WW1 African campaign

[pbjunky1]

Here's a couple of photos (more are on the site linked earlier).

The table


The Lucienne in action:

[Ste long 1971]

Another thoroughly enjoyable game Pete, coming from a non war gaming person like me is praise indeed!!

[Bryanbowdell]

Here's the link again.

http://wigan-wargames.co.uk/wiganwargames/forum_posts.asp?TID=3698

[Bryanbowdell]

Background for Round 4

Take the bally Hun radio station Chumley -Warner


The early morning mist on the Limpo obscured the Flotilla as it approached Kweezy Hill. Captain Chumley- Warner cleared his throat and issued his final orders to the junior officers. “ Now remember chaps push on as fast as you can and take that bally Hun radio station”.
In their camp the Germans, were shocked into action by the sudden appearance of the flotilla. The hapless Leutenant Wankmuller had been given command of the platoons guarding the station and in what may turn out to be a gross dereliction of duty he had allowed   the radio operative, a keen photographer , to visit the surrounding bush to photograph local wild life. As the bugle sounded the alarm   Wankmuller dispatched a couple of riflemen to find the radio operative and hurry him back to the station.
It will take six turns for them to return to the station and send the alarm to Festung Bratwurst in the meantime the Flotilla have 6 turns to storm the German camp and destroy the station. The Flotilla guns can also target the wireless tower- if only that dam mist would clear.

The flotilla takes the first turn.
The flotilla guns can target the tower but due to the slowly clearing mist it is not an easy target.
Turn     Min score needed on % dice
1     99%
2     95%
3     90%
4     85%
5     80%
6     75%

If the Germans send the signal they take the first turn in the final game. If the Entente prevent this they take the first turn and can start with an extra platoon in flank attack.

The table is set up with the newly erected German wireless station on Kweezy Hill overlooking the Limpo. There is a German camp nearby and a small, well dug in, German force in attendance.   The Germans will have 400pts of troops the Flotilla will have its whole force minus cumulative casualties.

[Bryanbowdell]

Game 4 Results

Game 4 Take the bally Hun radio station Chumley -Warner

As the early morning mist cleared on the Limpo the Germans at Kweezy Hill wireless station reeled in shock as they were confronted by the might of the entire force of the Entente flotilla.
The hapless Leutenant Wankmuller tried to regain order in the camp but he realised that Sepp Blutter, the wireless operative was away from his station. He hurriedly dispatched Schuztruppen to find him and return him to the station to signal to Fort Bratwurst of the imminent approach of the Flotilla. Belatedly as shells from the flotilla fell amongst the defenders he gave orders for the dispositions of his two platoons and set about arranging his defences.

The Entente players started the game in uncharacteristic fashion actually discussing tactics- albeit in a disagreeing sort of way. This hitherto unseen approach did in the end pay dividends though it was helped by some rather stunning dice rolling.
The first turn saw the Entente deploy the KAR as a flank attack force and immediately land the Tirallieurs in support whilst the remaining British forces aboard Lucielle moved further up stream to provide a two fronted pincer attack ( I told you they’d been discussing tactics)! The Flotilla guns declined the initial long shots on to the radio mast and fired at the camp and log cabins but missed.
In their first turn the Germans had to get themselves organised as they started the game in their camp.
During turns 2 to 4 the Entente forces developed a two pronged probing attack without committing men to frontal assaults and using their support weapons to destroy the German HMGs and the supporting Schuztruppen platoon.
For their part the Germans had to split their two platoons up to meet the double assault meaning that the Seebattalion spent most of this time moving positions. The Schuztruppen put out a heavy rate of fire but at long range and with targets in cover it wasn’t easy to cause casualties
.
Turn 5 saw the flotilla guns now switch target and with an 80% chance of a hit on the mast the Lucienne caused some damage. The mast needed two hits from light guns or one from a heavy gun to be destroyed. Wankmulleur had an engineer with him so could attempt to repair damage from a light gun on an Ld roll. At the same time the KAR emerged from cover and delivered a telling volley on the depleted Schuztruppen.
In their turn 5 Wankmuller moved with the engineer to try and repair the damage to the mast whilst the remaining Schuztruppen opened up at the now exposed KAR. In dice saves even I would have been proud of Steve managed to save 6 of 8 casualties on the KAR (that’s 6 scores of 6 out of eight dice rolled).
In their final turn the KAR & Tirallieurs wiped out the remaining Schuztruppen and as Wankmuller and the engineer tried to get the wireless mast operational for the fast approaching wireless operative to use a shell from the small gun on the LuLu struck the tower raining debris on the Leutenant.
With that the game was over, the Seebattalion managed to cause the now exposed Tirallieurs some casualties but it couldn’t affect the outcome of the game.
All in all another enjoyable game and with the Entente now having discovered the benefit of arguing over tactics the fate of Fort Bratwurst looks even more in doubt!

Check out the final game in the campaign Bratwurst is pickled

Thanks to Pete for the almost un-biased write up.  And just to point out it was not an argument over tactics, it was a reasoned debate over the effectiveness of French naval gunnery!!

