SMS Emden vs. HMS Sydney ... 09:30 hrs, 9 November 1914

Reports indicate that HMS Sydney has limped back into Australian territorial waters several days after intercepting the Kaiser's light cruiser SMS Emden, which had recently attacked the Eastern Telegraph Company's station at Direction Island, in the eastern Indian Ocean.

Artists impression of the engagement between the SMS Emden and HMS Sydney
(source: http://www.greatwardifferent.com/Great_War/Naval/Emden_01.htm)

HMS Sydney, a Town Class (Chatham sub-class) light cruiser, engaged the Emden, commanded by  Captain von Müller, at 09:30 hours on 9 November. Von Müller's lookouts spotted the Sydney as she approached from the east and the Australian light cruiser closed for action. The first few salvos from the Sydney knocked out one of the Emden's main guns and inflicted moderate damage.

Alas, von Müller consistently out-maneuvered the Sydney allowing the Emden's gunners to rake the Sydney's stern on two occasions with very accurate fire disabling two of Sydney's 13" guns and causing significant structural damage crippling the light cruiser. Great advantage was gained form the very fast rate of fire maintained by the Emden's main armaments.

Retaining the initiative, von Müller's gunners scored a critical hit on the Sydney causing her to list badly affecting gunnery and speed at which point her Captain ordered a withdrawal from the engagement with the intention of steaming to His Majesty's naval base at Rabul to undertake repairs.

Indications are that the Emden returned to Direction Island to recover a shore party which has destroyed the telegraph station. The Emden is believed to be now heading towards the north-west Indian ocean. No reports are available yet on the loss of life and property on Direction Island.

HMS Sydney (left) limps away from her engagement with the
SMS Emden at around 11:00 hours on 9 November 1914

HMS Sydney, a 5,400 ton Town Class light cruiser
(1:2400 scale by Panzerschiffe)

SMS Emden, a 3,364 ton light cruiser of the Imperial German Navy
(1:2400 scale by Panzerschiffe)

Final score cards after the encounter show HMS Sydney having taken six hits of structural damage, lost two of her main guns and received a critical hit causing her to list badly. The SMS Emden took two hits of structural damage early in the encounter losing two of her main guns on her starboard side.

Engagement fought using Grand Fleet, Second Edition
by Majestic Twelve Games  (http://www.mj12games.com/)

This was my first attempt at using the Grand Fleet rules and I have to say I found it to be quite an easy system to pick up. The successive die rolling to hit, then to penetrate armour, and finally to assess damage could get a little repetitive in big engagements. But, for my first foray into naval wargaming, I certainly enjoyed it.  The strategy I used in this game was to keep the Emden at medium range from the Sydney (usually 3 nautical miles) avoiding any die roll benefits to both sets of gunners from short range fire. At this range the Emden's gunners out-shot those of the Sydney due to the benefits they had of having a rate of fire modifier (+3 to hit) three-times greater than the gunners of the Sydney (+1 to hit) and presented a difficult target by staying astern of the Sydney and by virtue of being a very small vessel (HMS Sydney is classified only as small) providing a -1 to hit for the British gunners..

I'll certainly re-fight this encounter in the near future (on a larger board this time). For my next project (in between Russian 1812 army for DBN and Dutch/VOC and Prtuguese armies - phew!) I have on the painting table all the ships required for the Battle of the Falkland Islands (9 December 1914) that took place a month after the Emden was sunk by the Sydney. Also, I'm searching for a playing mat to suit naval battles - I may end up making my own.

Work on the Dutch–Portuguese war (1602–1663) begins

My last Colonial project (Egypt 1882) is languishing, but out of the blue has come something new! I've been looking at the Grumpy Miniatures Colonial Portuguese for some time. I really like the stripped-down look of these Europeans fighting at the ends of the earth (if you have a Eurocentric worldview). So finally I've realised I can indulge my growing passion for the 80- and 30-years wars with a bit of a local flavour (being an antipodean).

