Sudan Campaign Part 2... The Battle of Sinkat...

The Imperial troops have set off on their respective journeys...

1st Brigade heading down the Nile on 3 Steamers that they have acquisitioned with towed barges to put the remainder of their forces in, this is not going to be a comfortable ride...

9 days down the Nile and the convoy reaches the 2nd Cataract, the Steamer captains slow down from full steam in the open waters to a slow careful pace in the rough waters of the cataracts, the first steamer goes through fine with a local guide leading them closely followed by the second steamer, the third steamer following a slightly different line, hits a sand bar and runs aground, the captain realising his error immediately signals the convoy of his folly, and the other captains agree to put ashore and assist in the retrieval of the barges and unloading the stuck steamer, this all takes a great deal of time and energy causing a weeks delay getting through the area... the captain suitably ashamed and harangued by the other captains vows not to fall fowl of this again... and is extremely careful at the 3rd cataracts, all steamer pass through fine... 20th January... heading for Dongola...


Meanwhile 2nd Brigade is slow in loading aboard the transports for the trip to Saukin, the Captains being careful of the loading and boarding of the troops and weapons on board...
When they eventually arrive at Saukin they unload in front of the local population cheering and clapping at their arrival, the whole process is a painful repeat of the process at Cairo...
20th January advancing from Saukin, towards Sinkat, local guides arrive with information that there is a large body of Mahdists in and around the town, Major Pengilly decides to press on and clear the town with his column...

 

The Battle of Sinkat... 20th January...

View of the board showing the outskirts of the town on the right, a ridge running the length of the table with rough ground interspersed along the ridge at each end of the board...

View of the town from the East... 

Major Pengilly having tea and chatting with Captain Ralls their tactics for the day...

The Brits deployed and ready to roll...

The Imperial players get a couple of goes on the trot allowing them to close on the town, throwing the cavalry out on their left flank...

A small Flag arrives exactly in the town where required, all randomised of course!!!

The following turn a larger flag of nearly 6000 Fuzzies arrive eager for the fight but they are quite far from the enemy and have to move to close...

Skirmish fire coming from the town...

The cavalry are forced to make a cavalry charge with one of the cards, but this back fires as they batter my unit and force them back with several casualties...

The cavalry then trot off merrily eager for their next charge opportunity...

As the fight gets closer the Highlander Regiments and the RMLI close on the town, the building on the right was demolished by the dead eye dick gunners, missing their first barrage completely and then scoring a double demolishing the building, Artillery and MG's were to be saving grace of the British force... 

The Fuzzies mass forward left of the town surging up the hill...

The firing line of the guns...

The RMLI look like they are going to be flank charged but the charge falls short...

Close in bloody melee at the edge of the town...

The Fuzzies try and close with the gun line but get shot to bits trying....

 

The RMLI form square and are charged several times with holding the bloody melees... 

The Fuzzy main body are shot with so many casualties they cannot advance any further forward, the Mahdist leaders pull back there forces to fight another day...

 

The casualties for the day are just over 600 dead and wounded for the Imperial Brigade, (250 Gordons, 100 Black Watch, 200 Marines, and 50 Hussars) and just over 3000 dead left on the field of battle by the Fuzzies...

 

After the battle Major Pengilly decides to hold position at the town of Sinkat to collect water, refill ammo pouches and retrieve the wounded and stragglers. he will set of 22nd January...

400 men are able to return to ranks the next day, however sadly 155 men died of their wounds...

 

Sudan Campaign...

I have acquired a set of documents that were from one of the old wargames magazines that produced a series of articles from Peter Gilder many years ago, this depicted a Sudan Campaign, based around the Khartoum period, so I have always wanted to conduct this period in a series of campaign games.

The guys that I game with on a Monday night were willing victims of my whims, I would be playing the part of the Mahdists, and Zob was in overall command of the Anglo forces that have been dispatched to fight off the Rebellion that is forming... Jason and Colin are in command of the 1st Brigade, Paul and Colin are in charge of 2nd Brigade, Commanders have to follow commands given by Zob on the Map movement for campaign purposes, however what they do in set situations that happen to their Brigades, and on the field of battle is down to them...

The rules for battles will be the Too Fat Lardies "They Don't Like it Up Em" card driven set...

The scene is set...


Gentlemen,

A ruckus has become apparent in the Sudan, some peasant leader has declared himself the Mahdi "The expected one" and evoked a Holy War against our Allies the Egyptian's, they have sent out troops the area but it seems they have not been heard from since, this is causing a bit of a who ha in the region and the Governor in Cairo has requested that more Imperial troops be made available, gentlemen this is your chance for glory...

The Imperial forces must break the Mahdist grip in the Sudan and so stop the Holy War spreading. Each month of inactivity brings more tribes over to the Mahdi and so the number of squares on the map he controls grows.

Note: There are two grades of Mahdi influence over squares. 1/Control. Absolute control over that square, usually a garrison in a town or village within that square. 2/Influence. No Mahdist garrison within the square, but the tribes living within the square are friendly to the Mahdist cause. Imperial troops could find enemy troops within that square. Squares adjacent to the Mahdist controlled squares always are designated 'squares of influence'.

