HEREFORD SPRING BATTLE REPORT (7) - BATTLE OF WILLERSLEY

The situation was now desperate. Captain Stroganov was forced to withdraw from his exposed position, retreating to the shelter of his Command Car:

Captain Stroganov and his Command Car, right. In the roadway, a Communist A/T Technical
and an ILP (multi machine gunned) Technical.

The Blackshorts in general advance. The badly depleted Communists have retreated to the last hedge
line (top), but have little hope of holding back the hordes of Blackshorts. The ILP throw in their
last remaining asset, the "Tom Tank" (top right).

Mr Benn, leader of the ILP, now gambled upon a counter-thrust to relieve the pressure on his Communist allies - he sent his "Tom Tank", together with the allies few remaining (semi) armoured assets, into a charge "up the road", spraying machine gun fire as they went. Magnificent in conception, the counter-thrust ended badly:

Boom ! The advance of the "Tom Tank" halted by 3rd Blackshorts AT Rifle
The tank burns in the roadway....the rest of the "semi armour" is lost.

A longer distance shot. Imperial Blackshorts have now
reached the village of Willersley (top left) as Third
Blackshorts advance (HQ next to AT Rifle in roadway).

while the Classic Blackshorts complete a flanking manoeuvre to the right of Willersley
Village, breaching the Communist's final hedge-line and reaching the A438 itself.

The end....Captain Stroganov's few remaining Communists - sections now reduced to but one or two men - go "Jumpy" along the A438. The ILP transfer assets to the flank in a failed attempt to stop
the Classic Blackshorts. Stroganov himself, together with his Standard Bearer,
contemplate a sharp exit.

The end...the ILP garrison their last remaining house in Willersley, while Imperial and Third
Blackshorts prepare a final assault. Blackshorts Armoured Car and Commercial Vehicle head
towards the A438.

Blackshort Triumph...with all resistance cleared or departed, the "Commercial Vehicle"
gains "free passage" along the A438 !

Mr Benn of the ILP managed to keep his command more or less intact, despite suffering significant casualties, and retreated in good order from Willersley. Captain Stroganov is now on his way back to Presteigne, facing an uncertain future. In contrast, his Communist raiding forces suffered more than 95% casualties, which statistic provided Commissar Moody of the Presteigne Bureau Desinformitzya with "the propaganda public information line to take":

"The Martyrs of Willersley". A poster produced by Commissar
Moody immediately after the Battle. The heroic sacrifice  of the
Communist troops, it is hoped, will provide an example to new recruits...

In the face of massacre, Commissar Moody's finest propaganda
public information campaign to date....

Communist Casualty Note: those familiar with the "Went the Day Well" Rules may well be puzzled by the extent of the Communist casualties, and wonder why the morale rules did not result in Communist withdrawal before utter annihilation. There are two possible explanations - (1). in the chaos of battle, the players simply failed to implement the morale rules properly, or (2). Eustace Spode's (aka JP's) utter bloodlust....we shall leave you to choose the explanation you prefer.  

Commander Casualty Note: Eustace Spode himself, having been caught in an explosion early on at the Battle of Willersley, is said to be "hovering between life and death" at a Blackshort Casualty Clearing Station, with his uncle, the 7th Earl of Sidcup, weeping by his bedside..........

HEREFORD SPRING BATTLE REPORT (6) - BATTLE OF WILLERSLEY

After all their early successes, the combined forces of Communism and the Independent Labour Party had to keep the initiative. As the afternoon wore on, however, it was clear that this was beyond them...

The Classic Blackshorts reconstituted the crew of their "Big Gun" (using runners from the Platoon HQ) and started to return fire at the KV-1.

The Third Blackshorts started their advance, delivering a volley of rifle fire so devastating that it completely destroyed the Presteigne Red Guard.

Thus encouraged, the Classic Blackshorts recovered their morale and began their advance again.

The Imperial Blackshorts, still cunningly "in cover" behind the gravestones of the churchyard, began to wear down the Independent Labour Party with fire.

The Communist KV-1 was hit and tracks disabled, unable to move in any direction for the remainder of the battle.

[Gamers' Note - the Initiative Cards had now turned decisively in favour of the Blackshorts. In one hand alone, Eustace Spode's Platoon had not one, not two, but three "Jokers" - supreme initiative cards. Who knew we were playing with a (Communist supplied) card pack including three Jokers ? Grrrr.......]

A bad omen - the Communist KV1 is hit and disabled. The crew must take
a morale test as, to the right, the Third Blackshorts begin a flanking manoeuvre.

"Classic" Blackshorts advance, morale now fully recovered.

Crisis - Classic Blackshorts flank the dried river bed to the left as Third Blackshorts
push hard in the centre. The Communists are reluctantly forced to retire from their
advanced defence positions...the OGPU section sacrifice themselves in an
attempt to cover their colleagues.

The Communist's retirement uncovers the disabled KV-1. A magnificently heroic
member of the Classic Blackshorts - Mr Sticky Stickman himself - attempts a 
sticky bomb attack on the Soviet Behemoth KV-1...

Unbelievably, Stickman fails; but subsequent Blackshort fire
ignites the KV-1...

...which promptly completely disappears in a catastrophic explosion...

The Third Blackshorts now made rapid progress in the centre, easily destroying a Communist machine gun emplaced to prevent just such a move. Now Captain Stroganov had nothing left to stop them, other than himself............. 

Captain Stroganov's lone stand. Third Blackshorts advance on the right of the photo.

Unsurprisingly, Captain Stroganov himself now suffers from adverse morale...

Can Stroganov turn the deteriorating situation around ? Is Mr Benn of the Independent Labour Party in any position to provide support to the badly depleted Communists ?

