Game Report: A Hill too Far

West of Tayasir, 8 Dhuʻl-Hijjah 608 AH

Munjid al-Zaher, Lord of Irbid, was tired. He had fought his way to his current position from the most humble, pathetic of beginnings, a fight that had seen friends slain, cost him the use of an arm, seen him far from home for most of his life, and now he was unable to even enjoy the fruits of his labours. Threatened on all sides by jealous enemies within and expansionist enemies without, he now had to march once more to secure his lands, and demonstrate his worthiness. 

Ahead, the sun was cresting over the hills around the village and citadel of Tayasir, the ancient ruins beckoning to him. Whether it was a call to glory or a mirage leading to failure and doom would soon be demonstrated. 

The citadel and village of Tayasir before the armies descend upon it

This game pitched two armies against each other as both attempted to exploit the recent demise of the local warlord ruling over the town of Tayasir, which had fractured the armies he maintained between his sons, who had thrown themselves into a fratricidal conflict with reckless abandon. Both the local Saracen and Frank ruler had decided that the chaos gave them the chance to push the borders of their personal fiefdoms and enhance their positions.

Each commander in their armies had their own set of private objectives above and beyond the official objective of the game, which their allies (and opponents) were unaware of. 

The Saracen Force:

Centre Battle:

Munjid al-Zaher

A peasant who arose to power, Munjid needs to secure his position and demonstrate his leadership. Victory is his path to survival.

Objectives:

Seize the town and citadel 30 Glory

Drive back the enemy 10 Glory

Strike down enemy commanders 10 Glory each

Force:

2 units of 4 stands of Infantry

2 units of 4 stands of Archers

1 unit of 4 stands of Mamelukes

Left Battle:

Bashhar ibn Masruq

Bashhar ibn Masruq has lost everything to the ravages of marauding Franks, and he lives now only to kill as many as possible. 

Objectives:

Shatter an enemy battle 15 Glory

Destroy more enemy units than you lose 10 Glory

Slay enemy commander 10 Glory each

Force:

2 units of 3 stands of Horse Archers

1 unit of 4 stands of Arab Tribal Cavalry

1 unit of 3 stands of Mamelukes

Right Battle:

Diya al-Hawami

Diya al-Hawami is a noble, his family have been nobles for generations. Subordination to a peasant like Munjid is an insult he will not let pass. His goal is to undermine his supposed leader, and demonstrate the superiority of his noble blood. 

Objectives:

Seize the town with his own troops 10 Glory

Seize the citadel with his own troops 10 Glory

Cause more morale damage to the enemy than Munjid's troops 10 Glory

Munjid fails to take Tayasir 10 Glory

Forces:

1 unit of 4 stands of Horse Archers

1 unit of 3 stands of Arab Tribal Cavalry

2 units of 3 stands of Mamelukes

The Frankish Forces

Centre Battle:

Jean Barbet, Baron of Nabulus

Recently ascended to his position, Jean needs to demonstrate his capabilities by achieving a victory, and the seizure of Tayasir would be an unquestionable victory, providing him with glory, income and, by expanding the Kingdom's borders, allies at court. 

Objectives:

Seize the town 20 Glory

Seize the citadel 40 Glory

Destroy the infidel army 20 Glory

Forces:

2 units of 3 stands of Men at Arms

2 units of 3 stands of Archers

1 unit of 3 stands of Arbalasters (crossbowmen)

Left Battle:

Guy de Roye

A disillusioned mercenary, who came to the Holy Land to seek redemption and found none, Guy now lives only to make his limited time on the mortal plane as pleasant as possible and to punish the world for his imminent eternal damnation. 

Objectives:

Loot the town 10 Glory

Loot the citadel 10 Glory

Loot the corpses of defeated cavalry units 5 Glory

Forces:

1 unit of 4 stands of Turcopoles

1 unit of 3 stands of Mounted Men at Arms

1 unit of 2 stands of Knights

Right Battle:

Guillaume Barbet

The quintessential resentful younger sibling, Guillaume's only motive is to better his situation, avoiding the fate of being sent to the Church or a Holy Order. If his brother is to fail or fall, he can take guardianship of his nephew and rule in all but name. Unless of course his nephew came to a tragic end.

Objectives:

If the Saracens do not take Tayasir and Jean dies 50 Glory

If the Saracens do not take Tayasir and Jean flees 10 Glory

The Barbets seize Tayasir 10 Glory

His troops seize the town or citadel 15 Glory for each

Forces:

1 unit of 3 stands of Knights

1 units of 3 stands of Mounted Men at Arms

The game pitted the two forces against each other on a constrained battlefield, with the town and citadel dominating the open space between two ranges of hills. Both sides chose to be conservative with their deployments, risking neither night or dawn marches or sending out harassing forces or leaving their baggage behind. As a consequence, both forces deployed without issue and close to the centre of the field of battle. 

Fighting commenced rapidly with the Frankish left storming forward to engage, smashing into their Saracen opponents, becoming slightly disrupted as they galloped forward.

