In celebration of todays General Election in Ireland (and the ridding of the government in charge) we played our own Irish Civil War game using the new Force-On-Force.
The Road to Tralee, August 1922
A column of Free State Army troops are heading from Dublin to Tralee to engage in operations against Anti-Treaty IRA forces operating in County Kerry. With the government forces outnumbered in the West, this column packs some much needed firepower to bolster existing forces.
En-route to Tralee, one of the columns Armoured Cars over heats and the column halts. With speed of the esscence, Captain Hanlon leads part of the column forward, taking with him some men and the columns 18-Pounder field gun. The rest of the column arrange to follow on. His advance is covered by a Bristol F2-B scout plane.
As his small force nears Annacotty, he stops the force at a farm to allow his men to rest and take water. Unknown to him, a large IRA force is lurking in the area ready to ambush the column outside Annacotty, having been alerted to the column leaving Dublin by an informer. When a local boy arrives from the farm to tell them of the arrival of the column the IRA have a tough decision to make. With a lack of heavy weapons, the chance to seize an 18-Pounder gun is an opportunity not to be missed! The IRA leader, Seamus Barrett, decides to move his men from their positions outside Annacotty and head for the farm, hoping to reach it before more of the Free State Army arrive.
However, flying overhead, Captain R. C. Walsh, spots the IRA forces moving towards the farm from his Bristol F2-B and flys low over the farm dropping a message capsule to Captain Hanlon before heading to the rest of the column. With a warning of the IRA attack, Hanlon sets up a defensive position in the farm and hopes to hold out until help arrives. Walsh then drops a second message capsule to the rest of the column telling them to make all haste to the farm to relieve Hanlon and his men.
The game begins with Hanlon and his men defending the farm and the IRA taking their positions to attack.
Free State Army Forces (TQ - d 8, Morale d 8 )Objectives - Hold farm and prevent capture of the field gun
At the FarmCaptain Hanlon (TQ d10, Morale d10) armed with Pistol
3 x Rifle Groups (each four men with rifles)
1 x Vickers MMG Weapons Team (three men and Vickers MMG)
1 x 18-Pounder Gun with four crew
Relief Column (Roll from Turn 2 for their arrival - On a d6 score of six, they arrive, add 1 each turn after turn 2 to the dice roll. Roll for each element seperately)
Element 1 - Lieutenant CannonRolls-Royce Armoured Car
Lancia Armoured Truck
4 x Rifle Groups (each four men with rifles)
Element 2 - Captain O'ReillyPeerless-Austin Armoured Car
Lancia Armoured Truck
4 x Rifle Groups (each four men with rifles)
Element 3 - Captain WalshBristol F2-B Scout Plane
Both Armoured Cars must pass a TQ test to move each turn as both are suffering from the effects of poor roads, a fast drive to the farm and over heating engines!
When the DH-9 arrives the IRA forces may no longer use 'out of contact' movement. Walsh may also drop three grenades onto IRA groups, one per turn.
Anti-Treaty IRA Forces Objectives - Capture the 18-Pounder Gun
Seamus Barrett (TQ d10, Morale d10)
4 x Veteran IRA Fire Groups (each 5 men armed with rifles) TQ - d 8, Morale d10
6 x Green IRA Fire Groups (each 5 men armed with assorted weapons) TQ - d6, Morale d 8
2 x Lewis Gun Weapons Teams (each two men and Lewis) TQ - d 8, Morale d10
Assorted Weapon Groups always lose one firing dice for being armed with an odd assortment of rifles, shotguns and pistols. However at optimum range they gain an extra dice, as well as the optimum range dice, to reflect the amount of close range weapons.
The IRA also have two mines that may be placed on either road. As they have not had time to bury them they are on the road surface and can be seen by any approaching unit on a succssful TQ test. Failing the test means the vehicle will drive over the mine.
The action began with the IRA attacking from three directions towards the Farmhouse. Hanlon had deployed his men well - the 18-pounder under Sgt. Hegarty covered the gate, his riflemen occupied the buildings and the walls and the Vickers protected the rear of the farm.
The first attack came towards the front of the farm. An IRA group crossed the fields and were fired upon by troops in the top floor of the farmhouse. Several IRA men were seen to drop to the ground. Little did the soldiers know, but two of the IRA men had been killed outright in this first blast of fire. However, now alerted to their presence, another group of IRA men, this time veterans from the War of Independance poured an accurate burst of fire into the farmhouse with rifles and a Lewis Gun. Three of the four soldiers became casualties and they tumbled outside into the courtyard, bumping in to a very worried looking Captain Hanlon!
Next came an attack against the right flank of the farm. Again a couple of IRA men went down, but little happened. A larger attack was attempted at the rear of the farm but the Vickers, commanded by a Great War veteran of the British Army, put paid to the first attack, but after a long firefight with several groups of IRA, all three of the vickers crew seemed to be casualties. With things looking dangerous with the IRA attack just developing, Hanlon ran over to see if the Vickers crew were still alive.
