AAR - Battle of Nasiriyeh 1915

If the Lord Spares Us, Game Report

Empire Troops on the move

Another cracking game over at Castle R during the last couple of weeks, this post covers the game I previewed as a Scenario Post last time, click HERE for full details.

A view from the Turkish Front Line

The Empire set up with the main part of their force on the right bank, with the Gurkha's and a company of Sikhs on the left bank. Two companies of Gurkha's and some guns loaded up on the gunboat.

Target, what target Sgt ?

That one !

And off they went towards the trenches. The Turks had a battalion in the two front line trenches and one in reserve on the left bank. The trenches in front of Nasiriyeh were left empty, a small gamble but with the Turkish reinforcement point in the town a reasonably safe one.

Coming out of hiding in front of an MG, none habit forming.

The Empire reinforcements arrived quickly and both ANZAC battalions were committed to the already somewhat crowded right bank. Meanwhile on the left, the Gurkha's slowly got on with their job, whittling the numbers of Turks down and increasing their suppression.

Empire Artillery creeps over the front lines.

Oh dear, not a good result for the Turks.

In ITLSU, units are activated one at a time by the drawing of cards. The "They don't like it up 'em" card forces a test on any unit which received casualties as the result of the previous unit to be drawn. It came out after a Empire Artillery strike, already under pressure the Turkish front line in front of the Gurkha's collapsed.

British Artillery on the gunboat, something that was done on the day with mixed results on the decking.

A Gurkha NCO points the way to the now empty trench.

On the Right bank, the Cheshire battalion spearheading the assault was starting to get bogged down, 2 of the 4 companies had heavy casualties, luckily for the Empire, with the collapse of the left flank the right flank decided to up sticks back to the trenches in front of the city, just as the Turkish, to their delight (sorry couldn't help it) got their reinforcement, 6 turns late. A battalion of Turkish Infantry and a Battalion of Stormtroopers rapidly filled the second line of trenches.

Empire forces pour towards the abandoned trench line.

The remnants of the Cheshire's hold trench 1.

It is of course the first outing for my new "Lawrence" Camel unit as described in a previous post, the scenario meant they were representing local Marsh Arabs or Budhoos, this allowed for the unit to appear multiple times In hit and run (more like "hit and die") attacks from random locations. So most newly painted units traditionally die horribly on their first time on the table, these boys managed it three times.

Camel Charge ! The Aussies calmly turned round, shot them to pieces and finished the rest off in melee

Camel Charge ! (Again)

Nearly made it until the Turks threw this.

Next phase of the game saw the Empire take on the second line of trenches.

A Trench too far ?

Sadly for the Empire it was a trench to far, the unsupported Gurkha's on the left managed to break into the second line but the right proved to be too strong, it was close but the Empire never managed to get enough stuff in the right place at the right time to break through the line.

Gurkha's to the front

And Gurkha's on your flank, it wont end well

A good balanced game which could have gone either way, the Empire used the gunboat as a weapons platform, it would have been interesting to see how it would have worked as a troop transporter dropping troops behind the lines.

The WW1 stuff is boxed away, we have a Gallipoli game planned later in the year, for obvious reasons,  so they will see the light of day before Xmas. Next up Napoleonic Naval.