The Battle of Elouges August 24 1914 - 1914 Rules AAR

Last Monday night we up again with some Great War action, a scenario based on the 1914 Battle of Elouges, a pre trench deadlock with Tommy against the Hun.

A.I. told me this about The Battle of Elouges;

‘The Battle of Elouges, on August 24, 1914, was a rearguard action during the British retreat from Mons in World War I. It involved elements of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and the German Army, with the British aiming to delay the German advance. The battle saw fierce fighting, particularly around the village of Elouges, with both sides suffering casualties’

The Game (by George, thanks!);

The Battle of Elouges, a bloody encounter! 

The British stood their ground buying time and take it while the Huns tried to use overwhelming numbers to decide the issue! Unfortunately, the Germans were all from a reserve corps so not quite up to the standard of the defenders.

The sheer numbers told and the British were eventually able to get some remnants of their force back over the bridge. Mention goes to the Coldstream Guards who died where they stood holding up the whole of the German cavalry in the centre, three Regiments in fact. A gallant effort was made by the 2nd Dragoon Guards who took on an entire German regiment of three battalions on their own. They eventually went down fighting but again delayed the German advance. The Black Watch advanced manfully but found eventually that the fire power of the poor quality German Reservists was still overwhelming and they were driven back.

Odd mention to D battery Royal horse artillery who seemed to forget about one of their sections until near the end of the battle. They still managed to incapacitate some of the German Uhlans with long range sniping (but would it could have been oh so much better if their Officer had remembered the other gun section).

The Royal Munster Fusiliers with support did what they could on the road. However eventually only the attached troops from the 15th Hussars managed to scurry away to safety.

The Germans had the entire Cavalry Brigade of three regiments reduced to a single squadron in the hard fight. They lost a battery of field artillery and three battalions of infantry. Two of the remaining battalions were reduced to single companies. The carnage was quite impressive. The British had worked hard to inflict small casualties on lots of units thus downgrading them for the inevitable hand to hand later.

All in all a good tight game that was not so much won by the Germans as not lost by the British.

Some Pictures;

Coldstream Guards stand up to 2 regiments of Uhlans after pushing a third back!

Scots Guards on the high ground prepare to assist the Black Watch

The Munsters with horse and artillery support defend the road to Elouges, they hold the tree line until the Coldstream Guards are defeated and their flank is exposed!

The British 2nd Dragoon Guards (left of picture) start the flank attack on the advancing Germans. They destroy one Battalion and maul a second before being defeated!

A Battalion of the German 22nd Reserve Regiment is across the canal the rest of the Regiment is following them!

Side view of the Munster defensive line, the start of the attack by the 15th German reserve regiment and the 2nd Dragoon Guards debating whether to attack them.

 

The town of Elouges British Horse Artillery can be seen deployed along the tree line beside it!

Summary;

1914 rules like Iron Cross are a pleasure to play, this scenario put together by George is a great one! The Germans with second line troops have one option 'push ahead' whilst the British have two; stand and fight losing some units allowing others to escape or try the "run for it' and get to the town and defend it grimly. I chose the hold option inflicting heavy losses on the endless stream of Germans while taking horrendous casualties but getting some troops off thereby winning a pyric victory!

So good scenario, good rules good terrain resulted in a great evening! George you just need to finish basing those great minis!

Next time we play it will be another Iron Cross game and in the meantime I'll try to post more of our backlog of games!

 Action at Nery

A bit of Unpleasantness

As the German guns roared into action over the ravine Briggs thoughts turned to finding either somewhere to hide or bigger guns.

The German movements in the opening round 

The German guns opened up in turn one and instantly found both the range and the target through the visually inhibiting fog.

L battery received the full destructive effect of 18 77mm field guns and ceased to exist. 

Despite desperate attempts to interrupt the German regiment pivoted and unleashed a similar curtain of doom at the adjacent 11th Hussars. The survivors reeled back through the street. The 2nd Dragoon Guards took damage from long range sniping and fell back from the exposed edge. 

