Sedd el Bahr, Spring 1915

Started by MengJiao, October 29, 2021, 10:09:42 AM

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MengJiao

  Well...Time for a landing on the Tip of the Gallipoli Peninsula.  Here's an aerial photo taken before the landing of the 86 Brigade of the 29th Regular Division there.  The collier River Clyde tried to land over a thousand troops at the inlet under the right lower tail strut (from the camera) of the aircraft. 

  So we'll see.  After three simulated disasters, I have a new landing plan.  But I'm using River Clyde elsewhere cuz -- come what may -- it has a lot of indestructable Royal Naval Air Service Armored Car Vickers machine guns that can completely dominate the area around a flat beach such as at Morto Bay.

MengJiao

#1
Quote from: MengJiao on October 29, 2021, 10:09:42 AM
   The collier River Clyde tried to land over a thousand troops at the inlet under the right lower tail strut (from the camera) of the aircraft. 

  So we'll see.

   Well maybe 700 bayonets not 1000, but anyway -- it's all part of the plan.  Only two Turkish regiments (true, entrenched with a lot of artillery and heavy weapons -- but very few machine guns, though as the errata now note, the Nordenfeldts are essentially fixed coastal heavy mgs and there are five sets of those in the game, reflecting, presumably, five sets of them on the coasts of the peninsula in reality) are defending the Cape Helles area -- say 6000 bayonets at most.  The Entente is attacking with 9000 bayonets of the 29th and another few thousand of the French 1st and the Naval Division with plenty of machine guns and lots of  naval gunfire and even some artillery.  The German commander of the defenses has been totally confused by some plausible diversions and some reserve forces are even marching north away from Cape Helles and the French raid on Kum Kale has already captured a fortress and 500 Turks.

   So, maybe the 29th Division will get ashore okay (here's the Turkish defenders):




MengJiao

Quote from: MengJiao on October 29, 2021, 10:57:15 AM
Quote from: MengJiao on October 29, 2021, 10:09:42 AM
   The collier River Clyde tried to land over a thousand troops at the inlet under the right lower tail strut (from the camera) of the aircraft. 

  So we'll see.

   Well maybe 700 bayonets not 1000, but anyway -- it's all part of the plan.  Only two Turkish regiments (true, entrenched with a lot of artillery and heavy weapons -- but very few machine guns) are defending the Cape Helles area -- say 6000 bayonets at most.  The Entente is attacking with 9000 bayonets of the 29th and another few thousand of the French 1st and the Naval Division with plenty of machine guns and lots of  naval gunfire and even some artillery.  The German commander of the defenses has been totally confused by some plausible diversions and some reserve forces are even marching north away from Cape Helles and the French raid on Kum Kale has already captured a fortress and 500 Turks.

   So, maybe the 29th Division will get ashore okay.

  On the fifth freelanding scheme and a lucky execution, by 10 am, 86 Bde gets off the beach and punches into the Turkish line around Krithia.  Artillery is firing (naval gunfire hasn't since 6am) -- the red numbers -- but Turkish cavalry is coming up along with some mobile Turkish guns.  Still, it's better than getting crushed on the beaches:


 

ArizonaTank

Another game I just have not had time to learn to play, so very interesting for me.
Johannes "Honus" Wagner
"The Flying Dutchman"
Shortstop: Pittsburgh Pirates 1900-1917
Rated as the 2nd most valuable player of all time by Bill James.

MengJiao

#4
Quote from: ArizonaTank on October 29, 2021, 10:56:31 PM
Another game I just have not had time to learn to play, so very interesting for me.

  There are so many crucial mechanics buried in the depths of the well-constructed rules that I'm thinking of writing something to elucidate some crucial points.  Some of these would be:
1) an isolated or unsupported brigiment is very likely to be completely destroyed by losing officer points beyond the point of no return and being unable to reorganize.  The two forward, one back arrangement will save the whole division even under a lot of pressure
2) The Entente player is going to have a very rough time getting artillery ashore and deployed and yet early on (before the Turks dig in) it can be very effective (the shrapnel versus Turks trying to dig in is very deadly).  Naval gun support isn't as useful as you might think since it is flat trajectory across a hilly world and not shrapnel.  What you need is 18 pdrs with shrapnel early and howitzers later and those are hard to land due to the few lighters and time unloading on the beach.  Meanwhile, the Turks have all kinds of artillery and a fine selection of telephones to call in observed fire and coastal fire
3) the Free landing versus Turkish historical seems to give a 20% chance of doing a lot better than what happened historically but getting ashore is pretty iffy even at the best of times so having flexible reserves is a better plan than counting on any one beach to work out early on day one (April 25)
4) and land with brigiments within supporting distance since then you can have one brigiment deal with getting ashore and taking the forts and entrenchments and then reorganizing since it will be in no shape to do anything else for a while.  The follow-on brigiments can push inland, though the timing there is tricky since they are going to have to pull back and reorganize at some point so...the more supporting brigiments, the better.
5) And look out for the Nordenfelts:


MengJiao

Quote from: MengJiao on October 30, 2021, 06:09:28 AM


   At nightfall on th 25th of April,  the Entente forces are approaching the high ground above Cape Helles:


ArizonaTank

#6
Not to waylay the thread...but reminds me of the Irish song "The Foggy Dew" about the April 1916 Easter Uprising against the English... some defiant commentary on the number of Irish in the English ranks at Gallipoli.

'Right proudly high over Dublin Town they hung out the flag of war.'
'Twas better to die 'neath an Irish sky than at Suvla or Sud El Bar.'

Johannes "Honus" Wagner
"The Flying Dutchman"
Shortstop: Pittsburgh Pirates 1900-1917
Rated as the 2nd most valuable player of all time by Bill James.

MengJiao

#7
Quote from: ArizonaTank on November 01, 2021, 11:34:28 PM
Not to waylay the thread...but reminds me of the Irish song "The Foggy Dew" about the April 1916 Easter Uprising against the English... some defiant commentary on the number of Irish in the English ranks at Gallipoli.

'Right proudly high over Dublin Town they hung out the flag of war.'
'Twas better to die 'neath an Irish sky than at Suvla or Sud El Bar.'

  I was thinking of that when I put in the aerial photo of Sedd el Bahr.

  Many of the heavy loses in the River Clyde fiasco were from the two Irish regiments (of the 86 Bde of the 29th regular British Army Division).

Meanwhile, leaving Gallipoli, I'm looking into the Grand Tactical scale as a general theme. A lot of the games I find interesting are at that scale:
Gallipoli (and someday, Mons): 400 meters and 2 hour turns -- companies, WWI, lots of command and communications considerations, chit pull
The Grand Tactical and its (Starkweather) offshoots: about 400 meters to 500 meters, 2 hour turns, companies, WWII, chit pull
Operation Dauntless and Red Winter -- about 400 meters and less than 2 hours (IIRC) and companies
Fleurus 1794 (and others in that series) -- 600 meters, 1 and a half hour turns, brigades, lots of command, alternating moves
OSG Library of Napoleonic (and proto-Napoleonic) battles -- 480 meters -- 1 hour turns -- brigades-- lots of recon and command considerations