BLACK POWDER. Germantown, 4.10.1777 - Western part.

This time, Michael has prepared a mini-campaign centred around the Battle of Germantown, which took place on October 4, 1777. However, he presents it in a slightly different format. This campaign follows a "what-if" style and breaks down the battle into three smaller engagements that occur simultaneously, each influencing the final, fourth clash. We will be using the Black Powder rules for the game, along with a few house rules created by Michael.

SCENARIO: Michael Schneider
UMPIRING: Michael Schneider

SCENERY: Michael Schneider, Bartek Żynda, SESWC

FIGURES & MODELS: Michael Schneider

1. Forces.

UNITED KINGDOM

(Alasdair, Jimmy)

CinC (8)

2 x Hessian Line

1 x Hessian Grenadiers

2 x Hessian Jaegers

1 x Medium Gun

POSSIBLE REINFORCEMENTS:

2 x Commander (8)

4 x British Line

UNITED STATES

(Bartek, David)

CinC (8)

1st Brigade

Brigade General (8)

3 x Militia

1 x Light Gun

2nd Brigade

Brigade General (8)

3 x Militia

POSSIBLE REINFORCEMENTS:

3 x Dragoons

2 x Light Guns

2. The game.

The main objective was for both sides to pin each other down, preventing reinforcements from reaching the forces engaged in the final major battle. I set an additional goal: to draw in as many British reserve units as possible, weakening the opponent for that final clash. Additionally, I could easily deploy a dragoon unit from the reserves; however, since Michael only had one painted unit, I was limited to fielding just that one. If it had broken through, it would have posed a significant problem for my opponent. 

I set up the table in the wrong orientation, aiding the British.

I was also concerned that the Hessians might retreat to their own table edge and wait for the militia to join them—a scenario that, combined with the Hessians' superior training, would have presented serious trouble for me. Fortunately, that did not happen.

The Hessians began the game marching in a column along the road, just as we did, but on the opposite side of a small stream. To prevent the enemy from retreating to the edge of the field, I ordered my troops (the 2nd Brigade) and David's troops (the 1st Brigade) to cross the stream and slowly advance against the Hessian units. My Brigade moved toward the woods where Jimmy's Jägers were concealed. At the same time, David faced a more challenging situation, as he had to confront two battalions of line infantry led by Alasdair. Meanwhile, the British divided their forces into two groups: the Grenadiers fell back to the edge of the field to cover the Jägers, while Alasdair advanced with the remaining troops toward David's Brigade.

After an initial exchange of fire, one of Alasdair's units charged at David's militia unit with fixed bayonets. What happened next was unbelievable: David's unit withstood the initial assault and, after a prolonged engagement, defeated the Hessian unit, completely routing it. Alasdair now found himself in a difficult situation; David advanced on the isolated commander with his remaining units, forcing him back toward the edge of the field. Dragoons also entered the fray but failed to engage. They first made a blunder that forced them to retreat, then botched a series of orders, which frustrated me.

At the same time, my Brigade charged the Jägers hidden in the woods. After a prolonged exchange of gunfire and a final charge by one of my militia units, I routed both enemy detachments. Now, two of my units moved toward the edge of the forest, threatening to cut the Hessian troops off from their own lines. Meanwhile, another unit advanced to support David in eliminating Alasdair. Alasdair.

Disrupted by our musket fire, Alasdair was slowly retreating toward the edge of his table and was forced to abandon his cannon. Eventually, a blunder exposed his flank to David's unit. What followed was a textbook example of battlefield chaos. First, David fired at point-blank range but inflicted no serious damage. Then he ordered his troops to charge the flank, but they did not understand. I issued the same order, and it failed just the same. Finally, I ordered the dragoons to cut Alasdair off from the edge, but again, the order was not carried out. I haven't seen a round like that in a long time.

