As the Rebels advanced from Sevilla, government forces took positions on a series of low hills protecting Merida. A battery of loyalist artillery forced to rebels to spread out and a Moroccan assault on the government right flank was repulsed. However, with the help of armoured cars and artillery and a flanking attack by another Moroccan Tabor,  the Rebels kept up the pace of their advance. The thinly held government positions were reinforced by communist and anarchist militia, but in the end it was the infinitely better training of the Moroccan tabores and the banderas of the Spanish Foreign Legion that decided the day. At sunset, only a single and isolated company of Asaltos held what was left of the government lines. On both flanks the Moroccans pursued the fleeing remnants of the militias. However, the victory had not come easy, with at least one of the two veteran banderas taking about 50% losses.

The first attempt to stop the Rebel advance from La Coruna to Madrid was at Orense, where loyal troops, reinforced by communist and anarchist militia, occupied a vital ridge. The rebel commander pinned the government forces in the centre, and attempted to turn both flanks. On the governments left flank, fighting was extremely fierce when the communist militia not only stopped the attackers but drove them back. The communist militia even charged a Rebel battery, although in the end they were thrown back and virtually destroyed by a falangist counterattack. However, in the meantime, on the governments centre and right flank, the defenders were defeated by superior numbers and firepower. The intervention of the Republican air force could not turn the tide. The victory at Orense brought the Rebels one step closer to Madrid.   

Some pictures of our Peninsular testgame with the ‘Black Powder’-rules. ‘Willie’ Massena launched a massive attack with three infantry-brigades in the centre and a cavalry brigade on both flanks. His army was even more colourful than usual, with Dutch, Baden, Wurzburg and Irish troops in the ranks. He faced an allied force led by ‘Celle’ Wellington (Portuguese on the left, British in the centre) and a Spanish division under ‘KarimV’ Iglesias. Was it sheer luck with the dice or just the genius of Willie? The French were not only successful on both flanks but also smashed their columns through the allied centre. The Spanish militia fought unexpectedly well, but most of Picton’s British division did not even participate in combat. This battle was a clear victory for the French, but also left us with some very mixed feelings about the rules. ‘Black Powder’ surely has some interesting concepts, but we met a lot situations that were in contradiction with our idea of how a Napoleonic battle was fought.  

Some pictures of the first scenario of ‘Operation Sea Lion’ that we played: ‘the Fight for the Military Canal’. A company of the British Home Guard had to guard a bridge. They were attacked by German paratroopers that had landed behind the British lines. Because Elias, who played with the British, is only 9 y.o., I upgraded the 3 sections of Home Guard to 4 sections of Regular Troops. Still, the British had a very hard time against the highly trained paratroopers, led by Frederik. Half of the British troops were on the wrong side of the Canal, and when they tried to cross, they were pinned on the bridge by German fire. With British troops on the bridge, it was not possible to blow it. Soon, the Germans took the boathouse with the detonator and then dashed to the other side of the canal. By now, British reinforcements launched a counterattack with infantry and carriers, but this was halted by the German fire. In the last turn, a determined British bayonet charge overran two German machineguns  that were facing the wrong direction. That could not change the result: with the bridge in German hands and 10 Germans killed against 56 British losses (k+w+m), this was a clear German victory.

deel van onze 1805 campagne