The first blows are struck, neither side gaining a clear advantage

Fighting on the Frankish right continued, with the Saracen forces bombarding the oncoming mounted men at arms with javelins and bows, inflicting heavy casualties before they managed to charge into the Arab Tribal Cavalry. Again, the fighting was indecisive, both forces suffering, but neither yet at risk of breaking.

Fighting on the Frankish right expands to encompass more troops

In the centre of the field, the advance unit of Frankish men at arms took a beating from missile fire, being left with as much disorder as they had bases. The first loss of army morale looked imminent.

An enthusiastic advance leaves the men at arms exposed, and they are punished by missile fire.

Their pain was further enhanced when the remnants of the garrison of Tayasir started lobbing crossbow quarrels into their midst. While this achieved little, the announcement of the garrison's presence was an unpleasant surprise for the commanders. 

All across the field many units pushed towards the town, while archers scrambled for positions high on the hills to gain good lines of fire. 

The northern end of the battle

The southern end of the battle. Frankish forces sweep around the citadel, concentrating on their foe rather than the ancient ruin

Fighting around the town grew in intensity, with both sides throwing forces into the fray, with the Frankish men at arms taking a beating and being left on the point of routing. 

Exposed to fire from multiple directions, the men at arms begin to waver

On the Saracen right, the tempting target of the leading unit of Knights took a hail of arrow fire, disrupting their ranks and leaving them vulnerable.

Guy de Roy's knights are left in a perilous state.

On the Saracen left, battered by the Frank knights and men at arms, the Arab tribal cavalry collapsed, breaking and running.

The devastating blow of the knights' charge shatters the first Saracen unit

In the centre, the exposed men at arms took a further fire from the defenders of the town, and broke in a gory massacre, taking a fair chunk of the Frank's army morale with them.

Bombarded from all sides, the men at arms break leaving their dead and wounded behind.

The next turn saw something of a stalemate, with both sides concentrating on bring back units from the brink, with limited maneuvering around the town as the Saracens sought to exploit gaps where they could.

Mamelukes wrap around the Frankish centre's flank. 

The momentary pause in the battle passed suddenly, with melees breaking out across the field. The Mamelukes on the Saracen right charged down the Turcoples. gaining a slight edge in the fight despite being out numbered. The Frankish knights in turn stormed into the Arab Tribal Cavalry, not having a decisive impact but gaining the upper hand.

Melees tie up the southern edge of the battle

To the north, the Frankish men at arms broke and ran, leaving Guilliaume up to his neck in Saracens, and soon appealing for his brother's aid in knocking off the disorder of and keeping him in the fight. Repeated attempts by Frankish champions to save the situation by challenging the enemy to single combat merely resulted in several brave knights being dismembered by their opponents. 

Guilliaume prepares to make his final stand against overwhelming odds.

The other unit of men at arms and the knights swept into the unit of Mamelukes, the fighting being something of a stalemate, neither side scoring a decisive blow, although the men at arms were left in a dangerous state after the beating they had taken in earlier actions.

The Mamelukes hold their own against a concerted Frankish assault

In the centre, flurries of arrows swept across the ground between the two sides, inflicting loss, but no decisive blows were struck. The local garrison continued to remind their enemies of their presence, shooting at Frank and Saracen alike. 

In response, Saracen archers pushed into the town, eventually running into a brutal hail of quarrels, which broke them and sent them fleeing. 

 Further challengers from Guilliaume's command group met their end at the hands of their Saracen opponents, and once again he had to beg for his brother's aid in dealing with his mounting disorder.

Guilliaume Barbet's position becomes close to untenable, the desertion of enemy forces notwithstanding.

Throughout the battle, both sides had been bleeding morale points with units on the point of breaking. Entering the final turn, both sides had been reduced to single digits of morale. Everyone knew it was now or never to perform great deeds. 

The turn saw a Frankish archer unit utterly destroyed, fleeing in a gory massacre, and Guilliaume Barbet falling in battle, defiant to the last. With these losses, the Frankish force was broken and fled. The Saracens were barely in a better position, with only 4 army morale remaining they would lack the resolve to besiege or storm the citadel, leaving them in control of the field, but the warlord's surviving son in charge of the town and citadel. 

The models used were from Baccus's crusades range, and the rules used were the Soldiers of God wargames rules, as ever they were a pleasure to play with, their eternal conundrums making for an excellent game.

Munjid al-Zaher sat astride his horse, watching his army morosely pick their way across the battlefield, bringing comfort to their wounded brothers in arms, rounding up prisoners and dispatching the enemy who were too far gone to be of use. All were avoiding the area around the town of Tayasir, anyone foolish enough to stray close ending up perforated with crossbow bolts. 

While he had triumphed on the field, the town would remain beyond his grasp, a task to return to another time.

At the end of the game, two commanders Bashhar ibn Masruq and Diya al-Hawami, were both on 20 Glory points, leaving them as the victors of the game, with points earned for destroying more enemy units than they lost and slaying an enemy commander and having Munjid fail to seize the town and from inflicting more morale damage than Munjid's forces respectively.

Hasan ibn Karajuk looked down upon the plains and the retreating army heading east back into Damascene territory. His elite guard in the citadel hadn't even had to draw their weapons as the two enemy forces had battered themselves apart on the plains. Now his independence was ensured, at least for a while, he could turn his mind to rebuilding his armies to ensure the next assault would fail too. 

