Champion Hill

The Scenario

When writing this scenario I undertook to allow a broad range of actions and intentions by both sides. While a truly historical scenario might ignore anything on the Middle and Raymond roads and concentrate on events at Champion Hill itself, I wondered what would happened if generals on those axes were more active than they were historically.

That said, I used special cards and deployments to steer certain things historically, for instance putting in a special card for the Union which would temporarily prevent Loring's division from sending his brigades northward - "Does General Pemberton know the enemy is in great force in my front?"

I got great use out of Timothy Smith's Champion Hill: Decisive Battle for Vicksburg and James Arnold's Grant Wins the War: Decision at Vicksburg, I'd welcome any comments from readers, while suggesting that at times certain decisions of my were guided by gameplay rather than historical accuracy.

We did run the entire battle twice, both with significantly different results, I'm posting the second of those AARs here.

Morning

The Union generals began the day by developing their lines carefully and deliberating, under strict orders from Grant. Only in the centre did the attempt to move artillery batteries forward while sending a brigade after the 12th Arkansas Sharpshooter Battalion causes a less than orderly advance.


Aerial View of Battlefield at the start of the day


On the Union left, AJ Smith advances using the road to speed up his rear regiments while moving his forward units gradually off the road, being mindful of a Confederate brigade on his threatening his right flank.


AJ Smith leads division towards Croker Ridge

In the centre Bowen's division advances east of the Ratliff Road to catch the Union divisions before they can bring their superior numbers to bear.


Osterhaus and Bowen square off on Middle Road south of Cornfields

As the Union divisions are just about to get their final orders to make contact with the Confederate defence, it is discovered that communications with Grant have slowed to a snail's pace, due to a huge number of supply wagons on the back roads connecting the main axes of advance.


Union rear on Raymond Road snarled up by supply train

Trouble strikes the Union centre as Carr's division struggles to clear the woods of a sharpshooter battalion impeding a quick deployment towards the line Osterhaus has identified for the two divisions.


Carr's division finds advance through woods impeded by 12th Arkansas Sharpshooters

Further north, Logan's initial probe towards Champion Hill is repulsed. In the firefight, the 2nd Illinois and 6th Missouri Cavalry take advantage of the preoccupation of the Confederate gunners to overrun the Cherokee Georgia Battery. They escape with only minor losses despite the supporting fire from the slopes of Champion Hill from some of Cumming's Brigade and Claiborne's Battery.


Logan's initial probe towards Champion Hill is repulsed

Afternoon

Just as AJ Smith’s division, supported by Blair begins its attack on Loring’s division on Croker Ridge, Buford’s brigade emerges from the woods nearby to hit them hard in the flank, forcing AJ Smith to respond by pulling back a brigade on that side.


AJ Smith's division hit hard in the flank by Buford's brigade

Meanwhile in the centre things are getting hot, as Lee takes several regiments into the Cornfields for respite from Union pressure. He used his position to put some enfilading fire onto regiments marching down the Middle Road.


Lee leads regiment into Cornfield supported by Waddell's battery

Buford has successfully completed his task of slowing down the Union advance against Loring, and with only minor loss to his brigade. By afternoon Loring has brought all his regiments to the eastern edge of the woods and to the ridge itself, withdrawing Adam’s cavalry from its dangerous position covering the road.


Loring's division prepares for Union onslaught

Meanwhile at Champion Hill Logan and Hovey are moving very conservatively on Confederate positions, keeping their lines steady and hoping to act like a vice in taking the position.


Logan's and Hovey's divisions advance on Champion Hill in good order

The Confederates there are not worried, having moved a brigade up to a defensive line, and skirmishing well with any Union regiment attempting to skirt the hill on the road.


Union troops can see Barton's brigade on north-eastern slopes of Champion Hill


With both sides almost spent and reduced to long-range exchanges in the centre (Bowern has been seriously wounded by a sharpshooter) and with things looking so dangerous at Champion Hill, Loring mounts a counter-attack after successfully weathering a full-scale assault by AJ Smith’s division, led by Buford’s brigade again.


AJ Smith's division reels from counter-attack led by Buford


Evening


When Loring’s main strength joins in the counter-attack from the front, the effects are disastrous for the Union, and AJ Smith’s division, along with forward elements of Blair’s are driven from the field.



AJ Smith's division shattered by Loring's attack


The remains of Blair’s division supported by several batteries drive back the advance regiments of Loring’s division, giving them some room to reform their lines. However the absolute carnage caused to the Union divisions on this flank is clear to all, and Blair forms his new line out of Loring’s reach.



Blair's division forms new line outside range of Loring's guns


Loring begins to send his brigade north towards Champion Hill, but all wonder if the steady advance of Logan and Hovey will pay off before they can reach there, or before night falls. Their assault is coordinated and from both sides, leaving Cumming's and Barton's brigades shattered, and Stevenson himself has been seriously wounded taking command of a brigade on the eastern slopes near the road.



Logan and Hovey coordinate assault on Champion Hill


As the Union triumphantly surge up Champion Hill, only a lone battery commanded by Claiborne still stubbornly holds out.



Lone guns of Claiborne's Battery hold to last man

The Confederates are broken, but the Union command looks nervous about their victory, and the Confederate commanders decide to break the Union strength by retaking Champion Hill before nightfall. They hope to effect a good withdrawal of the army and to hamper any future Union attempts to take Vicksburg. Before any fresh orders are sent, dusk falls and the day belongs to General Grant.


