The Battle of Wolverhampton Airfield, April 1936

Earlier in the week Phil and I met up in GHQ for our regular game, in this instance a VBCW scenario I'd been toying with for a good while set around Wolverhampton airfield. I guess you didn't know Wolverhampton once had such a feature, I know I didn't until I came to live on it in 1980! From our upstairs windows you could still see the control tower and hangers of the post war airport and just up the hill were the myriad of nissan huts from WWII when it was a dispersal airfield for Boulton Paul, makers of the Defiant and the gun turrets for bombers! The tabletop battlefield laid out ~

Some table dressing to suggest the airfield was all I had available, along with two Corgi diecasts ~

Flying Officer Bicclesworth and his ride of choice.

A Hawker Fury being prepared to taxi out onto the runway to join 'Biccles' ready for take off.

The Government forces enter from along the base line, the right side 2' being impassable. 

While the heroic Socialist Alliance enters on the road and must make one full turn on the road. The Socialists have sneakily emplaced some heavy weapons groups overnight to support their attack.

A Vickers MMG & crew, with a 3" Mortar just out of view 

A Heath-Robinson Trench Mortar!

While the BUF spearhead the Militia attack on the Government right, the Regulars of the South Staffordshire regiment advance on the left in their lorries.

The mounted Manders' Horse take post on the left of the Hilton Main Miners' Collective, who have bought their Silver Band along for support! 

The BUF and supporting Militia units are rapidly advancing to size the airfield. Mander counters with all he has available, the Horse and the Miners. A brisk firefight erupts between the opposing forces!

The Socialist's Vickers Medium tank advances to engage the Government's Mk VI. A protracted exchange of fire proves largely indecisive, although the Mk VI's turret jams as the result of a glancing hit!

While the tanks slog it out the South Staffords debus partly screened by the corn field. ( A nod to the acres of corn grown on SSWW farmland opposite our house for several years after we first moved in.)

The BUF have stalled, engaging in a firefight with the distant Manders Guards, while the Tettenhall Militia press forward having driven Manders' Horse back with heavy losses.

The Chillington Rifle Volunteers are trying to size control of the workshops in support of the main advances on both Government flanks.

The South Staffords' HQ Company takes up position where it can control both the Company advancing through the cornfield with the MMG in support...

And the second Company advancing on the road from the Red Lion pub! 

The Trench Mortar team are lobbing their tin can bombs (Light Mortar effect) on to the advancing enemy troops.

Their fire proves though to be largely ineffective in halting the enemy advance!

Emerging from the cover afforded by the cornfield - it's as high as an elephant's eye you know - the South Staffords' fire knocks out the Trench Mortar and crew!

Losses mount for the Socialists, their 3" Mortar and crew are neutralised. The miners are also hors de combat and with their Bolt Action dice down to 4 there is no choice but a dignified withdrawal leaving Rawnsley's Government forces in possession of the airfield.

We played 10 Turns using Bolt Action 3 supplemented by our own random event cards - see Phil's blog for details. Both sides started with 9 Bolt Action dice, but the Socialists had 11 units to the Government's 9, meaning any losses disproportionately affected the choices I could make. In the end I lost so many that further action was pointless, the South Staffords being over my right flank with no effective opposition to halt the advance! Nevertheless, a grand tussle played out either side of a Hogroast lunch courtesy of the local Co-op! 

Action at Bickley's Rough

A return to the alternate time line of the Very British Civil War here in GHQ for our regular Tuesday game. To refresh your memory, as if I need to, we set our games in the Wolverhampton - South Staffordshire area with the Liberal-Socialist-Workers Alliance lead by the Manders of Wightwick Manor facing off against the Government-Fascist Alliance lead by Lord Rawnsley. The Manders have got wind of a supply column heading from Shropshire towards Rawnsley's operational base at Chillington Hall. Such an opportunity to deal a blow to the forces of repression cannot be passed up so the Manders lead their men out to action...

