6mm WWI Batrep - The Battle of Bavai 1914

WWI Batrep - The Battle of Bavai 1914 - or British Bullsh!t and a Sauerkraut!

The Rejects got together over the past weekend for a 6mm WWI game. We've not played a WWI game since last year so we were all a little rusty on the rules.

The Battle of Bavai 24th August 1914

OOB

British

2nd Corps 5th Division BEF

13th Brigade

2/Kings Own Scottish Borderers

2/Duke of Wellington’s

1/Royal West Kent’s

2/Kings Own Yorkshire Light Infantry

14th Brigade

2/Suffollk

1/East Surrey

1/Duke of Cornwall’s LI

2/Manchester

9 Batteries of Field Artillery

2 Batteries of Heavy Artillery (off table)

5th Cavalry Brigade – attached

2nd Dragoons (Royal Scots Greys)

12th Lancers

20th Hussars

1 Battery of Horse Artillery

1 Ambulance

1 Hospital




Germans

1st Army 3rd Corps

5th Division

9th Brigade

8th Grenadiers (3 Battalions)

48th Infantry regt (3 Battalions)


10th Brigade

12th Grenadiers (3 Battalions)

52nd Infantry regt (3 Battalions)


11th Brigade

20th Infantry regt(3 Battalions)

35th Fusilier rget (3 Battalions)

12 Batteries of Field Artillery


Additional units attached

3rd Uhlans

3rd Jagers

1 Battery of Horse Artillery

Engineers and Pontoon Bridge

1 Ambulance

Myslef and Smiffy were in charge of the British, while Lee, Surj and Steve had the Germans

The Brits were charged with a delaying action, they had to keep the Germans occupied for as long as possible. The Germans had to capture points on the table such as buildings, crossroads and fields. Although neither side knew what the actual objectives were and how many points they were worth.
We the Brits started out with all the points, the Germans just had to take them.

There was also a time limit on the game, but to keep the Fog of War, nobody knew when the game would end.

When we picked out the sides, Postie said whoever got the Brits were gonna have a hard time and he was totally right, we were outnumbered over 2/1!

Postie set all the troops up apart from our Cavalry, which we chose to hide on both flanks, just incase.

It was quite obvious that the town of Bavai would or should be worth quite a few points as it was in the centre of the table, so we knew that had to be defended at all costs. BUT we only had 1 unit in the town and sporadic units all over the table. The Germans had 19 infantry units we had 8!

Hopefully our artillery could knock off a few units as they came forward?

Smiffy's Kings Own Yorks were in trouble from the start as they were our furthermost unit forward, as you can see they were gonna be in trouble pretty soon.

In the centre left I had 2 units in a field in soft cover.

The East Sussex on the left and the Suffolks on the right, although half of the Suffolks were in a hamlet, just outta shot on the right of the field.

The German's won initiative every turn of the game, which for us was a right royal pain.

The contraption in the above pic, it where we measure our off table artillery. Each square is numberd. We then throw a D10, so in this pic we would have wanted to throw a 4, 6, 7, 8 or 9. In each of those squares were enemy troops. Smiffy hit the artillery and knocked a few men from 1 of the guns.

Bavai, protect at all costs!

I fired at Surj's infantry and hit 1 unit of infantry who were pushed back. Unfortunately I didn't hit anything again, as my artillery carried on fireing in this area as I failed every turn to change their orders.

Lee and Steve both advanced. In the top right you can see Steve's engineers building his pontoon bridge.

Smiffy gives fire, the blue dice are casualty markers. on the right of  the Kings Yorks we placed a machine gun. We hoed they wouldn't notice what it was, and they didn't until we fired it!!!!

Surj moved his artillery over to the hill on his right flank. I guessed he'd do that as it looked like our extreme left was unmanned, but that wher we'd hidden two cavalry units, both dismounted.

The Brit left flank, Three of my units can be seen, 2 in the field and the 2nd Manchester hiding in the slit trench. Where the cows are, is where 12th Lancers were hiding.

They still have some ground to cover.

Not a good turn for us, both the Kings Own Yorks and my Suffolk's are knocked out of their defensive positions and are now out in the open....not good!

Smiffy had a bit of luck and destroyed one of Lee's artillery on the hill with machine gun fire. But was in trouble himself as Steve was closing in on the small village on the T junction.

Lunchtime positions

Slap bang in the centre

I knew there'd be a lot of action here and I wasn't wrong. Here's where the game was won and lost!!!

It was a bit tit for tat in the field centre left. Both sides were losing men, and we were still very much outnumbered.

Surg and Lee team up and both charge the hamlet, I lose a stand the other gets pushed out. I think this is their first points of the game?

