Blood Red Skies: Bombing attack on Churchill's Secret Cigar House.

After the British nearly succeeded in bombing Goering's headquarters, it was time for revenge. The Germans decided to bomb the secret location where Churchill kept his finest cigars. The entire game was played using the Blood Red Skies rules.

SCENARIO: Tim Chant
UMPIRING: Tim Chant

SCENERY: SESWC

FIGURES & MODELS: Tim Chant, Michael Schneider, Bartek Żynda

1. Forces.

RAF

(Bartek, Ben, Tim)

1st Squadron (British)

3 x Mosquito (1 x 4, 2 x 3)

2nd Squadron (British)

4 x Spitfire (1 x 5 Johnson, 1 x 4, 1 x 3, 1 x 2)

3rd Squadron (Polish)

3 x Hurricane (1 x 4, 1 x 3, 1 x 2)

LUFTWAFFE

(Jimmy, Michael)

1st Squadron

3 x Focke-Wulf FE-190 (1 x 5 Marsellitte, 2 x 3)

2nd Squadron

3 x Focke-Wulf FE-190 (2 x 4, 1 x 3)

3rd Squadron

3 x Messerschmitt Bf 109 E (1 x 4, 2 x 3)

Bombing Squadron

3 x Ju 88A (3 x 3)

2. The Game.

In our game, the Germans were assigned the mission to bomb a secret location: Churchill's best cigar warehouse. We utilised beta cards from the Blood Red Skies Facebook group, which provided modifications to the planes' capabilities. As a result, the Hurricanes became a formidable weapon.

In the RAF, we had three pilots: Ben in Spitfires, Tim in Mosquitoes, and I in Hurricanes. On the opposing side, Jimmy commanded both squadrons of Focke-Wulfs, while Michael led the rest.

The first to clash were the Spitfires and the Focke-Wulfs. Despite their numerical superiority, the Germans were unable to gain an advantage. The Spitfires engaged the more advanced German aircraft, but one of the German pilots, their ace, managed to break through the British lines and reach the Mosquitoes that were attacking the German bombers. There, however, he was met with a surprise when one of the Spitfires turned around and shot him down.

On the opposite side of the battlefield, Polish Hurricanes were engaging with Messerschmitts. Initially, the Poles pressed their attack vigorously, but soon their momentum slowed. Both sides began to approach one another at a minimal speed. Eventually, the Poles accelerated, managed to position themselves on the tails of the Germans, shot down one of the planes, and forced the others to retreat.

The German bombers were left without cover. The Focke-Wulfs were too far away, and the Messerschmitts were driven off. As a result, the Mosquitoes were able to strafe the German bombers with little resistance, and soon, one bomber was shot down. Following this, Spitfires and Hurricanes joined the assault. It was evident that the Germans, being outmatched, would fail in bombing the secret cigar stash of the British Prime Minister.

3. Links.

SESWC:

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

FLICKR:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720326958441

Rebels and Patriots: The French Ruins.

Unfortunately, the blog has fallen behind again. The routine of daily life took over, and I couldn't devote the time needed to writing. However, it's time to catch up, and in this entry, I will describe last week's game. Following the success of our previous game, we decided to continue our adventure using the Rebels and Patriots rules. I postponed my own game to a later date and joined Mike's game, featuring his wonderful 60mm scale collection from the French and Indian War.

SCENARIO: Mike Evans
UMPIRING: Mike Evans

SCENERY: Mike Evans, SESWC

FIGURES & MODELS: Mike Evans

1. Forces.

FRENCH

(Bartek, David, Jimmy, Michael)

3 x Officer

1 x Regular Infantry Unit (Veteran)

2 x Regular Infantry Unit (Good Shooter)

1 x Light Infantry Unit (Veteran)

2 x Light Infantry Unit (Good Shooter)

2 x Light Infantry Unit

3 x Skirmisher Unit (Veteran, Good Shooter, Aggressive)

1 x Medium Gun

BRITISH

(Alasdair, Andy, Mike, Tim, Peter)

4 x Officers

1 x Shock Infantry Unit (Veteran) 

4 x Regular Infantry Unit (Veteran, Large)

2 x Regular Infantry Unit (Veteran)

1 x Regular Infantry Unit (Large, Green)

2 x Militia Infantry Unit

2 x Skirmisher Unit (Veteran, Good Shooter)

1 x Native Unit (Large, Aggressive)

1 x Native Unit (Aggressive)

2. The Game.

In our game, the British forces were assigned the mission of capturing the ruins defended by French troops. They chose to launch a direct assault on the centre, using a strong concentration of both regular and militia soldiers. On the flanks, light infantry and native forces also attacked. However, the assault on our right was not intended to be a flanking manoeuvre; it was meant as a direct attack on the centre. This unusual strategy did not raise our suspicions, which could have led to significant consequences for us in the future.

The French had stationed a combination of regular and light forces in front of the ruins. The Indians were launching their attacks from the woods, where they would engage the British light forces. The British attack was led by Peter, who faced resistance from a skirmish unit commanded by Jimmy. In the centre, the British regular forces were under Tim's command, while colonial forces were led by Alasdair. They confronted Jimmy's light forces and my regular troops. Our right flank was protected by Michael's light forces, which were supported by a cannon. The immediate defence of the ruins was the responsibility of one of my regular units.

As both sides advanced through the forests, Jimmy positioned his forces at a safe distance. In the centre, the British troops and their supporting colonists began to move forward, but they faced accurate fire from our muskets. This effectively forced the advancing troops to retreat quickly. One of the British forces' disadvantages was that they were concentrated in a small area, leading to significant losses. Additionally, the attack by Andy's light troops on our right flank compelled our forward units to fall back slowly.

Reinforcements soon arrived. First, the French were supported by three large and aggressive Indian units, which launched an attack on Peter's troops in the forest, slowly pushing them back to their initial positions. British regular forces landed on our right flank from the lake, explaining why Andy focused his attack on the centre rather than our flank. The situation for our units began to grow serious, and some of our commanders showed signs of panic, but these were quickly contained. Both groups brought along an officer with them.

My regular troops were forced to retreat to the ruins due to the British superiority, but I managed to organise them once we arrived. Jimmy supported this retreat by taking all of the British fire upon himself; it was a sacrifice I could accept. David led the Indian attack and decimated Peter's troops. Mike launched an attack from the flank, which caused Michael's forces to retreat. However, they eventually took up defensive positions and returned fire, stopping Mike's advance.

In the centre, though, things started to turn against the British. As I previously mentioned, their forces were concentrated heavily in one area, which ultimately worked against them. The high number of losses led to some of these troops being destroyed. This concentration of forces also put tremendous pressure on their morale, resulting in further casualties. Eventually, the central attack collapsed, and the British were forced to withdraw. The ruins remained in French hands, securing our victory.

3. Links.

SESWC:

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

FLICKR:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720326826206