Taking on Water at Harira ....

Continued from this post...

https://carryonchaps.blogspot.com/2024/05/last-train-to-makroudh-at-harira.html

---oXo---

The train for Makroudh puffed around the last bend on its way to Harira...

Capitain Lefiche watching from the top of the blockhouse at Harira is relieved to see the train approaching; his eagle eye spots a flash of something from among the rocks to the south... could be trouble on the way too...

The train pulls up in the station, the fireman jumps off to position the water crane and start the pump.

Attackers appear out of the desert from the south-west and advance toward Harira...

Another smaller group of attackers advance form the north-east...

the attackers close in and open fire to little effect...

at the other end of the town, the attackers hang back and trade shots with the defenders...

The main force of attackers continued their advance ..... coming under fire from the block house and the machine gun on the rear flat car of the train.

undeterred they kept on coming .....

but suffer heavy casualties.....

At the other end of the station, the attackers unable to make headway started to back off...

At the blockhouse end of the station, the attackers make an impetuous charge .....

The attackers outgunned and badly shot up, fell back to regroup....

The defenders left the blockhouse to help protect the train and to be ready to get on board once the necessary water had been taken on....

During the attacks at either end of the station, a couple of small groups of attackers had moved around both sides of the town...

One group was held off by legionnaires firing on them from the station.....

The group on the other side of the town had little or no opposition and moved cautiously towards the train....

The driver sounded the whistle to signal they had finished taking on water, as the french troops got onto the train a couple of them jumped onto the flat car and then to the ground on the other side in order to make stand to defend the train from a small group of attackers...

The driver opened the throttle and started starts to inch forward ... slowly the train pulled away...

then moved as fast as it could down the line to safety..........

---oXo---

Notes

1. Forces for both sides

• Train Passengers: 10, only 4 armed with pistols.
• FFL: Train guard - 8, including a machine gun,  Harira detachment - 12
• Attackers - 40 in 4 units of 10, plus a nominal commander with a  standard bearer

2. Losses for both sides were

• FFL: Train guard - 2,  Harrira detachment - 6
• Attackers - 20

2. The scenario was setup with the arrival of attackers skewed to the either end of the game table  simulating an advance from the south-west and an encirclement force from the north-east. This was done to provide a reasonable chance for both sides to succeed, otherwise it would have been more like a Kobayashi Mau scenario for the FFL.