Greek War of Independence - Using TMWWBK

 

An interesting scenario was played using the TMWWBK rules. A town in the Peloponnese was blockaded by the Ottomans until the arrival of siege guns that were to blast the walls down and allow the Ottoman forces to storm the town.

The besieged stormed out to join the attackers who were able to co-ordinate attacks from two different directions. Their aim was destroy the three siege guns. Casualties were unimportant as the loss of the town would be a huge blow to the rebellion. The guns had been positioned to fire at certain sections of the walls and as long as the Greek forces stayed out of that field of fire, the big guns could not cause casualties.

Three units of defenders prepared to charge out of the main gates as soon as they heard the firing of the relieving force. 

The siege guns were able to fire at the walls each turn rolling two dice per crewman. Hitting on a '6' only - they had to create 10 points of damage...they came very close......

 The Greeks had to neutralise the guns-  and the guns would keep firing until they had breached the walls OR the Greeks were driven off. 

Opening deployment

One of the Ottoman Siege guns

The three Ottoman siege batteries

The garrison preparing to sortie

Relieving force number 2- Philhellenes and the Greeks' only regular cavalry unit- it didn't do much as Ottoman infantry kept shooting at it...it remained pinned for most of the game!

Ottoman besiegers

Siege gun 3

Siege Gun 2

Ottoman camp and stores

Siege gun 1 ( to the right). The other gun is an Ottoman field gun. ( the number on the token is where the Ottoman besiegers were randomly placed ( 12 marked places and a D12 roll)

Greek relieving force 1

View from the other end of the table- Greek arriving from the left

Relieving force 1

The garrison artillery firing

Ottoman siege Battery 1 with a unit in the village behind

The quick arrival of the first force- the Greek cavalry swooped onto the first siege gun, before the Ottomans could reply effectively!

The Ottoman cavalry trying to respond - but the siege gun was taken and spiked before the Ottoman cavalry could get there. The field gun turned to face- to give the Greeks a whiff of grapeshot- but it was overrun very quickly too- a good start for the rebels!

The Ottoman cavalry drove the Greeks back but faced accurate fire from the Greek supporting infantry

Siege- Battery 3.

The Philhellenes moving to neutralise another Ottoman position. Philhellene units ( the word means "friends of the Greeks") were made up of European volunteers who joined the Greek cause

The Greek regulars emerge from the town.

The Ottoman field artillery...about to be overrun ( this happened early in the game , about turn 2)

Greek Irregulars and the Philhellenes forcing the Ottomans out of the wood.

The bulk of the Ottoman infantry were around the gunpowder depot....leaving the guns exposed.

Desperate defence of the small village by the Ottomans

Siege Battery  3 under musket fire

The spot where the barrels are - the gap is where the battery was. All the crew shot to pieces- the gun removed.

Two Ottoman units ( regulars to the right) were forced back by the Greek unit at the top of the picture.  ( several times in fact!)

The Greek forces sweep across the front of the neutralised Ottoman positions.

The Greeks managed to pull off a stunning victory. 

Their initial success in taking out an almost unprotected siege gun was stalled as the Ottoman forces organised themselves. In the end, all three batteries were taken, or put out of commission, although the casualties amongst both sides were horrendous.