Battle of Lemberg - Part 3 - 5 years in the making......

Well that may have been a little optimistic.... The last post was back in 2019 - Dust, Tears & Dice: Battle around Janow, Lemberg, Galicia 1914 - Mud & Blood (dusttears.blogspot.com)

One might have thought that 4 years was bad but this time it was 5....... we really must get better at this.

Another outing in the fight for Lemberg with the Russian's and Austrians seeking to break through each others lines, with the victor securing the most jump off points on the table.

Refighting the Battle of Beersheba 1917

Despite regular gaming I don't very often refight purely historical battles, however one of my gaming group was keen to try out a couple of tweaks to the Contemptable Little Army rules to refight the Battle of Beersheba which saw the British Expeditionary Force including the Australians and New Zealanders take on the Turkish Yidrim Army who were holding on to the town of Beersheba and their precious water wells.

The Turkish line filled with Turks and native Arabs - surely no one would be mad enough to assault these fixed defences.

The 4^th Victoria and the 12^th NSW Light Horse Regiments who were in fact mounted infantry used their 18inch bayonets as sabres in the charge.

You would have thought that charging across open ground against trenches would be suicide however the Turks had failed to place barbed wire across their trench line and the MG’s and Artillery was set to long range which overshot the charging line.

Charging across the open terrain the horsemen rushed towards the defenders, true to form the Turkish shooting was terrible and very few casualties were inflicted on the attackers.

Whilst some of the horsemen dismounted and fought through the trenches a significant number leapt the trenches and secured the wells.

The Turks initially held the first wave of horsemen, but the 2nd and 3rd broke the back of the defenders.

True to history the town was captured, and the Turks lost 5 times the number of Attackers...

What difference would a few rolls of barbwire made.

Incursion along the coast, South of Tanga 1905

Another outing for Mud & Blood and a trip to SWF's gaming studio.
This time a trip to East Africa.

Taxed heavily and reduced to agricultural servitude, South-eastern tribes led by the Kibata rebelled in July 1905. A witch doctor had preached that a magic potion, Maji-Maji, could stop German bullets and several other tribes quickly joined the rising.

With only 588 Schutztruppe Askaris and 458 police in the south the Germans were unable to contain the outbreak. Missions and trading posts were destroyed. Mahenge and Songea were besieged and soon about 20 percent of the colony was in rebel hands.

With the main German force fighting in the south of the colony the British in Mombasa look for any opportunity to enter German East Africa and take advantage of the huge oil fields believed to be sitting on the land along the Pangaru River south of Tanga.

A team surveying the area two years before believe they discovered all the right signs for there to be oil. Britain must have that oil but is reluctant to have hostilities with Germany unless it can establish it is there. The border has always been in dispute and now the timing of the Maji-Maji rebellion couldn’t be more perfect.

I have been given the command of a party to cross into German East Africa and discreetly look for oil. At the same time, I am to incite the local tribes to rebel against their German oppressors.

Setting off from Mombasa in the “El Zafir” a large sternwheel gunboat and travelled along the coast entering up into the Pangaru River.

I set up base camp near a local village and have started to erect a drilling rig to establish if there is indeed a reason to go to war with Germany. The “El Zafir” has left to resupply back in Mombasa. They are due back today.

Drilling is going well when smoke is seen on the bend in the river.

The River Bank

The Drilling Station

The defenders all hidden behind blinds.

Not quite what I was expecting that's not the “El Zafir” but a German Steamer with infantry and sailors in row boats behind. I issue rushed orders for the defence of the river bank and base camp.

 

As the gunboat comes into view I fire a salvo from the native gun looking to slow the German advance. That's a lot of Germans when I considered the make up of my own scratch force.

A lucky strike and a shell lands in the middle of the row boat as it strikes for shore. That should slow the German advance.

 

Things were not going well for the Germans even the wildlife was on the side of the King, as the soldiers and sailors swam for the shore men were dragged below the waters of the river taken by crocs and the weight of their own kit. Eventually the troops reach dry land.

Having regrouped and with no sign of the any British defenders the Germans cross the beach and crested the main rise catching a unit of Masai Warriors who had been scouting the river bank. A short firefight and the landing party drive off the natives.

The Landing party had stirred up a real hornets nest...  fire erupted from the undergrowth as sailors, natives forces and colonial troops looked to halt the incursion. The Germans on the hill fell back and the troops leaving the gunboat were stopped in their tracks.

