Clash in West Africa - our rules

Having tried out Lion Rampant for this era (http://warformiddleearth.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/clash-in-west-africa-lion-rampant.html) we decided to give it a go with our home grown skirmish rules (which we've currently just been using for 28mm Napoleonics) - I had hoped to alter it one day to do boxer rebellion, but we used it this time without any alterations

With the Dakar-Niger railway nearing its completion in Mali, French forces were on particularly vigilant look-out for raiding parties.
A biplane flying high above spies a fast approaching band of tribesmen

We used the entire collection this time, some 60 tirailleurs in 5 sections and 12 spahis against around 140 tribesmen tribesmen in 6 warbands, including nearly 24 armed with rifles.
The forces advanced on one another, across the tracks.

Captain Charles Dubreton took the right wing with a company of tirailleurs, along with the spahis in support. The tribesmen fired on the cavalry but the undergrowth covered them.

To the left and centre Major Louis Dubreton's company fired into the approaching warbands, while Charles' company, and Lieutenant Balliard's section gave flanking fire, Charles' men wiping out half the approaching band, sending them into flight. Meanwhile the spahis retired to the safety of the line.

With his success, Captain Charles pushed on to the tribesmen's left flank. Meanwhile Major Dubreton and Lt Balliard continued their murderous fire, wiping out half of both of the warbands before them, Ballaird sending the closest one into flight. On the left it seemed like a murderous slaughter of the natives, though Balliard's section had taken two casualties from native skirmishers, but they had been sent running too.

However now the last tribesmen on the left charged home, cutting down five of the tirailleurs

It was enough to put the company to flight, and so they sped off, leaving Major Dubreton to leg it for Captain Charles' company, which was forging over the rails. But by now the rest of the warbands had again rallied.

The tirailleurs sent the warband and native rifelmen before them fleeing with a strong volley, though they had lost four men to the native rifles in the advance. The Spahi attempted a charge on the nearest warband, but were surprisingly repulsed with heavy casualties. Clearly charging a block of infantry was not sensible.

One of the rallied native bands suddenly flank charged Charles' company, some of the men curling round to surround the flank, one plucky warrior making it to Major Dubreton. The major swiftly cut him down with his sabre

The tribesmen hacked the Algerians' flank to bits, cutting down five men in all without any casualties!

Inevitably the Dubretons and the remaining section of men fled! The tribesmen pursued, catching the Spahis on their left and almost wiping them out.

The tribesmen caught up with the fleeing company. Catching them from two sides and surrounding them. Many of the men, including Major Dubreton were cut down and the section continued its flight, Charles Dubreton cutting down his man and chasing after them

Falling back on the now rallied company, a new firing line drew up and volleyed, cutting down many of the pursuing raiders, stopping them in their tracks!

Balliard's remaining 6 were also holding on the left, sending another warband into flight, while the company's continued firepower drove off the remaining raiders facing them.

A lone tribesmen, running up on the right hand section and spearing a tirailleur, caused Captain Dubreton and his section to flee the field!

As another warband surprised Balliard's men, killing half of them and sending them into retreat, the tirailleurs prepared for a classic colonial last stand.

But the tirailleurs quickly buckled as tribesmen, led by the camel mounted commanders, charged into the formation. With the entire French force in flight, their commanders killed, fled and fleeing, their colours fallen, the battle was declared a victory for the West African tribesmen.

Victory to the Tribesmen!

 

It had been a fantastically close battle, the line advancing, the tribesmen kept at bay by initial volleys, only to at last break through, throwing the left and then the right back, only to have the French rally to take a line in a stand, only to have the line crumble turning into a classic tribesmen vs western troops last stand. It felt as though it could have gone either way, right till the end! It remained fun and tense for both of us, and felt exactly what a wargame (and especially one of this era)

We were both very pleased with how these rules had worked out, and vowed to use them again for this period!

 

When I get my Boxer rebels and Italian sailors finished off we will be able to expand to China as well as West/East Africa, while M is also looking to get some Afgan/Sudan British when Perry's release their plastics, enabling us to do Mahdist war and other Sudanese conflicts, as well as some from a fictional Anglo-French war in the 1880s-1914

 

By B