The Mad Mahdi attacks again

An Egyptian force is garrisoning a riverside village. The Mahdi has amassed a force to attack it. 
A British column is marching to the rescue.
Mike is commanding the Brits & Egyptians, Jim the Mahdi's men. 
Rules: M2M house Rules.  Figures 28mm.

There are 4 Egyptian battalions in the village & the palm plantation.
The Britsih relief column has come on the far end of the table.  
A swarm of Mahdi cavalry has swept over the ridge towards the British column.
Masses of the Mahdi's innfatry are charging towards the village. 

The left flank of the infantry column was covered by British & Egyptian cavalry.  The Mahdist charge couldn't quite reach the British infantry in oen move, but has engaged the cavalry.

Masses of Infantry charge towards the village.

The Mahdi's cavalry attack has largely been beaten off by the allied cavalry, the rest is being shot to pieces by British fire.  A Mahdi infantry brigade is advancing to a position blocking the road to the village. 

The defence of the village is not going well as Allah has seemed to have blessed the Mahdi's dice.  One of the battalions in the palm platation has been broken.  The other beaten off the intial attack, but has fallen back as fresh troops come up.  And one house has been taken on the first charge.

The surviving Allied cavary are protecting the infantry's flank as they deploy to face the Mahdi's foot deploying in their path towards the village.  The surviving Mahist cavalry had fallen back, reformed & are advancing again.

The Mahdi's cavalry have charged again, hoping to break through the British cavalry into the rear of the infantry engaged with their foot.

Meanwhile, in the village the Egyptian are in deep doodoo.  The battalion in the palm plantation is surrounded by 3 bands armed with muskets.  The second house is hanging on desperately. 

The British cavalry has been beaten, but it held on long enough for the infantry to blow away the Mahdi foot & turn to face the cavalry. 

The Egyptians in the palm platation have been broken & thus the brigade fails morale.  A few manage to board the supply boat as it casts off & the rest are slaughtered in the name of Allah.

The Mahist cavalry have finally been beaten off & the Brits are now free to resume their advance towards the village.  But the Mahdi's attacks did their job & there is not time to organise an attack before dark.  They will camp by the Nile tonight & expect to re-take the village in the morning as their own casualties are light.  Shame about the Egyptians, but who cares in Whitehall?

 


 

Napoleonic Naval

Brits (Jim): 2 squadrons of 1 2nd rate, 1 3rd rate & 1 4th rate, elite crews.
French (SteveD): 2 squadrons of 1 1st rate & 2 3rd rates, regular crews.
Rules: Man o'War house rules.
Ships:  3D printed.

The two fleets sight each other, both in two columns sailing with wind abeam.  The Brits are on the left.  The wind is from the right.

The French beat upwind, remaining in two columns.
The Brit's 2nd squadron beats to windward while the first backs sails to let them catch up into a single line.

As the fleets close, the lead squadrons turn downwind.

The 1st British squadron passes thru the 1st French with both broadsides firing double shotted first shots in bow or stern rakes.  They suffered a bit of damage themselves but inflicted far more on the French. 

The furthest squadront is the 1st British wearing ship to starboard. 
The next closest squadron is the French 1st: The Lead ship has turned to port into the wind.  The 2nd ship with the orange counter has critical damage & is trying to get out of the action.  The 3rd ship is sinking. 
The 2nd squadrons are now passing each other exchanging starboard broadsides.

The 2nd French squdron has gained an advantage by passing the rear of Brit 1st's line. 

The Brit's 1st squadron is now engaging the French 2nd while the Brit 2nd is wearing ship to port to drop into line behind.  The sole remaining active ship of the French 1st squadron has engaged the British van. 

The lead British ship has been sunk by raking fire while the French 2nd squadron has changed to chain shot & destroyed the rigging of 2 British ships.  The Brits still have 5 ships in fighting trim, but only 3 capable of manouvre.  The French have 1 ship sunk, 1 fleeeing with heavy damage & 4 with significant damage.  The British cannot stop the French sailing away & avoiding defeat.  For the Britsh a no less than crushing vistory was expected so the Admiral can expect a court marshal. 

