More Africa Action in Easter

Some of my club mates returning from the Easter break on Sunday organised a late afternoon Chain of Command game to start the working week tomorrow in good spirits. Due to the late minute call, we decided not to plan too much and to use the available forces (British and Italians) at hand.

From the CoC book we chose the “Flank Attack” scenario, with the Italians forces (an infantry platoon) defending an oasis from the attacking British. In order to make life harder to the attackers a small armoured German kampfgruppe (2 Sdkfz 222 and a Pz II) were also used.

 The battle was truly short with the British achieving a clean and straight victory when the Italian moral crumbled (fall to 2) after the destruction of the small armoured unit by the British Honeys. 

In fact the infantry almost saw no action and I could hardly deployed just one of my two sections! The first squadra deployed at the edge of the oasis line to fend off the menacing British infantry about to de-crest  a hill in front of its position. Suddenly a group of tanks emerged on the right flank that was quickly covered by the German AFVs.

In the ensuing gun duel the Germans took the worst part and were taken one by one by the British tanks. The destruction of each vehicle prompted a force moral roll and after the third was destroyed (including the senior tank commander) the level had already fallen to 2. With no other AT weapons at hand, the Italian decided to surrender.

The only other interesting action saw in the game was the 81mm Italian mortar barrier falling on the very much concentrated British infantry platoon, causing several casualties. However, the effect was short lived as the British players used the Chain of Command dice to end the turn and the barrage lifted as a result. There was no time to call again the artillery before the game ended.

 

Bad day for the Axis forces, but we’ll see how they will perform in our incoming campaign. Talking about which, I leave you know with some photos of the new jump-off points that one of the participants have been working recently...

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.. and these other for a future project in Spain 1936