Maurice - Scenarios for Wargamers, Reinforcements in Defence

The game Maurice, written by the talented game designer Sam Mustafa, is a bit of a favourite among a few of us at club who have enjoyed the wonderful level of 'friction' this game generates through its combination of card play and die rolls that can combine to produce those moments when best laid plans can come unstuck and the commander on the spot has to come up with another plan to deal with the situation as it is rather than the one he wanted - just like the real thing!

Every wargamer should have a copy of Charles S. Grant's
Scenarios for Wargamers on the bookshelf as it has often provided
quick inspiration for throwing the table cloth down
and getting some figures on the table

So feeling in the need to scratch the itch, not having played the game for a few years, with other rules and genres taking precedence, Steve M dug his AWI Polly Oliver 15mm collection out, married with Scenario No. 15 from Charles Stewart Grant's 'Scenarios for Wargamers' and we sat down to play.

View from the American lines with Continental infantry ready to march in support of the forward line of militia and guns.

The scenario is as on the table, with American militia holding the forward ridge, with Continentals primed to march up and join them in the defence, but with a serious British assault force of line infantry supported by an array of elites, including guards, light infantry and grenadiers hoping to overcome the militia before their supports can come up to their assistance.

The British in march columns and guns limbered with American militia and guns on the wooded hill to their front and riflemen out on the American left flank in the little wood

I took command of His Majesty's army and arrayed my troops in march columns with the guns limbered in an attempt to get up to the defences as quickly as possible, hoping not to encounter any unfortunate terrain obstacle on the way, usually decided by the revealing of a card letting the unfortunate opposition commander know that that was what he had just stumbled into or as the regimental sergeant-major would declare 'Oh dear, how sad, never mind!'.

Grenadiers, Guards and Light Infantry support the 'Hatmen' to their left. I foolishly left another three of these units off table in reserve - 'Oh dear, how sad, never mind!'

In the game wash-up, my decision to limber my guns was a faulty one, as to attack with artillery is usually problematic, in that artillery moving, deploying and firing, takes time and cards to command and with limited amounts of both when attempting to manoeuvre infantry rapidly and press an attack, also requiring time and cards, the latter force takes precedence and I would have been better served simply deploying my guns and firing as and when the opportunity presented. I told you we hadn't played for a while!

The card play in Maurice determines the flow of play and can impact the outcome of actions such as firing, rallying and melee, and can be played for the events (bottom half of card) that can be directly advantageous to the player or disadvantageous to the opponent and activation points (number in pink box - top left) with points used to command units in groups, based on type and formation, and with more points required the further away they are from the commander. The Army Morale starts at a predetermined number on the dice and is reduced by the loss of units to indicate when an army has had enough.

This scenario is a classic to play with Maurice, bringing in that time pressure for the attackers and causing all sorts of challenges to overcome in that the usual pauses in an attack where the time is taken to redress the ranks and replenish a hand of cards burnt up simply manoeuvring forward and dealing with skirmishers thrown forward as the proverbial 'speed bump' is not a luxury to be had.

 

Militia and guns await the 'bloody-backs'.

Thus when the red-coat columns arrived before the militia hill-top line, having driven off a unit of riflemen in woods on their right flank but having incurred fatigue casualties on the way, the two forward battalions were compelled to charge into the American line through necessity to get on with it in the forlorn hope, as it turned out, of getting a quick win, with the Continentals already on the march in their support.

 

Forced to retire back down the slope, and looking to stretch the American defences whilst also weakening their Army Morale and will to resist, the British grenadier battalion supported by a light battalion carried on with their pursuit of the American riflemen, managing through a bit of fortunate card play, to prevent their falling back beyond a patch of rough terrain and pinning them with their backs to blocking rocky outcrops on the American left flank.

The British columns close in and have formed in depth to concentrate their attack on a specific point on the American line, hopefully leaving their other units somewhat redundant, and making up for my not having brought all my elites with me. Note the Grenadiers on the extreme right attempting to turn the riflemen out of their handy little wood.

With the repulse of the first British attack the battle went into a slight pause as the British attempted to rally off hits as did the militia, whilst bringing in other units to shoot to attempt to undo the rallying successes.