 

1pm and finally “El Zafir” turns up. The unlucky sailors who had been blasted, bitten and drowned were no shot on the open beach. It really was not there day.

Meanwhile the battle for the inlet continues, more Germans and their Askari troops are ashore but the defenders are bolstered by the Royal Navy who poor fire into the German police looking to flank the native forces. The cannon is back having been rushed back from it's vantage point on the beach.

The gun boats enter into a vicious exchange of fire, the German gunboat is crippled with multiple hits to the engine room and wheel house, fires spring up in multiple locations, the British paddle steamer is no better. With the loss of it's helmsman the steamer crashes into the river bank. A German shell lands squarely on the main gun taking it out to the delight of the under pressure Germans. The British landing party head for dry land.

The shows over...

The Germans were pinned on the beach by the British defenders and more were sweeping across the beach. The German gunboat's rear run was still causing the brits some trouble as it continued to blast holes in the beached steamer, but they would not be reaching the drilling platform today...

A great days gaming.... and nice to get some new toys on the table.

 

Battle around Janow, Lemberg, Galicia 1914 - Mud & Blood

Back in 2015 we started a short WW1 Campaign.

See the earlier battle here.

Events Previously.

Early Austro-Hungarian advances into Russian Poland had been made from Galicia northwards to the city of Lublin. During the advance the Austro-Hungarian First Army met and drove back the Russian Fourth Army around Krasnik on August 23^rd.

The Austrian high command had failed to appreciate that the main Russian offensive was to be made in the direction of Lemberg (Lvov) in eastern Galicia. Here Austro-Hungarian forces had been thinned to meet commitments in Serbia and to support the advance of their forces into southern Poland.

The Russian Fifth Army supported by the Russian Third Army advanced to Lemberg where they encircled and defeated the Austro-Hungarian Third Army. Russian forces began entering the outskirts of Lemberg.

However all was not going Russia’s way as its supply lines had been severely stretched and the advance was called to a halt whilst supplies were brought up to the front.

Whilst awaiting resupply the Austro-Hungarians  launched a counter attack to the south of Lemberg. Elements from the Russian Fifth Army defending on the outskirts of Lemberg were able to halt the advance. The bridges at Lemberg were held and this counter attack repelled.

The Fifth Army dug in defensibly around Lemberg. Ammunition and food had been resupplied and morale was high after the defeat of the Austro-Hungarians only days before.

The Fifth received orders to advance North of Zolkiewskie, a small hamlet on the outskirts of Lemberg, where the 255 Highway runs through.

Elements of the Austro-Hungarian Fourth Army had circled around and were attempting to block all Northern supply lines into the city.

After fierce fighting around the north of Zolkiewskie the Russian Fifth Army again defeated the Austro-Hungarian Fourth Army keeping the 255 Highway open to resupply.

The Russian Orders are as follows.
Fresh orders have arrived instructing you to advance North West through Janow a suberb of Lemberg and into the countryside beyond. Austro-Hungarian forces are massing for another counter strike to retake Lemberg.

You are to advance to this location and reconnoitre the area. The strength of the enemies’ forces must be established and reported back to High Command.

Take the fight to the enemy and secure the area to the North West.

Round One and the enemy cavalry appear at the far end of the road, the Russian artillery is deployed to counter the advance. Shot and Shell sends them heading for cover first blood to the advancing Russian forces.

On the far right the back and forth of the hedge row begins. The Austro-Hungarian blind forces the sailors to unmask. 

Out numbered 2:1 the defenders poor fire into the advancing sailors who charge the hedge line driving the Bosnian's into the woodland with numerous shock.

Whilst beaten backwards they had held the line long enough for additional blinds to come on the table and bolster the right flank.

Switching to the left wing the Russian blinds (OK French stand in's.) were massing behind the hedge row, Bosnian infantry and Machine Guns had seized the low stone wall and further troops were coming on behind them.

Sh*t or bust after a number of turns with both sides probing the line, battle is joined. Gambling on breaking the Austro-Hungarian line in one strike, the Russians threw all of their main force and reinforcements on the right flank rushing forwards towards the stone wall.

Despite a number of Russian companies slowed by killed and shock, others were able to drive the defenders from the wall at the point of the bayonet over running the Machine Gun team and driving the Bosnian infantry backwards with several shock points.

On the far right the German reinforcements who had moved through the woods charged the sailors who were holding the hedge row driving them backwards. The Sailors gave ground but inflicted a number of losses on the fresh German units.

