Breaking Out is hard to do

The Red army has surrounded a small pocket of Franco-Greek forces near Kherson, and the Greeks are attempting to break out. A probe attack by a company platoon of the 5/42 Evzones was launched early in the morning, after a pre-arranged barrage by Allied artillery in Kherson. The Greeks beliebved that there was a weak point on the North road where two large woods interected the lines of Red dugouts and spanish rider barked wire lines. They believed they could get into the woods and break out that way.

Red Lines, showing the 2 woods the Greeks decided to assault, the plan was to focus on the closer one, break in and then break out (red arrows)

As dawn approached, the Greeks filtered quietly through the trees towards the objectives. The Evzones were reinforced by 2 French FT-17 tanks and also brought up one of their Mountain Guns for close support. They decied to assault the rightmost wood en masse, while sending a diversionary force against the other of the 2 tanks, hoping the Reds would think there was a mass of infantry behind them, and mis-allocate any reserves

The barrage started, the tanks gunned their engines, and the infantry started rushing forward, acros teh open ground, one platoon behind the next. The Reds were shaken from the barrage and initially there was very little shooting from their lines, but the Red forward commander guessed correctly what was happening and rushed a squad to a large house just ahead of their lines so they could enfilade the Greeks as they broke out the trees. The Greeks had to divert one of their own squads from the assault to cover this off.

The Greek infantry attack in 2 waves, concentrating on the rightmost flank.

On the other flank the tanks advanced slowly. Initially they were pestered by snipers in a house in front of the Red lines but the 2 tanks raked it with MG fire and the mountain gun put a few rounds in, and it what was left of the house was then all quiet.The tanks trundled on at their magnificent 4 mph maximum speed.

Greeks forces were now starting to get close to the Red lines, but now the Reds had thrown off their shock and started shoting back, taking casualties off the Greeks. At this point it also became clear that a large barn and sandbag wall to the right of the Greek position was becoming a major problem. A squad of Greek Evzones moved up to the spanish riders barbed wire and started shooting at these troops, trying to get them to keep their heads down. The Greeks had Chauchat LMGs whrereas the Reds did not, and this helped them keep a suppressing fire. The Greek captain then signalled the mountain guns to place a salvo on the house, which they did, and that stunned the Reds shooting from it.

Red troops man the sandbag walls by the barn, shortly before the Greeks dropped a mountain-gun salvo onto it

A Red forward party of snipers, egged on by a Komissar, then moved into some shellholes in front of Red lines to enfilde the Greeks, and killed the Greek Captain!. The Greek lines wavered, but then a squad of Evzones charged the snipers, and took them out with cold steel They in turn were then pinned by fire from the Russian lines, but they had stopped the enfilading fire and the first Greek squads gained the woods.

On the other flank, the FT-17s were drawing closer to Red lines, and a Red field gun that had been brought up opened up on them, missing them narrowly. The close support Greek mountain gun shifted fire to silence the Red gun, but it was well hidden in some woods and remained a major threat. The tanks raked the position, trying to suppress the gun, but it would only be a matter of time before it started to knock the tanks out. The Reds also at this point decided to commit their reserves to stop the infantry attack, confident that the tank breakthrough was less likely, but the ruse had worked quite well, giving teh Greeks valuable time - the Reds would be attacking a wood that the Greeks were now moving into.

Red field gun starts to shoot at French tanks over open sights

At this point a noise grew louder, and  overhead a Geek Navy DH.4 was seen. The Greek AO had called it to take out a redoubt on the Greek infantry's left hand flank, but the Greeks in the shellholes were keeping that position's heads down. The semaphores waved desperately from the ground. The DH.4's observer picked up the change, banked and made towards the Russian gun firing at the tanks. A Red MG started to fire desperately into the sky but it was to no avail, the DH.4 made a strafing pass, banked, and then came back, and dropped its load on the position. There was silence from the gun after that.

Greek Naval DH.4 makes low pass over Red positions before bombing the Gun and trenches

And then, just as the Greeks were starting to enter the woods, we ran out of time. It was pack up time. The result was in the balance. Could the Greeks have reinforced the wood in time? Would the Russian reinforcements get there in force first? In counting up the casualties it transpired that the Greek initial barrage had been fairly effective, so Red casualties had also been high and forces were evenly matched still, and the Greeks were more concentrated, but we judged that the loss of the Greek Captain meant the Greeks probably wouldn't have been quite co-ordinated enough to hold the wood and reinforce it fast enough against the oncoming Red wave. The Reds breathed a huge sigh of relief as the Greeks withdrew.

Battle using Bolt Action, the WW2 rules even have the FT-17 tank in it! Sadly we ran out of time just before the real decisive action. I'm very proud of my DH.4, I still need to put the blue centre spots on the Greek roundels but it acquitted itself very well in its first ever sortie. (Its a 1/48 scale Roden kit, and its a bugger to assemble the wings!!)

