All,
0830 Local Time
25 November 1942
Near Chouigoui, French Tunisia
Following victory in Morocco, Task Force Reisman was split up and sent to the winds, with some flung out to secure distant objectives (against no opposition), some held back to secure the coast and lines of communication, and others detailed to guard, process, and repatriate POWs, or even to assist in the cleanup of harbors and assist in offloading incoming gear.
Not soon after, high command decided to take a stab at seizing Tunis and Bizerte, in faraway French Tunisia, looking to catch the Germans, who had plenty going on facing off against the British 8th Army in the east, off guard. TF Reisman was hastily assembled and attached to the US 1st Armored Regiment, though this actually amounted to only a single tank battalion of M-3 Stuarts as the other battalions were busy turning in their M-3 Grants for the new M-4 Shermans and being trained on them. In any case, TF Reisman was attached to 1st Armored Regiment, which was placed under the command of British Colonel Richard Hull, who now commanded what was called "Blade Force," consisting of the British 17th/21st Lancers (tank regiment) and infantry, artillery, and support elements from the 11th Brigade Group, in addition to the Americans. These were the right-hand pincer darting into Tunisa, aimed at Tunis, as the British 36th Infantry Brigade was the left-hand pincer, aimed at Bizerte.
The left-hand pincer made better progress, entering Tunisia first and then running into heavy enemy resistance at Djebel Abid, along the road to Bizerte, on 17 Nov 1942. Heavy fighting resulted in a stalemate, with a renewed attack scheduled for 24 Nov 1942. This was when Blade Force finally entered the fray, further south, on the road to Tunis, though the left-hand pincer's attack was called off due to torrential seasonal rains. Nevertheless, Blade Force pushed east, towards Chouigoui Pass, on its way to the city of Djedeida.
Along the way across Algeria, TF Reisman became quite strung out and eventually split into an advanced element consisting of its light tanks and reconnaissance elements, and a main body, consisting of its medium tanks and infantry, as the scout cars, Stuart tanks, and halftracks found the approximately 900-mile road march a bit easier than the heavier Grant tanks and trucks of the infantry companies. With that, Captain Thigpen, the Executive Officer (XO) of TF Reisman, found himself in command of the advanced element, leading the way into Tunisia and Chouigoui Pass.
Overview, north is up. The objective is to capture (or hold) the crossroads and walled farm in the southeast (bottom right). The area is well framed by rocky ridges and outcroppings, with scrub and broken ground throughout, interrupted only by the two hardball roads and an olive grove in the center of the table. The Americans of TF Reisman will enter from the left, while the Axis forces are defending east (right) of the north/south running road at right. At top right are two rocky appendages rising up out of the desert, which the GIs of TF Reisman quickly dubbed "Two Sisters."
The opposing force, with Americans on the left and the joint German-Italian defenders on the right.
I'm a little worried for this fight; it sure looks to me like I'm putting too many troops on the table...
The Yank force is broken down as follows:
Overall Commander: Captain Thigpen, TF XO
Overall Commander: Captain Thigpen, TF XO
1st Tank Platoon, Tank Company
-2nd Lt Figures
-Sgt Simpson
-Sgt Daigle
-Sgt Gibson
-Sgt Parella
1st Armored Infantry Platoon, Armored Reconnaissance Company
-2nd Lt Woodson
-AT: Cpl Greene
-1st Squad: Cpl Haggans
-2nd Squad: Sgt Anderson
-3rd Squad: Sgt Carrington
-MG Team: Cpl Harrison
-Mortar Team: Cpl Zgnonina
Elements of the Armored Car Platoon
-Sgt Foster
-Sgt Perry
Elements of the Self-Propelled Gun Platoon
-2nd Lt Robinson
-Sgt Lee
Elements of the Anti-Tank Gun Platoon
-Sgt Strelczyk
-Sgt Glenn
The Axis defenders, a joint German and Italian force. The Axis force is commanded by a German Captain of paratroopers (Fallschirmjaeger). He has under his command:
-A platoon of German Parachute Engineers (Platon Leader and three engineer squads)
-A platoon of German Parachute Engineers (Platon Leader and three engineer squads)
-A platoon of German Parachute Machine Guns (Platoon Leader, three MG-42 machine guns, and one 8.0cm mortar team)
-A platoon of Italian anti-tank guns (two 47mm guns -Cannone da 47/32 M35- manned by Italian infantry)
-A platoon of Italian tanks (five M13/40)
I've really set this up as too tough a nut to crack for the Yanks, and it wasn't supposed to be this hard. I've set this up to be an armored rapier up against a veteran, determined, resilient, and LARGE defense... In real life, the Americans caught the unsuspecting Axis force fairly unawares and was able to push past them pretty easily, as well as the next line at the Medjerda River, freeing Blade Force to dash ahead to Djedeida Airfield, where they destroyed quite a number of German aircraft on the ground!