Father had been called the terror of the valleys. Now he, Hasan, would teach anyone who opposed him would soon learn that they had never experienced terror. The prisoners his men had rounded up, Franks and Damascenes alike, were herded together in the citadel courtyard. A message would need to be sent.

The next few minutes were filled with screaming and pitiful begging.

Game Report: Sand and Fish 22nd October 1904

Aboard the Borodino, 0545 local time

The Admiral had been very clear, no vessels of any sort were to get among the fleet. After being shadowed for days by enemy cruisers, and dodging a minefield just before dusk, it was clear the Japanese were here, and that an attack was inevitable. Even one torpedo could send any ship in the 2nd Pacific Squadron to the bottom of the ocean. The mood on board was tense, the crew surly. Rumours and minor acts of insubordination were running rampant, and the Captain was concerned how he was going to keep morale up for the rest of their journey. 

He was just about to leave the bridge and get a few hours sleep when he saw a signal lamp flashing. "Sir, the Kamchatka is reporting she's being attacked!" the rating manning the signal station shouted. "Torpedo boats!" 

So it had begun.

The Setup

This game saw part of the Russian fleet, 10 warships and 2 supply ships, facing an attack by unknown numbers of Japanese torpedo boats during their long voyage from their bases in the Baltic to join the fight in the Pacific theatre, in the hours before dawn in an area littered with sandbanks and minefields. Their objective was simple, survive until dawn when visibility would improve sufficiently to allow them to drive off the attackers. Sinking any of the enemy would clearly be beneficial too. 

To complicate matters, each Captain had to roll on a table of potential traits, and each vessel had to roll on a quirk table, most of the effects were at least inconvenient, if not outright unhelpful. Each vessel had a panic statistic, high panic levels leading to various unpleasant effects, which was impacted by events on the table, traits of the ship or captain and random event cards that each turn each vessel had to draw. These had various possible effects, from simple shifts in panic levels to rumours on board to malfunctions of various levels of severity. Players also had to plot their movement orders in advance, by a single turn by default, but traits and cards could increase that, just to add further fog of war to the game. 

We used the Perfidious Albion rules from A&A Game Engineering (with some tweaks), and the models used are from Tumbling Dice's Age of Battleships range.

The Russian fleet consisted of:

Borodino - Captain trait: Precise (+10% chance to hit for any turret commanded by captain), Ship trait: "My father shall hear of this" - Noble first officer (increased chance of order misinterpretation)

Imperator Nikolai I - Captain trait: Fine Mustache (No effect), Ship trait: "My father shall hear of this"

Aurora - Captain trait: Heartless (decreased chance of quelling shipboard unrest), Ship trait: Jittery crew (chance of increased panic level increase under any panic circumstance) 

Retvisan - Captain trait: Calm under fire (chance to ignore panic level increases), Ship trait: Doom merchant (Minimum panic level increased by 1)

Sissoi Veliki - Captain trait - Fine mustache, Ship trait: Steering issues (small chance to end up stuck travelling in a particular direction)

Imperator Alexander III - Captain trait - Veteran (need to plot orders a further turn ahead), Ship trait: Doom merchant

Admiral Seniavin - Captain trait: Calm under fire, Ship trait Telegraph Issues (must plot orders an additional turn ahead)

Tsesarevich - Captain trait: Veteran, Ship trait: "My father shall hear of this"

Oslyabya - Captain trait: Calm under fire, Ship trait: Gunnery issues (Chance of turret failing randomly each turn)

Zhemchug - Captain trait: Precise, Ship trait: Unreliable searchlight (Chance of searchlight failing each turn)

SS Mersey - Captain trait: Fine mustache, Ship trait: Doom merchant

San Pablo - Captain trait: Heir to nobility (must plot orders an additional turn in advance), Ship trait: This thing works how? (random modification to any ranging estimates)

The Game

The Russian fleet steaming along as the attack begins

The Russians began in a loose line abreast, with the unarmed merchant vessels, being deemed of least value by the players, forming the flanks. In the first turn the Russians put great efforts into spotting potential incoming threats, soon identifying a minefield in their path. For some of the ships, especially those who needed to plot orders several turns in advance, this caused a degree of consternation. To further complicate matters, the Sissoi Veliki's steering failed, putting her into a slow port turn for the next few turns.

A minefield is sighted ahead, the first sure sign of enemy activity

In the gloom a Japanese torpedo boat was sighted, and every vessel able to do so opened fire on her, but even the concentrated firepower of the fleet was unable to prevent their adversary launching a spread of torpedoes. 

Waterspouts from falling shells surround the enemy vessel, as the ominous trails of torpedoes are sighted

Having launched its deadly payload, the torpedo boat slunk back into the fog bank, unfortunately for her, the prying eyes of Russian searchlights soon found her, even as vessels frantically maneuvered to avoid the incoming torpedoes. Their efforts were rewarded as no hits were achieved.

