It’s been a few years since I last visited a wargames show, but two weeks ago I schlepped up to Newark for Partizan ’18. Partizan has always been one of my favourite shows, due to the extremely high quality of games that it attracts. When I last went to Partizan about 20 years ago, it was still in the ‘Gothic grandeur’ (i.e. dark and cramped) of Kelham Hall, but is now in a considerably more spacious and well-lit exhibition hall at the Newark Showground and the show is considerably better for the change of venue.
I’ve put on several of my own games at Partizan in the past, but this time I was invited by Pete Barfield of the Very British Civil Forum, to take part in his VBCW spectacular, entitled ‘This Seat of Mars’. The scenario basically involved a Royalist force assaulting a Leicestershire town to recapture the hidden Crown Jewels from under the nose of defending Socialist forces. I would be supplying half of the Royalist forces, in the form of the Baroness de Loutson’s Young Ladies’ College Cadet Corps and some of their ‘Gentleman Friends’ from the British Union of Fascists.
Above: The Royalist tactical headquarters sets up shop in a busy farmyard. Someone must have left a gate open, as there is livestock everywhere!
Above: The Cadet Corps’ Foot Hussar Squadron and the BUF Storm-Wing approach the town, closely observed by Baroness de Loutson and her staff (on horseback). The red tin is a genuine 1930s Craven ‘A’ cigarette tin, generously donated by my late father-in-law, which we use to hold the random event cards used in the game.
Above: On the opposite side of town, some Socialist militia, supported by sympathetic elements of the RAF (bloody Technical trades, no doubt…), move in to Support The Local People’s Struggle Against Fascism And Tyranny/Oppress The King’s Loyal Subjects (delete as applicable).
Above: As their unit band plays the ‘Internationale’, the Socialists move quickly to occupy positions in and around the local garage (which happens to be one of the Royalist objectives).
Above: On the Royalist right flank, Squire Bertie Greengage’s Royalist militia deploy from their trucks and move to assault the Socialist-held garage.
Above: A reconnaissance aircraft passes overhead. Nobody seems sure as to which faction he belongs…
Above: The local Morris side perpetrate Morris on an innocent and unsuspecting public. Both sides pre-register the site for artillery…
Above: Supported by the Armoured Troop and a BUF anti-tank rifle team, Captain Gwynne-James-Davies’ Hussar Troop moves forward, intending to sweep through the open ground on the left flank.
Above: The Foot Hussar Squadron and the BUF Storm-Wing move forward in the centre. Still no enemy sighted…
Above: But what’s that…? The smell of mushy peas and whippets…?! That can only mean that a Socialist colliery militia has appeared on the edge of town.
Above: As the Foot Hussar Squadron takes up defensive positions in and around the schoolhouse, a massive volume of supporting fire is put down by the Hussars’ Armoured Troop and Support Squadron and the first coal-miners are cut down, along with some unfortunate civilians, who happened to be in the Royalist line of fire (“The Greater Good…”)!
Above: The miners respond with their ‘artillery’… A large catapult lobbing jam-jar bombs… The colliery fire-support commander is a Royal Artillery veteran who lives by the Royal Regiment’s motto of ‘Ubique’… Sure enough, jam-jars are soon exploding ‘Ubique’ (‘All Over The Place’), but all they succeed in doing is killing a few unfortunate cows. The Foot Hussars meanwhile put down effective fire across the hedgerows, eliminating some more miners.
Above: More Socialists appear in front of the Hussars – this bunch look a lot more professional, seem to lack incurable lung-diseases/whippets and even have a tank, which proceeds to exchange ineffectual shots with the Hussars’ armoured car.
Above: On the Royalists’ extreme left flank, Lt Col Keir’s Hussar Troop launches a charge on a troop of Socialist Mounted Infantry near the windmill – their first mounted action of the war (side-saddle, of course. They are ladies)!
Above: Not to be outdone, Squire Bertie launches his own charge on the Socialists; using a pair of MG-armed light recce cars, supported by a truck-mounted HMG. However, a Socialist HMG firing from cover behind the garage stops them in their tracks.
