WW1 East Africa, using RAPID FIRE

I'm of the view that WW1 colonial theatres are the more interesting and easier to game. The Western Front is too much of a slugfest. Until you bring out the Stosstruppen for the Jerries and the tanks for the Allies. Plus you've got to build a lot of terrain like trenches and barbed wire. The Eastern front and RCW is still a war of manoever and also the opening phase of 1914 in France. When HAT brought out Schuztrupen and Rugga, British in tropical gear and Indian troops a friend of mine couldn't resist and started collecting armies for the East African theatre.

Follow me men! British in tropical (centre) and Kings African Rifles (right)

I think we got the colour of cloth wrong, pretty sure Tanga was jungle and rubber plantations. This must be the Tanga beachhead! That sand cloth is better suited to the Middle East. Next time a lush green cloth.

Right: Kings African Rifles bayonet charge

My friend Alex introduced his own house rules using cards to activate units. This broke up the "I move all my stuff then you move all your stuff" dynamic of  Rapid Fire.

Rugga Rugga and Shutztruppen's advance is bottlenecked by a hill and scrub

Rapid Fire does work for WW1 side shows I've also used it for SCW (Mark Hanham's Rampon el Fuego). I think there's a post war set called War in Peace for after WW2. 

My right flank:  a German HMG sets up in a plantation, while two companies advance

Apparently the British messed up the assault on Tanga and Force B had to reboard their ships and withdraw to Mombassa..They underestimated the local German colonial troops, Askaris and Rugga Rugga, used to fighting in the bush, who knew their own ground. The German General Paul von Lettow-Vorbeck was outstanding and ran rings round the British, who -landed in drips and drabs. At one point one British unit got attacked by a swarm of bees in the jungle! The Indian troops who use Lee Metfords were issued with Lee Enfield rifles just before embarcation with little time to practise. The British haunted by 1837 also had the outdated assumption that the German colonial troops would mutiny if given the opportunity.

HAT Shutztruppen advance in a V formation HMG supporting to their right

The British kit was not great - shorts are not good for the jungle. Long trousers were best to stop insect bites and cuts from the dense foliage. The British later drew on South African troops, (Led by Johan Christianson Smutts a former Boer leader ) who were hardened to the climate. But even then their pack and limber horses died due to Tsetse fly and insect bites. Both sides relied on local porters, who carried the food water and ammunition. 

German Shutztruppen and Rugga Rugga supported by two heavy machine guns

As well as the South African troops the Indian Mountain Artillery, and K.A.R acquitted themselves well in this campaign. The volunteer African Light Horse made up of farmers also did well (/you see these briefly in the film Out of Africa) There was an also an idea mooted to recruit Zulus for the campaign. Jumping back to Holywood films: African Queen and Shout at the Devil are good uns!

Paint job conversions: Kings African Rifles (left) and Sudanese Police (right)

Some colourful units made an appearance: Sundanese Police wearing blue jerseys and havelocks, KAR, regular Indian Army units and Indian Imperial troops. Later in the East African campaign the British brought over Jamaican troops from the Caribean. Like their English and some Indian units they didn't fair well under the harsh conditions of the country. 

Although Vorbeck had mounted a successful hit and run campaign against the British they kept bringing over more troops. The Belgians and Portugese colonial troops also intervened.

(Things we are missing in this theatre: the obligatory single Rolls Royce armoured car and German 105mm guns pinched from the Konigsberg!).