The enemy slinks away as the Russian vessels struggle to escape the spread of fish heading toward them

With the torpedo boat once again sighted, the Russian fleet again opened fire. Unfortunately, the Borodino's range finder had malfunctioned (thanks to an unlucky card draw), and instead of bracketing the torpedo boat, the guns of one of the most powerful Russian vessels in the game instead found themselves aiming at the Oslyabya, which rapidly lost one of her funnels, one of her turrets and a couple of minor guns, narrowly avoiding a catastrophic magazine explosion, while a small fire broke out on board.

The Borodino's mighty armament smashes into her sister at point blank range

As this drama played out, another torpedo boat was sighted, and took fire from several warships at point blank range, with several hits being claimed. Again, however, the vessel was able to discharge its torpedo tubes. 

The spread, however, proved poorly judged and missed all the Russian vessels in the area as the torpedo boat slunk away. In the next turn, Russian crews sighted several small areas of mines and at least one more spread of torpedoes heading their way, with vessels criss-crossing one another's wakes, collision being only narrowly avoided in some cases. To compound their difficulties, many vessels were struck with additional malfunctions, or rumours spreading onboard, ranging from torpedo strikes to Japanese boarding parties. Several vessels also faced crew strikes or outbreaks of revolutionary fervour, the Captain of the Aurora in particular making a particularly brutal example of the would be revolutionaries.

Mines and torpedoes from unseen assailants dog the Russian fleet, as confusion abounds.

Once again, the torpedo spreads proved unable to hit their targets, whether through frantic Russian maneuvering or poor dice rolls, and Russian persistence in sweeping the seas for targets was rewarded when another vessel was spotted, and moments after she launched her torpedoes she received the attention of all Russian vessels able to see her, virtually vanishing behind a wall of shell splashes.

The Japanese vessel is pummeled with fire, the Russian fleet determined to survive the night giving everything they have

Once again the Japanese torpedoes appeared cursed, but the presence of the weapons, the proximity of the enemy and some unlucky card draws led the crew of the Retvisan to panic, opening fire at random in all directions, hitting the Borodino, the SS Mersey and the enemy torpedo boat, which was also under fire from other Russian ships. 

As the Retvisan fires at anything it can sight, the majority of the Russian fleet concentrates on the Japanese torpedo boat

In the last turn, the Japanese vessels managed to slink out of sight, and the game was drawn to an end with dawn. The Russians were left to lick their wounds, and wonder how effective their attacks on the Japanese had been, but overall they were clearly pleased to have not lost a single vessel, with only a handful damaged, and only one to any serious degree.

It was at this point, that the players were informed that their efforts had resulted in the deaths of at least 2 fishermen, and wounding several more, which caused perhaps the greatest level of confusion of the game. For the reality was, there were no foes, no minefields and no torpedoes, all game the Russians had been firing at British fishing vessels, sinking one, crippling another and damaging a third. 

This game was inspired by the Dogger Bank Incident where the Russian fleet sailing to the Pacific opened fire on British fishing vessels. While less dramatic in reality (and killing only two Russians rather than the 20-35 who died in this game), the confusion levels and chaos felt true to reality. I did have to promise the players that the next game would include two sides consisting of actual combatants. Perhaps I'll even actually deliver.

Game Report: The Battle of Mihara Valley, Okinawa, July 9th 1908

0945 July 9th South of the Mihara Valley

Brigadier General Charles Spelthorne was beginning to regret putting himself at the tail of the column as they marched to their objectives. The recent rains had turned the road into quagmire, which the passage of his forces had churned into something more approaching a river. Ahead of his marching men lay a valley that the Expeditionary Force Okinawa was planning to advance up in the next few days, once the logistical mess that had taken hold since the landings were cleared up. 

Intelligence had indicated that the valley was mostly unoccupied, a few patrols or scouts had been sighted, but there was an enemy supply cache in the village and a munitions factory. Destroying these would weaken the enemy island-wide, and critically weaken their ability to supply any forces sent to oppose the eventual advance. His orders were simple, advance, find the targets, destroy them, and get out. 

Wargaming over Video

This game was, to put it mildly, an experiment. To help create a proper fog of war situation, the commanding players were in different rooms to the game table, with a camera on the table where their general's base was, giving them a view over his immediate surroundings. Otherwise they were armed with a map of the area (neither map was accurate, although the Japanese had a better one), an overview of their forces and the personalities of the commanding officers, and any reports they received as the game progressed. 

US Army HQ

Imperial Japanese Army HQ

Fortunately, our office is equipped with some very fancy video phones, which made this somewhat easier than using a laptop screen or similar would have. On the table itself, USB webcams were used (attached to separate laptops), dialed into video conferences, which allowed for people at home to join in or observe the chaos unfolding.

US Army Brigade HQ, apparently oblivious to the giant camera behind them

The models used for this game were based up for Too Fat Lardies' If The Lord Spares Us, which uses signal bases for relaying orders and expanding command radii, which in this setup were used as official messenger bases. Units could also detach bases to carry orders or reports. When these orders and reports arrived at their destinations, the orders would be received by the unit (and an obedience test would be taken to see if they were followed), or a report would be relayed to the players over an Instant Messaging tool. 

