Soldiers of God, CAMPAIGN GAME 5

THE WALLS OF HOMS, ASSAULT ON THE AL-DAYR GATE

In our Soldiers of God mini-campaign the crusader’s advance has reached Homs itself, the Emir’s army (me) heavily defeated in the Orontes valley it would be a scratch force to hold the city walls as the enemy set their siege and began preparing their war engines, including building a siege tower. Homs was in peril, the bloodthirsty enemy would show no mercy in sacking the city and looting it. The Emir has sent a messenger for aid, and a relief army was on the way, but first the garrison had to hold out long enough. After a month of building (and painting) work (literally), the Franks of Lord Andrus de Renard were ready to assault the walls. They chose the city’s eastern walls, at the Gate A-Dayr. As dawn broke they stood arrayed for the assault, behind them their trebuchet and mangonels had ranged in. Almost all his units carried siege ladders. It would be a bloody day…

… it would be disastrous day. Good grief, talk about deserted by cards and dice, the traitors! I could not buy a half decent dice roll when I needed one, all my defensive plans failed, I lost melees I shouldn’t have, my multiple burning oil and Naffatun attacks did very little (and on average should have massacred something). The defenders on the walls crumbled, his siege tower was pushed up, refused to topple despite many hits from my war engines and unleashed his fanatic Knights Hospitaller onto the walls to wreak carnage. His own trebuchet eventual smashed down the gate and his mounted men-at-arms charged in through it, another Naffatun attack rolled a 1 and did zippo. The gate fell, the men on the walls routed or were massacred and my defenders did embarrassingly little damage as Homs fell to the Crusader’s sacking and looting… they’d all be going home rich.

This was a trounsing. I just didn’t get the action cards, and when I did, rolled badly (I’m starting to think there are no 6s on my dice). I was also under the weather myself - to make more excuses. The lurgy was setting-in, so my defence might not have been as determined as usual. The Emir was not feeling well today… but still, the Crusaders have now decisively won the campaign, 4 victories to 1.

 The A-Dayr gate and city walls.

 Our battlefield

Inside the walls,  a last stand of local Ahdath militia was deployed to fight for the houses (and mosque) if the enemy broke in. 

My war engines on one of the gate towers

Inside the A-Dayr gate. 

 Lines of Array, as the Franks deploy for the assault. Siege tower is scratch built. 

My defenders at the gate.

The Frank's trebuchet, guarded by monks!! 

They just came to see God's will triumph over the infidels. Prayers answered today.

The siege encampment, at the back.

The last of the Ghulam (dismounted) on the walls.

 The siege ladders close in, yellow dice are disorder on the units, from my rather feeble archery.

Siege tower reaches the wall and disgorges the Knights Hospitaller, who massacred my Ghulam in a display of inept melee skills.

The gate is gone. My black-clad fanatics prepare to die for Allah, holding it. 

Ahdath militia in support. 

In come the mounted men-at-arms.

 Enemy at the gate... and streaming up the ladders.

We have decided, given that this game was a bit of a disaster for me, we’ll play a 6th game in the campaign, as the relief army arrives too late. Unwilling to allow that new force to harry his men and their loot all the way back to Tripoli, the confident Crusaders are going to come out and face the relief force in final large open battle before the walls of the city. A chance for a little payback for Allah’s forces, a face saving (if pyrrhic) victory. Back to basics for this one… horse archers and cavalry, hit ‘em where it hurts (then run off).

Erfundensdorf Campaign - Game 1

Fall of the Reich remains one my favourite Battlegroup periods for gaming, I just like the ‘backs to the wall’ feel of the German lists. This is a short campaign, of maybe 5-6 games, set over 1 day, as Combat Command A, US 3rd Armoured Division, attack to surround and capture the town of Erfundensdorf, part of their advance to help seal the Ruhr Pocket.

The campaign works as a series of morning, afternoon and then evening battles, with the earlier battles deciding from which direction US forces will be able to deploy and attack the German defenders in the big final game, to take the town itself. The first game, table 1, would be a push from the south via the reservoir’s lake-side forest trail, at the See-Hotel.

The campaign map. 6 tables to fight over. 

The German defenders, that’s me, would be an ad-hoc kampfgruppe of various parts, including Fallschirmjager cadets of ‘Ersatz Battalion Richter’, the local Volkssturm ‘Erfundensdorf’ and reinforcements arriving from the Paderborn tank training school, Stossgruppe Schutz (my armoured reserve arriving in the afternoon via table 5).

