The Battle of Safi

Based on a scenario i wrote which appeared in Journal 53.

The French are now on the offensive trying to drive the Riffi back out of the French Zone. Supported by modern equipment (tanks, artillery and aircraft) they slowly move to re-capture their old frontier forts, the one at Safi used to guard an important ford, which needs to be secured for use in future operations.
Table from French view

Safi Village

I`ve had to fudge things a little as I didn`t have the figures called for in the original scenario. Instead of a regular French infantry Battalion, I gave them a Mixed Groupe with:
1 company Senegalese riflemen
1 company Algerian riflemen (plus a HMG and a mortar)
2 platoons FFL
1 troop Spahis Algerian
1 battery of 75mm guns
1 company of FT17s (3 tanks)
Aircraft from Escadrille de la Cherifienne
Spahis with Senegalese and FT17s

Algerians on the French right




French Foreign Legion (painted by Matt Slade)

A couple of shots of the defended Safi


The old French fort on the hill

Spahis on the French left

Cavalry melee

Escadrille La Cherifienne bombs out the old fort!

French armour and infantry drive through the middle.


Not really a close game with the French having all the advantages, the two Riffi mountain guns proved a nasty shock. One Ft was knocked out and one Senegalese platoon driven to ground through morale. The French used their LMGs to great effect to cover the advance and supress the poor Arabs (whoes morale suffered). The aircraft came in and bombed or machinegunned any resistance and the FT17 proved highly effective. The Spahis swept around the Berber right and fell upon the Berbers own cavalry, which was hiding in the woods prepareing for a flank charge.

Good game the lads enjoyed themselves, maybe to even the odds I should give some Berber regulars with grenades or dinamite bundles.

Retreat to the sea!

A tactical problem set during the paniced retreat after the disaster at Annual in 1921 where the Spanish lost between 8 and 18,000 men!

The Spanish defenders have to hold the village and then escort the column of amulances and wounded down to the beach where they can be rescued by boat. the Riffi and their Arab allies have to prevent this. The Spanish have had little or no warning of the attack - just enough to organise a defense, but have not organised the column this took 7 turns before the column could start down the track.








The Spanish had a rifle company without any machine guns defending the village and a additional platoon in and around a ruin near the beach. The Riffi and Arabs had about 3 companies of warriors (rifle & sword armed).

The boys were too cautious and slow in thier attack, this allowed the Spanish to pick off warriors from cover and still load up the wagons and mules. Eventually i explained the situation and the Riffi attacked from all sides just as my column was forming up to move out.



One party of Riffi managed to get to the beach and from there harrassed the defending platoon and caused casualties among the drivers/mule handlers. The main Riffi force over ran the rearguard and fell upon the rear wagon and mules and slaughtered the wounded. Only one wagon got to the beach and evacuated its cargo - a big victory for the Riffi.





Figures all from my collection 20mm

Penon de Velez de la Gomera

Penon (crag) de Velez de la Gomera is a small offshore island located 119 km (72.7 miles) southeast of Ceuta. It is a steep rock island with a length of 400 meters northwest-southeast and a width of up to 100 meters, and a height of 80 meters above the sea, it covers about 19,000 square meters in total. There is another smaller island linked to its larger neighbor by a wooded bridge. The islands are situated only 85 meters from the Moroccan shore and can be easily reached by foot at low tides.

The Riffi attack – March 22, 1922
The Penon was garrisoned by a company of men from the Regiment de Infantries de Africa No68 commanded by a captain. The garrison also had two small cannon and one machine gun. Apart from the garrison there were also a number of prisoners and civilians on the Pennon including wives and families of officers.

After dark on March 22, the Riffi using small boats silently approached the small island. They managed to scale the rock without being spotted and then without warning swarmed over the parapet and attacked the soldiers stationed there. The garrison was alerted by gunfire and rushed to man the main defences, just in time, it was low tide and the Riffi were attacking the main island from the shore. Other Riffi tried to cross the connecting bridge between the two islands or fired at the defenders from their vantage point.

The Riffi main attack was beaten off, but the captain was killed and many of the garrison also casualties. Things were so grim that the civilian families were evacuated off the Penon by naval submarine during the nights of 24/25 March.

The situation got steadily worse with the defenders under constant rifle and occasional cannon fire until early April when volunteers from La Legion where transported by sea from Melilla. The relief party; Lieutenants – Jose Martinez Esparza and Alfreez Diaz de Rabago with one sergeant, six corporals and forty-four legionnaires immediately moved into the forward positions on the rock. The next morning they launched an assault on the smaller island driving the Berbers off at bayonet point. With the arrival of the legionnaires upon the Penon, the enemy’s ardor diminished and although they continued to harass the defenders they never again attacked in force.

For the purposes of our game, we ignored the civilians and started at the point where the Riffi were already occupying the smaller island and making their all out attack. The spanish garrison were alerted and in position, we decided that Legion reinforcements would arrive by sea at 1D6 turns + 5 (much to the boys horror a 6 was roled)

Garrison - 2 x 9 man platoons (rifle armed), 4 man HQ, 1 Hotchkiss MMG, 1 65mm mountain gun
Riffi - 4 - 10 figure harkas, 2 - 7 figure units in fishing smacks
Spanish reinforcements - El Tiburon (gunboat) with 13pdr + 2 MGs; 2 - Legion platoons (9 men inc 1 LMG each), 4 man Legion HQ

Penon de velez de Gomera




Riffi attackers



the spanish begin to take casualties


The Riffi Lewis gunner (center figure a Bandera standard bearer with Matchbox plastic Lewis) causes many casualties

The Riffi fire drives back the defenders

The Spanish Sergeant trys to save the 65mm

Turn 11. El Tiburon arrives, La legion charges to the rescue


The last Arab sees his fate approaching!