In terms of gameplay, at the start of a turn I as the umpire would announce to both teams what the time was (in game), and then take the cameras off table. With the cameras not then being able to see the "Hand of God" moving the armies around, I would carry out all moves. Once this was completed, the cameras would be replaced, any messages or new orders would then be relayed to the players. I would then carry out any combats, actions or tests for behaviour from the various units. This gave the players time to assess the situation and make decisions. Once I was finished, the process would repeat, so the players never knew how much time they would have to get things in order before time advanced again, which nicely added to the pressure and tension. 

Overall, the formula worked, even if it was surprisingly exhausting to run, and everyone enjoyed the ensuing confusion. I'd expect us to have more games like this going forward. I also got the teams to keep track of what they thought was going on live, which I used as the basis for write-ups from the  Japanese and the US perspectives. This write-up will be what was actually happening on the board.

The Forces

US Army, 2nd Brigade, 4th Division

1st and 2nd Battalions (Infantry), each of 4 companies of 3 bases

2nd Volunteer Cavalry Regiment, 3 squadrons of 3 bases

3rd Cavalry Regiment, 3 squadrons of 3 bases

2nd Field Gun Battery, 2 bases

Imperial Japanese Army, 6th Division

2nd and 4th Battalions, 23rd Infantry Regiment, each of 3 companies of 5 bases

13th Cavalry Regiment, 3 squadrons of 3 bases

2nd Battery, 6th Field Gun Regiment, 3 bases

Machine Gun Company, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3 bases

The Game

The Valley of Mihara. The Americans enter from the south (left) and the Japanese from the north (right)

The game opened up with both sides advancing along their respective entry roads towards their objectives. The US commanders set quite ambitious opening orders, aiming to push their infantry up the road to Mihara, while the 2nd Volunteer Cavalry was sent to the east to investigate tracks that had been reported by scouts drawing up their map. Unfortunately for the Americans, the commander of the 2nd Volunteer Cavalry decided his orders were too timid, and instead set off to destroy the factory, which was not far from the reported tracks.

The 2nd Volunteer cavalry depart from the main column, their commander not entirely satisfied with his orders.

Meanwhile, the Japanese forces preferred a much more cautious approach. They aimed to deploy around the village of Kihoran in the far north of the valley, establishing themselves before progressing.

Japanese forces march onto the field

It took several turns for either force to make it fully onto the field, with the American forces generally making better progress up the board, while the Japanese remained more cohesive with their slow approach. It was at this point where the first fog of war incidents started to occur. 

The 1st Battalion for the US arrived at a fork in the road which wasn't on their map, and their Colonel, being the adventurous sort decided to head off down one of the forks while reporting this to Brigade HQ. I rolled for it, and he decided to head down the eastern path. Meanwhile the 2nd Battalion, while encountering the same fork, decided instead to fan out into defensive positions and await instructions. 

1st Battalion's curiosity however, seemed to be rewarded as they spotted a village (the US map only had one on it), and proceeded into the town and started to destroy it in line with their orders. Meanwhile, the US 3rd Cavalry reached the river as ordered and sat awaiting further instructions, while the 2nd Cavalry on the far east of the table began to cross towards the factory. 

US forces advance in a broad front

Meanwhile, the Japanese forces had established themselves in Kihoran, deploying their artillery to cover their advance. They sent their cavalry forward to Mihara to check on the state of the ammunition cache. Their calm work was interrupted by the sounds of rifle fire as 1st Battalion stormed into the village of Nishigama, which led to a sudden leap into forward movement. 

The 13th Cavalry was sent to Nishigama, with the 2nd Battalion ordered to follow on behind them, while the 4th Battalion was ordered to advance south down the road using cover, while the machine guns went to the supply dump to stock up on ammunition. 

The Japanese advance, their cavalry just sighting the burning village of Nishigama

Over the next few turns, the Japanese cavalry crested the rise outside Nishigama, sighting the US 1st Battalion burning the town, and decided to attack. The US 2nd Volunteer Cavalry sighted the factory to the east of Nishigama village and set off to attack it. Meanwhile an officer sent to find 1st Battalion ended up going down the northwards fork of the road. Unfortunately for the officer, he ran into the advancing Japanese infantry and was shot before he could escape. 

Nishigama burns

The US 2nd Battalion and Japanese 4th Battalion ran into each other on the road and began a brisk firefight, initially favouring the Japanese forces. This firefight soon attracted attention from both sides' artillery batteries. 

A firefight breaks out at the fork in the road

Meanwhile, the 13th Cavalry regiment managed to catch the US 1st Battalion in the flank as they went about burning Nishigama, inflicting heavy losses and driving the Battalion up the large hill to the south. 

The Japanese cavalry smash into the disorganised 1st Battalion

From their new position on the hill, the 1st Battalion opened fire on the advancing Japanese 2nd Battalion and the 13th Cavalry, getting the better of both firefights. 

Off to the east, the US 2nd Volunteer Cavalry managed to destroy the factory in very short order. Upon completing this task they sighted the Japanese 13th Cavalry and proceeded to attack, hitting the Japanese very hard and rapidly pushing them back through the burning village.

