Skåne-Bohusläns Dragoner

Skåne-Bohusläns Dragoner painted up for tonights game.

Here follows some pictures of the dismounted and mounted minis for the Scanian-Bohus Dragoons. I made 4 each from the plastic Wargames Factory WSS Infantry and Cavalry boxes.

The WF minis are quite easy to paint, but I noticed that several of the heads have "Marty Feldman" eyes, lucky for me I don´t paint the eyes at all but if I would they would look very strange...

Bohuslän Dragoon Regiment takes its origins to 1661 when a cavalry and a dragon department was set up in Bohuslän. Both units were transformed to two companies of 150 men and was called Bohus- Jämtland Cavalry Battalion and its first director was Major Otto Mörner.

From 1670 known as the Bohusläns cavalry company. The 2 Bohuslän companies would together with 4 companies in Skåne and two companies in Jämtland form a dragoon regiment . The regiment was called Dragoons in the former Danish provinces of Skåne or - Bohuslän , Jämtland Dragoon Regiment and its first director was Mats Kagg.

From 1670 the regiment was called Scania - Bohuslän Dragoon Regimen . In 1675 was the Jämtland companies separated from the Dragoon Regiment. Instead the Bohuslän companies was increased to 4, the regiment was also called German or Green Dragoons and was quartered in northern Bohuslän . 

The Cavalry box was god and the bits match good with the Infantry box. But I lacked some heads with floppy hats, and the horses felt quite small, so I added a 2mm plasticcard under them to get them a bit higher. Realy no big deal as the Swedish horses was quite small by the time.

Scanian War Cavalry

Thw Dragoons have been painted I just haven´t had the time to take pictures of them, will in a day or so I hope. Untill then here are some WIP of 8 Swedish Scanian War Cavalry minis I built using the Wargames Factory WSS cavalry.

I used the Cuirass body for these and a mix of swords and pistoles, they allso got a carbine each by their side

Lucia

Today it is Lucia here in Sweden, so just for you that don´t know of the Swedish Lucia celebration here are a short instruction film "Swedish Lucia for Dummies";)

Dalregementet banners.

The last snapshot pictures of minis I have painted for my Dalregemente are the 2 Banner carriers, they got fancy hats as they are officers.

Lovely banners from Warfare Miniatures

A Swedish battalion consist of 4 Companies each of 150 men. Each Company had a the company flag (for Dalregementet the Blue one with the region symbols on) except for the 1st company "The colonels company" that had the White "colonels flag" with the regions symbol up in the corner.

I  noticed that i forgott to fix the white edges...

Hail Caesar Baltic Crusade AAR

A few weeks ago I, Jonas and some of our mates at the club run a Blatic Crusade game using the Hail Caesar rules here follows a short AAR.

First we have the OOB´s for the two forces, The Early Russians and the Swedish Crusaders.

Background

Early spring 1240, the Bishop of Åbo, Thoms have urged his Suomi followers to gather the taxes from the newly convert Tavastians to there support they have some Swedish Crusaders under command of the to be Earl Birger as there have been rumours that the Tavastians still pay tribute to the Novgorodian Princes and the Karelian tribes...

As the Suomi tribesmen approaches a Tavastian settlement they can see the pagan Karelians also are here to collect the tribute...

The Karelian sledges are tryint to eascap with the collected tribute as the Karelian Warriors are moving to welcome their Suomi foes...

At the same time there appereas some Swedish ships...

Far away they can also see some Swedish Crusader knights approach in support of the Suomis...

Every one thought they now wold flee in the face of the supperior power...but they stayed and continued to scream insults to the Suomis and their Swedish allies...

The ships moved very slow in the cold and icy spring sea... 

The Suomi warrior and the Swedish Knights had almost reached the Karelinas when a large host of Novgorodian infantry appeared from behind the village...

With the Novgorodians approaching the Karelian launched a fiersome attack against the Suomi warriors...just to find out that the Suomis was toughter when expected... 

The Karelian unit that charged the Suomi skirmishers ofcourse won their fight but the other Karelina unit was puched back against the willage...

As the Suomis seemed to handle the Karelians by them self the Swedish Crusader Knights shifted target and started to move in high speed against the approaching Novgorodian infantry...

As lightning the Novgorodian spring their ambush, the Novgorodian Heavy Cavalry that had been hiding in the forest on the Crusaders left made a charge in the back of the Crusader Knights...