Steady! - Hold your fire until you can see the whites of their eyes. Someone get some fresh round-shot for those guns.

Try as they might neither side could gain much of an advantage in the rallying phases and so as the British commander I decided to cut my losses, so to speak, now that the Continentals were up in support of their militia who were still solidly ensconced on the hill and try to bring on a battle of attrition using my superior army morale to overcome that of the Americans.

A not unusual British tactic, but one that cost them dear in Pyrrhic victories, commanding the battlefield but only at the high cost in casualties.

So in went the redcoats along the front of my attack with the two lead battalions who had made the first attempt on the hill, still carrying fatigue charging up the hill with another two in support, whilst the Grenadiers closed in on the US riflemen.

The result was what I predicted with some success seeing the riflemen obliterated by the Hatmen volley fire and with them in the open with no cover giving me a bonus of two points knocked off the American morale from a poor die roll for the Americans of a '6' as they rolled for their Army Morale response.

Yankee Doodle Dandy on the march 

However the cost for this decision was the loss of my two line battalions, that left the militia teetering on dispersal but with me loosing points off my Army Morale and forcing the next stage of the attack that saw the fresh supports charge in on the next attack phase to capitalise on the damage inflicted before any further rally attempts could make things good.

'Why us Sarje? - Because we're ere laddie'

This time with a combination of timing and decisive card play to influence the combat the British attack was more successful taking out the two obdurate militia battalions and taking a whole die from the the three composing the American morale record card whilst unhinging the American defence on the hill.

The British press their attack

That was where we ended play, with lots to chat about in the pub afterwards and with me reflecting on some poor command decisions which ended up with half of my elite battalions off table because I chose to keep them there in reserve but with little opportunity to bring them forward as the cards in my hand to do so were in constant use doing other more important and pressing things.

That is where Maurice really captures the pressure of command that some other games don't quite match, giving the player commander a range of demands on his command capability to do things or not as the situation demands whilst adding the flavour of disposing of cards to enable activations that have on them additional event characteristics that would be very nice to keep in hand for when a certain situation inevitably arises.  

The American riflemen are driven off, not without a few casualties if the fatigue dice are an indicator.

Thank you to Steve M for reacquainting us with his AWI 15mm collection and to Vince, having returned to club after picking up some bargains at the Exeter Legionary Show Bring and Buy for donning his militia colonel's blue coat and commanding the rebels. 

God Save the King.

JJ

O Group - Spring 1946. Soviet Invasion of The West, Part Two.

The invasion continues. 

(Editors Note - The link below is to Steve's previous AAR for his Soviet Invasion 1946 setup, posted back in March this year.)

Devon Wargames Group - O Group. Spring 1946. Soviet Invasion of The West AAR

The British have incorporated the better Fallschirmjäger units into the Airborne division although, currently there are insufficient uniforms, so they are fighting in their original ones.

Rumour has it that someone has got to de Gaulle and has suggested that a new unit of 

French Foreign Legion be formed from German Units held in captivity. What will he do? 

Procrastinate as usual and then blame everyone else for his failings? We will see.

The West are once again on the defensive. All along the front the allies are being pushed back. 

SHAEF is being run by Air Marshall Tedder whilst the Western Governments can’t agree on a New Supreme Commander. Montgomery, Patton? The egos have it or not. More later.

More villages, more choke points. Hold them boys. Trouble is there are hordes of the buggers all wanting a share of what is in the west. They’ve been promised the earth, all they have to do is give their lives or get shot by their own side. NKVD units follow behind, after all they have to have nice clean uniforms for all the pretty ladies (or gentlemen) that are left behind their lines.

Both sides are without reserves this time and the allies are scraping up whatever equipment they can get their hands on. Meanwhile the Soviets have just put IS3’s in the line for the first time.

The Game.
The game was set up so that the west was defending a village. At their disposal they had two companies of British Infantry, a company of German Fallschirmjager, a 17Pdr ATG, two 6Pdr, one recently repaired Tiger 2 and two Comets. They also had two rounds of off board artillery.

The Soviet forces arrayed against them were three companies of infantry, two T34/85’s, two IS2 and two IS3.

During the deployment phase the allies lost one platoon of infantry but were able to have two ambushes. The 17Pdr and one of the 6Pdr’s were allocated.

