Baku of Beyond, September 1918

[Ignatieff]

The League of Extraordinary Kriegspielers put on a cracking little (historical) game yesterday at Vapartanak in beautiful snowy York: Baku of Beyond, the defence of Wolf's Gap, September 1918.

The game was around the final stage Turkish assault on Baku against a combined British, White Russian and Central Caspian Dictatorship command....

Army Lists:
 
Army of Islam Order of Battle

Ottoman Commander: Nuri Pasha+2, lucky
5th Caucasian Division Commander; Brigadier Mursel Pasha 0
Azerbaijani Muslim Corps Commander: General Ali-Agha Shikhlinski 0

Elements of the Ottoman 5th Caucasian Division

6 x 10, 9th Caucasian Regiment, rifles Class 3 Morale 2, rifles, bombs

3 x 10, 10th Caucasus Regiment Class 3 Morale 3, rifles, bombs

1 x 10 Stormtroopers, Class 2 Morale 2, ferocious, assault weapons, bombs & LMG.

1 x 10 Dervish Infantry, Class 2 Morale 2, ferocious Rifles bombs & LMG.

1 x 10 Bavarian Reservist Regt Class 3 Morale 3, Rifles bombs, 1 LMG

1 x Stormtrooper Anti Tank Rifle C3 M2, ferocious

1 x Storm trooper Light mortar team C3 M2 stubborn

1 x 10 Lancers, 2nd Cavalry Regt Class 4 morale 4,

1 x HMG section Bavarian Reservist Regt C3 M3

3 x HMG’s Brigade MG Detachment C3 M3

2 x 76 mm Krupp Field Guns, Caucasus Artillery Regt  C3 M3

1 x Anti Aircraft Gun C4 M3

1 x captured armoured car C4 M3

6 rounds off table pre planned artillery barrage C3

Azerbaijani Muslim Corps,

3 x 10th Azari Regt Class 4, Morale 3 Rifles stubborn bombs

3 x 1st Dagestan Regt Class 4, Morale 4 (single-shot martini-Peabody rifles)

2 HMG’s  C4 M3

2 x 76mm Krupp (worn) Field Guns C4 M4

On operational attachment

1 x 10, 6th Syrian Regt Class 4, Morale 2 Rifles stubborn Bombs
1 x 10 42nd Egyptian (volunteers) Regt Class 4, Morale 2 Rifles stubborn Bombs

1 x 10 Mounted Ottoman Jandarma C3 M3, rifles, bombs


Allied Order of Battle

British Commander: Major Ley +2, lucky
White Russian Commander; Colonel Bicherakov +1
Central Caspian Dictatorship Commander; Colonel Stepanov 0

Dunsterforce

4 x 10 B company, 7th North Staffordshire (service) Battalion, C2 M2, rifles, marksmen, stubborn, bombs, 4 LMG’s

1 x 10 South Nottinghamshire Hussar Yeomanry Cavalry C3 M2, 1 LMG, bombs

1 x HMG, 39th Brigade MG Detachment, C3 M2, stubborn

1 x QF 18pdr, 8th Battery Royal Field Artillery, C2 M2

1 Rolls Royce armoured car C2 M2

1 x Bristol Bullet, 2 LMG’s C2 M2

Bicherakhov’s White Russian

10 mounted Cossacks C2 M2, bombs,1 LMG

10 shock Infantry C3 M2, ferocious, 1 LMG, bombs

1 75mm Russian Field Gun C3 M3

1 x improvised armoured car C4 M3, 1 FG, 1 LMG


Central Caspian Dictatorship

3 x 10, lion Company, 3rd Baku Battalion, rifles, bombs, 1 LMG each. C4 M4

1 HMG C4 M4

1 Gunboat C3 M4

2 rounds supporting off table artillery (optional) C2 M2

Pics and battle report to follow!!!

[Ignatieff]

The view from the allied lines.  Most troops are either hidden out of sight (I left the trench lines empty to begin with as I guessed - correctly - that they would lump their off table artillery into them), or hidden out of view (like the improvised white Russian armoured car on the left)

The view from the Turkish deployment.  They put a large force up the left flank, whilst holding off their main thrust (the elite 5th Caucasian division) to attack on the coast road.  The allies fired their two off table artillery rounds early, hoping to catch the Turkish concentration.  It worked.  The Turkish field gun on the right was destroyed, and a number of infantry casualties were taken

The only allied troops on the table at the onset were some White Russian Cossacks, the South Notts Yeomanry Hussars, the ramshackle armoured car, and a partially hidden HMG (just visible in the trees)

The Allies also had a fairly ropey gunboat, with two poorly maintained field guns (they needed to throw a 5 or 6 just to fire, never mind hit)

A good view of the field showing the forward allied unit (a Rolls Royce Armoured car)

Turkish lancers put on a show of strength, trying to goad the Cossacks to a 'joust'!

The view from St.Basils church. (The British infantry weren't actually in the trenches at this point.  We just put them in for the aesthetic)

Turkish heavy weapon position.  The British Commander, Major Ley, had spotted it and made it priority number one

On the far right flank, elite Dervish infantry in their distinctive red and white turbaned fez's advance through the corn field, supported by a captured White Russian armoured car.

Dervish infantry approach the oil town

[Steve F]

Damned fine looking game.  makes me even more sorry that I missed Vappa this year.

