Back of Beyond - Summer 1921

 The war in the east continued through the summer of 1921 with increased intensity! 

The Illustrious Arm of the Nine Illuminated Terrestrial Immortals, under the command of The Most Illustrious Beacon of Celestial Light and Commander of the Arm of Earthly Might, Win-Cao Lo-Fat, continued their siege of the Ist Guard Regiment, Ipatiev House, at Kubassa. 

The Canadians of the 14th Allied Eastern Expeditionary Army pursued the Ist Babushka Army Corps to Vlodkask, where they would make a despreate attempt to hold the last bit of territory under their control. 

The Red Horde, led by Altan Baatar Kahn, pursued the East Asia Cavalry Division through mountain passes and into Mongolia to fight them again at Driutsek. 

The Siege of Kubassa

Just before the final assault, Lo-Fat ordered a herd of pitch-covered pigs be led to the one of the sewer outflows under cover of darkness. As the pig were released into the city's sewer system they were set alight. Squealing, flaming pigs tearing through the sewer system sowed chaos and confusion amongst the residents and garrison and provided perfect distraction for the troops of The Illustrious Arm of the Nine Illuminated Terrestrial Immortals to storm the Bolshevik trenches, scale the walls and eventually overrun the city. 

Kombrig Mahat Mikhan packed his mandolin and along with his chief commissar and a pantomime horse costume, escaped the city under cover of darkness. The commissar was later captured and executed by counter revolutionaries near Vladivostock, but Mikhan made it to American where he began a new life writing comedy for "decadent westerners". At least until 1947, when he was deported to the Soviet Union after the House Committee on Un-American Activities began investigating the motion picture industry in Hollywood. 

The Battle of Vlodkask

The starving, tattered remains of the Ist Babushka Army Corps, dug in around Vlodkask. 

So broken were they, that the Canadian's preliminary bombardment saw off what remained of one of the battalions entirely! 

At dawn, the Canadians of the 14th Allied Eastern Expeditionary Army begin their assault 

The 8th Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles, quickly crossed a ford northeast of the town and overtook the positions of the departed bolshevik battalion, hoping to flank the rest of the Bolshevik line, or at least prevent reinforcements from retaking the position. 

Meanwhile, the 2nd Battalion, Regina Rifle Regiment, cam under heavy fire as it approached Vlodkask.  

Bolshevik Cavalry blocked the Canadian Mounted Rifles from sweeping up the Bolshevik flank! 

While the Canadian Mounted Rifles kept the Bolsheviks busy the 69th Armoured Regiment, supported by the 5th Battalion, Cape Breton Highlanders and the 15th Canadian Fusiliers, attempted to cross the ford. Unfortunately the tanks of the Armoured Regiment floundered in the soft mud of the ford and could advance no further. 

The two Canadian Field Artillery Regiments engaged in a vicious duel with the Bolshevik Artillery. The 37th Field Artillery took heavy casualties and eventually had to retire. But the 38th eventually silenced the Bolshevik guns! 

After a prolonged firefight with the Bolsheviks holding the town, the 2nd Battalion, Regina Rifle Regiment, was obliged to retire, having sustained a great deal many casualties. The 3rd Battalion, Winnipeg Grenadiers and 7th Battalion, South Saskatchewan Regiment kept up the pressure on the Bolsheviks. 

After a brutal clash with the Canadian Mounted Rifles, the Bolshevik cavalry tried to block the Canadian infantry crossing at the ford. Unfortunately, the Canadian Artillery was able to shift its focus to supporting the infantry advance and caught the cavalry in the open and cut them to shreds. 

Under the heavy weight of fire from the Canadian infantry, the Bolsheviks gave up the town and the Canadians began pouring across the bridge into town. Teh Winnipeg Grenadiers lead the assault. 

Teh Winnipeg Grenadiers stormed right through the town and out the other side to attack the flank of the remaining Bolshevik battalions dug in on the hills North east of town. The South Saskatchewan Regiment followed on and took up positions within the town of Vlodkask. 

At the other end, the Cape Breton Highlanders began their assault on the dug-in Bolsheviks. 

The Cape Breton Highlanders took heavy casualties in their assault, but the Bolskevik force was broken. Those that weren't killed or surrendered dispersed into the woods and deserted, fleeing in all directions.  

Commissar-General Lev (Leon) Davidovitch Runstein was unable to be located after the battle and assumed to have been killed in the fighting. 

The Battle of Driutsek

 The East Asia Cavalry Division fleeing Wurumchi, and hotly pursued by the Red Horde, decided to make a stand before Duiutsek. 

Crossing fords south of town, they were pursued a little TOO closely! 

