One more scenario today, maybe a couple tomorrow, then I'll give it a break. (If I'm overdoing it, let me know.)
OK, this is the business: what should have been the decisive battle of the War of the Pacific. (Except that the Peruvian President wouldn't accept that losing his capital meant he was beaten, so it dragged on for another 3 years of vicious guerrilla war.) About 25,000 well-equipped, well-trained, well-motivated Chileans have to storm two successive lines of strong entrenchments held by about 25,000 much poorer quality Peruvians.
Initially, I was looking at these as two separate battles, and therefore two separate scenarios, one each for Chorrillos and Miraflores. However, that would reduce each of them to a relatively simple and limited frontal assault. Since the two actions were separated by only a couple of miles and a lull of a single day, I realised that it would make obvious sense to combine them in a single scenario, and turn two dull games into one interesting one.
This is a strength of BBB: the scale of the game enables an evening's wargaming to encompass large-scale action across signficant spans of time and distance, while still retaining that tactical feel and not reducing it to too abstract a level.
The scenario therefore combines the two battles of Chorillos and Miraflores. A key question was how to link them. "Keep it simple" is a good maxim to follow. I decided to limit the egame to 9 turns in total, but to let the Chilean player dictate the tempo. He can either call a Night Interval at some point – the historical option, which lets him regroup his forces ready to assault the second line, but allows the Peruvians to bring up their 2nd Reserve Corps – or he can press on and carry both lines in a single day, if he is skilful enough and lucky enough.
For added flavour, the Chileans have naval gunfire support; the Peruvians have landmines and railway guns; Chilean units may take time out for looting. Apart from these, a couple of other elements help to make this more than a simple storming of entrenchments. One is the question already mentioned, of whether the Chileans can carry both lines before Peruvian reinforcements can enter the fray. The other is that the Chileans were concerned for their own supply line, so the Peruvians can win if they counterattack that successfully, not just by repulsing the attackers.
Fielding these armies is easy. The Chileans are still in their French-style blue coats and red trousers. The Peruvians, though, now look like Confederates in off-white or grey uniforms and kepis.
I am particularly indebted to Ernesto Linares Mascaro for his help with my research for this battle: firstly of course for his own book* on the Morro Solar, the fortified mountain that anchored the Peruvian first line; and secondly for sending me fascinating and invaluable information on the Peruvian railway guns that participated in the battle.
An interesting footnote: Von Moltke's nephew died in this battle, serving in the Chilean army. One other historical footnote, specially for American readers: among the Peruvian garrison of the Morro Solar was an American mercenary. The valiant Peruvians, realising the position was about to be stormed by the Chileans, fought to the last moment, then decamped out the back while their officer lit the fuse to blow the magazine. Our American hero promptly intervened shouting "I don't want to die" or words to that effect, extinguished the fuse, and was captured and survived, thereby presumably achieving his major victory condition.
Scenario map:
PAC2 War of the Pacific Chorrillos & Miraflores 1881 battle map by
bbbchrisp, on Flickr
The full scenario is in the files section of the BBB Yahoo group:
link
* Ernesto's book: "La última resistencia: la batalla en el Morro Solar de Chorrillos el 13 de enero de 1881"
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