Not everything went exactly as I had envisioned. My militia positioned at the edge of the woods prompted Jimmy to call for reinforcements, specifically a unit of British line infantry. While Alasdair's unit was lost and certainly cut off from the final game, the Hessian and British grenadiers could still participate. At that point, I decided to implement a "Death or Glory" style attack. My militia charged at the Hessians and engaged them in hand-to-hand combat. We didn't resolve the fight before the game ended, so all the units involved remained locked in that sector and couldn't participate in the final, decisive battle. The plan succeeded, and we achieved far more than we expected. We will play the next game in three weeks, this time north of Germantown. We shall see if Washington makes the same mistakes.

Here is an overview of the battlefield after we completed the game:

3. Links.

SESWC:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/631841809210352

FLICKR:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720335831520

SONG ABOUT THE GAME:

https://suno.com/s/PRPDeIFTsEfVIMpq

GODS OF WAR: TOGO. Santiago de Cuba, 3.07.1898.

My last game featured some newly painted models set in Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish-American War of 1898. In the actual battle, the Spanish fleet was decimated, while American losses were minimal. However, to make things more interesting, I gave the Spanish a fighting chance and adjusted the scenario slightly. You can read about how it all turned out in my battle report. We used Gods of War: Togo rules for the game. 

SCENARIO: Bartek Żynda
UMPIRING: Bartek Żynda

SCENERY: Michael Schneider, Bartek Żynda, SESWC

FIGURES & MODELS: Bartek Żynda

1. Forces.

US NAVY

(Andy, Tim) 

USS Vixen

USS Brooklyn (flagship)

USS Texas

USS Iowa

USS Oregon

USS Indiana

USS Gloucester

ARMADA ESPAÑOLA

(Alasdair, David, Jimmy)

Infanta María Teresa

Vizcaya

Cristóbal Colón

Almirante Oquendo

Furor, Plutón

Morro Castle battery (2 x Ordóñez 305 mm) 

Before the game, Jimmy, portraying Vice Admiral Cervera, received a secret telegram about the arrival of reinforcements. Here is its content:

URGENT TELEGRAM — MADRID

3 JULY 1898

TO: VICE-ADMIRAL CERVERA, SANTIAGO DE CUBA

REAR ADMIRAL CÁMARA, WITH PELAYO AND EMPERADOR CARLOS V, WILL APPROACH SANTIAGO TODAY.

YOU ARE ORDERED TO PUT TO SEA IMMEDIATELY AND JOIN CÁMARA'S SQUADRON.

THEREAFTER, BOTH SQUADRONS ARE TO BREAK THROUGH THE ENEMY BLOCKADE, LEAVE CUBAN WATERS, MINIMISE LOSSES AND HARASS UNITED STATES COMMERCIAL SHIPPING AND TRADE ROUTES.

AVOID UNNECESSARY ENGAGEMENTS WITH SUPERIOR ENEMY FORCES. PRESERVE THE SQUADRONS FOR FURTHER OPERATIONS.

DO NOT DELAY.

BY ORDER OF THE MINISTRY OF MARINE.

From Turn 2, roll a D6. On a 6, it appears in the centre of the opposite table edge. If not, on Turn 3 it appears on a 5 or 6, and so on. 

2. The Game.

The forces were evenly matched. The Spanish began to gradually exit the strait leading to Santiago; however, despite my warnings, they failed to maintain proper spacing—an oversight that would soon prove costly. As they slowly cleared the channel, the Americans opened fire on the Spanish ships. Vice Admiral Cervera's flagship, the Infanta María Teresa, was the first target. She quickly suffered significant damage; one shell struck the rudder, causing the ship—still moving at full speed—to veer toward the Cuban coast and the rocky shoreline.

As early as the second turn, Admiral Câmara's squadron, under my command, appeared at the centre of the battlefield. We opened fire on the American ships, specifically targeting the USS Brooklyn and the USS Vixen. While our attacks successfully ignited a fire on the American yacht, the shells fired at the American cruiser only stripped away its paint, causing no significant damage.

The Spanish ships moved into open waters, gradually closing the distance to the American vessels. An exchange of fire quickly broke out between the Spanish torpedo boats and the second American yacht, the USS Gloucester. In the actual battle, the American ship sank both torpedo boats. However, in our version, the outcome was different—the USS Gloucester was the first vessel to be sunk in the engagement. This initial success made it appear that things were looking promising for the Spanish. But that was only an illusion.