Both sides ignore the Morris… It’s for the best…
Above: As Squire Bertie launches his assault on the defended garage, his fire support elements go into action… Another bloody catapult…
Above: Unlike the Socialist jam-jar-thrower, the Royalist equivalent lands smack on target, causing much consternation among the defenders, who are dug in around some fuel storage tanks…
Above: In the middle of town, the BUF come under fire from the church tower (their objective) and take cover in a large brick house overlooking the town square. Just then, a large group of RAF troops march into view and are immediately fired upon by the BUF, who cut down several of the Brylcreem Boys.
Above: The battle for the schoolhouse continues. Captain de Carnelle’s Foot Hussar Squadron gains the upper-hand over the miners, thanks in no small part to the effective supporting fire from the tankette and HMG section in the lane.
Above: By some miracle and despite heavy casualties, the miners manage to cling on to their position! At long last they also manage to inflict casualties on the Foot Hussars.
Above: The ineffectual clash of armour continues in the open country outside town. The Socialists do manage to score one small victory however, as their self-propelled HMG manages to knock out the BUF anti-tank rifle team. The Socialist jam-jar-thrower switches its attention to the armoured car, but only succeeds in killing another poor cow.
Above: Despite occasional livestock casualties, rural life continues much as it always does, despite the war.
Above: Meanwhile, at the windmill, the continuing cavalry melee is decisively tipped in the Royalists’ favour by the intervention of Captain Gwynne-James-Davies’ Hussar troop. As the last Socialist cavalryman surrenders, the Hussars look set to take to their objective (the brown barn).
Above: The Socialist commanders look on in fury as their plan unravels in the face of Reactionary opposition. Comrade Arthur attempts to re-invigorate the men with Oliver Cromwell’s famous rallying cry, “Come on boys! One more push and we can cancel Christmas!”
Above: With high explosive landing effectively on the enemy, Squire Bertie’s boys launch a massed assault on the garage.
Above: The defenders steel themselves for the coming assault. Beyond the garage, one of the Royalist light recce cars lies overturned and burning in the street, while the church is now fully ablaze, thanks to a Royalist rocket. The Socialists make full propaganda use of the burning church and send photos to the Anglican League…
Above: As they round up their prisoner, the mounted Hussars charge on… But haven’t spotted what’s lurking around the corner…
Above: The Hussars rapidly discover that they have bitten off more than they can chew! The Socialist section LMG cuts down half of the first troop and the second troop fares little better! Rapidly passing below 50% strength, the Hussars beat a hasty retreat, leaving the objective firmly in Socialist hands.
Above: The Socialists detain a suspicious civilian who was eyeing up the cows… They accuse her of being a ‘milk-snatcher’…
Above: Having won their initial clash against the Brylcreem Boys, the BUF casualties rapidly mount as the RAF armoured car takes them to task. Captain de Carnelle’s Foot Hussar Squadron is also starting to suffer, thanks to the intervention of the Socialist self-propelled MG section. It seems that Baroness de Loutson’s forces have shot their bolt…
Above: By contrast, Squire Bertie’s boys on the right flank have seized their objective at the garage and are in good spirits. However, two objectives remain in Socialist hands…
Above: The aircraft continues to circle and observe the final stages of the battle. It’s still not clear who he belongs to… Perhaps another faction looking to take advantage of the weakened Socialists and Royalists…?
Above: Baroness de Loutson’s Tactical HQ is in a state of near-panic as retreat orders are transmitted and orderlies pack the picnic hampers and champers back into the Crossley. If they’re quick, they can probably catch last orders…
Thanks to everyone for a great game in good company and particularly to Pete Barfield for setting up this splendid table! See you next time!
As discussed in the last article, I’ve been encouraged to resurrect my near-forgotten 28mm ‘Age of Arthur’ collection with the aid of ‘Saga’ Dark Age/Mediaeval wargame rules. I found the rules relatively easy to read and understand, but my sieve-like mind soon forgets such things and so I was grateful for the assistance of Mike, the Saga ‘Brettwalda’ in leading me through a couple of trial games.
We decided on six army points per side, so as Dux Bellorum, I spent 1 point on a unit of 12 bow-armed Levies, 2 points on two units of 8 Warriors and 3 points on three units of 4 Hearthguards. The British Hearthguards have the option of being mounted, so I put two units on horseback. The British Warlord may have up to two Hearthguard ‘Companions’ attached to his element, so I took those from one of the mounted Hearthguard units and combined the remaining mounted Hearthguards into a single unit of 6 figures. Combining units means that their greater strength gives them more combat-power, but also mean that you lose a Saga Die from the dice pool.