This will be a shortish AAR as things happened which caused great discussion after the game in a flurry of emails. Comments or rule corrections that any reader sees will be greatly appreciated.

The game started in the usual way with Combat Patrols being arrayed by both sides. The allies had their paras on the right with the British infantry in the centre and left.

As the Soviets advanced their CP’s the allied commander deployed on his own CP’s and shot them away. Whilst this appeared the correct action at the time it did leave him open.

Having shown his hand to the Soviets, the Soviet commander deployed his super weapons. I have, as the game organiser have to take a little bit of criticism here as I should have realised the immense fire power being unleashed.

As a platoon of two IS3’s advanced in one area and two IS’s advanced in another they dominated the battlefield. The Allies did deploy their Tiger 2 in the centre and caused some inconvenience to the IS3’s but they simply manoeuvred behind a BUA and found another target.

The Comets deployed on the allied right in support of the paras and did threaten the Soviets to the point where they had serious concerns.

However the centre and allied left was where the action was. Now comes our issues and the discussions continue. Chas opened up with IS2’s and 3’s. Now these are big-gunned tanks with six HE dice each. So if they don’t move and they fire at a BUA they have 11 dice. With a Company Command Order that is 22 in a PHASE. If they have react fire to a movement that is 33 dice in a turn on the same unit in a TURN. As a Heavy Artillery mission is only 8 dice the fire laid down is immense.

That was our issue. The outcome was that the allies were blown away and only inflicted one casualty. There were a lot of suppressions but non converted. As Ian put it later “I should not have put all my sweeties on display in one go”.

We are looking at alternative ways that AFV HE is used.

I enjoyed umpiring these guys, they knew the rules. Because of a local show participance was sparse. Our players were Ian and Chas. These are guys I game with often.

This series of games will continue in due course. I hope you will keep a look out in the future.

Steve L

The figures and vehicles came from all over the place, I can’t remember where now. Building by Hovels and a company which is no longer in being. Trees, mainly from Buffers of Axminster and the walls and hedges from eBay. Roads by Fat Frank. The BUA’s I made from bits and bobs I had lying around. I made them generic so they can be used for other eras.

Lion Rampant - "Defending the Indefensible".

The game was based on the third scenario from the new Lion Rampant rules titled "Defending the Indefensible".

The game takes place in and around a village in the Levant in the year 1098. An ambitious Bishop has decided to raise a very fancy large wooden cross in the village square. His intention is to attract more pilgrims to stop and worship and purchase religious artefacts. 

Those containing pieces of the original cross are particularly popular and he has a seemingly endless supply of these. The local Emir, whose beloved mother was born in the village, is less than impressed and he has sent a force to enter the village (by force if necessary) and destroy the newly erected cross.

The village is defended by a Frankish force who have caught wind of the Emir's plan. Within the walls of the village are a unit of heavy infantry, a unit of crossbow men, two units of skirmishers and a unit of foot knights with their warlord. 

The Bishop is also present and his religious fervour will boost the morale of the unit of heavy infantry that he is attached to. There are Frankish support units that enter from the north edge of the board at the start of the game. These comprise two units of mounted Knights and a unit of foot Knights.

The defenders notice a cloud of dust and sand in the distance and immediately rush to take up defensive positions. The skirmishers who are classed as "fast" are able to move through rough terrain unimpeded and they position themselves on the rooftops, with one unit on the western side and one on the eastern. Their armour increases from one to two against missiles and the added cover from the rooftop will raise it further to armour three. 

The crossbows man the western front wall of the village, while the heavy infantry form up around the cross to protect it. The foot knights are near them ready to intercept any incursions.

Out of the cloud of dust and sand appears groups of Seljuk infantry, archers and cavalry. The infantry is made up of two units of elite foot (the equals to the Frankish foot knights) and two units of light infantry armed with javelins. The archer unit is armed with war bows that out distance the bows of the Frankish skirmishers. (The Frankish skirmishers are "Hard to Target" and so cannot be shot at by an enemy outside 12". 

In addition to the infantry and archers, the Seljuk force contains three units of heavy cavalry all armed with bows that have a 12" range. What this force lacks in terms of heavy armour, it makes up for with missile weapons.

