Draw, Lose, Win

 I returned to the club for a game this week, for something different I offered Simon a game of War and Conquest, Romans vs Romans so that I could command the new army, Simon chose to lead the Thunderbolts. My troops were well balanced with an infatry core, skirmishers and light cavalry on both wings, Simon had pretty much the same but he also added Praetorians and two boltshooters for some extra oomph, he took more command than required so I hinted at dropping some and getting some foot skirmishers. 

The battle was a straight forward clash, I did not use my light cavalry and skirmishers very well added to which was the fact I only won the initiative on the very last turn so was on the back foot most of the time. I also managed to forget that my Auxiliaries were Regulars instead of Light which cost me dear in combats which I should have won, I had forgotten to bring my typed up list, it is always something these days, duh. As the curtain descended we had one more turn to play which we could not manage, I think I had the measure of the Twelfth albeit it only just, but there you go, in the end it was good to have the troops on the table. Simon also helped greatly by making an effort and getting to the club early, setting up the table and then helping me get the boxes from the car as I still find heavy weights a drag (see what I did there).

Thunderbolts.

7

Thrax.

 Thursday comes and we are back fighting in the Gembloux Gap, an interesting scenario as I have to dice for my deployment, and of course I get the side with the open fields to my front, I do however get a new platoon, which is just as well as the last one needed to be withdrawn due to losses. Because I only dealt out a few scratches last time Matt just about has a full platoon with lots of support points to ensure his men have every advantage, and this time he gets armour. I have to take something to deal with the Panzers and opted for a Panhard armoured car as it was pretty cheap and more mobile that an anti-tank gun, my other choices were a Francs Tireur saboteur and a light machine gun team. Matt on the other hand brought an infantry gun, a Pz II and a Pz I.

Fifth column, get her!

Forward menschen.

Clank, clank.

The battlefield.

The German advance was slow as Matt deliberated on his options and I kept my powder dry, he did however advance his armour, I brought on my Panhard and started a duel with the approaching Panzer I, this was frustrating, it was almost impossible to hit, it was obscured, had a low profile and was small, I got it in the end but it took a lot of time. The Panzer II now pushed to break the French line while German infantry moved on my left, I shot up the infantry but more were on the way, I intended to have the Panhard catch the panzer in the flank but with a wounded officer and shock I could not get it to obey my orders. 

German support.

French centre.

French support.

Gotcha!

Sigh.

The fortunes of war had turned against me, although I managed to close down a German Jump Off Point with the Francs Tireur and get a decent 10 for morale with the wounding or killing of three NCO's and throwing high for Bad Things Happen I plumetted to 4, then something else happened which left me with 3 and no future. Although I had made the Boche infantry suffer the difference in morale meant that as night approached I had dished out no more than a headache as they held the field.

I simply cannot win the campaign now, there are three turns left and one map, I have no new forces coming and Matt still has one unengaged platoon with the chance of reinforcements if he needs them while French support dwindles. We have had some very good games with Gembloux Gap but I doubt the French (as in real life) can hold off the Jerries for even a small win.

Some time ago in the distant past I fought a War and Conquest game against Ed, I turned it into a number of connected battles. The history went like this, a Romano British leader invaded Gaul once the Romans left Britain, he defeated local forces and Rome sent the Western Field Army to sort things out, enroute they fought off a Barbarian invasion, maybe this weakened them as they were defeated fighting the British, the British leader was killed and the Roman general murdered by his disgruntled troops, many of whom deserted to the victors. The wife of the British leader took up the reins but was thwarted by her Nobles and sent to a convent. Rome meanwhile with some help from the East scrapped together another army which moved against the enemy meeting them on the plains of Northern Italy.

 My son Stewart (Stuartus Brito) took charge of the invaders and led an army of the surviving British and deserters from the last defeated Roman force, I (Maximus Scotus) would lead my new Roman army, the last troops standing between Rome and its ruin. Stewart lined up with his British on his left and his Romans on the right, I put some heavy cavalry and light troops on my right while the infantry line contained legionaries in the centre and lanciarii on the wings.

