Battle 03-16-07

Army Gallerries Home Prussia Great Britain Ireland France United States Mars	After action report This was our second annual St. Patrick's day themed battle. We used the Gunfight! rules from Flagship Games. Each player controlled one or two members of the Irish Light Rifles and few subordinate troops each. The following is a short write-up. Rescue the Blessed Brisquet! Or Bangers!? I hardly knows hers! Situation: A special shipment of beef brisquet, blessed by Archbishop McCloskey and bound for the Irish garrison at Massenna to become the regimental St Paddy’s dinner, has been taken by British Naval troops during an attack on the train station at Watertown. The purloined beef has been taken to a British supply depot where it is to be made into bangers to feed British troops that are bivouacked at nearby Brockville. The depot consists of two large warehouses (a sausage works and a gin distillery) and several smaller outbuildings all surrounded by a low, stacked stone wall. Security is lax at this depot as the only two commodities that come out of it are Gin and Bangers, neither of which have much value to anyone other than the British. Captain Mick McCann has volunteered to lead a pre-raid into the British depot to recover the stolen brisquet. Irish Objectives: Each building was considered an objective marker. There were several objective markers in the open as well. The primary objective was to secure Brisquet and move it off table by foot or rail car. The less chance of immediate pursuit the better. Secondly: To find anything that might be considered enemy intelligence. Finally to find and secure or destroy anything that might lend aid and/or comfort to the enemy. Fenian force Each player controlled one or two Irish Riflemen and several flunkies. British Forces The compound was guarded by two squads of British infantry. There was also a small force of British naval personnel working in the sausage works. Photos of the Battle An overall view of the british compound. The Irish started from the hill at the bottom of the photo after leaving a rear guard and horse handlers in the cover of the trees. Despite the clarity of these photos the raid took place in the pre dawn gloom. Visibility was poor and British security was very lax. Four tired guards were wandered the compound on patrols that kept them close to the shelter of the buildings. A view of the compound from the Fenian starting point. The wall sections were spread apart to represent the general disrepair and lack of difficulty in navigating a way over. Sgt Malone(Right), Corporal McGurk and their squad stalking the lone sentry. I had set up a series of dice rolls to represent the awareness of the guards. Each time a Fenian unit moved I checked the D10's. I couldn't have rolled worse with smaller dice Corporal McGee(on the left) and Corporal O'Toole discover the Quartermaster's office and main barracks building. (We think it may have been the snoring coming through the walls that alerted them.) You can see the tail end of Capt. McCann's group slipping around the back side of the barracks led by Attila, the Captain's dog in their search for the Brisquet. A completely oblivious sentry about to relieved of duty. Corporal McGee goes in the front while O'Toole and his men slip in through the back door of the barracks. Finally, alerted by the sound of footsteps the sentry calls out the password: "Bloomer!" The Fenians had intercepted the British call signs and were ready with the countersign: "Knickers". "Advance and be recognized." words the sentry would rue to his dying day. "You blokes ain't from the 60th rifles!" McGurk makes quick work of the surprised sentry... while O'Toole and McGee make even quicker work of the sleeping british soldiers. Things don't go quite as well for Malone. His group is spotted by a much more alert sentry who manages to give the alram before falling to a hail of rifle fire. Malone makes for the nearest cover. Kicking in the door and shooting blindly they manage to take out a British soldier. The British return fire far more effectively taking out Malones squaddies. They had discovered where the main billet of soldiers were. As the bugler sounds the alrm from the large barn, Sgt. Bill Tacy and Corporal O'Toole rush the sausage works, killing the cook and butcher. Captain McCann and Corporal McGee engage the large barn with rifle fire. The naval troops swarm out of the small barn and are cut down by rifle fire from the rear by Tracy and O'Toole. Unable to form square with only three men the British Lieutenant surrenders his command. The victorious Fenians march their captives and the recovered Brisquet back to the rear guard and their waiting horses. The Regiment's St. Patrick's day dinner will have a few unexpected guests.