HEREFORD SPRING BATTLE REPORT (5) - BATTLE OF WILLERSLEY

 

As small arms fire crackled along the length of the front, the Communist KV-1 "Big Gun" fired with deadly accuracy. Eustace Spode's Big Gun was hit hard, with dead and dying crewman scattered around the temporarily disabled artillery piece. First blood to the Revolution, Comrades !

Nevertheless, encouraged onward by Roderick and Eustace, the Blackshorts bravely advanced into the fire:

Forward the Blackshorts! Eustace Spode's "Classic Blackshorts"
advance into heavy Communist fire.

An elite unit, the Sidcup Highlanders, use the little cover available to them.

On the right flank, Roderick Spode's Imperial Blackshorts scurry forward..

..occupying the Church and churchyard in a lengthy "skirmish by fire"
with Mr Benn's Independent Labour Party Platoon.

The Imperial Blackshorts take cover in the Church graveyard.
Mr Benn swears that they are "conveniently located" for "efficient disposal".

The Communist KV-1 fires again with deadly effect, for on this occasion
a Blackshorts' HQ Section is hit....

....and Eustace Spode himself is caught in the centre of the mighty explosion!
He is hastily "carried from the field" to the Blackshort Field Hospital
(already overflowing with casualties).

The continuous and highly accurate Communist fire, together with the unexpected loss of their young commander, has a devastating effect on the "Classic" Blackshorts:

The "Classic" Blackshorts surrounded by adverse morale markers. 
Nothing is going forward for a while, not until this is sorted out...

As the entire Blackshort advance stalls, with Roderick's "Imperial" troops scrabbling in the dust of the Church graveyard, and the Third Blackshorts yet to advance, it looks like the Battle of Willersley will result in an embarrassing early defeat for the forces of the "British Knee":

Congratulations, comrade ! A Communist militiaman grins broadly as
he waits for his lunch. A good morning's work!

HEREFORD SPRING 2024 BATTLE REPORT (4) - BATTLE OF WILLERSLEY

After hours of anxious waiting, the telephone hotline at Comrade Colonel Professor Winter's Presteigne Headquarters finally burst into life:

Finally reporting in, it was Captain "Izny" Stroganov, leader of the Communist "raiding party" sent to block the A438 between Hay-on-Wye and Hereford (and ally of Mr Benn, commander of an Independent Labour Party Platoon with a similar mission): 

The battlefield of Willersley. A quick sketch by Stroganov. Communist raiding party
and ILP ally taking position on the right of the map - Blackshorts entering from left.

In the early morning mists around Willersley, Stroganoff ordered his Presteigne Soviet Platoon (a section of Presteigne Red Guard, a section of veteran OGPU troops, and a section of militia) into the advance, in order to take up a forward defence line along the dried river bed.

The wary advance of the lead Communist Platoon - an officer of the
Presteigne Red Guard.

Stroganoff kept a section in reserve, but advanced his major asset, a KV-1 "Big Gun" in support:

Early morning mist - the reserve section and the KV-1, plus standard bearer, in advance.

Reserve Strike Force - two Communist Armoured Cars and the ILP's "Tom Tank" in the rear.

To Stroganoff's left, the ILP garrisoned Willersley itself, and extended their defence from the village to the very far left (a position that they were, of course, entirely comfortable with):

Far left ILP Section with supporting tank.

Heading straight towards the defenders, an awesome sight never before seen in the VBCW, an entire Brigade of Blackshorts - led in person by Roderick Spode, 7th Earl of Sidcup, and his nephew, Eustace!

Eustace Spode and his Headquarters Section

Eustace Spode's "Classic Blackshorts" stationed on the left of the advance, about to 
do battle with Captain Stroganov's Communists

"Third Blackshorts" in the centre, linking up with Roderick Spode's
"Imperial Blackshorts" on the right.

"Third Blackshorts" infantry and HQ Section

Another shot of the Third Blackshorts HQ Section, with supporting arms.
At the corner of the wall, the Third Blackshorts AT Rifle and Spotter discuss tactics
 with Eustace Spode's own "high tech" Anti Tank asset - "Mr Sticky Stick Bomber".

Roderick Spode's Imperial Blackshorts advance on the right.

Ever hopeful of the power of Soviet propaganda, Captain Stroganov's troops taunted the advancing Blackshorts with repeated and derisive shouts of "EULALIE !", and Stroganov himself was comforted by reports of conventional Herefordshire opinion:

As the early morning mist cleared, the Battle of Willersley was about to begin........

HEREFORD SPRING BATTLE 2024 (3) - IMPERIAL SPODE

Roderick Spode, 7th Earl of Sidcup and uncle of Eustace, clearly had the most professional (or at least, the most prolific) of "embedded photographers" at the Battle of Willersley on the A438 west of Hereford (Spring Big Game 2024). Some useful early shots of "the Leader's forces", recruited from all over the Empire - and hence uniformed in black shorts (obviously) and pith helmets: 

A splendid "Big Gun" and attendant crew.

Infantry and HMG.

Infantry and Armoured Car.

More on the Battle of Willersley to follow.....

HEREFORD SPRING BATTLE 2024 REPORT (2) - MORE FROM STOKE EDITH

Some more views of the the Battle of Stoke Edith, gathered from various Fleet Street staff photographers:

Spanish Requetes and Blue Division encouraged forward by Major General Everard (at rear)

Teutonic Fury - Goering's King's German Legion, Hanoverian Legion
and Fallschirmjager in a wheat field.

Kampfgruppe Goering HQ in the middle of the battle.
Max Schmelling confers with Lt-Col. Seidemann

KGL advance...

KGL Fire.

Government Tank. Considerably more technologically advanced than...

Opposition "Home Made" Armour !