On the Sugar refinery road the Germans galloped straight forward and past the well concealed 5th dragoon guards. Whether the intention was to throw a force forward to enfilade  nery or to block reinforcements was unclear. Regardless of their intent the entire regiment was blown away by accurate fire at point blank range.  When the firing stopped the sunken road was filled end to end with death. It was a taste of things to come on the refinery road.

The second regiment had wisely ridden to the far side of the  refinery and escaped the carnage. Bent on revenge they formed up and charged the rear of the 5th DG across the short field of standing stooks of corn. Failing to dislodge the enemy in the first charge the melee became a swirling mess of men and horses chasing each other amidst the small field. 

Due to a complete absence of targets Garnier ordered the artillery and machine guns to limber up and move up in support of the 18th Brigade near the refinery.

He also ordered the 3rd Brigade to cross the extremely difficult terrain in the ravine and assault nery from the front. This was achieved without even coming under fire.

Recognising the lethality of the on target artillery and the overwhelming odds, Briggs ordered whatever survivors remained to rally on his position and sent an urgent message to Corps HQ for reinforcements. The 2nd DG pulled back to the far side of the street and prepared to face an entire dismounted German cavalry brigade. 

After much manoeuvring and some delay in the fog, the supporting regiments of 18th Brigade reached the refinery and immediately threw themselves at the rear of the desperately fighting 5th DG. Under pressure from both front and rear the Dragoon Guards succumbed but not until inflicting some severe punishment on the Germans. 

Realising the need to capture nery before British reinforcements could arrive, Garnier ordered the 3rd Brigade to immediately pass through the buildings on the edge of the town and directly engage Briggs. They received a devastating volley from the concealed 2nd DG and the assault ground to a halt. 

With increasing desperation Garnier pushed a mounted regiment to the cross roads  near the refinery whilst ordering the second regiment to ride toward the other side of the town. This unit would both reinforce the 3rd Brigade attack and also cut off the access point on the far side to reinforcements. 

The artillery was hurrying forward but had been held up trying to cross a small hedge and ditch to get back onto the road. The Guards Machine guns had likewise been severely held up trying to get through some difficult terrain. 

With a flurry of trumpets and lots of tally ho shouts the reinforcements arrived ; the Household Cavalry charged down the refinery road catching the German blocking regiment at a standstill. Immediately behind the Germans was the entire artillery regiment still limbered and trying to get into position. If the Household Cavalry could breakthrough the day would be won. I battery set up on the slight rise to the right and opened up on the destroyers of the Dragoon Guards.

Garnier realised that the battle had reached a pivotal point. The Germans were on top but the cost was enormous and he was unsure as to whether his force could  prevail against the fresh British. He had to hold off the reinforcements whilst winkling the remnants of Briggs command out of the town. 

The 2nd DG meanwhile had come off the worse against the brigade coming out of the ravine.  Some good shooting had reduced them to a collection of horse holders and support troops. Briggs found that his entire defence force consisted solely of his headquarters troops.

The 1st Middlesex regiment however made all speed toward nery and emerged from the woods to see an entire German hussar regiment hurtling down the back road. Calmly forming up they destroyed two squadrons with close range musketry and halted the movement. A runner from Briggs found them with orders to meet him in the small chateau on the left of the main road. They moved off but encountered the 3rd Brigade troops trying to cross the Main Street. After a brisk firefight they reached the chateau and the remaining Germans pulled back across the road. 

The Guard machine guns had finally made their way forward and unlimbered a mere couple of hundred metres from I battery who were desperately trying to realign the guns after destroying the last of the German cavalry in the cornfield of doom. For whatever reason the machine guns did not fire : they may have lost sight in the mist, experienced equipment failure or something else entirely. 

With time rapidly running out Garnier despatched the remaining regiment from the refinery fight to attack Briggs position down the Main Street.

In column they attacked. Briggs head quarters staff fought bravely and the attack once more stalled. Briggs pulled his men back to rendezvous with the Middlesex in the chateau.

The Household cavalry were not making any headway at the cross roads. The Germans were being whittled down but there was no sign of them breaking. 

At that moment the machine guns managed to take out the reinforcement commander and the remaining German squadron at the cross roads pulled back rapidly to a position by the refinery.

