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 attack plan.. 

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.