It seemed the IRA men might get a quick chance to capture the gun before the rest of the Army arrived! But as always, things were about to change. First overhead swooped Captain Walsh is his Bristol, passing over a group of IRA men his observer dropped a small bomb that killed one man and saw the rest scramble for cover! As he flew away many IRA men fired after him with no effect. Then Hanlon found that the entire Vickers crew were not injured and soon they were back in action. By yet another amazing chance of fate, the soldiers who had vacated the house were also found to be unscathed apart from one man who had taken a nasty wound to the stomach. Yet more ineffective rifle fire took place, and Hanlon could do little as the IRA moved to encircle the farm.
As Hanlon waited for the IRA assault there was still no sign of the rest of the column. With no help on its way, Walsh dived into the attack once more through a curtain of ineffective rifle fire. His observer dropped yet another small bomb that seriously wounded another IRA man with shrapnel to the legs. Now the initiative seemed to be with the IRA and one of their groups broke into the farmhouse and took up positions while once again firing took place around the farm complex. This time the Army came off worse and the group of soldiers beside the gun crew firing over the wall at advancing IRA men were cut down by a well placed burst from a Lewis gun. With two killed and two more seriously wounded, this lost Hanlon a third of his soldiers. Meanwhile the Vickers held off another attack supported by the second group of soldiers in the barn. With more IRA men heading towards the farmhouse, Hanlon knew he had to clear the house now, or it was all over. He rounded up the soldiers in the courtyard and stormed into the house leading the charge. He shot dead the first IRA man he encountered and the rest turned and fled! By pure dash and elan, the soldiers retook the farmhouse.
With the defence once more reasonably secure, Hanlon hoped help would arrive. It didnt.
Now the IRA, with men in position around the farm, made an all out attack to capture the farm and the prized gun. Captain Walsh once more swooped in to the attack, but this time a rifle round hit his engine and as it spluttered and died he was forced to make a hard landing in the field beyond the farm. He escaped unhurt but his observer was injured, though Walsh dragged him clear of the plane in case it caught fire.
What would happen next would not be what was expected. Hanlon, outnumbered 3 - 1, called to his men to stand firm and fight for their lives! The Vickers crew responded with a chattering fire as several groups of IRA stormed towards the rear of the house, and once again with supporting fire from the troops in the barn, held off attacks by four IRA groups, and despite the loader on the machine gun being killed, the rear approach to the farm was soon littered with dead or wounded IRA men and still they hadnt got in. Attempts to break into the farmhouse were also driven off and now the IRA leader Barrett decided enough was enough. He first ordered a group of IRA men to charge the gun crew. Clambering over a wall the men dropped into the courtyard to find themselves facing four gunners with rifles. Their fire stopped the IRA men in their tracks, leaving two dead as the other two fled back over the wall! Next Barrett led a group of his men in an attack on the gun, and despite losing a man shot down on the way in they reached the gun crew. Viscous hand to hand fighting broke out around the gun and despite being outnumbered, they fought on. Not only did they fight on but they soon killed off several of the IRA attackers and Barrett and his men had to turn tail and flee for cover! Annoyed at this turn of events, Barrett screamed at his last unit of IRA veterans and they too charged the resolute gun crew through the gate. As they reached the gun the crew once again fought them in hand to hand, once again outnumbered, and once again they killed or wounded several and the rest turned tail! At the end of this mad few moments, the IRA had taken a beating and the four man gun crew stood firmly at their gun having seen off all comers with no losses.
As the IRA licked their wounds, the sound of vehicle engine was heard and the first relief force arrived, the Peerless leading a Lancia truck down the road and narrowly avoiding an IRA mine on the way. With the arrival of more troops, the IRA had to make an all or nothing gamble. Barrett gathered his men together to prepare a last assault and as the Peerless advanced, his mens morale was boosted as the Peerless erupted in a ball of flame and smoke as the second mine detonated under it. It rolled off the road into the hedge and halted there burning, but the Lancia moved up and more soldiers debussed and headed towards the farm to relieve Hanlon. As they did so the second relief force drove into view and sped down the road.
Now Barrett had to make his final move. His men once more attacked the farmhouse to again be repelled by Hanlon and his men. Once more they tried to take out the Vickers team but to no avail. Grabbing together his remaining men, he sent them in a final attack to seize the gun. This time however the gunners were ready and as they entered the farm courtyard the gunners let rip with a canister round from the gun. When the smoke cleared few IRA men remained standing. Those that did beat a hasty retreat, which for most seemed to take them all the way to Tralee! With his command wrecked, and men falling back and many wounded, with more army troops heading for the farm and supported by an armoured car, Barrett called off the attack. What had seemed at first to be an easy target, had turned out to be a tough nut to crack and had cost the IRA dearly. Hanlon however had managed to hold out, with only three dead and three seriously wounded and welcomed his rescuers at the main gate of the farm as Captain Walsh and his observer walked over from their wrecked plane. It had been an eventful, and fortuitous day, for the men of the Free State Army!
All the vehicles and figures are by my mate Brian who runs thehobbyden. I just designed the scenario and took the pics!
Welcome, Guest. Please 
April 29, 2024, 08:00:29 AM
December 09, 2010, 08:20:52 AM