The Bear and the Crescent, 1877....Game Number 9, Part 1

The attack on the Grivitsa Redoubt

Tomorrow will see a first for me. This will be a face to face game using the my block armies on my Hexon terrain in the new man cave. The game will be a representative action based on the Russo - Turkish War of 1877 and will feature a small Turkish force in fieldworks being assaulted by superior numbers of Russians. The Turks will be outnumbered nearly two to one in infantry although they will have the advantage of being in fieldworks and with better weaponry. It will not be a large action but should prove to be an interesting one as the Turks have to delay the Russians sufficiently to allow themselves time to pull back to the next line of defences.

The forces will consist of the following:

Russia

4 x 5 block infantry units
1 x 3 block light infantry units

All Russian infantry units are armed with older firearms

2 x 2 block artillery units

All Russian artillery units are armed with smoothbore field artillery

2 x 3 block cavalry units

1 x 2 block command unit

Total of 35 blocks with an exhaustion level of 12 blocks

Turkey

1 x 4 block infantry unit
2 x 3 block infantry units

1 x 3 block light infantry unit

All Turkish infantry units are armed with modern firearms

1 x 3 block artillery unit

The Turkish artillery are armed with rifled field artillery

1 x 3 block cavalry unit

1 x 2 block command unit

Total of 21 blocks with an exhaustion level of 8 blocks


The 'Exhaustion Level' refers to the number of blocks an army can lose before it is rendered unfit for further action and is an idea I have adapted from Volley and Bayonet as a good victory point condition. The number can be varied based on the quality of the army being used and the tactical/strategic situation they are currently operating under. Half of the exhaustion level losses must be taken from the main troop type being used - in both cases this is the line infantry.


Of particular interest with this action is that my opponent is none other than Bob Cordery and also that we shall be using his Memoir of Battle 19th century rules for the game! I am looking forward to this for many reasons - not least of which is the fact that having a game with the author of a set of rules means that should any problems of interpretation arise you should be able to get the correct word straight from the horse's mouth!

I am really looking forward to this and many thanks in advance to Bob for making the journey out into the wilds of deepest Essex!