Good guys on right, bad guys on left.

Maximus Scotus.

Stuartus Brito.

I moved my right flank skirmishers forward quickly hoping to sweep away the enemy light troops but this did not go to plan, the Huns proved difficult to kill and my own troops had to evade several times but luckily kept rallying. I was then forced to move my Clibinarii forward to meet the British heavy cavalry, both these forces were heavily armoured and would continue to flail at each other until the very end adding nothing to the battle. I had decided my right looked weak so eventually began to move my left flank infantry forward hoping the right would hold, the deserters opposite moved against me quite aggressively.

German Nobles attack.

Loyalist right flank.

Centre.

Loyalist left.

 

Eventually the centre of both armies were in melee along the line, Stewart was hoping to sweep my boys away while I was hoping they would hold. In the end the loyalists won through and it was the Rebels who were pushed onto the back foot, as the combat continued the Roman element of the enemy army fled for their lives knowing no mercy would be given. On the left the British looked on in dismay, insult added to injury as their heavy cavalry also ran for the rear, Stuartus suffered a personal tragedy as his standard bearer fell.

British close on my right.

Battle in the centre.

The British surge forward.

British heavy cavalry about to break.

 

The end to the threat.

Hoping once again for a quick breakthrough the British general did not count on the desperate defence put up by the lanciarii to his front, with the Roman left now beginning to move on the remains of his forces the British leader knew his dream of conquering Rome would remain a dream. A great day of Old School, proper wargaming thanks to my son for making the journey from darkest Darlington, a thoroughly enjoyable battle.

I was asked a bit ago my opinion on the book Tunisgrad by Saul David, it is basically all about Operation Torch and the thrust on Tunis along the coast, I was expecting some info on the Eighth Army's part in it all but there didn't seem to be much (I gave up). Rick Atkinson's An Army at Dawn is far better.

Unbelievably there are people, mainly young, who are terrified to talk on a phone preferrring texting. Luckily for them a woman (in the US of course) The Phone Lady will help you with this ailment for $195 an hour or $3000 for half a day. And yes, it is all done on the PHONE!

Chain of Command Daft Me

 I was going to skip Club night this week but got an invite from Stuart to play Chain of Command and as I am a bit fixated on the new version, I can't lose all the time, I popped along. Stuart wanted to use his newly recruited Volksgrenadiers and the back story was these guys had been instructors at an infantry school in the last days of the war as the British closed in but were determined to go down fighting.

My support roll was dreadful but I figured the Jerries would not have enough for a tank so took an infantry heavy force with a couple of PIAT's just in case, it was also good to command my British for a change. I was the attacker so wanted to make an effort rather than simply build up a firing line, fire and movement does it boys. I set up quite quickly with the idea of hitting the enemy right flank and then moving on the crossroads which were the objective, Stuart countered with his LMG squad and a MMG and squad on my right, he also put a section in a hedgeline opposite my advance, tardy though it was.

Enemy with an inventive Jump Off Point.

MMG dug in, smoke incoming!

NCO takes a hit.

British MMG.

I dropped smoke to protect my right and it worked a treat although I still had to withdraw one squad further back into a wood for protection while I rallied them. I drove off the section on my left and started to move forward only to find some old men and teenagers of the Volksturm to my front, a speed bump at best I thought. No, I had a squad almost wiped out and an NCO bit the dust, my morale fell to 6 from 10 in the blink of an eye. We had now run out of time, this always happens with CoC at the club but I wanted to play and simply learn more. Although my morale was lower than the Jerries I did manage to strike back at the Volksturm and once they were out of the way the road to the Crossroads would be clear so we agreed that the British were ahead. Of course we all know you cannot count on anything in a wargame but it did not look good for the Jerries, we would have needed another hour or so to conclude things.