More Red propaganda and puictures over here from Komissar Janos

Action at Kherson

We resume our Odessa Files mini-campaign with Bolt Action rules used for WW1. In the scenario, a platoon of the Greek 5/42 Evzones is holding a hamlet on the Kherson approach road, which a Red reinforced company with armoured cars and heavy weapons is hoping to overrun in a short, sharp attack. There are French of variable quality in reserve, who may or may not come to the Greeks' aid (depending on dice).

The sleepy hamlet, Greek Evzones are billeted in the houses on the far side of the left-right road in the centre

The Reds decided to attack in two platoon columns with supporrting machine guns along the 2 roads (running bottom right to top left, picture above)) with an armoured car leading each column, while a third platoon and field guns were to be in reserve, to be thrown in where a breakthrough was made.

Red column moves rapidly along the road, led by an armoured car. Field guns start to move into position

Unfortunately for the Bolsheviks, the Greek vedettes were alert and saw one of the columns very early, and promptly loosed off mortar rounds at pre-prepared targets, destroying a Red squad in the right-hand column at the crossroads on the Red table entrance. The Greeks also rapidly sited their machine gun and loosed off a burst, catching another squad in the Red left hand column that had moved away from the shelter of the armoured car.

The Bolsheviks, realising they were rumbled, then rushed forward as fast at they could to the give the Greeks the minimum opportunity to shoot them. The armored cars rumbled forward, trying to suppress Greek shooting positions. 

It soon became clear to the Reds that the Greek troops in the big house in the centre of the table were a major problem, so they tried to rush it with 3 squads from their left column and reserves, while their armoured cars, a machine gun and more of the reserve line moved up and raked the house. Greek casualties were high, but the Greek platoon's commander kept spirits up (at sabre point at times) and they just held out, but it was desperate times and they were still in dire straits.

Red troops, egged on by their Komissar, charge the Greek house (far distance)

 On the Red right, the column got over the shock of the mortar fire and moved forward as fast as it could, and mortar fire effectiveness reduced. They also got their gun unlimbered and began to shell the Greeks sheltering in and around a small house on this far flank. The Red armoured car pushed forward and got onto the flank of the Greek position, its machine gun enfilading them and causing them to keep their heads down and suppressed their fire while the Red artillery opened up.

Meanwhile, in the centre, a first Red assault on the centre house had only just been beaten off by the Greek 3rd squad coming up from its rear/left flank  position and shooting down the attackers, but that left the Greek right flank open, and the Red left column, seeing this, started to swing troops around this flank where they could get into the Greek rear while they massed their reserves for another assault on the house.

With their Kommissar waving the Red flag, the Reds charged again, and reached the house, and vicious hand to hand combat and point blank shooting ensued. But the Greeks got lucky - amidst this turmoil, the Greek Lieutenant coolly took aim with his pistol, and shot the Kommissar dead (seriously lucky dice!). With this, one of the Russian squads turned tail and fled. The Greeks were saved again. But more Red reserves were now in position, their machine guns were chattering and casualties were still mounting in the pinned Greek position. On the Red right the Greeks were barely holding on, and the Red left their squads were steadily penetrating forward to get around into the Greek rear.

Things were looking very tight.....but then, with Greek flag flying, Evzones were running out the woods in the Greek rear towards the centre building, and a fusillade of shots crashed into the massing Red forces. The Greek captain was leading his small HQ squad, and a squad of newly arrived French troops forward, and their shooting drove off the Reds. Greek casualties around the house had been  high, but the Reds were now much higher. The frontal assault had failed, the Kommissar was dead - but what about the flank attacks - could the Reds still take the village from the flanks?

Greek flag flying, Evzones and French poilu pour fire into Red forces attacking the beleagured Greeks in the village centre house 

The Reds had by now wiped out the last of the Greek resistance to their right column, and were getting ready to advance onto the Greek centre. The Reds were also increasingly probing behind the Greek positions on their left, forcing the Greek mortar crew to retire to safety.

At this point though, the Greeks had another huge stroke of luck - the fates decreed that not only would a second French squad come to their aid, but that it would be a squad of the formidable Legion Etrangere. These moved rapidly to counter the probing Red troops, and made short work of those Reds, and then silenced one of the Red machine guns

 The Legion to the rescue. The Red left hand column has been beaten to a halt.

At this point the rules stoped the game on bound 6 Reds decided to make a strategic withddrawal, as their victorious right hand column had still taken major casualties and was now facing the fresh French Poilu, their main central assault had been beaten back with losses, while their depleted reserves and right column was now caught between Greeks in the centre house, and a rapidly advancing Legion. The Russian commander ordered the armoured cars to make a rapid forward foray to sow discord into the Alled rear and spoil any pursuit, vowing "I'll be back!".