Golymin 1806

 A scenario based loosely on the Battle of Golymin 26 Dec 1806.
28mm figures.  Rules: M2M House Rules.

Gallitzen's Corps (Chris & SteveJ) is the rear guard of the Russian army deployed around the village of Golymin with orders to delay the French until nightfall. Victor's Corps (Mitch) is marching towards them on the left.  Lassale's cavalry (Jim) is on the French right leading a French cavalry division.  Davout's Corps is somewhere down the road behind Lassalle.

Victor deployed his infantry to his right & ordered Lassale to move his cavalry across his rear to his left flank. 

French skirmishers have advanced to soften up the Russian centre.  On the left, French chasseurs discovered that there was a patch of march between the village & the wood on their left., so the planned cvalry attack was called off & the chasseus withdrawn.  

Some of the sjkirmishers ahve been driven back & legere advance in line.

The legere were broken by the Russian battery, but not before inflicting significant casulaties on the Russsians.  Victor's chasseurs charged the guns in a death or glory mission to plug the hole in the French line.

The chaseurs failed to break through & the infantry to the right of the village has also fallen back.

The Hussars have now charged on another death or glory mission.The broke the battered Russian front line, but failed to break the 2nd line & broke off.  

Victor's infantry & the light cavalry is mostly spent, but his Corps is has been pulled back before it broke. The dragoons are redeploying towards the centre as Davout's infantry finally moves up.

The Russians strengthen their weakend line with cavalry as the French deploy their artillery to concentate on the centre & Davout continues to deloy his infantry.

It's the Russian dragoons turn to go for death or glory, charging past the French artillery at the French dragoons. 

The French dragoons blew their advanatage with a shower of crap dice & were broken.  But this left the Russian dragoons in the middle of a ring of artillery & muskets. 

The Russian dragoons were blown away, but they had done their job.  Davout doesn't have time to launch his attack before nightfall.

In Moscow bells will be ringing celebrating the brave defence of the Russian Corps holdiog out until nightfall & inflicting heavy casulties on the French.  The Paris Bulletin will report that the Russians are in ingominous retreat. 

 




  
 

 

Napoleonic: French v. Austrians

 As SteveD is in Hobart we had a Sunday arvo game using the same forces as last Tuesday with a few modifactions to the terrain & a different scenario.  We decided the starting area for each of the 4 divisions at random to generate a interesting scenario.  Chris cammands the Austrians, SteveD the French 1st & Jim the French 2nd.

The 1st Austrian division is coming on the far end, the 2nd this end.  The 2 French divisions are deploying off the road across the centre.

The 1st French division is deploying to defend against the 1st Austrian at the far end. Their 2nd division is advancing to attack the 2nd Austrian supported by the hussars from the 1st division.  

The French hussars have delayed the 2nd Austrian' deplyment as their lead units form square.  One brigade Of the French 2nd has charged in column.  The other has deployed in line & overlapped the Austrian line.
On the other flank one French brigade has deployed in the church & to the left of it.  the other brigade has fromed square on their right to face the Austrian Cuirassiers.  Ther French dragoons have been moved to the centre.  

The French column attack on the left has been halted with high casulties on both side.  The French in line has blwn away the column on the end of the Austrian line & advanced further.  The Austrains are tryin gto send a column around the wood on their left to outflank the hussars but have been delyed by command problems. 
In the centre the Austrain cuirassiers have turned right to try & outflank the French line of squares, but the French dragioons are advanacing through the squares to threaten their flank.  There is heavy infantry fighting around the church.

On the left the battered French columns have fallen back & hussars & artilery deployed to cover the flank of the Brigade in line.  In the centre the French dragoons have charged the Austrian cuirasiers but are getting the worst of it.  On the right tof the church the French infantry are advancing  On the far side of the church the French legere are holding on against superior numbers.