To support their Knights the Swedish ships started to unload some of the Ledung infatry...

A fierce fight in the center...

The Suomis did manage to win over their nemesis the karelians but was very damaged so when the Novgorodian skirmishers started to shower them with arrows they started to rum for home...

The Crusader knight was had pressed by the Novgorodians...

The Novgorodian infantry lined up to fight it out with the landing Ledung infantry as their Cavalry gave the Crusader Knights a hard time...

The Swedish Crusader Knights was eventual wear down by the Novgorodians and puched out in the sea, last to flee down in the cold whater was the Swedish Commander Birger Magnusson, that luckely managed to save himself to the Bishop of Åbos ship...

As the Swedish Crusaders and their Suomi subjects had lost 2/3 of their battles theyr had to retreat and leave the Tavastians to be taxed by the Novgorodians and Karelians this time...

But the Swedish Crusader under command of Birger Magnusson would be back for revenge in a few month at the river Neva...

We had indeed a greate game, the Hail Caesar rules worked very good and we will use them more again, was a quite long time sins last, upcomming will be some Kalmar Union War games using Hail Caesar and of course my newly painted Knechts.

Scanian War NCO´s

Here are some snapshot pictures of my 3 NCO´s for the Dalregementet. As you can se they have a different colour of the uniform, grey instead of the blue.

 I´m not sure way the NCO´s had a different colour but I supouse it was easyer for the men to see them in the heat of battle.

They each have a partisan to be able to keep the men in the formation...

Scanian War Infantry Drummer with friends

While you await me to paint the Dragoons I have some snapshot pictures of additional Dalregementet infantry that I just painted and amongst them the drummer and in the last two pictures some of them charging.

All minis from the Wargames Factory plastic WSS kit.

I choose to paint the drummer in reverse colour. There are no info about how they should look, probably as the NCO´s in gray uniforms with red turnbacks, but I liked the red better for them, after all red are the colour of music:)

GÅ PÅ !!!

Scanian War Dragoons

I used 4 minis from each of the Wargames Factory WSS boxes to make me a small unit of mounted and dissmounted Dragoons, they will be painted in the uniform of the Skåne-Bohusläns Dragoon regiment.

Skåne-Bohusläns Dragoon regiment, but I will not paint riding boots as the Dragoons didn´t use them, they had ordinary shoes and kneesocks in the turnback colour as the Infantry. After all they were just mounted infantry, trained to ride to the fight but fight on foot, as they did against the danish Cavalry at Lund in 1676, and that didn´t go so well...

Eack foot mini go their equivalent as a mounted mini (using the same weapons) .

They will be painted in a couple of days and used in our next game od "Snapphanar" as a response to Sörens reinforcements, I have got confirmed information from my spies that he yesterday got a box of Regular Danish Infantry from Warfare Miniatures to stiffen-up his Snapphanar...the armes race have begun...

Scanian War AAR #1

Here comes a first short AAR from our Scanian War "Snapphane style" project, I have included my Scenario brief and the OOB handouts, if you by any chanse would like to tryout some Snapphane gaming:)

Dalregementet on the march to Halmstad...

The day before the entire Swedish army passed in theire force march for Halmstad, leaving the area looted...

As the Swedish supply column approaches the Snapphanar spring their ambuch...

Long away in the back they deployed their rifle armed men...but it dosen´t realy matter if you have a rifle that can shoot long if it is a hill in between;)

The Swedes swiftly responded by a volly and sending the pikes forward for a assault...

After a fierce fight the last man standing for the Snapphanar retreated in to the field and continued to take potshots at the Swedes...

The Rifle armed Snapphanar did at last understand that they had to redeploy to get in to the fight, starting to move forward the Windmill...

As the supply wagon and the remaining pikemen approached the ford, the last group of Snapphanar emerged behind the stonewall and opened fire...

The Dalregemente musketeers made a quick advance and opened fire in support of the wagon that steadily moved on for saftey...

Unfortunaly...just a few moves form move the Supply wagon to saftey the Snapphanar managed to get their 7th kill (more than 1/3) and they won the day...

This was a greate first game, there will absolutely be more as we paint up the minis. Sören will go for some regular Danish troop to stiffen the Snapphanar and I will add on the Dalregemente and also get me some Dragoons and Cavalry.

More to follow...