I'll be Back! The Red commander calls off the attack - for now

Before anyone writes to complain about the Legion, Poilu and Evzones in the same village, I must explain that we were interested in trying out the Bolt Action WW2 rules for the Russian Civil War, so we also wanted to test out all the various troops' grades. The Reds had c 50% more troops but they were rated raw (though enthusiastic), led by passionate Officers and Commissars and backed up by trained heavy weapons units. The French poilu were average but unenthusiastic (which is why the Greek captain led them into the fray!), the Evzones were tough veterans, and the Legion was, well, the Legion. 

The game was fast paced, the rules worked well, and we got a believable result in an evening. A Red "human wave" assault very, very nearly worked, as if they had taken teh central house the Greeks would have been broken. The Greeks in the central house passing a key morale test, the Kommissar being shot, and half the raw troops in the assault force running away, was what this game pivoted on. By the time the Reds had massed again, the Greeks in the house had rallied themselves and French troops were arriving. Strong houses defended by good troops and a heavy machine gun are a tough thing to take!

Bolt Action uses dice rather than the Mud & Blood cards, they have fewer options on a dice than cards and you can choose which unit to activate, rather than M&B which designates many activations so it is a bit more predictable than Mud & Blood (good) but you don't get the amazing "fog of war plus serendipity" effect that makes M&B such fun (bad ). We've played a few more Bolt Action games since,  which I'll write up when I have time.

The Red's propaganda battle reoprt is over here, with loads more pictures - but in Hungarian :-) 

A Race for Cars

In this scenario, played as a Russian Civil War game , the Bad Guys (Bolsheviks) had a convoy travelling along a sunken road in a wood that was shelled by our Good Guys (White Russian and French) side. The Bad Guys deserted their vehicles and run for cover, and we have sent a platoon to retrieve the trucks for ourselves. Only problem is, the Bad Guy platoon has collected its wits and is also returning.

Mud & Blood rules, the opposing forces had equal numbers and organisation - each a platoon of 4 squads of 9 men and an HQ section of 9 men commanded by a Lieutenant (Level IV Big Man), assisted by a Sergeant (Level III) and each squad had a Lance Corporal equivalent (Level I).

Abandoned convoy in a wood - each side enters from opposite table corners, armoured car in centre

The French approach approach was to send 4 squads to the right side (closer) side of the column - 2 units of very poor White Russian line infantry stiffened by one of French poilu and one of crack Foreign Legion and a diversionary force (the newly painted Turcos) to our left. The Bad Guys sent 3 sections to their right (our right), and 2 to their left, hoping to grab the whole convoy.

In essence, the 3 Section unit of Bad Guys drew really great cards, and moved forward rapidly with their Lieutenant. The one section of Turcos were thus rapidly mown down and retired with over 50% losses. This allowed the Bad Guys to commandeer 2 vehicles

.
On our side, the Big Force moved more slowly, and a firefight with the 2 delaying sections of the Bad Guys took time but they were eventually sorted out by a Legion bayonet charge on the cars they were sheltering behind.

A bayonet charge by the Foreign Legion (White hatted Good Guys) sends the Bad Guys packing

There was then a tussle for the Putilov arnoured car in the centre - the Bad Guys had got to it and started driving it away, but lost a lot of their men in the process (including their Lieutenant). I shouldaddd at this time that both sides artillery were making random shots still as no one had told them that a rescue/snaffle sortie was happening.

The game ended with the Good Guys pursuing the rapidly fleeing remnants of the Bad Guys through the forest, taking potshots as they ran, and trying to puncture the tyres of the escaping Putilov. A stray bullet did cause a breakdown but the crew were able to get out and fix it despite pinging bullets and drove off.

Result - Bad Guys got 2 trucks and their armoured car away, heroic Good Guy French captured 2 trucks and caused 70% losses to their platoon with only 30% losses to us and were in command of the field. The points system we were using judged it a narrow 52 to 48 for us Good Guys (Hurrah). I think our concentration strategy was probably superior, as (i) the concentartion of 4 squads firepower took a huge toll on the Bad Guys and (ii) if the Bad Guys hadn't had that great rush of initiative earlier they would would have been delayed a bit longer by the Turcos and struggled to get the armoured car.

Mud and Blood yielded an enjoyable game from a simple scenario (we had played the same awhile ago with another set of rules, but it wasnt as much fun - the M&B random card system really adds interest). Owing to the more unpredictable nature its important to get your grand strategy right.

Odessa Files - Part VI - Defence of Malodrevnya

A small action using Price of Glory rules, with converted lists and some amendments to the "To Hit" and To Save" rules which we felt was too bloody when we first tried them out.

