An episode from the Great Northern War

This scenario was set somewhere in what is now western Russia close to the Baltic states.  A Swedish force is heading eastwards hoping to defeat the nearest Russian force and then advance on Narva.  The Russians are aware of the Swedish advance and have told their army commander to slow the Swedish advance, avoid a major action and wait for a second army to join him from the south.  This will give the Russians an overwhelming advantage and ensure the destruction of the invading army.  Unfortunately for the strategists at army headquarters, the commander of the northern Russian army, having seen the size of the Swedish force, has decided he has sufficient strength to beat the Swedes on his own (and of course not have to share the glory).  We used our own version of the Pike and Shotte rules, together with the factors from the Last Argument of Kings Black Powder supplement.  The figures are 40mm home casts from the Prince August moulds which were passed on to me by Alasdair a good number of years ago.

The battlefield

The constricted nature of the battlefield did not allow the Russian commander sufficient space to make full use of his superior numbers.  In the event, his superiority was not as great as he thought as a third brigade of Swedish infantry was on its way.  The total force available to the Russians were 15 battalions of infantry and 7 units of cavalry with two medium guns.  For the Swedes, they started with 8 battalions of infantry, (soon raised to 12), 6 units of cavalry, (all small, whereas the Russian ones were standard) and 2 light guns.  The Swedish leaders and army were generally of a better quality and the units hit harder in the melee, but were weaker in terms of musketry.

The battle began with the Swedes advancing their cavalry, with the intention of driving off the opposing horse and threatening the flank of the Russian infantry line.  They were helped by some rather feeble attempts to advance by the Russian cavalry (they failed nearly all their command rolls), though the infantry on the Russian left did manoeuvre into a position to fire in support of their cavalry if they were charged.  Disdaining the infantry support, the Russian right wing cavalry commander led forward his leading cavalry unit against the Swedes.  He was soundly beaten and as his men routed from the field, he was carried away with them.  Disaster was averted only by the infantry which fired a volley at the leading Swedish cavalry regiment, inflicted such damage that they fell back through their supports, disordering them.  This second unit was also swept by musketry fire and routed, allowing the victorious infantry to advance into the clearing and block any further Swedish cavalry attacks.

The left wing Swedish cavalry ready to charge

Seeing that the Russian infantry had advanced in support of their cavalry, the Swedish right wing cavalry commander decided to save the unit charging the Russian cavalry by ordering a spoiling attack against the infantry.  The cavalry involved were not impressed by this order, especially as the Russian infantry proceeded to fire a very effective volley which inflicted heavy casualties.  They were even less impressed when the cavalry they were protecting failed to drive off their opponents and were held in the melee.  The Russians then managed to get another regiment of horse up in support and this help swung the second round of melee in the Russians favour, pushing the Swedish cavalry back.

Contact on the Swedish right

The Swedish cavalry take heavy casualties as they charge home

The Russian cavalry push forward

It was at this point that the third brigade of Swedish infantry arrived and the Swedish commander decided to reinforce his left and directed them to advance down the clearing and drive back the Russian infantry which had inflicting casualties on the Swedish left wing cavalry.

Led by the Guard battalion the infantry move forward

Meanwhile, in the centre, the Swedish infantry brigades were advancing.  Ignoring the fire from the Russian artillery, they were halted by some very effective musketry by the Russian infantry.   Indeed, some of the Russian infantry became a little over-enthusiastic and advanced on the enemy.  This proved their undoing as a Swedish volley, followed by a charge sent the Russians back in rout.

The Russian infantry has advanced a little too far and is about to be charged by the Swedish infantry

On their right, the Russian infantry were making use of the wooded knoll to position themselves to give converging fire on any Swedish units advancing on the main line.

The main Swedish advance

On the Swedish left, the Guard had driven back the leading Russian infantry unit, but another had stepped forward to take it's place.  A couple of volleys from this fresh unit caused the Guards to afll back to rally, but fresh Swedish units were available to push forward.

The Swedish advance continues on the left

Elsewhere, Swedish fortunes had ebbed.  The right wing cavalry needed infantry support to advance, but the infantry centre was beginning to falter under the continuing effectiveness of the Russian musketry.  They found it difficult to advance quickly enough to close rapidly with the enemy and use their melee superiority.  

Although they had taken heavy punishment, the Russians had inflicted some loss on the Swedish force.  If nothing else the Swede's confidence would have been lowered by their failure to drive off the Russians.  So a Russian victory, they had slowed the Swedish advance and given time for the southern force to march to the area.  The level of losses may take some explaining, but the Russian commander had already identified a couple of brigadiers who would provide convenient scapegoats.

Final position in the centre

RECON Wargames Show 2021

 On Saturday I crossed the Pennines  to the outskirts of Leeds for the RECON show put on by the Wakefield and District Wargamers.  Upstairs was the HOTT competition and the trade stands and games were in the main hall, as was the Bring and Buy. There didn't seem to be many of the public wandering around, but the poor weather and the renewed uncertainty about Covid won't have helped.  Many thanks to the club, who organised the show under some difficulties.