Overview, now with troops. On the far right you can see the enemy's entire baseline filled to the gills with troops and tanks, while on the left you can see the US mechanized force streaming into the valley at three separate locations (top left, far left, and bottom left).
As you can see, this battle has another aspect going against the Yanks; it's an ambush! I rolled to see who saw who first and, of course, the Axis troops, being dug-in and stationary, won. But not just that; the wily German FJ Captain decided not to open fire on the encroaching US forces as soon as they appeared! Instead, he has decided to allow the Americans to continue advancing into the waiting guns of his men.
I'm giving a lot of thought to this right now... I've set it up and plan on playing tomorrow morning, and I'm not happy with how I've allowed this to shape up. I was planning on allowing the Germans to have extra options regarding morale (each side normally has one command stand that gets a 'free' activation each turn to attempt to motivate his troops, I was thinking to allow the Germans to have three!), and treating they and their Italian allies otherwise as 'normal.' Now I'm thinking to either cut the German command stands to only one, or keep it three, but only allow them to affect Germans troops, not Italians), and/or to make the Italians less capable (in terms of firing dice) and/or more fickle, i.e., allow the Americans additional Shock dice when firing at Italians, and when the Italians attempt to rally, instead of rolling 1D6 and accepting the result, have them roll 2D6 and accept the worse of the two. I kind of don't like it, because the Italians left in the fight at this stage of the game should be relatively well motivated and capable (some Bersaglieri in Tunisia were actually commended by Rommel!), but damn, if I do all that in this fight, with a huge defensive force and an ambush, I fear the Yanks are going to get annihilated...
The US baseline, with three armored tentacles stretching east into the desert.
On the far left we have Lt Figures' tank platoon led by Sgt Foster's M3 Scout Car.
In the center, the CO, Captain Thigpen, is leading Lt Robinson's M7 Priests and the two 37mm ATGs (still limbered).
While on the right, Lt Woodson's armored infantry platoon is being led by Sgt Perry's M3 Scout Car (top right).
The Axis baseline: at bottom right, the German FJ Engineer Platoon is dug-in with one of the MG-42s at the Walled Farm, with an Italian ATG in support, just below the crossroads. The German CO and a pair of Italian tanks are hidden behind the bluffs in the center (right), while the other two German MG teams, their mortar team, the other Italian ATG, and the remainder of the Italian tanks are emplaced in and around Two Sisters (top right).
Two Sisters, showing the German MGs dug in on the military crests, the mortar team in the lee (right top), the Italian ATG just below them in the north (top center), and three Italian M13-40s ready to fight.
The German CO and two Italian tanks in the center, behind the sheer bluffs. The Italian ATG at the crossroads is just visible at top left, the lower of the Two Sisters is just visible at bottom right.
The Walled Farm, showing the German FJ Engineer Platoon of a Platoon Leader and three engineer squads, with the Italian ATG in support (bottom center).
So let's get this party started!
So, after all my whining you're going to think I cheated, but I didn't: the Germans, in ambush positions, win the initiative, but then they promptly roll up a 'Scurry' (the black '1,' the red dice means nothing here, it's just what I use to see if a 'random event' occurs, which happens whenever I roll doubles on these dice)!!! For the uninitiated, this means the Germans are able to move but not fire, which is not particularly useful for a force in prepared defensive positions...