The Bolsheviks are advancing on Odessa, and a platoon size group of (2 squads of) Greek Evzones and 1 squad of French troops, plus 2 machine Guns are thrown together to defend the hamlet of Malodrevnya,. Scale 1:1 (below):

Defending Malodrevnya - troops occupy all the houses, Foreign Legion right bottom behind wall

It wasn't clear where the Bolsheviks would attack from so the troops occupied all the houses, except the Foreign Legion detachment who occupied some ruined walls on the most likely direction of attack (bottom right of picture).

The Bolshevik attack, when it came, came across the whole of the right and top of the table - as seen from the other side of the table, below - two big platoons plus some other troops and outnumbering the Allies c 3:1, but the Greek and French troops were higher grade

Here come the Bolshies!

The heaviest action were on the two left  hand buildings, the Foreign Legion (top) were shot down very fast (too close to enemy coming on table) but two Chauchat teams in the house held the Russians off for quite a while, until finally being overwhelmed and the remnants retiring, but the shaken Russians stayed behind the cover of the wall even then. Where is a Comissar when you need one?.

The main action was on the bottom left house, where 2 machine guns and a sniper took a big toll of Russian troops, an fought off two attempts to take the building by charge before finally succumbing to huge Russian firepower concentration and another mass charge. Lieutenant Metaxa was the last to die in the house, bravely defending it to his last gasp.

What's left of the Russian assault on the house (still a lot of them) finally breaks in

At this point, with c 1/3rd of the troops remaining, the Greeks chose to retire. They had taken nearly double their number of Bolsheviks with them but there were still hordes of bolshie Bolshies on table.

Rules wise the game was a bit less "bang - all fall down" with our mods, but I still prefer Mud & Blood for small actions, the "Initiate" workflow here I found more cumbersome than M&B's card system.  My honourable opponent, on the other hand, really likes the initiation system so it's clear its an individual taste thing (but then, he is a Bolshie beggar after all....)

Relevant Imagi-nation Content:

This is a dry run of my Byzantia Imagi-Nation army - decent line infantry and a few elites vs the continually border-bashing Bolshie hordes of neighbouring Bolshovia.

The Odessa Files Part V - Action at Srednogorod

One of the small skirmishes in the Bolshevik advance on Odessa. The small town of Srednogorod was the scene of an encounter battle between Bolsheviks and Graeco-French allies, trying out Contemptible Little Armies (CLA) rules. The objective was simple - take the town!

CLA only defines "units" of 8 - 18 figures so we went for 1:1 scale, both sides c1,000 points (c 100 figure armies - about 2 platoons plus support weapons)

The Bolsheviks fielded 2 platoons of 4 squads of 10, one being elite, and also had a unit of Cossacks, 3 Machine Guns, 3 Field Guns....and a Putilov Armoured Car. 

The Greeks fielded 2 platoons, each of 4 squads of 9 men, including a Chauchat per squad, 2 Machine Guns, a Mortar and a Schneider-Danglis 75mm mountain gun'. You can only field 2 units of Evzones in an army in CLA, so all the Evzones were played as ordinary troops

The Greeks also has French support for the first time, a unit of Poilu in Bleu, and a unit of the Legion d'Etrangere (Elite) (It's interesting, once people in the club knew we were doing eastern World War One Salonika Front / Russian Civil War / Back of Balkan Beyond Imagii- Nations they started donating various figures here and there, so I now have enough for a squad/platoon/company of Poilu in bleu, similar Foreign Legion, a Machine Gun, and enough other various bit and pieces to move the Byzantia Imagi-Nation along quite nicely - of which more, later)

To be honest though , the Russian Civil War is so "back of beyond" it has been quite fascinating in its own right. We fell into it just to allow Greeks to play Russians to test various WW1 rulesets (our German opponent not being around), but it has proven a fairly fascinating gaming environment owing to the variety of nations and troops involved, the open nature of the games, the penny packet armour used)

 

(Greeks on the left, Bolsheviks on the right, armoured car at the bottom)

The two armies raced for the town, the Cossack cavalry and the armoured car tried to attack down one flank so they could get into the Greek rear. (Above). The first action occurred as two units of Greeks saw the Cossacks heave into view and let fly with Chauchat and rifle fire, toppling some of the Cossacks. The 75mm gun also fired at the Cossacks, to some effect but when one of the Greek machine guns and the mortar opened up, they had had enough and fled. Sadly for the Greeks, the Putilov car then rolled up and its murderous fire swept the Greeks - those who didn't fall ran (caught in open by enemy armour), and the Greek flank was about to collapse with 2 squads gone and two more Russsian units moving up on foot behind the Car.

It was at this point the Mountain Gun saved the day, the Greeks stopped their knees knocking and fired over open sites - and scored a direct hit on the Armoured Car, destroying it!. This cheered up the Greeks no end, and caused the Bolshevik foot to rethink their option against a flank still covered by a machine gun and Mountain Gun.

