The League of Extraordinary Kriegspielers presents....Referendum!

[Patrice]

Referendum - French brief

Oh, so there were some good guys in this fight? Excellent!

The French government would not countenance a full scale invasion into Bolshevik territory

I hope not.   There was mutiny in the French Black Sea fleet in 1919 for this. And I would raise hell at home if it happened.

The relevant departmental heads did (...) promise to deny everything should you be caught.

Of course, what would you expect.

You passports said you were an expedition sent by a bunch of old farts dressed in ridiculous green uniforms from the Napoleonic times

Um, do you mean the Académie Française?

Oooh and I so want to see the pictures!!!

[Ignatieff]

I've got the socks (academie francais)!  Does that count???

[Ignatieff]

All photos by V.I.Blackwood, snapper to the hoi pollio


"Comrades!  I Dave Wolfie Ryanovksy, am here to save you all!....where is everyone?"

Ryanovsky is The Leagues constantly unlucky player.  Seven campaigns and five characters...


Bolo initial forces in the town of Pop amounted to no more than three units of infantry an HMG and a field gun


And the area they had to defend, including the Rosa Luxembourg Dam, was huge....Red Sailors man the massive but unfinished engineering project

The Dalai's flagship 'The Death Karma', floats innocently up above the Ferghana Valley, while Der Baron plots mayhem with his hordes at the far eastern end of the valley....

[Paul @ Empress Miniatures]

HUZZAH!!!! My legs are famous  

Steve where did you get the Opera House from?

Cheers,
Paul

[Sparrow]

Nice legs,   tee he's hee ( and who 's the worried Yorkshireman biting his nails in the background? LOL!)

And yes - Steve - where is the Opera House from? Very nice!

[marianas_gamer]

Really nice opera house! I expect that it burned down in the following mayhem    I see that the infamous coal bunkers made it into this game as well.  Do you have a picture of the Dalai's blimp falling in flames?
Lon

[Ignatieff]

The Opera House was scratchbuilt by the very talented Mr. David Marshall.  I wanted something based on the actual Baku Opera House (here seen all shiny and restored)...



We decided to take the wings off the model and focus on getting the main facade dramatised, which I think he's done rather well.

If you've ever read Dunsterforce, you will know how central the Opera House was to White strategy during their combined defence against the Turks with the British.  Every night, the Whites would leave their trenches to go to the Opera, and on one occasion, they took their HMGs with them!

[Ignatieff]

Really nice opera house! I expect that it burned down in the following mayhem    I see that the infamous coal bunkers made it into this game as well.  Do you have a picture of the Dalai's blimp falling in flames?
Lon

The Death Karma survived (its a big beast to take on), but one of the supply zeppelins (there were two), was shot down by the Bukhara airforce at its most vulnerable moment, when it was landing half the Dalai's army.  there were no survivors.....

[Ignatieff]

The Death Karma in all its glory!




view from the Bolshevik position, looking west.  Their sole field gun lurks behind the only bit of hard (+2) cover on the board (apart from the legendary cola bunker), pointing towards supporting the sailors on the dam, and at the advancing Bukharans,.



Splendid aerial view of the Bolo positions.  The Italians can also be seen, deployed within the disused gold mine, which has lots of tunnels running underneath it to God knows where.....and the first of Der Baron's scouting cavalry can be seen top right...

[Ignatieff]

A closer view of the Italian positions.  Genuine pioneers of parachute technology during the 1920's and 30's, the Italians had managed to airdrop all this kit (and more) into the Ferghana Valley.  However, the technology wasn't yet quite perfected, and so the large explosions heard and witnessed on the dawn of the battle were later revealed to be three Italian FT17 tanks hurtling earthwards....



A fine view of the hordes of Der baron advancing relentlessly westwards...



A closer look revealed that Der Baron's forces were be augmented by a strong contingent of Von Stauffenberg's elite German Special forces teams...

[Phil Robinson]

Every night, the Whites would leave their trenches to go to the Opera, and on one occasion, they took their HMGs with them!

You couldn't make it up could you Spectacular pics, I am in awe yet again.

[Ignatieff]

Meanwhile on the western flank, the 'Bukharan Electoral Commission' deploys.  A curious mix of the old (Elephant towed obsolete field pieces) the improvised (the armoured car in this pic) and the new (ish, a Mark IV tank..)



A magnificent sight!



The Bukhara force had been supplemented by a band of rabidly anti-Bolo British and American mercenaries, under the command of Sub. Lt. Toastrack R.N., seen here at the bottom left of the picture.

[Ignatieff]

You couldn't make it up could you Spectacular pics, I am in awe yet again.

Thanks mate!

[Patrice]

  Aaargh.

(as usual)

[Sparrow]

Very impressive!