Brettwalda Mike meanwhile, spent 3 points on three 8-figure Warrior units and 3 points on three 4-figure Hearthguard units. He split one Hearthguard unit and used it to increase the strength of the two remaining Hearthguard units to 6 figures apiece.
Note that in ‘Saga’, the Warlord’s retinue is normally represented by a single large base, featuring the warlord and associated hangers-on. I don’t have anything like that for my Saxons, so the Saxon Warlord here is shown by the small group of figures clustering around a suitable leader figure and the Wyvern banner. For the British, I have a diorama of a Romano-British warlord (on the white horse) being perpetually mugged by a couple of Saxons.
Not knowing quite what to do, I started by placing Saga Dice in the top row of the Battle-Board, basically activating units for movement. I wasn’t quite ready to go for the more advanced stuff lower down the board just yet. With Saga Dice placed, I started activating units, starting with my Levy archers, who used one activation to move within range of the Saxons and a second activation to lob a few arrows in their direction, resulting in a satisfying First Blood for the battle!
With my first turn completed, the wily old Brettwalda immediately spotted an opportunity to knock out my main striking unit of mounted Hearthguards and immediately started stacking the Saga Dice on suitable assault bonuses. Dice placed, his right-flanking Hearthguard unit charged out to meet my cavalry head-on, deploying several bonuses from the Battle-Board as he does so…
The combat is hard-fought , though the Britons manage to beat off the assault and the sole surviving Saxon Hearthguard falls back. However, the British cavalry have suffered casualties and are now ripe for a second assault by the waiting Saxon Warrior unit…
Outnumbered two-to-one and with another stack of Battle-Board bonuses deployed against them, the British Hearthguards are destroyed and I will now be rolling one less Saga Die per turn. However, the strength of the Saxon Warrior unit has fallen below four figures, so the Saxons also lose one Saga Die from their roll.
However, having positioned himself on the battlefield to achieve maximum command and control effect. Dux Marcus Dangerus suddenly finds himself dangerously exposed…
The wily Brettwalda is quick to take advantage of the Dux’s isolation and sends in a fresh unit of Saxon Warriors, loaded to the eyeballs with ‘Ferocious’ and ‘Sharp Blades’ bonuses…
In a bitter combat, Marcus Dangerus manages to beat off the Saxon Warriors (only 2 Saxons survive, so the Saxons lose another Saga Die), but in turn suffers the loss of both Companions.
“Rally to the Lord!”
Things are now suddenly looking very bad for the Saxons. Their army is now only generating two Saga Dice – one for the sole surviving Hearthguard on the right flank and one for the last fresh unit of Warriors. The two other Warrior units, at two figures apiece, are too weak to generate Saga Dice. The Britons meanwhile, with four viable units still in play, are still rolling four Saga Dice per turn and have gained a distinct command & control advantage over the Saes.
Having at long last rolled up the Saxon right flank (which was the original plan, after all…), the Britons move in to mop up the weak Saxon Warrior unit. The Levy archers meanwhile, take the reserve Warriors to task and launch an astonishingly accurate volley, cutting down three of the eight Saxon Warriors!
With the runic writing firmly on the wall, the Britons close in on the last Saxon Warriors, but the archers complete the task for them, eliminating three more Saxons and removing the Saxon ability to roll any Saga Dice whatsoever. The battle is won!
The core of the ‘Saga’ game system is the ‘Battle Board’ (more of which later). You can’t play a game of Saga without a Battle Board for each side and for that reason you have to buy a game supplement for your chosen period – in my case the ‘Aetius & Arthur’ supplement, which is supplied with Battle Boards for Late Romans, Romano-British, Saxons, Huns, Goths and Picts.
Dice of the appropriate symbol are placed on the sections of the Battle Board to unlock those units or abilities. Normally, only one die is required on each section, though sections with a ‘+’ symbol require both of the dice shown (e.g. ‘Profanation’ requires an axe OR a horse, while ‘Death is Nothing’ requires an axe AND a horse). You can of course place several dice in one section, to allow multiple activations of the same section.
