Killiekrankie with BLB

Another game with Chris trying out Lillie Banners. I am yet to be won over but open minded.

Chris had already had a solo game of Killiecrankie, the battle between Jacobite Highlanders led by Bonnie Dundee and the Government army by General Mackay.

Chris wanted a proper re-fight so has the exact units engaged in the same formations and locations they started the battle in, so three regiments of green troops holding the centre of the line.

Lovely figures.

First thing to note is how close we start, less than 2 feet apart. This is one of the things we have been doing wrong in the past, movement is very short so tables need to be very narrow.

So I don't know a huge amount about this battle so forgive my errors here. The British outnumbered the Highlanders by at least 3 to 2, with a fair number of veteran units present. Mackay. The outnumbered Highlanders flung themselves down a fairly steep hill, taking heavy casualties from the first volley, including John Graham, Viscount Dundee they crashed into the Government lines and destroyed three quarters of the army pursuing the remnants till midnight.

A historical refight does not bode well for me as the Government commander.

The game starts with the Government artillery, leather guns that aparantly fell to bits on the day, firing and as historically immediately ceasing to work. Fab, love History I do!

The highlanders begin to descend the hill, they have movement bonuses built in as highlanders but a further bonus for the scenario to reflect coming down the hill so typically moving at double the usual rate of advance.

The only thing I can do is decide if I am to receive them in six ranks or three. Three gives me increased firepower which is pretty much my only chance of stopping them so for all except two units in the centre of raw recruits I line them in three ranks and wait for the tide to reach me.

Not all the Jacobites are clan, two units of all musket troops, below is Cannons Irish regiment.

On my extreme left a unit of Grenadiers anchors the line, decent troops but few of them.

As the Highlanders howl down the hill the Government troops hold their fire, 8 inches is effective, its going to be tight. Beautifully painted figures by Steve who is about to smash them with the highlanders.

Behind the foot I have two troops of very poor locally raised horse. On the day they ran away without firing a shot, lets hope my dice are better.

The Highalnders are mainly Reiver castings I believe and suitably dynamic.

As the Highlanders close the regulars unleash volleys all along the centre and right of the line. Casualties are inflicted but with the exception of the extreme right not enough to check the Highland charge.

I charge my horse through the guns at the Jacobite horse and we have 4 Melees to resolve in the centre and centre right.

The left is still un-commited as Steve didn't roll enough orders to charge these forward.

All 4 Melees are lost the Highlanders are far too strong with over double the dice in combat. As green troops all 4 automatically rout after 1 lost melee, there goes the centre.

The Jacobite cavalry bounce straight from the Government horse onto the gun and destroy the crew.

Less than an hour into the game and its already lost beyond any rescuing, all that remains is to play it out and see if I can redeem myself anywhere.

Mackay ponders leading the remaining squadron of green horse past all the running infantry and at the Veteran Jacobite cavalry, pretty sure that wont help much. The Jacobites charge the foot before he gets the chance.

The Jacobite Horse scatter  the fleeing infantry and cut them down.

The Highlanders do the same and pursue the fleeing Government foot and annhialate them.

My remaining two regiments on the right have held and carry on firing at the Highland shot, but the clansmen are now on their flank.

Here come the Highlanders to finish off the regulars.

As most of my army is on defend orders I can only move one unit, I push the Grenadiers to the flak to try provide supporting fire to the line troops on my left, the Highlanders charge them and wipe them out.

On my right the Highlanders charge the flank of my regulars and route them. Just one unit remains on the right. Interestingly the same unit that survived the battle intact historically.

Mackay leads the remaining green horse at a regiment of Highlanders with predictable results. 

Still Mackay survives and may just outrun his infantry to escape. He may though have trouble catching up to his fleeing cavalry.

My left has two regiments facing two of Jacobites but with highlanders and Jacobite cavalry behind them and in front of them its not worth carrying the game on to see how long they can last.

Its a bit desolate in the centre with the remaining Jacobites nothing left to do except looting the dead.

On my right the first of the regulars breaks leaving just the one intact regiment. 

So a historical result almost exactly as it happened on the day. You would have to take that as a win for the rules. On a personal note I am still not getting to grips with the rules and struggling with having to start so close together. I am yet to play a game I have enjoyed, but then I have yet to play a game I haven't been trounced so that may be a large part of it.

We plan to try a couple of Great Northern War games, it will be great to get the collection back on table after so many years.

I really hope we can get to a point where BLB are working for me and enjoyable, I would love to love them, maybe it just needs a bit more time.

