Turkish raid on the Suez January 1915

For quite some time now I have been fascinated by the the Turkish attempt  to cut the Suez Canal in January/February 1915. The attempt ended (spoiler alert) in failure and retreat. As a wargames scenario it is, on the one hand, ideally suited to a small to medium sized Great War Spearhead game. On the other hand, as an historical refight it is not likely to leave the player commanding the Turkish forces with much satisfaction.

So, as is my want, I decided to take some key elements from the historical battle and try to craft them into an interesting fictional scenario. As a first attempt it didn't quite work. This is an account of that first attempt, along with some post game reflections at the end of the post as a result of our post game dissection. We'll play it again in the near future in a modified form to see how much we can improve on this first attempt. This game was fought using my 6mm armies, the figures all from the Irregular Miniatures range,

The first six turns of the game take place at night. Using suggestions that have been made on the Great War Spearhead iOGroup by various members, we created the following bespoke rules variations to try and replicate a night attack, while trying not to make things too complex.

Night fighting variations:

1. Spotting - treat all units as if they are inside woods etc - max visibility/spotting is 4", even when firing.

2. Command and control - all movement is random, so infantry move D6+2" at night. Roll one D6 per battalion each time it moves.

3. Individual stands may be deployed out of command, but may not pivot or move unless responding to spotted enemy. They may not participate in any order change initiated by the command stand unless/until they return into CZ radius.

The battlefield looking north. The Turkish forces approach from the east (right) side of the photo. The allied forces are on the left of the canal seen running down the centre of the table

The Turkish commander's attack plan. The bridging equipment was all attached to the centre 29th Regiment

British gunboats on the Suez

The allied defences were anchored between two villages that had been converted into redoubts held by a British battalion, this one on the allied right

The Turkish advance from the right, two regiments of the Imperial Camel Corps (ICC) are positioned in the centre. The Turkish attack arrows were drawn before any allied troops were deployed. The only knowledge the Turkish commander had of the defences was the existence of the two redoubts on the right and left flanks.

ICC squadrons await the Turkish advance

The British defence focussed on an infantry brigade (less one battalion deployed in the redoubts) which was deployed in the centre on the west side of the canal

Night movement was subject to random roles for move distance. The effect is seen here where the Turkish left flank regiment is already being split up by the variations in move distance. 

First contact when stands come within 4"

The Turkish right flank regiment

Early casualties amongst the irregular Arab cavalry and camelry

... and the centre Turkish regiment. The bridging teams can be seen on the right of the photo, rather too exposed for comfort

The allied commander decided to issue an order change and withdraw the ICC back to the canal

The ICC withdrawal in progress

One squadron of the ICC was caught withdrawing and eliminated (using disappearing fire)

The Turkish left flank advances on the redoubt on this flank and takes fire, but no casualties

The remainder of the left flank advances towards the canal

The centre in pursuit of the ICC

The Turkish right flank contacts the allied redoubt on the allied left

Arab mounted irregulars catch the ICC as they withdraw

One squadron of irregulars is eliminated by support fire but the other hits the ICC squadron and eliminates it

Another ICC squadron caught while withdrawing is luckier and fights off the Arab attack

Firefight on the Turkish right, while two companies of Turkish infantry work around the flank of the redoubt (at the top of the photo)

An assault is launched against the allied defenders facing the Turkish left

The defending company is suppressed by support fire, and then eliminated

Another ICC squadron is caught by the irregular cavalry...

and eliminated

Meanwhile the Turkish right assaults the redoubt facing them

and the first defending company is eliminated

This mounted stoush in the centre of proving very costly for both sides

The redoubt on the Turkish left is cleared

Daylight at last and the main allied defending brigade is able to begin a firefight with the Turkish infantry across the canal with both rifle companies and batteries of 18pdrs in support.

The allied left flank redoubt is also finally cleared

Both the ICC units, and the Arab irregulars were forced to check morale in the same turn, and both failed, rolling a 1 or 2. This meant that they were removed from play, the troops presumably dissipating across the battlefield.

With the attack now fully visible and the bridging units still at least a move away from launching the 'pontoons' that they have carried across the Sinai, the victory conditions as set, are no longer feasible.

Source: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C118338?image=2

A video overview of the state of the battlefield when we stopped play.

