This last Saturday I hosted the first of many one day games here at the Wargames Holiday Centre. These are proving to be popular with clubs and individuals alike. The first Battle was from the Spanish War of Succession and the Battle of Oudenarde.
The French poured forth onto the field in an effort to smash the initial Allied deployment of Cadogans troops.
The Allies managed to stem the tide a little, with Argyll moving up to support Cadogan, while Lottum, Lumley and Overkirk brought up the rear. Natzmer attempted a bold outflank manoeuvre and applied some pressure to the French left.
Swiss in French pay prevent them fording the river
The fighting on the French left flank intensified, with Biron rallying his men and counterattacking to successfully recapture the village of Eyne. The centre however came under extreme pressure from Argyll and the British Guards, reinforcements poured in from Vendome to stabilise the situation. On the French right, the Maison du Roi charged the German troops of Lottums force, stopping them in their tracks. Lumleys timely arrival allowed the Allies to advance again.
Overall the encounter battle was hard fought, the French initially giving ground while the Allied forces gathered momentum as they were a good deal closer to their reserves. The French centre and right were assaulting the central villages with great force with around 20 battalions involved against the British 8 or 9, however the Bastions appeared to be holding. I guess at the end the French still had a good deal of the Royal Guard left , while the British that had borne the brunt of the attack were now relying on less reliable troops. All in all a great game and I guess if is fair to say that all had a thoroughly good time!
On the Sunday I hosted a game taken from Operation Bagration, the Battle of Borisov. Last year the Gentlemen from the Reigate Club had fought a game as a private booking and they very kindly agreed to me using their scenario for this game. So on this crisp Sunday morning all the gamers arrived 09.00 sharp.
The Battle commenced with the Russian advance pouring forward with an overwhelming number of troops and vehicles!!
Some of the lovely models from Plastic Soldier Company
They are a dream to put together and the variety in each box means you certainly get value for your money.
The whole game was fought with real gusto, the Russians didn’t let up a bit and the Germans made them pay for every step! The rules used are the fabulous Rapid Fire, a really easy set of rules to pick up and play with and fast play…so you never feel like the action lets up. Last but not least my thanks especially to Paul Goodwin and Mark Herdman for their support and efforts in making this all happen in the first place.
