Firstly, best wishes to all for 2022.
It's been two years in the waiting, but after three jabs and an LFT each, we finally met in the New Year for this 'If the Lord Spares Us' (Too Fat Lardies) scenario.
On 25th April 1915 the Allies launched their amphibious assault on the Gallipoli Peninsula. The British 29th Division, the last uncommitted Regular Army division was to seize a beachhead at Cape Helles. Half of 86th Brigade, reinforced by two companies of 2nd Hampshires (all Jolly Good fellows – SR0) under Lt Col. Carrington-Smith (SBO, CO 2nd Hants (Harrow)), were to land and capture the village of Sedd-el-Bahr and its surrounding defences to enable a further move inland. Ertugrul Bay was defended by 10th Company (Mehmetciks – SR1) of the Turkish 26th Regiment under Major Sabri Bey. (Photo1)
V Beach sits within a natural amphitheatre of rising ground, sealed off with extensive wiring. The British (Irish regiments) would be trying to get ashore using open rowing boats and the 'River Clyde', an improvised assault ship. (Jase's face dropped, "This is absolute madness!"). But how could any Turk survive the pre-landing bombardment from HMS Albion? (Photo2)
Report to follow.
Looking good
After what seemed like hours the bombardment stopped. As the dust began to clear the Turkish Major stared out to sea at a horizon filled with enemy ships. His men were shaken but had suffered few casualties. Urging them to their firing positions, he could now see lines of rowing boats full of enemy soldiers heading towards shore and a huge merchant ship bearing down on the beach. The invasion had come! He would have the honour of fighting and dying with the men of 10th Company. He was with an MG and two platoons in the trenches below Ertugrul Fort. Another MG and four platoons were concealed in the Old Fort and Sedd-el-Bahr village.
The British commander on the bridge of the River Clyde wasn't happy. Through his binoculars the wire defences seemed to remain intact from the bombardment. He daren't attack the beach frontally. The 1st Royal Dublin Fusiliers in their rowing boats sent two companies towards the harbour. One ordered to take the Old Fort from the rear, and the other the village. A third company was ordered to skirt the cliffs at the western end of the beach, land and capture Fort No.1. (Photo3)
The Dublins managed to land in the small harbour and by the light tower without drawing any enemy fire. Perhaps they had caught the Turks by surprise? (Photo4)
The Turkish Major ordered all his men to deploy to open fire whilst the enemy were still a dense mass of men trying to get out of their boats. (Photo5)
The River Clyde was still 'inching' its way towards the shore. Frustrated, the British commander argued with the skipper to go faster, but he stated he knew how to ground his own ship! (Photo6)
Back at the harbour the Dublins crashed out of their boats under the suppressive rifle fire of the Turks in the village. (Photo7)
The Dublin company at the far end of the beach landed en masse. Little did they know they were under the waiting muzzle of a Turk MG below Fort No.1. (Photo8)
In an attempt to support the infantry, the Royal Naval Division crewed MG mounted on the bow of the River Clyde opened fire in the seaward side of the Old Fort. The right-hand Dublin company being nearest to the village, attracted most of the Turkish fire and lost two platoons. Their rearmost comrades clambered across the already landed boats in a desperate effort to reach dry ground. The left-hand Dublin company benefiting from the sacrifice of their sister company raced for their fort objective. However, the platoon of Turkish infantry inside beat them to the gate. (Photo9)
It took two rounds of close combat but the brave single Turkish platoon was overwhelmed by Irishmen. The Dublins broke into the fort and cleared their objective. The Turkish MG crew located in the Old Fort's southwest tower was forced to jump out over the fort's embrasure to perish beneath the fire of the River Clyde's MG. (Photo10)
To be continued
A super impressive looking game - was worth the 2 years in the making! I can't tell if is custom made terrain, or very artfully arranged scatter terrain?
I'm not surprised the British commander was shocked at the ask!
Did you play ITLSU as written? It looks a fairly small game, and there are obviously lots of special terrain involved?
