25th in 2026... GWSH is having a birthday...

It was an email from Shawn (rules author of Great War Spearhead) that alerted me to the fact that 2026 is the 25th anniversary of the first publication of his Great War Spearhead rules. "Next year is the 25th Anniversary! Should we try and plan a big event or do something smaller in one or two spots?" he asked.

In 2008 we jointly organised a large refight of the Marne (1914) here in Christchurch. Sadly I seem to have managed to have lost the photos in successive transitions of web sites and laptops, but it was quite a spectacle. I'm not sure I have the energy for organising or playing anything that size, but... it left me wondering. That said, you can see the current iteration of 'The Great Adventure', my GWSH resource site, here.

Here in Ōtautahi Christchurch there are a few GWSH players, most are 'occasional' players. But .. I thought .. rather than trying to organise something huge, something gargantuan in nature.. I thought .. how about we simply undertake to play some discreet games from theatres of wars not normally seen with Great war Spearhead. Now, that might be an idea. Lots of fun,. while also demonstrating the flexibility of the rules in this early part of the twentieth century.

That lead me to think about what's in the painting pile, what do I have that MIGHT fit that bill? Well .... 

There are the 6mm Russians and Turks.. although we've played the occasional game set in the Caucasus where they fought some bitter battles.

In 20mm, there are the Austrians ..

Maybe I paint up the extra figures I bought five years ago to bring this army up to Corps size .. that's my usual target size.

Then there are the cavalry that sit unpainted, bought especially for the Russian and German armies on the eastern front, late war ..

This opens up the prospect of the Russian Civil War, or the Russo-Polish war.. not often seen here in Aotearoa NZ.

Ah, now .. I did paint up some sample HaT Colonial Infantry and then bought a box .., East Africa I hear you say, although the battles are on the very small size for GWSH

Aha.. when HaT brought out their Serbian infantry I painted some samples for them, and bought three boxes. The project stalled because of the lack of support weapons, MMGs especially..

The three boxes yet to be painted ..

... and then last week I discovered these ..

No photos, but .. I have taken the punt and ordered a few of these.

The Austro-Hungarian/Serbian theatre is not something you see fought out often on the table top.

On top of all that, Murray has some Belgians, and some Americans, on the way. Belgium 1914, or the allied interventions in Russia in 1919, anyone?

I think we have some options. Anyone else interested?

The Defence of Pokrov, 1917

The Brusilov offensive has run out of steam. The Russian army is reeling backwards under the sustained assaults of the German army, and is becoming increasingly fragile as the seeds of revolution foment within it ranks. 

The town of Pokrov stands in the path of the German advance, defended by the 5th Division.  An armoured train sits in the rail yards outside the town, the rhythmic bang of its donkey pump echoing across the fields on the outskirts. It's guns pointed westward. The Russian commander is confident, although he feels some concern about the growing rates of desertion amongst his troops. Is his confidence well founded?

Source: https://www.gettyimages.co.nz/search/2/image?phrase=wwi+russian+army

The battlefield from the German right, Pokrov just below centre

This fictional scenario was set in very early 1917, although no snow lies on the ground. A German Corps is attacking a Russian division settled into positions outside the fictional town of Pokrov. It is supported by a unit f Russian cavalry, and an armoured train. The Russian infantry are all rated as 'green' to reflect their fragility in then face of the growing forces of revolt. The game was fought using my 6mm armies from Irregular Miniatures.

The German attack plan, which featured a flank attack on both flanks

The German 13th Division attacked on the right flank. The plan was to advance to positions confronting Pokrov, to hold until the flank attack arrived, and then on issuance fm new orders to directly assault the town.

An overview of Pokrov, the armoured train in the background, and fields of high vegetation in the immediate foreground. The fields blocked line of sight, but offered no protctive cover

The Russian armoured train in direct support of Russian infantry

Pokrov and its defences

The German 52nd Division attacked on the left, one regiment advancing directly to hold the defenders, the second to hook around their right, with a third regiment (supported by Uhlans)  delivering a flank attack.

The defences of the pass can be see with some light entrenchments and wire, which were one of the targets of the german pre-planned artillery fire

The second objective was to take the pass through which the rail line ran. This position effectively blocked all use of the line. The heights on either side were uncrossable

Pokrov was defended by deep entrenchments and wire to the front

13th Regiment came under fire

52nd Division's advance rapidly came under heavy artillery fire from a regiment of Russian 150mm guns, with immediate effect

However German pre-planned fire began to fall on suspected Russian positions (which proved to be unoccupied) along with a quickly developing fire fight between opposing infantry companies

German artillery fire also fell on Russian defenders opposing their right

The 13th Division's reserve regiment came under fire, and so went in to defend orders. The flexibility of the reserve had been lost

A flight of German fighters appears to attack the Russian defenders opposing the German right around Pokrov, but was immediately driven off by fire from the machine guns protecting the armoured train

Meanwhile on the right German casualties mount from Russian artillery fire

Russian casualties do start to mount on the right, opposing the German left flank assault

Action on the German left. The Russian commander commits his cavalry reserve (top left of the photo) to bolster his right flank but they are caught by German fire while mounted 

Another air atack ...

The German left flank march arrives, led by the Uhlans

The Uhlans

On the German right, artillery fire is falling on the Russian defenders causing casualties

The action is getting intense here on the German right

More heavy fire on the Germans

Throughout this, German counter battery fire keeps the Russian heavy guns suppressed, saving heavy casualties

At this stage the Russian right flank defending regiment fails its morale check and crumbles in the face of the German attack. The German 52nd Division can be seen advancing

The extreme German left/Russian right, wide open ... 

Another German air attack, this time causing casualties, again on the Russian left defending Pokrov

And then, yet another air attack, this time the attacking aircraft are 'downed' by defending AA fire

But Russian casualties amongst the defenders of Pokrov are heavy

Despite at times accurate fire from the crew of the armoured train ..

Companies from the defenders of Pokrov move to try to prop up their own right flank in the face of the disintegration of the defending right flank regiment

German 52nd Division sweeps through the pass

... and beyond

The German left flank march mops up the remnants of the Russian right flank as Russians flee

At this stage the Russian left flank regiment also broke and fled. Pokrov and the rail pass were lost. The German right flank march had failed to arrive, but the brittleness of the 'Green' Russian infantry meant that the flank attack was unnecessary.

A great game, only just manageable in an evening with two players commanding the German troops. Even then we still managed to struggle with the use and recording of the artillery in support of the German Corps.