Insufficient spacing and uncoordinated movement began to hinder the Spanish fleet. The Cristóbal Colón, commanded by Alasdair, turned to starboard and rammed the Vizcaya, commanded by David, which was positioned to its right, causing the latter to sink. This incident was just the beginning of the tragedy.

The American ships advanced decisively, throwing the Spanish fleet into disarray. With their superior capabilities, the Americans quickly gained the upper hand. They began by sinking the Spanish torpedo boats, then redirected their fire at the Spanish cruisers, causing fires and flooding. The situation soon became critical for the Spanish.

The USS Indiana tried to ram the Almirante Oquendo, but the Spanish ship miraculously avoided the manoeuvre. Unfortunately, it ended up directly in the line of fire of the American battleship's guns. The outcome was inevitable, and yet another Spanish ship sank.

Alasdair then continued his ramming exploits with the cruiser Cristóbal Colón. He first attempted to ram the USS Indiana, but the American ship evaded the Spanish vessel; however, the manoeuvre that failed against the USS Indiana succeeded against the USS Iowa. The American ship miraculously avoided sinking, while the Spanish vessel remained afloat.

Meanwhile, the duel between my squadron and the American left flank continued. Although my shells failed to inflict significant damage on the American ships, their fire eventually found my flagship. The Pelayo took a torpedo hit, causing a hull breach and uncontrollable flooding; ultimately, the ship capsized to starboard and sank. The other Spanish vessels remained afloat—the Infanta Maria Teresa managed to repair her rudder—but the combat damage she sustained was severe enough that she would likely have been forced to do what happened in reality: run aground on the rocks. As for the Cristóbal Colón, American battleships surrounded it and would have forced it to surrender or sunk it in subsequent turns. The only vessel that would have surely escaped the battlefield was the Emperador Carlos V. As a result, the battle ended in an even greater defeat for the Spanish fleet, though this time the American losses were significant: one ship was sunk and another, the USS Iowa, was heavily damaged.

3. Links.

SESWC:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/631841809210352

FLICKR:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720335704892

SONG ABOUT THE GAME:

https://suno.com/s/P7zi0QSItFdtsUKM

BATTLEGROUP BAGRATION: Malinova 22.07.1944 - second times.

Today, I'm excited to share a battle report from a game I previously enjoyed. This report focuses on the fight for the village of Malinova in Latvia during 1944, a clash described in Otto Carius's memoirs. Since my last experience with this skirmish, I've gained a deeper understanding of what happened, so I decided to play it again and make the scenario more historically accurate. We used the Battlegroup rules again, but this time we incorporated the Bagration supplement.

SCENARIO: Bartek Żynda
UMPIRING: Bartek Żynda

SCENERY:  Michael Schneider, Bartek Żynda, SESWC

FIGURES & MODELS: Bartek Żynda

1. Forces.

SOVIETS

(Bartek, Michael)

41. Tank Brigade

1 x T-34/85 (Senior Officer)

3rd Battalion

1st Company

1 x T-34/85 (Officer)

1st Platoon

1 x T-34/85 (Officer)

2 x T-34/85

2nd Platoon

1 x T-34/85 (Officer)

2 x T-34/85

3rd Platoon

1 x T-34/85 (Officer)

2 x T-34/85

 

48th Guard Heavy Tank Regiment

 1st Platoon

1 x IS-2 (Officer)

2 x IS-2

REINFORCEMENTS:

(turn 6)

41. Tank Brigade

3rd Battalion

2nd Company

1st Platoon

1 x T-34/85 (Officer)

2 x T-34/85

GERMANS

(Andy, Alasdair, Jimmy)

Sturmgeschütz-Brigade 912

1st Battery

1 x StuG III (Officer)

2 x StuG III

2nd Battery

1 x StuG III (Officer)

2 x StuG III

2. Kompanie / schwere Panzer-Abteilung 502

1 x Pz.Kpfw. VI Tiger (Senior Officer - turn 5)

1st Platoon (turn 2)