The German artillery despatched a battery to assist the hard pressed cavalry against the Middlesex threat and hurriedly unlimbered behind the cross roads. As the German cavalry were withdrawing the artillery unleashed a two battery volley at I battery and disabled them completely. 

Through the clearing mist at less than 100 metres the German artillery dropped their sites and totally destroyed the Household Cavalry.   The cross road joined the sunken lane and the cornfield as another scene of mass destruction. 

Briggs in the town had seen off a further assault from the dismounted cavalry. However with the destruction of the Household cavalry and I battery he was now reduced to a company of Middlesex and their machine  gun section. Facing the inevitable he withdrew his weary survivors  out through the increasingly narrowing path back to British lines.  At the very least there would be someone left to report back to HQ. 

The bloody crossroads, sunken lane, and the corn field. In this small space the Germans lost three cavalry regiments and the British two.

The enormous German artillery train was the key. It was fortunate in being able to identify its targets in the first move and cause enough damage to wipe out a third of the defenders in the same move. It was also manoeuvred into exactly the right spot to decide the cross roads fight. The arrival of the British reinforcements almost turned the tide. 

A desperately fought game where the result remained in doubt till the last move. Small things like being able to see through the mist at the right time became critical. The Germans however had lost a full brigade of cavalry, one reduced to a squadron, and one other reduced to  the headquarters troop.  They had started with a full cavalry division and ended with something not much bigger than a reinforced brigade. 

A scenario which, despite looking like a fore gone conclusion, turned into anything but….one player commented that when we tested the scenario out he wondered how the Germans could win…when we played it, he wondered how they could lose. 

And next we will turn to something completely different.

 ACTION AT NÉRY

Western Front 1 September, 1914

BACKGROUND

Following the Battle of Mons, the BEF began their long retreat. The rearguard action at Le Cateau offered little respite and both Corps continued towards the River Marne. On 29th August, the German Second Army attacked Lanrezac's Fifth Army in the battle of Guise. As Lanrezac fell back, von Kluck grasped the opportunity to swing his First Army across north of Paris to trap and destroy the Fifth Army. The 30th August was the fateful day upon which von Kluck's army changed direction and began crossing in front of the newly-forming French Sixth Army and the BEF.

General von der Marwitz's Second Cavalry Corps was tasked with protecting von Kluck's left flank. Von der Marwitz began to pursue Lanrezac but then diverted his cavalry southwards on 31st September on hearing of strong forces massing near Soissons. Leading the Corps, the German 4th Cavalry Division began to cross the River Oise that same day. The wooden suspension bridge forced the commander of the 4th Cavalry Division, General von Garnier, to leave behind his regimental and first-line transport, including the light ammunition column. At 6pm, his cavalry turned south at Offremont and crossed the River Aisne. During the night, the division wound it's way through the dense Compiègne Forest. The cavalrymen and their mounts were just as weary as the BEF: "lances dropped from tired hands and fell clattering to the ground, the horses showed signs of exhaustion, but still the advance went on." The division had already covered 400 miles in 23 days.

Meanwhile, the British 1st Cavalry Brigade was billeted overnight in the small village of Néry, on the southern edge of Compiègne Forest. They did not realise that they were the only British troops in the 4.5 mile gap between 5th Division and 19th Brigade. Neither side realised the other was so close until very early on the morning of the 1st September. The British were scheduled to move out at about 5 am. However they were delayed and had unsaddled and were waiting when a small British patrol entered the forest in the thick morning mist and immediately contacted Uhlans. After a brief skirmish, the British patrol raced back to Néry to warn their colleagues who were just making preparations to leave. Initially, the Colonel of the 11th Hussars refused to believe that the Germans were so close. He accused the subaltern of 'seeing spooks'. Fortunately, the subaltern had had the presence of mind to bring back a trophy - a German cavalryman's heavy green-gray cloak. Immediately, the Brigade began defensive preparations at the same time as German artillery commenced firing.