The Dutch-Portuguese war largely consisted of the Dutch looking to take over Portuguese possessions in Americas, Africa, India and the Far East. Given the Dutch armies seem to be better-equipt versions of the Portuguese (although the Dutch seem to have pike where the Portuguese do not), I can use the same figures and supplement both armies with suitable 'native' allies / slaves. Seeing Botswanafury's great Dutch Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie on Fanaticus recently has only strengthened my resolve.

So, [drumroll please] here are the humble beginnings of my Colonial Portuguese army for DBA-RRR.

Colonial Portuguese general and skirmishers (powder pot throwers) for my DBA-RRR army

I have gone to town with the basing a bit drawing on anything I had to hand that gave it a bit more of a lush, Far East feeling long grass needs a trim). In fact, the whole project challenges my Eurocentric approach to collecting wargaming armies so I need to work out how to do tropical bases and terrain. Ahhh ... new horizons.

PS: Thinking back now, I realise the seeds of this project were sown when I was involved in a pike and musket display for the arrival of the replica of the Batavia when it came to Sydney.

The Pike and Musket Society in action at the Batavia exhibition (source)

Battle of Brentford, 12 November 1642

After Edgehill, Prince Rupert swept down the Thames Valley with the aim of taking the capital – the prospect of which caused a “great stir“ among the Londoners who were making hasty efforts to fortify the city's edge. Rupert's advance was halted by his failure to take Windsor, and the King courted the idea of negotiating a peace before the winter brought his campaign to a halt. This lull also allowed Essex to steal the march on Charles and reach London well ahead of the Royalist advance. Possibly seeking nothing more than a temporary lull in the fighting to reform and re-equip their forces, both houses of Parliament rode out to meet with their King at Colnbrook on 11 November allegedly to entreat for peace. Little came of these talks.

Charles ordered his force to march on London. But, Essex had left troops at strategic locations on the westward approach to London. Two regiments of Parliamentary foot held fortified positions at the village of Brentford – a strategic river crossing. Charles ordered Prince Rupert to take Brentford and a brigade of three royalist regiments were resupplied with ball, powder and match and ordered to attack. Rupert's cavalry and dragoons advanced to the outskirts of the village under cover of a thick early morning mist on the 12 November. The initial Royalist attack was repulsed by regiment of Parliamentarian foot around the house of Sir Richard Wynne, but Rupert ordered in a regiment of Welsh foot to press forward the attack. It is at this point we take up the penultimate encounter in this ECW mini campaign.

Note: I've since discovered from more reading that I have not replicated the Parliamentarian deployment or the scope of the battlefield as well as I could have. The action was fought more over the bridge on the side labelled as New Braynforde on the map below with the Parliamentarian foot falling back to a barricade on the bridge after the first skirmish at Sir Richard Wynne's house, and subsequently falling back to a second barricade across the road through New Brentford (behind their first position).

Moses Glover's 1635 map of Brentford (source)

Accounts suggest Prince Rupert commanded about 4,600 men at Brentford – cavalry, dragoons and a Welsh regiment of foot. For Parliament, under the infamous Leveller John Lilburne, were two regiments of Parliamentary foot – one command by Denzil Holles and the other of Lord Brooke – which were barricaded inside Brentford. In order to add to the playability of this scenario, I gave Parliament 3 elements of foot (2 shot, 1 pike) and the Royalists five elements (3 cavalry, 1 dragoon, 1 shot, 1 pike). Lilburne could deploy two elements within Brentford and one over the river. Rupert's force could deploy within 600 paces of his starting edge

Victory conditions / replacements:

Victory is awarded to the first commander who destroys two of their opponent's elements. For the Royalists any losses cannot be replaced at Turnham Green (the final battle of this campaign). All Parliamentarian losses are automatically replaced at Turnham Green reflecting the influx of foot received when the London Trained Bands were mustered.

If the Royalists win at Brentford they can set up the terrain for Turnham Green representing the fact that the parliament forces fell back in some disarry and not buying enough time for Parliament to pick a good position at Turnham. If Parliament win at Brentford then they can set up Turnhams terrain as they see fit as they bought themselves enough time to prepare. Thanks to 'Cromwell' of Fanaticus for help with fine tuning these victory conditions (and for developing the whole concept of this campaign).

