Catching up with some old TSOG nights! October 3rd George and I played a WW I game using 1914 Rules.
German Uhlans Deploy and prepare to charge!
We used the Meeting Engagement Scenario, we varied the victory conditions slightly in that calculating victory was as per the scenario rules but to be able to win the side calculating the winning conditions must have at least 4 bases within 4 inches of the bridges in the centre of the battlefield.
George commanded the Russian force and I led the Germans. With only two of us both playing we didn't get as many pictures as normal!
The flow of the action!
The Game
The Russians adopted a central approach and raced for the bridge, they sent their cavalry off to cover Germans on their left.
The Germans refused their left and sent two Battalions in on their right and the rest of their force in the centre.
Both side used their cavalry to screen their infantry which was a successful tactic. The Germans brought on their reserves on in an ad hoc Battalion giving them a strong reserve whereas the Russians brought their reserves on in Company Units and they moved to join up with their parent Battalions. The German choice was the better idea in the short term and gave them a strong Unit instantly, on the other hand the Russians were able to reinforce their weakened Units later in the game and this was crucial as it saved them losing full formations which affected the victory conditions!
The forces on the far flank engaged and the Russians scored a minor victory here, their cavalry pinning two German Battalions thus weakening their centre.
To the left and right of the town and bridges the Germans were successful in destroying several Russians Companies and pushing them to the brink of breaking while the Russians in the town picked off Germans enjoying the protection it offered.
The last turn began and the Germans gained the initiative, they fired along the line and the Uhlans charged inflicting many hits on the Russians but failing to destroy the single Company they required to break them (in hindsight instead of charging the Uhlans would have been better used riding up and dismounting and firing at point bank range but hey who can resist a chance to launch a cavalry charge!). Now with the Russians in control of the turn they loosed volley after volley on the Germans and the casualties were sufficient to break their morale, the men clad in grey retired from the field!
A Russian victory!
Some Pictures
The Germans centre about to advance!
The Russians advance, this is midway through the first turn...
Blurry Germans occupy part of the town near the bridges they were destroyed on the last turn of the game, to their left is a German cavalry screen. The bullets represent command tokens spent, the mini die is the number of hits on the adjacent base and the round counter is numbered on the other side and records the number of command tokens allocated to that unit for the current turn, we find this better than using a roster sheet...
The two battalions on the German right were roughly handled by the Russian cavalry keeping them out of the action around the town and bridges...
The game ends, these Russian Units were facing Germans but they destroyed them breaking the German forces morale!
As usual we had a great game and on the final turn either side could have won, luckily I gained the initiative! I spent all my command tokens attacking to the limit and was one base short of breaking the Russians, George used his commands well and broke the Germans with a few to spare!
BTW I like these WWI Pendraken figures and one day will look at expanding my armies to include the Western front 1914!
Great looking game and report Captain! Bad luck with the Uhlans - but winning with a charge would have been heroic!
ReplyDeleteHey Ben thanks!
DeleteLike these WW I games they usually give a close finish and theres no infantry proof armour to upset the balance...