The Battle Of Carington Coppice, the Leicestershire Campaign Continues

Yes there has been more fighting in Leicestershire and here is the latest report.

Following the capture and defeat of the Duke of Rutlands forces at Ashby Folville by the Socialist Council of the City of Leicester, SCCL, the plan was to advance up the road to Carington Coppice to capture the important crossroads there where the SCCL forces could threaten all the Duke's assets and forces in the area. With this is mind the SCCL entrusted 2nd Lt Stan Cunningham, Leics Regt, to advance in a threatening manner to take and hold the vital crossroads and surrounding area.

However the Duke's forces played a blinder and totally out manoeuvred the LCCL forces as they got the to Coppice and crossroads by coming up behind them forcing the LCCL to take defensive positions at the crossroads and defend it from the Dukes forces. Now the lay of the land was a strong defensive position but the Dukes troops had good cover from the farm field and the crops in them. The Duke sent up his Armoured Cars up the road to cover and support the troops in the Walkers Crisp Van, and fanned out his other troops across the farm fields. The LCCL spread across the hedges and Coppice and placed they Armoured Car at the crossroad to reply any attacks and had the Post Office Rocket Rocket Battery place on the right flank to protect against any attacks from there.

The Dukes Armoured Cars Advance up the road firing on the LCCL's Armoured Car

The Leicester Yeomanry lay hidden behind Carington Coppice

The Duke's Assault troops come under fire from the Post Office Rocket Battery and they hit with there first round.

The Leicestershire's take up defensive positions

The Duke's forces advance on the Crossroads with their boys for the Leicestershire leading the way

The Duke's Armoured Cars firing on the crossroads and the LCCL's Armoured Car

As the Dukes forces advanced up the road towards the crossroads they managed to pinned the LCCL's Armoured Car causing to to be taken out of the action at the time and denying the LCCL with valuable support. But the LCCL put up a stiff defence proving fire onto the Duke's Armoured Cars to no effect and finally the Leicester Yeomanry charges the Armoured Cars taking out one of them before retreating back behind the coppice. Meanwhile the Duke's forces advance up towards the coppice and a line of fences coming under firing from the LCCL forces.

The Leicester Yeomanry attack the Duke's Armoured Cars

The LCCL Leics pour fire onto the Walkers Van

The Duke's Leicestershire advance to the coppice and they Boys A/T rifle fires at the Armoured Car

The Leicester Yeomanry clearing the way

The Duke's Assault troops coming under fire from the LCCL's Shoeworkers

The Duke's Assault troops after taking heavy fire

The Post Office Rocket Battery firing on the Dukes troops as they cross the farm fields

The Duke's Leicestershires come out into the road to engage the defenders of the crossroads but find themselves in a crossfire from the Croydon Crusher and the LCCL's Leicestershires where fellow soldiers from the same regiment start firing upon each other for the first time, a sad moment in the regiment's history. The Dukes remaining Armoured Car, safe from LCCL fire engage the Leicester Yeomanry who have retreated to behind the coppice for cover and the Croydon Crusher comes under fire from the Duke's forces causing it to be pinned. The LCCL Leicestershires open fire into the Duke's Leicestershire causing them a number of casualties and the LCCL's Armoured Car fires at the Dukes Armoured Car but failed to cause any damage. Meanwhile the Duke's forces in the fields in the centre come under heavy fire for the PO Rocket Battery and a LCCL sniper starts to take its toll on the Dukes troops in the centre.

The Duke's Leicestershires attack the crossroads

The Dukes Armoured Car fires at the Leicester Yeomanry

LCCL Leicesterhires fire at the Duke's Leicestershires, a sad moment in the regiment's history.

LCCL's Armoured Car fires upon the Duke's Armoured Cars

The Duke's infantry suffering for the effects of Rocket and sniper fire.

The Duke's Assault troops pinned down in the field

LCCL's Rocket and Sniper teams at work

Now the Leicester Yeomanry charge once again in a "Death or Glory" charge, lances levelled in an attempt to take out the second of the Duke's Armoured cars and succeed in taking it out. With both the LCCLs and Duke's Leicestershires involved in a fierce firefight with each other until the Duke's Leicestershires break and leave the battlefield. With the weight of fire the LCCL pour on the Duke's centre, the Duke's Assault troops also break and leave the battlefield leaving the Duke's battled infantry to weather the LCCL's fire before they too retreat along with the Duke's command leaving the crossroads in the LCCL's hands.

Leicester Yeomanry charge again and take out the second Armoured Car

The LCCL's Leicestershires firefight with the Duke's Leicestershires

The Duke's Command retreating from the battlefield

The Shoeworkers forcing the Duke's Assault troops to break

The Duke's Infantry in the centre coming under very heavy fire

The LCCL's sniper and Post Office Rifles and Rocket team engaged in the centre

Another good game using Bolt Action rules and with bigger forces, this time 750 pts. Starting to get the hang of the rules now and liking the system. Gosh cavalry is deadly.

The Battle of Gaddesby, A VBCW Game

Here is a battle report of the first game of Warlord's  Bolt Action. The background of the game. Following the failed assault on the city of Leicester the Duke of Rutland's Royalists have fallen back, rapidly, to the defensive lines and Loyalist heartland around Melton Mowbray, Rutland and the Vale of Belvoir (pronounced Beaver). This meant the forces of the Socialist Council of Leicester took advantage of the chaotic situation and took back the lost village of Houghton on the Hill but stayed there as the support lines to the city could be threaten by Lord Quenby's forces from Quenby Hall. So the Council ordered forces to move out in the northerly direction to scout the area in and around Melton Mowbray looking for contact with the Dukes forces. Meanwhile the Duke's forces are patrolling the area around Melton Mowbray and at the village of Gaddesby the two forces bump into each other.

