This scenario is the second battle of our club's World War I Centennial event, using Great War Spearhead II in 6mm. Our first scenario, Mons, resulted in a narrow British victory. The Battle of La Cateau took place immediately following the BEF retreat from the Mons salient. Unlike their previous hasty defense, the British established a more formidable defensive position at La Cateau, aiming to make a strong stand that might blunt the rapid German advance into France. With six brigades--a division and half--could the British stop an entire German corps from rolling through La Cateau? |
AFTER ACTION REPORT
SCENARIO RESULTS: The early going looked promising for the German attack--especially when the British struggled to order their brigades into a tactical redeployment. I like that the GWSII rules make changing your orders somewhat problematic, reflecting the inflexible nature of WW1 battle. But crossing so much open ground with sustained British artillery fire did take a toll on the Germans, and when they finally managed to close with their infantry, murderous British fire tipped the scales far enough for morale checks to come into play. Multiple German brigades melted away in a single critical turn, stalling the entire offensive and allowing the BEF to chalk up a much more comfortable victory than Mons. We are looking forward to continuing the war with another scenario that will bring us ever closer to the decisive blood-letting on the Marne!