:-bd =D> :-bd =D> :-bd =D>
An absolutely brilliant looking game :)
Things seem to be going better than historically for the Irish, so far :-SS
Quote...
I'm not surprised the British commander was shocked at the ask!
...
The British were expecting 60-70% casualties at V Beach X_X
Fred
Hello. Yes we played the rules as written, but we were a bit rusty. The game was based on the scenario in the TFL Summer 2011 Special. Specific for the scenario I bought the 'Clyde' and some cork bark and scratch-built the two forts. The rest are items from my terrain stores. As the collection increases I'm hoping each game I put on isn't a project in it's own right.
Regards Mart
I've got the 'Playing the Game' collection from TFL which brings together lots of their WWI content from specials, but not this scenario, unfortunately.
The first few games for a particular campaign or theatre can be rather an enterprise to setup! But hopefully the rest become simpler.
We've played lots of ITLSU and find it plays well - but all rules seem to take a while to get your head back into.
Okay, that is seriously impressive! 8)
The remainder of the Dublins in the harbour didn't have the same luck and were cut down before they'd hardly stepped ashore. A battalion officer survived the Turkish fire with no option but to sprint for the safety of the Old Fort. (Photo11)
At the far end of the beach three densely packed boat loads of Dublins were helplessly caught by bursts of MG fire from the trench above before they could disembark. The bullets turned the boats to matchwood and the men were lost. The surviving boat remained unseen, with no wish to share their comrades' fate. The River Clyde's MG was able to switch targets but its fire was too late to intervene. (Photo12)
Nor could the River Clyde's MG fire suppress the Turkish MG to prevent further Dublin loss. In anticipation of troops landing from the Clyde and to provide a route into the Old Fort, the Dublins sent out a platoon to cut the wire on its seaward side. They too fell to MG fire at effective range. (Photo13)
The Dublins in the Old Fort continued to suffer in a prolonged firefight with the Turks in the village. The Turks were getting the upper-hand and Irish losses and suppression mounted. The Dublins' battalion officers were worried that they would now be unable to withstand a Turkish counter-attack with just one remaining platoon unless they were reinforced quickly. All the Irish blood spilt taking their objective would be for nothing. They watched anxiously as the Clyde finally ground to a halt and the towed lighter was moved into position to form a bridge onto land. (Photo14)
The British commander gave the order for the first of his troops to disembark from the River Clyde. Immediately, a company and Battalion HQ of the 1st Royal Munster Fusiliers rushed out of the sally ports and across the lighter. Fate had dictated that the Turkish MG in the tower was no longer there. (Photo15)
Yet supporting MG fire from the bow of the ship was unable to stop enemy MG fire, now personally directed by the Turkish Major, and rifle fire from the Turkish trenches, tearing into the densely packed ranks. Half the company fell. (Photo16)
Retribution followed for the River Clyde's MG wiped out the Turkish MG in a single burst of fire! The surviving boat of Dublins now took their chance to land, for The Turkish Major had no one left to command below Fort No.1. The first Munsters jumped ashore, and the next company had to run the gauntlet. (Photo17)
The Turkish Major stood alone beneath Fort No.1. He was desperate to move his men down the trench line to protect the western end of the beach. But they didn't hear him for they were too intent on firing on the Munsters crossing the lighter. (Photo18)
They were under suppressive fire but the Munsters continued to land. Those on the beach took hard cover behind an earth bank, but still had to send men out to cut a path through the wire beneath the Old Fort. (Photo19)
In what seemed a rash move, the Munsters sent a company forward from the cover of the earth bank up to the first line of wire. They were soon suppressed by rifle fire from the Turkish trench line and were unable to cut through. (Photo20)
To be continued
Outstanding looking game Martin :-bd
Very inspirational!!
Hmmm, been wanting to do a Cape Helles landing scenario for ITLSU for a long time......
British figures - got, Turkish figures - accessable, terrain/wire/boats - doable.