The Seljuks surge forward towards the village and their archers quickly start to target the unit of crossbows, but with little effect. Their light infantry units move forward on the left and right flanks supported by their cavalry. The two units of elite foot move towards the entrance to the village. One of the two Seljuk warlords notices that the entrance to the village has no barricade and he directs a unit of cavalry to attempt to enter through it. The mounted unit is slowed by the narrow archway forming the entrance to the village and is repulsed by the defenders.

The Frankish heavy infantry form a wall of spears around the cross. This will increase their armour by one in hand-to-hand. The Crossbowmen return fire on the Seljuk archers and there more powerful weapons cause some casualties, but the archers are undeterred and continue to move up to find a more advantageous position. The skirmishers on the rooftops fire down on an approaching unit of light infantry on the western side of the village causing some casualties, but the Seljuk foot continues towards the crossbowmen manning the front of the village.

The Frankish support units, hearing the noise of combat race towards the village. One unit of knights moves to the western side of the village and the other the eastern side. The unit of foot knights also moves towards the north eastern end of the village.

For the crossbowmen at the front of the village the situation is becoming desperate. They have started to take casualties from the Seljuk archers and are then assaulted by a unit of light infantry armed with javelins. There is a bloody fight at the wall and the crossbowmen recoil and are battered.

After the unsuccessful attack through the archway, a determined unit of elite foot together with a holy-man to boost their morale, successfully fight their way into the village and enter combat with the Frankish warlord and his unit of foot knights.

Meanwhile, outside the village each unit of Frankish Knights charge towards the mounted Seljuk heavy cavalry who fire their bows at the knights, but cause no casualties. The Knights hit them causing heavy losses.

All is certainly not going the Franks' way. Having been battered and thrown back from the walls, the crossbowmen take additional casualties and despite the proximity of their warlord they turn and flee from the village. With only the skirmishers to support him from the rooftops, the warlord and his Knights stand their ground and fight against the Seljuk elite foot and a unit of mounted heavy cavalry. They are wiped out, but the courage of the defenders remains firm. Seemingly, the warlord was not particularly popular with his men. 

Just in time the support unit of elite knights enter the village as the Seljuk force turns its attention on the unit of heavy infantry protecting the cross. This unit, realising missile could soon be coming their way, changes formation to a shieldwall to improve its armour against both hand to hand and missile attack.

A unit of Seljuk light infantry now attempts to dislodge a unit of Frankish skirmishers from the roof of the building on the eastern side of the village. The "fast" skirmishers run from one roof top to another. The Seljuk infantry, encumbered by swords, shields and javelin are unable to follow. At the same time a unit of mounted Frankish Knights, now jumps a wall to enter the fray.

What follows is an almighty melee within the village. The Seljuk force throws all its might against the Frankish defenders and successive valiant attempts to reach the hotly contested cross are thrown back. The Frankish force has taken heavy losses, more than the attackers in fact, yet they still stand firm even after the loss of a warlord. The Seljuk force realises that it is never going to be able to reach that cross and they withdraw form the village.

The outcome of the battle:

Technically this was a Frankish victory, but it was a perfect example of a Pyrrhic one. Their force had lost a warlord and his unit of elite knights together with a unit of valuable crossbowmen and their heavy infantry was reduced by a third as were their skirmishers. Another determined attack by a Turkish force would inevitably see the village taken and the cross "removed".

Editors Note - Mike's game finished earlier than planned, so the chaps rearranged the table and set up a straight-forward open terrain battle to end the afternoon on and I include a couple more pictures from Mike's lovely collection of figures and terrain in action from that little clash.

Russian Civil War in Siberia - Setting the East Ablaze 3rd Edition.

Introduction

This year marks the one-hundredth anniversary of the deaths of the two competing architects of post-World War One “Global Order”. Woodrow Wilson (28th U.S. President) and Lenin (Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov) both passed-away in 1924. Lenin died on twenty-first of January and Woodrow Wilson on the third of February, less than a month apart. A Russian Civil War game involving both Russian and United States forces, at the Devon Wargames Group, beckons!

