Forcing the passes.. Great War Spearhead action on the eastern front

Refighting historical scenarios is hard... mostly because to claim an historicity (in my opinion) the terrain needs to be very accurate. As I don't have the resources to make and store bespoke scenario I have taken that typical wargamer's approach and have generic scenery with which to bedeck any wargames table.

However it is good to play games that try to capture some of the components or elements of historical battles. I think that's about as good as we can do with the typical wargamer's terrain resources. Those games are as much fun, and that is the pint isn't it?

Some months ago we played a game that represented action in some of the more mountainous regions of eastern Europe. The Great War Spearhead rules adaptations we used to simulate troops struggling across mountainous terrain were those created by Robert Dunlop for the Gallipoli scenario supplement "Our sons as well'. Those rules changes worked so well, we wanted to use them again. Essentially crossing hill contours costs half the movement allowance for all stands, and artillery can only climb the first contour of any feature, no higher. This significantly changes the tactical challenges for the player.

So Murray and I set out to fight a game perhaps representing some of the flavour of Russian attacks against the Austro Hungarians in 1914, perhaps a local counter attack of some sort. The objective for the Russians was to force a way through a mountain barrier via several road passes.

Source: https://www.historynet.com/wwi-in-the-alps-an-american-journalist-on-the-italian-front-lines/world-war-i-italian-alps-austrian-troops-climbing-over-a-mountain-pass-in-the-italian-alps-during-world-war-i-photograph-c1917/

There was no preliminary bombardment in the game. The game was played using my 20mm armies, almost all of the figures, and the guns, are from the HaT range.

The Russian and Austro-Hungarian  'roster sheets' with the OOBs

The battlefield .. Russians advancing from the right. The Austrians began with one regiment already in defensive positions, supported by a regiment of 785mm mountain guns and two additional regiments advancing on turns 2 and 3 respectively

The Russian plan of attack

The Austro-Hungarian plan, the attack arrows for the reserves drawn on the turn on which they were committed

The Austrian regiment already on table had a regiment of 75mm Mountain guns attached in support, one battery seen here in one of the villages, awaiting the Russian attack, itself supported by an infantry stand/company

Another view of the supporting mountain gun battery deployed in a village

The Austrian centre with two companies supported by an MMG section

The Russian right wing attack.. the dense column reflects the way in which the terrain constricted troops' movement

The Russian centre, a regiment attacks in to the northern most pass against the defended village

 

From behind the Austrian front, with the first Austrian reserve riegiment at the bottom of the photo, advancing onto the table

From the Austrian right/Russian left flank

The Austrians get the support of their divisional 104mm guns, and bring fire down on their attackers advancing into the southernmost pass

The mountain gun battery fires in support of the companies defendign the centre

The Russian 'regular' regiment attacking th southernmost pass takes heavy casualties

The Austrian right looks to be hanging in the air as the Russian left flanking regiment advances

The air reverberates around the northern pass with increasing volumes of fire

The second Austrian reserve regiment has advanced. The first is seen following its command arrow towards the left to halt the Russian attack

The Russian right flank turns into the Austrian flank

Austrian reserves .. the forward most regiment moving towards the left, while the second regiment at the rear follows its command arrow towards the right flank

The defenders in the centre village in the northern most pass come under heavy fire and begin to take casualties

And in the southern pass the attacking Russians have taken significant casualties

A view across the attack against the southern pass and the Russian southern right flank attack

Action is joined on the Austrian left. One Russian regiment was regular, but the other three were 'random morale'. This was significant as it transpired that the other three Russian regiments all turned out to be 'green'

The mountain gun battery supporting the defenders of the northern pass comes under fire and is suppressed by the artillery supporting the attack through the northern pass

The weight of Russian fire is beginning to tell in the southern pass too..

In the southern pass the initial defenders on the heights are eliminated (top left of the photo) while the Russian left flank attack starts to swing in towards the Austrian flank

The contours are dictating how the action on the Austrian left unfolds. The red markers indicate stands that have moved their full move, and so can't fire, mostly as they cross contours. The white markers indicate stands that have combat moved and so can fire, albeit later in the fire phase than stationary stands

The last defenders of the village in the northern pass are eliminated, and the Russian attackers begin to push forward

Russian field artillery (seen in the background - 'brigaded' on table) and the divisional 150mm guns, bring down fire against defenders in the southern pass

The Austrian right is looking decidedly shakey

An overview from behind the Austrian lines with the two Austrian reserve regiments now clearly seen 'peeling off' towards each flank

The Austrian left where the action is now heating up.. the Austrian supporting artillery regiment (75mm guns 'brigaded' on table'), and the divisional 104mm guns, are now bringing down defensive fire

Austrian reserves trying to deploy to counter the Russian flanking attack

The Russian frontal assault on the southern pass is paused while they use their artillery to open the way forward

Russian left flank attack deploying prior to joining the firefight

Southern pass defenders looking very thin on the ground now

The attack on the northern pass is making ground, and the supporting 75mm mountain gun battery is put out of action

At this stage the Russian right flank attacking regiment was forced to check morale, and failed, while the Austrian central regiment (the one that had begun the game on table) managed to pass a morale check).

The attack had faltered, despite what was still a promising position on the Russian left. The game had lasted nine turns, although truth to tell we ran out of time in the evening and I'd 'solo gamed' a few extra turns to see if the Russians would be able to force their way through. Had it not been for the random morale 'green' result, I think the Russians would have been able to force their way through. One of the Austrian regiments was also designated with 'random morale', but the roll there resulted in them being regular.

A thoroughly entertaining game which certainly had the 'feel' of combat in that more rugged terrain as you read of it from the surviving historical and personal accounts.