1 x Pz.Kpfw. VI Tiger (Otto Carius - Panzer Ace, Officer)

1 x Pz.Kpfw. VI Tiger (Albert Kerscher - Panzer Ace, Officer)

2nd Platoon (turn 5)

1 x Pz.Kpfw. VI Tiger (Officer)

1 x Pz.Kpfw. VI Tiger 

3rd Platoon (turn 5)

1 x Pz.Kpfw. VI Tiger (Officer)

1 x Pz.Kpfw. VI Tiger 

2. The game.

This month marks my blog's 15th anniversary. The actual date is September 21st, but I decided to celebrate the occasion a bit early. The best way to do that was to replay a game I once played against Campbell. Back then, I commanded the Germans and was overwhelmed by Soviet tanks. Now, I'm sharing the second instalment of that game with you. You can find a link to the first instalment at the end of this report.

The village of Malinova lies along a critical route between Daugavpils and Pskov, serving as a defensive line protecting Riga, a city of strategic importance for both sides. In July, the Soviet 5th Tank Corps tried to create a rift in the 16th Army, aiming to capture Daugavpils and then advance toward Riga. Otto Carius's tanks engaged the corps' spearhead, the 41st Tank Brigade, there.

An important detail I initially overlooked regarding the Soviet tanks was that this unit had just received new T-34/85 models. Previously, they had operated M3 Lees and lacked adequate training on the new vehicles. In fact, many of the crews were fresh 19-year-old recruits with no training whatsoever. To reflect this disadvantage, I assigned a -1 penalty to hits for every Soviet tank. Additionally, some crew members were outside their tanks when the attack commenced; only the sentries stationed in front of the village were at their posts, while the rest of the crew was dismounted. I used some tank crew figures I painted long ago but never actually used. Since the tanks' first action involved the crews climbing inside, I treated this as part of the movement phase.

The game began with the StuGs of the 912th Brigade, led by Andy. Lately, Andy has been struggling with his dice rolls, consistently rolling low numbers. Unfortunately, this time was no different; he had very few available orders, which made it challenging to activate all his vehicles. Despite these difficulties, a few of his shots hit their targets, setting several T-34s ablaze.

Michael, commanding the Soviet tanks in the village, had to act quickly. His crews swiftly returned to their vehicles and opened fire on the German StuGs, successfully destroying one of the enemy tanks. Meanwhile, at the other end of the village, two Tiger tanks appeared. A platoon led by two tank aces, Carius and Kerscher, had just launched its attack, and Jimmy was commanding it.

A close-range battle broke out; the German tanks swiftly destroyed several Soviet tanks. However, the Soviets retaliated in the following turn, taking out both German tanks. Otto Carius was wounded a few days earlier than he was in actual history. It seemed the Germans would fail once again, as the Soviets on the western flank began eliminating the StuGs one by one.

Soon, Andy was forced to withdraw his last remaining vehicle, and his game—like Jimmy's—ended. Then Alasdair joined the battle with his fresh Tigers. Michael fought bravely, even destroying several German tanks, with the IS tanks and their 122mm guns leading the charge. However, a major issue emerged: the Soviets were running low on ammunition. As a result, the Soviet tanks had to seek cover while the Germans began a slow advance.

That was when my 2nd Battalion platoon entered the battle. I launched a charge with three T-34/85 tanks against Alasdair's Tigers, but it ended in spectacular failure. My tanks likely couldn't hit the broad side of a barn at close range, but Alasdair picked them off one by one with deadly precision. The battle was over; out of ammunition, the Soviets were forced to withdraw.

In this battle, the Soviet Union lost 11 T-34 tanks, while the Germans lost 5 StuG IIIs and 4 Tigers. It was a costly German victory.

Finally, you can view the battlefield from an aerial perspective—an element that will likely appear regularly from now on.

3. Links.

SESWC:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/631841809210352

PREVIOUS GAME:

https://asienieboje.blogspot.com/2015/01/malinova-1944.html

FLICKR:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720335655487

SONG ABOUT THE GAME:

https://suno.com/s/90juspnuQ8mIw2Mk