3MA - John Tillers Squad Battles World War I

[panzerde]

...grabs some popcorn and pulls up a chair...

[Cyrano]

Well, if we're doing THIS then...

Here's the scenario (it's the first of 11 dedicated to Gallipoli which, as we all know started just over 100 years ago):

1915 Apr 25, Gallipoli Front. 0430 hours.

Size: small (company +)

On an unforgettable Sunday morning, the planned invasion of the Dardanelles was executed in the early morning light. As the ships steamed silently and slowly towards the peninsula, the wind calmed and the Aegean Sea became as smooth as glass; it was as if the heavens themselves held their breath at the horrible drama that was about to unfold in the next fateful eight months.

--Would the Turks be waiting for them at the beaches with machine guns?

No one knew the answer. Allied soldiers were instructed to lay motionless on the open boats, packed in together like sardines, as they were towed towards the unknown.

In the early morning darkness it was so difficult for the steamboats to see each other that they bunched together and got into wrong positions and, at 0425, the troop boats rowed ashore one mile north of the planned landing place at Z Beach.

There was yet no sign of life from the shore when, suddenly, a warning flare lit up the sky and scattered Turkish fire rang out from Ari Burnu. The Australians had come ashore, all three covering force battalions were badly mixed up and in the wrong place, and the terrain presented to them when they jumped out of their boats was both unknown, treacherous, and nothing like what they were told to expect in their intended landing areas. There was no time to reorganize nor to figure out where they actually were, all they could do is push inland as quickly as possible and establish a foothold.

MISSION:

(Allied Powers) Gather your forces together after the landing and move inland to expand the foothold.

(Central Powers) Hold your ground if possible and oppose the landings to delay the enemy. If need be, fall back to Plugge's Plateau and keep the enemy from moving further inland.

And now, turn three --



Nossir...if you can't tell, we've got neither jack nor squat for machine guns...just a bunch of rifles and a few grenades spread out over just over 72 men.  My favorite bit is that the company commander is armed solely with a flare gun and a sword (the squiddy-looking thing near the beach is where I've last fired a flare to illuminate some of my shots).

Allah or Ataturk be praised, we've got good terrain...

Best,

Jim
"Cyrano"
:/7)

[Cyrano]

And, inspired by Arizona Tank, Ari Burnu looking down from Plugge's Plateau in 2010:

[panzerde]

Well, doesn't that just look like all sorts of fun to assault on foot...

[southern_cross_116]

 Fwiw I always manage to screw this one up when playing the campaign game ...   but maybe I need to change my approach a bit.

Ok -the other thing... and this is the part that hurts -as I have read the intro to the campaign game -- these blokes are all from Queensland: therefore would be Banana-Benders.

I'll have to give this another go again soon -as I have to work it out better than I have.

[jomni]

Winning or losing doesn't matter in Campaigns. Just keep your character alive.

[Pinetree]

And, inspired by Arizona Tank, Ari Burnu looking down from Plugge's Plateau in 2010:

I walked up to Plugge's Plateau in '99, it's damned steep. I remember grabbing onto bushes at some stages. I was just wearing a t-shirt and shorts and I was puffing hard when I got to the top. Doing it under fire, with full kit and ammo, would have been tough.

[southern_cross_116]

Winning or losing doesn't matter in Campaigns. Just keep your character alive.

I managed not to do that too - but 2 scenarios down the track and one that I was about to win.     :) Otoh reminds me of a Steel Panthers campaign I was in a long time ago ... I had a custom OOB or whatever and made it to early 1945 -was finally commanding a King Tiger and got killed by an air attack -and my character had a Michal Wittmann-like victory total.  :poor me:

[Boggit]

I must say, Jim does do a nice AAR. O0 I'd better do my turn then.

Basic plan is to take the battle to Johnny Turk with typical Aussie pluck and determination. I just hope he doesn't deploy sheep - I don't want any of the sheep farmers among my guys distracted from the fight with unplanned R&R! :o Launching beer barrels at us we can handle! ^-^

[Boggit]

Well, turn 4 is done. A few more guys bite the dust as we pick our way up that hill.

The worst issue at the start was the landing - all bunched up with nowhere to go, except up that damn hill.

I do have numbers on my side, but it is wrong to think it helps yet. By the time I've moved one hex - I'm hugging the ground - as Jim was able to pin the more ambitious runners - and by the time you've moved that hex you have no time to fire. Not that the one shot I got off this turn made any difference... disrupted, firing uphill, enemy in improved positions... what was I expecting? Anyway, slowly slowly, catchee monkey! Well, not too slow - I've only got 9 turns! ::)

Apologies for the map attachment, I have no idea how I embed the picture into the post. Anyone?

[southern_cross_116]

Sounds relatively accurate - check out this painting by George Lambert, called: 'The Landing'

[Boggit]

Nice pic Southern Cross! O0

Jim has got a problem - half his force are surrounded by infiltrating Aussies. The rest are in a good strong position, well placed to inflict casualties without taking many themselves. However, he has the dilemma - if the Wallabies drive in the centre they may get precious objectives, but to move off his present position means we are fighting on more even terms. My numbers will start to count for something, and there is no certainty he will stop me getting to the objectives without risking getting wiped out by superior numbers as well. Waltzing Matilda... ;) 

[Cyrano]

Boggit's take on affairs is a good one.  I've chosen to temporize which, I fear, will have the usually disastrous result.

My company commander and his inspirational sword (yes, that's a thing) couldn't bear to leave the trenches with his men, so he's rallied them no less than four times, only to have them shot back into a "Pinned" status.  Still, they're still in the trench and keeping their heads down as the banana-benders (yeah, I like that a lot) scurry around them.

Meanwhile, the other half of the platoon is running around the edge of the plateau -- still in good order, and should be able to grab the VPLOC shortly and await the rest of the assault.

The scene at the end of turn 5:



Best,

Jim
"Cyrano"
:/7)

[Boggit]

Here we are at turn 6. The Wallabies have now flanked Johnny Turk and can proceed to the victory point hexes. Jim might be able to hold up proceedings for a bit with his free unit, but that will be under pressure fairly soon. My wide flanker in the bottom left needn't worry out going prone now so Jim's demise may be sooner than later. I also shot at his pinned unit with my disrupts - not so much to kill him, but to prompt opfire, so reducing his ammo level, which in turn inhibits his ability to pin my advance. Muahahaha! >:D ;)

If Philippe is looking for a mod project to hone his already wonderful artistic skill look no further than the 3-d unit icons on FWW - they are tiny, and could do with some love! See attached pic.

[Boggit]

Turn 7, and I think Jim is now on the run, as the Wallabies go for a home run on the objectives. "Hurrah for Oz!", I think. ;D

I expect things will get much harder as the campaign progresses.... :o