March, march, Germantown!
Push the Redcoats back!
Fire your guns and fix your bayonets,
And keep them on the track!
This was the third of four planned games in our small "Battle of Germantown" campaign, designed by Michael. This time, we focused on the battlefield's eastern flank. The objective was to capitalise on the success of the northern assault by deploying as many units as possible to this area. This was particularly significant because the British had already committed three of the four units stationed in Germantown. A breakthrough in this part of the battlefield would have given the Colonists a decisive advantage. We used Black Powder for our game.
UMPIRING: Michael Schneider
1. Forces.
2 x Grenadier Infantry
1 x Light Infantry2 x Skirmishers
4 x Line Infantry
2 x Continental Infantry1 x Skirmishers1 x Medium Gun
2 x Continental Infantry1 x Skirmishers1 x Medium Gun
2 x Continental Infantry
2 x Continental Infantry
2 x Continental Infantry
4 x Militia Infantry
2. The game.
To connect with Washington's forces near Germantown, my troops needed to cross the river and exit off the right edge of the table. To do this, I had to cut the British off from the bridge and use my numerical superiority to keep the path clear. This meant that the British had to be positioned more than 12 inches away from my units to allow for safe passage onto the fourth table of our campaign.
My initial plan was to launch an attack with the militia to pin down the entire British force, while my Continental units executed a flanking manoeuvre from the right. However, this plan had to change when Michael informed me that the militia would only arrive after I passed a specific test—requiring me to roll a 1 on the first turn, a 1 or 2 on the second turn, and so forth.
As a result, I had to adjust my strategy. Before attempting the roll, I decided to launch an assault from the right flank using my strongest brigades. My goal was to cut the British off from Germantown, encircle them, and eliminate their forces—akin to a miniature Battle of Leipzig.
Alasdair was in charge of the British plans. Michael suggested withdrawing the main force to Germantown while he and the Grenadiers delayed the Colonists' attack. Overall, I did not like this plan; from my perspective, the worst-case scenario would be for the British to retreat to the edge of the table, using part of their force to block my advance while reinforcing Germantown's defences with the rest. That would have been a catastrophe for me. Fortunately, Alasdair chose a different course of action.
The game started off excellently for me. I passed the Militia arrival test on my first attempt, and nearly all my brigades made it to the tabletop on the very first turn, except the one on the far-right flank. As it turned out, this was a stroke of good fortune since Alasdair failed to notice the threat. Consequently, I began to encircle the British forces, slowly but systematically.
The British were gradually pushed back by the colonists' superior numbers toward the river and the bridge. At that point, I decided to launch an attack. A brigade on my right flank led the main assault and successfully drove the British across the river. The colonists pursued the retreating British and attacked them again. They destroyed that unit, creating a momentary gap that a detachment of Continental infantry and skirmishers immediately exploited. The first units then broke through into Germantown.
The pressure from the colonists continued to mount. During this time, I developed a specific tactic for dealing with the stoic British units. My strategy was to first establish a significant firepower advantage, forcing the British unit to take a morale check. However, due to their special rules, they would always automatically pass this check. Only after that would I engage them in hand-to-hand combat. By employing this tactic, one British unit after another was destroyed.
The British managed to hold their defensive line for a while, but they were steadily pushed back until they ultimately succumbed to the colonists. By the end of the battle, most of the British forces had been annihilated, leaving the path to Germantown wide open for the colonists. With this victory, our campaign concluded, showcasing the overwhelming superiority of the colonists.
Considering their successes in the north and east, their overall advantage, and the fact that only a single infantry battalion remained in Germantown, the entire campaign resulted in a decisive victory for the colonists and a crushing defeat for the British army!
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| Destroyed British units. |
3. Links.
SESWC:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/631841809210352
FLICKR:
SONG ABOUT THE GAME:
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