Friday Night Russo/Polish War with Red Actions

 I arrived at Julians place on Friday with four A4 box files of Bolshevik troops, to find the table already set up for a Bolshevik v Poles clash, using our hosts figures for both sides, so my sole contribution to the game was a Whippet MG tank! Julian and Rick are already seated on the Bolshevik side of the table, with an empty seat next to John on the Polish side - so looks like I am playing Poles then!

Table set ready for war - Poles to the left, Russians to the right. Each force had a vehicle, John and Rick had infantry and artillery, Julian and I had predominantly cavalry commands.

The Unit Cards for my force

I had a horse gun attached as well as three HMG's carried by pack horses, and my Whippet tank.

John had infantry, a field gun and an A7 tank.

Rick had one of his own rather nice WWI tank models, plus infantry and gun.

And Julian had the Kon Armiya, supported by an MG mounting FT 17 AND a field gun!

The Polish infantry deploy. We did have a mortar, a very useful device in these rules!

Polish cavalry advance in cover from Ricks force - one cavalry unit, the horse gun and all three MG's deploy into the woods to counter the expected advance by Ricks infantry.

Julian put a couple of units of Red cavalry into the woods in front of Johns position.

The A7 acted like a mobile pill box, with MG's bristling from every side!

The Red infantry seemed to be having a lot of Soldiers Soviets, as they were constantly in motion but not making any actual progress towards the Poles!

The leading Polish cavalry charged the Reds!

The MG on the FT 17 helped drive them back!

And my Whippet returned the favour, driving off the Bolshevik horsemen!

The Poles continued to rout towards their baseline!

The A7's presence bottled up most of the Red cavalrymen for several turns.

Giving my Poles time to deploy their three MG's and the horse gun on the edge of the woods.

Combined MG fire drove off one Red cavalry unit.

"For the Revolution, for the proletariat, FOR LENIN - CHARRGGGEEE!"

The first unit charged from the woods in loose order but still managed to push my formed Poles back!

"For a free Poland and the Holy Catholic religion...charge!"

The Polish cavalry drove back first one, and then a second, and then a THIRD Bolshevik cavalry unit!

Comrade Ricks Red infantry slowly advances.

The main gun on the A7 took out Ricks field gun, as well as the side facing MG's causing loss to Julians cavalry! (Note the empty space in the top right where there should be five units of Red cavalry!)

The game was called at this point - ALL the Red cavalry had fled, and the infantry had not even really got into action yet, while Polish losses were minimal - a comprehensive victory for John and me - huzzah!

That will be our last game at Julians for 3-4 months, as he and his wife are off to the UK to visit their daughter Charli, who with her husband, is a medical research assistant at Oxford University (I think - it might be Cambridge - it's one of "the two"!), as well as some planned trips to other part of Europe - that's what you can do when are a retired dentist married to a retired lawyer!

We had a great game today at Barrys place - but that tale will have to wait a few days for the telling!