Battle of Britain - Bag the Hun

Decisive Blow - Anthony Saunders

Following a reintroduction to Bag the Hun at last months Clotted Lard  I decided to put on a game after some interest was voiced by a couple of folks. So I dug out my collection of planes, printed off some aircraft sheets and set up a game for up to seven players. It was just as well that I did as the spaces were quickly filled by willing volunteers.

The scenario had a group of Ju88 bombers being escorted by two staffels of Me109s and one of Me110s, twelve escorts altogether. Against these were ranged some of the RAFs finest(or not as it turned out) in four sections each with three Spitfires.

Schwarm 1 turned out to be the cream of the Luftwaffe with a top ace and a junior ace, balanced out with two sprogs as wingmen in Me109s. Schwarms 2 and 3 had a mix of pilots, each had two veterans, one regular and a sprog.

The RAF had a lot less quality, one top ace (Lee "Wooden Trellis" Wilkins) was blue leader, the other pilots consisted of nine regulars and two sprogs.

The game began with the Me110s acting as close escort for the Junkers while the 109's all sat up high waiting to descend on the RAF. The Spitfires were climbing up to engage and were a bit spread out around the table. After a couple of turns of manoeuvring and jockeying for position things quickly broke down into a general dog fight and formations were soon a thing of the past.

Despite their best efforts the plucky RAF pilots were no match for the German aces and Spitfires soon began to fall from the sky. Some nifty moves and lucky cards meant the German junior ace kept on getting shots in and most of them had a telling effect. Blue leader, blue 2, yellow leader and red 3 all fell to his deadly Oerlikon cannons. An Me110 shot down "Trellis" Wilkins, he did survive though after being thrown clear of his exploding Spitfire and floating down under his parachute to fight another day.

As the day came to an end the final score was totted up and it was a grim day for the RAF. Eight Spitfires were shot down, three more crash landed and the last one returned home with a badly damaged engine.

In return the RAF claimed a single Me109 and two Junkers shot down, plus one Me110 and three more Junkers damaged. Highlight for the Germans was when Blue sections Spitfires all blew up, every single one of them!

The junior ace was top dog with four Spitfires with the other kills being spread out among four other planes.

My thanks to "Dead Eye" Bob, "I want a fire card" Christopher and "Low on fuel" Mel for ably commanding the Luftwaffe.

Commiserations to Ian, Jon, Lee and Jamie for their demise at the hands of "ze Germans"!

Clotted Lard 2020

Following the highly successful second running of Clotted Lard 2019 this September and the raising of £400 for Combat Stress, the club are pleased to announce that we will be running Clotted Lard 2020 on September 5th, and invite potential attendees to make a note in their calendars.

The contact address for registering interest in attending is as before;

clotted.lard@btinternet.com

It was really great to see the monies raised from this event up by £150 on last year and with plans to have more games up and running for 2020 we hope to be able to add to the total raised next year.

Thanks to all those involved this year and here's looking forward to 2020.

Indian Mutiny - Sharp Practice II

An Indian Mutiny game using Sharpe Practice.

British command Neal and John, Mutineer command Colin and Tim.

The village of Aherwa the wives of British officers were being held by a group of mutineers.

A small force of East India Company was close at hand and had sent a message to a nearby British column for support, but decided to bravely attempt a rescue themselves approaching the compound where the women were held at the far end of the village they poured fire into the compound to very
little effect.

The local villagers in the form of two groups of villagers armed with an assortment of liberated muskets and a group with heavy swords ambushed them from the rear causing a great deal of shock. The EIC force ended in the unenviable position of either turning to fight the villagers or assaulting the mutineers in either case taking fire from the rear. They decided to to assault the villagers and hoped to drive them off. The combined fire from the mutineers along with the villagers finally broke their moral and they had to retreat from the village.

British overall moral had dropped at this point but the British column was now on entering the village and the mutineers delayed deploying their troops in the hopes of ambushing the column. A unit of loyal native skirmishers armed with muskets advanced quickly through the village and held up the deployment of the rest of the mutineers, with only cavalry or skirmishers able to deploy due to the closeness of the skirmishers to their deployment point.

The British column filled with enthusiasm advanced rather rashly and took fire from the flank with the resulting double shock causing them to retreat. This allowed the Mutineers to deploy more troops in the form of ordered Sepoys who poured in more fire, the final blow was a unit of Native Cavalry deploying and charging into rear of the retreating infantry that broke the moral of the British.

