AVBCW: The Battle of Bullock’s Mill Part Four

I was now reduced to the command squad, two troopers and a damaged section. Having expected to be out of the game after lunch it was now 3pm. I ralleid by one remaining section having been chased across a field by Welshmen. They turned and opened fire ! Roo, having seen off the cavalary distraction moved his section towards the centre of the table only to take a direct hit from the Welsh artillery and loose 4 troops in one shot. In the meantime, his other sections continued to fight over the mill house. They were locked in combat for four rounds – JP’s (other) veteran unit literally had their backs against the wall with no way out. His reinforcements on a random event card imbibed too much cheap ale (like Roo had the previous evening) and were unable to make a difference. Slowly Roo’s forces ground down the Welshmen. We caklled it a day just before 4pm, after some 5 hours of gaming. The “defenders’ had carried the fight to us very succesfully. I had held on, albeit with only 5 infatnry left plus command squad. I had held my flank and inflcited a lot of damage, knocking out “Maude”, holding up a unit if veterans and a unit of regulars with my all Irregular infantry.

 .

Roo had eventually cleared the Mill House of the enemy, and had held the railway crossing against the Welsh Cavalry and infantry. So the stout Herefordians had beaten off the Welsh interlopers (barely)…this time..

AVBCW: The Battle of Bullock’s Mill Part Three

With two Welsh sections having forded the river, my central section deciuded to beat a hasty retreat, in case Maude machine gunned them again.

My section in the copse put up a gallant fight in a shoot out with the veterans, but it was a losing battle.

Roo landed a number of shells on the Welsh including the medic (nurses were a visual treat only), dforcing back an infantry unit.

And the cavalry, again…

My section was reduced to two, the NCO was dead, the mortar however…

…knocked out Maude, as a last gasp before they were mown down by the veterans as they emerged from the copse of trees. My command unit marched up to defend the flank and held them at bay with the two remaining infantrymen 9LMG with BAR) for the next three rounds.

Meanwhile…

The Rooyalists all but wiped out the yo-tyo unit of Welsh cavalry. In the meantime, his other two sections of infantry started to storm the Mill itself where JP had hidden a section of infantry.

Petty acts of revenge were also carried out against sticks.

AVBCW: The Battle of Bullock’s Mill Part Two

We made JP deploy his “defending” Welsh Nationalists first (hordes of them). We had written the scenario together, and as he was facing two other platoons, had decided to give him 1.5 platton’s worth of forces, which turned out to be massive ! 🙂

Including “Maude” an improvised steam power A/C.

Roo’s Rooyalists deployed. Roo also rolled for my troops’ experience levels, and let’s say, it waqsn’t far down to the bottom in terms of luck thereafter…

In what turned out to be a rinse and repeat cycle, the Welshn Pit Pony Cavalry advanced (and retreated), advanced and retreated, advanced and retreated…

My Irregulars advcanced into the copse, to be confronted by…

JP’s Veterans…OUCH…. My mortar shelled Maude sveral times before immobilising it/her.

With some help from the second squad I had, and the quad bike, that unfortunately died very quickly with a shot from JP’s BOYS rifle.

My third section advanced to the T junction, and in one lucky shot, JP wiped them out – all nine troopers !!! :-O

It wasn’t even lunch time and I’d lost over a third of my force.

AVBCW: The Battle of Bullock’s Mill Part One

Or Cottaging, Dogging and Sheeping.

JP, Roo & I played a game today.

With Titley Junction finally cleared of the Welsh invaders, the local forces of Government are looking westward to Kington. If the troubled border region is to be properly secured, then the Welsh Nationalists must be ejected from this small market town.

The most logical route from Titley is to follow the railway line, which negates the need to get tangled up in the narrow and twisting country roads. However following the railway has it’s own perils, for it runs along the steep-banked valley of the River Arrow.

It is for certain that the retreating Welsh will throw forward defences somewhere across this valley, most probably near the disused Bullock’s Mill, where the railway crosses the Arrow twice in quick succession, and where there is a crossing point for the road from Lyonshall village.

The valley is steep and flanked by woodland, and no Government convoy could advance without having to force the crossing points or clear the valley slopes. Yet this is what they must do.

Hearing news that a platoon of Welsh Nationalists is throwing up defence works in the area, two Government platoons have been dispatched to see them off and reclaim the crossings for the King. However it is rumoured that Welsh reinforcements are hurrying from Kington to shore up the defences.

A show-down is imminent. Will the Arrow valley echo with the sound of ‘Land of My Fathers’, or ‘Long Live the King’?

mysterious makers appeared before the battle commenced, planted by the Welsh Nationalists…

AVBCW: This Sceptered Isle – 3

Later than previously advertised, some more AVBCW pictures of our game.

Under BlackJack’s excellent supervision, I had deployed my troops, and now sprang into action as JP and I raced to get to the two farms on the flanks.

This was where JP’s two sections of cavalry came in handy moving far faster than my foot sloggers. He seized one farm.

Whilst I seized another, and had to leave the section there to fend off the marauding cavalry which was his (cxunning) plan.

On the road, my second section loitered unsure of where his cavalry would go. With a few lucky shots, my armoured van knocked out his, and was still in action against the other. The Lanchester meanwhile faffed around rolling poorly for movement, and eventually returned to the main road.

Meanwhile, both sides occupied either side of the central farm and engaged in a brisk and deadly firefight across the farmyard.

A well placed mortar round felled several of his troops but his leader survived.

My irregular infantry encountered a lot of Black Shorts and crumbled away.

With my flank crumbling, JP poured in the Iron Hooves in a flanking move, supported by men in skirts.

It didn’t look good for me, as he’d also shot up my brave gamekepers who’d rushed the central farm with their shot guns in an effort to get in close.