Regarding narrative, what we'll say is the grizzled Fallschirmjaeger Captain has utterly no respect for the advancing Americans; the Italian tank platoon commander peers anxiously at the German Captain. "Herr comandante, don't you think we should engage them now?"
"Nein, let them come! I want those vehicles intact, and if we open fire now we'd be forced to destroy them. So let them come; we'll give them a good burst of machine gun fire and into the bag they'll go," the German Captain smiled to himself.
"Nein, let them come! I want those vehicles intact, and if we open fire now we'd be forced to destroy them. So let them come; we'll give them a good burst of machine gun fire and into the bag they'll go," the German Captain smiled to himself.
Captain Thigpen (far left, with Lt Woodson's command track below him) looks on nervously as Sgt Perry pushes his M3 Scout Car forward (far right)...
Italian 47mm ATG in the north (bottom right) spots Sgt Perry's armored car (top left) and fires, angering the German FJ Captain; "well, I guess the fight is on..."
The 47mm round misses and Sgt Perry's driver takes evasive action, pushing the Scout Car off road (bottom left), where they return fire with their M2 .50-cal MG, to no effect.
His senses having dulled due to the many hours spent in the turret of his M3 Stuart moving cross country, Lt Figures (top left) is jerked back to reality by the sharp crack of the Italian anti-tank gun, and now he sees them: "tanks!!!"
Lt Figures (right bottom, at the head of the tank platoon, with Sgt Foster's Scout Car ahead of him) lurches to a halt and fires a 37mm armor-piercing round at an Italian M11/41 tank between Two Sisters (top left)...
Lt Figures sees the hit and orders his driver forward (right bottom, just to the right of Sgt Foster's Scout Car, from left)...
But another Italian tank (bottom right) is lying in wait and fires on Lt Figures' (top left) flank...
The Stuart is hit and immobilized, but the crew stays put, despite Lt Figures being wounded!
Further back, Sgt Simpson's tank (bottom left, with Lt Figures' tank at center) spots an Italian tank (top center right) and fires. The 37mm round ricochets off the frontal armor, suppressing the crew.
And Sgt Simpson pushes his Stuart up on the US left (top center, above Sgt Foster's Scout Car, from far left).
One of the German MGs on Two Sisters (bottom right) opens fire on Sgt Simpson's Stuart (top left), but the good Sergeant simply drops down into the turret and carries on.
Lt Robinson's M7 Priest (bottom left) opens fire on Two Sisters (top right) but doesn't hit anything...
And as he pushes his self-propelled gun forward (bottom left), near the olive grove...
It (top left) is engaged by the other Italian 47mm ATG (bottom right, just above the walled village).
The M7 Priest is holed and immobilized, but again the American crew decides to stick it out, even though their vehicle commander is wounded.
With things heating up in the center and on the left, Lt Woodson wisely decides the time for getting off the road has arrived, so he pushes his platoon of Armored Infantry forward, then right, looking to take advantage of the cover provided by a nearby ridgeline (far right).
They (top left) receive machine gun fire from Two Sisters (bottom right)...
But they simply push through it, closing in on the village (just visible at top right).
Where the German MG team behind the wall (bottom left) opens fire, pinning Lt Woodson's lead vehicle and suppressing Sgt Anderson's vehicle right behind him!
Captain Thigpen (far left) orders the two limbered ATGs and Sgt Lee's M7 Priest forward, and they push up to the Olive Grove (center, from bottom left)...
But the remaining Italian tank at Two Sisters (bottom center) spots them (top center) and fires...
The Italian tank fire is ineffective and both 37mm ATGs are able to dismount, but when Sgt Lee's vehicle stops by to check on his platoon leader's vehicle (far left)...
The crew decides they've had enough, grabbing the wounded Lieutenant and head for the rear!
Nonplussed, Sgt Lee (bottom left) calmly orders his gunner to return fire on Two Sisters (top right)...
The 105mm HE round slams into the desert floor, suppressing the Italian tank crew (red bead at left) and pinning the nearby German mortar team (yellow bead at right)!
Just then, the drone of motors reverberates across the valley, and all eyes turn skyward...
Stuka!!! (random event)
The German dive bombers spot the American tank column and immediately push over into a dive...
