The Landing in Newport. Invasion 1805 Game 1

The Emperor, in his wisdom, has decided to send a full invasion Force to quell the English.  As a Chef du Battalion I, Major Finguin of the Gascon 27th Du Ligne, have been sent ahead to secure the landing place.  

With my ever optimistic sidekick Lt Pommefritte I lead our men ashore.   Actually Pommefritte lead our men ashore whilst I finished my repast aboad, a nice Brie de Meaux with a Boulogne Sur Mer baguette, and a cheeky Anjou rosé.

We landed at Newport, a wind swept sodden place, which resembled a St Etienne midden.  I say we, but I mean Pommefritte.  The naval forces which have been lent to me for the entire campaign included four groups of Elite Marines, who I landed with a gun on the south beach.  

Pommefritte took the remainder of our force to land on the North beach.  He was to secure the Church, whilst I was to drive off any troops in that area and secure a Mistress from the general populace.

The sleepy town of Newport, its gentle river flowing majestically into the bay, and smelling ever so slightly of ... dead fish...

Zut Alors, it is the Navy.  Let's be honest here, looking for an Inn rather than a fight.

Pommefritte Lands with the main body.  The rather snazzy looking boats are from the Waldridge shipyards, made by a certain Uriah the Hittite, model boat builder to the gentry.

The British respond with two groups.  The Sailors were patently outflanking them...

The Voltiguers' fire drives the British Skirmishers back towards the bridge...

But to secure the flank the French land two elite groups from their Marine force, with a gun.  The gun is unloaded since it landed from the boat.

The French halt for lunch.  A nice Boursin, a strong Camenbert and a fresh baguette from Les Morrison...

The British Skirmishers turn on the Marines, but these are elite Marines, supported by an Army Artillery piece, and there seems little chance of those skirmishers avoiding a dose of cannister.

The British Skirmishers run for it.  Their flanks are now exposed on both sides

The Marines and artillery advance
driving the British back

 

Pretty much end game for the British as they withdraw back for their deployment point.  The British had played a clever but limited defence, however the way to Oakhampton and inland was now clear.
Oakhampton?  Bighampton, Oldhapmton?  

These damn English maps...

 

Dick Wellard's day out in Balham

Today's game centred around the fighting for the British town of Balham.

Balham! Gateway to the South!

We enter Balham through the verdant grasslands of Battersea Park, and at once we are aware that here is a land of happy, contented people who go about their daily tasks in truly democratic spirit.

Unfortunately the French have come ashore to spoil the day...

Balham bridge and the British Deployment  point.  Pity nobody told the British where it was.

French sailors skip merrily over the bridge

The British freeze in place as the French trundle a huge column behind the sailors.

The British Light Dragoons arrive and also freeze in place.  We're the British counters even in that bag.  (The answer being no, at one point they weren't.)

As the British movement fails to happen the French saunter over the bridge and deploy.   The British units moved once.  The French seven times!

In extreme frustration the Light Dragoons charge but surprise!   They fail to reach their targets, and then get shot to pieces as the French fire not one, but two full volleys into them whilst the entire British force stands still.  At this point Lt. Dick Wellard took a ball to the chest and mercifully fell to escape the battle for the safety of Dr Hook's Sanatorium
The British moved twice in the whole game and as a result got a mullering.  Enough said really,  

And so the long night draws on. The last stragglers make their way home and the lights go out one by one as dawn approaches and the bell of Saint Quilp's' Parish Church tolls ten o'clock. Balham sleeps. And so we say farewell to this historic borough, with many pleasant memories – and the words of  Jeramiah Quillp, Balham's own bard, burning in our ears...


"And from the bag he drew forth blue, 
and did not draw forth red,
And from the fourth turn of the game
The Brit's were good as dead..."

Or at least they wished they were...

The Fat Tanker 4. Fast and Slow

The great Axis push from Benghazi began this week, ending once again at Tobruk.

Bumfluff advances into the table centre, using the speed of his tank, and wrongly assuming that the obviously huge hill was a huge hill.  Turns out not...

Low terrain with ridge lines.