Chinese Cavalry caught up with the Mongol Cavalry just beyond the East ford. 

The two units engaged in a protracted battle. The Mongols attempted to steer the Chinese cavalry away from the fleeing Russian infantry, in hopes of giving them time to turn and set up a defensive position. 

The battle went back and forth for some time, stalling the Chinese Infantry's advance. 

Finally the Mongol Cavalry was driven off and the Chinese Advance resumed. 

At the West ford, the 28th Imperial Russian Hussars turned to make their stand against the pursuing Chinese, to give the artillery time to turn and fire on their pursuers. Unfortunately, it was the Chinese tanks (which had SUCCESSFULLY crossed the ford!) that they Hussars had to face! The horsemen did no last long in the face of the tank assault! 

The Chinese tanks then drove off the 77th Imperial Russian Artillery, leaving the single Russian infantry battalion to hold off the Red Horde. 

The remains of the 77th Imperial Russian Infantry Regiment made their stand, and caused grievous casualties to the pursuing Chinese infantry battalion. 

Under the weight of fire from all sides, and under threat of being entirely surrounded and annihilated, the Russians quickly had to give up the field. 

So intense was the Chinese pursuit, that the East Asia Cavalry Division bypassed Driutsek entirely and retreated all the way to their base of operations at Gura, where they would make their final stand! 

In Other News

While it seemed the former Archduke Yevgeny Lytton, had settled into retirement and running a spa and bathhouse he'd set up in Tashkabad, in the summer of 1921 it was reported he rode out of Tashkabad with his personal guard of Cossacks. At first it was rumoured that he'd taken up banditry, but firsthand reports seemed to indicate few were killed or injured in this excursion and that they seemed to be looking for one thing;  a Samovar that had been part of his family for some time!? It seems they located it at a bazaar in Bakunin - and even paid the "grotesquely low price" the merchant was selling it for, and promptly rode back to Tashkabad!? 

Situation at the end of Summer 1921

ORANGE

• Commander of the Field Army: Lieutenant General Sir Percy Arbuthnot-Worcester-Gruntfuttock-Smythe
• Faction: Western Interventionists
• Army: 14th Allied Eastern Expeditionary Army
• Base of Operations: Canadar 
• Other Cities: Canuckand, Molsensk, Stlojia, Borschka, Baboushka, Vlodkask
• Resource Points: 18
• Field Army:
• 3rd Battalion, Winnipeg Grenadiers (7)
• 5th Battalion, Cape Breton Highlanders  (8)
• 2nd Battalion, Regina Rifles - Heavy Infantry Battalion (8)
• 105th Canadian Fusiliers - Heavy Infantry Battalion (8)
• 7th Battalion, South Saskatchewan Regiment (7) 
• 8th Battalion, Canadian Mounted Rifles - Cavalry (8)
• 37th Field Artillery (4)
• 38th Field Artillery (10) 
• 69th Armoured Regiment (10) 

YELLOW

• Commander of the Field Army: Hedwig Markus von Eggenberg, Margrave of Grosswardein
• Faction: Tsarist
• Army: East Asia Cavalry Division 
• Base of Operations: Gura
• Other Cities: 
• Resource Points: 1
• Field Army:
• 337th Infantry Regiment (Heavy) (4)
• Mongolian Cavalry (6)
• 38th Hussars Cavalry (6)
• 77th Imperial Artillery Regiment (7) 

GREEN

• Commander of the Field Army: Altan Baatar Kahn
• Faction: Warlord Chinese
• Army: The Red Horde
• Base of Operations: Lung-Hu
• Other Cities: Wurumchi, Sui-Pei, Bashkent, Driutsek
• Resource Points: 42
• Field Army:15
• Heavy Infantry Battalion (10)
• Heavy Infantry Battalion (9)
• Infantry Battalion (12)
• Infantry Battalion (12)
• Cavalry (8)
• Artillery (12)
• Tank (11) 

LIGHT BLUE

• Commander of the Field Army: Win-Cao Lo-Fat, The Most Illustrious Beacon of Celestial Light and Commander of the Arm of Earthly Might
• Faction: Warlord Chinese
• Army: The Illustrious Arm of the Nine Illuminated Terrestrial Immortals 
• Base of Operations: Wei-Li
• Other Cities: Ching-Ho, Ulaan-Goom, Pyrohy, Holopchi, Kubassa
• Resource Points: 11
• Field Army:
• 1st Heavy Infantry Battalion (12)
• 2nd Heavy Infantry Battalion (13) 
• 3rd Infantry Battalion (12)
• 4th Infantry Battalion (13)
• Cavalry Regiment (13)
• Artillery Regiment (14)
• Tank Regiment (11)