Raid at Cummersdale : VBCW

Having returned back to base from the successful ambush at Low Hesket Lt Howard has been ordered to cause further disruption and confusion for the Royalist forces around Carlisle. The Border Regiment have been building up forces in and around Cummersdale a small village to the SW of the City. There is a concern in the Albertine higher command that these troops will be used to make a more concerted push into Albertine territory perhaps along the North Cummberland coast. Lt Howard has pulled together a very small crack infiltration force to carry out an undercover raid at Cummersdale destroying fuel, ammunition or armour which has been stockpiled there. The Royalist Troops in the Area will need to respond fast to protect their supplies.

(We were looking for something different so played a skirmish game using IHMN rules for VBCW, the Albertine force will be looking to destroy strategically placed objectives and the Royalists trying to prevent them, to destroy the objectives we gave each one a hit rating of 12-14, a figure in contact with an objective would find it one point easier each turn to blow the objective up)

Red line marks the limit of Royalist held territory

Undercover of darkness Lt Howard has led his force through enemy lines to the edge of the village.

Cummersdale Village 5 objectives marked

Luckily the Royalist are off their guard and no one is manning the road block or the pill boxes covering the main road. This allows Howard and his men (plus Sgt Jane Horrocks the only female considered tough enough for this type of mission) to infiltrate the village. (As it is a night time mission we have set the max range of 24" unless the target is within 6" of one of the street lights).

Howard's force move into the village from the South

Royalist's under the Command of Capt Naylor enter from the North 

Howard is supported by two Sgt's, Horrocks and Malarchy, both armed with sub-machine guns and a good fight value so they move into blow up the first two objectives which they do surprisingly easily.

Artillery piece no burning !

However, it was immediately obvious that the other objectives would be much harder to reach let alone destroy, the Royalist set up a bren gun facing straight down the main street so a frontal assault would be a death trap. Instead the elite Albertine troops spread out looking for cover. Howard does have in his unit a couple of less experienced partisans, mainly to help guide his forces through the village but they are armed with shotguns just in case. As befits this sort of mission all of Howard's force are equipped with combat knives for those quiet kills !

Sgt Horrocks blows the artillery piece

 The armoured car in the centre of the village is both the most exposed and hardest objective to reach.

Captain Naylor of the Border Regiment

Sub-machine gun in hand Sgt Horrocks leads the charge, but the rest of her unit are slow to react and she becomes isolated and overwhelmed. She would later be awarded the Albert-cross for services to the Lord Protector. She is seen above fighting hand to hand with one of the partisans attempting to come to her aid.

Captain Maxwell of the Royalist Medical Corps. runs into the action

At the other end of the village Howard is attempting to get to the centre of the village via the back gardens but the Bren gun at the far end of the street is holding them back, unfortunately i forgot to give them a rule where they could blow the lamp posts out !

Howard shouts for covering fire !

At the far East of the village hand to hand fighting has broken out but with his superior combat skills Sgt Malarchy has led his troop around the large factory building towards the ammunition truck taking out any defending soldiers.

Cummersdale from the North

With attacks on both flanks Captain Naylor orders the Bren gun to move positions to the right, but this is just the opportunity Howard is looking for and in the centre under heavy fire two men are able to make it to the armoured car and start laying charges, whilst it provides good cover they cannot return fire while they attempt to set the explosives. so they are very vulnerable to Royalist fire which comes at them from the large white building overlooking the main street.

Keep your bloody head down man  !

Ammunition truck is now on fire

Several troopers are ordered to assault the Albertines in the street and Captain Naylor leads the charge. But Howard's men are ruthless killers and they jump in to hold them back while Howard himself eventually succeeds in blowing the Armoured car.

Fierce hand to hand fighting in the Street

At this point with four objectives in the bag the Albertine force chose to with draw, slipping away no doubt in the darkness.

Sgt Johnson and Capt Maxwell protecting the fuel store

An excellent battle and when we get a chance we'll play another IHMN : VBCW. The rules worked really well and in the true spirit of narrative gaming we hadn't really sorted out all the rules before hand, sometimes it is just better to make it up with what feels right at the time.