A confused fight fills Nishigama, with the 2nd Volunteer Cavalry battering apart their Japanese equivalents

Their success, however, was short lived by and large as two squadrons got caught up in close fighting with the infantry of the Japanese 2nd Battalion, which shattered the squadrons. Their remaining squadron, with their Colonel in tow, would batter the Japanese cavalry and push them right back to the fork in the road before the final Japanese squadron shattered. 

The firefight at the fork had continued, with the Americans taking heavy losses and generally getting the worst of things before their artillery began to hammer the Japanese 4th Battalion.

Artillery fire descends upon the 4th Battalion

This made the fight increasingly close, even with the Japanese machine guns firing into the 2nd Battalion, even though the 2nd Battalion was eventually, and very reluctantly on the part of their Colonel, forced to withdraw with two companies effectively shattered. 

To support 2nd Battalion, the US 3rd Cavalry was ordered to redeploy, which they did, moving to positions behind the riverbank and dismounting. The 2nd Battalion fell back through them. 

3rd Cavalry deploys to protect the retreating 2nd Battalion

Once the cavalry fight had moved off to the west, the Japanese 2nd and US 1st Battalions had settled into a firefight. The US forces had taken more of a mauling in the fighting thus far, so decided to withdraw south, having as they saw it, completed their objective. On the western flank, the last remaining 2nd Volunteer Cavalry squadron attempted to charge the Japanese Machine Gun Company, came under heavy fire and swiftly re-thought their strategy, withdrawing south and out of harm's way.

US 1st Battalion withdraws out of sight of the Japanese 2nd Battalion

After receiving a report from the 1st Battalion that they had destroyed Mihara village, and having previously received a report confirming the destruction of the factory, the US forces chose to withdraw. As no Japanese forces were in position to interfere at that moment, we called the game there. 

Results

As things stood at the end of the game, the Americans had destroyed the factory they were sent to destroy (although the identification as a munitions plant was incorrect, it was in fact a textiles factory) and a village that did not contain a supply cache, while the Japanese had their supplies and had held the field so could dig in to face the expected advance. 

In terms of losses, the US 2nd Volunteer Cavalry had taken a severe mauling, with two squadrons shattered and forced to withdraw and a third having taken pretty heavy losses in sustained fighting with the Japanese cavalry and from coming under machine-gun fire. Most of the men who had fled could probably be rounded up, but their morale would likely be shaky. The 1st Battalion had taken light losses, but was otherwise combat effective. 2nd Battalion, however, was entirely spent, having taken over 50% losses by base count. 

On the Japanese side, the 4th Battalion was in a bad state, at least 40% losses, and the 13th Cavalry Regiment was essentially destroyed. Some survivors could probably be rounded up, but probably no more than two under-strength squadrons' worth. The 2nd Battalion had taken some losses too, but not enough to put it out of action. 

While both sides had suffered roughly comparable losses, the Japanese had achieved their objectives, so were declared the victors.

Afterthoughts

It was interesting seeing the different approaches taken in this game by both sides. The Japanese kept their forces very tight during the entire game, only losing contact with and control over the cavalry and 2nd Battalion when they sent them to seize Nishigama. This had the advantage of them having a better handle on their force's location and activities, but at the price of leaving their left flank basically unguarded all game. At one point it looked like the US 2nd Volunteer Cavalry might sweep right around their positions and hit their artillery and command stand. As it was, the 2nd Volunteer Cavalry did end up launching an attack into their flank which nearly cost the Japanese the game.

Meanwhile, the US made full use of the table, giving their forces much more aggressive orders. This nearly paid off with the aforementioned attack of the 2nd Volunteer Cavalry, but did mean that for a high proportion of the game, the US commanders had an at best sketchy view of where their troops were or what they were doing. 

Overall, the experiment went very well, and I can see this becoming an occasional special event in our wargaming calendar. After all, the US forces are expecting to advance through a valley protected, at worst, by some unsupplied troops in the not too distant future...

The rules used for the game were a heavily cut down version of the Too Fat Lardies If the Lord Spares Us, and the miniatures were a mixture of Russo-Japanese War, Boer War and World War One miniatures from Pendraken Miniatures.

Report for the Action of 9th July, 1908

To: General Trent, CinC US Forces Okinawa
From: Brigadier General Spelthorne, 2nd Brigade 4th Division US Army

Sir,

I submit for your review my report on the actions of my forces in the Hira Falls Valley on the 9th of July, 1908. Our orders were to advance into the valley and destroy an identified enemy munitions cache in the village of Mihara and an enemy armaments factory. Our advance to the valley began at 0800 from the landing grounds, taking two hours for our forces to begin arriving. 

2nd Volunteer Cavalry Regiment were the first unit to deploy, entering the valley at 1000, ordered to move east of the road into the valley to investigate tracks reported by scouts. 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 2nd Brigade (Infantry) continued their advance up the road, followed by the 2nd Field Gun Battery and 3rd Cavalry Regiment ordered to provide flank protection. 