Over open sights, the Greek mountain gun prepares to try and stop ther Charge of the Putilov Car!

On the other flank the Bolshevik artillery made things very hot for the Greeks until they could shelter in some thick woods and a small hamlet nearby, where they stayed, slowly being whittled away by Russian assaults while desperately trying to drag a machine gun and mortar over to help (heavy weapons move slowly and can only shoot in line of sight)


While this was occurring, French Poilu and Bolsheviks troops clashed in the village, and desperate close range shooting and hand to hand fighting started. The Russians committed the Bolshevik Elite commanded by a Komissar, the French Foreign Legion also joined in the fray. The Bolshies slowly won via pure numbers (although a lot cheaper, they fight better in hand to hand than Greeks or French troops as they count as Ferocious - only the Legion could match them.)

 The game ended with the Greeks retiring to lick their wounds , the French wiped out in their debut game.

CLA Is the 5th ruleset we have used for Eastern Front WW1/RCW, it is the simplest - very "beer and pretzels" so we got the game finished quickly. It has the most comprehensive army lists of all the sets (The Salonika Front and armies in the East like Greeks are ignored by all the others, which is odd as the more open nature of the warfare makes for much more excting games in our opinion). However, we felt the rules were a bit too simple for our needs, and (unless we were reading it wrong) having 5 point "Ferocious" poorly trained (but clearly very motivated)  Bolsheviks troops beating 10 point French Poilu and being the equal of Legionaires in H2H was a bit rich.

Byzantia's 1920's/1930's military doctrine debates

Byzantia was created by the vicorious powers at Versailles in 1918, as a Mandate from lands of the defeated powers - Bulgaria and Turkey - and a bit of Greece to remind them of their recalcitrance in the hard years of WW1. Luckily for them their closest enemies were either wrecked (Bulgaria). busy wrecking themselves (Russia) or wrecking each other (Greece and Turkey)

In the late 1920's, the falout of WW1 is starting to settle down, which means these voracious neigbours are looking outwards again, so Byzantia is feeling the heat and knows it needs to sort out its defences. 

Byzantia's General Staff  is of course reading all the latest military theories and doctrines, while observing what people actually do as well:

Firstly, Air Power:

The French air force was the world's largest and most powerful when World War I ended in 1918. Although not a separate service, it nonetheless enjoyed a certain prestige for its excellent performance during the war. Things soon deteriorated, however. Demobilization de·mo·bil·ize
tr.v. de·mo·bil·ized, de·mo·bil·iz·ing, de·mo·bil·iz·es
1. To discharge from military service or use.

2. To disband (troops).
..... Click the link for more information. hit the air arm particularly hard, partly because the army officers in charge gave preference in funding to ground forces and equipment. In addition, French politicians reflected the mood of the people, who were increasingly fearful of and pessimistic about a German resurgence. Defense policy, readily supported by the army, increasingly focused on a defensive stance in the east. The Maginot Line would stand as an impregnable and concrete trench when the Germans returned. Air theory, which in France stressed the offensive and revolutionary nature of strategic air attack (as it did in Britain, the United States, and Italy), was distinctly unwelcome in such a passive environment.

In both Britain and the United States, budget cuts took a severe toll on the air arms. In Britain, for example, the Royal Air Force (RAF) received on average a mere 15 percent of the defense budget, and in the United States, the Air Corps had an even smaller share. Similarly, the RAF found itself constantly under attack from the army and navy which sought to disestablish the RAF as a separate service and take back the airplanes they had lost in 1918. In the United States, of course, the Army firmly controlled its Air Corps and quashed ail talk of a separate service.

As you can imagine, the Generals really like this - the Air Marshall is somehat annoyed, and instead quotes Billy Mitchell, dreaming of fleets of bombers that can fly higher and faster han any fighter and project power from on high. So much so that he is arguing for Byzantia to set up shop and manufacture the flown then dropped U S "Barling Bomber" (above picture)

Secondly, the Land War:

The victorious armies were saddled with huge stockpiles of 1918-model equipment and ammunition and had to use up these stockpiles at peacetime rates before major new expenditures could be justified, so real change is very slow (and Byzantia can get its hands on this "modern" equipment easily and cheaply - as can their foes, sadly).

JFC Fuller is oft quoted, with his ideas to defeat the enemy by a "pistol shot to the brain" of enemy headquarters and communications, instead of by destroying the combat elements through systematic attrition. But to do that needs a fast twenty miles per hour tank (which cheap WW1 surpus is not) to exploit the rupture of defences caused by slower tanks, and men in trucks to keep up with them. But Fuller is ignoring the role of infantry in the mechanized team, argue ther opponents. Men in trucks is all very well, but that can't safely get them fighting in close coordination with armor.

