November 3, 1914, 0930 hours, the thick brush of the northern base of Mt. Longido.
Lt. Colonel Dykstra's plans were falling apart. Aside from the assault on the southern slope which caught the Germans off guard, the Swiss offensive was disintegrating by the second. Reserve troops had not been able to move forward, and the supply train was now bunched up alongside them. Only Admiral Ackbar could declare a better opportunity for an ambush.
German Order of Battle (Field Marshal von O'Hara)
Objective: Drive or Kill of 75% of the Swiss mules
3 units
1 light machine gun
Variables (if the won battle #2, roll twice)
1-3 Skirmishers (5 figures from the base units can start the game hidden in the brush, no less than 12 inches from the closest Swiss figure.
4-9 Heroic Teddy Bear Askari Unit
10-17 German Unit
18-20 4 Bier Stein Grenadiers (from the base units) hidden on the far side of the board.
For our game, based on previous battles, I cut the German base down to 2 units and the lmg. As you'll see, that was my overconfidence of the German capabilities, and Steve's generalship.
Swiss Order of Battle (Nichols)
Objective: Prevent the German objective
1 unit of Red Hat Swiss
1 unit of Swiss Engineers
1 unit of Swiss Rangers
Mule Train of 8 mules and 6 Irish "Handlers"
Variable units (if the British won battle #3, roll twice)
1-10 Sikh Unit
11-13 Nothing
14-19 2 Extra Irish Handlers for the mules
20 Bicycle Tank ( I do not kid)
SPECIAL RULE: The trees represent the edge of the heavy brush. Treat the brush as light cover that does not impede movement.
The Supply Train
The Germans wheel out of the brush?
Middle Turns: The Swiss continued the engaged the Germans. The Swiss Engineers continued to ignore the pounding fire of the LMG to focus on the Grays. Lucky for them, the Swiss Rangers charged along the edge of the board and wiped out the orignal crew. With their unit crumbling as well, two Gray Germans jumped into position and held the position just long enough to weaken the Rangers to keep them from being a factor for the rest of the game.
Along the brush line, wave after wave of melee attacks saturated the ground with blood, but as I mentioned before, the Swiss medics were up to the task.
Late turns: Avoiding most of the combat thus far, the Teddy Bear Askaris stayed in formation and charged a weakening Sikh unit. The melee was devastating. Only one Sikh survived the first round of combat, and he was quickly dispatched in the second. Having used up the Teddy Bears early in the turn, they were subject to the ravages of the remaining Red Hats and Engineers. The Red Hats chose to drive the bears away with Limburger cheese. Unfortunately, they ran away from the stench into the direction of the Engineer's medic. To add insult to the German injury, the St. Bernard dispatched the errant teddy bears with little problem.
The Swiss mules scattered to the four winds, the Irish handlers saved all but one.
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