Operation Aurora

 Today's game was based on Bob Cordery's Battle of Arora Junction a Colonial action that was fought in 2013.

My version of the scenario is set on my fictional continent of Uqbal in the 1950s. A large chunk of Uqbal was a former colony of Albiona, however control has recently been handed over to the Democratic Party of Free Uqbal (DPFU) who represent the ethnic group that dominate North Uqbal. Other ethnic groups are aggrieved and want independence; fighting has broken out across the former colony. 

Under pressure near the Capital, the DPFU is pulling troops back from the verdant South. At Aurora Junction, one such detachment has broken camp and is about to depart by rail.

The plan - light green represents impassable jungle plants

A force from the People's Democratic Front (PDF), green figures, have been instructed to delay the departure of the DPFU, tan figures, while saboteurs destroy a rail bridge further up the line. To do this in game they must keep the enemy engaged until turn 12. Green get the benefit of surprise, appearing from behind two low ridges: Unfortunately they must attack across open ground.

Any excuse to get the toy trains out of storage

The DPFU commander coordinates his troops withdrawal from the ruined building 

Army Green arrives and advances towards the two ridges

Departing DPFU troops turn and take up positions

Green troops on the Right Flank rush towards the enemy firing from cover

On the Left, Green keeps the enemy busy whilst the machine gun strafes the building

Despite being in cover the unit in the building is decimated

By Turn 8 the DPFU are at EP - the PDF need to hold on for 4 more turns to delay the enemy

The Game ends at Turn 10!

The PDF were not able to stop the departure of the enemy force, however they inflicted a large number of casualties.

The Action at Pflattburg

 A rare day off work (with a list of chores as long as your arm) has presented the opportunity to squeeze in a quick game. To save time I grabbed the RISK figures and set up a small battlefield. This was based (roughly) on Donald Featherstone's classic Action in the Plattville Valley.

The objectives for Armies Red and Blue are to capture the River Crossing at Stier Brucke and the Town of Pflattburg. Holding one of them at the end of the battle would require using more forces in the area which neither side wants to commit. The game was to be played with Portable Wargame rules until both sides had reached Exhaustion Point (standard 30% SP).

Blue started nearer to the town while Red got to dominate the crossing point.

Blue quickly took charge of the town. Cavalry on both flanks engaged the enemy's foot.

Red attempted to reduce the Blue force in the town with cannon fire but this proved futile. 

To the West of the town Red's infantry attempted to clear Blue's troops before assaulting the church. To the East Blue crept closer to the river crossing.

By mid-afternoon Red's numbers were reduced to Exhaustion Point. Blue still held the town and it was now a case for Red of holding the crossing in order to slow Army Blue's advance.

A fierce artillery duel saw both sides Eastern guns put out of action - at this point I allowed Red's General to move position to join the infantry holding the crossing.

Army Red stubbornly held the bridge as Blue inched towards EP, which would end the battle.

At the end of the day Red's General finally admitted defeat. Blue had taken both objectives and was able to advance.

Red/Blue Mini Campaign Pt 3: Going Off Piste

 For the final Act of the Mini Campaign we diverge, for reasons of narrative, from the prescribed route; the Director's playing fast and loose with the script.

After the defeat at Blueville, the remainder of Army Red's invasion force is retreating towards their pontoon bridge. For purposes of the game, Red must get three of four units across the bridge to succeed. They have two units on the other side of the river who can give supporting fire but cannot cross the bridge. Blue will arrive two units at a time on turns 2, 3 and 4 at predetermined points on the board.

Redinan troops heading for the bridge

Fresh troops offering covering fire

Bluvian forces arriving

All of Blue's units are on the board

Red's Hussars look ready to exit, however they're taking hits from their flank

Red's Hussars act as cover for the Line Infantry who are retreating returning fire.
The Red Guards are embroiled in a fight to the rear. 

The Line Infantry make it but the Hussars are destroyed

As the day wears on Red's second infantry unit makes it to the bridge -
they just need to get the remaining Guards across to win.

Blue's Cavalry have other ideas and Red's Guards are harried as they hurry towards the bridge

Defeat for Redina! 

Despite the withering fire being given from the Redinan side of the Boundary River, the Guards were defeated before they could escape providing a victory for Bluvia. Admitting defeat, Red's engineers blew up the Pontoon Bridge leaving their General a captive of the Bluvians. A highly entertaining Mini Campaign, courtesy of Martin Smith, with a minor trip off piste at the end.

Red/Blue Mini Campaign Pt.2: OHW Sc 14

 Having defeated the Bluvian brigade that threatened their bridgehead, the victorious Redinan Army dispatched a force to Blueville to root out the Radicals that were thought to be based there.

