RJW Project - Phase One Complete

The final artillery batteries (both Russian and Japanese) arrived from Redoubt a couple of weeks ago. They are now painted based and waiting for their first game.

Their completion finishes phase one of the RJW project. That phase sees one division formed for each side. Phase two will be the replacement of the artillery and machine guns with product made by Tsuba - the Redoubt figures just lack the flair of the Tsuba product - and some cavalry. Of course megalomania may yet get the better of me and I may be forced to do another division of Japanese and another brigade of Russians.

I still have a number of buildings to complete. One is finished, as below, but there is another 'Hutong' type of building, a farm, which is nearing completion, and a small monastery. These need to be completed by August when we have our annual wargames weekend. This is a good winter project.

In the meantime I have been attracted to a new project: Early World War 1 - 1914. I have placed my first orders and next week I should have the better part of a battalion each of French, German and Belgian infantry ready for painting.

Russo-Japanese War Scenario

Today I ran my first Russo-Japanese War game. This was really a practice for the main event - a game at our annual wargames weekend away.

The scenario was set in mid-summer 1904. Desperate to be seen as doing something after a series of setbacks, the Russian commander ordered an advance south with the object of trying to find some way to raise the siege of Port Arthur. 

Major General Gerschelmann's 10th Infantry Division marched south from Liaoyang as far as Haicheng, but there they struck a major problem. Unable to make use of the railway the infantry quickly out distanced their supply services and Gerschelmann was compelled to halt the advance to allow his supply column to catch up. He occupied Haicheng, while pressing troops forward to secure a crossing of the Huzhuang River.

Fearing that the Russians might force their way still further south, the 2nd Division, from First Army, was dispatched to intercept and turn back the Russian advance. 

THE TABLE

The table measured 4.8 meters x 2 meters. The Huzhuang River divided the table in half and was able to be crossed either at the bridge or forded at a shallow point within 400mm of the eastern table edge.  All hills are gentle, except for the double contour hill which is rough going. Around the two farms are a number of fields, some bordered with stone walls, and near the rivers are some areas of scrub the rest of the  terrain is open.

RUSSIAN BRIEFING

Order of Battle

10th Infantry Division: Maj. General Gerschelmann

1st Brigade: Major General Rjabinkin 

33rd Infantry Regiment (12 stands) 

34th Infantry Regiment (12 stands) 

2nd Brigade: Major General Martson 

35th Infantry Regiment (12 stands) 

36th Infantry Regiment (12 stands) 

9th Artillery Brigade: Colonel Schuchinski 

4 Field Artillery Batteries (1 stand each)  

2 Machine gun sections

Attached to Division:

7th Rifle Regiment (6 stands)

2 Field Batteries (1 stand each)

Deployment

The Russians may deploy:

One regiment and any number of machine guns or artillery batteries south of the river, but no further than 150mm south of the farm.

One regiment and any number of machine guns or artillery north of the river, may be deployed between the river and Haicheng.

Two regiments and any number of machine guns or artillery may be deployed within 500mm of Haicheng.

Any or all Russian artillery may be off table, to the north of Haicheng.

1,500mm of trenches anywhere on the table in sections of no more than  600mm in a single section and no one section may be within 500mm on another section.

600mm of wire entanglements anywhere on the table in strips of no more than 300mm with a least 300mm between strips.

All or any batteries may be deployed dug in.

JAPANESE BRIEFING

Order of Battle

2nd Infantry Division Lieutenant General Nishi

3rd Infantry Brigade Major General Matsunaga

4th Infantry Regiment (9 stands)

29th Infantry Regiment (9 Stands)

15th Brigade: Major General Okazaki

16th Infantry Regiment (9 stands)

30th Infantry Regiment (9 stands)

2nd Kobi Brigade 

14th Kobi Infantry Regiment (6 Stands)

17th Kobi Infantry Regiment (6 Stands)

Attached to Division:

2nd Artillery Regiment (two battalions each of three batteries = total 6 stands)

2nd Machine gun Company (4 stands)

Deployment

The Japanese may advance on the table at any point on the southern edge and in any formation they wish on turn 1.

Any or all Japanese artillery may be off table, to the south of the table edge.

VICTORY CONDITIONS

If one side's army morale collapses, the opposing side wins the game.

The Japanese player wins if two regiments are established on the notthern bank of the river and are not engaged in a close attack at the end of the game.

Any other result is a Russian victory.

HOW THE GAME PLAYED OUT

The Russians deploy one regiment in trenches south of the farm south of the river. The machine guns company was deployed in a small redoubt on the double contour hill. Another regiment was deployed entrenched north of the river at the ford. The artillery was deployed on the hieghts south east of the town with the two remaining line regiments and the rifles regiment near the town.

The Japanese moved first, with tow full brigades against the Russian position infron of the farm, with the Kobi brigade on the left and the artillery south of the briad ridge, firing indirectly. They advanced swifly across the open ground, but were suddenly struck by Russian gunfire and cut to pieces. 

Here the game was suspended. Clearly the rules needed some tweaking so we paused for lunch andstarted again.