[Ignatieff]

British motorcycle recon in the foreground...

a fine view of my new toy, St. Basils!

close up of the 'B' Coy, North Staffs

Colonel Bicherakov, the splendidly dressed but less than martial White Russian Commander, takes up a safe position besides his maker...

At this point, I deployed my first hidden unit, a veteran battery of the Notts RFA, who had orders to stop the left flank Turkish thrust before turning their attentions to the plethora of heavy weapons that Johnny Turk had deployed.

A closer view of the doughty gunners.  From the collection of 'The Beast of Bukhara', expertly painted by Mark Hargreaves of 'Over Open Sights'

Turkish lancer and elite White Russian cavalry at full pelt

...and in they go.  The first round saw the White Russians lose the melee, however their far superior morale held, whilst the Turks didnt and had to fall back.

The South Notts Yeomanry Hussars wheel about and prepare to mop up the remains of the Turkish left flank assault that has been brought to a standstill by the combined efforts of the RFA and the White Russian improvised Armoured car

The Reverend Green ponders the Great Schism of 1054 whilst all hell breaks out down below....

More later....

[joroas]

Wow!  Pure eye candy! 

[Ray Rivers]

Wow!

Tons of lovely troops and terrain! 

[Ignatieff]

the sole remaining Turkish lancer can be seen limping off in the background.  The gallant and victorious White Cossacks were gunned down by the boiling mass of Turks in support

Turkish infantry boldly advance on the White Armoured car..

The main Turkish thrust in full flow.  Hordes of them rolling up the coast road, whilst hidden in the town White infantry and Central Caspian Dictatorship levies await the onslaught

A rare Turkish success.  Hand grenades put paid to the doomed White armoured car

A fine view of the North staffs now fully deployed in the trenches.  Six rounds of Turkish HE failed to find a single target due to the cunning and experience of the British deployment.

The British commander Major Ley in the background energetically directs operations

"Our gunners continued to do great execution against the enemy advance, bringing it to a complete standstill by mid afternoon" (official history)

White Russian gunners did well on the other flank from a secure rear position.

At this point the British unleashed their air power (a Bristol Bullet - I cant find a model of the Martinside Elephant, which was the planes actually used in Baku), waiting till the Turks had advanced far up the table to ensure maximum machine gunning time over the enemy

The long advancing shadows of dusk.  And the Staffs had yet to fire a shot.

[Ignatieff]

The British unleash their hidden HMG at the base of the hill, doing even more execution on the Turkish left hook

In a scene reminiscent of the advance of the Old Guard at Waterloo, the Azerbaijani Muslim Corps Commander, General Ali-Agha Shikhlinski, all guns blazing at the head of a final assault, tries and takes the small hillock from the now dismounted South Notts Yeomanry.  Despite killing trooper Grove, the assault failed under the cool aim of the Nottinghamshire's finest

The main Turkish thrust barrels through the town.  However Dervish, stormtrooper and Syrian infantry encountered fierce resistance from the dug in Russian defenders.

a final view of St Basils, whose bell tolled in celebration at the end of the day.

The cast.  From left to right: Peter Martin, aka 'The Dalai Lama', whose expert defence of the town with the White Russians did so much to blunt the Turkish attack; Adrian Shepherd, aka 'The Beast of Bukhara', game designer (superb work fella!) and provider of so much expertly painted lead; Steve Langan, aka 'Ignatieff', commander of the British; Dr.Iain Blackwood OBE, aka 'V.I.Blackwood', kind (and tolerant) host and expert photographer.  And our newest addition, Douglas Blackwood, aka the Azerbaijani Muslim Corps Commander: General Ali-Agha Shikhlinski, who proved a plucky and determined opponent.

A very good game to play, expertly designed by The Beast.  In the end we ran out of time to do the final assault on the British trenches.  The Turks would have had to reorganise to stand to any chance of overcoming them.  In the end though, a fine game, played in the best spirit of The league of Extraordinary Kriegspielers, and with more to come in early March, we cannot wait!!!!

Thanks for reading. Big lesson for me is upload the pics quickly whilst the story is still fresh.  I'm struggling on the Colonial page to still recall much of wehat happened in 'The Mote in God's Eye' campaign.  Tons of pics to still upload, but can I remember what went on..........

[argsilverson]

Another eye-candy story!

You forget the Caspian sea submarine you have!
Oh sorry, I forgot this is historical game, nu submarines presented there....)

[Ignatieff]

Another eye-candy story!

You forget the Caspian sea submarine you have!
Oh sorry, I forgot this is historical game, nu submarines presented there....)

I seem to recall the British did infact rail some subs up there later on...or am I beginning to believe my own imaginings 

[argsilverson]

I seem to recall the British did infact rail some subs up there later on...or am I beginning to believe my own imaginings  

No, you are thinking maybe of your next game!!!!

[OSHIROmodels]

Splendidly wonderful stuff as always Steve 

cheers

James

[Hammers]

What a lovely spread and cracking report!  Your definition of "a little historical" game is quite different from that of most of us, I am sure.

[gamer Mac]

Stunning, inspirational stuff
Photos are top notch.

[marianas_gamer]

Great looking game  Exactly what I expect from the Kriegspielers.  Nice to see the next generation entering into the joyful madness as well!
LB