FFL Mounted Company (WIP)

 After the last set of games I'm now going through the FFL collection and making some improvements. Also I've been retiring some figures from the collection, these will head off to the melty-pot of doom to be made into some 40mm figures.

Of course when I spotted a number of lots on Ebay which were worth a punt.  I ended up with some more figures. The reason for buying them was so that I could now make up a mounted company on the march and deployed.  A plus was the building, some barrels & boxes and a palm tree.

The purchased lot(s)...

I had a couple of redoubt legionaries on mules and with the figures I bought I could setup the company on the march,

Also horse-holders too, so the deployed company

Some painting to do :)

The Battle of Bourek...

The FFL relief column arrives to the north of the town of Bourek, in the distance they could see Fort Lepoulet...

a detachment has taken control of the northern suburbs of the town

The commander of the Berbers orders his men to turn towards the relief column ....

The Berbers move up into position behind a line of  low dunes...

The FFL commander, orders the flag unfurled and the troops to deploy ...

The Berbers have finished repositioning themselves...

The FFL take up positions in a line from the rocky outcrops to the edge of the town....

The mountain gun is deployed....

The FFL ready for action ....

A view of the battle field....

The Berbers prepare to attack.....

The Berbers start to advance ...

And then break into a run ...... they approach the FFL ....

Their mounted troops close with little loss (appallingly bad shooting from the FFL)....

The Berber horse-men are beaten off and fall back to attempt to re-group...

The camel mounted Berber continue to fight as the FFL just about hold them back...; the Chasseurs D'Afrique move up through the gap ...

The Berbers attacking on foot surge forward, this time the FFL firing is more effective and nearest attackers go down ... the Berber attack stalls and they fall back slightly ...

The Chasseurs D'Afrique charge the nearest lot of Berber infantry 

the camel mounted Berbers are beaten off and retreat as their supporting infantry rout; the Chasseurs D'Afrique then move up to attack the the Berber's centre

The Berber infantry are now falling back....

The Berber centre fails to stand and the Chasseurs D'Afrique follow through ....

The FFL advance to support the Chasseurs D'Afrique

as the mountain gun fires at long range to discomfort the Berbers even more hastening their headlong retreat..

A victory for the FFL;  Fort Lepoulet has been relieved. 

The Berbers have lost and leave the area... (for now ?)

---oXo---

Notes:  

• Forces/Losses..

FFL:Algerian Tirailleurs  .. 3 dead from 12;  Bat D'Af.   7 dead from 24;

Chasseur D'afrique 1 dead from 10

Berber Tribes..8 dead from 15 horse riders; 20+ dead from 50

Desert Raiders: 8 dead from 12 camel riders, 15+ dead (from 40)

 

Fort Lepoulet...(near Bourek)

 A small supply train reaches fort Lepoulet from the nearby town of Bourek....

Not long after they came under intermittent sniper fire for a couple of days. The day after that there was a desultory assault on the main gate which was easily repulsed....

Two days later things began to look more threatening as more attackers arrived and encircled the fort ...

All the commander of the fort could hope for was some help was on the way; perhaps a telegraph message had been sent from Bourek ... only time would tell....

Action at Gazouz Oasis...

 The Gazouz oasis..

with a camp of desert arabs .... (most are away involved in the attack on Harira)..

French Foreign Legion approach, their advance hidden by the large dunes (their task is secure the oasis for the approaching main column)...

They approach the Oasis carefully...

using the cover of the ruins ...

As they pass the ruins and make a run for the oasis, a lookout spots them and fires his rifle to raise the alarm...

Roused by the lookout's warning shot, the rest of the men in the oasis are on the move....

they head towards the edge of the oasis, as the FFL approach ...

some of the FFL have moved round to the back of the oasis...

The FFL gain the top of the low dune and send a party round the flank ...

No time for a volley, the FFL are attacked and soon engaged in hand to hand combat by the pond ..

By the low dune, the defenders charge home attacking the FFL ...

By the pond area the FFL neither side has the advantage...

Fierce hand-to-hand fighting continues around the low dune ....

The FFL are making progress by the pond...

The FFL by the low dune now have the advantage,  they have more men standing....

The remaining arab defenders have been overwhelmed and are on the run,  with the FFL moving up behind them ...

soon they have taken control of the oasis....

---oXo---

Notes:

1. Forces: 

• FFL 20 (rifle)  + 2 officer (pistol);  
• Arabs : 4 lookouts posted around the oasis, 5 men in each the three tents and 2 men in the building (Total 21).

2. Losses: FFL - 7,  Arabs: 14

3. Sighting by Lookouts: same as for firing, a 'hit' at the relevant range is a 'spot', followed by an alarm raising shot in the air.

4. Those in the tents and the building could not take any action until the first shot/alarm.