Colonial Games: the Second Battle of Tel Debi

Part Two
The Second Battle of Tel Debi

Continued from Part One

The British civilians by now are crossing the bridge in large numbers (there go the children from the orphanage), and the supply train is passing into town. Things look fairly bright for the Redcoats, considering.

The Natives, supported by German fire from the oasis, at last break cover and began their mass rush toward the town defenses, as the gallant lancers are finally overwhelmed by simultaneous attacks from two infantry units and a rear attack from the German cavalry.

The British in the town, one gun knocked out by Native artillery, brace themselves for the assault, determined to make their firepower count for as much as possible, and fall back at the last possible moment.

Then disaster strikes. With the supply train halfway across the bridge, a second Random Anarchist is rolled, this time behind the British lines. Appearing with impunity on the middle of the bridge, far from any armed figure, he tosses his bomb in the middle wagon, and in moments the bridge is blocked with flaming wreckage.

Their position now hopeless, the British can only fix bayonets and wait, as the first wave of Natives hits the wall. The launch rushes to the pier.

The Highlanders and line infantry desperately hold the wall for a brief time.

The Native camelry charges into the teeth of the remaining gun, scattering the gunners and leaping the low wall to seal the doom of the defenders. (You have never seen a camel leap? Great is God!)

The engineers and civilians on the far side of the river can only watch in horror as the Natives sweep through the streets. The sappers have no choice except to detonate the charges, and the bridge tumbles to a heap of rubble, blocking further Native advances. But, except for the few that managed to reach the launch, the entire defending force is overrun and slaughtered.

Outcome
While not a clear-cut victory for either side under the scenario conditions, the battle was an appalling morale blow for the British. All the civilians were evacuated, with half the supply train, and the bridge successfully destroyed, but the loss of the entire defending garrison, not to mention the capture of Sir Arthur, was simply too ghastly to contemplate. As soon as the news reached London, a Parliamentary investigation was set in motion, which resulted, some few months later, in the fall of the current government, and sweeping reforms in military organization and operation.

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