I ran the game at our FLGS this past Friday and accommodated a request to run a desert game as he had just finished his Brits and wanted to try them out. Only one other player showed up but it was an interesting game. Not particularly satisfying for the British, unfortunately. Somewhere at a vital crossroads in Tunisia.
Order of Battle:
British Italian
1 platoon of Stuarts 2 platoons of Paracudisti with Flamethrowers
1 command squad of Grants A Paracudisti company command
1 Grant Platoon 2 Berseglieri weapons platoons
1 Sherman Platoon 1 Paracudisti heavy machine gun platoon
2 Infantry Platoons (2 each attached to the Paracudisti platoons)
1 Mortar Platoon 1 Paracudisti Mortar Platoon
1 Offboard 25 pounder platoon 1 Offboard 100mm platoon
A flight of 2 Hurricanes 2 AA guns
2 platoons of 75mm Semovente SP guns
The British plan of attack was to flush the Italian Berseglieri from the Date Palm Orchard farmhouse and their wadi defenses at the bridge into town on their left flank using the concentrated firepower of their airstrikes, artillery and tanks. Then they would bring the infantry platoons forward at road dash speed and assault the town. The Stuart platoon would distract the Italians on the British right flank and provide additional fire support against the wadi.
The Italians held their armor in reserve using the 75mm guns as artillery when possible. The Berseglieri were to delay the British advance by proving bumper stops at the roads and bridges and in the town. The Paracudisti were also deployed in the Wadi on both flanks in case the British attempted a wide end around but could use the Wadi to move under cover back into the town. An observer was available to the Italians on either flank with the company HQ in the center of town and a 20mm flak gun deployed to support each side of the town.
The British rolled successfully for airpower on a regular basis but the strikes against the well built farmhouse which contained a MG, the platoon commander, and an observer proved feckless until about turn 7. Initially, the British had problems ranging their 25lb. battery and once ranged in could only manage to pin the platoon on a number of occassions. Bringing the full weight of their ten 75mm and four 37mm guns to bear availed them naught. Only when the machine-gun team opened up on the British mortar team were the Brits finally able to connect enough times to silence the machine gun and kill the platoon commander. But the observer was able to slink away.
Meanwhile, discerning their would be no threat to the far end of the Italian right flank, the Paracudisti began sidling down the wadi to relieve the dwindling number of Berseglieri and position themselves to provide a choke point at the bridge.
The British had also scored success in getting the Stuarts to the edge of the Wadi and eliminating a Berseglieri squad and 45mm A-T gun. This caused the Paracudisti on the Italian left to rethink their movement down the wadi and halted their progress towards the center. But Stuart’s boldness would be expensive.
A platoon of the Semovente’s ventured out, a turn to late to save the Berseglieri, but ventured out indeed. Losing one of their own to brewing up three of the Stuarts and causing the platoon commander to reexamine his role in the battle and withdraw (failed man alone test).
With the Farmhouse finally cleared of Italians (they head held out for 7 turns) the British infantry lorried onto the road. But the Paracudisti mortars were waiting for them. Both lorries were hit and destroyed. All but two squads of the first platoon were killed and subsequently failed their man alone test. Fifty-percent of the second platoon also died in the inferno of their lorry.
With no infantry to carry the town, the British opted to withdraw for the day. (As it was early, an offer was made to regenerate the British infantry but it was declined.)
- Milwaukee Jay