AVBCW: The Battle of Little Hereford (Part One)

Byakhees JP, Tym, The Bombardier and I played a game today:

Following the brutal but inconclusive siege of Ledbury, the opposing factions in Herefordshire were exhausted and a stalemate ensued.

The Anglican League, together with sundry other anti-government and/or anti-fascist groups, were unable to complete their goal of cutting off Royalist Hereford as an advance towards Bromyard and Leominster would stretch their already threadbare supply lines.

The Royalist and Fascist forces of government were similarly hamstrung – failing to regain the initiative as they struggled to simultaneously push back the Anglicans, deal with left-wing insurgents, ‘Twiggy Mommet’ protests and patrol the border with Wales; as well as keeping the peace within the county.

As the new campaign season began, another faction appeared on the scene to break the impasse: the Worcester Loyalists. Based in Tenbury Wells, this pro-Albertine group sought to create a Worcestershire Free State, very much in the same mould as neighbouring Shropshire. Seeking to establish secure supply lines, they had already brokered a deal with socialist forces in the West Midlands (a splinter group of which had begun operating in North Herefordshire), and now made contact with the Anglican League.

A plan was formed: if the Worcester Loyalists and neighbouring socialists could co-operate with the Reds and the Anglican League, a large anti-government coalition could be formed along the Gloucestershire/Herefordshire/Worcestershire border, linking nationalist Wales to the Midlands via the Forest of Dean, Ross, Ledbury, the Malvern Hills and Tenbury Wells.

The first step was to continue to cut off Hereford and allow the unsupplied Royalists therein to wither away without having to besiege the city. With this in mind the Worcester Loyalists proposed to seize the rail junction at Wooferton on the Hereford/Shropshire border, thus cutting the Leominster – Shrewsbury line and further isolating Royalist Herefordshire.

As is typical in this part of the country however, word quickly spread to the Royalists, who dispatched a force to deal with this attack, blocking the Tenbury – Wooferton rail line whilst setting up defences at the road crossing of the River Teme near Little Hereford. The stage was set for the latest chapter in the story of VBCW Herefordshire and Worcestershire as a combined Worcester Loyalist/Socialist force met forces of the King and Mosley head-on.

That was JP’s write up that The Bombardier aided and abetted him with.

JP, and The Bombardier played Commies, and opportunistic “unaligned LDV” based in north Worcestershire attempting to join up with the ne’er do wells in southern Herefordshire like the Anglican league. Tym and I played the dastardly BUF protecting HM at his base in Malvern/Madresfield. The forces clashed near Little Hereford and the Wooferton junction of the railway over the River Teme.

Set up:

(A peaceful countryside you would think…)

The BUF were defending the bridge.

(A bucolic countryside (protected by the fair minded clean limbed members of the BUF), whose peace is shattered by…)

The Reds and allies were attacking.

(…the revolting proletariat with their foul contraptions spreading disease, death and destruction over our fair and green countryside…)

We used Mort’s Platoon generator. In game we had a DUH moment and allowed the attackers reinforcements. So circa 3×10 infantry, a heavy weapon, some form of heavy support (tanks, field gun etc) and A N Other AVBCW unit. The table was 8×4′.

We used OOk’s Went The Day Well ? rules.

Minor downside, I had to go do Beastwatch for my parents at their smallholding.

To be continued…