A dismounted Polish cavalry formation desperately defend a treeline against the surging German panzers. Towards the end of the game, the Poles had lost most of their anti-tank capability and their infantry defending the village were hard pressed.
Two players were left to finish the game as the rest of us left the club for the evening, so we are unsure of the final result. Either way, some great early war armour on display!
Another fun game set in the Taiping Rebellion. This time, in the face of heavy artillery fire, the Imperial forces managed to successfully and frontally assault Taiping positions putting the 'God Worshipers' to flight.
In this hard fought scenario, a rag tag group of Germans and Hungarians make an attempt to break out of the encirclement of Budapest and make for Vienna. The Axis remnants, which included some Panthers, Stugs, infantry and cavalry formations, were further hindered by truck loads of wounded personnel.
Despite being significantly outnumbered by the Soviets lying in wait for them, somehow a handful of Germans and Hungarians managed to escape off board, including some cavalry, infantry and a truck load of wounded men.
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| Heroes of the 'Great Escape' from Budapest |
It was great to see a 15mm ECW game presented at the club. The game utilised Valour & Fortitude rules, with an ECW variant written by a club member.
In this encounter, very loosely based on Ripple Field, Hopton's Royalists completely routed Waller's Parliamentarians. Nevertheless, in this 'war without enemy', both rival commanders - and lifelong friends - parleyed at a respectful distance after the battle, Waller congratulating Hopton on his victory and the fine turnout of his troops, whilst apologising for the somewhat disappointing performance of his own squadrons. Hopton wished his old friend 'better luck next time' as they retired to their respective camps to enjoy suppers of roast mutton, washed down with the finest of fortified wines.