The map of the Gaddesby

It was a cloudy overcast morning when a forward patrol of the Leicester City Socialist Council was scouting the area around the village of Gaddesby searching for supplies and the Duke of Rutland's forces bumped into the Duke's forces. The Duke's forces where already in the village and set up ready to meet the Socialists, taking up very good positions in and around the village and prepared themselves for the Socialist patrol. The Socialists led by the Humberstone Militia and regulars of the Leicestershire Regiment advanced toward the village and the Dukes forces placed within, confident in another victory for the Socialist cause and to give the Duke again bloody nose. The Dukes forces forces after the crushing defeat at the gates of Leicester though fighting on "home" ground with happy and confident that they could carry the day and to some way to avenge the defeat at Leicester.

Now the Leicester Socialist's came in from the west of the village across the farm fields after leaving there transport behind down the road and advanced towards Gaddesby on a board front with the Leicsestershire and a Armoured Car on the left flank and the Humberstone Militia taking the right and centre. But as soon as the Dukes force saw this the moved their assault section toward the Leicestershire with support for their Armoured Car and a veteran BUF militia in the centre and the Leciestershires soon fround the going very hard with casualties starting to mount to took the only sensible coarse of action of finding cover behind some hedges. In the meantime Humberstone Militia Command under Sir Maurice Levey-Paget MP, 2nd Baronet Humberstone, steward John Borrows, an ex Great War Veteran with loads of medals but no experience of modern warfare with Sir Maurice's son, Thomas and friends advanced to use the cover of the field walls and try and engage the Duke's centre and relieve some of the fire that was pouring down on the Leicestershire. The Village Section of the Humberstone Militia run to the hedges that lined the road in an attempt to get into the Duke's forces rear and threaten the Duke's artillery that was firing from there.

View from the Duke's lines of the Socialist advance

The Duke's forces coming out to take of the Leicestershires.

View of the Socialist's advance

Soon the casualties really start to mount up for the Leicestershires forcing them to keep their heads down under such heavy firing the Socialist's Armoured Car doing very little to stop the volume of firing from the Dukes assault troops. Things where starting to bad for the Leicestershires and good for the Duke. In the meantime Thomas Paget's section and the steward, John Barrows, had managed to across the wall in the field and started to take up defensive positions to defend themselves from the Duke's chaps. In the meantime The Duke carried on shelling the Leicestershires and the Humberstone Militia, Village section started to cross the hedges and advance across the road.

The Leicestershire hiding behind the hedge with their heads well down

Thomas Paget and friends with the John Borrows and the Humberstone Militia banner taking up positions in a enclosed field.

The Duke of Rutland's glorious assault section pouring fire onto the Leicestershires

The Duke's veteran BUF Militia opening firing on the Thomas Pagets men.

The Duke's Rolls Royce Armoured Car opening firing on the Leicestershires.

The Humberstone Militia Village Section advancing across the road

Then the Duke's assault troops assaulting the Leicestershires and they took flight and run back to the transport and then the Duke's assault troops turned left to attack Thomas Paget's men with a short range firefight occurred aimed by the BUF Militia and the Armoured Car they too started to take casualties. Meanwhile the Humberstone Village section decided to run across the open ground to the cover of a wheat field but forgot the hedge that was in there way and managed only to move down the road a little.

The Duke's BUF Militia and Command firing on Thomas Pagets section.

The Duke's assault troops preparing to attack the Leicestershires.

The Duke's assault troops in a firefight with Thomas Paget's section

The Duke's assault troops pouring firing on Thomas Paget's section

But the Thomas Paget section being behind a wall and with support from the Socialist's Armoured Car cut to piecing the assault troops and started a heroic defence of the enclosed field but with the combined firing of the BUF Militia, the Duke's Armoured Car and the the Duke's artillery they slowly found their numbering reducing and then their broke and run leaving John Barrows and the banner man, the Armoured Car and the village section trying to fight the Duke's force off. The Village section tried to advance across a field to behind a farm cottage to get some cover, but where caught out in the open and where cut to pieces but they still stayed there under more fire was poured onto them when they too broke and ran. At this point fearing that the Humberstone Militias Colours where going to be captured John Borrows fun to safety of the vehicles and the Socialist's Armoured Car beaten a retreat. A Good Day for the Duke of Rutland's forces in checking an Socialist advance, holding the village of Gaddesby and making the Socialists think again.

BUF Militia pour heavy fire on the Socialists

The Duke's Armoured Car opening fire on the Humberstone Militia Village Section

The Socialists Militia's Armoured Car trying firing at the Duke's forces.

John Borrows and the Humberstone Militias Colours in the thick on it just before running away

All what was left of the Humberstone Militia, Village Section

The Victorious Dukes Command

It was a good game using Warlord's Bolt Action rules and Pappa Midnight extras and it was very enjoyable. It was the first time I played these and I have to say that they are a rather nice set of rules and give a good fun game. We actually played the Envelopment scenario from the book. Thanks Leics_Gamer for such a good game and well done on the victory, until next time, lol.