The Sudan: Anglo-Egyptians v. the Mahdio

 Mahdi: Steve, Renfrey, Mark
Anglo-Egyptians: Mike & Chris

The Mahdists are deployed on the right.  The prime objective of both sides is to destrouy the enemy, but the Brits also have to reach the oasis before nightfall to secure water supply.

The Mahdi immedately advance on the whole front.
The Allies stand on the ridge on their right while advancing their left towards the oasis.

On the far flank the Mahdist charge into contact with foot and horse.

The Allied right has countarrattacked the Mahdi'd left as heavy fighting continues on the far flank.

On the far flank the Egyptians are generally being pushed back, back at high cost..
On the near flank, both sides are wining some losing some. 

Eventually both sides go over half units broken & fail army morale in the same turn.  Neitehr side has enough units left fit to fight to continue the fight, but the Brits have failed to take the oasis so have to concede defeat & retreat.

The Mahdists realised at the start that they had to avoid firefights with the better eqiped enemy & attacked relentlessly in massed formations.  The result was a long queue for virgins in paradise, but they wore the enemy down & eventually just managed to pull off a win.

Mech War: Brits v. ities

Chris chose to take the Italians & defend the oasis.  he had ti deploy first.

Jim then deployed the Brits in a line of columns massed to attack along the plateau.

The Italian armour adbance to meet the Crusaders.  Both sides fired artillery barages over their own armour.  The Italian howitzers hit one of the British trucks taking most of the passengers.

As the Carri advanced in half moves to keep firing while the Crusaders held their ground. 
The British decided that plan A wasn't surviivng contact with the enemy & pulled their remaining infantry back out of the killing zone as each side's artillery supported their tanks.

The British tanks advanatge of firing first each turn was counterbalanced by the Italian artillery providing more effective support.  Losses mouted on both sides as the armour slugged it out at close range.
The British infantry are now moving to attack the end of the Itailan defence in the wadi.

In the end the only surviving tank was a lone crusader which has charged on to attack the Itie artillery.
The Brit artillery has been decimated by counterbattery fire.
The Bits are making some porgress in their attack along the wadi, but the Italians are redeplyiong to meet the threat. 

The British infantry attack has petered out under deadly Italian artillery fire.  The brits concede defeat,

The decisive unit in the battle were the Italian artillery which was far more effective than the Brit's and tipped the balance the Ities favour.

Battle of Ankara 1402

 A scenario developed by PeterC.

Peter with the Timurids on the left.  Chris with the Ottomans on the right.
The ottomans deployed first to balance them having the better of the terrain.

The Timurids have weighted their left flank & are attacking there.
In the centre the Timurids have advanced cavalry to engage the enmy with archery.
On the left, the Ottoamns are advaning theircavalry while the Timurids deploy a skirmish line of horse archers to delay them.Timurids have deployed horse archers as skirmishers to delay them. 

On the far flank the Timurids hare smashing the Ottoman line.
In the centre the Ottomans have swiveleld their line to face the flank threat.

On the far flank the Timurids have reorganised their victorious troops ready to attack the Ottoamn's  new defence line. On the near flank the Timurids are now making a stand.

On the left the Ottomans are advancing while the Timutid cavalry fall back.  On the right , the Ottoman line is about to break from the renewed Tumurid attack.

The Timurid left has smashed the Ottoman's second line & is regrouping to their right again.
On the other flank the Timurids are making another stand. 

The Timurid right is still holding the line as their left starts poring troops towards the Ottoman rear.

Some mutual losses on the far flank has pushed the Ottomans over 50% units lost & they fail theri army morale.  The Timurids have had no units broken so have a decisive victory

Byzantium v. Arabs again

 Low turnout tonight due to ilnesses.
Jim's Arabs deployed first with a ridge to defend. 
Renrey & Mike deployed the Buzantines secons with orders to attack.
Same armies as lost week except the Arabs lost the elephants.

Pic from behind the Arab lines.

