The Battle for the Brewery : VBCW

The setup for our second VBCW battle saw the West Cumbrian Socialist Alliance take on the Royalist Forces of king Edward. (The Alliance is a mixed group of Workers Co-operatives, Unions and Party Members affiliated to the left based along the West Coast they have been galvanized into collective action by a local radical Owen Bishop, known wider as the Crimson Commissar an ex union leader from Barrow who had fought in the Spanish civil war. He has close links to both Russia and other European communist parties who have supported the 'Peoples' uprising with equipment and some regular troops. They are also able to field units made up of Russian Sailors from ships docking in Whitehaven and Barrow. Although loyal to the cause they are sometimes hampered by their excessive consumption of cheep beer).

The Reds have looked to probe further East expanding their influence of control and looking to obtain supplies chief amongst these being alcohol and they have identified a potential source at Hesket Newmarket. The Crimson Commissar has sent a small force to bring back the beer ! Having advanced towards Calbeck and being repulsed by a strong local militia they have moved to Hesket Newmarket and are in the process of loading (drinking) the Beer. Although currently unaffiliated the locals have got a message to nearby Royalist forces who have come to sort the Reds out.

Looking from the north the Royalist forces push into the edge of the Village, (the scenario has the three objectives beer held by the Red forces on the far side of the village)

Royal Cumberland Borderers approach the village

The Royalist forces enter the village in force and send their armoured support, a Vickers Light Tank into the village.

Borderers fan out sending Vickers Light Tank down the main street

The Socialist Alliance are supported by some regular troops, although it is sometime hard to tell them from Union forces with imported Russian Uniforms !

East side of the Village the Red Commissar

The objectives / beer is located in the barn in the distance, the truck already loaded and slightly further North of the village just out of this picture.

Both forces close on the village

The Royalist must take the initiative to recapture the beer.

Borderers come under fire in the garden of the big house

As the Borderers get into the village they start to come under fire, taking loses especially around the Garden of the bigger house. It turns out the Reds also have some heavy support in the form of an armoured car and and artillery piece which they set up in the woods overlooking the village.

The Royalists are surprisingly reluctant to push down the main street

Choosing instead to skirt the back gardens

Drunk Russian Sailors lost in the wood ?

The Royalist Regular Forces are supported by some mixed militia and a unit of the Carlisle Constabulary who arrive on the right flank and are ordered to take the skirt around the village to the North, unfortunately they come up against the Russian Sailors who despite their hangovers are able to put up a determined defence. One lucky shot knocking out the Police's transport and pinning them down.


Police pinned by fire form the woods

A truck load of Black shirted fascists recruits from Penrith turn up and are thrown down the left flank, to support the stalled push by the Borderers into the village

The Royalists also have an allied unit of Fascists in support.

Overview of the Village

Luckily the Artillery has limited targets

A foolish or heroic charge

Determined to make an impact on the battle the Cumberland Borderers make a fairly foolish charge down the main street, where they are pretty much wiped out by a unit of Workers Militia dug in behind the stone walls at the far side of the village.

Fascists under fire form the barn

A group of Miners are holding the Reds' right flank and the barn, they have a Lewis gun which makes short work of the poorly trained Fascist recruits who are unable to push forward.

Royalist Militia break through in the centre

Eventually on the Royalist right the Militia force the sailors back and spot the unguarded stash of Beer Barrels in the field, with their truck giving some mobile cover they make a dash for the stash !

Get your Heads Down !

The Vickers tank with concentrated machine gun fire has now started to force the Reds out of the village  but this is pushing them towards the middle objective, where a desperate fire fight ensues with the Militia.

Tantalisingly close to the Beer !

On the other side of the village the remaining Cumberland Borderers have made a charge towards the barn and their better training a discipline allows them to chase off the Miners so they can claim the beer in the barn.

The armoured car sees off the Fascists !

This was pretty much the end of the battle with one objective each and one contested, an excellent draw. The Commissar ordered his units  back out of the village towards Caldbeck..........

Starting the celebrate ?