Next up was the start of the "Many Rivers to Cross" campaign with Matt from the club, the Germans are attacking and pushing for bridges to get their armour into the French rear and on the way to Dunkirk, so the German infantry have to gain ground in order for the pioneers to build a bridge to enable the armour to rush forward and take another bridge defended by the enemy before they can blow it up. Matt chose the French so I was the bad guys.

It was important for me to get off to a good start so I decided to throw everything at the first game, I am not allowed any heavy weapons or vehicles until the bridge has been built so I took a couple of 5cm mortars a MMG and a Stuka bombardment along with a Shabby Nazi Trick of a Fifth Columnist. Matt countered with his own MMG, some AA and a small tank, something which I could do nothing about except possibly drive it off with maching gun fire if the crew got wary.

Bombs Away!

Anyway the Luftwaffe turned up and knocked down one house, they had hardly any other effect on the French forces, a poor showing for Goring's boys. Anyway I forged forward as I had to clear the centre section of the French deployment area and get some men off the table edge, the latter was not a problem but the former turned into a nightmare. My spy Jean Claude managed to interrupt the deployment of one of the French Senior Leaders but it really didn't help, Matt managed to get his MMG into the rubble of the destroyed building and a further section into a small orchard, these two units caused me all sorts of grief trying to get rid of them. I tried outflanking with one section only to have the enemy rifle grenadiers cause them to retreat before getting wiped out or into a decent firing position.

The little tank.

Forward guys.

Careful.

More Jerries.

I did at last manage to break the troops in the orchard and almost, almost get the MMG to run but Matt recovered and put more troops in the orchard and saved the MMG for a couple of more phases. I had an opportunity to shoot down a French leader as he sprinted to save the MMG but failed. I now went forward to hopefully overpower the enemy but my squads had now all taken casualties and frankly were not up to the task, not without me losing more men and casualties had been heavy. My morale had also fallen drastically having rolled dismally while Matt managed a couple of times to get 'nil points'.

Refugees, what no boats?

The bloody orchard.

My only 'heavy' weapons.

I did wonder if I should push things along but the French still had a tank so discretion being the better part of valour I withdrew, I will probably regret this. As the dust settled I had taken heavy casualties and lost 10 men, Matt lost 6, I have two more platoons while the French have one, but I do need those heavy weapons and tanks, the Luftwaffe is rearming. Matt has decided to hold the village and not attempt to interrupt my bridge building so my Second platoon are being made ready determined to do better than First.

I don't care what the fan boys say it is extremely difficult to attack a position in Chain of Command, I thought I was smart and used fire and movement, suppressing fire, smoke grenades and HE but once you step out into the open you are dead meat. 

I am changing sides next week and will be the French against Matt Crump as we fight for the Gembloux Gap. I should be at the club as well, possibly Italian Wars, we will see. 

Oh, I finished the last 'official' unit of the army of Maximinus Thrax, some skirmishers, two more extras are in the wings but I might move on the Fallschirmjager gift, still undecided.

I bought a new book, I am loathe to buy anything written by a woman, mainly fiction I must admit, sorry but there it is, I have got a new book on the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain by Victoria Taylor, I watched her talking about the subject on WW2TV and was impressed, so a giant leap forward for me although I found Barbara Tuchman a great historian.

How to lose an Empire in an Afternoon.

Back in 2022 Ed beat my Patricians using my Romano-British, after that battle I pretended that he was a British usurper to the Imperial Purple named Edicus "Proceritas" (the tall) who had invaded Gaul, the local forces not being up to the task of stopping him. Meanwhile the Magister Militum of the West, Aetius, had gathered his field army and marched to confront the upstart. The German tribes (Rob Broom) across the Rhine had taken advantage of the confusion in the Roman ranks to invade the Empire, seeking glory and booty. They were met by Aetius, defeated and sent packing, we played this as a remote game on Zoom. Bouyed by his success Aetius continued into Gaul and today, after a long break, met the army of the usurper on the field of battle.

