Battle at Tokar Part 3 in Sudan Campaign

A couple of weeks ago we fought our second battle in the Sudan Campaign that I'm running,...

2nd Brigade under Major Pengilly marched on after his battle at Sinkat, capturing the towns of Sinkat, El Teb and Tokar, bypassing the town Maj. Pengilly camped the night on the open plain in square formation, on the Dawn of 27th January, 7 days after his last action, a washer woman came from the town to inform him that there were several thousand Tribesmen massing to attack him being led by their local leader Osman Dinga...

The square forms up with the stand to...

Square is formed up with the Cavalry ready to sweep in where required...

Stand to!!!!

 

After the first charges are sent in by the Fuzzy Wuzzy's the square has reformed to give more firepower to bear, casualties mount rapidly on the native units...

 

More Fuzzy's rapidly advance off their blinds ready to attack the Egyptian infantry who have just turned up with the water supplies (in the background) to assist their British friends...

 

Fierce fighting had caused the natives to fall back on the left and the cavalry took the opportunity to charge in and smash a couple of units... with the Royal Marine Light Infantry and Gardiner in support... Those damn guns reeked havoc amongst the massed ranks of natives... The artillery piece was lost retaken and lost several times, fighting was fierce around this point...

 

Things start to look a bit dodgy for poor old Major Pengilly and his 2nd Brigade, the preacher starts praying the lords prayer, yeah I walk through the valley of death... Osman Dinga has called forward all his troops to smash this invader... Camels... and more Rubs arrive to surround the British... The sweat pours down the back... especially when the Gardiner jams...

 

 Seeing a gap in the lines, where native rubs have been wiped out after the See You Jimmy card forces the highlanders to charge... Major Pengilly playing his Bravery Card, storms forward with his escort and manages to capture Osman Digna after fighting his body guard in single combat and defeating him...

 The next card is a Native rub card allowing the Mahdist to charge into the fray and rescue their brother and leader and capture the Imperialist leader as well... Allah and victory must surely be with them...

At that point the British Cavalry card is next out and they charge the Fuzzy's surrounding Major Pengilly and the enemy leader, they manage to wipe out the enemy to a man saving Maj. P and recapturing Osman Dinga...

At this point the native troops seeing their leader captured and the many Rubs Flags lying in the sand covered in blood the remaining force starts to drift away into the deserts beyond leaving the battered British force to thank the lord for the brave actions of their leader and saving them from certain death...

 

Casualties have been relatively low considering the Brigade was almost over run... over 900 dead, wounded, and missing, but inflicting over 4,000 dead on the natives...

 

The day of 27th January is over for the 2nd Brigade, collecting dead, tending to the wounded, distributing ammo, the Maj. has now to choose his next actions...

 

Meanwhile Major Ralls and his 1st Brigade on board his Steamer convoy is just about to reach the 4th Cataracts just outside Kirbeka...

Waterloo Bi-Centenary Game, 1815 - 2015

Waterloo Bi-Centenary Game, 1815 - 2015

At the latest Club meet at the Devon Wargames Group I was leading our club tribute to the significant anniversary that takes place next week commemorating the Allied victory over the Imperial French forces of Napoleon at Waterloo on the 18th June 1815.

I have been piecing together my collection to be suitable for re-fighting the Hundred Days Campaign and so this little skirmish was put on played with Nick, and Ian as Silly Billy and Wellington, not necessary in that order, and Andy and Vince as French Marshal Ney.

 The game depicted yesterday was a re-enactment of the fighting around Quatre Bras.

 

View from the North East, Quatre Bras on the left, Bossu Wood, Gemioncourt Chateau Farm and Piermont of inn the distance top left... Perponcher with 3 units fortify the Farm, whilst the Prince of Orange rushes down the Brussels road with Nassua and Artillery, whilst the first French Diviaion arrives on the scene... 

 

 

 

Gemioncourt Farm... Perponchers Dutch Militia and 2 Line Regiments hold the farm, whilst the French start to mass Infantry, Guns, and Cavalry...

 

 

 

 

Piermont held by Nassua Infantry, are pounded by Horse artillery and covered by Guard Cavalry...

 

 

French start to assault the Farm...

 

 

French light Cavalry, Chassuers and Lancers race ahead to cross the stream... before the Allies can deploy a defensive line...

 

 

The next Division arrives...

 

 

Yet more French arrive at the road... but it starts to become a bit of a log jam as the French cannot shift the Dutch from the farm...

 

 

Light cavalry crossing the stream slowly...

 

 

WofO manages to get his guns and infantry deployed, but with the French building this surely cannot last long?