We played out the first morning game, a 500 point affair using the End of the Rat Race scenario. Here are the two lists for the game.

Battlefield 1- Lakeside road and the Seehotel
The forest road running west to east along the edge of the lake, from Fahrhaus to Erfundendorf via the resort Seehotel on the lakeside. North of the road is wooded, the edge of the Eisenwald.

500 points Attack/Defence scenario - End of the Rat Race

US Forces - Taskforce James in March Column order

Aerial Observer Plane                71
1 M4A3E2 Jumbo (75mm)            66
Armoured Infantry Platoon (dismounted)    136
M4 Tank Platoon (3) (all 75mm)        140
2 x 105mm guns (off table)            90

503 pts, 30 BR, 3 officers, 0 scouts

German Forces - Elements of Kampfgruppe Idlemann
1 Minefield                    20
10” Barbed wire                10
10 Foxholes                    10
Roadblock                    free

Volkssturm Platoon            71
+ 3 Pzfausts                    15

FJ Platoon (Atypical)            115       
+ 4 x Pzfausts                20   
+ 3 x MG-42s                12
+ Pzschreck Team                23

1 StuG III G                    45
1 StuH 42 G                    45
2 120mm mortars (off-table)        72
1 supply truck                8
20mm Flak on medium truck        32

498 pts, 27 BR, 2 officers, 0 scouts   

The US started as they meant to go on, their Piper Cub calling in 105mm artillery around the hotel, and braving incoming 20mm cannon fire from my flak truck, failing to roll any 5+’s (another theme of the game). The Piper Cub never failed a coms check all game, I counted 8 in a row!

The leading Sherman Jumbo trundled up the road, and pushed into the trees, machine guns blazing to in my Fallschirmjager screen that was spread-out through the trees, (some in foxholes). Their infantry followed, in skirmish line through the trees, advancing to contact and then using their fire superiority to cause a lot of pinning… my MG-42s just couldn’t get going to return fire. Finally his tanks arrived, two up the road, one through the trees, which encountered my Fallschirmjager, was pinned by a 105mm HE shell from my StuH, which had come forwards to engage, and when hit by a Panzerfaust (which glanced off), the crew fled, abandoning the tank.. a small victory.

Meanwhile, at the hotel, my FJ platoon HQ was shelling the road with 120mm mortar fire, causing some pinning and destroying a US .30 cal MG team. It was an uneven battle through, incoming 105 shells raining in, with a direct hit on my MG team in a foxhole, blowing them all up (terrible cover saves), and pinning my flak truck. Which was unfortunate for him, because when the US unpinned, then pulled an Air Attack counter - and then rolled a 6… incoming P-47 with rockets, racing low over the lake. Achtung Jabos!

My reinforcements had started to arrive, my StuG and the Volkssturm platoon. The StuG was instantly the P-47’s target with rockets, and first victim - kaboom!, not a shot fired by my best armour. It wasn’t looking good.

The US kept up the pressure, his tanks machine gunning up the trees, and one rushed the minefield along the road. Taking a hit (strength 1) it rolled clean through the explosion and opened up on the Volkssturm squad rushing to hold the road block, an objective. In a furious blast of MG fire 8 Volkssturm were wiped out on the road, their bodies piling up. Ouch!

The P-47 was coming back around, when my flak scored 2 hits, 2 damage and pinned it. The P-47 was shot full of 20mm holes… good work.

In the woods, the infantry fire fight was being won by the US, there 60mm mortar adding some pinning as one squad of FJ cadets broke and ran. My Panzerschreck got a clean shot at the Jumbo, only to see his rocket glance of the front glacis!! That doesn’t happen often! Return MG fire killed the ‘schrek team… and my BR was not looking good.

The P-47, now unpinned again, came round again, skimming the lake. Again my flak hammered and in an uncharacteristic display of good, dice, 2 more hits and 2 more damage points, the P-47 was shot down! It nosed into the lake in a huge splash and that's 2 counters for the US player.

It wasn’t enough though, more 105mm shelling at the hotel and my second FJ squad being wiped out was enough to see my defenders over their BR total. The Volkssturm and FJ survivors retreated back towards town. The US had reached only 20 from 30 BR… so a solid win. They had their objective and the route into town from the south was secure. We’ll do it all again, on the other side of the lake in game 2, where a US recon troop is probing the south-eastern route to town and looking to capture the reservoir’s dam. My Volkssturm will be trying to put up a better fight next time (with some better dice, I might burn these ones!).