The Battle:

Prince Rupert's force (foreground) deployed on the outskirts of Brentford

Royalist troops (foreground) make their first contact with the parliamentarians defending the village of Brentford

The small action at Brentford opened with Rupert's Welsh foot pushing forward into Brentford under cover of the morning mist. On Rupert's left his dragoons advanced among the enclosures and opened the battle with a volley of musket balls clattering against the hastily constructed defences across the mains street.   Hearing the thunder of musketry, the Parlimentary foot who were holding a defensive position on the bridge, advanced to support Brooke.

Rupert keenly aware that storming Brentford would be costly, ordered half of his cavaliers to sweep right of village to cut off the Parliamentarian line of retreat. Despite the steady advance of the Welshmen into the village, Lord Brooke's foot only gradually back into the town centre. Rupert sought to break the deadlock with a sudden charge of his remaining cavaliers down the main street - hurdling the Parliamentary barricades. Meanwhile, his dragoons flanked the village on the left.

Parliament's foot wheeled to face the cavaliers charging along the river bank on the parliamentary left while Brooke's foot gradually fell back to avoid being taken in the rear by Rupert's dragoons! Brooke rode furiously between his hard pressed centre and flanks as Rupert's trap was sprung. Despite their  dogged efforts to give the cavaliers hot stuff on the left, the encirclement finally started to take its toll with Brooke's shot in the centre being overrun and the Dragoons pressing home on his right.

Rupert's victory was complete when his cavaliers encircled the Parliamentarians cutting them down and capturing their commander in the process. Lord Brooke was equally hard pressed with the royalist dragoons pinning them against the river on the other side of the village. The foul breath of the musketry mingled with the misty morning air as as lord Brooke's men fled across the bridge into New Brentford, paving the way for the King's army to advance on London. On to Turnham Green!

The Battle of Brentford was a Royalist victory (0:2) with two Parliamentarian regiments of foot destroyed.

Edgehill, Sunday, 23 October 1642

One month after the opening skirmish at Powick Bridge, King Charles' army found itself facing a Parliamentarian army under Robert Devereux, the 3rd Earl of Essex, in Warwickshire. Charles had deployed his force on the escarpment of Edgehill, blocking Essex's march into Oxfordshire to relieve Banbury.

Origin: Beesley, 1841, History of Banbury
reproduced at http://www.battlefieldstrust.com/

Essex deployed among the hedgerows and fields of the Vale of the Red Horse, below Edgehill, taking advantage of the cover to protect both flanks. The Parliamentarians stood firm in their defensive posture through that fateful Autumn morning encouraging the King to march his men down onto the flats to force an engagement. The simple farming folk of Radway abandoned their fields that day, choosing rather to seek what shelter and comfort they could find ... be it Inn or Kirk!

Charles I holds a council of war on the eve of the battle of Edgehill
By Charles Landseer, 1799-1879

Here begins the second encounter of this DBA-RRR 1642 mini campaign (and here we depart from the historical record!).

The Parliamentarian foot outnumbered their Royalist counterparts and were better disciplined and well led. Charles knew his best hope lay in breaking Essex's line with a spirited charge of his cavaliers. After the Parliamentarian victory at the skirmish at Powick Bridge, Prince Rupert of the Rhine had his reputation to recover. Rupert's loss of mounted troops at Powick Bridge had been double that of the Parliamentarians and he had only managed to recover half of that number in the month that followed (thus the King deploys 11 elements). Parliament, however, came to Edgehill at full strength (12 elements). Unlike his historical counterpart, this time Charles decides not to spend the morning on the escarpment awaiting Essex's attack, but marches down early into the fields of the Vale to take advantage of the hedges and enclosed fields to protect his flanks.

