Zoutpans Campaign - Boer Forces

The Boers will be defending their home turf in this campaign so they will need an experienced and determined leader. Commandant-General Henrick Jacobus Van Rensburg is just such a man.

The following is a breakdown of the troops under his command:

Headquarters Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek Field Army

Commander-in-Chief

Commandant-General Hendrik Jacobus van Rensburg

Heavy Artillery

Long Tom (One 155mm Creusot Gun) - Captain Cornelius Frederik Celliers

Northern Field Force

General Pieter Stephanus du Toit

Brakspruit Commando - Commandant Andries Jacobus Bothma

Klipfontein Commando - Commandant Petrus Daniel Smit

Doornkop Commando - Commandant Jacobus Hendrik Kruger

Rietkuil Commando - Commandant Hermanus Frederik Pretorius

Elandsberg Commando - Commandant Dirk Cornelis Venter

Witkrans Commando - Commandant Carel Johannes Botha

1st Staatsartillerie Battery - Captain Jacobus Frederik Wolmarans

2nd Staatsartillerie Battery - Captain Pieter Hendrik Louw

1st Pom-Pom Section - Lieutenant Gideon Alberts

2nd Pom-Pom Section - Lieutenant Jan Christoffel Swanepoel

Southern Field Force

General Christiaan Johannes Viljoen

Vlakfontein Commando - Commandant Michiel Johannes Coetzee

Zwartkop Commando - Commandant Stephanus Willem Joubert

Welgevonden Commando - Commandant Nicolaas Gert van der Merwe

Blesboklaagte Commando - Commandant Johannes Petrus Erasmus

Roodepoort Commando - Commandant Frans Jacobus de Beer

Buffelshoek Commando - Commandant Willem Hendrik Boshoff

3rd Staatsartillerie Battery - Captain Nicolaas Johannes Grobler

4th Staatsartillerie Battery - Captain Hendrik Stephanus Nel

3rd Pom-Pom Section - Lieutenant Louis Jacob Marais

4th Pom-Pom Section - Lieutenant Barend Johannes Labuschagne

So the forces are all sorted out next I'll move on to creating the scenario.

Zoutpans Campaign - British Forces

As the campaign is to be fictional I thought it would be a bit of fun to get ChatGPT to create a fictional order of battle along with commanders. The British force will be led by General Sir Alistair C. Wetherby KCB.

Here is the detailed order of battle of the troops under General Wetherby's command:

Army Headquarters

Commander-in-Chief

General Sir Alistair C Wetherby, KCB

Chief of Staff

Major-General Henry L. Markham

1st Brigade

Brigadier-General Charles F Hawthorn

1st Rutlandshire Regiment - Colonel Sir Reginald Pemberton

1st North Mercian Regiment - Colonel William Ashford

1st South Wessex Regiment - Colonel George Ravenscroft

56th Battery RFA - Major Edgar H. Sinclair

70th Battery RFA - Major Richard M. Forsyth

No1 Maxim Gun Detachment - Lieutenant Edward P. Langford

2nd Brigade

Brigadier-General Edward M. Ashcombe

1st East March Regiment - Colonel Frederick Lonsdale

1st Bordershire Regiment - Colonel Hugh Canning

1st Fenland Regiment - Colonel Percival Strickland

19th Battery RFA - Major Charles W. Beresford

27th Battery RFA - Major Lionel P. Ashcombe

No2 Maxim Gun Detachment - Lieutenant Frederick J. Calthorpe

3rd (Guards) Brigade

Brigadier-General Sir Lionel Ashburton, KCVO

King's Guards - Colonel Sir Julian Fairfax

Queen Victoria's Guards - Colonel Algernon St. John

29th Battery RFA - Major Frederick G. Carrington

No3 Maxim Gun Detachment - Captain Arthur B. Mowbray

4th (Highland) Brigade

Brigadier-General Fergus MacLeod

1st Strathmore Highlanders - Colonel Malcolm MacNair

1st Braemar Highland Rifles - Colonel Euan Campbell

81st Battery RFA - Major Harold T. Wyndham

No4 Maxim Gun Detachment - Lieutenant Hamish MacDougall

Mounted Brigade

Brigadier-General Arthur G. Lennox

11th Royal Lancers - Colonel Charles Montgomery

Imperial Volunteer Horse - Lieutenant-Colonel Cyril A. Pembroke

Naval Brigade

Naval Brigade Landing Party - Commander William H. Ashburn RN

1st Naval Heavy Battery - Commander Edward H. Somerset RN

I also asked the AI to create a brief description of each commander and to rate them all as either below average, average, above average, or exceptional. This kind of background detail all goes to flesh out the bones of a solo campaign to make it more engaging.