Next to us were Durham Wargames Group and they had their Dark Ages game, Ragnarok, which they had taken to Partizan.  A few photos of the game are in the post I did covering the Partizan show, but here are some more.  

An overview of the table

Very nicely painted figures

The Saxon opposition

Just next to us was a 6mm Sudan game.

The Table, featuring a printed cloth on which terrain pieces can be placed

The cloth was very effective, conveying the changes in terrain and avoiding having too many terrain pieces and also fitting well with the scale of figures.

Naval support for the Imperial troops

The firing line established

The Mahdists just waiting for their chance to attack

As I mentioned in my previous post, Steve was putting on his San Giovese game on behalf of the Lance and Longbow Society.

The view of the battlefield from behind the Imperial force

The monks complaining that their pleas for peace have been ignored

A local trying to get his sheep to a place of safety

The womenfolk of San Giovese continue as normal

We ran through the game twice, with the French winning one and the other being a draw.  One notable event in the second game was the Imperial civic militia repulsing a charge by the Swiss pikes.  However, it was only a temporary reprieve, the Swiss charged again and this time the militia had to give ground.

Many thanks to Steve for devising the game, Andy,Bob and Will  for helping with the game and also to John and Ben who took up our offer of 'having a go'.   Not forgetting Dave and Lynne for supplying the refreshing brews.

San Giovese : a Lion Rampant scenario for the RECON show

My apologies for the lack of posts over the last month, it is not that we haven't met for games, more a question of lacking the 'muse' to help with the reports.  However, we have been busy setting up a scenario for a participation game at the RECON show at Pudsey on the first Saturday in December.  As usual it will be under the banner of the Lance & Longbow Society and we will be using our much amended version of the Lion Rampant rules by Dan Mersey.

Our game this year will be at the end of the period covered by the Lance and Longbow Society, being set in the last years of the 15th century and involve gendarmes, stradiots, pikemen, militia and a variety of missile troops.

The Imperial Right flank deployment

 Our scenario envisages the French and Imperial vanguards encountering each other as they advance to secure the are around San Giovese to provide food and fodder for the main force.  To encourage quick play there is a time limit (this also has the advantage of letting participants know that they are only committed to the game for a limited time).

The Italian allies of the French

Cavalry on the French right

The opposing light cavalry skirmish

Some unfortunate mounted arqubusiers caught in a 'gendarme sandwich'

 The show is on at the usual venue and the orgainsers are hoping to run a bring and buy stall (provided COVID restrictions are not increased of course).  Details of the traders due to attend are here

https://wdwgamers.weebly.com/recon-2021.html

 

Was it all a trap? A Sudan scenario using Black Powder

For our latest game we ventured once again into the sands of the Sudan.  An attack on an Imperial camp by a local Dervish warlord has been repulsed and the Imperial commander, determined to dissuade such activity in the future has ordered that a force be sent out to chase down and capture the said warlord.  In the light of the small size of the attacking force and the ease with which they were driven off, the commander decided it was a job that the Egyptian forces could handle.  Therefore, a force of two brigades of infantry (each of 4 battalions) and a brigade of cavalry (2 units of horse and one of Bashi Bazouks), with attendant artillery (a field gun and a machine gun), were sent off in pursuit.  For two days the Egyptians followed the trail left by the Dervish into the shifting sands to the west of the Nile, but their quarry always managed to keep ahead of them.  Then on the morning of the third day, as they neared a low rocky ridge they found the Dervish force arrayed before them.  It was obvious that the raiding force had been reinforced as the Dervish had fallen back and the Egyptians found themselves considerably outnumbered.

The Dervish infantry occupying the ridge. 

The Dervish cavalry on the right

To a man, the Egyptians stopped and gazed at the host facing them.  The senior command seemed unsure on how to proceed (ie almost all their command rolls failed) and needing no invitation, the Dervish cavalry swept down on the Egyptian left wing.  Belatedly, the Egyptian cavalry moved to block this attack, but they had been deployed across the front of the Egyptian force and only one unit could get in position in time.  

The Dervish cavalry swoop on the Egyptian left

One Dervish cavalry unit attacked the Egyptian cavalry and two others bore down on an infantry battalion, leaving one unit of Dervish cavalry in reserve.  The cavalry melee was a prolonged affair, both units giving as good as they got, but the cavalry attack on the infantry was a much more one sided affair.  The Egyptians did not help their cause by firing a very ragged volley as the cavalry bore down on them.  There was some wavering in the ranks and the Dervish exploited the gaps with a vengeance.  In no time the infantry unit was reduced to a rabble racing towards their supply lines.  Exultant, the Dervish cavalry swept on towards the supporting Egyptian infantry unit.  

The Dervish cavalry crash into the Egyptian front line

The cavalry attack seemed to be the signal for the remainder of the Dervish force to sweep forward.  For their part the second Egyptian brigade were still trying to form a battle line and their attempts to fire volleys at the approaching tribesmen were severely hampered by the movement of the Egyptian cavalry across their front.  Eventually the field of fire was clear and the Egyptian infantry proved that the hours spent on the practice range had not been wasted.  The initially united Dervish attack degenerated into a more piecemeal affair as units became disordered by the disciplined Egyptian volleys.  However, this did have the unfortunate effect of reducing the ammunition supply of several units and bad staff work had left the re-supply mules some distance from the units in the front line.

