Attack on Hill 101 a VBCW AAR

Hi all,
thought I posted up a little AAR of Tuesdays club game against fellow club mate Jim's BUF. You can see more of Jim's great BUF miniatures and his take on the game here http://jimswargamesworkbench.blogspot.com/2010/05/disaster-in-dorset.html

Background

On the 1st April 1938 Anglican forces seized the Isle of Purbeck. Thanks to a communist uprising breaking out in Poole a few weeks earlier almost all available government/royalist forces in Dorset had been sent to besiege Poole. This event allowed Anglican forces to seize almost the whole of Purbeck unopposed. Only two areas where a cause for concern, first was Studland which had been seized by communist forces in an attempt to secure the entrance to Poole harbour. The second was in and around the village of Kingston and Encombe house where the Royalist Peer Lord Encombe had set about arming his household staff and tenant farmers to confront the Anglican forces.

The Anglican high command decided the communists where the greater threat and sent the bulk of their available forces to secure Studland while sending aggressive patrols into the area around Kingston. Lord Encombes poorly equipped Militia where forced to fall back towards Tyneham where several other local Royalist Landlords where gathering. Anglican forces fearful of over extending themselves halted on a line of hills east of Tyneham and dug in. Lord Encombe's desperate pleas for help where finally answered when a flying column of BUF legion forces arrived under the command of Major Short Cummins. Major Cummins took command after a heated debate was finally ended with the help of a broom handle muaser and the untimely death of Lord Encombe's butler. The next morning supported by two ww1 vintage 6 " howitzers brought up from Lulworth army camp the combined BUF /royalist forces assualted hill 101 the Anglican leagues most forward position in west Purbeck and held by elements of 4th company Swanage rifles and no.2 A/T battery.


1st Turn

Sargent Bob Leggit checked the magazine of his German sub machine gun for the third time in as many miniutes. His platoon had been stood to in the trenches since before dawn. They knew the Fascists where coming the sound of their trucks engines had given them away even before they had seen their headlights in the early morning gloom. As he peered into the slowly dawning light he could see figures heading towards his position as he strained his eyes for a better look a sound like thunder broke the morning calm. Seconds latter came the first explosions crashing into the hill. As one shell screamed over his head Bob turned to watch as it landed right on top of the company command post. In a single moment the companies officers (including the Reverend Charlie Luck), medics, communications and reserve ammo disappeared in a huge explosion. Bob Leggit gave a wry chuckle as he thought of a line from Reverend Luck's Sunday sermon. " God moves in mysterious ways"............




Turn one started with a preliminary bombardment from the attacking BUF which wiped out the Anglican command group and badly damaged 2nd platoon. BUF forces rushed forward with the poorly armed Royalist Militia of Lord Encombe assulting the front of the hill in company strength while the two BUF legion platoons attempted a double outflanking manoeuvre.The royalist and Anglican armoured cars took pot shots at each other but caused no damage. The BUF heavy machine gun gave covering fire causing some light casualties. The Anglican A/T gun failed to blow up the BUF shiny Italian built flame thrower tankette. The Anglican 1st platoons shooting caused little damage on the advancing enemy.

Turn 2-3

Jim Turnner desperately fumbled with his shotgun cartridge as he attempted to reload his gun. He cursed as his trembling hands dropped the cartridge on the floor. The noise, smoke the screaming of dying men was unlike anything the young farm hand had ever experienced. He looked to his left just as a burst of machine gun fire mowed down several of his platoon
mates. Someone grabbed his left arm and he turned to see Corporal Jones. "Don't just stand their keep mov...." Corporal Jones instructions where cut short as a bullet took him right between the eyes. Jim Turnner screamed threw down his shotgun down and ran for his life.

Turn two and three saw the poorly armed Royalist militia attempt to storm the hill. The Anglican leagues first platoons firepower proved to much in the uneven fire fight between men with shotguns standing in the open and entrenched Lewis gunners. As the Royalist first platoon Fled the battlefield the second royalist platoon started to suffer causalities. The BUF forces where suffering far less as the moved forward covered by heavy machine gun fire around the hills less defended flank. The BUF tankette's flamethrower attempted to clear the Anglican leagues 1st platoon out of the forward trench line with limited success. Casualties mounted among the Anglicans A/T gun reducing it's effectiveness. The opposing armoured cars continued to drive around looking dangerous but ultimately doing very little.

Turn 4-5

Lieutenant Grey laughed out loud as he pulled the trigger on the tankette's flamethrower again. It seemed to him at the moment among the screaming, explosions and rattle of machine gun fire he had finally found what had been missing all his life. Before he had found the BUF Grey had been a drifter never being able to settle or find his place in society. Moseley had changed all that for Grey. Grey's lack of morals and his sadistic tendencies had found ample outlet as a BUF solider. Bullets pinged off the tankette's armour Grey turned to his driver. "Get us closer" he shouted "give it some welly". The driver gunned the engine and the tankette shot up the hill. Suddenly the driver shouted "Bloody hell trench!" the tankette's front end fell forward straight into the enemy trench bring lieutenant Grey's glorious charge to a crashing halt in one swift moment.

Turn four and five saw the Royalist second platoon take fire from the Anglican A/T gun firing HE this new horror was enough to rout the second platoon despite Lord Encombe's best efforts to stop them. With all the royalist militia dead or falling back it was left to the BUF to secure the hill. The BUFs tankette attempted to storm the hill but got stuck in a trench leaving it stranded just in front of the A/T gun. Sadly the last of the A/T gun crew where finished off by heavy machine gun fire. The Anglican first platoon took so much fire that the survivors fell back ending their part in the battle. The Anglican second platoon moved on to the hill and shot up the BUF platoon on the right flank forcing them to fall back briefly. The Anglican second platoon where the target of everything the BUF could throw at them leaving the survives morale broken. With Anglican Armoured car covering the rear the Anglicans where forced to concede the hill to the BUF early afternoon.

Overall a fun little game. We basically used everything we had painted (plus some of my RCW partisans as royalist proxies). We used Warhammer great war rules because we both had a set and I had some idea of how they worked. The forces where a little small for WGW really and we are looking at some other ruleset possibilties.

Cheers Jon