Here are a few shots of the action, and our campaign map. 

US recce armoured car hits a mine on the road and starts the battle. 

Roadblock  and MG team in foxhole

 The battlefield, a narrow fight

 Seehotel

Here they come, the US armour as arrived

Jumbo leads the way through incoming mortar fire.

Piper Cub spotter, a pain in the butt... flak truck below, trying to hit it. 

StuG arrives along the road at the hotel, lining up the distant Shermans

Oh.. great... Jabo inbound hot!

P-47, armed with 8 5" rockets

Buzzing the hotel

US armoured infantry (leaving their half racks behind) to advance on foot through the woods. Pinned. 

Shermans stack up on the track

Back in the hotel grounds, my resupply Maultier arrives and makes bee-line, risking incoming 105 fire, for my StuH. 

No more StuG, hit by 2 5" rockets.

One brave Sherman rushes the minefield and survives. 

My flak truck blasts the P-47 out of sky on its second pass.  Hurrah!

Maultier meets StuH to re-arm in the trees. 

 Volkssturm continue to be pounded by arty fire in the hotel grounds. This would be second line of defence, but their morale gave out before the US advance reached them. Time to go!

Soldiers of God campaign, continued. Battle of the Orontes river.

In the year 1141, Lord Andrus de Renard, First Marshall of Tripoli, under pressure from the powerful Knights Hospitaller and other lords of Tripoli seeking to expand their lands, sanctioned a spring raid into the disputed border areas between his fiefdom and the Emirate of Homs. The initial surprise attack cornered a wealthy merchant convoy at Wadi Al Salah, slaughtering and plundering it. Their bloodlust and greed for more plunder now up, the raiders immediately continued to the reputedly wealthy temple at Holy Qadr. Defended by locals and brave muslim guards, the sacred shrine was none-the-less overrun, looted and burnt. These first raids had caught the Emir of Homs off guard and, seeing their chance, the invading crusaders pressed on north, towards Homs, first coming to the small desert town of Alhouz. Here, the Imam of Alhouz met the Crusaders in open battle, and, in a desperate engagement on the plains outside of town, defeated the Crusaders and forced them to retreat. This they did, but only into the Orontes river valley, with its plentiful water supply and further rich pickings for plunder. Lord Renard regrouped his army after the Alhouz reversal and appraised his next move. How would Homs react? Should he retreat now with his plunder or could he conqueror the fertile lands around the Orontes for Tripoli’s lords?

Unwilling to allow the crusaders to harry the Orontes valley, and still keen to avenge the infidel’s sacrilegious destruction at Qadr, Prince Hrab-Dhabala Al Qarib Ghara, brother of the Emir of Homs, completed mustering an army and marched out from the city to challenge the encamped invaders. Seeking only vengeance, he offered no parley, no terms and no mercy. The two forces clashed in the pitched Battle of the Orontes River in late May, 1141.

This would be the forth, perhaps pivotal, battle of the campaign. This was the army of Homs (my force), with the All Out Attack Battle Plan.

Centre (Charge!)
Al-Halqa Cavalry     4    60    3    Fearsome Rep
Ghulam        4    28    2
Ghulam        4    28    2
Ghulam        4    28    2
Horse Archers    3    15    1
Horse Archers    3    15    1
Horse Archers    3    15    1
Tribal Cavalry    3    12    1
Baggage Train       0    *    5+ for +1

Left Flank (March)
Sudan Infantry     4    17    2    + Naffatun team, Fearsome Rep
Sudan Infantry    4    12    2    Fearsome Rep
Infantry        4    12    1
Ahdath        4    4    1
Ahdath        4    4    1
Ahdath        4    4    1

Right Flank (March)
Horse Archers    3    15    1
Horse Archers    3    15    1
Horse Archers    3    15    1

299 pts, 24 Morale Value

My plan, as you can see from my chosen force, was a simple heavy cavalry attack in the centre. I had thought of attacking in a double envelopment, on both flanks, but then the attacking forces seemed rather weak on both flanks, so the choice between two weaker attacks and one stronger one was won by the later. My left would be a screening advance, to draw enemy’s in and prevent them from swinging into the centre to assist against the main cavalry assault. On the right, well, that would just be a thin screen of light cavalry to harass and delay, long enough for the centre heavy-hitters to win it. The plan wasn’t complex, but if the enemy was weak in his centre, then hopefully my cavalry would jump it in a rapid rush that would not give him time to react to save it. I was kind of banking on his main force being on one flank or the other. But it usually is, benefits of knowing your opponent well.