All of course recorded by the diligent and utterly impartial folk of the BBC - the Bykleigh's Broadcasting Company!

Local Militia loyal to the Manders have erected two improvised barriers hoping to delay the supply column long enough for Mander's force to arrive from his base at Wightwick Manor.

They should hurry as the supply column is already well underway, it's flank screened by units from Wolverhampton Borough Police and the Chillington Mounted Rifles.

Mander's alliance of Liberals and Socialist Workers are strung out across the countryside, unsure where the bulk of Rawnsley's force has deployed in support of the Supply Column. This was to prove crucial as the action unfolded.

Rawnsley has secured the support of two light tanks, a Vickers MkVI and a Renault FT, in addition to a vintage Rolls Royce armoured car.

Mander is rather light on armour: a Vickers Medium tank and an armoured truck, modified with boiler plate and a turret by the LMS  engineers at Oxley Sidings. 

Watched anxiously by Rawnsley the column steadily advances towards the first of the barricades. The steam road roller can simply crush the hastily improvised road blocks.

The tanks and the Mounted Rifles surge forward on the flank, catching Mander's men by surprise. The Vickers Medium tank has the Renault FT in its sights though...

Boom! First blood to the Liberal-Socialist Alliance!

Despite the loss of the Renault FT, the Supply Column is making steady progress. The stores must get through!

The mounted Rifles dismount and take cover in the Rough while the surviving Vickers MkVI takes up position behind a hedgerow.

It is quickly apparent to Mander that his dispositions have been awry! The Heath-Robinson trench mortar is unable to support the units near the roadblocks. Instead it must engage the Rolls Royce armoured car and the supporting militias.

Before the improvised armoured car can fire a shot it is destroyed by the Vickers MkVI. The accompanying Troops of Mander's Household Guard take what cover they can.

Rawnsley has cleverly deployed his Rolls Royce armoured car to draw the fire of the Socialist Militias who oblige by falling into the trap of exchanging fire rather than rushing to the aid of the depleted elements supporting the roadblocks.

The Heath-Robinson trench mortar succeeds in disrupting enemy movement away on their left flank. This has no bearing on the main action!

Elements of the Wolverhampton Borough Police exchange fire with Mander's Household Guard before rushing their position. 

The Guards are overwhelmed, depleted by losses the survivors throw down their weapons and flee for their lives! Too late to be captured in the lunch time edition of the Express & Star!

The steam road roller has taken advantage of the distractions by destroying the first of the roadblocks and is now bearing down on the second. Fire from the Vickers Medium tank has had little effect on its progress.

The Miners of the Hilton Main Cooperative are alerted to the developing crisis opposite the Red Lion and start to move in the direction of the main action at last 

An exchange of fire with the Chillington Rifle Company sees some losses to the miners but sees their enemy flee (as the result of a FUBAR!)

With no effective opposition to delay it's progress the steam road roller destroys the second roadblock. Mander can see it is all up for his force and gets ready to slip away in his motorcar!

Rawnsley has successfully negotiated a tricky engagement and shepherded much needed supplies through to his base at Chillington Hall. Mander has failed in his plan to highjack the much needed supplies for his own force and must slink away to lick his wounds and plan his next course of action!

A splendid game we agreed played out using Bolt Action v2, with Phil as Lord Rawnsley winning in Turn 11 of the 12 allocated. It was close, despite my initial errors in deployment. All hinged on one last shot from Mander's Light Howitzer which failed to destroy the road roller and block the route of the convoy in Turn 10 and so steal the victory! Two FUBARs in one game though, a record for GHQ! Next up here in GHQ should be a SYW game, rather more colourful than the VBCW!

B.A.O.R. additional vehicles

As I mentioned before, in an earlier post on this theme, Phil has been kindly helping me in this project by wielding his air brush over the various vehicles in the collection. Those featured in this blog post are all from Butler's Printed Models which I think are splendid little wargames models. I'm merely responsible for adding transfers, basing and applying texture, static grass and tufts to finish off each model.