The bombs straddle the M3 Stuarts still in formation, immobilizing Sgt Gibson's tank (red bead at right) and pinning the crew of Sgt Parella's (yellow bead at left top)!
Captain Thigpen dashes ahead and rallies Lt Figures and his crew.
The Italian Southern ATG (bottom right) quickly reloads and fires on US forces at the Olive Grove (top center/left), suppressing Sgt Perry's M3 Scout Car and pinning Sgt Strelczyk's 37mm ATG.
While in the Axis' center, an Italian tank (bottom center, with the German CO at bottom right and the southern Italian ATG at bottom left) sights in on Lt Woodson's column (top left) and opens fire, but misses!
Followed by the FJ Engineers in the village (bottom right) opening fire on Lt Woodson's Armored Infantry platoon (left), suppressing Cpl Haggans' 1st Squad and Cpl Harrison's MG team.
While in the north, the Italian tank (bottom right) that previously immobilized Lt Figures' M3 Stuart (top left) reloads and fires again...
Sgt Simpson (bottom center right) looks on in horror as Lt Figures' Stuart (left) goes up in flames, and Captain Thigpen's command team (top center, just above Sgt Foster's M3 Scout Car)!
The Italian ATG near Two Sisters (bottom right, with the tank that just knocked out Lt Figures' Stuart just above it) knows there are American tanks nearby (Sgt Simpson's at top center and off camera to top center) but he can't see them, so he lines up a shot on Sgt Foster's Scout Car (top left) and fires, but he misses!
But one of the German MGs on Two Sisters (bottom center) pitches in and begins hosing down the area with 7.92mm rounds, immobilizing Sgt Foster's M3 Scout Car (center top)!!!
As the other MG team on Two Sisters (left) and the German 80mm mortar team (bottom left) engages the US forces at the Olive Grove (top right)...
Suppressing both American 37mm ATGs (right)!
But then the momentum begins to shift: on the US right, Lt Woodson (center bottom, in the lead halftrack) and Sgt Carrington (the fourth halftrack in line), both decorated combat leaders, stand tall and return fire on the village (far right) with their .50-cal HMGs, pinning the German MG team behind the wall and the nearby Italian ATG!
As Sgt Lee's M7 Priest (bottom left) pumps rounds into Two Sisters (top right)...
And a direct hit by a 105mm HE round knocks out one of the German MG teams!!!
*As I understand it, M7 Priests were not only self-propelled artillery, but were also used in North Africa as 'assault guns,' while the initial use for M8 Scott HMCs was as self-propelled artillery. In June 1943 the US Army decided the frontlines were no place for M7 Priests and began swapping them out with the M8 HMCs. This, too, was an unsatisfactory solution, and ultimately the 105mm-armed M4 Shermans were meant to replace the M8 Scotts, though there were apparently not enough to ever completely see the M8s pulled from service. I plan on using the M7 Priests in direct support of Task Force Reisman throughout North Africa and then Sicily, replacing them with M8 Scotts prior to the landings at Salerno. When that happens I'm sure going to miss 105mm HE in direct fire over open sights ;)
And then Sgt Simpson orders his gunner to sight in on another Italian tank (top center right, with the tank Lt Figures previously knocked out at top center left). "Gunner, enemy tank below the escarpment, 200 yards, armor-piercing, fire!"
"On the way!" Whoom!
Pow! Another Italian tank/sardine box goes up in flames, and the German commander (left), quite taken aback by the ferocity of the Americans' response, is pinned!
And then, from the US left-rear, Sgt Daigle and Parella's tank (bottom left) fire on Two Sisters (top right), pinning the remaining German MG team there.
As Cpl Zgnonina's 60mm mortar team (bottom right) engages the Italian ATG at Two Sisters (top left), suppressing its crew!
*For those wondering about all the firing and no movement, the Germans/Italians rolled up a "Firefight!", so all their eligible units got to fire, but they weren't particularly effective, so once they were done all the eligible US units were able to return fire, which did quite a bit of damage. Now it's the US side's 'normal' turn.