Time to move out my dismounted cavalry. I wanted to bring them out on horseback, Postie would let me cross the hedges mounted, but they should give Surj something to think about, and pull troops away from the centre.

If only I was mounted!!!!

In the centre, Lee's troops are racing towards the woods, Smiffy didn't have enough movement to get him in the slit trench, so he's standing just infront out in the open. Both my units have been pushed back onto the back of the field. 

Uh oh!
Steve's engineers have finally built the pontoon bridge, the 3rd Uhlans are leading the way.

Steve brushed through the small town on the T juction, killing all the defenders to the man.

So as far as they know, the troops in the filed are our right flank. But Smiffy has the 2oth Hussars and a machine gun lining the hedge of the field on the right.

The Germans are swarming forward, its not looking good!!!

I'm losing troops left right and centre as Surj's Germans climb the hedge and try to take the field.

In a bit of a desperate move I push the battered East Sussex regt back to the hedge to receive a little cover and hopefully to hold the field. The safer move would have been to back step over the hedge in line with the Suffolk's but that would have given the German's points for the field, (If there were any that is?)

Well that worked, Surj can't go forward now? Or can he?

Hold the line!!!!

I get knocked back from the safety of the hedge and then Surj gets a charge in.

Were attacked all along the lines, the Duke of Cornwell's get double teamed from Lee and Surj, as do Smiffy troops in the woods and by the slit trench.

Is this the end?

Gulp!

On our right, Steve moved his Uhlans forward. Postie stopped him on his halfmove. Then placed Smiffy's troops out, the Hussars and a machine gun, should make mincemeat of the Uhlans!!

Hahah!

Hang on a minute..... Not sure what happened but I managed to throw better that Surj and Lee combined, which meant they had to go back 4 inches. 

Phew! Can't believe that and it'll hold them up another turn too.

Then I onkly went and beat Surj again in the field!

In they come again, out numbered over 3/1,  no way I can hold this time?

OMG! Yes I can. I knocked both units back throwing a 10 on a D10 in doing so, this means the unit have to take a courage test. The result in No move the next turn!

Get in!

Over to the right flank.

After my heroics in the centre, we were quietly confident in Smiffy holding his line. Unfortunately he only knocked 1 figures off firing at the Uhlans, which was pretty dismal, throwing 5 dice and needed 4 plus on a D10. But we knew he'd beat them in the melee.

Hang on? Where's Smiffy gone?

Smiffy pulled off one of the worst dice throws of the day, Steve threw one of the best dice rolls off the day. Smilly killed 1 figure, Steve killed 9.

That could mean disaster as our flank was well and truly gone. And they'd captured points coming forward as they did.

The day was getting on, I was hoping we had run out of turns?

Surj did what he had to do and pushed 3 units out to his flank to stop my cavalry coming forward, which was great for us, or they'd be attacking the centre. (or what was left of it anyway?)

See what I mean about our right?

We have artillery on both hills and 1 infantry stand behind the hedge near the town.

Smiffy's lone stand of the Duke of Wellington's regt stands defiant against the German onslaught.

Not sure we can hold on another turn or not?

It was then at the end of that turn Postie announced that time had run out, the game was over, can you tell by their faces who won or lost?

The German's had taken 14 points from the Britsh.

The British held on to 16 points.

The Brits had won!!!

Woo Hoo!

And to make matters worse for them I was awarded Man of the Match for my stoic defence of the centre.

Conclusion

To be totally honest I was gonna kick Postie in the crackers at the start of the game, looking at the table I thought we stood not a hope in hell of holding the line, but I was wrong,  Smiffy wanted to pull our troops out of the front lines from turn one, I wanted to keep them in place and make the Germans work for every point they earned, which is exactly what they did. There was a lot of other terrain on the tabletop, this helped us as they didn't know if they had hidden troops in them, so perhaps they were a little too cautious?

As long as they didn't shoot they could double move 8 inched, which they did up until the hit out first line, then they got involved in a shoot out with us, which just fell into our plans and elongated their advance.

After the game I asked Postie how he knew when to end the game, was it on a certain turn or what? His reply surprised me and I know its gonna surprise Surj, Lee and Steve. The game was going to end at the end of any turn between 4.30 and 5 o'clock real time. So if they'd hurried up and not kept on talking and discussing their moves together every turn, wasting time, we would definitely had 1 or maybe another 2 turns. Where there is no doubt at all they would have secured enough points to win the game.

So well done to Postie for what ended up a great game and well done and commiserations to Lee, Surj and Steve, a valiant effort but think what could have happened if you hadn't had that extra couple of sandwich's, greedy boys!!