The Battle of Didcot

== General Information ==
The Battle of Didcot was a battle in the Reddit War on November 31st 1851 which followed The Battle of Oxford. It is considered a crucial British Victory and one of the first major victories of the British. This battle increased the morale of the British and made the Reddit army much more cautious in military planning.
== Background ==
After the battle of Oxford, the British forces fled to Didcot, awaiting the reinforcing army coming in from London. The British currently able to fight numbered around 7,600, but the reinforcing army numbered about 8,000 men. If the reinforcing army was able to make it in time, then they would surely win. If not, the much larger Reddit force would destroy them all. It was a very tense two months in Didcot, as the British awaited the Reddit offensive. Luckily, on November 17th, 10 British Regiments had arrived in Didcot. Meanwhile, Charlie Tuna had secured a reinforcing army to wipe out the British force at Didcot as well as to hold Oxford. The offensive army numbered about 13,500 men, and surrounded the town of Didcot on November 24th. They began bombarding the town from a few miles away, although many shells did not hit. Their full bombardment began the morning of November 31st.
== Battle ==
At 9:00 A.M. on November 31st, Reddit Artillery began bombarding Didcot. The British army prepared its counterattack, but had issues organizing due to the heavy bombardment. In response, Colonel Sanders prepared his artillery and ordered them to fire on the Reddit Cannon's positions rather than their infantry. Without Artillery support, Charlie's battle strategy began to fall apart, as he required the artillery in order to disorganize the British regiments. Despite this, he fought on with reduced artillery support. The two sides exchanged fire, but the superior aim and speed of the British troops began to overwhelm Charlie Tuna's Troops. Desperate, He ordered a charge at the British Center. Colonel sanders recognized his strategy and converged his troops to defend the center. As Charlie Tuna's troops charged, Sanders moved some of his men in to envelop them. The Redditors fought valiantly regardless, and despite the superior strategy of the British there was uncertainty in the air. There was much chaos on the battlefield as the close quarters bayonet combat took hold. Many Redditors fought to the absolute end; some British soldiers describing Redditors who had been shot and stabbed several times crawlign towards the British lines rifle still clenched in hand. Gunfire and smoke clouded the field of battle as some could hardly see as far as their outstretched hands. The death toll on the Reddit side began to rise and rise, as well as heavy casualties for the British. Finally, the Redditors began to rout from the battle, and the Battle of Didcot was won.
== Aftermath ==
After the failure at Didcot, the Redditors began to realize that they needed to be much more careful as the British were indeed still capable of mounting a defense. This would end the chaotic rapid expansion of the first few months of the war and would begin a more methodical, slower and tactical advance by the Redditors. Morale of the Redditors would never reach the high point of when they were ravaging across the heartlands of England at blinding speed, as more and more of the war was spent in a brutal, slow struggle to take and eventually hold on to their British holdings. The south of England would remain relatively safe from Reddit offensives until the Battle of Portsmouth and the following 'Black Winter'.
Category:Events
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