Dash for the oasis

With a busy end to the working year and the demands of the silly season, wargaming becomes a late night affair!

I've been dead keen to give If the Lord Spares Us a run now that I have a regiment of British infantry and the equivalent for the Ottoman Empire. However, every time I get a game set up and have done the obligatory quick re-read of the rules, it's well after midnight.

Anyway, here's a few pictures of the last attempt - abandoned after a few turns. A full British brigade was assulting an Ottoman force of two under-strength Taburs (battalions) entrenched on high ground in front of an oasis.

It's late in 1915, and the British infantry are faced with the job of carrying through the assault or being stuck without water.  A wadi snakes across the board just in front of the British deployment zone. I've included the 'Water, water!" card as a part of the deck to introduce the impact of limited water supply for the troops. This seems to have been a constant feature of the Sinai campaign.

Both Ottoman taburs were rated as 'Johnny Turks' and the assaulting British had one battalion of 'Jolly Good Fellows' (regulars) and two battalions of 'Saturday Boys'. (territorials) All units were deployed as blinds with one dummy blind added to each side.

A Turkish blind was placed on the entrenchments near the oasis in the foreground, but early British scouting only encountered patrols in the area. The advance continued in ernest.

Quickly the British infantry occupied the wadi, providing the last cover before the assault on the high ground. 

Small arms fire from Hill 175 (on the far right) caused some suppression of the British centre - but a fortunate turn up of the 'stiff upper lip' card, overcame this early reverse. 

On the British left, fire from the wadi started to tell on the defenders of Hill 150 (on the left) suppressing the defenders.

The battalion in the British Centre had orders to assault the oasis between Hill 150 and Hill 175. Poor timing by the battalion commanders (due to the order of the activations cards) resulted the centre advancing ahead the flanks. However, being the only regular battalion, they weathered the enfilade fire being directed from the high ground.

The British infantry on the left lined the dry banks of the wadi in preparation for an assault to draw fire away from the centre. By this time the 'Water, water' card was in play and the British infantry was slowed down to 8" move per turn. It would be a slow and costly advance to the Turkish trenches on Hill 175.

A sweeping view of the British Brigade awaiting the whistle's call to advance again.

At this point, I realised I'd given no thought to using my off board artillery (for either side). That was going to lead to more rule reading, and so exhaustion got the better of me and I called it a night. 

Even in these early turns, I could see the difficulties caused by assaulting fixed positions – with the Turkish machine guns able to fire on every activation.  The British MGs were largely silent having moved each turn on which the battalions were activated (thus, unable to fire). Some artillery support would have balanced up the situation, somewhat.

Summer holidays begin this week. I'm sure to get back to this scenario soon. Until we meet again, if the Lord spares us!

20,000 camels - quenching the thirst of the EEF

By early 1916, the Egyptian Expeditionary Force was using nearly 20,000 camels in its transport lines. Camels were organised in companies of about 2,000 led by Egyptian drivers.

Well with horn bucket, Palestine

The water needs of troops on the front line was often supplied by camel convoys with each camel carting two small 12.5 gallon tanks known as fanatis.

Filling fanatis near Jaffa, 1918

I could not resist having a well and camel train (of sorts) to populate a corner of the battlefield. As warmers, I think we often politely ignore the presence of the transport required to get troops into the firing line and supply them when they are there.

Camels with 'well sets'

So, in recognition of all this necessary 'graft' going on behind the lines, here is a scratch build of a couple of hardy engineers pumping up the brackish water from a desert well 'somewhere in Palestine' into the fanatics - ready for carting off to the line.

A05802. Probably PALESTINE, C. 1917. WATER PUMPS USED BY 1ST FIELD SQUADRON ENGINEERS

The two Royal Engineers are Eureka British in Sinai gun crew (yes, I use them for everything!) and the camel are Irregular Miniatures Egyptian Camel Corps (FZ88) with their riders lopped off.

Assembling the well - I'm a slow bricklayer!

Engineer at the well building up a sweat on the water pump

The fanatis display their balsa construction - should have used card!

Its enough to make a chap thirsty. Thanks for looking.

If the Lord Spares Us - Eureka Miniatures 'British in Sinai' 15mm

It seems the blogging hiatus is over! I'm back at the painting table and have started on a new project based on the Too Fat Lardies rules - If the Lord Spares Us - WW1 in the Middle East!

"Away from the quagmire of the Western Front ITLSU proves that brigade level games the Great War in the Middle East have components of everything; camels, arab war bands, sweeping cavalry attacks, opposed beach landings, massed machine guns, gas attacks, tanks, armoued cars, fighting in the mirage, water shortages, trench assaults, river gunboats - and enough command and control dilemmas to test the most cunning Pasha."

Source: http://toofatlardies.co.uk 

I'd been working on a 6mm (Irregular Miniatures) project for Gallipoli and the Middle East using Great War Spearhead II (and it's not abandoned), but I've wanted an excuse to buy some of Eureka Miniatures very nice WW1 15mm range – who can resist the Imperial Camel Corps, after all?          

To give me a little inspiration, I'm reading The Palestine Campaign by Field Marshal Earl Wavell P.C, G.C.B, G.C.S.I, G.C.I.E, M.C. (3rd Edn. by Constable, London, 1954). 

My intention is to begin with the defence of the Suez and work on slowly from there. 

Actions around the Suez, 1915-1916, from Wavell (1954).

Terrain is something I'll have to get working on, but the main effort will be on painting up a few infantry battalions for the British (and her dominions) and Ottomans, then onto some mounted, artillery, and armoured cars!

I must also thank Mark Hargreaves of the Over Open Sights for his generous provision of painting guides covering the Middle East campaigns - I strayed away from his recommendations (painting with what I had), but the inspiration was very well received. Thanks Mark!

Well, I am unashamedly a 'middle of the road' painter of miniatures - nevertheless, I enjoy it. Here's a few snaps of my first attempt. Two companies (4 bases per company in ITLSU) of the 42nd (East Lancashire) Territorial Division. These stout fellows did it all - defence of the Suez (1915), Cape Helles (May 1915 to January 1916), Egypt and the Sinai Campaign (1916 to 1917), and Western Front (1917 to the Armistice in 1918).

Their battle honours include:

• Battle of Gallipoli: Second Battle of Krithia; Third Battle of Krithia; Battle of Krithia Vineyard
• Battle of Romani
• Third Battle of Ypres
• First Battle of the Somme (1918): First Battle of Bapaume
• Second Battle of the Somme (1918): Battle of Albert (1918); Second Battle of Bapaume
• Battle of the Canal du Nord
• Battle of the Selle

But, as they say, 'Pictures! Or it didn't happen!'