This
is the background of the fourth of the seven scenarios of a campaign game covering the Russian
Invasion of the Colony of South Australia, The Russians are on
the attack against outnumbered but emplaced Colonial troops, little do the Russians know the South Australians
have reinforcements close at hand:
A week into the
invasion of South Australia Lieutenant-General Lazarev was
satisfied with the progress his ‘army’ had made. Every evening since the
landing had he held a council of war in which he met the fleet commander,
Lieutenant Commander Rozhestvensky and the force’s diplomat, Aleksandr
Jomini to discuss the day’s events and plan the next ones operations. Saturday
night’s meeting centred on two salient points; the first was the failure of
securing sufficient supplies and horses for the army through foraging and the
second was what should be the objective of the next attack to be launched against their cunning enenmy. The long discussion on the latter topic ended in the conclusion that the securing of
a deep water port i.e. Port Adelaide was a higher priority than occupying the
City of Adelaide itself. Sound and conservative reasoning advised against
advancing inland without a secure supply base. Seizing the port would offer a
safe haven for the Russian ships and there was also the expectation that the
ports warehouses would be filled with crucial foodstuffs for the army. With this direction of
advance in mind strategies were formulated for the Sunday morning offensive.
In the final plan
while 3 battalions of Lazarevs infantry were to advance from the Russian
beachhead northward to Port Adelaide with support from the big guns of the
fleet, the remaining infantry battalion with the Cossacks attached were to act
as a diversion probing aggressively towards the South Australian capital
hopefully pining down the defenders. Little did the Russians know their
troops exertions toward the port were to be wasted as the South Australian
commander Downes with the support of Governor Jervois had decided to
sacrifice Port Adelaide and concentrate all their forces to defend the
City of Adelaide. They considered holding the capital was crucial to maintain
the morale of the populace and they believed any reinforcements forthcoming
from the other colonies would not arrive in Port Adelaide with the
Russian fleet prowling just off its entrance.
This meant that less
than a quarter of the Russian force was about to assault the full
strength of the prepared South Australian defenders!
Adelaide’s peace
was broken on that fateful Sunday morning as the Russian’s fleet’s big guns
bombarded Port Adelaide and hundreds of Russians advanced under the barrage’s
cover.
Meanwhile as part
of the diversion a half Company of the West Siberian Combined Battalion commanded by Captain Pushkin moved
furtively along the route of Port Road towards Adelaide. Just before 10:00am he was alerted of a Colonial defensive
position blocking their advance by an excited Cossack scout and he moved forward
to reconnoiter it. He was faced by a palisade the locals had hastily erected to
defend the roadway. He consulted his sergeants and decided on an immediate frontal attack!
His infantry with a few Cossacks in support moved forward…
Sergeant Stanley
Bruce and his guard detachment manned the palisade facing the Siberians. His men
were part of the Adelaide Rifle Company and impatient for a ‘scrap’ with the invaders. He knew
reserves from the Company were close at hand so was confident he could hold his position. The palisade he
and his men had constructed the previous day was dubbed by the locals 'Stanley’s Redoubt', they had
named it in his honour. As he watchwed the enemy pressing forward toward
him Sergeant Bruce reassured himself that his men would successfully push them back but
yet a feeling deep within his sub conscious wished it was a sturdy redoubt he
was standing behind instead of a handful of hurriedly erected logs!
AAR and scenario forces, set up, special rules and victory conditions to come soon!