On the Egyptian left, the cavalry melee eventually went in favour of the Dervish and the remnants of the Egyptian cavalry routed from the field.  Now the victorious Dervish cavalry faced a fresh infantry battalion supported by a machine gun and decided that their best option was to fall back and rally.  To their right the two cavalry units which had dealt so ruthlessly with one infantry battalion were now attacking a second one.  This one, although unable to fire on the cavalry due to their colleagues routing past them managed to hold the Dervish charge and inflict such damage that they had to fall back to recover.

The Egyptian left holds firm

Now the reserve Dervish unit played a part.  The second Egyptian horse unit and the Bashi Bazouks had charged into Dervish units bearing down on the beleaguered left hand infantry brigade.  Fortune favoured the Egyptian horse, who routed one unit of Dervish and then charged a second.  Although they also routed this unit, their losses left them in a shaken state and in close range of the Dervish artillery.

Success, but at what price?

The Bashi Bazouks were less fortunate.  Their attack was held by the Dervish infantry and then the reserve Dervish cavalry hit them in the flank.  This proved altogether too much and the Bashi Bazouks routed, disordering an Egyptian infantry unit in the process.  Carrying out a sweeping advance, the Dervish cavalry now attacked the disordered infantry who were in their turn routed.  However, they had done enough to shake the morale of the Dervish cavalry and they fell back to rally.

The Bashi Bazouks are flanked

When the dust cleared, the left wing Egyptian infantry brigade had lost two units and the cavalry brigade one with the two remaining units much reduced in numbers.  For their part, the Dervish cavalry had also suffered heavy losses and the remaining units were much weakened.

A crisis now hit the right wing Egyptian infantry brigade.  Up to now they had managed to hold back the Dervish infantry with rifle fire, but that fire was slackening as ammunition ran low.  The regimental officers were sending runners with pleas for replenishment, but the ammunition was slow in arriving.  Just as the pack mules reached the front line they were 'spooked' by the sound of battle and careered of to the right.  (A blunder had been thrown on the command dice).  Desperate to hold back the Dervish the front line continued firing and one unit exhausted all its ammunition.  With no re-supply available the colonel appealed for aid from the reserve infantry battalion.  Ignoring his orders to remain in reserve in a central position, the commander of the reserve infantry unit led it forward, through the ammunition-less unit and took their place in the front line.  He was in place just in time to receive a charge from the Dervish infantry but his men stood firm and drove back their assailants with heavy loss.

In the nick of time

To the right another Dervish attack was beaten back with heavy loss, but the unit of infantry on the extreme right was not so fortunate.  It was overwhelmed by a Dervish charge, even though the field gun fired in support.  As the surviving infantrymen streamed to the rear, the Dervish fell upon the unfortunate gun crew, who were wiped out. Fortunately for the Egyptians the Dervish had once again suffered heavy casualties and needed to fall back to rally.  With the return of the ammunition mules some sort of order could be established while the Dervish reformed for another attack.

The right wing gives way

At this point we ran out of time, with the Egyptian commander facing somewhat of a dilemma, to withdraw, or close up and defeat further attacks with firepower?

Many thanks to Steve for devising the scenario and to Bob for playing the 'devilish dervish' and posing me so many problems. 

   
  

Partizan 2021

After a break of 18 months, Steve and I managed to  attend a wargames show over the weekend and we had a good day out.  Our original plan was to go to Border Reiver in September, but unfortunately that was cancelled.  There was no shortage of quality games on display as both demonstration and participation.  I must admit at this point that in retrospect I did neglect the participation games and so the photos on offer concentrate on the demonstration offerings.  However, this does not suggest that the participation games lacked anything in the quality of their presentation or interest. Along with the games and the inspiration they provide there is the chance to catch up with friends in the hobby.  After 18 months of having to do with email or zoom/skype, it was good to be able to chat face to face (at a covid secure distance of course).

To start, a medieval game presented by the Barons War Facebook Group

Interesting as there seemed to be a game in progress either side of the fortifications.

Derby Wargames Society were in the desert in WWII

The Boondock Sayntes had an Indian Colonial battles, Dieg 1804

The Newark Irregulars presented 'Fort Isolation', a Muskets and Tomahawks scenario

 Durham Wargames Group had a scenario based on a Viking raid on Lindisfarne

Shrewsbury Wargames Club presented an excellent  SYW battle

Also set in the SYW was 'Descent on the French Coast" by Friends of a Military Gentleman, this time in 40mm, with some stunning ships.

Mr James Morris and friends had a 28mm medieval game set in Spain, depicting the Battle of Bairen 1097.

The Hull and East Riding Wargames Club presented the battle of Zama 202 BC, with loads of elephants.

Back to the medieval period for 'The Bodkins' Crecy, with some stunning painting on display

The Barnsley Association of Wargamers had an American Plains Wars game, 'Continually Wear the Blue'

The Old Guard Group had a 28mm Napoleonic game of the Battle of Utitza using the Command and Colours rules.