The US center (bottom left, with the Olive Grove just visible at far left) has been pummeled by enemy mortar, machine gun, tank, and anti-tank gun fire; only Sgt Lee's M7 Priest is still in action at this point, as the other M7 Priest has been knocked out, and Sgt Perry's Scout Car and both 37mm ATGs are suppressed. But Sgt Lee calmly continues carrying out his dirty work: with the German machine guns atop Two Sisters (off camera to far left top) having gone quiet, his crew is working like a well-oiled machine, pumping 105mm HE rounds into the village (top right), putting one of the German paratrooper-engineer squads 'men down'.
Sgt Lee then cautiously pushes his SPG forward (bottom center right), where they pull up alongside Sgt Perry's M3 Scout Car, rallying them.
And as Sgt Lee (just visible at far left), Cpl Zgnonina's 60mm mortar team (bottom left) shifts fire and begins pounding the village (top right), pinning another FJ Engineer squad.
Sgt Carrington (bottom left) slaps a fresh belt of .50-cal ammo into his gun and continues laying into the village, pinning the German platoon leader (top right)...
Sgt Carrington rallies Cpl Harrison's MG team (far left) and Sgt Anderson's 2nd Squad (center), then pushes his halftrack up to the head of the column (right bottom, near Cpl Haggan's halftrack, with red bead, and Lt Woodson's halftrack, with yellow bead).
But a nearby Italian tank (bottom left) spots Sgt Carrington (top center right) and fires...
The Italian tank's (top center) is ineffective, so Sgt Carrington is able to successfully rally Lt Woodson and Cpl Haggan's halftracks (center), as Cpl Harrison's MG team (bottom left) lays fire down on the village (top right)...
Lt Woodson then leads his 1st and 2nd Squads forward, and the German paratrooper-engineers that are able open fire...
Cpl Haggan's halftrack is hit and 1st Squad is knocked out!
But Lt Woodson continues the assault anyway, leading his command team (center top) into close combat against a German MG team, while Sgt Anderson leads his 2nd Squad (center bottom) into close combat with a German paratrooper-engineer squad!!!
Both American units defeat the enemy, with Lt Woodson' leading his command team (top center) into close combat with a German FJ Engineer squad and Sgt Anderson leading 2nd Squad into close combat with the German platoon leader (center)!!!
Again both US units defeat the enemy (German casualty figures at center), and they split up, with Lt Woodson taking his command team to fight the Italian anti-tank gun (far left) and Sgt Anderson taking his men to clear the house containing the last remaining German FJ-Engineer squad (top right)...
Sgt Anderson's squad easily dispatches the last of the German FJ Engineers...
But Lt Woodson's command team is hung up on the stone wall and savaged by the Italian anti-tank gunners!!!
Seeing red, Sgt Anderson leads his squad north, seeking revenge...
And gets it, slaughtering the Italian gun crew...
The Americans hop the wall and push forward...
But now they've drawn the attention of the nearby Italian tank, which opens fire at point blank range!
But the Italian fire is ineffective and Cpl Greene is able to pull out his trusty bazooka...
And put it to good use!!! The German paratrooper Captain is in shock, utterly speechless, as he's watched the upstart Yankees advance under heavy fire and eliminate his veteran, elite FJ Engineers in close combat, before knocking out a tank with some sort of new-fangled hand-held rocket!
His left-flank completely demolished, three of his five attached tanks knocked out, one of his two anti-tank guns kaput, two of his three machine guns out of action...
It's time to go; the German CO moves north, ordering his men to fall back.
A look at the battlefield, from northeast to southwest, showing a plethora of burning vehicles, as the Axis forces (bottom left) withdraw from the battlefield.
Wow, what a fight, and a great start to TF Reisman's war against the Germans. But don't worry, darker days surely lie ahead, these were just scattered forces occupying outposts on the frontier, while the German focus still remained eastward, but these fights literally convinced the German high command that more troops needed to be flowed into Tunisia in order to 1) assume control from the Vichy French, and 2) hold the advancing Allied forces in the west at bay. So don't fret, 10th Panzer Division has already been given its warning order and will soon be on the way...