The Japanese changed their tactics, masking the Russian trenches with te Kobi brigade and advancing directly on the steep hill with the remainder ofhe division. To suppress the Russian machine guns they saturated the steep hill with fire from six batteries.

The Russians brought  the Rifles regiment and one of the line regiments acrss the river, but as the latter crossed the bridge they were caught by Japanese gunfire and suffered severely. Meanwhile the Kobi brigade were repelled on the Japanese left, but soon rallied and managed to work thier way around the right of the Russians in the trenches. With the support of the two machine gun sections asingle   Kobi Regiment stormed the trench, drivng the Russians back to the river bank.

Simultaneously the Japanese destroyed the Russian machine guns and occupied the steep hill, pouring fire into the Russian regiment that had crossed the river, completely dispersing it. The Russians then pulled bach what remained of the rifles regiment,while the line regiment that had held the forward trenches attempted to extract themselves.

Here the game ended. Although the Japanese had not fullfilled the victory conditions, the Russians were in a bad way, having lost one full line regiment, another one badly cut up, the rifles regimen down below half strength, two field batteres and two machne guns destroyed. Conversly the Japanese had lost one Kobi regiment, and the other damaged, but all their artillery, machine guns and all four line infantry regiments in tact. It was only a matter of time before they brought pressue on the remaining Russians. 

The result, a winning draw to the Japanese.

Lots of things were learned and a few adjustments for the rules.

Update on the RJW Project and A French and Indian War Game

Life in the real world has been busy of late so I haven't had time to post much. This is not to say that I haven't been busy on my RJW project. Since the last post I have completed two Russian and four Japanese machine guns and two field guns a side. I have also received, and painted, two regiments of Russian infantry. Finally I have placed orders for the last of the Japanese infantry and the last of the artillery for my initial armies. The armies will get their first test in action when we play our first game in early May.

Today we fought a French and Indian War game. The scenario had a French force charged with attacking a fort while a secondary force held off a relieving force.

We French launched a quick assault on the fort and were lucky enough to carry it at the first attempt. But the British were able to quickly rally and when the relieving force came up we were soon forced to burn the for and retreat, but not before we had done significant damage to the British.

Russo-Japanese War Machine Guns and Artillery

Yesterday I received a parcel from Redoubt containing six Japanese machine guns, two Russian machine guns and two guns each for Russians and Japanese artillery.

I have completed a machine gun for each side, and they look OK when based up, but I have to admin that the figures are not a patch on the Tsuba Miniatures. However, I need guns and machine guns before I can play a game. I will replace them later when Tsuba produce theirs.

If the weather holds over the long weekend, I might be able to get a few photos posted on Monday.

English Civil War

Yesterday we fought an English Civil War game based loosely on the First Battle of Newbury, fought in September 1643.

On the Parliament side the were eight pike units and six regiments of horse, with an artillery force of three guns.

The Royalists had six units of pike, nine regiments of horse, one unit of dismount dragoons and three guns.

The were three players on each side, plus a game organiser/ umpire.

The battle began with a cavalry action on the flanks. Two regiments of Royalist horse were driven off, but the remaining four succeeded in passing around the right of the Parliament infantry. When the Royalist infantry failed to stir, the Parliament foot were able to drive off the Royalist horse, assisted by the artillery.

On the opposite flank the a Royalists drove off two units of the Parliament foot and one of the regiments of horse, but could not drive off the remaining units.

When the Royalist infantry finally managed to get going on the left-centre it was too late and the Royalists were compelled to retire to Newbury.

It was a great game in which generally followed the historical outcome.

More Japanese

I haven't posted for a while, I know, but that is because I have been busy painting.

 

I have completed a new batch of Japanese infantry for the RJW from Tsuba. I have added two new regiments, bringing my total to four regiments.

 

One of the two new regiments has painted in the blue winter uniform, as shown below.

 

I will be ordering the next two regiments of Russians next week to be followed by one more order of Japanese, to make up the Kobi brigade.

I have also been working on some buildings for the RJW, but more about them in a later post.

Waiting for Parcels

I have conquered the lead mountain. I have no figures to paint. Well that is not strictly true since here are still some 40 Italian Bersaglerie figures for 1866 in a bag in the study, but I am not inspired by them since I would need to add several hundred more line infantry if I were to paint them.

I am waiting on two parcels from overseas: the first is a the next batch of RJW Japanese from Tsuba and the other is some Russian and Japanese machine guns and artillery from Redoubt. The latter will only be placeholders until Tsuba release their models. Both parcels should arrive this week so the painting drought won't last too long.

In the meantime I have been finishing off the trenches I started about a month ago. I have 1500mm completed now and have just two end pieces and another couple of angled sections to make to finish my target.

I have also started on the first of a series of buildings for the RJW. The first of these is a walled town house, similar to the Beijing Hutongs that I saw there in late 2009. I intend to make another couple of these walled residences, a few farm buildings and a small monastery before I am ready to have my first RJW game in May. I will post photos if the new buildings as I complete them.