The game ran close, the Spanish defenders fire was unlucky, whilst the Riffi (me) kept rolling 6s. The spanish slowly withdrew along the island, but were out of officers and virtually wiped out just as El Tiburon arrived! The ships crew used their MGs and 13pdr to good effect as the legionnaires scrambled ashore. Once ashore the battlecry "Viva la Muerta!" was shouted and the two platoons with colours flying launched a bayonet charge into the remaining Riffi........

Excellent game, close and tense

Siege of Tifaruin

SOTCW game at Gauntlet 2010

Played over the weekend of July 3rd/4th

The history
Riffian forces had been besieging Tifaruin since August 17th and things were getting desperate for the defenders. After stopping and driving back several relief attempts the Riffians were ready to make their final push and over run the town. Lieutenant Colonel Franco flew from Melilla to Ceuta to assume personal command of 1st and 2nd Banderas of La Legion. A plan was formulated for a massive combined army, naval and air force operation to break the siege.

The plan called for units from The Regulares de Melilla and Alhucemas to force their way through the Riffian positions to the village of Sidi Messaud, air strikes and artillery would support these attacks. Whilst this attack was going on the two Legion bandera were to strike straight for Tifaruin. Franco looked at the plan and advised that a direct assault against the Rif trenches would be costly and came up with a new plan. Whilst the two units of regulares would maintain pressure upon the Riffians, a battalion of Infanteria de Marina (naval marines) would come ashore at Afrau and the legion banderas would swing around to the south and envelope the Riffians.

The Riffian battle plan. For the last four days your forces have besieged the Spanish in the town of Tifaruin. The enemy is at the end of their supplies and their last cannon was destroyed yesterday, within a couple of days you will storm their defenses and put the infidels to the knife.

Two days ago your forces stopped a relief column, your
men are well dug in and prepared to resist further attempts. Your scouts have reported the Spanish gathering for another major push, their troops include those traitors who call themselves Regulares and the cursed Legion. You have informed your commanders to be ready for an attack; your guns are carefully sited and concealed from Spanish aircraft.

Spanish battle plan
The rebel tribesmen have isolated the garrison of Tifaruin and have managed to beat back two relief attempts. Things are getting desperate within the town and the defenders have announced that they would rather die than surrender to the rebels. You all have heard of the butchery done to both the living and the dead that fall into rebel hands so understand their feelings. The plan is a good one whilst two tabors of Regulares pressure the rebel defenses La legion will swing south and come upon the enemy flank, at the same time Naval marines will land at Afrau and attack the northern flank too. The enemy will be crushed and Tifaruin saved, forward for the honor of his most Catholic Majesty King Alfonso 13th.

For the game we used 20mm figures and stuff from mine and Will`s collections and fought over Will’s excellent terrain.

We split the Spanish into three commands –
Rob Connolly – Infanteria de Marina supported by the gunboat El Tiburon
Will Macnally – Army of Africa column (Regiment de Infanteria No68 & Regiment de Caballeria Alcantara)
Pete Jones – Regulares de Melilla No2

All supported by artillery and some aircraft.

There was also 1st Bandera of Spanish Foreign Legion who due to the direction of their advance came onto the table later.

We used my modified version of Charles Grant’s “Battle” rules, I was umpire and ran the Riffi/Arab forces would were mostly randomly generated via event cards and encounter charts.

The Team L-R Pete, Will, Rob & me (sorry I have no photo of Dean Potter who came on Sunday)

The table looking towards the Spanish start line from above Tifaruin

A couple of views of Tifaruin and Will’s excellent buildings


General Fernadez Perez watches his armies advance, please note the highly advanced communications equipment.

A battery of Spanish 75`s cover the advance

Army of Africa column advances along the seafront road

Infanteria de Marina land near Afrau meeting heavy resistance but were supported by the gunboat



Cavalry melee

Street fighting in Afrau

The Regulares storm Sidi Mesaud

The Alcantara Cavalry Regiment launches a charge at the Riffi lines

Early evening on the first day La Legion finally arrive


Day 2: due to casualties it was decided to stop the attempt at relieving Tifaruin, but for the garrison to withdraw to Afrau covered by offensive action of the other elements.
Spanish aircraft bomb Riffi positions in front of Tifaruin

The Tifaruin Garrison form up to withdraw

La Legion move to the attack to cover the withdrawal

Column under attack

Mustard gas smothers the Riffi gunners

Tragedy – an event card calls up Juramentados (men sworn to die in battle) these appear in overwhelming numbers and swamp the column, slaughtering them to a man!!


After this disaster, orders are changed and the army must now take Tifaruin to save face and avenge their fallen comrades.

La Legion captures the high ground

A combined Army and Naval column advances from Afrau

Regulares with local volunteers join the attack (commanded by Dean Potter)

Riffi flags over Tifaruin

End game, La Legion and Army of Africa troops storm the town.


I had a great weekend, the game was fun and not as difficult to run I was expecting. We had an amazing 35 turns on the Saturday and about 20 on the Sunday. Will put in a huge amount of effort with his terrain, Rob Connolly provided cakes and everyone pitched in to make the whole experiance very enjoyable. Lots of people took and interest and we handed out loads of flyers and SOTCW cards/membership forms. The Deeside Defenders were as always welcoming and hospitable - thanks lads.