By 1015, our infantry units were approximately halfway between the entrance of the valley and the dried up riverbed, approximately 750 yards from the riverbed. 2nd Vol. Cavalry should have reached the tracks on the far side of the riverbed. In expectation of soon being able to sight Mihara village, I ordered the 2nd Field Gun Battery to move west of the road until line of sight could be established. To ensure the security of 2nd Field Gun Battery, orders were send to the 2nd Battalion to establish defensive positions to protect the guns. 

At 1030, a runner from 1st Battalion reached the Brigade HQ, reporting encountering an expected fork in the road to Mihara and requesting instructions. A runner from 2nd Battalion also arrived shortly after, reporting the same fork. Orders were sent for 1st Battalion to advance along the left fork in the road, and to 3rd Cavalry to advance along the right fork. 

At 1040 an order was sent to 2nd Cavalry to send a Squadron with Colonel Jackson III to investigate the reported tracks, while sending the other two Squadrons in the Regiment to advance on the factory. 

At 1050, a runner from 1st Battalion reported they had engaged the enemy. In response to this, I ordered 2nd Battalion to advance north in a defensive triangle formation to support 1st Battalion. Shortly after receiving those orders, 2nd Battalion reported coming under effective fire from the enemy. It was clear at this point that 1st Battalion was not in the position expected. Lieutenant Werner, who had been sent with orders for 1st Battalion along the left fork, did not return to our lines, and has not been seen since the engagement, and is presumed captured or killed. 

The firefight between 2nd Battalion and the enemy continued for approximately 15 minutes. With losses mounting, and 2nd Field Gun Battery being unable to sight the village of Mihara, I directed them to provide supporting fire on the enemy engaging 2nd Battalion. They ranged in good time and were soon firing for effect. Fire onto 2nd Battalion slackened noticeably after the artillery began firing. Enemy artillery ranging shots started to land around 2nd Battalion. 

The lack of contact with 1st Battalion and 3rd Cavalry Regiment was of significant concern at this point. A further order was sent to 3rd Cavalry at 1120 to move west to support 2nd Battalion. At 1125, an officer was dispatched to locate and get a report from 2nd Volunteer Cavalry in an attempt to gain a greater understanding of the current situation. 

At 1130, we sighted forces on the large hill east of 2nd Battalion, which were presumed to be 3rd Cavalry. The enemy's artillery ceased firing around this time, having ranged in on 2nd Battalion but managed to being a barrage. It was surmised that either 2nd Volunteer Cavalry or 1st Battalion had threatened or silenced the guns.

At 1135, 3rd Cavalry deployed south of the riverbed, dismounted and took up a defensive posture. A runner from 2nd Battalion also arrived, conveying their unwillingness and inability to withdraw despite the enemy presence and coming under machine gun fire. 3rd Cavalry was ordered to advance, locate the machine guns and silence them. A report was received from 2nd Volunteer Cavalry, reporting the destruction of the factory and that they were preparing to engage enemy forces and would be unable to detach squadrons to investigate the tracks. 

At 1140, an officer was sent to identify the forces on the large hill east of 2nd Battalion who appeared to be moving south in a defensive manner, maintaining a watch to the north. 2nd Battalion, despite their early refusal to do so, now was forced to withdraw, with heavy losses, across the riverbed and behind 3rd Cavalry. 

At 1150, a group of cavalry, at the time believed to be 3rd Cavalry, but later identified as 2nd Volunteer Cavalry, were sighted at the fork in the road, engaged in combat with Japanese cavalry, whom they soon put to flight. The cavalry attempted to follow up, but were engaged by machine guns and forced to withdraw. 

At 1155, 1st Battalion managed to get a runner to headquarters, reporting they had destroyed the village of Mihara. With no enemy forces engaging ours at the time, and having taken significant losses, with our objectives achieved, I ordered a general withdrawal, which was completed without further loss.

In summary, our forces destroyed the village of Mihara, and any supplies contained within, and the munitions factory, destroying one enemy cavalry regiment and inflicting heavy losses on at least two infantry battalions. It is also possible that the enemy artillery was caught in the barrage fired and was either destroyed or forced to withdraw. Enemy losses are unknown, but assumed to be heavy. No prisoners were taken. 

Our losses amounted to approximately 950 men killed, wounded or missing, plus approximately 200 horses. No heavy equipment was lost. Our forces returned to friendly lines and are reorganizing. I anticipate all units will be combat ready within 12 hours, although 2nd Volunteer Cavalry has taken heavy losses in both men and horses and will be unable to field more than 2 Squadrons. 2nd Battalion has been reduced to an effective strength of three companies, all slightly under-strength. 

I trust you find the results of our operation and this report meets your standards.

Brig. Gen. Spelthorne

After Action Report and Force Assessment, 6th Division for the Actions of 1908-07-09

General Kuroki,

It is my solemn duty and honour to submit to you here the report of the actions of His Imperial Majesty's 6th Division for our actions against the invaders in Mihara Valley on 1908-07-09. At your wise direction, our forces were to advance into the valley, eliminate any invaders encountered and establish a defensive position along the line of the Tedori-gawa.

Our forces arrived in the valley from the North at approximately 1000, our intention being to establish a secure position in Kihoran, deploying the 2nd Battery 6th Field Artillery Regiment there to cover our advance to the river.

