Hi Marco,
Thanks for the link to the photos. It looks like a very interesting game. What was the outcome?
Ciao,
Helen
Hi Helen,
It was based on an attempt by the Spanish to retake a Fort which had been captured by the Rif on the 31st May 1921. The fort stood at the top of Mount Abaran, not far from the town of Melilla.
The fort was initailly garrisoned by 500 Spanish infantry who were overcome by a Rif rorce of 250 men (the Rif losing only 4 men).
The Spanish infantry sent to reclaim it had no real artillery support (the fire from the Spanish mountain gun batteries falling well short of the fort) and were also 'green' and poorly trained. Ultimately, they broke and made a quick exit (rout) back to Melilla. The game reflected this in every way though, on one occassion, Dave "the builder" Burns (in charge of defending the fort) lost more Rif than he would've liked to. It was all good fun and a very enjoyable experience.
I'm hoping the pics will get other wargamers imaginations going and perhaps sow a seed of interest in this fascinating period in history.
Marco