Vladimir Lenin & Woodrow Wilson

Background

When Trotsky negotiated peace with Germany, the entente powers sent troops to intervene in Russia; they wanted Russia in the war. U.S. troops were sent to Archangel and Vladivostok. President Wilson’s instructions were: safeguard the military stores, assist the 70,000 strong Czech Legion to leave Russia, and avoid intervening in Russia’s internal affairs but aid Russia’s Government or its self-defence

(diplomatic speak for aiding pro-entente Russians).

President Wilson also wanted to counter Japanese ambitions. The Japanese success in the Russo-

Japanese war of 1904-05 and a weak Russia, was an open invitation. Japan was the first country to

intervene and their force soon expanded to 72,000 men in Siberia.

Allied soldiers and sailors in Vladivostok, September 1918.

Initially the Russian Civil War was largely confined to European Russia; Siberia was largely untouched.

War however, does not mean revolution and much of Siberia was under the Bolsheviks’ rivals, the Mensheviks. The Bolsheviks and the Mensheviks were factions in The Russian Social Democratic Labour Party; The RSDLP had split in 1903, into these two factions. Whatever their differences, when it came to foreign interventions, they were both on the same page. The Mensheviks were popular with the Siberian peasantry as land redistribution was one of their policies.

Menshevik control of Siberia meant a campaign from Siberia into European Russia was a non-starter. In November 1918 the entente powers organised the overthrowing of the “Siberian Provisional Government” replacing it with a military one, under Admiral Kolchak. The Admiral’s government had the same short comings as other White factions, it did not have a reformist programme. The peasantry were set upon by the Czars traditional enforcer, the Cossacks, often with Japanese assistance.

Admiral Kolchak decorating some of his troops.

The Admiral’s forces enjoyed some success, as they had access to the war materials in Vladivostok. But as the campaign progressed, he found increased difficulty in recruiting soldiers to his army from the peasantry. Many of the peasants withdrew into the forests and formed large partisan groups, which then attacked the Trans-Siberian Railway (Transsib) and his other supply lines. As more of Kolchak’s troops were diverted to security duties, this began to tell on front-line operations.

Once fighting on the western front stopped, The Czech Legion who effectively controlled the Transsib railway stopped fighting the Bolsheviks. Interventionist troops had to assume responsibility for the Transsib and the all-important coal mines. Notwithstanding interventionist assistance, the Admiral’s campaign against a now invigorated Red Army failed.

Trans Siberian Railway.

By January 1920 the Admiral’s forces had retreated to Irkutsk and The Czech Legion handed over Admiral Kolchak to the Bolsheviks, in exchange for safe passage along the Transsib. The Circum Bhikal section (4 on the map), was is the most difficult sections of the Transsib with over thirty tunnels and many viaducts etc. The Legion had had to fight hard to secure this section and if it was recaptured

by the Bolsheviks, there escape eastwards would be next to impossible.

Circum-Baikal section under construction. Tunnels, viaducts, culverts etc allow the railway to hug Lake Baikal.

The Czech Legion

The Czech Legion was recruited from the two million Austro-Hungarian prisoners of war in Russia. The Legion was to go to France as part of the French army and post war, when the Austro-Hungarian Empire was dissolved, they hoped for an independent Czechoslovakia. Lenin agreed to the plan and recruits were soon concentrated along the Transsib. Then Lenin changing his mind and the Bolsheviks opposed the Legion’s progress along the railway. Over a three-month period, by a combination of daring-do and raw courage, the Legion got control of Transsib east of the Urals. But with the 1918 armistice, the legion and just wanted to get to their new homeland.

Czech Legion and one of their trains, 1918

The legion’s success have two unexpected consequences:

1. The formation of The Red Army, as Red Guard were inadequate to stopping a determined enemy, and,
2. The execution of the ex-Czar and his family because of fears that the Legion might free them.

U.S. Intervention in Siberia

American soldiers in Siberia, December 1918

Eight thousand troops, under General Graves, were sent to Siberia in August 1918. With the armistice in the west and the Czechs now neutral, guarding the Transib so supplies could reach the Admiral’s army, now fell to the interventionists. With the armistice with Germany, overthrowing the Bolsheviks so Russia could rejoin the war, was pointless. De facto the U.S.A. was now a participant in the civil war on the side of the Whites. Following the defeat of Admiral Kolchak, the U.S. troops withdrew from Siberia in early 1920.

