With Bristol melting in the last heatwave (as opposed to the current one) Phil offered to host Andy and I at Chez Turner rather than play our usual weekly game down BIG (which would have been full of hot nd sweaty 40K gamers as it was a Thursday). After a delightful salad courtesy of Phil we got down to some Peninsular War Sharp Practice action playing Andy's 'Man From Del Monte' spy scenario...
The mission involved elements of the army of the Kingdom of Italy seeking out an enemy spy, known only as 'the man from Del Monte'. Swiftly the brave Italians of the 5° Reggimento Fanteria di Linea commanded by Tenente Tardelli advanced towards the Spanish village, screened byVolteggiatori of the 4a Reggimento led by Sergente Zoff.
As the infantry moved into the village, the Sergente Altobelli led a troop from the 1° Real Italiano Cacciatori a Cavallo to cover the left flank.
The importance of the mission was shown as Volteggiatori of the 1° Reggimento Fanteria Leggera arrived to support the search, looking dashing in their green uniforms, under the command of Tenente Baresi.
Mamma Mia! What is this? The cursed Inglesi have also arrived, Lieutenant Frederick Bentinck and a group of light infantry skirmishers from the 52nd Foot were spotted skulking in the cornfield!
The Inglesi rats opening fire on the Cacciatori a Cavallo who were doing nobody any harm!
More enemy skirmishers were uncovered hiding in the cornfield, Sergeant Rick O'Shea of the 52nd ordering his men to open fire on the Italian Volteggiatori. One brave boy from Milan falls to the ground mortally wounded...
Suddenly more British burst on the scene! Lieutenant Dickie Blunt leading a group of the legendary 95th Rifles forward!
Tenente Baresi ordered his light infantry Volteggiatori to open fire on the Rifles...
Killing one stone dead and piling six points of Shock on the British!
Meanwhile Sergeant Norman Nomates leads a second group of the 95th into one of the buildings in the village, trying to find their spy... Nope, no sign of the man from Del Monte there.
Another round of fire from the Volteggiatori broke Lieutenant Blunt's men, the survivors running over the hills and far away, past the shocked force commander Major George Napier and men of the 1st Company of the 52nd Foot.
Elsewhere Lieutenant Bentinck kept ordering his men to fire at the Italian cavalry...
Who after taking two casualties decided discretion was the better part of valour and galloped out of enemy musket range!
Back in the village Sergeant O'Shea and his men traded fire with Sergente Zoff's Volteggiatori, the British coming off worst as two men were killed in one group.
At the rear of the village Napier ordered one group of his 52nd to enter a nearby building...
They seek him here... Can they find the man from Del Monte there? Nope...
With dashing Italian élan Tenente Baresi led the 1° Reggimento Fanteria Leggera Volteggiatori in a charge into the cornfield to root out the British skirmishers!
Avanti! The Volteggiatori smashed into the Redcoats...
Wiping out one group and capturing the British sergeant! Tenente Baresi earned a badge of honour taking a flesh wound in the melee.
Aware of the importance of the mission, Baresi then led a group of Volteggiatori into a building to see if the enemy spy is hiding there... No he isn't! Allora...
The remaining Volteggiatori traded shots with the surviving group of British light infantry skirmishers, Sergeant O'Shea lying tied up a prisoner of the Italian light infantry (and dreading a future of just pasta for dinner until the war is over...)
Oe the Italian left Captaino Rossi led the Fucilieri of the 4a Reggimento Fanteria di Linea into the orchard, splitting his formation into groups to try and swiftly head off Lieutenant Bentinck's skirmishers who were swiftly moving towards a nearby farm. Perhaps that was where the man from Del Monte could be found?
Back in the cornfield Sergente Zoff led his men through the tall stalks to help the Italian light infantry weed out the British skirmishers...
When suddenly, not having found the man from Del Monte in the building they had searched, Sergeant Nomates charged the remaining group of the 95th Rifles at the rear of the 1° Reggimento Fanteria Leggera. Unfortunately for Nomates, his men were tired (or drunk, who knows) and they came up short!
Fortunately for the British Rifles, Sergeant Nomates was the first to activate after Tiffin and they completed their charge - forcing the light infantry Volteggiatori to fall back and rescuing the wounded Sergeant O'Shea from his future pasta nightmare!
Having seen the "pretty boys from Milan" bested by the 95th, the wily old Sergente Zoff decided to show the light infantry how it is done, charging his line Volteggiatori into the rear of the British Rifles...
Wiping the British out, sticking a bayonet into the prone Sergeant O'Shea (never to worry about pasta ever again) and seeing Sergeant Nomates of the 95th run for safety...
Back in the orchard, one group Fucilieri of the 4a Reggimento Fanteria di Linea charged Bentinck's men, but were decisively beaten back!
A second group then charged the British, but were also beaten back by the redcoat skirmishers...
Who then charged the Italians causing one group of Fucilieri to break!
Captaino Rossi ordered his third group of Fucilieri to charge the British but having seen two groups of their comrades bested, they only shuffled forward slowly not making contact...
Meanwhile back in the village, Primo Corporale Collovato and a group of the 5° Reggimento Fanteria di Linea discovered a scruffy looking individual hiding behind some bags of oranges in one of the houses. Is he the man from Del Monte? A swift interrogation with a sharp bayonet revealed it was!
With their prisoner secured and bound, Collovato and his men escorted the man from Del Monte back to HQ for a proper questioning!
Back at the orchard, leading from the front as usual the brave Captaino Rossi led his men into a charge against the skirmishers of Lieutenant Bentinck - who challenged the Italian commander to a duel!
In Guardia! A swift flash of Italian steel and the hapless British officer fell dead, Rossi's sword plunged into Bentinck's heart!
And as the British office falls the Fucilieri smashed into the British skirmishers, polishing them off and securing a mighty victory for the army of the Kingdom of Italy in the Peninsular!