On the near flank the Austrain centre has collapsed .  In the centre French innfatry has supported the dragoons to turn the tide against the cuirasiers.  The legere have been broken beyond the church, but it is too late, the Austrian 1st division has run out of steam & has failed divisional morale.  The French have won, but with heavy casualties.  

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Napoleonic: Elchingen 1805

Scenario based on the Age of Eagles Scenario.
Troops: 28mm.
Rules: M2M house rules.

Von Laudon's (SteveJ) Austrian division is deployed on the escarpment above the Danube.  Loison's (Mike) division is crossing the bridge over the Danube with orders from N to take Elchingen to secure the bridge over the Danube.  Both sides have another division coming up.

The French attack gets off to great start when the lead column throws 666665 & breaks into the village on the the first charge. 

There is desperate fighting in the village as Mahler's French division (Mark) comes onto the table in the far right corner & Riesch's Austians (Chris) comes in along the road in the foreground. 

The French have taken the nearest house.  On the right of the village Loison has been forced back (after a DRS review proved that a French casualty counter had been misplaced).  But Malher's cavalry are close enough to stop the Austrians exploiting that success. 

Loison's left has now been broken, but he has taken the other house.  Riesch is about to start deploying. 
On the far flank the French cavalry has got onto the escarpament beyond the Austrian flank. 

A shot from behind the French right: The cavalry are engaged on the escarpment.  Mahler's infantry is deploying. 

Reisch's grenadiers have re-taken the first house.  Loison has withdrawn his battered survivors as Hahler takes over the fight for the village.   On the far flank the Austrian cuirassiers beat the French dragoons, but a counterattack by hussars turned the tide.

Von Laudon's division has lost more than half its units & has been broken.  Riesch's deployment is compromised by Loison's survivors firing across the river. 

Loison has been forced back from the river, but has bought time for Mahler to deploy.  The French cavalry has forced the Austrian left into square.

Reisch's division is melting away under converging French fire.

Reisch's divion has been reduced below half strength &is breaking, but their retreat is cut off by the French hussars.  A decisive French victory.

 
 
 

WWI Air

Germans: SteveJ: Fokker DVII. Chris: Fokker DVII + Pfalz III
British: Mike: Camel. Mark: Camel.  Jim SE5A
Rules: Modder Fokkers house rules. 
Planes: 1/72 plastic.

The two squadrons fly towards each other.

Birds eye view of the dogfight.   It gets very complex & when you are flying one of 6 planes & 3 of them trying to shoot you down.  It's serously scary flying a plastic model in a dogfight, a real one must have been terrifying.   These dogfights are very difficult to describe, the best I can do is describe the view from the SE5A.

In my first pass I got in shot on a Fokker then made a wrong turn & the other one on my tail, fortunately for me not so close my 200 hp Hispanio-Suiza engine got me out of range before I got too much damage.   When I turned back into the fight I saw that one of Fokkers had been given engine damage by one of the Camels.   I dove down onto its tail & shot it down as it tried to flee.  But soon after, one of the Camels went down & the fight was even again at two on two. 

But the Pfalz now had engine damage & I maneuvred onto it's tail.  But my shooting was poor & the other Fokker was coming to it's rescue, while the other Camel was now some distance away.  I broke off the pursuit rather than make myself a sitting duck to the Fokker.  But Fokkers are fearful beasts in good hands & Steve's Fokker got on my tail anyway.  

I again used my 200hp to break away from a Fokker before copping too much damage.  But the Fokker turned his attention to Mike's Camel & shot that down before I could complete my turn back into the action.  The Fokker & my SE5A flew straight at each other guns blazing, inflicting no critical damage on each other's aircraft, but wounding each other.  

We both headed for home, but by now the Pfalz had come back & it was in my way.  Being wounded my scope for manoeuvre was limited & my aim probably off, so I opened the throtttle & ran for home.  The Pfalz with it's damaged engine had no hope of catching me. 

It was really enjoyable game for all, win or lose.  Lt Gandy went home with a kill on his record, but the Germans won the day with two kills to one.