Japanese in Siberia

The Japanese landed in Siberia as an interventionist power but the size of their force belied their real intentions. Japanese troops operated as far west as Lake Baikal and tried, but failed, to set up a proxy state in east Siberia. Japan withdrew in 1922, retaining the southern half of Sakhalin Island, which the U.S.S.R. took back in World War Two.

Japanese troops in Siberia

Today’s Scenario – Near ONOKHOY Railway Station, Siberia

With the collapse of Admiral Kolchak’s campaign in Siberia, the focus of events is moving eastwards. The White forces and their Interventionist backers are retiring and the Red forces are following on their heels. The difficult Circum-Bakal section of the Transsib is back in Bolshevik hands as the Czech Legion withdrew. The protagonists include The U.S.A., Japan, Bolsheviks, Partisans, Czech Legion and whoever else happens to be in the area; the belligerents are mutually suspicious of each other. The Japanese want to set up a proxy state. The Czechs have an uneasy cohabitation with the Bolsheviks but they won’t let anybody stand in their way. American soldiers are demoralised as they have been stuck in Siberia for two years. The partisans hate the Cossacks and visa-versa. Trotsky’s prestige rides on the success of the new Red Army or he will lose his job to Stalin. And the Bolsheviks suspect the Legion has seized part of Russia’s gold reserves too.

BOLSHEVIKS and SOCIAL REVOLUTIONARIES (LEFT))

Bolsheviks One

1 Senior Leader + 2

2 Junior Leader +1

3 units of 10 riflemen with bombs C3 M3

1 unit of Red Cadets 8 riflemen with bombs and 2 LMGs C3 M2 ferocious

1 unit of cavalry 8 men C3 M4

1 unit of red Cossacks 8 men C3 M3 ferocious

2 Machine Guns C3 M3

2 75mm Artillery C3 M2

Bolsheviks Two

1 Senior Leader + 2

2 Junior Leader +1

3 units of 10 riflemen with bombs C3 M3

CHEKA special squad 8 riflemen, bombs, 2 LMG’s C3 M4, - can be used as normal combat unit or as a blocking unit. To block, the figures are spread out max 3 inches apart and block any retreating Red unit, of any red player.

1 unit of cavalry 8 men C3 M4

1 unit of red Cossacks 8 men C3 M3 ferocious

2 Machine Guns C3 M3

2 75mm Artillery C3 M2

Partisans and Workers (Social Revolutionaries (Left))

1 Senior Leader +1

4 units of 10 partisans with rifles (no bombs) C4 M3 ferocious

1 unit of 10 cavalry C4 M3 ferocious

Angry mob of sawmill workers C5 M4 ferocious

INTERVENTIONISTS

Japanese Forces

1 Senior Leader +2

4 junior Leaders +1

3 units of 10 riflemen armed with bombs. Competence 3 Morale 3

1 regular cavalry 8 men C4 M3

1 special infiltration unit of 8 rifle men with bombs C3 M2

2 irregular cavalry 8 men C4 M4

2 Machine guns C3 M3

2 mountain guns C3 M3

USA

1 Senior Leader +2

3 Junior Leaders +1

3 units of 10 rifle men with bombs C3 M4

1 unit of 8 trench brooms with bombs C3 M3 ferocious

2 units of Light Machine guns C3 M4 stubborn

2 Machine guns C3 M4

Some defensive positions

Czech Legion

1 senior leader + 2

3 Junior Leaders + 1

2 units of 8 shock riflemen with bombs C2 M2 ferocious

2 units of 8 riflemen with bombs C3 M2 stubborn

3 Machine guns stubborn

1 armoured car

Train with unknow contents.

Rules

The rules used are “Setting the East Ablaze 3rd edition, with some minor modifications. In the main

rules each unit has a separate card for its activation. Once drawn from the pack the unit is activated,

but I have reduced the number of cards allowing for some differentiation in command and control

between the protagonists. Each player has five cards which they can use to activate units or leaders

of the same type if they are regulars (infantry, cavalry etc.) Irregular troops need one card per unit or

leader. We used simple playing cards and players activated their units in the sequence of the cards

they held – with aces as wild cards. (Editors Note - we got tired of messing about, shuffling playing cards, so you will see we started using the playing-card symbol chits instead).