Deployment: The King's army arrayed for battle in the foreground

Charles deployed with his dragoons (x1) on his left, a block of foot (2 x pike, 3 x shot) in this centre and the full weight of his mounted troops under Rupert's command on the right (4 x Knight). The King deployed in reserve with his lifeguard (1 x pistols). Essex deployed to the Parliamentarian right with his artillery (1 x cannon) flanked by his cavalry (1 x Cv) and pistols (1 x Pi). In the centre was a block of foot (2 x pike, 2 x shot) with a column of shot (3 x Sh) and cavalry to the rear.

Rupert seizes the initiative on the Royalist right

As the foot of both armies cautiously formed lines of battle, Prince Rupert sought to gain the initiative with an daring charge on the unprotected Parliamentarian left flank. Essex ordered up his cavalry reserve to secure his left while advancing his shot and artillery on his right. Essex's tercio in the centre stood firm behind the ploughed fields to their front (bad going, in this game). 

Essex's cavalry arrived in time to secure his left and as the King's cavaliers thundered over the field towards the Parliamentarian left. The centre wheeled to threaten Rupert's left flank. As Charles ordered his pistols forward to counter this threat, a sound like rolling thunder informed him that Essex's gunners have found their first targets among the straggling foot on the Royalist left. Rupert's troopers charged into contact as the first salvo from the Parliamentarian musketeers finds its mark.

The opening shots

Rupert orders his troopers to expand their line to contact the Parliamentarian foot and cavalry to the right of the ploughed fields. The lines collide with a sickening crash of flesh and steel, and despite their momentum, the cavaliers can't shake the Parliamentarian tercio. The pike deployed in depth in the centre obliterate the hapless left of Rupert's line, and, with muskets clubbed, the musketeers fight off the determined charge. Essex's cavalry also recoil their attackers on their far left but in the centre the cavaliers strike deep, sweeping away an entire regiment and exploiting the gap in Essex's line. 

The fresh Parliamentarian shot advance through the ploughed fields threatening to overpower the weakened Royalist left and Essex leads his pistols up the road in the centre trying to regain the initiative. On the right, Rupert's flank is in disarray, but by no means beaten.

As the Parliamentarian centre advances, Essex is forced to order the shot on his left to fall back behind the pike block to protect its rear from the reforming Royalist horse. Observing this weakening of the defensive posture in the centre, Rupert orders his troopers to ride down the shot, and they are swept away while the remaining cavaliers converge on the now isolated troopers on the Parliamentarian left.

Essex's left flank collapses and sensing the immanence of his defeat, he leads a desperate charge in the centre supported by his musketeers, hoping to break the Royalist line at its weakest point. Musketry thunders across the Vale of the Horse, flesh feels the terrible bite of hot lead, and eyes on both sides stream from this burning devils breath.

Charles leads his lifeguard into the fray to allay the threat in his centre – the pistols of his heavy cavalry discharge in the faces of the of Parliamentarian musketeers who have hastily formed ranks the ploughed field ... despite this onslaught, they hold! At that very moment, Essex is leading his own desperate charge hoping to sweep away the musketeers on the Royalist centre left. As his cuirassiers pound in, Charles' musketeers give fire and give Essex's men some hot stuffe ...

Charles' musketeers found their mark and obliterated their Parliamentarian counterparts on Essex's left. Essex found himself dangerously exposed by the utter destruction of his left flank. Fully one third of his men lay smashed and bleeding on the fields beneath Edgehill. The resolve of his men was broken and they fell back in disorder. 

Likewise, King Charles' men, few of them having tasted battle before, showed little taste for further slaughter and withdrew to count the cost of this first serious engagement of the Civil War. It would be a cold night for the survivors and wounded of both armies, left to find what shelter and help they could, with empty stomaches turned by the experience of death at close quarters.

"No man nor horse got any meat that night and I had touched none since the Saturday before ... neither could I find my servant who had my cloak so that having nothing to keep me warm but a suit of iron [armour] I was obliged to walk about all night which proved very cold by reason of the sharp frost."