The British retreated from the field leaving the women to their fate. Another sad day to for the British to be reported in the press back in England.

John

Battle of Khambula 1879 - Sharp Practice II

The newly arrived Zulu Army, commanded by Chief Mnyamana Buthelezei, moved on towards Khambula in battle formation; the mass of warriors forming the ‘chest’ with other columns as the left and right ‘horns’, ready to envelope the British, encamped ready for battle the next day.

This time, the British, while in low morale after Isandlwana and the defeat of Buller’s attack on Hlobane, were prepared and in compact formation behind fortifications, unlike Pulleine’s 24th Foot at the Battle of Isandlwana.

A British patrol, out early in the morning, brought in a Zulu defector with information that the camp was to be attacked at midday. The patrol reported that the Zulu Army could be seen approaching. The main fortification of the camp was the wagon lager, the wagons parked end to end in a square, with additional fortification from heaps of turf, mealie bags and an entrenchment.

The cattle were held in a square of wagons on a raised area of the plateau. In the centre of the camp area stood the earthwork redoubt built on a knoll.

As soon as the Zulu approach was reported, the troops assembled at their positions, 1,200 men of the 1st/13th Light Infantry and the 90th Regiment, with 800 other irregular troops. Ammunition reserves were established along the rear of the lines.

Wood’s artillery comprised four 7-pounder guns, two mule borne guns and several rocket troughs. The mule guns took post in the redoubt, while the 7-pounders stood in the open ground between the
two main fortifications.

The Zulu formation paused for a time, while final arrangements for the attack were made. It may be that the Zulu generals wished to avoid a direct assault on the British camp; Cetshwayo’s instructions being not to repeat the mistake of Rorke’s Drift, but to threaten the Natal border and try to lure Wood’s force into the open. However, the Zulu warriors were in no mood for caution. The Zulu Army began to move towards the British with increasing speed, the horns spreading out to the left and right flanks, the chest heading straight for the camp. The battle began at around 1.30pm.

The left horn disappeared from view, as it moved into the valley to the South, where it was held up by marshy ground. The right horn circled round to the North and came in towards the camp. Wood dispatched Buller with his mounted men to provoke the right horn into making a premature attack, before the other sections of the Zulu Army were in place. Buller’s move had the effect intended, the mass of the right horn rushing towards the British fortifications.

Buller’s troops rode back into the camp, several men having considerable difficulty getting away from the fast-moving mass of Zulu warriors.

This is where our battle transfers to the table top Sharp Practice game, the Zulu army consisted of 20 units of 12 on left and 20 units of 12 on right each with 6 leaders both Black 1 to 6, the British army as per the OOB were within the Laager, the Kraal and the Redoubt, the redoubt and Laager were classed as high and wide obstacles for the purpose of the game...

The Zulus as the cards were drawn out were told they had to randomise the location of point of arrival, 1 to 2 being first 2ft of the 6ft length and 3 to 6 being 4ft length and 7 to 8 being 2ft of the other 6ft length of table, this being done on both flanks, therefore not allowing Zulus to mass straight away and having to manoeuvre to co-ordinate if/when they could...

The Zulus managed to get most of their troops on the table within the first couple of turns with only one group each side not coming on due top card pull or due to space in area where they had to arrive, masses of troops causing tail backs etc.

The Brits were able to throw plenty of fire out at the oncoming Zulus, using 'Sharps Practice' and the double fire of breech loading weapons to their advantage, causing devastating wounds and shock amongst the Zulu hordes, twice the cannons ripped into the ranks of Zulus causing swathes of men to drop and cause massed shock, a couple of flank shots causing double shock.

The Zulus charging at every opportunity forced the Natals back and making the Light Horse make hasty evades, saving their bacon more than once...

Multiple Zulu units charging and getting up against the redoubt and laager were being thrown back with lots of casualties and shock on the Zulus, and a couple here and there on the British, Zulu leaders becoming more cautious and deliberate after these failed attacks, the redoubt holding fast against multiple attacks, the Kraal not fairing as well, with the Natal, Light horse dying or pulling out leaving the British to face the Zulus alone, outnumbered and fighting back to back they would finally succumb to the numbers and ferocious attacks...