And after deployment so it was, the Crusaders had their cavalry on his right, opposite my infantry flank. Good, my infantry could draw them in, being a juicy target themselves, and hold long enough for my centre to overrun his men-at-arms, crossbows and single dismounted knight unit in his centre. His left was far stronger than my 3 units of horse archers, with Turcopoles, skirmishing infantry archers, two light war engines all with a Loose! card behind them. Better be careful there.

My All Out Attack plan had the initiative for the first turn, being the more aggressive to his right echelon attack. Sound the trumpets, time to start to blood-letting, 'Death to the Infidel!'.

I advanced all along the line, cavalry going forwards, angling towards his right, where I hoped to engage and overwhelm his Knights Hospitaller with greater numbers and a thumping charge from my own Al Halqa royal guard cavalry, a clash of the real heavy weights from both sides. Each of my Ghulam units had a singe horse archer unit behind it, for lob shooting extra arrows and to join the fighting when it got to melee, as support. Dedicated supporting horse archers to the heavier cavalry was a relatively common in ancient battles, and their support attacks might just swing the balance.

His right and centre all advanced as well, and by the end of turn 1 both sides were almost engaged, two aggressive plans about to meet in the centre of the table. His cavalry had swung to their left to better face up to my centre’s cavalry, with only a single knight unit on his extreme right left to face my infantry (which was admittedly mostly rubbish).

Turn 2, and my cards were good, Loose, another Charge, and a Rally. I could shoot, charge, fight, fight again and then rally off the Disorder gained. I started by loosing in the centre and a hail of arrows flew from my Ghulam and horse archers, building some Disorder before the Charge cards followed. His knights jumped the gun with an ‘Impetus Charge', digging in their spurs with a cry of ‘Deus Aix!’ to hurl themselves into my Ghulam through the incoming arrows. My next card was the first Charge! and my Al Halqa levelled their lances and plunged into the Knights of the Hospice. Ghulams also hit home against dismounted knight and men-at-arms, with horse archers following-in in support of each charge. Many dice were rolled, but with my lance impacts, I was well on top in Disorder dished out. The Crusader's lines wavered.  The Crusader's own Charge card saw more disorder added, one of his Knight units had reached 8 disorder already and would surely break - yes! The Al Halqa and Knights of the Hospital were very evenly matched though, but the horse archers gave me a tiny edge, if they just scored a few hits from the back row.

As the enormous cavalry scrum in the centre became the main focus of cards, the Crusaders also Marched forwards with their left flank, and suddenly my horse archers, happy to sit and watch for a bit, were in range and being hit by incoming Turcopole arrows… ouch. One unit broke and ran, making my right look very weak, if he pressed a new attack here, then I might not be able to hold for long. Got to win in the centre faster. Hence, I threw ever card I could at the that fight. Thinking one enemy knight unit would be routed I was thwarted by his (lucky) ‘God Wills It’ special card, which saved them and reduced his disarrayed knights back to 0 Disorder - ee-gods, all that hard work undone by a single special card play… now it would be an attritional slog to break them.

So, it was into turn 3 (only), the entire line was engaged, his knights had taken the bait and charged into my infantry as well, a mob three ranks deep of rubbish to tie them up for the rest of the game, although the Sudanese infantry suffered badly and didn’t stand long, the supporting levy Ahdath had to step in. Charges and Melee card flew, and the Disorder mounted, a held ‘Rally’ card kept my Al Halqa fighting and a Ghulam unit, but his Knights and Hospitallers were also creaking under the ferocious melee pressure. One man-at-arms unit broke and routed in the Crusader's centre. Desperate to block the gap he used his centre’s commander in a bold charge to rush in. They were carrying the true cross. Only then did the enemy realise its loss would cost them the game, regardless of Army Morale Values - oh dear. A big mistake!! His desperate charge had handed me a possible short cut to victory.