The Baroness de Loutson and the Cadet Corps of Slebech Castle College For Young Ladies will this week be marching on Newark, to reinforce the Royalist forces in Pete Barfield’s ‘A Very British Civil War’ game at the ‘Partizan 2018′ show.
Above: The Baroness herself in parade uniform and wielding a vicious-looking riding-crop.
Above: The Baroness in close-up.
Above: While the Baroness is Colonel of the Cadet Corps, the day-to-day running and tactical leadership of the Corps is exercised by Lieutenant Colonel, Lady Aisling Keir, here seen with some of her Headquarters Squadron.
Above: Lieutenant Colonel Keir’s HQ group dismounted. Note that the Corps’ uniforms are recycled Imperial German Hussar uniforms, sourced from Baron de Loutson’s East Prussian cousin, the Freiherr von Lützen, former Commanding Officer of the German Husaren-Regiment ‘Von Lützen’.
Above: Lance-armed Cadets of the Mounted Hussar Squadron.
Above: Rifle-armed cadets of the Mounted Hussar Squadron.
Above: The Officer Commanding the Mounted Hussar Squadron, Captain, Lady Irene Gwynne-James-Davies.
Above: Cadets of the Foot Hussar Squadron and Support Squadron engage in street-fighting training.
Above: The massed mounted elements of the Corps on parade, including the Mounted Hussar Squadron, Light Armoured Squadron and elements of the Tactical Headquarters Squadron.
Above: The massed foot elements of the Corps, including the Foot Hussar Squadron, Support Squadron and elements of the Tactical Headquarters Squadron.
Above: The whole Corps on parade.
I almost forgot the Music Section…
Above: An overview of the battlefield from the Royalist lines. In the foreground is the Western Cleddau River, with its barricaded bridge and in the distance is the village of Camrose. On the left, and on the road to the hamlet of Cuttybridge, is the ‘Olde Inn’ pub, serving a variety of quality ales and home-cooked bar-snacks.
Above: The Camrose & Treffgarne LDV begin to assemble.
Above: The main street of Camrose.
Above: The ancient landlady of the Olde Inn smokes her pipe and watches the LDV drilling. Her eyes aren’t very good these days, hence why she’s so out of focus. Her grand-daughter does the laundry. Note that the Olde Inn is a Welsh theme-pub, so the granddaughter wears her traditional hat.
Above: The hand-picked 1st Storm-Unit of the BUF’s ‘Sir Thomas Picton’ Cohort, investigates the playful sheep of the Western Cleddau Valley…
Above: Machine-gun and anti-tank rifle teams take up position to cover the bridge.
Above: Faced with superior numbers, the LDV bridge sentries quickly scarper to raise the alarm as the BUF charge the bridge. One BUF section storms the bridge itself and begins dismantling the barricade to allow the tanks and cavalry to cross. The other two BUF sections swim/wade the river downstream and begin to move forward to the pub and the promise of a superior IPA or hoppy summer ale.
Above: The light tanks of No.3 Troop, ‘C’ Squadron, The King’s Dragoon Guards, provide overwatch as the BUF infantry advance. The Loyal Landsker Legion meanwhile, wait, mounted on their horses, for the barricade to be cleared. A gun detachment from the 102nd Field Regiment (Pembrokeshire Yeomanry) deploys nearby, but the Detachment Commander realises to his horror that they’ve only packed armour-piercing ammunition and no HE! He awaits the arrival of the Battery Sergeant-Major to rip him a new orifice… In the distance, the BUF begin to skirmish with the forward elements of the LDV, much to the chagrin of a field of cows (a random event card resulted in unintended hand-to-horn combat between the Welsh Blacks and the Black Shirts).
Above: Another view of the BUF’s assault across the river.
Above: The sheep graze, oblivious to the battle starting to erupt around them.
Above: The LDV Commanding Officer and Vicar of Camrose, the Reverend Gethin Thomas, is finally dragged out of the pub by his deacon. The Reverend Thomas staggers up the road to find his men after a particularly agreeable pint of Crown 1084.
Above: Another view from the Royalist positions.
Above: The KDG tank commanders scan the horizon for targets. In the treeline, BUF heavy weapons teams do likewise.
