeing some of your specialty units including longboats and sailors manhandling a gun in action.

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    1. Thanks Jonathan…indeed it was nice to get those boats out. Some of the French figures are the Eureka Revolutionary French that are seeing daylight for the first time since they were painted about three years ago.

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    2. What a treat to see these models in a game. The photos of the boat's occupants is very atmospheric. A nice mix of table shots, units, lone figures and small actions. I think you were showing the units being painted when I first started following your blog. You have the makings of a great 'what if' campaign with the two forces in the post. Thanks for the AAR.

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    3. Thanks Joe. I agree this would make for an interesting series of linked games, perhaps as a a small recon to start with then a landing followed by some skirmishes building to much bigger fights. The incorporation of the actions in the Vendée, a little further to the South, would add some interest.

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  2. Good looking game and very nicely photographed.

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    1. Thank you Norm. I can’t take full credit for the imsges…some of the close up shots were supplied by another player.

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  3. A beautiful game and nice to see the Revolutionary French and your boats in action. They are the Perry boats you purchased a few years ago, aren't they? I recognise the sailors hauling the artillery piece.

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    1. I had planned an action off the Spanish coast, then I thought of the Hornblower TV series and the episode “Frogs and Lobsters” that was drawn from the Quiberon Bay incident. I remembered that another player had a large revolutionary force and I have six battalions, plus all the British figures for Egypt, so the location changed. Yes the boats are from the Perrys, three from me and two (with the caronade and gun added) are another player’s.

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  4. A fine action there Mark and this sort of thing is on my 'to-do' list at some point in the future. Some excellent models and figures on show there too:).

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    1. Thanks Steve. It made for quite a different game.

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  5. Assuming I would likely have been on the British side, I might have had a lucky escape from this one, Mark. The French did look VERY close to the beach from the moment the boats ran ashore! It does look very attractive, nonetheless.

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    1. It result was closer than it seemed at the end. If the naval contingent had been able to hold those four Republican battalions in place the result would have been very different.

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  6. Fantastic stuff Mark, nice to see a different scenario to the usual "line them up Naps" all too common. A tough day in the field for the Brits.
    Cheers
    Stu

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    1. Thanks Stu, and a particularly bad day for the Navy!

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  7. Great post and AAR. I love the gun crew dragging their gun along! Nice to see a different style of Napoleonic fight than just a head-clash. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thanks John. I have a bunch of those sailors for my British in Egypt army, but the one here belong to someone else…they are a great set.

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  8. A fine looking game Mark…
    It’s nice to see your boats getting an outing…

    All the best. Aly

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    1. Thanks Aly, it was nice indeed to see the boats on the table…it’s has been a while.

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