Capay Valley, California - August 20th. The fourth game in our Second American Civil War campaign. The factions fighting for the Constitutionalist side were the local chapter of Minutemen and a the Constitutionalist Militia centered around the Veterans Association of the Central Valley and the local Stalinists. On the Nationalist side were elements of the 11th Cavalry Regiment, the local Citizen's Vigilance Committee, a mechanized infantry section of Trotsky's 4th Internationale, and the first appearance of the Capay Valley Regulators. Having discovered the location of a Nationalists ammo dump the Constitutionalists attempt to storm the depot, fighting up some very rough terrain in the hills Southwest of Esparto, California.
Setup for the game:
The Nationalist depot was positioned at the top of a slope littered with scrub trees and loose rock. Troops attacking were limited to half movement all the way. The only real benefit would be the abundance of light cover. A switchback trail cut across the table leading to the depot.
The Constitutionalist forces could come on the table at the low end and by coming up the trail. The majority of the force came up through the scrub with only a few small elements opting to take the trail.
The Nationalist forces were fairly evenly split with 2 artillery pieces, a light tank and a light machine gun defending the top of the hill while the bulk of the infantry took positions in the rocky hills between the depot and the trail.
Photos of the battle:
The initial terrain layout. The depot is in the foreground. The Nationalists had a truck parked at the switchback as a partial roadblock.
The first move of the Consti's was to set up their artillery piece on a hill at their end of the table. An artillery duel between the two sides quickly developed.
A Consti cavalry scout unit raced up the road only to be ambushed at close range by the Capay Valley Regulators who couldn't have asked for a better target. The rapid fire of their pistols at such short range took out several of the riders and forced the rest to take a hasty withdrawal, not recovering until just before the end of the fight.
The artillery duel was quickly over after two turns. With four shots and two direct hits the Regulators artillery put paid to the Consti gun. Most of the crew survived the explosion and retread off the board in their truck.
After the smoke cleared.
Consti infantry advances while their cavalry retires.
The main Constitutionalist force heads straight up the slope, through a burned out section of woods. Once their cannon was out of the way the Nationalist artillery concentrated on the troops in the middle and their vehicles.
Nationalist troops from the 11th cover the switchback, using the truck as cover.
The Consti's ran a mortar carrying truck up fast in an attempt to drop mortar rounds on the depot. It took heavy fire from the 11th's Lewis gun as well as a round from one of the regulator's cannon killing all the crew and taking it out of the fight.
Capay Regulators and the Silver Legion troops poured fire into the oncoming truck as well.
The Nationalist artillery were having a good day. Here, the destruction of another Consti truck by cannon fire.
The Nationalist line drops back behind the cover of the hill . On the right the Jaguar Legion troops of the 4th Internationale force break cover and fire into the approaching Constitutionalist infantry. A mine had been laid in the trail but proved to be a dud. When the Consti's crossed the road they were greeted with a "Phffft!" and puff of smoke. The light tank of the 4th Internationale started working its way down the road.
Another view of the Consti center. The red poker chips are activation markers. They are flocked with grass on the reverse side and flipped to red once a unit activates. At the beginning of a new turn all the chips are flipped back over.
The right flank of the Consti's was moving faster than the center as several units used the cover of the tree line to advance against the Nate infantry holding the switchback. The Nationalist infantry took several casualties, mostly in the Lewis gun's crew.
The troops of the Jaguar Legion make the approach hard on the Consti infantry.
The 11th's men stand fast.
The attack up the center stalls but good progress was made on the Consti right flank. The infantry on the Consti left was forced back by fire from the Jaguar Legion.
The Consti push on the right falters in the face of an extraordinary barrage from the 11th's infantry. Only one of the firing troopers missed. It was about this time that the Constitutionalists decided it was in their best interests to withdraw and with only a few goodbye shots from the artillery they got off the table.
Gratuitous tank picture.
"Oh yeah! You're all under arrest!"
20 August 2010, 06:24:56 AM