Reprinted from TABLE TOP TALK (March, 1966) with the kind permission of Jack Scruby. In previous issues of Table Top Talk you have read several stories about THE EGYPTIAN REBELLION of 1895 that David Rusk and I have fought with 25mm Colonial troops and natives. The war game rules that we used have been outlined, and the Battle of El Daga Bluff has been described. A summary of the short campaign this phase of our "Great African War" follows. Prior to any campaigns of the African War, we set up a maximum number of battles one player must win in order to be victorious in a campaign. For the Egyptian Rebellion campaign, we decided to fight three battles, with the victor of any two battles to have the option of continuing the campaign if he wished, or to move to some other sector of Africa and start up a new campaign. As victor, I decided to temporarily end the Revolt in Egypt and move to a campaign in German East Africa. At the time of this writing the campaign is German East Africa is over, and we are starting new action along the Gold Coast. We hope you will enjoy the report on the mythical Egyptian Rebellion campaign. It is reported in "historical" text, since the battle rules we used are know by most readers. I should mention, however, that no "casualties" are kept, and in each game we started with the same numbers of model soldiers that we had available to fight with. Also, the number of troops as reported in this story are based on one model soldier equaling ten men. Thus, ten models represent 100 in the report. It so happened that when the Egyptian Rebellion began in earnest, General Kitchener-Scruby, British Commander of the Anglo-Egyptian army, was on a tour of inspection at El Faraquar, southernmost outpost on the Nile River of the loyal troops. For months there had been rumors coming out of the Sudan that a great native religious leader named El Dav-eed (David Rusk) was rousing the natives to rebel against the Egyptian government, protected in 1895 by the English. At El Farquar the 11th Battalion of Egyptian Regulars, 600 strong, had been restive and KitchenerScruby was worried about them. When he arrived on the small Nile riverboat at the outpost, he was horrified to hear that the entire battalion had deserted and disappeared! The small British garrison remaining and did not have long to wait to discover what had happened to them. For within a week, on a hot July loth morning, El Dav-eed began an attack - with the 1 lth Egyptians in the lead! El Farquar had been a beehive of activity since Kitchner-Scruby had arrived. Mealie bags had been stacked into redoubts around the area and upon the summits of the small hillocks that dotted the area. The stone walled blockhouse had finally been completed, and two old watchtowers had been renovated. It was well this work had been done, for the Rebels had arrived in strength. For with only 2800 men, the Britis had to hold a large area and their backs were to the Nile. And only one ship was available for evacuation. Besides the 600 Egyptian Regulars, El Dav-eed had mustered a force of 3400 native riflemen, spearmen and light cavalry, and had several guns run by renegade whites. Fortunately, the British had already deployed around the base, and for a week had camped out in their battle positions. The Rebels began their assault by a direct attack upon Watchtower #2, held by a half company of Bombay Pioneers. Four companies of the Black Watch moved out to help the Indians, and for the next four hours held off this attack with heavy fire. Next, enemy light cavalry in multitudes appeared from the west and attempted to drive out the Naval company holding Redoubt #2. This attack was unsuccessful and the cavalry fell back with heavy loss. Four companies of the Durham Light Infantry, stationed at Redoubt #1 were horrified to see some 3,000 natives appear to their front, and after a heavy volley, they retired towards the Barracks to take up positions there, for in conjunction with this attack, the 1 lth Egyptians appeared from the south and wiped out the small garrison at Watchtower #1. Within an hour of the first shot, the Rebels had surrounded the British on three sides, and the attacks were being pressed fiercely at all points. The key position appeared to be the blockhouse in which four companies of Durhams were stationed. As long as this could hold out, the Rebels might be held. For by this time, the main British line had formed up around the Barracks facing the massive native advance over Redoubt #1. Despite the utmost bravery, the Egyptian Regulars could not break the defense of the Blockhouse. But, in the meantime, despite terrible loss, the mass of natives, covered by Sudanese riflemen, had advanced steadily against the British lines, and suddenly broke into a run and launched a charge. The British met this with their bayonets, but sheer numbers overwhelmed them, and they were pressed backwards and inwards upon the barracks. The Blockhouse was now cut off from the main force! In a vicious swirl of hand to hand fighting, the British line finally held and threw the great native charge back. Mounted infantry dashed out from the barracks area to rescue the troops in the Blockhouse and to reinforce it, while the British attempted to re-group. However, El Dav-eed had lost too many men, and ordered a general retirement. Although losing the battle, the Rebels had inflicted terrible loss on the British garrison, only some 800 men being left. El Farquar could not hold out against another such attack, and