Up the Tigris: The Basra Oil Works

 The Commonwealth forces have sent their gunboat Flotilla up the Shatt Al Arab towards Basra.  The target is the Barain Oil Works buildings and to secure the pipe.  A Royal Marine battalion is supporting.

The Turks will be handled as a random force, although the Cavalry from game one and the attack and landings at Fao are shadowing the gunboats.

Odin leads the flotilla up the Shatt al Arab waterway

Zero encounters!  The Turkish cavalry shadows,

Hidden battery.  Odin replies with excellent dice.

And I land the Royal Marine battalion to drive off the Turks

Easy game for the Empire!  We take the oil works for no losses,  The dice were kind.

Tigris 1914

A naval wargame set on the Tigris River during 1914

1. The Battle of Basra: The Ottoman and British naval forces face off on the Tigris River near Basra. The Ottomans aim to defend Basra and prevent the British from advancing further inland, while the British seek to establish control over the river to secure their position in the region.

The Ottoman fleet is positioned strategically to defend Basra, while the British forces approach from the Persian Gulf. As the player I need to manage the fleets effectively, utilizing a combination of gunboats, river monitors, and possibly even armed dhows or other local vessels. The Ottomans might have shore batteries to bolster their defenses, while the British can call upon air support from seaplanes or dirigibles for reconnaissance.

The Start

Friday 6 November 1914 British/Indian forces started to land in Mesopotamia from the Persian Gulf supported by old battleship Ocean (Capt Hayes-Sadler), sloops Odin, Espiegle, and including Government yacht Lewis Pelly, launch-tugs Garmsir, Sirdar-I-Naphti, Mashona, Miner, all manned, armed and commissioned by HMS Ocean.

 

HMS Espiegle

 

Odin, sloop, Epiegle-class, 1,070t, 6-4in/4-3pdr, Capt Hayes-Sadler in command and crewed by Espiegle, with convoy carrying Anglo-Indian expeditionary force, entered Shatt-el-Arab and came under Turkish fire. Odin in 40-minute duel silenced a 4-gun battery at Fort Fao or Al Faw guarding the Shatt-el-Arab entrance, hit twice and later fired on by riflemen from trenches. Espiegle hit entrenchments further upstream opposite Abadan (Rn/D/gb)

 

 

Game one, the Fao Landings

The fort on an outcrop dominating the river

Odin creeps inshore and starts to batter the firt

This Cadmus class tugboat is in 1:600.  Still needs some work.

Good shooting

The RN brings a wall down

Unseen shore battery.  Odin takes damage

But the salvo in return is stunning.  Three Turkish guns are wrecked.

The Naval flotilla takes on the battery.  Wiping it out.

And Odin turns back on the fort.

And Fao is looking shaky.

The Marine battalion begins its row ashore

The Marines lose a boat but three companies get ashore.

And the fort is pretty much done.

The Marines attack the Turkish reserves.

And finally the Phoona Brigade begins to land

The Turkish cavalry in reserve

The fort falls.

And the Turkish cavalry retreats.

 

The Pigourdy Chevauchée

A Mini Chevauchée Campaign for Blood and Crowns. 

The campaign in Pigourdy has been going well for Les Anglais.  We have taken the town of Bumfleur, as a base, and Sir Phallus is about to launch his Chevauchée into the interior. He only has horses for his Men at arms so it won't be a fast raid.

His target will obviously be Phoqué, the County seat, but where are the French?

My spies (randomised dice rolls) have revealed a Magnate's (the Count) 400 point retinue in Phoqué but that there are two more, 200 point forces as garrisons.  Worse the Constable of France is visiting the new Count, with his own retinue, and a group of Mounted Heavy crossbowmen.

I have already planned the route of my raid, and noted various random "civilian" characters that may be encountered.

The plan

Sir Phallus will march north with his main body, but his reserve, a group of Mounted Men at Arms will first raid into St Poupé.  It is a eight hour march north to Nuds Sur La Plage.  This is a push and will incur a fatigue point and loss of a favour.  

The village has no wall and Les Anglais will overnight and sack the place.  From there we march on the bridge next morning.

I fully expect the bridge crossing to be opposed and will deploy the main body and vanguard to take it.  Hopefully my Mounted Men at Arms can catch up before we march north to the ferry over the Orgé.

The next target is Nipplé.  Another unwalled village it will be burned, but a small castle sits outside the village and if garrisoned may need to be taken.

Next target will be to march on Phoque.  There are a lot of French out there but I`m confident in my Longbowmen.

Les Anglais Plan

My French forces are:

Six leader characters

Constable of France, Jacques Le Tati. 200 points Great Prize

Count Gui of Phoqué. 300 points. Great Prize

Amal, Sieur de Phoque, Knight Bachelor, Count Gui's son. 100 points

Lord Phillipe de Bruté. 200 points

Lord Henri de Shité.  150 points

Lord Charles de Limpé. 50 points

Units

Retinue Mounted Men at Arms @76 6 Heavy Cavalry,
Men at arms Afoot 6 led by Knight  Banneret Poleaxes. @47
Men-at-Arms, Mounted @12  6 Heavy Cavalry, @72countryside

6 Mounted Heavy crossbowmen, @48 one unit only
6 Crossbowmen, Genoese @9 Veteran Plus Pavisiers (2) @61
6 Crossbowmen, Genoese @9 Veteran Plus Pavisiers (2) @61
10 Footmen with polearms @40
8 Light Crossbowmen  (locals) @40

The retinues for each character need to be located in towns and villages on the map.  They can be given movement orders.   There is a short and long route for my English to advance on Phoqué.  Also note any groups detached to guard fords or other villages.

if the French consolidate A force of more than 400 points A pair of battles will be needed, perhaps left and right flank.  

The map has a track (not a road so unsuitable for the English wagons) from the bridge over the Nuds to Phoqué.  The French, with local knowledge, can use this but the English can't with those wagons.

The English will be supplying from the countryside as they burn and raid.

The various towns (and an Abbey) have random supplies and gold diced up when captured.

I won't need anything "hidden" because I have already made my plan and drawn up a corresponding map with movements.  I come up with any major issues I'll have a rethink. 

Game one will be Raid on St Poupé.

Arrowstorm 1300 or so.

 The English are in Scotland, again, circa 1300.

My 6mm armies for Arrowstorm.  The English chivalry deploy.

And the Scots hope those spearmen can stand.

The massed charge, but the Scots have higher terrain.

And to the left the Scots have boggy marshland. 

The Spears hold the tide and the Scots being more spears in on the flank

Meanwhile a long-term out brawl develops in the bogs

The English being more knights across as the bogland fight turns poor.

And the Scots drive them back all over the field

The end comes for the English.  They didn't use their own footmen properly and were swamped.

COC-ing about in the snow

 A quick Chain of command game using my 20mm figures. Can Sergeant Ernie Borgnine save the day or will 2nd Lt "Rock-hard" Hudson mess things up again?

The Germans dug in, waiting for the US 2nd Inf.

Ernie and a fire team use the woods and snow drifts to cover as they flank the Germans

Forgot to take more photos!  For the record the US took the position losing three men, and the Germans withdrew on discovering they couldn't deploy the third section.