Punishing the Afghans - 1920s style

 Today I popped over to Matt's for some back of beyond action with Afghans vs British beyond the Khyber Pass. These punishment raids were common place in the late 19th and early 20th Century and they followed a common theme. Tribesmen would stir up trouble with unreasonable demands, like freedom and self determinaton, and the British would relatiate by attacking the village, at which point the Afghans would melt away, then blowing up the watch tower and stealing the wood (a precious resource in that part of the world). The Britsh would then start to retreat and all hell would break loose as the Afghans reappeared and attacked. So that was the scenario. Matt was the British and I was the Afghans. I would start with a handful of units and recieve significant reinforcements at random locations during the battle

THe table, Brits at far end about to leave the village

The only bridge over the wadi, with my guys waiting in ambush

More Afghans hiding in the hills and a walled field

My heavy weaponss, a maxim and a stolen mountain gun

Loads of Brits with 3 AC, field gun, machine guns, cavalry inc Bengal Lancers and loads of infantry. I have to stop the trucks getting off the far end of the table

Brits advance and there is a sharp exchange of fire

My 1st batch of reinforcements arrive to support the front line

on the central hill

and brilliantly and large group of sword and spear armed men appear out of caves amongst the British machine guns and promptly take the guns out

THe brits push forward. I fire but the Afghans are inexperienced which makes them worst shots with lower morale that the Brits, but they do fight as well as the Brits. So I'm stuggling to lay down enough fire

My Afghans taunt the Brits from the hill but are soon mown down

Cavalry reinforcements arrive

The Brits plough forward but I'm fighting hard

The Brits attack the fram on my left, and I unleash a killer volley that routs the Bengal Lancers. I bring up reinforcements 

But the British cavalry catches them in the open and destroys them

I counter charge with my cavalry from the wadi and rout the British Cavalry

An armoured car makes to  the bridge and the Afghans attack, but only manage to scratch the paintwork. Some T-cut will fix that

The supporting British take out the ambushers

THe farm on te right is still holding out and the Brits are paying for it with their lives

They even try and unsuccessful assault

The lead AC has crossed the wadi and I charge it, but again there is barely any damage and it costs a lot of lives

Rifle fire from the RHS farm takes out one of the supply trucks

and then the maxim gun takes out the other one. At which point we call it a day and the Afghans melt away. A minor victory for the Afghans.

A fantastic battle, perfectly balanced and great fun.

Challenge Update and Virtual Gaming

 It's been over a month since I posted. At this time of the year I'm painting like a lunatic in the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge. I'm currently 2nd behind Miles who is currently building a 6mm version of Stalingrad and I expect that is as close as I'll get.

I thought I'd post a general update on some of the stuff I've painted. In my last post I posted my Dunsterforce collection, this is growing to more of a WW1 Eastern force from Mesopotamia to India and I'll post my figs at a later date. I have painted the Turks though

There are 9 infantry sections, 7 75mm guns, couple of machine guns and a forward observer. I have a unit of irregulars to paint, and they may become a full platoon as the figures (Spanish Civil War Moroccans) look like they will work nicely.

I've also painted some more ACW and have some artillery and cavalry to do. That may be it but I doubt it.

1st North Carolina Cav

US Marines

79th New York Highlanders in tartan trews.

There has also been the start of a brand new project. Empress had a flash sale and I picked up some Vietnam war USMC. Full priced NVA arrived yesterday. I have plans for dungeon crawl style games using printed terrain boards and I may have enough for a full battle if the NVA can spawn!. Have a helicopter on the way.

As always with the challenge there are some challenges and I've painted a few of these, my favourites are

Grey Scale US WW2 paratrooper - this was fun to paint

The Scooby Gang - I appear to be painting cartoon characters every year. Bases are terrible but I'm pleased with the figs

Random Hasslefree female, great pose

I have painted other stuff but go and look yourselves.

Finally I've been gaming. Matt in the dungeon. It wasn't face to face and it wasn't zoom. It was by email. We refought an attack at Antietam, I was the Rebels holding the line and Steve was the Union attacking. We would issue orders in 3 turn blocks and Matt would fight the battle. He would then us back ridiculously brief reports from the various Commanders and if we were lucky a single photo from the CinC's view. It was very difficult and huge fun. I lost but the Union victory was Pyrrhic as I destroyed 2 of his 3 brigades. Go over to his site and read the brilliant battle reports.

It was so much fun that I'm running a 7YW one next week so there will be a actual posts but not a lot of painting.

TTFN 

Battle of Hereford 1055

Sunday I went over to Matt's Dungeon and we refought the 1055 Battle of Hereford. AElfgar Earl of Mercia with Gruffyd ap Llywelyn, mercenary Irish Viking’s, Welsh and some of the Earls personal hurscarls attacked and sacked Hereford. Hereford was defended by Normans, yes Normans or Norman style Saxons lead by Ralph de Sudeley (the timid) and Saxons from Hereford.
It was our 1st chance to play our Dark Ages armies and my Picts doubled up as the Welsh, looked OK. The Welsh were mainly poorly armoured spearmen with light cavalry and a large number of Viking mercenaries. The defenders were well armoured infantry with some heavy cavalry with less well armoured Saxons around Hereford. We fought using Kings of War, which I really like but never win when we play.

The battle field, really need a wide angle lens for this.This is my left with the Welsh facing the Normans. The objectives are the village at the bottom, the cross in the centre and Hereford at the top

The mighty City of Hereford with Saxon defenders

The Viking Mercenaries with Saxons facing Hereford

I'm attacking so I attack with light cav and skirmishers to the fore

The Vikings advance

In the centre matt unleashes his cavalry against a horde of spearmen

Matt advances with is supposedly crappy saxon knights in front of Hereford

In the cente the light cav are flitting back and forth and Matt's line is losing cohesion

Lots as spear on horse action around the cross

I approach Hereford

All kinds of hell breaks loose in the middle

The knights and the spearmen are still fighting but I'm wavering

Not anymore, I've run off

Disaster the 2nd of my 3 hordes of spearment has legged it. 

The crappy Saxon knights are causing bloody hell with the Vikings

I scavange around in my unused troops box finds a horde of war dogs. They finsih off the main unit of knights and then eat the 2nd smaller unit

Looking thin in hte centre, the light cav have done a good job here

Matt allowed an extra horde o welsh to rock up, i was out pointed at the start and it seemed sensible. I brought on 2 hordes and neither of them moved but matt did attack this one 

The Saxon knights have legged it, maybe they were crap after all

Final throes in the centre, i've basically won the centre but Matt holds the village on the left. It's all down to the right and Hereford.

Cross the river, Kill the saxons

Here we go

Here we go again

Here we go again

At the cross in the centre Ralph the timid has been fighting against Boudi, barely dressed Welsh warrior woman (she is a Hasslefree figure so is bound to be barely dressed, and Gruffyd and has legged it - so he was timid

I've made it across the river (ish) but too late. Game end

The result was a draw and it was a great game.