On my wavering right, the Turcopoles and archers pressed on, arrows flew and I lost a second horse archer unit, badly out shot, now the flank was crumbling… but mercifully he lacked the movement cards to exploit the advantage his archery was winning, but it wouldn’t stay that way. Those Turcopoles would soon be round behind me, after my baggage train or with rear charges… but in the centre I was holding my own and gradually winning it, but perhaps not fast enough. I had his Hospitallers ready to break, won a Challenge against them (clash of two mighty heroes there), only for a second ‘God Wills It’ special card to come up and save them too. Drat, that was very good luck twice to save his best units, and now I knew I wouldn’t win the melee against the Hospitallers anytime soon. The enemy line had held under my pressure. Capturing the True Cross was the best chance now as my army MV dwindled away (down to 8 now from a 24 starting point).

Then the cards deserted me… a terrible hand, no Melees, no Rallies, just useless bumpf I have to throw away to keep units in the fight. It didn’t help much though, I could feel it slipping. On the right, his Turcopoles mopped up, the commander of the flank was run down and shot through with arrows and the last horse archer units was broken as well (aided by a Deserters card - damn those untrustworthy mercenaries). That was my right flank utterly destroyed, their commander dead as well. In the centre, fighting as I could, the worm had also turned. A Ghulam unit broke in melee with his foot knights (tough guys those), and then my Al Halqa had a disastrous set of rolls in melee and were overwhelmed by the Hospitallers, they also routed, an elite unit gone! Some of the Ahdath levy also broke. It wasn’t all one-way, his knights also broke and his True Cross had gained 3 Disorder, they would also run (and win me the day anyway), except a Rally card saved 2 Disorder leaving them on just 1 (that was a tense all-or-nothing dice roll), not enough for them to run through. Drat, double drat. I had lost.

My army morale was decimated… finishing on -13 as my army fell apart, turned and fled for their lives in panic. The Crusaders had won the field. It had been an epic cavalry clash, which initially looked like the Saracen’s lightning cavalry assault would win, but those two timely ‘God Wills It’ cards had saved his best cavalry’s bacon and his line, after than, an even battle of attrition had seen me gradually getting the upper hand, until the cards and dice deserted me. My mistake was going toe-to-toe with his best cavalry, rather than distracting them and hitting other weaker units harder, but when you see the Knights Hospitaller coming, you feel like you have to have a go at them, especially if you have heavy cavalry that can match them. It almost worked.

I don’t think it would have been enough though, my weak right flank had been annihilated, the horse archers getting a taste of their own medicine from the Turcopoles… epic battle though.

So, the Crusaders have the advantage in the campaign and can now march on to the walls of Homs itself. The next game will see me having to defend the city’s walls against a siege assault. The Crusaders need a bit of time to get their siege equipment made (and painted), a siege tower, battering ram, some ladders, etc. The Emir of Homs (and his brother) will be waiting behind their walls… and I’ll get to use my castle walls in a game - for the first time in many years.


We've also decided that 5 battle isn;t quiet enough for the campaign, we want some more. So, beyond the siege, a relief army is also on the way from Aleppo to continue the campaign for a few more games.

Here are some snaps of the frantic action on the Orontes river.

 Saracen deployment, centre cavalry and left flank's infantry beyond

The enemy knights and line, from their right

The plains of battle, Crusaders left, Saracen's right, Orontes river at the top

 Screen of skirmishing horse archers on my right

Facing his skirmishing archers and Turcopoles

 My centre Ghulams and Al Halqa advance 

The Orontes divides my right flank, what to do about the ground on the far side of the river? 

 The cavalry scrum starts, Ghulam and horse archers vs knights, Al Halqa and Hospitallers behind.

 Ghulam and more horse archers (I have a lot), close in on his foot knights in the centre

 The glorious Al Halqa, first outing and they end up taking on the Hospitallers toe-to-toe.

 Ghulam and supporting Arab tribal light cavalry smash into his men-at-arms, routng them

 But the foot knights are tough veterans of this campaign and won't budge. 

 On the exterme left, his last Knights plunge in to my infantry, rout the front line Sudanese mercenaries and are into the ahdath levy behind.

 Beyond the Orontes, my shrinking right flank

 All-in, righting all down the lines. 

 The Al Halqa and Hospitallers, still slugging it out.

 The end of my right flank in hail of arrows, that is a lot of un-ralliable Disorder

 The True Cross command stand joins the fray, probably a mistake. It's loss is an instant win for the Saracens. 

 Beyond the Orontes its clear, his Turcopoles swing in, ready to cross the river (it was fordable) and be behind me. 

 Last of the long melees in the centre, his Knights had held out, somehow!