Edmond Ludlow, Officer of Essex's Lifeguard at Edgehill*

*In, Trevor Royle, Civil War: The Wars of the Three Kingdoms 1638–1660 (Abacus, London, 2004) p. 199

Final result: 

• Royalists lost 1 x Kn (1)
• Parliamentarian lost 2 x Cv, 2 x Sh (4)

On to Brentford!

Powick Bridge, 23 September 1642

In  what is popularly characterised as the opening 'battle' of the English Civil Wars, the battle of Powick Bridge saw about 1000 Royalist cavalry and dragoons led by Prince Rupert defeat a similar force of Parliamentarian cavalry and dragoons led by Nathaniel Fiennes. This action took place in the narrow lanes and hedged enclosures near the hamlet of Lower Wick, north of Powick Bridge, in Worcestershire.

This first encounter in an English Civil War mini campaign for DBA-RRR designed by 'Cromwell' of Fanaticus employs 6 elements a side: 4 cavalry (parliamentarians) or Knights (Royalist), one dragoons and one shot.

Linear obstacles were included using the DBACW rules (Keep it Simple Rules) for this terrain type (slightly adapted to reflect troop types in DBA-RRR).

• Stone walls: Foot, Gun/Cannons and mounted are classed as being 'in cover' when defending a stone wall (shooters firing into cover get -1 to distance shooting. Defenders get a +1 close combat modifier when in close combat). They are classed as bad going and only foot (excluding cannon/guns) can cross stone walls and they must have sufficient movement for the entirety of the base to clear the wall in that turn (ie. cannot be left straddling the wall). Groups can only cross in one element wide columns. I play it that it must always be clear which side of the wall a unit is on - so you cannot have an element of a group straddling the fence. They are impassible terrain when it comes to outcome moves for mounted and cannons/guns. Impetuous mounted do not advance across the wall if their opponent is destroyed/recoiled/flees.

• Hedges are counted as 'minor linear obstacles' - they count as bad going and have the same effect on movement as stone walls. Hedges provide no modifiers to distance shooting or close combat.

• Linear obstacles block line of sight except where the shooting element has its firing edge,  and/or the target has the edge being shot at, hard up against the wall/hedge.

This adaption may have some 'bugs' still - but I/we just apply common sense to solving problems.

Beyond the initial campaign 'rules' I imposed some set-up and movement conditions in the first bound. I decided the parliamentarians should deploy on the bridge over the River Teme advancing in a column along the road (excepting the element of shot - mostly because there was not room). The Royalists deployed in the open fields (Wick field) out of direct sight of the exhausted Parliamentarian column.

The Royalists were given the opening move and then Fiennes' column was obliged to advance a full move along the road into the lanes beyond the bridge.

The action began with Rupert ordering half of his cavaliers to sweep wide on the Royalist right in the hope of catching Fiennes' column in the rear. The remainder of his mounted troops spurred on into the lane while the shot and dragoons secured the hamlet of Lower Wick. The Parliamentarian column was halted with a volley of musketry as they tramped down the lane.

Fiennes' dragoons were thrown back by the volley but they quickly took cover behind the hedges. Royalist and Parliamentarian horse faced each other at either ends of the lane awaiting the outcome of the musket duel that ensued. Meanwhile, Rupert's flanking manoeuvre continued. Fiennes' led the rear of his column out of the lanes to meet the charge.

As the fighting in the lanes reached a crescendo the cavaliers on Rupert's right wing pushed the Parliamentarian cavalry back to the banks of the Teme (which ended up as a paltry river in this game). Fiennes called more of his cavalry out of the lanes to counter this push and the impetuous cavaliers were caught in the flank with heavy losses (1 element of cavaliers (Kn) lost).

Rupert's cavaliers charge down the lane as the parliamentarian dragoons fall back in a hail of musketry.

Fiennes orders in a third troop of cavalry to support his hard pressed left flank. 

The impetuous advance of Rupert's cavaliers pushes the parliamentarian horse back into the river Teme but Fiennes  leads a decisive counter charge surrounding and decimating the Royalist left flank.

