Joint Forces Outpost vs Boxer Hoards Part1

1900 China, the Boxer Rebellion is in full swing and rumors are that Empress Cixi has allowed the Imperial Chinese Army to actively aid the Boxers. A joint force of allied European troops hold a critical outpost and await either attack or re-enforcement. The force is under the leadership of Captain Sydney Smythburns ( above to the right) detached from the 95th Highlanders. Under his command is a section of French sailors under Ensign Henri Reims,

a unit from the Hong Kong Regiment Sgt. Lee Chin commanding, Ensign Rupert B. Dethdellr's Royal Navy Nordfelt Machinegun Team,

         and a detachment of Sikhs under Subadar Imma Khan.

                The first boxers scout the outpost.

The Boxer Army includes four large unit of boxers with assorted hand weapons and unit of Imperial Tigermen with swords and shields and a unit of Imperial regulars with modern rifles. All are under the command of "General" Shi Yang.

Smythburns puts the French sailors in a forest on his right flank and forms a firing line with the rest of his force-Nordfelt in the middle. The General Shi''s Boxers go for a left flank and up the middle attack

CHARGE!

Contact between the Black Flags and the French!

At the cost of five casualties the first charge of the Black Flags is repulsed-barely.

Smythburns and the Hong Kong detachment take defensive positions in the ruins. Mean while, Ensign Riems' sailors pour deadly volley fire into the disordered Black Flags who rally and ready themselves for another charge.

Vo

After a brutal fight Ensign Riems and his sailors are wiped out by the Black Flags. (the French casualties can be seen to the upper left).

Combined rifle and machinegun fire halts the Red and Green Boxers on the rough hillock.

Victory on the left stalemate in the middle what does the future hold for the Boxers?

Joint Forces Outpost vs Boxers Part Two

                              General Shi commits the Imperial Army forces.

The Green Flag charges, Black flag readies themselves for the next charge while the Red Flags remain pinned on the hillock. 

The greens are repulsed after causing four casualties to the Hong Kong troops (seen to the left).

Pinned by rifle and machinegun fire, the Green Flags are quickly whittled down.

                                             Last of the Green Flags

Green Flags rout through the still pinned Red Flags.

No Flags Boxer Riflemen duel the Sikhs.

The Black Flags Charge Smythburns and the Hong Kong men.

The Black Flags regroup for another charge which fails.

Rapid fire is Ensign Dethdellr's command .

Black Flags hunkers down in the forest (the four loses to two for the Hong Kong unit in the last charge are in the center).

The Black Flags regroup for yet another charge which... fails

The remnants of the Green Flags shakes the morale of the Green Flags and No Flags. 

The Red Flags and No Flags break and run under heavy rifle and machinegun fire

The Tigermen advance, behind cover.

The fourth and final charge on the outpost by the Black Flags...which fails again

The last three of the Hong Kong detachment and Smythburns, after beating off the last brave charge of the Black Flags.

Last of the Black Flags.

What a time for the machinegun to jam!!! The Tigermen easily over run and destroy the pesky Nordfelt team, and then run onto the bayonets of the Sikhs. The fight is short and swift.

The pitiful remains of the Tigermen run for their lives.

      Regroup and advance is now the order of the day for the Sikhs, 50% losses is nothing to these fanatic warriors of the Queen Empress Victoria.

General Shi Yang looks on in dismay as the morale of his Imperial troops breaks and they too run for their lives (having taken only one loss and missing every time they fired. The allied Europeans fire power was too much for his brave but out gunned forces. Empress Cixi will not be pleased.

 With the routing of the Imperial soldiers, the last unbroken Boxer unit; the hard fought victory goes to the remains of the Allied survivors:  Capt. Sydney Smythburns. 3 of the 12 Hong Kong detachmentSubadar Imma Khan and 5 Sihks. 10 men out of 39. 

 Most of the miniature warriors were Minifig pieces, a small group of Boxers were from Ral Partha, I painted all of them in the early 1980's. The rules were a mix of home grown and "The Men Who Would Be Kings" from Osprey