Think I just added this to my 2022 plan - I'm hooked @-)
"Just row your boats into the beach under the muzzles of the Turkish MG's....what can possibly go wrong??"
:-SS
:-bd =D> :-bd =D> :-bd =D>
The bark works really well, what did you use for the sea?
Count me in Pierre the Shy, can I be the Turks ;)
Quote from: paulr on 04 January 2022, 11:48:28 PMCount me in Pierre the Shy, can I be the Turks ;)
Hmmm....think our traditional method of choosing sides will be applied to this scenario Paul!! Of course odds on that I'll still be running 29th Division anyway! ;D
How many VC's can be earnt before breakfast? :-\
The 6 before breakfast were over on W Beach, only 5 at V Beach, all from the River Clyde X_X
An stunning looking game, very impressive. =D> =D> =D>
More great stuff Martin - sorry we interrupted the narrative!
Paul
Hello. The sea is formed from green A4 acetate sheets, cut to shape, cellotaped together and just laid over my game cloth. An idea shamelessly copied from another gamer's blog.
Like we used to use with OHPs :o
That is surprising effective on a large scale :)
I've used that approach for lakes, ponds and bogs. Painted them underneath (in reverse order) with a bit of paint on top for the bogs
However, this company had drawn the Turkish fire allowing men below the tower to cut the wire unhindered. This enabled Munsters on the beach to rush up into the Old Fort in the nick of time. The firefight here with the village had gone badly, the Dublins were down to a half-platoon. (Photo21)
The village defenders knew of the battalion plan to reinforce the coastal defences once attacked. Was a reserve company ever going to come to their aid? 11th Company had forced marched from inland. (Forced march!? They obviously needed a rest because it took two turns to deploy from a Blind! After waiting ten turns of the Blank Card to get them on-table, I needed them quickly). With the enemy strength increasing had the moment passed? It was a snap decision: reinforce the village or counter-attack the Old Fort and drive the enemy back into the sea? (Photo22)
With cries of "Allah!", 11th Company launched itself down the road towards the gateway. (Photo23)
The close combat was short and bloody, with losses to both sides. The Munsters held and the Turks withdrew to the village. (Photo24)
Having lost all their own officers, the Munsters were rallied by those of the Dublins. They had orders to attack the village. The Turks couldn't be given time to re-establish a defence of the village. With another company skirting below the seaward walls, the Munsters delivered a joint attack, fighting two separate close combats. (Photo25)
The Munsters were out for revenge and bloodied their bayonets! (Jase hadn't thrown particularly well all day. Until now. I swore at the number of sixes!) 10th Company men died in the houses. 11th Company died in the open street, its survivors routing far along the Krithia Road. The Munsters hadn't lost a man! (Photo26)
The British commander paced the bridge of the River Clyde. The battle had moved beyond his effective control. He had to move his HQ ashore. Before him the last remaining company of Dublins had just landed. On the beach they were met by their own commanding officer. He had left a single, weary and bloodied half-platoon in the Old Fort. They had done enough. But the Lieutenant Colonel was about to go for his second fort of the day. A solitary boat load of Dublins at the far end of beach had sneaked into an empty Fort No.1 whilst no one was looking! This last company was to go to their relief, and then secure Hill 138. (Photo27)
As the Munsters consolidated their hold on Sedd-al-Bahr, the British commander was intent on moving forward to organise the next attack to take Hill 141. With the 2nd Middlesex still on the River Clyde, he wanted an attack in strength with fire support in place to minimise any losses. Little did he know the battle had already been won. The Turkish Major had been leading the small remnant of 10th Company up the trench line for a last-ditch defence of the Harapkale Tepe redoubt. They had been under fire from the River Clyde's MG all the way and those machine gunners had the range and elevation now. It was a cruel twist of fate that as he was about to enter the redoubt, a burst of fire killed the last of his men and the Major himself. Honour had indeed been satisfied. There was no one left to stop the British taking all of their V Beach objectives. (Photo28)
I had taken a note of losses, but I think the story speaks for itself. I honestly thought the odds were stacked in my favour to actually win at ITLSU! It was just enjoyable to finally be able to put on another game.
