DAK Panzers in 15mm

 DAK Panzers in 15mm, models by Battlefront. Five Panzer IIIs and three Panzer IVs with magnetised turrets and barrels/weapon options.

CdlT

Op Battleaxe - Game 10: German armoured counterattack

Game 10 saw the German Panzer Gruppe group finally get going and launch a counterattack, driving towards Point 206 and intending to fight whatever they ran into.

As it turned out, the Cruiser regiments had taken Fort Capuzzo and thus the Panzers kept rolling until they struck British forces in Point 206. These, having been repelled during the second attack on Musaid, now had to turn and defend themselves against a much larger DAK armoured and mechanised force.

Starting forces in Flanking Attack: the Germans already pushing hard.

The British received a Kittyhawk in support on Turn 1, though with two small bombs it only managed to pin an 8-Rad. It would knock-out a couple of German trucks later with strafing runs.

British reserves are slow: German are not as a wall of armour floods onto the table.

Some 25-pounders and Matildas arrive to engage, though the shooting is poor. The British players would be plagued by terrible AP Penetration dice the entire game.

German long-range HE fire begins to cause casualties on the gun crews and pins both teams.

The British receive the possibility of more air support but cannot roll the 3+ required to bring it in, twice.

A Matilda falls victim to a Mine Strike counter. The British score several hits in shooting, but none succeed in penetrating the opposing armour though several tanks are pinned.

Despite the pinned armour, the Germans muster sufficient shots to eliminate the 25-pounders (deployed much too far forward).

More hits on German tanks, more failed penetration rolls.
DAK return fire bounces off the heavy Matilda armour repeatedly.

The British draw a fourth Air Support counter and bring on another Kittyhawk, though his bombing is horribly inaccurate and succeeds in eliminating the lead British infantry section with a direct hit!

Kittyhawk strafing proves more successful as several passes see the German soft-skins burning or abandoned.

Finally a tank kill! But the near-most Matilda has been Immobilised by DAK fire and is out of Ammo. The lead 8-Rad has bounced several 2-pounder AP rounds off his front, and wiped-out the British Forward HQ and Supply Truck in return!

The British commanders elect to withdraw their infantry from the table, leaving their objective un-contested...

A Panzer III finally makes a shot count and knocks out a Matilda with a flank hit. The DAK would the go on to secure the last objective with...wait for it...the lead 8-Rad, giving them an "All Objective Secured" victory.

With that, the Germans had re-taken Point 206 and we called the campaign. While the British still have substantial forces, as in real life they lack the strength to push on to Tobruk, to properly destroy the DAK, and must preserve their desert army. Thus, withdrawal.

End game: the British withdraw and Germans lack the fuel to pursue them.

CdlT

Op Battleaxe - Game 9: Second British Attack on Musaid

Here we go again...

The second British attack on Musaid, despite the treat of force imbalance, was still launched by the British commander. While the odds were somewhat better than last time (400 Pts British + Artillery vs 500 Pts Axis), it would still be a tough ask to remove a larger defending force in defensible terrain with a smaller attacking one.

Quite.

The British right flank, the 88 already taking fire from turn one as it was deployed too far forward.

The attack progressed slowly, the Matilda soon crossed the rise and the 88 fired and missed at point-blank range...

...but where the 88 failed (and then died), the German 8cm mortars scored a direct hit on the tank and rolled a 12 to knock it out. Typical.

More Matildas and infantry were fed forward, but German 8cm mortar fire proved exceedingly accurate while a few timed 10.5cm barrages added misery to the British advance.

Nonetheless, the forward German infantry positions were taken and the British infantry began pushing into the town.

The second 88 spent most of the game doing very little and mostly missing things...

...before taking a few casualties which saw the crew break and run.

British infantry penetrated even further into the town, but losses are mounting on both sides.

The British advance on their left is stalled as the Matilda break-downs and catches fire, while the German platoon command group refuses to budge and keeps the Tommies pinned down for most of the game.

With visibility becoming a problem thanks to dust, the firefight in the town proves difficult: German mortars again bracket the British units with frightening accuracy.

The British would push further and succeed in eliminating a few more Germans, but a swift counterattack saw them take more losses and their morale broke. The British withdrew, leaving the DAK holding the field with a Major Victory.

CdlT

Op Battleaxe - Game 8: German Rearguard action at Fort Capuzzo

The second game in the Fort Capuzzo territory for turn three would see the German forces fighting a Rearguard mission against the British 7 RTR Group.

Lacking any German infantry (the unit was destroyed in the previous game), the Axis defence would be provided by a mixed group of German armour and anti-tanks guns with Italian infantry to assist. The British had a maximum of nine turns to break the opposing force or claim all objectives secured.

The Axis left flank.

The Axis right flank.

Initial British probes.

While a single Matilda and the PaK38 duel on the left.

Reaching the ridge line, the Marmon-Herringtons work over the infantry with 20mm fire while the Matildas mostly miss things.

Duel still in progress: Matildas are tough!

With reserves pouring onto the table, the British attack begins in earnest as infantry arrives to
help clear the Italians from their trenches.

With covering fire provided by the vehicles, the lead British Section successfully Close Assaults the trench and removes the defenders.

Infantry arriving on the British right flank has meanwhile eliminated the PaK38 and some
Italian LMG teams for relatively light casualties (& 3x passed Beyond the Call of Duty tests!).

But German armoured reserves arrive to intervene!

Italian infantry on the ridge line is getting thin as British 3" mortars prove a menace.

German tank shooting is poor and they only manage to pin the Matilda.

Another Matilda advances straight up the road toward the embattled Italian infantry...

While the attack on the ridge proceeds slowly, but inexorably.

The Matilda on the British right recovers and return fire...

...while on the left a Marmon-Herrington is KO'd by German artillery fire.

But the British advance is relentless and the Italian infantry is soon eliminated by MG fire and accurate 3" mortar strikes.

A British Infantry Section moves forward to claim the rear objective, breaking the Axis defence on Turn 8.

A pretty fast game: with the attacker being "on the clock", they cannot mess around and here they (for once) did not. German armoured reserves were sent to the wrong flank, away from the threatened objectives, and contributed almost nothing to the defence which proved decisive.


CdlT