All the while the artillery firing into the Zulus massing on the right flank, causing devastating losses amongst the Zulu, the Light horse were trying to assist there brothers in the redoubt, shooting into the Zulu flanks and annoying the attacks...

The Zulu breaking the British in the Krall, swept into the flank/rear of the guns and made the gunners disperse to the redoubt and Laager, at this the remainder of the Natal, and Light Horse beat a hasty retreat to the Laager...

Back at the Laager the Zulus were starting to swarm, and were sending in co-ordinated attacks, and losing men at high rate of fire and fights were desperate at the barricades, however one assault managed to push the British back and force them to face there enemy back to back.

With the men holding the other side of the defences and with casualties mounting, things were getting desperate. With the Zulu massing, at this point the British commander managed to form a decent firing line, with the Natal and Light Horse joining the beleaguered infantry, and if the Zulus ventured over the top of the barricade they would have been ripped apart... 

The Zulu commanders taking the day as a day well fought decided that with the time as it was, discretion was the better part of valour and decided to call a halt there... casualties were high on both sides, but with a few more turns the Zulu may have won the day; however with the Zulu right flank having taken loads of casualties and forced withdrawals and with its morale waning, it was really left to the Zulu left which was still a formidable fighting force and may have carried the day... 

Maybe on another day... really don't fancy facing the Zulu with no defences in play, could get a bit messy for the Brits?

Thanks to all that played and gave there all, don't know about them but I was knackered at the end of the game...

French Indian War - Black Powder

Steve M took us back to the French Indian War this month, using his fine collection of 28 mm figures. Black Powder II rules were used, together with appropriate amendments for the specific period.

The game featured an encounter between a French & Allied force and a British & Allied contingent. Both sides were acting on intelligence and were converging on two farms near a river crossing.

We French had a mix of regulars, marines, militia and Indians and were facing a similar force on the British side. We were seeking concealed supplies and arms, that local gossip said were stored in the farm buildings and around the bridge. The British had heard of our raid and were trying to secure the
supplies and weapons too.

On winning the initiative, we decided to press strongly towards the nearest farm and bridge. We secured the farm by means of a brisk march and laid hands on the supplies. We also got in position behind some rocks near the bridge too. Naturally some units were slower to react and the tardy movement of some our militia and skirmishers, left a ford on the river open.

After a slow start, the British occupied the farm on their side of the river (making safe some supplies) and made to contest the bridge. Meanwhile some regulars and skirmishers pushed through the ford and came under fire from our marines and skirmishers from the nearby woods.

With fire being exchanged along the river, both sides advanced their commanders to steady their men. We needed not have worried, as neither side could shoot for toffee. This state of affairs continued for several turns and then both sides got their eye in.

French regulars took this opportunity to push up to the bridge, where they located and retrieved the cache of guns concealed there. At the same time a unit of French Indian allies were sent to the rear with the supplies found in the farm.

With the woods by the ford being contested, the French marines and skirmishers were forced back. Meanwhile a British unit tried to force the bridge, with covering fire from militia units driving back the French regulars on the other side.

Seeing the threat, the French commander steadied his line and brought militia across to threaten the British on the bridge. At the ford, the British were across in strength and took the woods, only to be forced back by fire from the reinvigorated marines and skirmishers.

With British regulars across the bridge, the situation was in the balance, but fire from their reformed line broke the British regulars and sent them running back.

The French weren't having it all their own way though and a unit of sorely pressed regulars made for the rear. Fire near the ford thinned both sides and the two forces sought to disengage, as units of both flavours streamed past their remaining steady troops.

At this points we decided neither side had any fight left in them. The umpire called it a minor French victory, with two caches being in French hands, to one in British.

I understand the French Indian allies had a high time of it and moved to New York on the proceeds from selling the captured supplies!

Many thanks to Steve M for an entertaining game and to my fellow players for taking it all in good part.

Vince

Target for Tonight - Mannheim-Ludwigshaven

The fourth game in the Target for Tonight Berlin Campaign was played this weekend that saw a very bad night for Bomber Command as the players made plans to attack Mannheim Ludwigshaven

A well directed attack on the target saw the points scored for the multiple fires achieved cancelled out by the aircraft and crews lost.

If you would like to find out more about how the game played and the position of the campaign now at its halfway stage, you can read an account of the days play on  

JJ's Wargames- - Target for Tonight 

Thank you to Steve L, Bob, Mike, Everett and David for braving the flak and nightfighters.