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Battle Report
 

Battle Report: 27th December 1994

Crimean Allies ~vs~ Crimean Russian

(Robert Avery ~vs~ Richard Avery)

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Crimean Allies
Brigade

Unit

 Fig.'s Org. Class Weapons Pts/Fig Points
FRENCH CinC

1

 . .. . . 100
  2inC 1         50
1st Brigade Veteran Infantry 36 6x6 RegA mlr (1 co LI)   504
  Zouaves 36 6x6 RegB mlr (1 co LI)   432
  1st Line 36 6x6 RegC mlr (1 co LI)   306
  2nd Line 18 3x6 RegC mlr   192
Cavalry Guard Hussars 12 2x6 RegA s, p   216
  Guard Dragoons 12 2x6 RegA s, mlc   216
  Lancers 12 2x6 RegB s, l   194
  Cuirassiers 12 2x6 RegB s, armour   194
Artillery 1st Battery 3 3x1 RegB light mlrb FA   289
Train Ammo Wagon 1         50
TURKISH 2inC 1         50
Infantry 1st Battalion 20 4x5 RegC sbm   180
  2nd Battalion 24 4x6 RegC sbm   208
BRITISH 2inC 1         50
Infantry Guards 40 10x4 RegA mlr   580
Cavalry 10th Hussars 5 1x5 RegB s   80
              3891
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Crimean Russian

Brigade

Unit

Fig.'s

Org.

Class

Weapons

Pts/Fig

Points

  

CinC

1

 

 

 

 

 100
  2inC 1         50
Line  1st Battalion 48 4x12 LightsC mlr   520
Regiment 2nd Battalion 48 4x12 RegB sbm   424
  3rd Battalion 48 4x12 RegD sbm   328
  4th Battalion 48 4x12 RegD sbm   328

Militia

 Cossack Foot 48 4x12 RegD sbm   280
  Sailors 48 4x12 RegD sbm   280

Line

 Dragoons 16 2x8 RegB s, mlc    260

Cavalry

 Hussars 24 4x6 RegC s   376

Cossack

 1st Sotnya 15 1x15 IrregC s, l   180

Horse

 2nd Sotnya 15 1x15 IrregC s, l   180

Artillery

 1st Battery 3 3x1 RegC light mlsb FA   237
  2nd Battery 2 2x1 RegC heavy mlsb FA   232
              3825
.
. Crimean Allies Crimean Russian
Foot 4200 5760
Horse 106 140
Guns 6 10
 

Report

The Allied force had been ordered to invest the village of Smersh. When they arrived, they discovered that the Russians had got there first! Determined to follow orders, the French CinC ordered the attack.

The battle began badly for the Allies: with the British Guards doubling forward, coming under light artillery fire, and routing backwards again! They therefore played no part in the battle whatsoever.

In the centre, the French and the Turks advanced quickly in column towards the Russians who, rather than await their advance, also marched forward: with the Plastron of Cossack infantry successfully taking the hill in the centre of the field after doubling forward in good order.

This somewhat disrupted the French advance: so the French commander ordered one unit of lancer/cuirassiers to clear the Cossack foot off the hill.

The cavalry charged, and the Cossacks fled. Then, however, the Cossack cavalry charged the French cavalry: causing it to rout from the field having been hit in the flank by 600 screaming horsemen!

The other half of the French lancer/cuirassiers then charged, and were countercharged by the other 600 Cossacks. In a field now the epitomy of confusion, the two cavalry units ended up facing each other, horses exhausted, men shaken, about three lance distances apart.

Quickly both sides advanced infantry to support their cavalry: the Russian sailors facing up to and then being routed by the French Marines/Veterans: who went on to drive the two Cossack cavalry units from the field.

Unfortunately, the absence of the British Guards had left their left flank unprotected: a fact they regretted as 320 Russian heavy dragoons hit them there! They routed (A class troops!), but the Dragoons themselves were then smashed from the field by flanking fire from the Zouaves.

Meanwhile on the French left flank, things were going equally badly: whilst the troops there were trying to sort themselves out, they let a company of Russian skirmishers get within musket range.

The Russians opened fire: and scored devastating casualties on the French artillery. The artillerymen consulted their rule book, discovered that being shot at was not in their contracts, and routed off the field.

With half their cavalry, their artillery and veteran infantry routed, the Guards gone, their attacks stalled, and the Russians advancing strongly, the French commander decided that enough was enough, and ordered a retreat to regroup. 

Casualties 

The Russians lost 30 Cossack infantry, 127 sailors, 5 infantry and 72 Dragoons: a total of 234 men.

The Allies lost 16 British Guards, 17 French Dragoons and 17 Guides, 30 Lancers and 30 Cuirassiers, 66 artillerymen, 180 line infantry, 35 Zouaves and 68 veteran infantry: a total of 459 men. The French CinC also sustained a heavy wound.

Results

A modest victory for the Russians. 

Analysis

With a series of unorthodox and spirited attacks, the Russians forced the Allies to react to everything they did: preventing the Allies using their longer-ranegd mlr’s.

The Allies thus attacked piecemeal: and ended up exchanging very expensive and good quality units for the sake of routing poor quality Russian troops.