Maurikian Byzantine versus Arab Conquest

A repeat of last week's game, but Olivier now took command of the Arabs in what proved to be an epic battle.

There are some cultivated fields on the left of the Byzantine line representing broken ground.

On the right there is a patch of difficult scrub land.

The Arabs have again been out scouted.

The Arabs prove to be cautious as the Byzantines boldly advance.

Arabs adjust to face the Byzantine light cavalry,

while sending some of their light camelry

on a deep penetration.

Arab slingers make a mess of the Byzantine archers.

A unit of Byzantine cavalry has been turned

to face the threat to the rear.

The Arab commander with his warriors has successfully engaged the enemy.

A further incursion by some Arab camelry has got bogged in the fields.

The Arab commander and his warriors have got the better of some Byzantine cavalry,

but the Arab rear looks to be in peril.

The merry-go-round on the periphery of the battle continues

as the Byzantine light cavalry close in.

The Arab commander and his warriors have carried all before them,

but are now dangerously exposed.

The Byzantines are closing in on the Arab commander and his warriors

who are now well isolated from the rest of their army.

The Byzantine light cavalry take the Arab commander in the rear,

but fail to make much of an impression.

After a fierce fight the Arab commander has beaten off the Byzantine cavalry.

Both sides are regrouping getting ready for the final act.

Each side is just one unit short of breaking.

Arab warriors who have come to their commander's rescue

find themselves in trouble...

The warriors took out a unit of Byzantine cavalry 

before succumbing to a further unit of Byzantine cavalry.

Boths sides break.

A draw!

With the Guns in the Peninsula

I've had this book for thirty years and now I've finally read it.

Very much the daily life of a young officer mostly enjoying travelling in Spain and Portugal and visiting his fellow officers.  Nice work if you can get it.  The diary, for that is what it is, stops just before the battle of Vitoria.  The diary commences in August 1812.

There was a lot of marching which seemed to start very early in the day but only manage a few leagues each time.  He frequently comments on the poor state of the roads.

Raseiniai 24 June 1941

Last year Simon and I said we must have another Rommel game.  We finally made it!

This scenario is from the hexesandminiatures website.  All I have done is convert it from squares to hexes.

The Soviets start at the top of the map but the following images are nearly all taken form the Soviet side and so inverted.

The scenario's description of the battle states:

On 22 June 1941 Operation Barbarossa the German invasion of the USSR commenced.   In the north 
the 6th Panzer Division of Panzer Gruppe 4 advanced rapidly only to be unexpectedly  
counter-attacked by the Russian 2nd Tank Division.   A German division of largely light Pz35s found 
itself facing T34 and heavy KV tanks. 

I substituted Pz38s for the Pz35s but had all the right models for everything else.

I took the Soviet side and started with a mass of light armour - T26s and BT7s.

There are four victory locations, currently held by the Germans.

Wasting no time the Soviet counterattack started immediately against the two hamlets.

This is the centre one.

This is the one on the Soviet right-hand side.

PzIIs from Kampgruppe Seckendorff head off Soviet armour

which was aiming for the urban area of Raseiniai. 

Soviet armour strikes against the PzIIs as well as keeping up the pressure on the central hamlet.

The Soviets are just about to take the central hamlet.

They have secured the right-hand hamlet, but the German Kampgruppe Raus has arrived

and commenced trying to recapture it.

The battle is at the halfway point.

Soviet motorised infantry have arrived 

and are heading to the victory location in the woods (top of the image).

The Soviet heavy tank regiment has arrived and is heading for the hamlet

which is under attack by KG Raus.

The Soviets have dug in but are under intense pressure in the right-hand hamlet.

For how long will it remain the "red right-hand"?

The Soviets swap out the light tanks which were defending the hamlet

with some heavies.

The Soviet infantry clear the woods.

They now hold three of the four victory locations.

KG Raus continues its attacks on the right-hand hamlet.

Battered, the Soviet heavy tanks pull out to avoid annihilation.

The light armour of KG Raus makes spoiling attacks against Soviet armour

that could have been used to retake the right-hand hamlet 

or even make an attempt on Raseiniai.

While there is still a pair of turns remaining, both sides securely hold two victory locations,

but don't have the strength to mount any further attacks. 

Excellent scenario providing a challenging game.  Just a pity I made the labels for the light armour so big.  Whoops!