I hope you've enjoyed the report.
:-bd =D> :-bd =D> :-bd =D>
If the Ottoman reserve had arrived a turn or two earlier things may have worked out very differently :-\
I'm definitely looking forward to playing this scenario at some point :)
Excellent stuff Martin. Great looking game, a close scenario and a great write up
Wow, that really is impressive!
Hi
Stunning looking game, really well done and thanks for the exciting batrep. =D>
Cheers Paul
Marvellous looking game! As a (mainly) pre-20th century miniatures wargamer, I often skip most AARs for this era but so glad I read this one.* Very entertaining. :-bd
Mind you, I had to look up what ITLSU meant. #-o
Quote...
Mind you, I had to look up what ITLSU meant. #-o
...
TFL
(Too Fat Lardies) pick some pretty obscure titles for their rules but this one sums up the period well
"...Til we meet again, if the Lord Spares Us".
So ends the last letter written home from Gallipoli veteran 202537 Lance Sergeant Albert Skinner, 2/4th Royal West Kent Regiment, just a few weeks before his death in the hills near Tel Khuweilfe, a few miles north east of Beersheba, Palestine on 4th November 1917.
These rules are dedicated to Albert and all those other poor sods who are still out there.I've just checked my research for Beersheba and I had decided that Tel el Khuweilfe was a promising part of the battle for a scenario.
Definitely a scenario I will have to develop now to remember Albert.
Appreciate your comments Gents. Anyone spot the unit error? Rushing to finish at the end, '2nd Middlesex' should read 'Hampshires.'
Regards to All.
Morning Martin
As I mentioned back in January your game has inspired me to create a Cape Helles scenario for ITLSU, but including W and X beaches as well.....been down many rabbit holes in the quest to find the correct Turkish OOB and what supporting weapons were there (there is much confusion about if the Turks actually had any MG's or heavier weapons at all around Cape Helles) I beleive that I now have a fairly accurate OOB for both sides. Been gradually gathering resources for the game and intend to construct the main landscapes using polystyrene blocks shaped with a hotwire cutter.
I do have a couple of questions about your game if you don't mind:
Where did you get the (presumably MDF) boats that you used for the troops landing at V Beach and the Camber from?
Are the models of the River Clyde and the lighters that you used from Heroics & Ros's 3mm naval range?
Thanks for your assistance.
Peter
Hello Peter. Just caught your post.
The 'Clyde' is a 3d print from www.magpiedesigner.com. Not sure if this model is still available as I bought in 1:600? scale and the website now suggests only 1:1800 and 1:2400. The ships' boats for the troops are scratch-built from plastic card. For both see my forum post under Non-Pendraken Stuff/Hitting the Beach from April 2020.
The 'lighters' are card models from www.papershipwright.co.uk and are the 'coaling barge' free download.
Hope this helps. Good luck with your Helles project. I look forward to the game report.
Regards
Mart
Thanks very much for your assistance Martin :)
I will definitely be posting a report on the days play once we have everything in place, looking at running it at the next local convention here in Wellington in early August, provided we are able to, though the Covid 19 restrictions have been lifted now so hopefully Call to Arms 2022 will be able to go ahead.
QuoteThe 'lighters' are card models from www.papershipwright.co.uk and are the 'coaling barge' free download.
Oooh, thanks for that. Not seen these before.
Soime nice stuff on that site
Quote from: pierre the shy on 20 April 2022, 02:01:26 AMThanks very much for your assistance Martin :)
I will definitely be posting a report on the days play once we have everything in place, looking at running it at the next local convention here in Wellington in early August, provided we are able to, though the Covid 19 restrictions have been lifted now so hopefully Call to Arms 2022 will be able to go ahead.
Count me in as interested in playing.
(Oh and if you have already counted me in, thats terribly presumptous of you and count me in)