But a ton of fun, in any case. It was a lot of troops on the table for a 5Core Company Command game (18 stands for the Americans, not including transport, and 16 stands for the Germans/Italians), and way too even, not a very good force ratio for the attackers! So I didn't make the Germans as tough as I should/could have (in terms of morale and close combat ability), just treated them as 'normal' troops, but hey, I treated them as 'normal' troops in what was basically an even-up game and the GIs still pulled it off! After being hit by Stukas, too! ;) Even knocked out a few enemy (albeit Italian) tanks, two with tanks and one with a bazooka! Quite proud o'my dogfaces from Task Force Reisman!
At this point Blade Force has secured Chouigoui Pass; it must leave forces there to secure its left (northern) flank as it is not in contact with the British 36th Brigade Group further north, while it pushes east. The 5th Northamptonshires have secured the town of Tebourba and Blade force continues east; mechanized forces from Task Force Reisman, under their Armored Reconnaissance Company commander, Captain Henry, are enroute to the Bathan Bridge over the Medjerda River, on the path to the town of Djedeida.
Let's get to some stats:
-the US had 10 men killed, wounded, or missing
-the Germans/Italians had 40 men killed, wounded, or missing
-The Italians had three M11/1941 tanks and a 47mm 47/32 ATG destroyed
Characters:
-Sgt Anderson, 2nd Squad Leader, 1st Armored Reconnaissance Platoon, was awarded the Silver Star for seizing the village and crossroads, rolling up the enemy's left flank and unhinging their defense, eliminated a platoon leader, two squads of Parachute Engineers, and an anti-tank gun in close combat in the process.
-2nd Lt Woodson, Platoon Leader, 1st Armored Reconnaissance Platoon, was awarded his second Purple Heart and the Bronze Star w/V, for leading the assault on the village and crossroads, eliminating an enemy machine gun team and Parachute Engineer squad in close combat before falling wounded while close assaulting an enemy anti-tank gun position.
-Sgt Carrington, 3rd Squad Leader, 1st Armored Reconnaissance Platoon, was recognized for his combat leadership in rallying the 1st Armored Reconnaissance Platoon while it was under intense enemy machine gun and tank fire, allowing other elements of the platoon to carry out the close assault that cracked the enemy defensive line.
-2nd Lt Figures, Platoon Leader, 1st Tank Platoon, was awarded the Purple Heart (return 15 Dec 942) for being wounded when his tank was knocked out by enemy fire, and was recognized for his steady and calm demeanor and professionalism whilst knocking out an enemy tank with his M3 Stuart.
-Sergeant Simpson, Tank Commander, 1st Tank Platoon, was recognized for his steady and calm demeanor and professionalism whilst knocking out an enemy tank with his M3 Stuart.
-Corporal Greene, Anti-Tank Gunner, 1st Armored Reconnaissance Platoon, was recognized for his steady and calm demeanor and professionalism whilst knocking out an enemy tank with his M1 2.36" Rocket Launcher.
-2nd Lt Robinson, Platoon Leader, Self-Propelled Gun Platoon, was awarded the Purple Heart (return 15 Dec 942) for being wounded when his M7 Priest was disabled by enemy fire.
-Cpl Haggans, Acting 1st Squad Leader, 1st Armored Reconnaissance Platoon, was awarded the Purple Heart (return 1 Jan 1943), for being wounded when his M3 Halftrack was knocked out by enemy fire.
-Captain Thigpen, Executive Officer, Task Force Reisman, was not officially reprimanded, but Major Reisman sat him down ad discussed his displeasure with the Captain's perceived lack of combat leadership, personal courage, and grit, while leading the attack on the walled village. The Major understood full well the stress of combat, the danger of incoming hostile fire, and burden of command, and explained that he needs, and expects, more of his XO. "Captain," Major Reisman began ponderously, "I get holding back until you can determine where the enemy's center of gravity resides, but once you do, you must absolutely grip it! And I mean seize on it and don't let go, hang on for door life, push it to its full out extent, regardless of cost and personal risk!"
"Yes, Sir."
"Yes, Sir."
And with that, we press on to join Captain Henry in his assault to secure a bridge over the Medjerda.
V/R,
Jack