The Red General left half of his men on a nearby hill to cover his retreat and led the remaining force to the town. He found the town undefended but his search for the treacherous activists proved to be fruitless. To make matters worse, before he could withdraw a strong Bluvian force arrived...

   

The Blue General led most of his force against the town, and his attack began to cause casualties despite the exposed nature of the countryside around Blueville.

On the left, a fierce artillery duel saw the destruction of Red's guns, allowing Blue to concentrate on the town almost unmolested. 

 By midday the town was almost surrounded. Red's force on the hill had been ordered to hold position and could only offer some ineffective fire at Blue's units moving to the rear of the town.

As casualties mounted, the Redinan's fought on, hoping to flee under cover of night. 

 By the end of the day, however, Blueville was recaptured along with the defeated Reds.

The Red troops left on the Bluvian side of the river now needed to make their escape...

Red/Blue Mini Campaign Pt 1: OHW Sc 8

 The series of games to be played in this latest Mini Campaign are once again scenarios from Neil Thomas's One Hour Wargames that have been linked by Martin Smith (Mini Campaign number 2 - see HERE ).

The starting game is Scenario 8, Melee. The games will be fought using a variation of Bob Cordery's Portable War Game, with EP being set at 50% to reflect the OHW rules' lack of morale testing.

Game

Red's scouts have identified a hill overlooking the Redinan bridgehead that could offer Blue a position to bombard the ingress/egress point. Field Marshall Plann, overseeing Red's invasion, orders the hill to be taken and held. A small force is at once positioned on the hill with more troops to follow.

Bluvian forces, under General Moteures, are also aware of the strategic importance of the hill. Blue's troops begin to arrive.

Red's artillery are in position on the hill so Blue attempts to quickly outflank Red by rushing up the road. Blue's Light Infantry head across country aiming to establish themselves in a small wooded area on the edge of the hill.

Red's additional troops begin to arrive and there is a clash of cavalry on the road. The subsequent cavalry melee resulted in the decimation of both units who played no other part in the battle.

Red's artillery is moved to counter the flank attack and comes under attack from Blue's Light Infantry. Meanwhile, more of Blue's forces arrive and approach the objective.

A desperate uphill dash by Blue's cavalry attempts to buy some time for the Infantry. Note: both sides had a battalion of Guards who start on 5SP in my "Toy Soldier" PW rules to reflect their toughness.

With time getting short, Blue resorts to charging in with fixed bayonets. Red's artillery have finally been removed by the skirmishing Blue Light Infantry.

Red's Line Infantry waver however the Guards and Highlanders hold position.

 By days end it was clear that Red were not going to be removed from the hill (apologies for the blurry picture). Blue withdrew his remaining troops leaving the hill firmly in Red's hands. In the meantime the bulk of the Red force marched on to their main objective, the town of Blueville.

 

Return to the "Red/Blue Campaign" World

 Back in 2020 I had some fun fighting a short campaign using the map featured in SHAM-BATTLE by Dowdall & Gleason. 

The war was originally going to be named The SHAM Campaign but ended up being called The Red/Blue Campaign and the battles can be located using that label.

Here's the original Campaign Map (made simply in Excel) along side the SHAM-Battle version.

In the very first battle, Bluvian forces managed to destroy the bridge that linked Red City and Blueburg and, three years later, it has still not been rebuilt; relations between the Kingdom of Redina and the Bluvian Republic are still very poor.

This is the current map; I have added a couple of small towns to the original and marked where the newfangled railway lines have been constructed - the white heat of Steam Technology has arrived!

Recently the Government of Redina have been demanding the extradition of certain Radicals that had fled Rediton during the war. These revolutionary types have established themselves in the small town of Blueville and set about publishing pamphlets calling on the Redinan populace to rise up against the monarchy and declare a Republic. 

The Bluvian government refuse point blank to cooperate with their old enemy's demands and have put the military on high alert. Bluvian spies report a large build up of Redinan forces near the Eastern City of Redville suggesting that Red will attempt to march across the bog road and invade Blue via the East bridge.

In fact, the Eastern build up is a cunning ruse, a sham if you like. Early in the morning on the 19th August, Redinan Engineers built a pontoon bridge across the Boundary River somewhere West of Blueville (grid C4) and Red's troops, having rushed by train from Redville to Reding, are now marching into Bluvia...

(Why didn't they just jump across? - Ed.)

Redina's Ministers have warned the King that the country is not financially strong enough for a protracted war; the objective is therefore to capture and/or eliminate the Revolutionary cell in Blueville, and give the Bluvians a bloody nose.