Bit Of A Mixed Workbench Update

With the Russian Civil War game done the urgency to finish anything in particular is gone.

I do however want to try finishing off the things I was working on so here are a few.

This Copplestone MG crew has been re-purposed with head swaps to be Anarchist. Came out quite well I think.

Three different manufacturers for the Anarchist Cavalry here. Left to right STP Miniatures Anarchist on a knuckle duster horse, Scheltrum Miniatures Red Cavalry with a civilian cap and then a Foundry Boer War rider with a Empress Spanish Civil War head.

I did say it was a mixed bag, the first of my Chassuers D'afrique for Mexico accompanied by a Legionaire.

This Great War German MG has been re-purposed for my 1920 Poles.

And as we are working through the Great Northern War again with Beneath The Lilly Banners I thought to finish a bunch of casualty markers which should come in handy. 

And a bunch of troops for the Russian Civil War and associated projects.

I was hoping to have these Anarchists done for the recent game but just ran out of time. The MG is a Copplestone Turkish crew with head swaps. The Cavalry a mix of makes detailed further up.

This MG will bring my Poles in German uniforms from Great Poland Army almost up to strength for their second battalion, just an 8 man company to complete them.

Here are the Poles in horizon blue all together, a good start for the next regiment, need an extra 3 figures to finish the company and 2 more companies of 8 plus an MG. Figures primed so wont be too long before they are on table.

Lastly an American Lewis gunner, no doubt a mercenary trying his look with one of the many Russian Civil War factions. I may add this guy to my Anarchists.

Thats it for now, thanks for stopping by.

Polish Assault on the Reds in Ukraine 1919

I finally have enough Poles for a game and Chris agreed to let me put on a game at the Barn this Sunday. The light wasn't great so the Photos are not the best.

Very loosely based on History as I had to make some changes last minute.

In 1919 as Poland was emerging as "new" state the Red army had invaded Ukraine and kicked the Ukrainian Nationalists out and was massing in both Ukraine and Byelorussia to invade Poland. The Poles decided to strike first.

Our Game has a Bolshevik Airfield in Ukraine being used as a forming up and jump off location for the Red Army, at the opposite end of the table the Poles have captured a village from local Anarchists.

So whilst one battalion holds the village supported by a tank and a 105mm gun, 4 more Battalions with 3 guns advance on the Red concentrations supported by two regiments of lancers, 2 armoured cars and some air cover. On move 3 a further regiment of Cossacks will move in support.

The reds have a weak battalion with armoured car and gun occupying the airfield and the troops marching to concentrate there are 3 battalions of foot with 2 regiments of horse and a gun battery supported by a Tchanka. 

Meanwhile 2 battalions of Anarchists with a field gun attack the Poles holding their village. 

Numbers are fairly even with the Reds having slightly more foot and the Poles an extra cavalry regiment once it arrives. The Poles have the edge in troop quality but particularly are much stronger in artillery and air power. As they are attacking my thoughts were that this would even things out.

The Poles deploy on and move forward with the cavalry regiments flanking the 4 infantry battalions. No casualties yet.

The Reds are immediately in the position of having to change unit orders to try respond to the Polish attack and are only partly successful with many units continuing to march forward in column oblivious to the advancing Poles.

The Polish cavalry are the cream of their army and push forward aggressively on both flanks.

If the Reds can get organised they should be able to use the defences around the airfield to hold off the Poles on their left flank.

Using their own cavalry to counter the Poles, the Red cavalry is pushed to either flank, with one regiment passing through the airfield to get to the Polish Lancers.

 

The Red fighters look great but as they only came on the roll of a 6 did very little to support the forces of the Prolitariat.

Move 2 a pre-planned flight by a Polish fighter strikes at the advancing Russian artillery and gets lucky, the gun crew is wiped out and the Reds are already in trouble.

Chris marches his Anarchist Brigade out of the forest to re-take the entrenched vilage. A tough nut with the Polish battalion supported by a tank and a 105mm gun.

Mike has the Poles defending the village and has a spotter in front of the village allowing him to open fire before the anarchists get themselves in range to respond.

The Reds manage to change the orders for two battalion of foot and a regiment of horse and quickly get them formed from marchc column to line. At least they can defend themselves now.

The Polish cavalry however have advanced past the village and threaten the Anarchists flank, leaving Chris stuck in the open under fire but unwilling to advance with lancers on his open flank.

Two squadrons of Russian Imperial Guard Polish Lancers advance on the Anarchists who remain undecided on what to do about it. Maybe they are having a vote?

Just outside the treeline the Anarchists are in a poor position, no cover but not yet in small arms range of the village.