France is choosing to construct a sophisticated version of the defenses that had apparently worked so well at Verdun, they will call it the Maginot Line.  The French doctrine seems to be viewing combined arms as a process by which all other weapons systems assist the infantry in its forward progress. Tanks are considered to be "a sort of armored infantry," subordinated to the infantry^. The French cavalry are experimenting extensively with armored cars and motorcycles, and even half-tracks. These half-tracks sometimes formed combat teams with armored cars and towed artillery! There is much excitement over an embryo Light Armoured Division, with lots of Armoured Cars.

Very interesting for a small country that can afford some armoured cars and maybe new tanks - but large underground fortifications and fleets of bombers are a tougher ask, esecially in the anti-war environment of the 1920's/early 1930's

Some are even arguing that the German approach, concentrating all their resources on a relatively narrow front for breakthrough. This concentration of forces requires the careful integration of all weapons and arms at battalion level or below to overcome the enemy's defenses. The infiltration tactics of 1917-18 reflected this viewpoint and were retained after the armistice,the 1921 German Regulation on Command and Combat of the Combined Arms included not only the infantry assault battalion and the carefully planned artillery and preparations of 1918, but also close air support, gas warfare, and tanks in an Infantry-support role. But the Germans lost the war, so what could they know?

Some of Byzantia's officers (quite a few ex White Russians and Greeks) fought in the Russian Civil War. Because of the vast distances and understrength armies involved In the Civil War, penetration and encirclement were no longer difficult, and fluid maneuver was the rule. Cavalry rules! shout the horsey types. However, Russia was far more open than the hilly Balkans, so others are arguing for using the terrain as much as possible, and training specialist troops to use it well and "be like Ghosts".

There is also a trend in all armies to move from the "square" 4 platoon and 4 company structure to the "Triangular" 3-platoon - 3 company structure. Take the Americans for example, Pershing is banging on about moving the machine gun and other specialized heavy weapons into the infantry rifle organization at every level. To avoid an excessive span of control, each commander has a headquarters, three subordinate rifle units, plus a weapons unit--three rifle platoons and a heavy weapon platoon in each company, with three such companies plus a heavy weapons company in each battalion.

And then there is the question of how to pop enemy armour - Heavy Machine guns can nail armoured cars and light tanks, but you need something at a lower level, as combat experience showed. Last but not least is what to do with the Chauchat - Byzantia was equipped with them by the French and they arre still the primary squad Automatic Rifle, and it works far better in the hills of the Balkans thean the gritty trenches of France - but maybe get a weapon with more firepower - or just have more Chauchat teams?

So, a ferment of change.....

Hat tips here and here

Odessa Files Part II - The Liman Race

Some photos from tonight's game - we played the "Mud & Blood" rules using the "Race to the Sea" scenario to teach ourselves the rules, except it was a "Liman Race" between Greeks and Bolsheviks around Odessa, 1919 during the Russian Civil War. (Liman are huge lagoons around Odessa - see map here, we played our action just East of Cerbka where the Greek and White Russian sectors intersected). The terrain map is shown below:

The objective is to seize the river bridge in the village on the right - the Greeks to stop the Bolsheviks crossing, the Reds to prevent the Greeks blowing it up.. The battle was fought between a Bolshevik force of about 1 platoon, complete with Putilov armoured car, and a Greek force of a similar size supported by a squad of White Russian Cossack cavalry. Here are some pictures- the Bolsheviks marching along from point B above:

And here are the Greeks marching along (below). These are the crack 5/42nd Evzones Regiment (don't know if they flew the flag in action in 1919, but all photos and pictures of Evzones have them heroically flying the flag, so by St Spiros mine do!).

The game was an honourable draw, the Whites/Greeks getting to the village first with the White Russian Cossack cavalry (below) and Greek cavalry but being pinned in the houses by the Putilov armoured car's twin machine guns (it broke down on the Russian side of the village just around that corner, thank heavens - the Greeks had nothing to hurt it with and it would have wreaked havoc) but the Bolshevik infantry could not approach the village as the Greeks were in the houses on their side and along the river bank covering the approach.

Rules were fine, but a bit slow as (i) we were learning them and (ii) they could be a bit better laid out, and the quick reference sheet has a lot of tables missing. We liked the unpredictability and things like the machine guns jamming, armoured car breaking down etc. Excuse the photos blurring, pictures were taken with mobile 'phone.

The Odessa File

For those of you interested in "Interbellum" (between the wars) gaming, this may be of interest. I have a Greek WW1 army and was curious about it's activities in the Russian Civil War. (This all kicked off because I wanted my Greeks to fight a friend's Russians, rather than always being on the same side as they were on the Salonika Front. My thanks to Mark Plant and Rudy Nelson for their help on The Miniatures Page - Mark has written a book, see here)

The Greeks were part of a force that occupied Odessa to support White Russia in the Ukraine. The force is an opportunity to field quite a polyglot outfit - White Russians, Poles, French, Greeks, Rumanians and various local bandit...I mean heroic rebel bands.

