As the pandemic is still here solo gaming is here for a while so I am learning to do this. Got my third game in during the recent holiday weekend, using my game mat from Cigar Box Battle Mats. I have in the past gamed the Battle of Dioran from the 2nd Balkan War twice. This time I gamed the battle of Rossignol, August 22, 1914. This battle falls more in line of my battles of the frontiers campaign games which is the goal I am striving for. Painting up French and German forces for the early battles of maneuver on the western front.

I used some of the buildings I bought though I have not finished painting them for the first time in a game this time. Bloody Big Battles rules were used again. I was a little shy of stands for the Germans so used some blank stands for them to fudge it.

Rossignol was part of series of encounter battles in the Ardennes during the First World War. The french were moving to attack what was thought to be a week center but instead ran head on into strong German force move around through Belgium as part of the Schlieffen plan.  This is not a Bloody Big Battle rules set battle but I used the Marching to War, supplement for Great War Spearhead II for terrain and order of battle information.  This battle pitted the French 3rd Colonial Division against two divisions from the German VI Army Corp, the 11th and 12th Infantry Division.  

As opposed to most Bloody Big Battles games I actually decided to use not just captured objectives but destroyed units for victory points.  This in part to keep the Germans from just running around the smaller number of French units and taking objectives.  I decided on a twelve turn game limit.  

Order of Battle:

VI Army Corp

11th Infantry Division

2 brigades of two regiments.  Each regiment of 6 stands considered Trained with Repeating Rifles.  Also armed with machine guns giving them the fire bonus of devastating fire.  Further, 2 stands of divisional cavalry and 4 stands of artillery also considered trained.  

12th Infantry Division

The same number of units as above with the Corp artillery of two stands of guns also available.  All units to start off the table and arrive from the North and East near Rossignol.

French 3rd Colonial Division

2 brigades of 2 regiments.  Each regiment of 6 stands considered Veteran with Repeating Rifles.  Also armed with machine guns giving them the fire bonus of devastating fire. Also each regiment 1 stand designated as skirmishers giving them the skirmish bonuses.  One stand of divisional cavalry and three stands of divisional artillery all rated as trained.

The French start with two regiments on the table one in Rossignol and one on the road from Tintigny to Rossignol near the south end of the table and Tintigny.  The rest of the french forces come on fron the west on the road to Rossignol.  There are villages of Ansart, Tintigny, Mesnil and town of Rossignol worth 2 points to the Germans and then each side gets 2 points per spent, or destroyed regiment.

Though outnumbered the French hold Rossignol to begin the game with it’s protection of -2 for cover.  Since over half the regiment is in the town the whole regiment is given the bonus.  Further, the French 3rd Colonial Division is a veteran unit having seen action in North Africa.  They are the best troops that France has at this time with a better rating of Veteran.  I also gave them the skirmish stand for their experience in North Africa.  

Turn 1

Germans start first and head down the road lead from the North board edge with the 11th Infantry Division cavalry followed by a regiment of infantry and gun.  The 12th infantry division tries to get units on from the eastern edge road to Rossingol with the cavalry going first followed by infantry.  I sent 1 regiments and a gun through the woods off the road but the woods slowed movement.  Not sure this was realistic but wanted to come at the town from two sides and not just down the road in column.  The 12th Infantry Division Cavalry was sent on a wide flank ride towards Ansart and Titigny.  

Defensive fire I learn the hard way what can happen to cavalry on the WWI battlefield.  First game I had used cavalry and in turn one it was deadly as I got to close to the town on the road with the 12th Infantry Divisional cavalry.  Both stands wiped in one shot.  Repeating Rifles, Machine gun bonus and and skirmish troop bonus destroyed both stands on turn 1.  No offensive fire for Germans out of range.

French moved 1 regiment already on the road from Tingtigny to Rossignol towards Rossingnol to cover the flank of the town.  French moved infantry regiment with gun onto the table from the west using the road to Rossignol following the cavalry unit that took to fork in the road to Mesnil and Tintigny.  No defensive fire at French as units out of range.  No offensive fire for the French for the same reason.

Turns 2 to 5

The Germans 11th Infantry Division moved all 4 regiments off the road into lines for to lesson the French fire and brought up all the divisional and corp artillery guns.  The 12th Infantry Division coming in from the east had to move through some forested area to come at Rossignol from the east and so hit it from two sides.  I thought I would use fire to Disrupt the regiment and then charge it.  It turned into a real slugging match.  The 11th Infantry Division regiments were trading shots with the French in the town.  Numerous bad rolls were hurting the  Germans.  They were taking hits but even adding 4-5 artillery into the battles with infantry rolling a 2 on 30 fire points still only disrupts a Trained unit and these were veterans.  

The French were not rolling well for movement.  They were having trouble getting on the board for several turns even with commanders bonus except for the first two units the cavalry and an infantry regiment who went to Rossignol and stayed there to help fight the 4 German infantry regiments.  With 1 infantry regiment sent to the try and block the incoming french regiment and 2 guns coming towards Rossignol slowly.  