How the Game Played

“How Joseph Stalin Got His Moustache”

Stalin The Tank Engine pulled into ONOKHOY with his last puff of steam; the wagons and coaches had grumbled all the way from Irkutsk. Boris the buffet car was drunk, Fiadora the flat-bed sang the International poorly because she couldn’t hit the high notes and Georgi claimed to be the famous sealed carriage that carried Lenin across Germany (which can’t possibly be true because German and Russian railway gauges are different). As soon as Stalin stopped the Czech Legionnaires started to coal and water him, before emptying the station cafeteria and bar. Boris was happy seeing all the bottles of intoxicating beverages heading his way.

The Red Controller sent Skinny Oleg to the near-by sawmill, where his uncle was something important in the local Works Soviet. Soon workers and armed partisans streamed from the sawmill towards the station shouting “Stop the train” and “Block the track”. Even the cart horse became adhoc cavalry. Stalin was happy to see the commotion; after the long trip from Irkutsk a restful delay was fine with him.

Captain Lyman of the U.S. Army was happy to see Stalin too; he knew this was the last train load of Czech Legionnaires. His mission was to keep the railway open for the Czechs and then he could go home. Captain Lyman had left his father’s haberdashery business to fight the Germans in France but two years after the armistice, he was stuck in Siberia. Stalin was happy to help the American passengers but only after a bit of a rest.

The Czechs didn’t like the look of sawmill workers and they unloaded their armoured car. They had one of those new British types, not just with a machine gun but with electrified bodywork too; if anybody touched the shiny paintwork they would get a good zapping. The Czechs had good reason to not delay at ONOKHOY because they knew Mr. Trotsky’s new model Red Army was hot on their heels. Before leaving Irkutsk, the Czechs had emptied the bank vaults of all the gold. Mr. Trotsky very angry and had sent his friend Felix to chase after the Czechs and get the gold back. Felix wasn’t the kind of man to mess about and he blew up the armoured car right away. This made Felix and his comrades very happy but the Czechs were now very angry.

Captain Lyman realised that things weren’t going as smoothy as he hoped. Soon his men were shooting at the sawmill workers because his President, nice Mr. Wilson, had ordered him to keep the railway line open for the Czechs. The Czechs joined-in too, so that made it alright. The sawmill workers took cover amongst the stacks of logs and planks waiting for their opportunity.

Colonel Wanatabi of the Japanese Army, was marching hurriedly towards ONOKHOY. His Emperor had seen how nice Mr Wilson was giving away bits of the world to anybody who asked politely. Before there were Empires, now there were lots of new countries like Iraq, Yugoslavia, Syria and Estonia. The Japanese Emperor wanted to join in the fun and make some new countries in Northern China and Siberia. But Mr. Wilson had said no to the Emperor and Colonel Wanatabi had orders to shell the U.S. Army camp in ONOKHOY, because it was nearer than Hawaii.

Soon everybody was shooting at everybody and Stalin took a quick kip until things were sorted-out. Even people on the same side wanted to shoot at each other. Mr. Trotsky had recruited some Cossacks for his army and the sawmill workers hated Cossacks. Once upon a time the Cossacks had been very nasty to the people of ONOKHOY. Only the intervention of Skinny Oleg’s uncle stopped the sawmill workers shooting at the Cossacks.

Captain Lyman sent some of his men to secure the railway station but they discovered some Japanese, in funny disguises, had got there first. A heck of a fight broke out and only ended when all the Japanese were dead. Mr. Trotsky’s Red Army pushed forward relentlessly shooting and shelling everybody. The Czechs used their Maxim guns on anybody who looked Russian. Captain Lyman got out some Thompson guns and introduced the Japanese to an average Saturday night in Chicago.

Stalin woke-up in a terrible hot sweet; a huge amount of coal was being shovelled into his fire box and his boiler was filling with steam. Stalin could see the sawmill workers approaching the track with large logs and timbers determined to block the line. With a reluctant lurch he moved forward, knowing it would hurt if he hit something. Behind him angry passengers were shouting, in a multitude of languages, at being left behind. Boris said it was alright because the bar was now restocked with drinks and snacks. Captain Lyman was angry, the Red Controller had reserved a him a first-class seat but he was still in the U.S. camp, being shot at by the Japanese. Help came from an unexpected direction as some of Mr. Trotsky’s cavalry charged the Japanese, chopping them in bits.