The army dispositions are shown in the map above, the army TO&E below - just look at the variety of units, all mixed together -  looks like some extremely good scenarios in this! In addition, some of the White Russian units' uniforms were truly over the top (look at these posts for the uniforms)

(Actually makes anything I can make up in my Byzantia 1920 Imagi-Nation fairly tame!)

A. Eastern Sector (See map above)
=========================

Command:
– General Nérel, commander of the [French] 30th ID;
– HQ at Odessa;
– Command post at Gevanova.
Troops:
– Infantry
– [French] 40th IR;
– two regiments of the Greek 13th ID;
– one regiment of the Greek 2nd ID;
– detachment of Russian Volunteer Army in cover.
– Artillery:
– one group from the divisional artillery of the [French] 30th ID;
– artillery of the Greek 13th ID;
– field and heavy artillery of the Russian Volunteer Army
– Cavalry
– two squadrons of the 4th Chasseurs d’Afrique and one battalion of MGs
– one squadron of Russian Volunteer Army

I. The advanced line ran along the Cerbka river, the bridge at Popovca on the Tilgulski [Liman}and the
defile of Koblievo-Troïtkoïe. Covered to the east by a detachment of the Russian Volunteer Army
operating between the Berezanski Liman and the Tiligulski Liman (1 battalion, 2 squadrons and 2 guns), it
was divided into three parts:

a. Under the orders of Lieutenant-Colonel de Clavières:
– advanced post of Cerbka
– advanced post of Pocrovscoe;
– bridge of Popovca.
– advanced post of Cerbka under the orders of Colonel Manetas and consisting of:
– one Greek IR;
– one Greek artillery group;
– two [French?] 75mm batteries;
– one Greek engineer company;
– one squadron of the 4th Chasseurs d’Afrique;
– one Greek infantry battalion at Bol Buyalic in support,
limited to the east by the Tchernogorka to Krasnogorka (included) road and to the west by the
Gradenfeld to Andriewka road, and liaising to the east with the Russian Volunteer Army
detachment and to the west with the Polish cavalry at Liebenthal.
– advanced post of Pocrovscoe under the orders of the commander of the Russian Volunteer Army
detachment and disposing of:
– four infantry companies;
– 36 machine-guns;
– two squadrons on foot;
– 10 guns,
limited to the west by the Tchernogorka to Krasnogorka road and the east by the village of Kapri.
Liaising to the west with the advanced post of Cerbka on the river of the same name and to the
east to the village of Kapri with the advanced post of Popovka.
– advanced post of Popovka held by two companies and 16 MGs of the Russian Volunteer Army in liaison
to the west with the company of the Russian Volunteer Army in Kapri and to the east with the garrison of
Koblievo at Savnia.

b. Fortified line of Koblievo-Troitkoie, under the orders of the commander of the Greek battalion
occupying the line and possessing a Greek battalion and 4 guns of the Russian Volunteer Army, limited to
the west by Tiligulski Liman and to the east by the sea. Liaison to the west to the village of Savnia with the
Russian Volunteer Army detachment at Popovka.

c. Cover to the east, under the direct orders of the general commanding the 1st Divisional Group
comprising a squadron of the Russian Volunteer Army (bulk at Krasnaia) patrolling in the direction of
Lubianka and Cozlo with a line of retirement on Koblievo-Troitkoie. The Russian Volunteer Army
occupied, as well, Otchakov, Fort National and Fort Kimburn.
The admiral to give all necessary orders to support, with the fleet, the occupation of Fort National and,
eventually, the evacuation of Otchakov.

II. An intermediate line, passing through Bol Buyalik and Kremidovska, to be held by:
– one Greek battalion;
– one half-company of Greek engineers;
– one French cavalry squadron;
– one platoon of French MGs;
– one French 75mm battery,
and placed in reserve at the disposition of the colonel commanding the 4th Chasseurs d’Afrique.

III. The principal line, under the orders of the colonel commanding the 30th ID, consisting of:
– two Greek battalions (of which one detached to the Troitkoie line);
– one French regiment;
– one Greek 75mm battery,
was divided into two sub-sectors each occupied by a Greek battalion and organised defensively:
– one sub-sector from the sea to Kouialnitchki Liman;
– one sub-sector from Kouialnitchki Liman to Gadjibiesky Liman.
In reserve, a French regiment at Marewska at the disposition of the general commanding the eastern sector.



B. Western Sector
=============

Placed under the orders of General Borius, commander of the [French] 156th ID, limited between
Gadgibiesky Liman [exclusive] and the Dniestr (exclusive) and consisting of:
– a sub-sector of defence, properly speaking;
– Odessa itself;
– a detachment in cover at the water plant under the direct orders of the general commanding the 1st
Divisional Group.