Above: The LDV in Camrose re-deploy to meet the BUF assault.
Above: At last, the barricade at the bridge is cleared and the Loyal Landsker Legion move forward to cross the bridge. Fate now played a hand as a bank of typical ‘Pembrokeshire Cawl’* fog swept in to hide this movement from the Anglican League forces (another random event card).
Above: On the left, the BUF storm-unit commander watches his men cross the Western Cleddau safely to the opposite bank and finally dips his own toes into the water. Was that a pike he saw? A lamprey perhaps?! “Er, you first, Sergeant…”
Above: As the firefight intensifies on the southern flank, the LDV men hiding among the hedgerows north of the bridge wait for the enemy to come to them.
Above: Similarly, back in Camrose, the LDV sit and wait for the enemy to appear. A St John’s Ambulance Cadet waits at the crossroads to treat the wounded.
Above: The cows are stuck in the firing-line as the battle is joined. Whichever side wins is going to be having a barbecue at the Olde Inn tonight…
Above: Having watched his Sergeant cross safely, the BUF commander is half-way across the Cleddau when a trained Anglican attack-lamprey grabs his leg and attemots to drag him under! Without hesitating, the unit standard-bearer drags the spluttering officer out of the river with only light wounds (this was actually a roll for attempting to cross dangerous terrain in ‘Force on Force’ – the officer was the only BUF soldier to fail the roll!). In the meantime the cavalry pass over the bridge and the tanks begin to move forward.
Above: In the centre, the leading KDG tank comes under accurate and effective fire from an anti-tank rifle. The crew have a crisis of confidence and bale out. Suitably embarrassed, they soon get back in again. On the right, the BUF unit that had cleared the barricade moves out to sweep the fields north of the road and soon runs into an ambush.
Above: Having crossed the bridge, the horsemen of the Loyal Landsker Legion gallop through some wild and inaccurate machine gun fire and deploy to the right of the road. As they charge towards the cover of a hedge, they come under close-range fire from enemy infantry hidden there. Suddenly a voice calls out for the Anglican troops to hold their fire! Astonished at their luck, the horsemen dismount and prepare to return fire.
Above: “Carruthers?! Is that you?! It’s me, Gussie!” Such are the fortunes of war… It seems that the Anglican League unit is led by the troop commander’s old chum from India… (Yes, another random event card…) The firing stops in this corner of the battlefield, as the two old duffers open a hip-flask and reminisce about the good old days in the Raj. Their men stand around looking embarrassed, trying to avoid eye-contact with the other side, but trying to catch the eye of the more attractive sheep.
Above: As the pair carry on chatting, the battle carries on in the distance. Half of the BUF troops are now attempting to push on up the slope into Camrose, though a hail of fire is holding them back and is starting to cause casualties in the Blackshirt ranks. The tanks and the BUF machine gun hammer the village, inflicting more losses on the defenders.
Above: The two officers carry on, oblivious to the raging inferno around them. The BUF get impatient and move up to get the fight moving again. “Well it’s been jolly nice seeing you again Gussie, old chap. If it’s alright with you, my chaps would like the chance to return fire. I think that’s only fair?”
Above: Meanwhile, in the centre of the Royalist line, the BUF commander, nursing his fish-wound, wonders what the hell is happening on his right!
Above: Just as things start to heat up in the centre, the landlady’s granddaughter strides into view and discipline evaporates as the soldiers of both sides preen, whistle and generally make lewd suggestions to attract her attentions (the random events really were coming thick and fast in this game…).
Above: The BUF commander attempts to get the battle moving yet again. He sends orders, followed by threats, to the cavalry troop commander and personally urges his own troops to stop whistling and get up that bloody slope!
Above: The tanks meanwhile, oblivious and impervious to cows, fish, landlady’s granddaughters and old friends from India, continue to exchange fire with the Anglican heavy weapons teams hidden in the houses of Camrose.
Above: Encouraged by the thought of hoppy, bittersweet summer ales, the Blackshirts make reasonable progress in their attack on the Olde Inn. One Anglican League unit is forced back into the pub, while another is pinned down in the field on the forward slope. However, as a St John’s Ambulance Cadet runs over in an attempt to treat the Anglican League wounded, he is mercilessly cut down by a burst of fire from the beastly Blackshirts; a deuced shabby fascist trick!