Still Stalin worried about the obstacle ahead. As he got closer and closer the logs loomed bigger and

bigger; a crash and derailing could be the end for him. Stalin knew Russia was an atheist country

now but he prayed anyway. His prayers were answered by Arkwrightski the driver, who slammed on the brakes. Vlad the fireman flew across the cab and shouted unrepeatable oaths because a large lump of coal hit him in the face. Just in time Stalin managed to stop. Arkwrightski started shouting in Russian but everybody knew what he meant “Clear that obstacle or we’re going nowhere”. Vlad helpfully pointed out that that wasn’t strictly true, they could still go backwards but a glare from Arkwrightski silenced him.

Captain Lyman’s trained his two Browning 0.30’s on the sawmill workers at the railway obstacle, but

try as they might they couldn’t hit anybody. Some of his men, assisted by some very keen Czechs,

went to clear the obstacle but the Japanese kept shooting in a very unhelpful way. By now Felix and

his men were all over the railway station and the train; even the ad hoc partisan cavalry managed to

charge the Czech maxim gun on Fidora the flat-bed.

When Felix opened the sealed goods-waggon doors he saw that Mr. Trotsky was right; the wagon was chocker-block with bullion and sacks of gold coins. There was so much gold that Mr. Trotsky and his family could afford to emigrate to Mexico, which is much more sunny than Siberia and the food tastes better.

Stalin The Tank Engine became national hero through-out all of Russia, for patriotically not escaping to the East. His fame was so great that one of Russia’s new leaders, Joseph, adopted the name Stalin in his honour. Joseph grew a big moustache just like a tank engine’s front rail and bumpers. Colonel Wanatabi and Captain Lyman had to quickly settle their differences and retreated eastwards. The Czechs were being sent to a holiday camp on the Kola Peninsula.

Felix was disappointed to receive a frosty reception when he returned to Moscow. He was summoned to Joseph’s office where he was shown a big map of Eastern Europe. Somewhere between Warsaw and Minsk there was a thick red crayon line. Nice Mr Wilson had decided that Warsaw wasn’t in Russia anymore and he had made up a new country called Poland.

Joseph told Felix that because he came from the other side of the crayon line, so he wasn’t Russian and better pack his bags and move to Poland pronto. Felix moved to Poland and remembering Stalin, the plucky little tank engine, decided to became a train driver. Then Felix joined The Railway Workers Union and was soon organising strikes all over Europe.

Stalin The Tank Engine was moved to a shiny new shed in Red Square, right next to Lenin’s Mausoleum, where you can visit him next time you are in Moscow.

With apologies to Rev. Wilbert Awdry, Thomas and his friends.

Sources

The forgotten story of American troops who got caught up in the Russian Civil War by Erick Trickey,

Smithsonian Magazine.

The battle of Lake Baikal by Kevin McNamara, History Net.

The Russian Civil War 1918-1921 edited by Bubnov, Kamenev, Tukachevskii and Eideman; translated

by RW Harrison, Casement Academic. Despite the rather turgid prose, this is probably the best account of the civil war written in Russia during the Soviet Union period. Three of the four editors were executed in Stalin’s purges and the fourth had the good sense to pre-deceasing. 

The Russian Civil War 1918-1920 by D Bullock, Osprey Publications

Various internet open resources

As a general comment, I highly recommend this documentary “Paris 1919”, for anybody interested in this highly significant era in world history.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjmpMY22lqg

Miniatures and Terrain.

Locomotive and rolling stock – Sarissa Presision.

Miniatures Copplestone Castings, Empress Miniatures and Woodbine Miniatures.

Buildings – some Sarrissa buildings but mostly DIY made from cork tiles. Railway track by Little Wars.

Thanks

Thanks to JJ, Liz, Mark and Mathew, Vince, Tom and Chas (who supplied the U.S. Army and understood the rules better than me) for playing in this chaotic game. If anybody thought they understood what was going on, then they didn’t understand.

Stephen Huntsman