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After action report

This was our second annual St. Patrick's day themed battle. We used the Gunfight! rules from Flagship Games. Each player controlled one or two members of the Irish Light Rifles and few subordinate troops each. The following is a short write-up.

Rescue the Blessed Brisquet!

Bangers!? I hardly knows hers!

Situation: A special shipment of beef brisquet, blessed by Archbishop McCloskey and bound for the Irish garrison at Massenna to become the regimental St Paddy’s dinner, has been taken by British Naval troops during an attack on the train station at Watertown. The purloined beef has been taken to a British supply depot where it is to be made into bangers to feed British troops that are bivouacked at nearby Brockville.

The depot consists of two large warehouses (a sausage works and a gin distillery) and several smaller outbuildings all surrounded by a low, stacked stone wall. Security is lax at this depot as the only two commodities that come out of it are Gin and Bangers, neither of which have much value to anyone other than the British.

Captain Mick McCann has volunteered to lead a pre-raid into the British depot to recover the stolen brisquet.

Irish Objectives: Each building was considered an objective marker. There were several objective markers in the open as well. The primary objective was to secure Brisquet and move it off table by foot or rail car. The less chance of immediate pursuit the better.

Secondly: To find anything that might be considered enemy intelligence. Finally to find and secure or destroy anything that might lend aid and/or comfort to the enemy.

Fenian force

Each player controlled one or two Irish Riflemen and several flunkies.

British Forces

The compound was guarded by two squads of British infantry.
There was also a small force of British naval personnel working in the sausage works.

Photos of the Battle

An overall view of the british compound. The Irish started from the hill at the bottom of the photo after leaving a rear guard and horse handlers in the cover of the trees. Despite the clarity of these photos the raid took place in the pre dawn gloom. Visibility was poor and British security was very lax. Four tired guards were wandered the compound on patrols that kept them close to the shelter of the buildings.

A view of the compound from the Fenian starting point. The wall sections were spread apart to represent the general disrepair and lack of difficulty in navigating a way over.

Sgt Malone(Right), Corporal McGurk and their squad stalking the lone sentry. I had set up a series of dice rolls to represent the awareness of the guards. Each time a Fenian unit moved I checked the D10's. I couldn't have rolled worse with smaller dice

Corporal McGee(on the left) and Corporal O'Toole discover the Quartermaster's office and main barracks building. (We think it may have been the snoring coming through the walls that alerted them.) You can see the tail end of Capt. McCann's group slipping around the back side of the barracks led by Attila, the Captain's dog in their search for the Brisquet.

A completely oblivious sentry about to relieved of duty.

Corporal McGee goes in the front while O'Toole and his men slip in through the back door of the barracks.

Finally, alerted by the sound of footsteps the sentry calls out the password: "Bloomer!" The Fenians had intercepted the British call signs and were ready with the countersign: "Knickers".
"Advance and be recognized." words the sentry would rue to his dying day.

"You blokes ain't from the 60th rifles!" McGurk makes quick work of the surprised sentry...

while O'Toole and McGee make even quicker work of the sleeping british soldiers.

Things don't go quite as well for Malone. His group is spotted by a much more alert sentry who manages to give the alram before falling to a hail of rifle fire. Malone makes for the nearest cover. Kicking in the door and shooting blindly they manage to take out a British soldier. The British return fire far more effectively taking out Malones squaddies. They had discovered where the main billet of soldiers were.

As the bugler sounds the alrm from the large barn, Sgt. Bill Tacy and Corporal O'Toole rush the sausage works, killing the cook and butcher. Captain McCann and Corporal McGee engage the large barn with rifle fire.

The naval troops swarm out of the small barn and are cut down by rifle fire from the rear by Tracy and O'Toole.

Unable to form square with only three men the British Lieutenant surrenders his command.
The victorious Fenians march their captives and the recovered Brisquet back to the rear guard and their waiting horses. The Regiment's St. Patrick's day dinner will have a few unexpected guests.