 

 

The French try and tie up the Farm and bypass the Dutch, but take musket fire from the flank in march column...

 

 

On they come, as  Picton arrives in the distance near Quatre Bras...

Chassuers charged the Nassua and bounced as they were behind a wall, the Lancers also charged the Belgian guns on the hill opposite, and bounce!!! Vince's 12 dice versus Ian's 4 resulted in a BAD melee for the French, we anticipated the Lancers munching the guns, but Vince's Lancers couldn't poke anything let alone Belgians!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Picton forms his defensive line, Wellington finally arrives on the left, Alten's Division arrives and deploys into Bossu Wood...

 

Picton's Line, Dutch Belgian Light Dragoons see off the French Chassuers, with the help of a very poor dice roll from me... Nick was slightly happy at that, I can still hear him laughing now!!!

 

 

French surrounding the Farm, and the cavalry retreating back across the stream...

 

 

Alten's Division awaiting the French columns...

 

Perponcher still holds the farmhouse at the end of the game... he was a thorn in the side of the French... a very painful one...

 

French columns swarming around the farm, trying to cross the stream, being shot up from the rear...
 

Other pictures of the game courtesy of Nick & JJ...

 

The French were unable to clear the road by the end of time we had to play, the game was only half way through the scenario, and with another three divisions to arrive would have eventually been able to put pressure on the allies, but as it stands with three French units Broken and none of the Allies, Nick insists it was a glorious Allied victory at 7pt to 0!!!

 

Anyway the rules used were Lasalle which played quite well for a fairly big game...

 

The highlights included French lancers taking a face full of cannister whilst trying to charge Dutch Belgian gun Battery and some Dutch light cavalry performing way above their pay grade.

 

Thanks to Ian, Nick, Andy, and Vince for playing... Vive Le Emperuer...

Afghanistan 1980's Chain of Command Russian vs Mujahedeen

Saturday 11th April was the date of our last meeting at the Devon Wargames Club, where I put on a game using Chain of Command Rules set, with my 28mm Russian and Mujahedeen figures.

The 6x8 board set up, based on a Afghan valley, with steep sided rough wooded hills either side, a dried river bed running down the valley floor, and a Russian held compound/village at the far end.

The scenario was based on a Russian Compound being held by a unit of Green recruits straight from the training fields, who were to be re-supplied by a platoon of regulars coming up the valley floor next to the river bed in 2 BTR's and a BMP1, and a Para troop platoon in the hills on hunter killer missions...

The Mujahedeen were gathering from various villages under a Senior Commander, they are to attack the compound and the relief convoy...

Chas, Chris and Mike took the Russians...

 

Russians

Paratroop Platoon
Platoon HQ - Elite- 6dice

Leytenant - Senior Leader- Pistol
Platoon Serzhant - Superior Junior Leader - AKM

Squads 1 to 2 in berets

Serzhant - Junior Leader-AKM
1 Sniper
1 RPG7
5 AKM

Squad 3 in sun hats

Serzhant - Junior Leader-AKM
1 RPK SAW
1 RPG7
5 AKM
Mechanised Platoon
Platoon HQ - Regular- 5dice

Leytenant - Senior Leader- Pistol
Platoon Serzhant - Superior Junior Leader - AKM

Squads 1 to 3 in helmets

Serzhant - Junior Leader-AKM
1 RPK SAW
1 RPG7
5 AKM

2 BTR 60's 1 BMP 1
Garrison Platoon
Platoon HQ - Green- 4dice

Leytenant - Senior Leader- Pistol

Squads 1 to 2 in Ushanka

Serzhant - Junior Leader-AKM
1 RPK SAW
1 RPG7
5 AKM

1 BMP 1
Special rules for the game:-
Advance for the Motherland
Russians forces may advance 1 dice and fire at full effect, 2 dice and fire at 1/2 effect...
Wrath of the Gods
The commander of the Paratroops may call in airstrikes using a CoC dice, Hinds with straffing runs 12x6" effect 16dice, or Frogfoot with Napalm attack 12x6" 20dice... this would be conducted as with barrage attacks, so deviation is always a possibility...


Vince, Tom and Jason took the Mujahedeen forces...

Mujahedeen

Command Team - 4 command dice, some of which can be allocated to other units...

1 Senior Commander - AKM

2 combat teams
1 junior leader-AKM
10 man team 9 AKM's/rifles 1 RPK SAW

1 HMG 3 man crew
1 RR 3 man crew
1 LMG belt fed 2 man crew
2 snipers
1 Technical with HMG
Combat Teams
2 Combat Units each with 4 command dice -

3 junior leader, 2 10 man teams all AKM/rifles 1 10man teams 9 AKM's/rifles 1 RPK SAW

Limited amounts of RPG's will be available...

