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RESULTS |
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| or...Jaleel's Machine and his ride to heaven | |
 The
Rules
Again, the excellent "The Sword and the Flame" were used for this game. It uses a card drawing system to determine which units move or fire. Although based on historical facts and events and working within the framework of the historical capacities of the units represented: It is first and foremost a "Game". Morale is simple, being affected by the presence or absence of leaders, (Tribal Chiefs, Sheiks, Officers and NCO's) We used a few variations and modifications to the rules, to which they lend themselves very well. This is one of the great virtues of this gaming system. Those variations that were applicable to this scenario can be found on the preceding set up page for this battle. Men may be Able Bodied (operate as normal), Wounded (shoot and move at a disadvantage) or Incapacitated (cannot shoot or move). French must attempt to carry all wounded with them. Dead French Officers must also be carried. When there are insufficient able bodied men to carry the wounded, French units will stand in place and fight to the last man. The French have no hidden movement. |
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Battle
Report:
 Adjutant
Vucks essentially took command of The Fortresse having considerably more
experience than either of the two surviving young Lieutenants. The
quiet spell after the battle of Abu El Shagbahg was put to good use. Work
began and a sizable vigil was established including a roaming patrol in
Ford Model T, courtesy of the Deceased Bob Wayne.
A sandbag wall was built around the front of the fort with the gun set up in front of it behind another wall of sandbags. All five buildings in rifle range of the fort were mined with dynamite under the guidance of Ted |
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 Hofstedter.
The dynamite could be activated by an electrical plunger that was set up
on the North wall of the fort overlooking the buildings.
A small scout detachment had been left in the Police Station
on the western edge of the town to act as an early warning.
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 The
attack started on dawn of Day six. The legionnaire work parties had not
left the fort to begin their next day preparations (which were intended
to be ripping up the hedges on the north side of the wall which might afford
cover for the enemy).
The truck patrol had started its morning rounds when, as it passed the last building to the east of the fort, it was suddenly ambushed by a hoard of screaming Arabs charging from over a sand dune on their Arabian mounts. The truck spun its wheels in the sand but fortunately didn't stall as Corporal Anderson threw the truck into a 180 and headed back to the North road. |
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 El
Zahiras personal bodyguard headed the attack column as wild shots were
exchanged. Two horses went down but miraculously, save a single minor flesh
wound, the legion patrol dodge all the lead coming their way.
Just when truck riders thought they were pulling away, the Arabhorde caught up with truck, the occupants fending off flashing scimitars with their bayonets. |
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 Again,
the legionaries held their own. A great cheer went up from the truck and
from the fort when the leading Arab went down to a bayonet lunge.
The legionnaires thought they had brought down the Zahira: their enthusiasm dashed to find out it was one of his guards on a similar colored horse. Again, the truck started to pull away from the horses. As their hopes again started to rise, a huge mob of screaming tribesmen poured onto the road ahead. Anderson veered off the road towards the fort and headed for the narrow gap between the fort and the crop fields. |
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 The
truck labored in the rough ground off the road, but the horses, now tiring
were still not quite able to keep up. The truck still received fire from
the horseman but supporting fire from the wall of the fort gave them
some hope.
The truck now ran the gauntlet of passing across the front of a rifle armed band of savages, but still Allah smiled on them. The horse now let up and as corporal Anderson pulled the truck around the front of the fort. Noting to himself that if he didn't live to see another sunrise, today would go down as the most intense moment of his life. After the truck had passed by, the rifle armed unit, the right most unit of three arab bands provided a steady stream of gunfire to the fort walls, dropping a couple of the Legionnaires. The left most two units of the group were ladder carrying swordsmen who then rushed toward the wall. |
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| RETURN |