Albanich 2012

What a lovely St Patrick's weekend I have had, ever though I was in Scotland on the day. The show was a good show and I managed to pick up some terrain and buildings from 4Ground a new company, well new to me anyway, though Modest Miniatures had put me on to them a couple of weeks back with some walls he got from them. I have to say they are very nice but more on them in a later post.

So I actually got to play a game of VBCW at the show in a game where the Royalist forces had to basically get there convoy from one end on the table to the another, along the A6 where the Anglican League doing there best to stop it.  Now the Royalists did hold both ends of the table with the convoy at one end and a couple of monster tanks, a Char 1B and a Vickers Independent, holding the bridge and the another end of the table.  Before I go any further I better tell you I was with the Anglican League, I always seem to play the League in Big Games either though my forces are really a Local Defence Force with left wing leanings. We were using Brigadier 38 for the rules and had the author of them playing with us, a great help.

Sir Cyril Stanley Commander of all Anglican League Forces

So the Royalists got the initiative and move slowly along the road to a cross roads. the two monster tanks crossed the bridge and took up positions, one on the road and the other just off it. Then we moved our forces accordingly, myself had the dual problems of  a monster tank in front of me and a Royalist force trying to break my left hand flank. I moved two of my Anti Tank guns into a position to attack the one of the monster tanks and moved the other to my left flank to take up position to cover the crossroads. I also moved my three infantry Militia battalions with on my left, one heading for the bridge and one up the centre towards the crossroads.

My Right Flank Battalion on the move

Royalist Forces moving towards the Crossroads

Now the Royalists had some ladies fighting in their forces and one of the orders where one to fire upon them until there fire upon you. Now the Royalist commander moved his ladies to my left flank in such a way that would be in a ideal position to change my men, but following the orders laid down I did not fire upon them. But across the rest of the battlefield all hell bought loss with tanks, anti-tank guns and artillery firing. One of the monster tanks suffered with not being unable to move but then it just turned into an armoured pill box. My drainpipe mortar truck suffered damage and lost its mortar before firing, but some damage with caused to both sides.

My Left Flank

Royalist Convoy or traffic jam.

Then the Royalists got the initiative again, two sixes in a row, fitted dice, lol, and then moved to the crossroads and moved to my left flank to set for change. The two monster tanks just sat there. Again I moved my Militia Battalions to the bridge, up the centre with my WW1, Mk IV tanks in support, one moving toward the bridge, the other towards the crossroads. I open fired on the crossroads and the Royalist tanks waiting there and managed to knock out a Armoured Car gun with my Boys, my Anti Tank gun, immobilised one their tanks and in return lost some crew for my Boy and my Vicker's HMG. My tank shot up the Royalist brigadier vehicle and nearly killed the command and another vehicle's main gun was destroyed. My Leicestershire Yeomanry suffered a lost while covering the Militia battalions advance. But the monster tank destroyed my WW1 Mk IV tanks leaving it a smoking wreck.

My Left Flank about to be charged.

Royalist Convoy at the  Crossroads

Royalist being attack by Sir Stanley's tanks.

Now as I said I think the Royalist command took advantage of the No shooting at the ladies until fired upon by them and changed him cavalry into my flank. The combined fire of the machines guns that I had in the area caused a couple of the ladies to fall and the rest of them retreated behind a building for cover. However this act led to my commander, Maurice Lever-Paget, being referred to as a Cad for this action as the ladies didn't fire upon my troops first. I say that a charge is as good as being fired at, but orders being orders the label of Cad still sticks.

The Charge of the Royalist "Ladies".

More to follow............