Inside the forest, despite having exhausted troops and limited ammunition, von Garnier decided to attack the 'uncovered and unsuspected' British force at Néry. One of the few World War 1 battles between cavalry was about to begin. Reinforcements were on the way but would they arrive in time to save the British 1st  Cavalry Brigade. Due to very thick and persistent fog and mist the Action commenced and continued with severely limited visibility. As one can see from John Fawkes excellent map below, the initial contacts occurred at under 500 yards.

In the next installment, the TSOG team will find out how to fight a Brigade against a Division and still get something approaching historical (or hysterical) accuracy.

Meeting Engagement Scenario AAR - Great Escape Games 1914 Rules

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!

Cover the Retreat Scenario AAR - Great Escape Games 1914 Rules

Time for some Great War action! We used Great Escape Games 1914 rules with my 'old' Pendraken 10mm Figures. Dave the attacking Russians and Maurice commanded the defending Germans.

Russian General orders his Regiments forward!

OOB's

Russians 
Tokens 22 Total Bases 26 Break Level 13 Bases
6 Regular Battalions of 3 Infantry and a single MG Base
1 Regular Battery of Artillery Support, 2 Bases

Germans
Tokens 16 Total Bases 16 Break Level 11 Bases
3 Trained Battalions of 3 Infantry and a single MG Base
1 Trained Battery of Artillery Support, 2 Bases

Regarding terrain we used a layout we found online using the same base scenario, it was called 'Delaying Action at Landrecies'. It features fairly open ground but we figured that covered the terrain often (but not always of course) found on the Eastern Front.

The AAR

Their was no subtilties as the Russians formed up and launched their entire force of six battalions in dense formations opposite the town and bridge and advanced straight toward them. Their artillery was set up in the rear with a direct line of sight on the town. This the Germans had set up for just such an attack and their held their nerve (and fire) preserving their hidden set up until they could see the white of the Russian soldiers eyes.

Once the Russians got within spotting range the Germans interrupted the Russian player gained the initiative and opened fire! Their fire was accurate but not devastating. Despite losses the Russians lost no complete units and were able to get three battalions into the town and secure the bridge in turn three. They also attempted a last minute and unsuccessful a small flank attack on their left, the battalion trying that was hammered and its last remaining base retired to the safety of a group of farm buildings!

Turn four and with the range close the casualties began to really pile up! The German Jager Battalion was completely destroyed as was their Artillery support, the Russians lost many infantry and MGs, three more of their battalions being reduced to single bases but they were still securely ensconced in the town. By the end of that turn though the Russian losses exceeded their Break Point and the game was over. A German Victory (just)!

Some Pictures

Overview of the Russian advance on the Germans deployed around the town with a waterway to their backs!

A battalion of Russians take hits as they move forward with the 'blurry' German line in the background.

German Infantry holding the left of the line...

Note - the Disc is numbered on one side and these are placed on every Unit at the beginning of each turn with their total Commands for the turn we find it easier than recording it on a roster and then cross refencing which unit is which, the Bullets are 'Used' Commands and the small Die tracks Morale Hits.

The Russian artillery had no direct fire targets so commenced a bombardment of the enemy line, they had some successes but on one occasion hit their own troops!

They totally forgot the option to fire smoke that could have been helpful in such a frontal assault.

German Guns target the advancing Russians!

The Russians break into the town and start firing into the German Units flanks!

Russian MGs under the direct command of their General cut down the German Artillery crewmen, just visible in the background!

The German General and his staff exited the town at Russian bayonet point and from his new 'safe' location continued to keep an eye on the progress of the action!

Summary

The massed Russian advance right in the centre of the German line didn't give them much to do and they just stood their ground and fired, there were no need to 'redeploy' any of the defenders!

German losses: Seven Bases

Russian Losses: 14 Bases

I like Great Escape Games 1914 Rules but I find they play a bit slower than their World War II Iron Cross version. I believe it is the pre-allocation of Command Tokens, players sometimes take several tries to distribute them and then often add them up over and over again, still once the turn begins it runs well!

We have made one small change to the 1914 Rules and it regards indirect artillery fire, a natural 1 hits the nearest friendly unit and a natural 2 hits the nearest enemy unit.

We are going to replay this scenario again with the From Shakos to Coal Scuttles rules in the coming months to see how the two compare.