15mm Peter Laing Zulu War Battle

 I've been trying to get more wargaming in this winter.  I have found Bob Cordery's Portable  Wargames and Memoir of Battle rules ideal. They make for quick fun battles that work well for solo games.

I picked out some of my Peter Laing colonial British and Zulu warriors. I used the Battle of Isandlwana as the basis for my game.

The British army is drawn up from left to right: No.1 battery, Cos. A & B, No.2 battery, Cos. C & D.The British camp and Commander is to the left rear.  10 Zulu units are at the top of the picture.      

The British batteries start firing but have no effect on the advancing Zulus.

The Zulus quickly closed in and forces both batteries to retreat.

(This photo shows at the end of the next more). No.1 battery has been eliminated and Co. A have lost half there men. The British commander moves to rally Co.A.  The Zulus have been thrown back, giving the left wing some breathing space.

The reprieve is short-lived; the Zulus advance and wipes out the rest of Co.A,   Co. C is down to 25%, and Co. D is thrown back, leaving Co. Cs flank wide open.  The Zulus attempt to work around the British right flank is thwarted by Co. Ds retreat.

Co. B moves to their left to stop a flanking of their position. Co.  C also moves to the left, forming a new line. However, the Zulu force that eliminated No.1 battery is about to cut off the British line of retreat.

  

At this point the British realize the battle is lost. They start to retreat; No. 2 battery is lost.   The rest of the story can be left to the imagination. Those who know the story of Isandlwana  know what happened next.

It was an enjoyable game, once again quickly thrown together and more fun than I expected. I should have given the British greater range to both their rifles and artillery.  Maybe next game I will use Battle Cry dice instead of regular dice.