World War One - East Africa

Today we played a World War One in East Africa game.

The scenario had a German command of eleven companies, supported by two field guns, two mountain guns and six heavy machine guns retreating before a Empire force of twelve companies, six heavy machine guns and one field gun. 

The Germans had to retreat across two rivers, each of which had a single crossing point, to a plantation at one end of the table. Their objective was  to get as many troops across the second ford as possible at the end of the game. 

Four companies plus two machine guns were around a farm at the  opposite end of the table to the plantation. Six companies, three machine guns, the two mountain guns and one field gun were posted on a hill between the rivers. A single company, a machine gun and a field gun were posted at the plantation.  

Looking up the full length of table from the plantation.

The Empire force consisted of  four battalions. A South African battalion and two Sikh battalions deployed near the  farm while a battalion of British infantry with two machine guns would arrive between the rivers.

The Germans stole a march on the South Africans and Sikhs, slipping away across the first river without taking a single casualty, while between the rivers the Germans took post on the hill.

As the German Askari from the farm made their way through the thick bush, the British battalion pushed forward and engaged them. One Askari company faced the attack while the others raced away towards the second river crossing.

  

The Askari and one of their machine guns were overrun, but at great cost to the British company. A second British company dashed forward and engaged a unit of German Schutztruppen, but the Germans drove them off.

But when the Schutztruppen tried to drive off the supporting British machine gun, they were held in check. The British had time to regroup and drove off the Germans.

The South Africans in the meantime came up through the bush (somewhat belatedly) and took up the fight from the exhausted British.

 

The Germans were now streaming back to the second ford, but the Empire forces were closing fast. The two Sikh battalions formed up on the reverse slope of the hill ready to storm forward.

The Germans reatreated across the second ford and formed up around the plantation.

But the action had cost them dearly - five Askari companies, two mountain guns and a field gun were lost. The loss of heavy equipment was particularly crippling for them. The Empire force lost three companies, although several others has taken significant losses.

Here a very enjoyable game ended.