Wednesday 12 October 2016

Plastic & Steel 2016 - part 3 :Battle of Bunker Hill June 17, 1775. in 54mm




Our game had the intention of a British force assailing a fortified position with redoubts, flanked by entrenched artillery.



Jeroen and me took the Brittish force while Steven, and a young visitor of the show were on the American side. 

















We dispatshed a large force towards the artillery, being without mush infantry support the week spot in the American line. As the Americans were largly outnumbered, we downgraded the British line towards regulars, olny the grenadiers and marines being veteran.. I made the game very balanced .



Half of the American force were militia, the others were regulars and one unit of veteran grenadiers.
They had also a group of sharpshooters acting as skirmishes.

The sharpshooters and bad command dicing made the advance of the marines very slow.


Sveral attemps to take redoubts were thrown back, casualties mounting.







On the Brittish right, the casulaties were mounting. Every attack being thrown back.


To avoid defeat, the assaults on the right had to be stopped, while the left had still the veteran grenadiers in reserve. 


The Amercian right had to be weakend to support the artillery postion

The lines to thin with only militia remaining, the lines were pierced.



Close to the historical outcome, it was a Brittish victory , but seen the number of casualties, this felt more like a defeat. 
The biggest problem was the slow movement of the rigid line formation, musketry much weakening each unit before it could assail the fortied positions.