When our campaign opens the control of "the Expected One" has spread over squares 11 & 12A; 10, 11, 12B; 11 & 12C; 11 & 12D in the West; and in the East over 6F, 5, 6 & 7G; 6 & 7H; and 7I.

The Imperial forces are assumed to be in either on the Sudan-Egyptian Border or may be landed at Saukin.

A couple of things to bear in mind when planning: it takes a lot of supplies, water, fodder for camels etc. if you decide to go cross country. You are only sure of water on the camel routes.

Each square is 60miles across, and cross country can take anywhere from 5 to 9 days to cross, River movement is a lot quicker, but is limited and runs its own risks along the way, depending if you are going slow or full steam. there are also Cataracts to deal with as well. 2 Battalions may be carried by steamers and boats attached towing...

Your forces available at the moment in Egypt are:-

Gordon Highlanders
Royal Marine Light Infantry
Kings Royal Rifles
Black Watch
Royal West Kents
19th Hussars
10th Hussars
1st Battery RA
6th Battery RA
Naval Brigade with 3 machine guns

& the Egyptian Army for garrison duties...

Zob now has to decide where he wants them to deploy on the Egyptian border or landing at Saukin, or both...

There are also available in Aden and India if required, requests to the Government will be required:

Yorks and Lancs
Royal Irish Fusiliers
East Surreys
Royal Irish Lancers
17th Bengal Inf.
28th Bengal Inf.
Bengal Lancers

Or from England:
Coldstream Guards
Heavy Brigade
Duke of Cornwalls LI
Artillery Batterys

There is currently a garrison of Egyptian troops in and around Saukin, and at Khartoum with Gordon, the Governor General of the Sudan, who is currently evacuating the city and its defences, whilst trying to mediate with the Mahdi.

The date is January 1884... Gentlemen form your Brigades...

With this in mind Zob has ordered the following...

These are the orders I intend to issue to my forces around Sudan

1st Brigade in Egypt.  CiC Jason.  2ic Colin.

To CiC 1st Brigade Egypt.

Dear Sir.

You are ordered to take the following forces from Egypt-

Kings Royal Rifles.

Royal West Kents.

10th Hussars.

6th Battery Royal Art.

2 Regiments Egyptians.

To embark onto river transports and proceed up the Nile at best speed to Berber arriving not later than week 6 to rendezvous with 2nd Brigade.

 

You will secure Berber and garrison with your Egyptian troops.

In conjunction with 2nd Brigade you will capture & secure the Atbara Fort then proceed to secure & garrison the town of Nakheila.

There you are to await further orders.

Yours faithfully.

Major General Charles Robert Mountjoy.

 

&

2nd Brigade at Suakin.  CiC Panjo.  2iC Andy. 

To CiC 2nd Brigade at Suakin

Dear Sir.

You are ordered to take the following forces from Suakin-

Gordon Highlanders.

Black Watch.

19th Hussars.

1st Battery Royal Art.

Royal Marine Light Infantry.

Naval Brigade Machine guns.

1 Regiment Egyptians.

Leaving 1 regiment of Egyptians to garrison Suakin you are to advance via Sinkat, Trinkata & Tokar to Berber to arrive not later than week 6 to rendezvous with 1st Brigade.  During the course of this operation but secondary to it you are to engage & defeat the enemy en route to subdue the uprising in the east. 

 

You are to secure the town of Berber.

Supported by 1st Brigade you will capture & secure the Atbara Fort then proceed to secure the town of Nakheila.

There you are to await further orders.

 

So the orders are issued to the commanders and away they go...

 



A Lion Rampant...

January brought a play test of the A Lion Rampant rules, from Osprey publishing, Jason visited my abode and played a couple of games in a short afternoon... I liked them quick bloody, easy to pick up after a chat through the basic principals and look at the unit stats etc., away we went...

I pre set up a 6x4 board with random terrain, not knowing what type of game we would play...

-

with forces decided we went with Scots vs. English

The English forces deploy, heavy cavalry on the right, ready to sweep round the right flank and catch the enemy fighting my troops to the front... that was the plan anyways!!! 

Dastardly Scots amble forward onto the table...

Everybody moved on my side except for the bloody Knights, stupid buggers!!!

Both sides advance for the hill in the middle of the board...

Scots Biddowers sneaky around the flank...

Scots Fierce foot and sergeants advance through rough ground..

Sneaky sneaks Scots biddowers... nasty blighters...

View from the King and his Knights...

On the hill first... uhoh lots of nasties down there...

advance the troops... slowly...

Casualty's start to mount...

Command is tough...

now off the hill, pushed back by the Scots Foot Knights, but they are down to 50%...

Hurrah, Knights finally start to move...

Still fighting for the hill...

My archers come forward only to be charged by the Foot Knights... Schiltron formed by the Scots foot on the hill...

Now that's a fortified hill, Scots waiting for the Knights, they just know they are coming!!!

Forward the King...

Approaching the flank at last...

too late the knights are beaten off and my foot have heavy losses...

English archers are that's on the left now and with losses causing the English to retire from the field the game was lost... so we set again and swapped sides... But yet again I was truly thrashed and forced from the field all that said, I thoroughly enjoyed these rules for a skirmish game...