6mm Balkan Wars - Battle of Sarantaporo. 9-10th October 1912

Friday 29th Sepember saw us all at Mike N's place playing as either Greeks or Turks in the First Balkans War, Battle of Sarantapor.

Mat  John & Mark lined up on the Turkish side  defending their positions  - whilst Mike N, Mike W, Steve & Rupert played the Greeks, attacking with six divisions.

At the time, in 1912, the Greeks and Turks did not have a brigade structure. A division was made up with 3 regiments, each of 3 (or 4) battalions, a base being a battalion. A base of guns anything up to 12 real pieces. A base of cavalry is two squadrons (4 squadrons to a regiment).

A base of machine guns is a section of about 4 guns, there were not as many as in WW1!

As for ground scale, 300 yds = 1", 6" to a mile, so 6ft is 12 miles, 8ft is 16 miles...hence the title Bloody Big Battles.

Some of the scenarios have an even greater ground scale, ie 1" = 500 yds plus, with 5 or more bases equalling a division.

Rules used where "Bloody Big Battles'.

Pictures below show week one.

Two Greek Infantry Divisions, each of 3 x Regiments of 3 Battalions, plus Artillery, MG & Command Stand.
Also a third division of  2 x Regiments of 3 Battalions, and a Light Infantry Regiment of 2 x Battalions plus Artillery, MG & Command Stand

 Close-up of the Greek Artillery models.
6mm gear, showing a fores & limber plus a deployed Field Gun. (French 7mm Field Gun)

 Close-up of  a Greek Infantry regiment with each base representing a battalion.

A Greek Infantry division, deployed, with two regiments in the attack line with one in reserve. Ahead are deployed the Greek Light Division, with two Light Infantry Regiments screening the Infantry Division to their rear.

The right and centre of the tabletop, from Greek perspective, all terrain is hard going and you can see a couple of passes in the teraain in the mid background.

Week Two. we had a change in the Turkish leadership with, only Mark remaining form Week One and John & Mat having to drop out and being replaced by Nigel.

Turkish Infantry Battalion

A view along the Turkish lines at he start of Week Two 

28mm Jacobite Lowlanders

Just in from Paul B. are a couple of pictures of some Jacobite Lowlanders that he has reted using the 28mm PLastic Warlord Games ECW Infantry kit as a basis.

Below various shots of the lowlanders, the musketeer group includes an officer, standard nearer and an NCO with a Lochinbar Axe.

Seven figures all with a good tartan finish and nice blue bonnets,
the Officer has been given a tricorne from the bits box

The Warlords Games kit is really useful for 16th & 17th Century troops - Mike W has also been using these to build his Marian Wars collection - something not lost on Paul!

Another group of finished figures

And a closer up view

Battle of Austerliz 1805

Photos by Steve

Friday 15th September, Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th saw the SAS Annual Mega Game, hosted by Rupert, planned by John and figures supplied by many!

As with all our Napoleonic games we used a house set of 'Shako' to help guide us through the game.

Unlike the version of Austerlirz known to us as the Retreat from Liphook, this game was in 15mm and used some very different game mechanisms to give a much closer game.

I'll leave it to the photos to tell the story but we expect the game to continue Friday 22nd September.

This post is thus a work in progress, as the game llays out, the post will be further updated.