Above is a pic of Lt. Colonel James Galbraith, Regimental Colour in hand, alongside Bobbie the regimental dog and some of the other "Last Eleven" survivors of the 66th (Berkshire) Regiment, making their last stand in one of the walled gardens just South of Khig village, a few miles West of the Afghan town of Maiwand.

Monday, October 25, 2010

PACIFICON cont'd (25/25)

I do believe a fun time was had by all present on both sides of the table, though as I said earlier, perhaps a bit more fun for myself and my two fellow British players!

Hearty thanks and sincere compliments to NICK STERN, a great friend and thoughtful game-master and to his equally thoughtful and extremely charming partner in miniature crime, BOB ABRA. They made our 13-hour round-trip drive from LA to Santa Clara and back a no-brainer.

In the aftermath of the hard-fought but unexpected British victory, the mini Maiwand Lion -- patterned after the monument in Forbury Gardens, Reading, in Berkshire County, UK -- was set down to mark the achievement...



























PACIFICON cont'd (24/25)

The table is set, the Anglo-Indian brigade in place but the Afghans -- so many, MANY Afghans -- will take a bit longer to lay out...
















The gentleman at the lower left corner of the table (whose name I sadly can't remember!) was my cavalry sub-commander, whose consummate dash and unbridled aggression contributed so much to the British victory...

PACIFICON cont'd (23/25)

The RHA battery, flanked on the right by 1st Bombay Grenadiers...






















...and on the left by the Bombay Sappers & Miners...


















The horse gunners pound away at the approaching Afghan regulars...
















Throughout the game the British artillery fared better than they had on the 130th anniversary TSATF version of the battle, suffering less severely from Afghan counter-battery fire. One reason for this was that in this game the Afghans were not allowed to move their forces onto the table with artillery out in front. In addition, the Afghan advance was better coordinated back in Southern California than here in Northern California. Though there were somewhat fewer in this game than back in LA, coordinating the movements of so many Afghan units presents a challenge of its own -- though I'd rate it a far easier challenge than that faced by the out-numbered and out-gunned British...

PACIFICON cont'd (22/25)

Early in the battle the smoothbore battery comes into action behind the center nullah, which is filled with Jacob's Rifles and, to the right (North) the 66th Regiment (Berkshire). To the left of the guns is the detachment (in reality a half-company but in the game more like a half battalion) of Bombay Sappers & Miners and just barely visible to their front, 1st Bombay Grenadiers. Already Ghazis have begun infiltrating along the East nullah but remain clearly visible thanks to their green standard flying above the lip of the ground...

Open ground behind the smoothbore guns...


PACIFICON cont'd (21/25)































The villages of Mundabad in the foreground and Khig with its trademark walled gardens in the background...




Villagers watch from the South side of the karez (a manmade waterway fed by an underground mountain stream further South) as the battle unfolds on the far side of Mundabad Ravine...



PACIFICON cont'd (20/25)

Early in the game the 3rd Scinde Horse charge headlong into the their second column of brown-coated Afghan regular infantry, having already dispatched the first column. Though such reckless aggression would lead to their utter destruction (as well as that of their comrades-in-mounted-arms, the 3rd Bombay Light Cavalry), the devastation it wrought on the Afghan ranks would play a key role in securing a British victory...

PACIFICON cont'd (19/25)

Afghan command roll of 12 -- which I believe signaled a "BLUNDER" and led to a bit more trouble for the already perturbed Afghan high command...

PACIFICON cont'd (18/25)

En route to immortal glory (as well as utter destruction) the 3rd Bombay Light Cavalry -- already disordered (note yellow pipe-cleaner) and marked with 2 casualty figures -- engage the second or third enemy unit of the day, Tribal irregulars who are themselves also marked with 2 casualties. I believe the Indian horsemen won this one and then were done away with via Afghan rifle and/or artillery fire soon after...

PACIFICON cont'd (17/25)

The Southern California brigade of Afghan Regular Infantry (which made the trip up from Los Angeles with me!) advances in march column towards the Southwest, looking to outflank the British left...

PACIFICON cont'd (16/25)

The view from above as the reserve infantry and cavalry advance into the Ghazis. By this point these Ghazis had taken more casualties and survived more break tests than any troops known to mankind, consistently rolling elevens or twelves on 2xD6 when the only way to survive was to roll an eleven or twelve... until after something like 5 or 6 turns of continuous punishment by rifle fire, artillery fire and finally the cold steel of bayonets and sabers, they broke and ran...

PACIFICON cont'd (15/25)

To the right (South) of the 66th Regiment, also positioned in the center nullah, Jacob's Rifles watch as the combined infantry reserve advances towards the remnants of the Ghazis huddled down in the East nullah...

PACIFICON cont'd (14/25)

At the Northern end of the center nullah, men of the 66th Regiment stand fast as Afghan regular cavalry charge them. The charge was successfully repulsed...

PACIFICON cont'd (13/25)

Having already taken severe punishment -- note the 3 casualty figures attached to the unit -- the 3rd Bombay Light Cavalry throw caution to the wind and CHARGE the Afghan regular cavalry regiment to their front, while Afghan regular artillery open fire and Gahzi fanatics advance to their right...

PACIFICON cont'd (12/25)


Another close-up of the RHA guns doing their thing...

PACIFICON cont'd (11/25)

Much later in the game, the Afghan Regular Infantry assault the British position, which remains centered on the pair of RHA guns, Bombay Grenadiers having filled in to the guns' own right (East), Sappers & Miners to the left (West)...

The roll of 3 on 2xD6 meant something bad happeed to the Afghans as I recall -- I think it was a morale check in the aftermath of the melee that led to their retreat...

PACIFICON cont'd (10/25)

Early in the game the pair of RHA Rifled Muzzle Loaders open fire as 1st Bombay Grenadiers approach from just behind them, led by Brigadier General Burrows, Brigade Commander, himself. Behind the Grenadiers is the thin line of Bombay Sappers & Miners, to the left of the Sappers are the pair of 6lb. Smoothbore guns, in front of the smoothbores, already hunkered down in the center nullah, are Jacob's Rifles. In the far distant background on the left is the combined infantry reserve.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

PACIFICON cont'd (9/25)

On one of the last turns of the game, the British cavalry reserve charges home into the flank of Afghan regular infantry and artillery on the far left of the Afghan advance, skirting the Eastern edge of the battlefield...
















The 2-gun smoothbore battery fires over the heads of 30th Bombay Native Inf. AKA: Jacob's Rifles, who are on lower elevation within the Eastern nullah...



















At the Northern edge of the Anglo-Indian line, the "Charge of the Afghan Light Brigade" breaks upon the shore of British Artillery and Martini-Henry rifle fire...

PACIFICON cont'd (8/25)

The massed regiments of Afghan regular infantry begin their final approach towards the Anglo-Indian front-line...

PACIFICON cont'd (7/25)



PACIFICON cont'd (6/25)


This was referred to during the game as "The Charge of the Afghan Light Brigade" -- that is, after the multiple Afghan regular cavalry units all failed to break the Anglo-Indian fighting line made up of the 2 RHA 9lb. RML, the 1st Bombay Grenadiers and the small detachment of Bombay Sappers & Miners...

PACIFICON cont'd (5/25)



PACIFICON cont'd (4/25)




PACIFICON cont'd (3/25)



PACIFICON cont'd (2 of 25)



Maiwand @ PACIFICON GAME EXPO, Sept. 4th, 2010

After a long delay, here's my pics of the game. As the saying goes, better late than never...