I. Sub-sector of defence, under the orders of General Borius, limited to the east by Gadgibiesky Liman and
the Dniestr to the west, in liaison to the east around Andriewka with the Polish Cavalry and to the west, on
the Dniestr, with the Romanian units occupying Tiraspol and consisting of:
– Infantry:
– one regiment of the [French] 30th ID;
– one regiment of the [French] 156th ID;
– one regiment of the Greek 2nd ID;
– one Romanian infantry regiment, under certain conditions.
– Cavalry:
– one regiment of Polish cavalry.
– Artillery:
– one group from the divisional artillery of the [French] 30th ID;
– one group from the Greek 13th ID;
– one Romanian group.

II. Advanced line: Under the orders of the lieutenant-colonel commanding the [French] 58th IR, running
along the railway to Razdelnaia and consisting of:
– the advanced post of Razdelnaia-Tiraspol;
– Tiraspol;
– the detachment at Bielajewska.

a. The advanced post of Razdelnaia-Tiraspol, under the orders of the commander of the 1st battalion of the
58th IR and comprising:
– one Romanian battalion;
– one battalion of the 58th IR (less one section);
– one Romanian battery,
in liaison to the east with the Polish cavalry around Poniatowka and to the west with the garrison of
Tiraspol around Strasburg.

b. Tiraspol, under the orders of the lieutenant-colonel commanding the Romanian regiment and consisting
of:
– two Romanian battalions;
– one Romanian battery;
– one section of the [French] 58th IR,
in liaison to the east with the garrison of Razdelnaia around Strasburg, to the west with the Romanian
troops of Bessarabia at the Bender bridge. The liaison with the advanced post of Cerbka (eastern sector)
and with Razdelnaia (western sector) was confided to the Polish cavalry of which the bulk was at
Chimiotowka, under the direct orders of the lieutenant-colonel commanding the 58th IR.

c. Detachment at Bielajewska [the water plants] under the direct orders of the general commanding the 1st
Divisional Group and consisting of:
– three infantry companies;
– one squadron;
– one battery.
of the Polish 4th ID.

III. The intermediate line, under the orders of the lieutenant-colonel commanding the [French] 58th IR,
holding Novodlagodatnaya with the staff of the regiment and one battalion of the 58th IR.

IV. The principal line, established at 6 to 8 kilometres from Odessa, running via Ustowa, Dalnik and
Tatarka, under the orders of Colonel Gargalidis, commander of the Greek 2nd ID and held by one infantry
regiment of that division.

Odessa
===== 

This was placed under the orders of General Borius, the governor, charged
with the interior defence of the town. The defence was to be based on the organisation of a principal line
established around the rail line and a redoubt in support of the port.
The support of the fleet was to be realised by agreement between the governor and the admiral
commanding the naval forces in Odessa.

General Borius had for the defence of the town:
– the [French] 156th ID (less a regiment);
– one company of the legion;
– one regiment of tirailleurs algériens;
– the 4th regiment of Chasseurs d’Afrique, less two squadrons;
– the remainder of the Polish 4th ID;
– the remainder of the Russian Volunteer Army;
– the Russian police;
– the disembarked companies [naval landing parties]
– the staging battalions (Indo-Chinese for the port guard and Algerian for the redoubt).

A general reserve, at the disposition of the general commanding the 1st Divisional Group, consisted of:
– one infantry regiment of the Greek 2nd ID and the advised reinforcements;
– tanks of the AS/303 (one section at Peressip, one at the station, one in the proximity of the HQ)
– the 534th Hellenic Aviation Sq. (As best as I can work out equi[pped with DeHavilland DH.4 or 9)

The Battles were:

Defense of Kherson Russia = January 17-February 25 1919. A series of bitter engagements fought against Red Russian forces. Units of the Greek 7th and 34th Divisions conducted a combination of attacks, reinforcing and defensive operations.

Battle of Vasilinovo and Berezovka Russia = February 8- March 5 1919. A series of bitter engagements fought against Red Russian forces. Units of the Greek 1st and 34th Divisions conducted a combination of attacks, reinforcing and defensive operations.

Relief of Kherson = February 23, 1919. The Greek 1st regiment broke through the Red lines surrounding Kherson long enough to evacuate the besieged Allied garrison.

Battle around Odessa = March 6-21 1919. The Greek 3rd, 34th and 5/42nd Regiments fight a series of engagements around the city of Odessa.

Operations in Sevastapol = March 1919. The Greek 2nd Regiment is involved in several battles around the city.

Defense of Odessa = March-April 1919. The Greek forces in the city delay the Red Forces by using a fighting withdrawal tactic