Special rules for the game:-
Melt Away
Any Mujahedeen unit that is within 12" of jump off point may Melt Away so long as it is not pinned or within 12" of enemy units... they may then re-appear elsewhere on the board...
Home Ground
Mujahedeen forces may advance up to 2 dice and go Tactical...
Sneaky Beakies
Any single six rolled in command may be taken as a 5 and added to the CoC dice...

Mujahedeen players start with 3 CoC dice in hand...

To the game itself, the Taliban had the choice of first go which they handed over to the Russians...

 

 Chas deployed his green recruits into the compound with his BMP1...

 

The Relieve column of Mike came storming down the valley turn one, all three vehicle making it onto the board with his troops tucked up nicely inside their armed vehicles...

 

The Para force commanded by Chris deployed two of his three squads on turn one heading for the known Muja jump off points

 

The Muja's then deployed overlooking the valley... to be able to fire on the column of armoured vehicles and also to cover the advance of the Paras who have tried to outflank them... 

 

 

A lucky snap shot from a deployed Recoilless Rifle on the hillside takes out one of the BTR's, which bursts into flames, luckily all but one get out of the quickly burning vehicle, unfortunately this last man out was the Junior Leader of the squad...

 

 

They quickly run to the river bed to take cover...

 

Muja's under fire as the paras advance up the hill top... quickly pinning the first team with volume of fire from two para squads and fire from the vehicles in the valley...

 

Second squad bundles out of the BTR to take cover in a bit of dried rough ground...

 

Muja's under intense fire are about to break... they cannot melt away as they are pinned and the paras are too close... lesson No1... don't get too close...

 

Ambushes keep on springing up with snipers, and LMG's...

 

 HMG's add to the fire power... onto a flanking unit of paras infiltrating onto the Muja flanks threatening some jump off points...

 

Paras get to the edge of the wooded area to see their target lingering in front of them...

 

Veiw across the Valley as the armoured vehicles wind their way through the obstructions...

 

The Muja's deploy to defend their jump off point trying to hit and kill the tough paras...

 

Muja commander Al' Tom looking pensive with the Russians giving his troops some grief...

 

However Tom fires his RR again...



 

 And again Boom... the other BTR goes up in smoke... once hit they tend to burn you know...

fortunately this one was empty of troops...

Meanwhile at the compound Comrade Chas was holding the line very well, he had forced the enemy to recoil back with loads of shock to re-gather their momentum, in the lull in the fighting his troops aim and prepare the next onslaught with Overwatch on the hills...

Comrade Chris in command of the Paras calls in for air support with a shout of friendlies close the Frogfoot Napalm run overshoots the intended target by 14" and nearly fries the compound walls!!!

 

The forces of Vince's Mujas advance once again to the edge of the wood to be met with a hail of fire from the compound, however they then return fire back...

The Technical arrives (first outing so its going to die horribly you just know it...) with its HMG on board,  lets off a burst of fire onto the Russian paras, who reply with a couple of RPG rounds, one misses and the other hits the vehicle but amazing the rocket goes through the vehicle and out the other side, the driver so shocked by this slips on the accelerator and drives forward towards his assailants, who then shoot the crap out of it with crossfire from the remainders of the para squads and the regular squad...

The regular squad, climb the steep hill only to get into hard cover to have their Junior leader hit and killed... two NCO's down out of the three casualties received!!!

Another shot from Tom and his RR take out the BMP at the compound, its starting to look sticky for Chas in the compound now...

 

View from the hill top belt fed LMG firing down onto the Russians in the river bed...

The armour hasn't advance much in the last view phases but the BMP gets into action and deploys squad behind the burning BTR and starts fire fight with Muja's...

 

With the Muja's advancing onto the compound, and Chas down to a handful of men, Morale rocky for the relieving forces and the paras pinned down on the valley entrance, the commander of the paras orders a final airstrike with his Frogfoot Napalm attack, this overshoots again, but not far enough, hitting the wooded area where the senior commander of the Muja had just recovered one of his combat teams, 5 dead and 6 shock being the effect the commander has to get a lucky roll to survive, guess what he didn't and was fried... he-hoh one of the junior commanders now takes on his role...

With that as the last phase of the game, I stated a moral victory for the Mujahedeen who take the village, but at great loss in warriors and the sad sacrifice of a great leader...

Many thanks to all that played in the game, for being great sports and playing the game in good humour and the period well... well done lads, thank you... next time will the Russians re-capture the village?