during the night, the place was burned down, and the troops left on the gun boat for Berber. El Dav-eed was no fool. Against steady British troops in protected positions he had found that his troops could not win. Therefore he decided upon a hit and run strategy, hoping to catch his enemy in the open, and not behind Mealie bags. A careful ambush was laid near El Daga Bluff, and here a great battle was fought (reported in TTT). The British held off the Rebel attack, but were so decimated that they were unable to strengthen the small garrison at Berber. General Kitchner-Scruby determined that he did not have strength enough to hold Berber, and decided it was best to retire to Abu Harried, down river, and there gather all the British troops he could for a counter-offensive in the fall. River boats were scarce, so the 7 th Brigade was ordered to march along the old caravan route from Berber to Abu Harried, while the other troops went by the river boats. El Dav-eed's spies learned of the movement of the 7 th , and decided to catch them somewhere along the march and destroy them. The abandoned caravan stop at Aliclaba seemed to be a natural spot for another ambush. Here the trail narrowed down through a small valley, blocked at one end by Alidaba Hill and Mount Mozamb. This latter was a tall, stone bluff, a hundred feet high on which all movements of the British column could be watched as it approached. Taking his position here, El Dav-eed could overlook the battle and signal his hidden troops to move when he desired, without being seen. Unaware of the trap, the 7th, with cavalry scouts to the front and flanks, marched onwards. Over 5,000 Rebels waited in their positions. Hidden behind Thorn Hill lay 3,000 savage native spearmen while 800 Egyptian Regulars, turned Rebels, lay behind Alclaba Hill. Following the British column from hummock to hummock were some 300 or more native cavalry, while scattered out amongst a great series of boulders lay Sudanese riflemen awaiting the order to attack. Scouts of the 17 th Lancers discovered the Rebel riflemen and opened fire. As if by magic, from behind Thorn Hill came 3,000 screaming natives directly upon the unsuspecting column. As the British desperately started to deploy, the Egyptian Regulars moved out from Aliclaba Hill, firing into the head of the column. And galling rifle fire came from the boulders and from the rear from the native light cavalry. Within five minutes of the opening shot, the British column was entirely surrounded! Realizing that if the British had time to deploy properly and use the advantage of their firepower that his attack was doomed, the Rebel leader had incited his natives to attack the column, no matter what the loss. And as this attack kept the British facing it, his Regulars would press upon the head of the column where only two or three companies of English infantry could meet it. Thus a large "L" had to be formed by the British, and not sufficient strength could be derived from this position to meet all attacks at once! Sensing victory, nothing could hold back the Rebels. Into the thin khaki-clad lines smashed the first native attack. Miraculously they were thrown back by the stolid English infantry, but in the fighting most companies had suffered 60 to 70% losses! As the natives hovered on Thorn Hill, the British attempted to face the Egyptian Regulars moving smoothly in their attack. Nothing could stop them it seemed, and our troops died in rows to the accurate fire of the British-trained troops. In the end, small groups of Englishmen gathered together back to back until overwhelmed by the natives and their spears. Only a half-dozen men escaped from the horrible massacre at Aliclaba, and when news of this second "Isandhlwana" reached England, the entire country was finally roused to the awful dangers that awaited them in Africa. Losses had been so heavy for both the Rebels and the British in the short, but ferocious, Egyptian campaign, that both sides now sat down to lick their wounds until reinforcements could arrive. The British still held Abu Harried and the area northwards, but the Rebels had conquered the Sudan and southern Egypt, and eventually the British must counter-attack and wrest this area once again from El Dav-eed, the great Rebel leader. This report would not be complete without telling you that during the ensuing campaign of the Great African War (in German East Africa) we began using the Ballard War Game. At the same time we have re-organized my war game colonial armies so that we can fight three distinct types of battles. One is a "skirmish" type game, using 40mm soldiers and using rules based on Joe Morschauser's article "Humanizing the Roster System." For the larger battles we send an "advance guard" of 30mm troops into any campaign area. This is organized as a Battalion, with attached natives and cavalry, and the result of this action will determine the position of the next battle. This second battle is fought with 25mm troops of a Brigade or two strength. Results of the two actions will determine the subsequent movement of troops during the campaign, whether one player continues his invasion, or must wait to be counter-attacked. We hope in the future to bring you full reports of these campaigns for we think by doing so we may give you some ideas on how to get more enjoyment from your war gaming. Back to MWAN #115 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2002 Hal Thinglum This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com