Full campaign can be found on the wigan wargames forum:

http://wigan-wargames.co.uk/wiganwargames/forum_topics.asp?FID=55

[pbjunky1]

A few photos (more are on the Wigan Wargames site)

Firstly a couple of the board





The best performing units of the game, the KAR.

[Ste long 1971]

Another thoroughly enjoyable game. The allied command had a good & frank debate over tactics. Even Captain Edna Blackadder of the KAR,the most fierce critic of the French allies, had praise their performance, commenting they almost fought like Gentlemen. High praise indeed from Captain Blackadder!!!

[juergen c. olk]

Another great looking game.

[Bryanbowdell]

Background for the final battle due to take place on 7/11/14

Bratwurst is pickled?

General major von Eagleburger fidgeted as the colour party laid Leutenant Wankmuller to rest. He had been   incompetent or perhaps very luckless , the result was the same, a string of Entente victories with some of the better German troops lost in fighting as their Flotilla advanced up the Limpo. It was none the less a cruel end to be bludgeoned to death by a falling radio antenna. He set his mind back upon the task in hand, to defend the Imperial settlement at Farht Gasse and the neighbouring Fort Bratwurst. He knew that the Flotilla would link up with forces from the French controlled provinces to the West of Lake ZigaZaga for the final assault. He was determined to deny them a final victory. If only Wankmuller hadn’t lost so many troops in his ill fated efforts. It was now mostly down to Askari, led by German officers of course to defend the settlement. The rather shifty Province Administrator, Herr Stroker, had proved resourceful but it may be a very mixed blessing to have Mustapha Camel and his Zanzibaris as allies!

The table is set up with the Festung Bratwurst, a German earthwork overlooking the junction of the Limpo with Lake ZigaZaga. There is a newly raised settlement, Fahrt Gasse, adjacent to the fort. This has a deep water dock and is of strategic value to the German’s maintaining control of the whole South west of their province. There are other German forces stationed to the North on Lake ZigaZaga but they will not arrive in time to help.
 The Germans will have 700 pts of troops the Flotilla will have its whole force minus cumulative casualties. There will also be an Entente force from the Western shore of the lake linking up with the flotilla for the final assault, this will have 900pts.

[Bryanbowdell]

results of the final battle, please checkout the photos on the wigan wargames forum


 
The Machine 

Joined: 07 December 2006 
Location: United Kingdom 
Online Status: Offline 
Posts: 387 
  Posted: Yesterday at 15:14As the sun rose on the German East Africa settlement of Fahrt Gasse & the neighbouring Fort Bratwurst the Entente Flotilla, linking up with Royal Naval force already on Lake ZigaZaga, set about making this the last day the Imperial German flag flew over the lakeside settlement. 
Generalmajor Von Eagleburger and Herr Stroker had prepared their sparce defences including setting out a barbed wire defence and sinking an elderly steamer in the harbour to channel the Entente attacks however pride of place in the defences went to the newly aquired 10.5cm Konigsburg gun. A weapon which was capable of sending any vessel the flotilla had to the bottom of the lake. 
With everything in place the Germans waited with trepidation for the coming onslaught. 
The Entente duly obliged and following an extensive and accurate naval bombardment of the fort the British landing barges approached the harbour. 
It was at this stage that things started to go wrong for the Germans The much feared Konigsburg gun missed the landing barges repeatedly on their approach to the harbour, despite the sunken steamer channelling them into a killing zone. 
The small arms fire & HMGs took a heavy toll on the South African and Indian troops who eventually through weight of numbers by turn 6 gained a foot hold in the docks and then cleared the village of defenders. 
The flanking force of Senegalese & KAR forced a way through the wire on the southern flank though the KAR were all but wiped out in the process. 
Despite suffering heavy losses the Entente infantry pressed on clearing the defenders as they went. Throughout the entire 9 turns the Konigsburg gun kept firing (on a 50% chance of hitting) and kept missing,it in fact recorded one glancing hit the whole game and that on an already moored landing barge. 
By turn 9 the Sikhs and captured Herr Stroker and his command and the Senegalese had overrun the Railway station. An army check was thus called for on Turn 10 and the Germans failed, the remaining platoons either fleeing or surrendering. 
By turn 11 Colonel Chips Fanshawe was enjoying some Balkan Shag (its pipe tobacco!) as he viewed the Union Jack being displayed at the German headquarters. 
On the Lucielle Contre Amiral Gaultier viewed the whole scence of British triumphalism disdainfully contemplating that the days success was down to his direction of the Flotilla gunnery and his soon to be expected elevation to Amiral. 

Thanks to everyone who participated in the campaign and conducted it the right spirit. It was a stirring last game made slightly less even than I thought it would be due to the errant German gunnery but still enjoyable none the less.

[pbjunky1]

Just a few photos of the final shindig, many more are on the website linked earlier.
A couple of shots of the board



A before & after of Herr Stroker (red fez) firstly with Von Eagleburger surveying the defensive preparations and at the final turn  captured after his command lost a melee with the Sikhs .


The much vaunted Konigsburg gun soon to be the feature of a traffic island in Mombassa

Colonel Chips Fanshawe enjoying his Balkan Shag

[cree1978]

Thoroughly enjoyed seeing all this come too life down the club and looking forward to joining in the Christmas games