The Colonel's Recovery Repeats: Seize the Bridge (Part One), A Battle of the Anglo-Russian War

 The action starts in the finest tradition of Hollywood movies. Originally published on May 8, 2021:

Major Elliott Naple-Cooper Stone of the Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) has been given the local rank of Colonel and has been put in charge of disrupting the Russian supply lines by seizing a critical railroad bridge. Let the fun begin with rules The Men Who Would be Kings.

Major Elliott Naple-Cooper Stone.

The deployment and the terrain. The British Indian army as the attackers will go first. (Note: the British Indian Army unit on the left flank should say 14th Sikhs; I'm just to lazy to make the slide again since I did not save it.)

A deadly Maxim machine gun nest.

Turn 1 of a 12 turn game. Victory points for each player are +5 if holding the objective when the game ends and +1 for every enemy unit destroyed or forced off the table.

The Maxim machine gun is the slowest moving unit in the army and they successfully move their 4 inches.

The 19th Punjabis move an incredible 12 inches At The Double.

The rest of the army moves out successfully at the double to get across the open engagement area as quickly as possible. 

The Naval Brigade moves to the objective but cannot occupy it yet. Since it is an Obstacle they will have to wait until next turn before they can move onto the bridge.

The 21st Frontier Guards take up position behind the rail line as it too is an Obstacle. Both the bridge and the rail line provide soft cover. The Maxim just stays in place.

After Turn 1.

The British Indian Army continues to move At The Double.

The Maxim even moving at their maximum speed are starting to fall behind.

The 21st moves into Skirmish order as they cross the rails and fire at the 19th Punjabis . . . 

. . . and inflicts one casualty.

The 19th Punjabis are pinned and must attempt to rally next turn.

The Naval Brigade successfully occupies the objective . . . but can they hold?

Getting close to Russian machine gun range.

The 19th Punjabis fail to rally and must retreat 3 inches.

While retreating they come under fire . . .

. . . and lose 2 more figures to the riflemen of the 21st Frontier Guards.

I think we will just wait here.

Under the stern gaze and awesome mustache of the Havildar the 19th Punjabis rally.

The British Indian Army continues to advance (ho-hum).

Fire!

A brave Sikh falls but the unit is not pinned.

The Sikhs have now lost a third of their unit!

Needless to say, the 14th Sikhs are pinned down.

Next Time:

The fighting becomes bloody!

That Russian machine gun has to go!

British Officers start dropping like flies!

You Idiot!