Aftermath


I’ll add a few comments as GM and observer. The Union approach was quite ponderous, requiring a full deployment before any real engagement. One could see the Union CinC player looking sternly at the subordinate players once or twice when they looked like they were getting ahead of themselves. This was most important around Champion Hill, where the Confederates had the best terrain, and the Union overwhelming numbers, and a division well in reserve which could have been completely left out of the picture by an overconfident player there. When that became apparent to all, I was slightly surprised that the Confederate on Champion Hill moved to a forward defence rather than a crest-line defence, which would have helped diminish Union superiority and coordination.

In the centre both sides were very quickly exhausted, with several units pulled out of the line when they were close to being destroyed. The sharpshooters did a lot of good work at frustrating the Union player here. Along the Raymond Road, all were amazed at the damage done to the Union, especially given the well ordered advance. Even so, they should probably have come out of it worse. When Blair’s units counter-attacked to set up their lines, 12 dice were rolled against various confederate units, with 11 (rather than the average of 6) coming up hits!


The Union won 18-20 (The Confederate break-point was 18 - the Union break-point was 23) so it was close enough in the end.

Assault on Berlin [2093]

Following the failed attempt to break through at the Rhine Bridges, a more conventional advance is necessary.

British, American and Canadian battle groups race to the capital.

Assault on Berlin kicks off.

British Brigade approaches Berlin suburbs



Swabian Brigade awaits Canadian attackers



American Ogre V 'Petraeus' heads towards Potsdam with support



Fencer 'Prinz Eugen' lies in wait



Petraeus and Prinz Eugen clash at Spandau with conventional forces in general melee



Swabian Brigade counterattack out of Berlin



British Brigade assaults Prussian positions at Missile Silo



Final Swabian defenders of Berlin look on

Berlin has fallen!

Battle for the Rhine Bridges

I ran a large Ogre demo with the help of Eamon Honan (again). We used miniatures and terrain for visual effect, though the terrain and felt used was hexed for use with the Ogre/GEV boardgame rules.

To give you an idea of the size of the demo: the table was 18 by 4 foot (or 105 by 25 hexes), points per side were 1200-1350, this was divided evenly between the 6 players on each side.



Essentially the table was the southern half of The Netherlands, from the North Sea to the Rhine.

The scenario was based on Operation Market Garden (which you may remember from the classic film “A Bridge too Far” or the TV show “Band of Brothers”) except that with Ogre canon making paratroopers impossible, I opted to have a large Combine Marine contingent march up the Scheldt Estuary and up the rivers to seize control of the bridges at the Dutch cities of Arnhem, Nijmegen and ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Two large armour columns with Ogre support rush up the motorways from Antwerp, and two large GEV columns up the rivers to relieve them.



This advance was primarily made of GEVs, with significant numbers of light and personnel-carrying GEVs, but there were also two large LCACs (Landing Craft-Air Cushion) carrying heavy tanks.

The PanEuropean defenders were strung out in small groups outside all of the cities on the board, negating their points advantage. Their attempts to concentrate were hampered by the Marines controlling all the major bridges and by the stream of civilian refugees who were evacuating the cities in front of the Combine army.

As the Combine GEVs hurtle upriver, a small force of PanEuropean GEVs move downriver to spoil their advance. The aim being to give the PanEuropeans outside the major cities time to clear out the marines before relief arrives.



The major Combine armoured thrusts approach surround Breda and begin moving eastwards towards 's-Hertogenbosch, skirting the northern suburbs of Tilburg. The small PanEuropean frontier battalion at Breda attempts to slow their advance. Allowing civilians inside the city time to evacuate.



The Combine forces display no regard for civilian lives, unleashing a strike on the Breda city centre, knocking out single light tank for the cost of over 5000 civilians.
This causes some consternation at PanEuropean High Command.

A suspicious-looking snorkle in the estuary reveals itself to be a MkIII Ogre, much to the dismay of the PanEuropeans. This completes the encirclement of the Breda force as the rest of the Combine units advance towards 's-Hertogenbosch.



With the swift advance of one of the Combine amphibious commands, the defence of the 's-Hertogenbosch bridge is crushed, and all PanEuropean forces west of the canal are destroyed. Although their loss is heavily felt at HQ, the single Combine bridge-laying unit was taken out, forcing the conventional Combine units to cross at the bridge



PanEuropean losses mount as all four Ogre units merge on the bridge and prepare to cross the canal.



Meanwhile Combine Marine units are under huge pressure, especially at Nijmegen where a huge amount of effort is being put into clearing the city. Even armour units from Arnhem are being utilised in the assault!

As the larger amphibious command advances upriver to flank the defences of 's-Hertogenbosch, Nijmegen is cleared of the last Marine resistance.



But, Combine HQ is aghast when strategic missile assets are unveiled right under the noses of the surrendering Marine units in Nijmegen. Due to the flagrant lack of concern shown for civilian casualties by Combine in Breda, PanEuropean High Command in Berlin has authorised the use of strategic nuclear weapons.

PanEuropean Theatre HQ in Oss is conservative with its deployment of the single strike, minimizing the possibility of a shoot-down.
Still the strike takes out over a dozen GEVs and with that the concentration of PanEuropean armour near Oss has little trouble dispensing with the remainder of the command.



Although the Combine forces were stopped well short of their objectives, serious losses were inflicted on the PanEuropean command, but it looks like Combine will have to find an alternate route to Berlin...