The Byzantines ar advaning on the whole line.  The Arabs are sending their reserve cavalry to the flanks.

After some long range archery the Arabs countercharged downhill at the enemy charges. 

On most of the front the Byzantines had superior troops only partly balanced by the hill.  But the dice gods did not favour the Arabs, who couldn't seem to get a win even in the actions where they had an advantage.  

The cataphracts & Varangians punched stright thru the Aran front line & charged on to take out teh second. On their lelf flank where the Arabs had the advantage in cavalry, they still lost.  Itw as crushing defeat for the Arabs.

It was clear that the hill advantage did not justify deleting the elephants from the Arab list.  Just making them deploy first was probably sufficient counterbalance.

Byzantium v. Arabs

 Battle fought lengthwise on the table between mountains & sea.

Chris & Mark are Byzantine at hte far end of the table.
Mike & Renfrey are Arabs at the near end of the table.
Both sides opted to put theri cavalry on the plain & infantry on the hill.

The Arabs lead with their elepjants on their right falnk.
The Byzantines lead with their cavalry on their right.The front turns into a diagonal as both side's right push forward.

The elephant attack ends in MAD, as the Byzantines counterattack the Arab right up hill.

Casualties are high on both sides, but the Arabs ha dmore untis to absorb the losses & the Byzantines failed army morale first.

Two Bolt Action 1250 pts

 A river divided the table into two for two separate BA battles.

Battle 1: Mike's US on the left v. SteveJ's Germans.

The Gemans held back & let the US do the attacking.  The Hetzer was the star of the show, taking on the Super Sherman atcose range.  The Hetzer survived though immobilized after taking multiple shots from the Sherman, 2 bazookas & the 105, taking out the Sherman.
The US had 2 objectives on the their side of the table & attacked the 2 on the German side.  The Germans counterattacked, but the US held on disputing the 2 objectives.
The buscher's bill was indecisive, but the US won on objectives.

Battle 2: Chris' Soviets on the right v. Renfrey's Germans

This was a much bloodier battle.  The butcher's bill was very much in the German's favour & they also won the objective count, with 2 held v. 1 & 1 in dispute.

ACW 28mm

 6 players, each with a division of 6 inf, 1 gun & 4 cav distributed between them,

The CSA are on the near side.  Mark in cntre, Chris on left & Jim on right.
Union have SteveJ in centre with Mike on his right & Renfrey on his left.

On the left & centre, CSA advance stopped on the ridge line.  On the right the CSA advance was a feint againsy superior numbers & was followed by a redeployment to the rear.

View now from behind Union left.
On the left the CSA are making a fighting retreat through the farm & over the river.
The ubuin are now attacking all along the line.

On the left the CSA have retreated across the river with enough fit units to form a good defence on the river line.  On the centre & left the Union attack petered out & they fell back, but the CSA were too badly damaged to counterattack.  

The CSA plan was to hold off superior numbers on their right to allow victory on their left & centre.  It only half worked - the battle ended as bloody draw.  

BA Sunday School

1250 pts attack/defend scenario on 10x6 table. Defender deployed first, then attack came on their edge.  4 objectives (2 hill crests, bidge & railway station). Defender allowed to be dug in (counts a -1 to kill if hit). Italians v. Soviets. Italians defending.

Game 1: Jim defending.  
The Ities got lucky at the atart landing their mortar & their artiilery on the enmy mortar & artillery straight up.  Without artillery supprt & the enmey raining frie frpom theire, the Sobviets had no chance  & soon conceded.

Game 2: Chris defending.
This time the Soviets made a concentrated attack on the Italian right.  they also got the run of the artillery dice.  They over-ran the ridge on their left.

From that position their fire decimated the Italian force, but ran out of time before taking any more objectives.  The Italians had nuch bbigher casuaties, but still had 3 of 4 objectives.
The Soviet plan to concentrate theri attack was sound enough, but given the time factors & tabrel size, probbaly should have put some pressure on the Itie left to stop them reinforcing their centre.