Above: With the Blackshirts fully engaged in the fields either side of the road, a militiaman, armed with sticky-bombs, seizes his chance and makes a run on the nearest tank!
Above: The sticky-bombers efforts prove unnecessary however, as the leading KDG tank is once again engaged by the anti-tank rifle. This time a track is terminally damaged. The crew bale out and make good their escape.
Above: Despite the neutralisation of some of the Royalist armour, the Anglican League troops are starting to suffer heavy casualties from the Royalist fire. The Anglican infantry sections are largely pinned down by fire the BUF infantry, while the heavy weapons teams hidden among the houses are being taken apart by tank and machine gun fire. Casualties are starting to mount and the BUF finally manages to mount a successful assault on the pub! It’s time to for the Bishop’s forces to withdraw.
Above: Elements of the Anglican League’s Roch Castle Fencibles (victors of the actions at Crundale and Treffgarne-Owen) occupy the hamlet of Pelcomb Cross.
Above: Major General Sir Ivor Picton, on an inspection tour of the front, stops with his staff to have a pint of Buckley’s Best Bitter at the Pelcomb Inn.
Above: The sound of Lewis Gun fire from Pelcomb Farm soon has Fencibles rushing to man their positions.
Above: Led by an old campaigner, the ‘St Non’ Company takes up positions among the cottages surrounding the crossroads.
Above: On the scout’s signal, other members of the Haverfordwest BUF branch of the Campaign for Real Ale move forward.
Above: The Roch Castle Fencibles prepare to defend their pub to the last.
Above: Baron Kylsant looks on as his men advance. He couldn’t give a flying fig for the prospect of visiting a real ale pub, as his ‘personal medic’ always has a tot of medicinal Napoleon brandy somewhere on her person (and sometimes it’s dashedly difficult, but damnably enjoyable to find).
Above: Another BUF Storm-Unit moves forward as an anti-tank rifle team covers them.
Above: ‘B’ Company of 2nd KSLI starts to take effective fire from the Anglican ‘St Padarn’ Company, stationed in Pelcomb Farm. However, a supporting light tank from ‘C’ Squadron, 1st King’s Dragoon Guards manages to provide effective supporting fire and the Shropshiremen press slowly forward.
Above: In the centre, the 2nd BUF Storm-Unit is pinned down in the hedgerows as it takes fire from the hedges in front, the cottages on the left and the farm on the right. A runner is sent back to Baron Kylsant, requesting urgent tank and MG support.
Above: However, the Anglican League now has its own tank support lurking in the farmyard.
Above: The Fencibles in the farm continue to pour fire into the King’s troops, but they are starting to suffer casualties from the return fire coming from the Royalist tanks.
Above: All heads turn skywards as one of the ‘Bishop’s Wasps’ appears over the battlefield.
Above: Wing Commander ‘Taffy’ Jones DSO MC DFC & Bar MM makes a strafing run across the battlefield. ‘Taffy’ Jones was one of the highest-scoring British air aces of the Great War and is still a formidable airman.
Above: A medic seconded from Baron de Loutson’s Slebech Castle College for Young Ladies’ Cadet Corps, provides a handsome young Subaltern with a much-needed drink to steady the nerves.
Above: On the left flank, the BUF’s 1st Storm-Unit cautiously crosses the hedgerows in front of Pelcomb Cross. All seems quiet…
Above: Suddenly, a volley of fire from the cottages cuts down several Blackshirts and the advance staggers to a halt. The BUF Cohort Commander moves forward to take control of the deteriorating situation.
Above: With fire from the farm largely suppressed, the KSLI move forward again as the tank continues to spray MG fire at its loopholed walls.
Above: Suddenly, a burst of heavy MG fire from the lurking Anglican tank rattles off the KDG tank’s armour. A few rounds find their mark and a track is shattered, leaving the tank immobilised in the lane. Unperturbed, the Dragoon Guardsmen coolly return fire, but the enemy tank has already withdrawn.
Above: As the first KDG tank takes fire, a second tank emerges from cover, along with a BUF tank-hunting team.
Above: In typical style, the Dragoon Guards officer brings a certain level of class and tone to the battlefield as he coolly scans the horizon for the enemy tank.