The Axis creep forward

Bumfluff has stuck his neck out, and his tank is damaged.  Meanwhile a dust devil swirls around the right flank 

Some colourful tanks going on!

And as per usual Bumfluff does something rash

An Italian tank gets into our flank

Bunfluff goes for it, running for the ridgeline, and is pretty much saved by the time, as the game runs down to its last turn.

A shot of the second game's action, with a lost convoy appearing.

The Norman Bishop's sticky end! Dark Ages Rampant.

Sir Norman (the Norman) has fallen ill in the small northern village of Arsend.  Bishop Hugo the Huge has gathered his retinue and is rushing to rescue the poor fallen knight from the peasant women.  

Unfortunately for the Bishop`s plan the Welsh of Dai Quincy and the Anglo Danes of the Earl Quilp have heard of Sir Norman's terrible position, and are also rushing to capture the knight and foil the Bishop...

It`s a Dark Ages version of Lion Rampant...

Burt the peasant prods Norman with his sharp stick...

The Bishop deploys in the south west corner.

The Welsh march on tble in the North East

The Danes from the North East

The Danes get a move on, heading for the village

The Bishop dithers, taking three moves to get through that gate

Good looking boys these Normans

Anglo Danish Bidowers reach poor Norman first

The Bishop charges in, driving the Bidowers to destruction, but he tramples over poor Norman to do it

But the Bishop has left his Infantry behind, toiling to catch up

The Bishops's Noman Cavalry is fierce but the bishop is soon shot to death by rampaging Danes

Yet more cavalry cram into the village.  Poor Bishop Hugo has been done to death up an alley... Not traditional cavalry terrain a village!

View from the drone as the Welsh almost take their turn capturing poor Norman.

The stand off, as the Anglo Danes grab poor Norman again the Bishop's army finally approach.  But too late the Danes have held Norman for five turns and it's game over...

The Fat Tanker 3: Burning Ring of Fire

1942 began with a light terrain battle in Durham Wargames Group's Western Desert campaign.  The British were favourites for this first leg, two crusaders and three Valentines versus two Italian M13/40s and two Panzer IIs.

Bumfluff was unduly valiant in choosing the Crusader II.  Well it was the cheapest model I could source.  We diced for Scenario and once again it was fat boy.  Did the dice know something I didn`t? 

Those low rises didn`t provide much cover, but there were a lot of them, and the Allied Commander's plan was to push the two fast tanks onto the left flank and hold the Valentines back to shoot.

In retrospect the Valentine's armour meant that they could absorb punishment the Crusader's couldn`t, but we stuck with the plan and Bumfluff with his pal Dundas motored their Crusaders up the blue towards the Axis.


With our senior officer on the far right Dundas and I were left to it, and to be honest it didn`t go well.  Not that either of us would get unduly snippy with our senior officer would we!  Honest!  

Today's battlefield.

Bumfluff's tank, sporting dark wave and wheel camouflage goes hull down

Literally my view of the other side of the table.  I find that I become myopic, focused on the immediate danger.

Dundas comes to a sticky end, bailing out.

Bumfluff goes forward using that "fast."

Across the table the Valentines use a formation!

Bumfluff gets his rear end shot up by Bad Alphonse in his M13/40, loads of temporary damage accruing. 

Bumfluff reverses into his own dust!  Fat tanker tactics 101, but too late he is brewed up, not by Bad Alphonse but by that goal moocher "Ace" Rimmer.  Our fat hero is last seen running for his life with his turret ring on fire... Makes a chap downright snippy!

The three Valentines in formation, all picking on a single Pz II, whilst Bumfluff's Crusader took on two Axis tanks to himself...

"Ace" Rimmer motors across the table, having killed Bumfluff`s tank he now sets his sights on a Valentine...

A duel with the two Axis tanks on the flank begins.

 

Rimmer's tactics seem to be fire and lots of movement.
But too late for the Axis they are reduced to 2:1, and withdraw from the table...

At least I think that's what happened.  my myopic view of the battle was quite limited.  Poor Dundas, ended up bailing.  Bumfluff meanwhile had his tank explode, and was last seen running through the sand dunes with his turret ring on fire!...  a fraught little game... best described as a snippy situation...