Turn 6

The French take a licking and keep Rossignol.  The Germans had lost a stand from two different infantry regiments trading fire with the French in and around Rossignol.  It took all the 11th division artillery, the corps. artillery and 3 of the 4 12th Infantry Divisions guns plus 4 infantry divisions to finally force the 1 French regiment in Rossignol down to 1 stand and reduce the one outside by 1 stand.  The 1st colonial regiment in Rossignol is forced to retreat and moves south down the road toward Mesnil and Tintigny with it’s remaining 1 stand, a spent unit.  The 2nd colonial regiment though was able to move right into Rossignol during the movement phase before the Germans.  The East saw a regiment of the 12th infantry division reaching the edge of the woods to come out fire at the infantry regiment from Tintigny with loss to both sides, the Germans following back into the woods edge.

Blocking the road to Rossignol perhaps not the best idea.  The French had unlimbered both of their excellent artillery stands and even though there infantry regiment was not in range artillery can be deadly.  The Germans infantry though in line out in the open took a stand loss on the first shot.  

Turn 7 and 8

Lots of fire had happened, I doubt any buildings were left in Rossignol as almost every German artillery piece but one sent to support the cavalry was firing at the town with 3 to 4 infantry units.  Still just before the chance to charge arouse the lead regiment of the 12th Infantry Division was spent and disrupted.  Forced to retreat.  This also led to the disruption of the French down to 1 stand.  The blocking force to the west moved closer as it did not learn the lesson and was reduced to down to 2 stands a spent force.  It did hit one of the artillery guns reducing it.  (Cut the strength in half).  

Meanwhile the other far flank saw the cavalry trading shots each side disrupting the other with Repeating Carbine fire but rolling to recover each turn neither side to lose a stand.  The Germans 12th Division commander in charge brought up a gun to help the fire and disrupted the 1 stand french cavalry stand again.

The fire fight in the woods went the German way and while the French were disrupted and reduced they fought in close combat forcing the French out of the woods in the East back towards Tintigny.  

Turn 9 

The regiment of the 12th Infantry Division goes in after fire destroys the French in Rossignol and takes the town.  The 11th Infantry division moves back the spent infantry regiment blocking the road and moves up 3 artillery stands and a fresh infantry regiment.  The 11th Infantry and a regiment of the 12th also move towards Mesnil as Rossignol has been taken.  The 12th Infantry Division cavalry charge the disrupted 1 stand French Cavalry and are not stopped by fire.  They go in and destroy the stand.  

The spent French Infantry regiment unit retreating in the East from the woods is caught by fire from the German artillery stand covering that side with the cavalry and the infantry unit from the woods and one that has moved on from Rossignol and destroyed.  The French retreat a gun and single stand left from the first defenders of Rossignol towards Tintigny.  The French in the west are left facing the new German infantry units and trading shots with German artillery.

Turn 10

The Germans who came through the woods in the east fighting off the French Colonial Regiment is not stopped by close fire by the loan gun and is destroyed in close combat by the infantry regiment.  Another infantry regiment from the 12th Infantry Division destroys the remaining stand of the brave colonial regiment who tried to hold Rossignol and takes Tintigny  Also the brigade commander was there and the rules don’t allow for it but I considered him to die with his men.  

The German cavalry from the 12th Infantry Division had no opposition and took Ansart.  The French on the road faced over whelming opposition.  I think they could have stuck it out for two more turns but I called it.  They most likely would have forced a regiment into spent status before they themselves were destroyed but still not sure they would not have left after all that had happened in front of they especially as the Germans were realigning all there guns on them.  

Victory Points:

German:

1. 2 Points Rossignol
2. 2 Points Ansart
3. 2 Points Tintigny
4. 2 Points Destroyed French Regiment
5. 2 Points Destroyed French Regiment
6. 2 Points Destroyed French Regiment

Total=12 Points

 

French:

1. 2 Points Spent German regiment 11th Division
2. 2 Points Spent German regiment 11th Division
3. 2 Points Spent German regiment 12th Division          

Total=6 Points

German Victory though not by much and it cost a lot.  

That was my first try at a early battle on the western front and I need to refine things.  It was also a solo battle which I am also new at.  It was good that the Germans were after certain points and you it was bloody to try and take them with modern (for the time) weapons.

Not sure how real the battle was as the Germans really tried to methodically reduce Rossignol they got sucked into the fight there and largely ignored other things.  The Germans with more troops could have just ran for terrain objectives and made the French come to them.  Kind of not fun but true.  The French also decided to hold onto Rossignol but were pretty passive with most of the rest of the troops.  Not sure that was real.  Also I gave the Germans all the commanders who could have been present, Corp Commander, both Division Commanders, and all the Brigade Commanders helped with moving all the infantry and guns around.  

Enjoyed the game as it is fun made me want to paint more troops.  That is good thing.  While you are alone you got to come up with things to do and this is a good one.