Above: Reinforcements arrive; a tankette crewed by two of Baron de Loutson’s young ladies and flying the colours of Baron de Loutson’s ‘English Mistery’ faction, passes the Sun Inn and advances to support the KDGs.
Above: An armoured car, also crewed by young ladies, follows the tankette past the Sun Inn.
Above: The 2nd KSLI’s Machine Gun Platoon also now deploys along a hedgerow and adds its weight to the assault on Pelcomb Farm. The Anglican Militiamen are finally driven out and fall back towards Pelcomb Cross.
Above: However, the BUF’s left flank is presently being cut to pieces and suffer heavy casualties in the fields south of the Pelcomb Inn. A ‘Wasp’ also adds to the real ale-lovers’ misery.
Above: The Blackshirt commander desperately tries to rally his men with the promise of a free round of Double Dragon at the Sun, but this was the wrong thing to say and his men rout and flee for the slim possibility of decent beer at The Swan in Littlehaven.
Above: Nevertheless, the Royalist right flank seems fairly secure and the Shropshiremen move forward to take the farm, covered by the tanks and machine gunners.
Above: Despite the heavy casualties suffered by the BUF (again), the Royalists remain in good spirits.
Above: However, some people always take high-spirits too far and a brief outbreak of Morris is swiftly and ruthlessly stamped out!
Two hours south of Builth Wells, the leading troop of the Lord St David’s Horse reached the ‘T’ junction with the main Brecon to Hay road, just to the west of the 
Above: The Bishop’s vanguard presses on past the farm.
Above: The leading troop of Lord St David’s Horse presses on to Three Cocks.
Above: With guidon flying and trumpet blaring, the Horse add a degree of class, dash and tone to the Bishop of St David’s army…
Above: As the scouts push on toward Three Cocks, the village also seems peaceful, though it’s too quiet…
Above: Who knows what might be lurking behind this innocent-looking pillar-box?
Above: A BUF Vickers team, concealed among the ruins of Three Cocks, opens up on the Lord S David’s Horse.
Above: The peaceful country scene suddenly erupts in horror, as the MG beaten-zone template descends and almost half of the cavalry troop is cut down in the savage burst of machine gun fire.
Above: Putting spurs to their horses, the desperate cavalrymen jump the hedgerows on their left, escaping into the fields south of the road. However, they soon run into a second ambush and lose another of their number to BUF riflemen!
Above: BUF riflemen emerge from cover as the storm-clouds gather.
Above: Enthused by the sight of the successful ambush, the right-hand BUF section commander has a rush of blood to the head and orders his men to attack! However, a volley of rifle and Lewis MG fire from the far hedgerows soon cools his blood and he and his men once again take cover among the scrubland on the bank of the Wye.
Above: An old campaigner leads the way through the undergrowth.
Above: The Anglican Headquarters’ armoured truck moves forward to support the infantry.
Above: The BUF MG section, its position identified by the Anglican armoured car, could only withstand so much punishment and was soon running. However, the hidden anti-tank rifle now opened fire on the armoured car. The first round missed, but the gunner corrected his aim and hit with his second round. Astonishingly, the bullet penetrated the armour and must have then hit something vital, as the armoured car blew up catastrophically, killing its entire crew!
Above: As Anglican infantry move up on the right, their armour support blows sky-high!
Above: Brigadier Davies and the commander of the armoured truck have a ‘command disagreement’ as the Brigadier tries to order him forward to take on the anti-tank rifle team…
Above: Major Harding-Jervois leads the last of his horsemen in a desperate charge.
Above: The Fencibles finally reach Three Cocks, but at what cost?
Above: The experienced men of the Loyal West Carmarthenshire Greenjackets march toward Three Cocks.
Above: At the very point of the advance, the Commanding Officer of the Greenjackets, Lt Col Sir Howard ‘Honker’ Foley DSO MC DFC wields his trusty Purdey elephant gun…
Operation WINDSOR: The Battle for Carpiquet Airfield 4th July 1944
Rules used were ‘Battlefront: WWII’ by Fire & Fury Games, though for this battle, which was fought in a very compact area, we used the 20mm ground-scale (1 inch to 60m instead of 1 inch to 40m) in order to give us more room for manoeuvre: 