Our reflections on the scenario:

1. The Turkish attack needs at least nine turns of darkness in which to undertake the crossing
2. Even with these extra night moves, on the table as set up (with the east bank of the canal 35" from the Turkish table edge) the distance that the Turkish troops had to move was too long given the variable move rule. So the Turkish troops should set up 24" from the canal.
3. The allied defences were too strong on the east side of the canal. The impact of the  allied mounted troops on the east side of the canal was historically more of a picket and early warning function than a fighting force. These troops therefore pushed the scenario too far in the favour of the allies, and we would remove them from the allied OOB
4. The Turkish bridging units should not be deployed on table during darkness (they must of course be allocated to a regiment in the planning phase of the game. This creates uncertainty for the allied player as to exactly where the crossing will be attempted, and highlights the importance of the Canterbury Battalion reserve, the armoured train, and the gunboats, as response assets.
5. Positioning defended redoubts on both flanks, admittedly at opposite ends of the table (which measured 6'x5') constricted the attack too much. Leaving only one redoubt at one end of the table would make for a more interesting game with more possibilities.

We'll replay this scenario as modified at some stage soon.  The gunboats and the armoured train actually were a part of the defences of the canal, and the gunboats at least did see action helping to beat back the attack. Let's hope that they see some action  on our tabletop soon.

Americans attack in the Argonne 1918

Somewhere in the Argonne, September 1918, and an American infantry division is attempting to crack open the rapidly crumbling German defence. An under strength German division is trying to re-establish some sort of defensive line in the face of the relentless allied offensive that began with the blackest of days and the battle soon to be known as 'Amiens' at the beginning of August. 

American FT17s advance

This game was the first outing for Murray's nearly complete American late war division, per the Great War Spearhead rules. The figures are from the HaT 20mm range. The German defenders are mostly from the Esci range. The Germans had a limited amount of level 1 entrenchments and wire to psitn in an effort to try and hold up the attackers. 

German defenders' OOB

The American attackers' OOB

The battlefield as seen from the American right/German left, so the Americans attack from the left of the photo

The German plan of attack, with several subsequent order changes added

The German right flank, a small section of A7V tanks in support

Attacking Americans in an unusual close column advancing to the attack

A regiment of 5 sections of FT17 tanks advances down the road

The American right flank regiment, with a regiment of 18pdrs on board in support

Just showing off Murray's base labelling

German defenders in the town on the centre of the battlefield

The centre American regiment approaches the town and surrounding defences, and comes under fire

The American right flank approaches what was soon to become a hotly contested wood

The A7Vs start to move (well, lumber, really) out towards the extreme German right flank

The centre American attack starts to take casualties

On the American right the regiment charges into the wood, only to be repelled by the German defenders.  The attackers were the victims of friendly fire as American artillery firing in support not only hit the Germans but also the American attackers

The American attack on the wood is renewed, this time with more success

The initial German defenders are eliminated

The firefight in the centre heats up

The American left flank attack against the German right is stall... they had reached the end of their command arrow. Murray had been very conservative in his plan here, and failed several attempts at an order change

Casualties are mounting for the German left flank defence

The Americans have broken into the wood on the German left... several furious melees ensue as each side hotly contests the position. The German commander has thrown his reserve company into the fight

In the centre the defenders to the right of the town are eliminated, but simultaneously the attacking American regiment fails its morale check and is unable to exploit the gap that it has fought hard to open up

The American left flank regiment finally receives new orders and begins to advance through the wood

The German left flank regiment is hit hard again ...

and the fourth American regiment pushes against the defenders to the left of the town. These defenders are now under fire from a regiment of 155mm howitzers

The American armour pushes into the German defence.. the sole German company in the trench line is part of the regiment reserve that had rushed forward to reoccupy the position after the initial defenders were eliminated

A section of FT17s close assault the defending German company..

..but fail (lose the combat)

The German left flank defence is largely negated, and takes a morale check (which it passes!!!)

It looks a bot of a shambles in the centre ...

The Americans begin to push against the German right with the ir left flank regiment that has finally begin to move

Attacked regiment of German 77mm field guns supporting their centre

View from behind the American centre

American companies enter the outskirts of the town, prior to launching an assault

This was the position at the end of ten moves. German counter battery fire had eliminated both American heavy artillery regiment, but had also used up its four fire missions. The armour on both sides had been ineffective, and the American attack had bogged down.

The scenario design needed to allow more preplanned fire at the start of the game, (it was intended to represent a short hurricane bombardment supporting a hasty attack, rather than the mid war preliminary bombardments that lasted days) and the initial ten move game limit we set was too short; we think probably 14 moves is required. I made some errors in handling the German response to the preplanned fire, the net result of which was that it caused no casualties .. my fault, we're always learning. Murray didn't use his artillery as effectively as he could have, and had no counter battery missions allocated. He also didn't manage the armour effectively.

We both noted the significant difference between this and the early war game a few weeks ago .. each requires a different mindset from players. It was however a great first outing for Murray's Americans... we'll see more of them, that's for sure.