Once our position had been established and organised, the 13th Cavalry Regiment was ordered to move to Mihara and report on the status of the ammunition and supply dump, while the infantry remained in defensive positions around Kihoran. At 1035, rifle fire was heard in the distance, our first confirmation that the invaders were operating in the area.

In response to the fire, I sent order to 13th Cavalry Regiment to move to secure Nishigama (East of Mihara) and ordered 4th Battalion to advance along the road to the south while remaining in cover with orders to engage any enemy who fired upon them.

At 1045, a report was received from the 13th Cavalry that they had located the munitions cache, so I ordered the machine gun company to advance to resupply and sent orders to the 2nd Battalion to follow and support 13th Cavalry. Shortly thereafter, at approximately 1050, 13th Cavalry reported sighting fires ahead of their advance. 4th Battalion also reported that they had killed an enemy scout advancing up the road to Mihara.

At 1100, 4th Battalion reported contact with enemy forces, and that they were inflicting significant losses, around the fork in the road just north of the Tedori-gawa. While this firefight continued, smoke was sighted to the South East beyond the Tedori-gawa, presumed the result of some enemy action. I ordered the 2nd Battery to fire on the approximate location of the smoke.

As 4th Battalion reported increasing casualties, I sent orders for 2nd Battalion to move west to support them and pressure the enemy flank, and for the Machine Gun Company to move South and provide fire support.

During this time, there had been no response from 13th Cavalry to repeated requests for status reports, but at 1125 a message was finally received reporting they had driven enemy infantry out of Nishigama and had sighted enemy cavalry, which they were planning to engage. Enemy artillery began firing on 4th Battalion, whose losses continued to mount, but were unable to pull back.

At 1130, I ordered the 2nd Battery to advance to Mihara to restock their ammunition supply. The firefight between 4th Battalion continued. 13th Cavalry reported being forced back by enemy cavalry and requested support. I sent orders for them to fall back behind the machine gun company who were now in position and engaging the enemy.

4th Battalion reported at 1135 that they were driving in the enemy position ahead of them, but still taking effective artillery fire, which forced them to withdraw at 1145 with heavy losses. At 1155, 2nd Battalion reported driving off enemy cavalry forces, while 4th Battalion arrived in Mihara and reported that they were combat ineffective. By the time 2nd Battalion were able to move to the identified enemy positions, they had retreated leaving the field to us. We were subsequently able to dig in along the Tedori-gawa and surrounding hills.

Before withdrawing, the invaders destroyed the village of Nishigama, which has been completely burned. The nearby textile factory has also been destroyed. The reasoning behind these acts of barbarism is unclear.

The status of our units at the end of the actions were as follows:

2nd Battalion 23rd Infantry Regiment - Light losses, in position in trenches along the Tedori-gawa
4th Battalion 23rd Infantry Regiment - Heavy losses, unit combat ineffective. Resting in Mihara.
Requires rotating off the line and a replacement unit as reserves for 2nd Battalion to make the position effective.
Machine Gun Company 23rd Infantry Regiment - One weapon disabled, requires maintenance crew to bring back into action. Deployed in defensive positions along the Tedori-gawa.
13th Cavalry Regiment - Regiment scattered, heavy losses in both men and horses. Cannot be considered a viable combat unit.
2nd Battery 6th Field Artillery Regiment - Resupplied and ready for action, full strength.

Our losses amounted to approximately 600 killed, wounded and missing, while we believe enemy losses amounted to at at least 1100. We took approximately 150 prisoners, two thirds of whom are wounded.

I trust this report from your humble servant meets your expectations, and ask only to continue to serve the Empire.

General Kotohito, commanding 6th Division

Outremer Warband: Brother Karl the Flaggelist

Warband Leader: Brother Karl the Flaggelist

Brother Karl the Flaggelist is the second son of a minor noble from Saxony, who left home at 15 to travel to the Holy Land. He joined the Templar Order soon after arriving having witnessed a raid on a pilgrim group being stopped by the Order. He has risen fast, driven by a doubtless zeal and faith, although more senior knights are concerned about his occasional violent outbursts. He will willingly admit that wrath is his greatest sin, but also claims he make it into a virtue by unleashing it on the infidels.

Traits:

Large Build

Hard to Kill

Aggressive Fighter

Sergeant Recruit: Helmut Janson

Helmut joined Karl on his journey from Saxony as a loyal retainer and long-time friend. He has not taken well to life in the Order, generally avoiding all people except Karl.

Traits:

Loner

Dodge

Sergeant Recruit: John of Winchester

John of Winchester has been in the Holy Land for only a few years, having joined the Order in England and travelling over in company of an English member of the Order who recently died in a skirmish. Having seen Harl's enthusiasm for battle as a chance for revenge and the fast rising knight as a ticket to fulfill his own ambitions he has joined the warband. 

Traits:

Fast Learner

Agile

Chaplain: Silvius the Penitent

Sivlius is a man with a troubled past. He fled Florence after being accused of stealing from his flock. His reputation has not yet reached the Holy Land where he is simply another priest who came on pilgrimage never to leave.

Traits:

Sneaky

He who lives by the sword

Healer