Sensing the tide of the battle was turning, Rupert led his remaining cavaliers in a thunderous charge down the lanes destroying the troop of cavalry facing them while his dragoons swept around the hamlet in a flanking manoeuvre. Rupert's decimated right fell back allowing Fiennes to send some cavalry back into the hamlet to slow the advance of the Royalist dragoons. The battle hung in the balance ... the first to destroy another element would be the victor.

At this apex of the battle, the parliamentarian foot managed to rally in the woods next to the hamlet and swept into contact with Rupert's mounted troops in the lanes. Unable to manoeuvre, the leading troop were trapped by a deadly volley of musketry at close quarters.

Alas, the dash and daring of Prince Rupert was not enough to carry the day. The Royalists fell back to lick their wounds destined to meet the parliamentarians in the first major battle of the civil wars in a little over a month at Edgehill.

1643 ... somewhere in the west country (a solo DBA encounter)

In late summer 1643, a sizeable force of Sir Ralph Hopton's army surprise Waller's Parliamentarians near a hamlet in Somerset. The Royalists quickly deploy their mounted troops to the open ground on their right wing hoping to strike while Waller's foot struggle out of ground domindated by hedges. Knowing his foot is outnumbered in the centre but certain that his left flank is securely pinned on the hamlet where his dragoons lurk, the Royalist commander quickly takes the initiative on the right and charges the Parliamentarian artillery.

View from the Royalist rear - the cavaliers charge on the right is countered by Parliament's  heavy cuirassiers

The Parliamentarian commander, seeking to buy some time while his remaining shotte deploy to reinforce his beleaguered left, leads his heavy cuirassiers in a daring charge to break the Royalist foot that have rushed in to support the cavaliers. The cavaliers try to ride down the exposed Parliamentarian left but the momentum of their charge is broken at cannon's mouth. In the centre the Royalist foot deploy their pike in depth, and the musketeers steady themselves for the maelstrom of lead that will issue from the cuirassiers wheellocks as they smash into their ranks.

The cavaliers falter as the Parliamentarian heavy cavalry countercharge

The failure of the cavaliers to drive their charge home, coupled with the heavy losses among the Royalist mounted troops from cannon and musket fire, gives the Parliamentarian shotte time to deploy. Encouraged by the arrival of the foot, the horse teams are whipped into the melee and manage to draw the heavy guns back out of danger. But, the undaunted cavaliers wheel around and slam into the flank of the muskets forcing them to turn to meet the charge. The din of battle soars as the 'lobsters' drive into the Royalist foot decimating the front ranks of pike and musket, driving all before them with their commander at the very apex of the charge. Yet, seemingly out of nowhere, remnants of the Royalist mountet troops slam into the left flank of the cuirassiers - both commanders sense the moment of decision has come. Who will carry the day?

The high water mark - remnants of the first Royalist charge strike the exposed left of the
Parliamentarians while the cavalry reserve charges to support them.

Battle rages ... the smoke of musketry blinds those engaged ... the commanders rise in their saddles ... the gods of war roll their dice ...

Bella detesta matribus! (Horace)

Wars, the horror of mothers! The lobsters shrug off the challenge to their flank and decimate the Royalist centre. While in the distance, the hard-pressed Parliamentarian musketeers are savaged by the impetuous charge of the few remaining cavaliers, the remaining foot flee. The Royalist commander rushes to plug the gap in his line ... but the day is lost (4:1).

The Royalist heavy cavalry arrive too late.

Somewhere near Pevensey, 14 October 1066

One of my earliest projects when I began playing DBA was to paint up the armies for a 1066 campaign. Well, in 2011 I finally finished the Normans (the Anglo-Danes being pained many years ago) and this allows me to set in place a new tradition of playing Anglo-Danes vs. Normans each year on the anniversary of the Battle of Hastings, 14 October 1066.

Tonight, Harold Godwinson's army achieved an even-more epic forced march and met Duke William's force on the road from Pevensey. What happened? Did King Harold II throw the Norman usurper back into the sea? Was the thunderous charge of William's knights too powerful for the exhausted Saxons? Stay tuned ...