To add insult to injury the Poles get a fighter plane which strafes the Anarchists and drives one company off entirely.

On the Polish right the cavalry close and the Red armoured car advances outside the defences to get a good shot at the Polish foot.

Half the Polish foot is drilled matching the Reds the other half is regular, essentially great war veterans, these are a bit harder to deal with for the Reds.

A Napoleonic site of a column of cavalry banners flying and sabres drawn as the Red horse approach the trenches around the airfield.

The Red cavalry advance past fighters which would be more use in the air, unfortunately the fuel supplies have yet to arrive for the planned attack so they must sit on the ground looking nice.

Chris's anarchists are hit again by artillery and he manages a triple 6 to save them all, again we see how powerful the Polish artillery is and how the Reds struggle to cope with it.

On the right the artillery has hit the Red armoured car and destroyed it and also the fuel truck for the airfield. Fortunately for the Bolsheviki it missed their cavalry column.

The Poles advance across the line and with most of the artillery out of action there is not much the Reds can do about it as the cavalry for both sides thunder towards each other.

The same cant be said for the Reds who take steady atrition from the Polish artillery.

Finally a red aircraft makes an appearance, in line with Red game so far this completely misses the Polish artillery it is attacking and fails to stay on table.

The Poles in French Horizon blue French uniforms and Pike Grey Polish Legion uniforms are some of my favourites, so far they are almost untouched as the close to small arms range.

The Anarchist MG has pushed forward into range of the village whilst the rest of the Anarchists linger outside the wood tryign to decide what to do next.

The Poles meanwhile are organising for a sweep down on the Anarchsist's with their Lancers.

Opposing the Polish cavalry the Reds have massed their own horse who seem to have a lot of flags for some reason! 

Move 3 and the Regiment of Cossacks comes on table. Not really needed as it turns out I probably should have left them off but I schlepped up in the car for over an hour with them so....

Polish Lancers thunder into the Anarchists on the left of the Polish line.

The first of the right wing Polish cavalry engage with the reds and both sides take massive casualties

Through the centre the Cossacks advance into the crumbling Red lines. (For anyone confused at least 3 or more brigades of Cossacks deserted en-masse to the Poles and saw a fair bit of action) 

In the village the Anarchists score a hit with artillery on the Polish foot but Mike manages a double six saving throw, lucky bugger!

Almost time for the final assault and the Red lines are looking thin as the Poles advance.

Wha'ts left of the Polish lancers advance on the Red trenches, the two figures in the distance are all that remains of the Red cavalry regiment that took them on.

The Polish volunteers battalion has taken some punishment from the airfield defenders but advances past the burning armoured car for the final attack.

Left of centre the Erdhadt armoured car supports the Polish foot into a pretty damaged looking Bolshevik defence. The Reds are running out of troops

The left of the Red army is looking pretty sparse as both Cavalry regiments have fought each other to a stand still here too.

Most of the Anarchist have pulled back into the woods to fight another day. Possibly against the Reds next time who knows? The Poles have seen them off but at a high cost in casualties.

At this Point Chris the Bolshevik commander concedes defeat and we have a slightly earlier than planned finish.

We certainly got a result, a resounding victory for the Poles. The Cavalry for both sides had fought each other to a standstill but the Polish infantry and artillery were virtually untouched whilst the red infantry were on the verge of collapse. A historical result but a few lessons for me with game design for this period.

Polish artillery was too powerful, the forward observers allowed them to deploy out of range of the reds and pound them, this was made worse by their crews being better quality. In retrospect only the battery that was pre-deployed in the village should have had an OP as this had time to set up a field telephone to relay orders. Also whilst some of the Polish gunners were much better than the reds not all were. Maybe two regular crews and two drilled crews would be more appropriate. 

Also I probably shouldn't have allowed the Cossack regiment to come on table move 3, the Poles were already thrashing the Reds so this just made the situation worse. Lastly the Anarchists needed a couple more companies and another MG all of which I had hoped to have painted in time for the game but didn't manage. It was also pointed out to me that we didnt have much terrain on to block visibility or provide cover. A fair one which also impacted the game.

I think the Polish foot and horse were graded correctly, often Polish Cavalry Brigades were able to just about hold their own against red cavalry divisions. To be fair though I had planned to have a lot more reds, but when one of our players pulled out who has a large force of Reds I was a bit stuck.

A very fun game though a little too easy for the Poles in the end perhaps but I think everyone enjoyed it and its given us lots to consider for future Russo-Polish war games.

Thanks for stopping by.