Zoutpans Campaign

I'm very aware that it's two and half years since I last played a game with my Boer War troops. This seems like way too long so I'm intending to do something about it before the end of the year. I enjoyed my last solo campaign and have an idea for another one. This time it will be set in the fictitious Zoutpans District of the Transvaal.

The map is AI generated and should provide a good basis for a campaign. All I need to do now is to put together orders of battle for both sides and then get playing.

Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders

We had a trip to Stirling castle today, never been before and I highly recommend it - it's a much bigger site than I thought and you could easily lose four or so hours there. The castle is the home of the Regimental Museum of the Argyll & Sutherland Highlanders and this monument to the men who fell in the Boer War is right by the entrance.

No Boer wargaming going on at the moment but I hope to return to it in the autumn.

Time for a Parade

While the troops catch a bit of a breather I thought it might be a good time for a parade. First up the Boers.

The army totals 95 pieces. They are a mixture of Newline Designs, Jacklex, Raventhorpe Miniatures, Strelets and Scruby. They have all been painted by me except for the Scruby figures donated by Ross. There are:

4 x 13 Commandos (foot)

1 x 13 Commando (mounted)

2 x Field Guns

2 x Pom Poms

1 x Long Tom

1 x Wagon

2 x Command Stands

And now the Soldiers of the Queen...

The army totals 259 pieces. They are a mixture of Newline Designs, Jacklex and Raventhorpe Miniatures. They have all been painted by me except for the cavalry and the firing 'Guardsmen' painted by Matt G. There are:

6 x 27 Infantry Battalions

2 x 13 Half-Battalions

1 x 13 Lancers

4 x Field Guns

2 x Limbers

1 x 4.7" Naval Gun

2 x Maxim Guns

5 x Command Stands

Take a bow lads!

Dannhauser - The Aftermath

The British lost a total of 45 figures during the battle which was quite a way under their break-point of 67. The losses to the Boers, whilst smaller, are probably more critical including the Long Tom and a Pom-Pom wiped out. The breakdown of casualties is given below:

I carried out die rolls for casualty recovery and then redistributed figures from disbanded units to other units as follows:

9 figures from the King's Liverpool were added to the Gloucesters and the remaining 6 to the Manchesters.

3 figures from the German Corps were added to the Boksburg Commando.

Having totted up all the VPs for both sides incredibly it stands at a draw of 15VPs each!

I hope to return to the campaign in the future but for the moment I will be taking a break. Thanks for your interest and all the comments as these really do help motivate me in a solo project like this.

GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!

Battle of Dannhauser - Part 2

 

Turn 3 and the Boksburg Commando come under shrapnel fire for the first time. Their 'flee' test saw the maximum 6 figures take to their ponies and together with casualties this reduced them to break-point. One Commando down two more to go!

Heartened by events French pushes forward urging the Manchester's on.

Meanwhile White's command fails to activate for a third turn although they are taking a steady stream of casualties.

The two British Brigades that have managed to activate are gradually closing the distance with the Boer lines.

At the foot of the kopje the Manchester's come under heavy fire that forces them to stop and lie down.

Hamilton's Brigade are also out of steam and have ground to a halt.

But on the plus side the Naval Gun and British field artillery have knocked out both Long Tom and one of the pom-poms.

The Utretch Commando are reduced to break-point and withdraw. Two Commandos down and one to go.

Although reduced in strength Hamilton's men are hanging in there and delivering withering rifle fire back at the Boers.

The Black Watch have now passed through the prone ranks of the Manchester's and are within striking distance of the Boers atop the kopje.

A round of firing from the German Corps fails to inflict any PINs on the Black Watch.

And then it happens! The Commandant of the Pretoria Commando fails his 'fallen leader' test by rolling a 1. Because their Commandant is down the whole Commando must take a special morale test - another 1 will see them all flee, well you guessed it! Three Commando's down and a British victory.

As French's men were so close I couldn't resist playing the Melee phase of the next turn and a die roll of 6 meant a spectacular bayonet charge by the Black Watch cleared the kopje of the enemy.

A great victory for the British although you have to feel a bit sorry for the lads in White's command who failed five activation die rolls.