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Thursday 21 February 2013

Return to Madasahatta?

One experience that David Crook and I share is our participation in Eric Knowles's epic Madasahatta campaign. It is a topic that usually crops up in any conversations that we have, and once or twice we have even talked about running our own versions.


With this in mind I looked at the initial start-up positions for the various forces involved in the original campaign ... and realised that I probably have more than enough figures to actually do it! If I make one PORTABLE WARGAME unit equal to a company, all I will need is the following:

Garrison of New Surrey
  • Port Victoria
    • 3rd Battalion, Connaught Rangers (less 1 Company) [3 Infantry Units]
    • 47th Mountain Battery (2 x 12pdr. Guns) [1 Mountain Artillery Unit]
  • Rumbletum’s Kraal
    • 1 Company, 3rd Battalion, Connaught Rangers [1 Infantry Unit]
  • Clinkajeer's Kraal
    • 1 Squadron, Bengal Lancers [1 Cavalry Unit]
  • Fort Chupatty
    • HQ and 2 Companies, 1st Battalion, Ludhiana Sikhs [2 Infantry Units]
  • Fort George
    • 2 Companies, 1st Battalion, Ludhiana Sikhs [2 Infantry Units]
Garrison of Hansaland
  • Festung Teufel
    • 2 Companies, 1st Battalion Askari Infanterie [2 Infantry Units]
    • 1 gun (1 x 88mm Howitzer), Hansaland Kolonial Artillerie [½ Mountain Artillery Unit]
  • Festung Askari
    • 2 Companies, 1st Battalion Askari Infanterie [2 Infantry Units]
    • 1 gun (1 x 88mm Howitzer), Hansaland Kolonial Artillerie [½ Mountain Artillery Unit]
  • Festung Amelia
    • 1 Company, 12th Marine Battalion [1 Infantry Unit]
  • Seemanstadt
    • 12th Marine Battalion (less 1 Company) [3 Infantry Units]
  • Bluchershafen
    • 10th Wurttemburg Artillerie Batterie (2 x105mm Guns) [1 Field Artillery Unit]
Garrison of The Arab Concession
  • Port Maleesh
    • 1 Battalion, State Guard (4 Infantry Units]
    • 1 Battery, Artillery (2 x 88mn Howitzers) [1 Mountain Artillery Unit]
Whoppituppas Tribal Forces
  • Hornikraal
    • Royal Bodyguard [4 Infantry Units]
    • The Elephant Regiment [4 Infantry Units]
  • Militini's Kraal
    • The Lion Regiment [4 Infantry Units]
  • Gindrinka's Kraal
    • The Leopard Regiment [4 Infantry Units]
In total the forces involved would be:
  • British: 8 Infantry Units, 1 Cavalry Unit, and 1 Mountain Artillery Unit (37 figures and 1 gun)
  • German: 8 Infantry Units, 1 Mountain Artillery Unit, and 1 Field Artillery Unit (36 figures and 2 guns)
  • Turkish: 4 Infantry Units and 1 Mountain Artillery Unit (18 figures and 1 gun)
  • Native: 16 Infantry Units (64 figures)
I have several other projects that I want to finish before I even start to seriously think about re-staging the Madasahatta campaign ... but if and when I do, it looks like if could be a very nice little war to fight!

12 comments:

  1. Oh thanks a heap, Bob. You've set yet another irresistable delicacy before my eyes. Must...resist...starting...another...project... [Systems failure: already looking through my colonials. Drat!]

    Chris

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  2. Chris,

    Sorry ... but you have to admit that it is a very tantalising little campaign, and well worth re-fighting.

    All the best,l
    Bob

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  3. Hi Bob,

    Now that is an undertaking ideally suited to PW and no mistake!

    Given the size of the forces described I am thinking that perhaps some block army activity may be on the cards!

    A very neat idea and I will look forward to seeing this come to life once again.

    All the best,

    DC

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  4. David Crook,l

    I will not be starting this project until I have finished one or two other things first ... but it s a very tempting project to do, if only to see if I can recapture the fun of Eric's campaign.

    It would be very easy to re-fight the Madasahatta campaign with your block armies, but I will be using figures.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  5. Tradgardmastare,

    I won't be rushing into this project quite yet as I have several other things that I want to finish first. That said, it has a nostalgic appeal to me that I find very, very tempting.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  6. You should doit Bob, before Tim Gow does it in 54mm!

    Regards, Chris

    ReplyDelete
  7. Chris Kemp,

    Knowing Tim the way we both do, he has probably already ordered the figures!

    All the best,

    Bob

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  8. Well, if this project is down the track a bit, that gives us something to look forward to all the same!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Archduke Piccolo (Ion),

    It is a project that I have wanted to 'do' for a long, long time ... and although the figures I use might not be exactly the same as in the original, I hope to recreate the original game's atmosphere.

    Something for the future.

    All the best,

    Bob

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  10. Are there enough units in the campaign to give a good game, do you think? It is always hard to know before trying, but those forces might lead to 4 vs 4 battles on average, perhaps?

    Regards

    John

    ReplyDelete
  11. JWH (John),

    It is a good point to make, but in the original campaign both sides got reinforcements as it progressed, and I would probably do the same.

    All the best,

    Bob

    ReplyDelete

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