"2nd Boer War Battle Report" Topic

Battle Report: Paardeberg Drift ("Kitcherner's Derangement")

A couple of weeks ago, on Sept. 20th, the Red River Area (ND)Wargamers got together to game a part the battle of Paardeberg Drift from the Second Boer War, and since there has been some discussion of that particular conflict on TMP of late, I though you might appreciate a short report. We used TSATF as our rules set; Michael Hopper (who also did many of the scenarios for the recent Shako II book) designed the scenario. Unfortunately, I took no notes during the game, and so must rely upon my all too fallible memory; I apologize in advance for any inadvertent errors.

The engagement takes place late in the afternoon on February 18th, 1900. The British under Lord Kitchener had trapped Piet Cronje's commando against the Modder River, and the Boers had dug in. Kitchener's staff advised that a prudent bombardment of the Boer positions might persuade them to see reason, but Kitchener would have none of it. In order that he might "annihilate Cronje's force, and then, with the terror of his dripping sword preceding him, to march straight on…," he ordered an immediate assault. The result, for most of the day, was unproductive and bloody piecemeal attacks, but then at last, late in the day, Sir Horace Smith-Dorrien's 19th Brigade attacked without orders; the 2nd Royal Canadians and the Highland Brigade – apparently unwilling to be left out of the fight – followed on their heels.
The table was 8'x5'; three units of Boers and two guns were deployed in three lines of entrenchments over about 2' of table (for this game, the Boer rifle pits and trenches were ruled to provide shelter from fire, but did not inhibit movement or provide a melee bonus). There was little more terrain – a line of trees along the banks of the river to the rear of the Boers and a few stands of scrub to their front. The Second Duke of Cornwall Light Infantry (two units) deployed near the opposite table edge on the center and left of the board; the Canadians entered on the first turn to their right.
The Lights immediately began to advance crisply up the board into what would prove the teeth of the Boer defense, and began at once to take casualties from accurate Boer artillery fire. The Canadians (two units, my command) advanced far more prudently, ignoring the jeers of their comrades to the left. The Highlanders (in two commands of two units each) followed several turns later. Soon the Lights approached the Boer trenches and began to take a murderous fire from two Boer units and the two guns. The British replied, but made little impression on the entrenched Boers. Undeterred, Col. Aldworth ordered the charge and carnage ensued: the unit nearest the center faltered under intense fire, failed to reach the trenches and was virtually wiped out. The second unit, however, reached the entrenchments despite appalling casualties, whereupon the Boers -- unnerved by the zeal of their foes -- unexpectedly fled, leaving a pathetic handful of triumphant British in possession of the trenches.
Meanwhile, the leisurely Canadian advance had continued, much to the irritation of all the Scots to their rear. At that moment, however, the referee announced that we heard confused firing in the distance, and made out an approaching column of cavalry. Fearing the worst, the Black Watch formed squares, while the Seaforths and Highland Lights continued their advance over the bodies of fallen Cornwallers. Soon DeWitt's commando, two units of very nicely painted mounted Boers, appeared in the British rear. At the same time, the fleeing Boers seem to have realized the tiny number of Lights left alive; they rallied, charged, and retook their trenches. The Cornwall Lights had died to a man.
At this point, though, things finally started to break in favor of the British: the Canadian line, still relatively unscathed, finally opened fire on the Boers to their front, and a lucky shot nailed the Boer commander. The Boers then withdrew rather than face the Canadian charge, but took heavy casualties crossing the open ground to the second line. To the rear, many of DeWitt's Boers had dismounted to form a firing line in the face of the Scottish squares, but the Highlanders reformed into open order and advanced rapidly upon DeWitt's men with murderous intent. One unit was actually driven from the board by the fury of the Scot advance; the other prudently remained mounted, but was also seen off. Finally, on the British left, the remaining two units of Scots advanced to the trenches and attacked with gusto. In the center, the Boers held (despite the loss of another commander; Cronje himself entered the fray and steadied the line) and their guns continued to inflict heavy losses on the attackers; to the left, however, in a tough hand-to-hand fight the Highlanders recaptured yet again the section of trenches first taken by the Lights.
A British victory seemed nigh at hand when the Canadians charged once again to finish the Boers, one unit aiming for a gun emplacement, the other for the leaderless Boers in the second line. Had the Canadians succeeded, Cronje and the remaining Boers would be effectively surrounded. Unfortunately, disaster struck my gallant Canucks: the gun site was taken indeed, but the casualties on the attackers were truly horrible, and made worse by a cunning enfilade fire from Cronje's men to my left; amazingly, the other Canadian unit was defeated in hand to hand combat by the leaderless Boers, who made an astonishing series of rolls for critical morale and to receive the charge. Fortunately, on the opposite flank, the Highlanders had at last eliminated the opposition to their front and had secured their section of the Boer line. At this point, the referee called it a day.
When the smoke cleared we tallied up points for objectives gained and casualties inflicted, and determined that the game was a dead draw: 128 British points to 129 points for the Boers. Historically, the engagement was a British victory and Cronje surrendered a few days later, but historically DeWitt's commando never made it to the field. There are a few pictures of the game on our RRAW Yahoo group site.

Cheers! -- Hans

Great battle report, thanks for posting it, Hans.

I could see it all in my mind's eye !

Now I'll go look at the pictures and compare them.

Chick