Whilst the Germans had reversed the initial assault by the Russian sailors, the front had crumbled on the left not helped by the appearance of the Russian cavalry, who charged down the retreating Bosnian's and breaking the line.

Game over.

A great days gaming with plenty of twists and turns along the way.

The Too Fat Lardies Mud and Blood rules give a great gaming experience with over 100 figures on each side fought to a conclusion.

Let's hope we can get the next game in a little quicker than 4 years next time......

All work and no play.

Hobby time has been rather thin on the ground in recent weeks.

A new job some two hours closer to home should have given me plenty of time to get in front of the brushes, but intense home work and manual reading put paid to any free time in the evenings, hopefully the next month should see things calm down.

I did manage to sneak a trip down to Warfare last weekend and joined the rest of the Wyverns in a refight of Cambrai 1917, using Paul @ Kallistra's excellent hex terrain and figures.

The British out numbering the Germans 3:1 and supported by 30 Tanks attempted to break three lines of German trenches.

As one of the German commanders we opted to leave the first trench line lightly defended hoping to draw the British in where they would lose a number of tanks in attempting to cross the trench lines with the occasional grenade attack from the infantry defenders.

   

 

In a bloody affair in which the British opened up a number of channels through the use of concentrated artillery they flanked the German left but could not capitalise on the assault as they had lost all of their armour and around 60% of the infantry.

A drawn although the British were quickly on twitter to celebrate a victory.

“The news isn't there to tell you what happened. It's there to tell you what it wants you to hear or what it thinks you want to hear.”

 Joss Whedon

A great days gaming touch and go right to the last turn when the German Infantry managed to destroy the last 3 tanks with Grenades, what are the chances of rolling 3 12's in a row.

Purchases on the day were few, but with Christmas coming and limited paint time, probably not a bad thing, I picked up some extra items for Ghost Archipelago in the shape of a couple of swamps which need some extra's adding by way of grasses and reeds. I also picked up some lovely treasure pieces which will be great to fight over in the months ahead.

Redoubt had released their cotton pickers for the ACW, but they should be fine for the Haiti Project and some extra jump off points.

I have managed to prep the Crewman from the Ghost Archipelago Nickstarter, with 20 in a box, I opted for 10 European type characters and 10 Middle Eastern both gangs armed with a mixture of weapons, having given the Chinese a run out a few weeks ago, I figured three distinct factions could be formed for any one simply wanting to walk into the club without having to roll for all the stats from the outset.

Until next time....

Back from Partizan....

Having missed many of the early 2017 show circuit, Partizan was the first real all day outing of the year.

The Newark showground is fast becoming the regular home of gaming. The Partizan guys did a great job even organising a Hurricane fly past.... :-)

The new venue had plenty of room and great lighting which made for a great days gaming the show seemed really busy with plenty of old faces to catch up with, once again we manned the Kallistra Table (Thanks Paul.) seeking to improve on the British assault at Cambrai.

A tough affair with two lines of trenches to break through all before the close of the day, the Germans cannot really win this scenario, but the Brits can certainly lose it. They out number the Germans by 4:1 in Infantry and have 48 Tanks to the Germans 16 Field guns.

We made great head way in the morning breaching the lightly defended first line but my luck started to run out on the right flank with tank after tank falling foul of Artillery and Grenades coupled with my inability to roll lower than a 5 or a 6 which resulted in half my armour support bogging down and the crew bailing.

Meanwhile my co-commander Dave was having a far better time of it on the left, he only lost one tank to Artillery fire and almost all of his armour crossed the trenches unhindered. By lunch time he was well into the second line whilst I was left to push Infantry across rough ground..... 

All part of the plan... #HammerandAnvil....

A great days gaming and nice to play on such a large table in a great venue with some fine commanders on both sides.

The show seemed really busy with many of the traders 2-3 deep at times.

I stocked up the leadpile for the coming months - Thank goodness Reading is a number of months away..

Now the customary photo's of today's haul.

• Copplestone's Amazon Indian's
• Arquebus and War Club - A small project using my Spanish in South America.
• Arab Workers
• A useful sapper addition for the Egypt Project.
• RJW Dismounted Cavalry.
• A top up for the next all dayer in june.
• Trent Miniatures and Wargames Foundry.
• The next major project - Haiti - Napoleonic's Caribbean style. 
• Paints
• Because you can never have enough flesh tones.

Finally some eye candy from the Perry's fantastic Alexandria game - I will have to go some to increase my output to this scale. A wonderful looking game and plenty of inspiration for future units in Egypt....