I took five Legions supported by cavalry, skirmishers and German Foederati, Ed had four units of Milites of varying experience along with cavalry, skirmishers and allies in the shape of Saxon and Welsh warbands. Ed deployed most of his missile troops backed up by cavalry on his right while the infantry lined the centre and left, I was set up in the same way with my cavalry and some missiles facing his and my infanty opposite his foot. I was a bit unsure about the amount of firepower he had mustered and hoped to at least drive away his skirmishers and weaken his cavalry before I attacked. The infantry I would hold back until I successfully smashed the enemy flank.

Romano-British line.

Both sides.

Romans deployed.

British cavalry.

Now what?

 

Things started out fairly well although I forgot my Bucellarii had bows as they were Huns, and lost an opportunity to shoot in the first phase. I sent some slingers fleeing for the rear and moved the Germans through a wood to engage the massed bowmen behind it. Ed countered by charging my skirmishing Alans, I won the combat and his mounted Milites broke and fled, I was feeling confident. The Germans now went after the bowmen and scattered them but couldn't catch them, they in turn were hit by the Saxon warband, I had a lot riding on the Germans as they had armour and the Saxons did not, my hopes were misplaced.

The lines advance.

Slowly lads, slowly.

It all looked so good.

Things begin to get out of hand.

Who let the old guy in?

Ed's Saxons hit the Germans and sent them running, he also charged my victorious Alans with his mounted Comitatus and the nomads promptly fled and left the table, they would be back but not for a couple of turns. I needed the initiative in the next phase but did not get it, disaster loomed. The Foederati were swept from the battlefield, his Comitatus retired out of charge reach of my Bucellerii and worst of all the Welsh swept down from their hill and cut down Quinta Macedonica and their officer in short order, this rout also sent the Regii Legion running. To their right the Anglevari had held but the Gallicani Honoriani had lost their combat and also ran, I had lost a third of my forces, I was shocked to say the least.

Going pear shaped.

The Celtae falter.

I managed to rally the Regii and threw them against the approaching Welsh, I had no great hopes they would beat them, the Gallicani had also rallied, could I hold on. Ed now threw his leader and his bodyguard into my elite Palatini the Celtae Seniores, these lads braced themselves in shield wall but it was no good, they held out for a time but eventually ran like everyone else, the Gallicani were now the only infantry left standing against a surge of the enemy. Over on my left the Bucellerii and Aetius were in combat with the Romano-British Comitataus cavalry and slowly pushing them back, but this was the only bright spot in the darkness. Before the Celtae had broken they had managed to kill Edicus, Aetius himself had taken a wound but was still active with his bodyguard. The forces of the usurper had won the day but the man himself lay dead amongst the Romans his men had slaughtered.

All that remains of my infantry.

Aetius' less than grand bodyguard.

 

During the night the leaders of the victorious army clashed with many wanting to return to Britain with as much booty as they could carry and others wanting to claim Gaul for themselves, Katharina the widow of Edicus, a forceful woman backed up by commanders loyal to her dead husband argued for a march on Rome, why take Gaul when the West lay at their feet? On the other hand the loss of the battle for Aetius proved to be fatal as men from the army, riled up by disgruntled legionaries, murdered the general later that night as his bodyguard stood by. Can anyone save Rome?

That was a severe defeat, my army simply fled or gave up at every opportunity, it started with the Germans and then not being able to grasp the initiative at a moment of crises sealed my doom. Bad luck played its part, for instance I put officers with the Legions from the frontier to bolster their morale and they both went down at the most inopportune moments, but I also think I made some bad decisions in the middle which might have spared me some grief. Ed played well nevertheless and simply marched across the table sweeping everything in his path. Despite the beating I enjoy these rules and the little story I have built up has been a blast. Come and try your luck while I am on the ropes :).

(I used different names on Facebook as I had forgotten what I used before)