The Harrying of the North 1069

King William of England marches on  rebellions made by his Anglo-Saxon subjects against him. They have killed his Earl Robery Comnes. He leads an army through the north of England,  burns houses, crops, cattle and land from York to Durham which results in the deaths of over 100,000 people, mainly from starvation and winter cold.  the rebels gather at the Oak Tree Cross ... William has sent a force to smash them.

Played with Hail Caesar rules this battle took 2hours 30 minutes of furious fighting with young David and myself as saxon leaders and JP with Livi commanding the avenging Normans

Norman forces are first on the field surging on the Oak Tree ridge

Old style fighting the Cumbrians at the run surprise Norman Heavy Infantry, a bit of head shaking goes on

At the other end of Oak Tree Ridge Normans clash with the Select Fyrd

Cumbrians take the wood but are in turn hit by Norman knights who smash them

Saxon slingers cower in fear

All the Norman cavalry attacks are replused but their infantry comes on again

Viking allies with Saxon Churls about to be swept away by the Norman's Ally Vikings

The Victors!

The Navy Lark

BIG BATTLE SATURDAY THE SUDAN

Scenario

The Egyptians are under attack from a strong Madhist force but relief is on the way.  Players rolled up one commander each.  The fuzzy Wuzzys are well led but the River arabs arre led by a cad.  Captain HawHaw RN commands a Gun Boat with barge carrying a naval landing force.  He is the sadist type that still would have flogging. Lieutenant Atkins a young able commander leads the British Desert Column.  The gunboat drives off the opposing dhows and lands.  The Desert Column  gets ambushed, losing their artillery then gets pinned down by fire from the rocks.

Navy storms ashore

Egyptians are relieved

These six Egyptians held off 60 tribal warriors

Egytians commander on his camel

Fuzzy wuzzy camels

View from the Nile

Sudanese in close order

It was a simple scenario but a great battle won clearly by Lord HawHaw, big Livy who really got into the part even twirling his moustache.  The navy was unstoppable!

Union repulsed

All figures painted by Young David Provan, this was an hasty attack by "green " union commanders against a Veteran Confederate rearguard using the excellent Jonny Reb rules

the union

Union elites

rebs at the ready

more rebs

 The reb line looked thin but the blue bellies would find out they were ready to fight

Union centre was held up by the cornfields

the union about to come to grips

Young David pounces on a weak centre

Dave senior decimates one union battery

then finishes off the next with extreme range fire

Oh the horror, the divisional commander watches is artillery run for it

A brigadier is cut down throwing shaking his brigade

the union sweeps around the right

more waiting rebs

/union still hold the ridge on the right

I have them! confederate divisional commnder

Rebs surge forward

Rebs take the battery then charge again

Zouaves cant stop them

My brigadier shot and returning to the base followed by his own zouves at the roll of a double 1

Barbarossa Defence Line

Battlegroup Barbarossa Defence Line

750point battlegroups Russian Infantry defending v German Panzer Attack  this saddled the Soviets with plenty of elements but not a lot of command control

This AT position held for six turns under gun, tank and MG fire, the German initial probe

Russian trench position

Russian Left and centre

This hill was an objective overlooking the brown stream which was difficult going, the Russian held it through the whole game.

Second objective The Bridge

The mill house was booby trapped, the infantry gun had been pinned down in the bombardment, later it pulled back and fought 5 panzer 3s , had two Beyond the call of duties before the crew was destroyed

Burning Panzer 3

The Cavalry arrive

The reserves try to counter the German break through, T-28 to the rescue, again this infantry gun had fought through 6 turns

German victory

The Panzers finally take the bridge and the Russian Battlegroup has suffered 39 BR, initially 36