A Rapier anti-aircraft battery on the move.

Long wheelbase Land Rover, for the HQ, or for the S.A.S detachment in games.

Land Rover Ambulance. A bit of fluff for the tabletop. At present it's lacking the Red Cross markings as I've no transfers in house!

Land Rover 101 Forward Control, intended for my HQ on the tabletop.

I'm still working on the deployed version of the Rapier battery, the parts are very small and fiddly I've found. I've converted a figure to man the control for the system, but he's still waiting to be painted! In the small Plastic Pimple now are two Harrier ground attack aircraft kits for the RAF and two SU-17 fighter-bomber kits for the Soviets, as well as the T55s I mention in the earlier post. It's strange isn't it how our projects seem to grow almost as if of their own accord? Oh well...

The Battle of Tettenhall Green

 Now Phil and I have eased back into our established gaming pattern of alternate biweekly venues it was my turn to host a game in GHQ. Phil requested a VBCW game set in our alternative time frame in South Staffordshire and Wolverhampton. So, the Battle of Tettenhall Green was the setting for our game. A convoy of supplies for the Manders of Wightwick Manor escorted by elements of the South Staffordshire regiment have paused for a brew near Tettenhall Green. Their presence has been made known to Lord Rawnsley and he has hurriedly raised forces intent on capturing the convoy for his own use! After 6 of the expected 12 Turns the relief force sent by the Manders can come to the aid of the Regulars defending the convoy. The winner is the player in uncontested possession of the convoy when the game ends on 12 Turns. The rules are Bolt Action, less the gaming stupidities it is prone to ~

The Regulars of the South Staffordshire regiment debus for a brew, taking shelter in the nearby buildings.

In the van of the advance Lord Rawnsley oversees the early deployment of his B.U.F. supported by a Renault tank and elements if Wolverhampton constabulary.

The Chillington Mounted Rifles are moving on his left flank hoping to get around behind the Regulars' position and threaten the road any relief must come along.

Supported by the Renault tank and a metal bashed armoured van, the police and the Three Tuns Irregulars are similarly trying to get around the South Staffordshire's other flank.

The B.U.F. are moving to support the thrust of the Chillington Mounted Rifles.

The South Staffordshire regiment's troops are moving into the buildings as opposition mounts up, leaving the vehicles of the convoy dangerously unguarded.

Unseen by any, the Chillington Mounted Rifles have dismounted and occupied the upper floors of the houses overlooking the main road any relief force must come along!

Still, it's almost opening time and nothing can disrupt that for hardened drinkers!

Elements of the police have got around behind the flank of the Regulars holding St Editha's Mission to Fallen Women.

The Workers' Militias are the first of Manders' relief column to arrive. They can out on the right of the road to block the move of the B.U.F.

As the Vickers crests the rise it comes under fire from the Renault. The shot is close, but misses!

Volunteers from the Wightwick Manor estate, led by the faithful retainer Singleton, arrive to support the defence of the convoy.

Meanwhile the Express & Star Rifles are pushing forward to block any attack down the road by Manders' relief force.

Pressure is building on the Regulars in St Editha's and more police are getting around the flank to threaten the convoy 

The Valkyries of the Tettenhall Women's Institute rush out from their transport and assault the Wightwick Manor Volunteers! The hand to hand fighting is vicious, but the WI prevail! A loud chorus of Jerusalem is heard across the battlefield as they break out the jam rations!

Having captured the convoy under the cover of the gallant actions of the WI the police drive the vehicles away, winning the battle for Lord Rawnsley's forces!

The Vickers tank can do nothing to alter the outcome, retiring under fire from the Renault!

Lord Rawnsley received news of his victory from his B.U.F. commander. Twelve Turns of VBCW madness! What's not to like we wondered?