All,
XXXX Local Time
XX November 1942
Near Chouigoui, French Tunisia
German Attack on Tebourba
This was the fight that basically made me give up on this campaign; I had another guy win the Medal of Honor and it really had me questioning how I'm doing things... I like Hollywood and all, but it was a bit too much I think, and I figured you guys would be aggravated reading it. And that something, I'm playing and blogging and actually worried what you guys would think. I know Mr. Travers (and Panda, if he was still around) would be talking about magic dice...
In any case, the Germans are counterattacking in this fight.
Overview, the GIs hold the town, the Germans are coming on the baord via the roads at top right and bottom right.
The opposing forces, U.S. on left, Germans on right.
The U.S. force.
And the Germans.
Yes, this is Tunisia, so please note the two Panzer Mark VI Tigers...
Overview, now with troops.
U.S. troops scattered throughout the town.
U.S. heavy weapons, across the river on the left flank.
Germans in the northeast.
The town.
Germans in the southeast.
Those damned Tigers...
The German center, some mortars, MGs, infantry gun.
The southern column for the Germans again.
The fight starts with the U.S. M-1917 water-cooled .30-caliber mahine gun opening fire on the German infantry in the northern column.
One squad is pinned and another suppressed as the lead Tiger returns fire.
Pinning the U.S. MG team (left). The U.S. mortars open fire.
Hitting the German center.
A GI MG team in the town (roof at left bottom) and the U.S. mortar team at bottom left open fire on the southern column (top right).
Not particularly effective...
A Rifle Squad opens up.
And is immediately subjected to return fire from the German MG team (far right) on the hill.
The U.S. Scout Car moves up in the center (bottom left) and hammers away at the southern column with its .50-cal MG.
One of the German Sdkfz 222's (bottom right) returns fire.
And the 20mm rapid fire cannon quickly makes a wreck of the M3 Scout Car...
The other Sdkfz 222 pounds U.S. positions in the town.
As does the German infantry gun (far left).
Bracketing the U.S. mortar position in the town.
The Tigers continue firing across the river.
And now none of the mortars/MGs are having any fun...
One of the mortar teams tries to rally and fails, falling back (far left), while the other gets 'up' to pinned.
The U.S. mortar team in the town continues tossing rounds at the southern column.
And now they're on the money!
The U.S. CO begins moving forward, into the center of town (bottom left).
As one of the German scout cars moves up and hammers away with its 20mm gun.
The other moves up and helps their infantry rally.
Two squads are good, but one falls back (red bead at far right, below the MG-42 team on the hill).
The German northern column also sets about rallying and re-grouping, needs to get its butt in gear and advance.
Some of the infantry finally get moving up the road.
But a U.S. LMG team in the town (bottom left) spots them and opens fire.
Suppressing a squad. One of the Tigers moves up to rally it.
Presenting its side to the U.S. tank destroyer, which has quietly waited exactly for this eventuality! The halftrack's gun roars!
They miss, and the Tiger promptly returns fire...
Absolutely wrecking the thin-skinned halftrack.
The Tiger pivots and sends an 88mm round into town.
But doesn't hit anything.
U.S. infantry in the town (far left) are engaging German heavy weapons in the center (far right top).
German mortars hit the town, suppressing the American anti-tank gun position (bottom center).
An American Platoon Commander dashes across the street (just inside wall at center right, from between the buildings at left), looking to rally the bazooka team on top of the building he's next to.
The U.S. mortar and MG team in the town (bottom left) open up again...
And continue to rain death and destruction on the German southern column!
While American heavy weapons on the other side of the river (bottom left) continue firing on the northern column (top center).
The MG team in the town (bottom left) fires on the northern column).
Causing some infantry casualties but also drawing the ire of a nearby Tiger, which opens fire with its main gun...
Which panics the MG team and pins the CO!
The German scout car in the south comes under fire from the U.S. rifle squad on the outskirts of town.
The two trade fire ineffectually.
The German southern column commander works to rally his troops back into fighting shape.
But the rear Sdkfz 222 fails and dashes into the cover of some nearby broken ground (top center left, from bottom right)!
Which immediately draws the attention of a nearby U.S. bazooka team!
Which puts a rocket straight into the German Scout Car, ending its career.
The German southern column commander moves over (bottom right) to rally a suppressed rifle squad...
But they fail and fall back...
Before a few MP-40 bursts calm them down and bring them to their senses (bottom right). Some of their compatriots wisely get off the road and head through the broken ground for the center of town (left top).
The German IG (bottom left) lobs 75mm HE rounds at the U.S. bazooka team that took out the Sdkfz 222...
The bazooka team is knocked out and a nearby rifle squad is suppressed.
The German northern column continues rallying/reorganizing.
They're having a heckuva time getting everyone into fighting shape and on the move.
The motorcycle unit pushes up the road (far left) as the second Tiger moves up to help some infantry rally (far right).
Then closes up with the rest of the formation.
The U.S. mortar team (bottom left) in town fires on the southern column (top right).
But the rounds hit only recently vacated road.
A U.S. mortar team across the river (bottom left) opens fire on German infantry advancing on the center part of town(top center right).
Suppressing a rifle squad (left) and MG team (right).
On the east end of town, the U.S. Platoon Commander there has rallied his bazooka team (left) and is working up to his rifle squad engaging the remaining German scout car.
Which promptly engages the German scout car again, using rifle grenades and small arms fire to keep it buttoned up.
The scout car's crew is pinned (left), but a nearby German rifle squad (bottom left) returns fire).
Suppressing the GIs...
In the north, the Tiger column creeps ahead ever so slowly.
A U.S. rifle squad ambushes their lead element, a motorcycle team.
Eliminating them.
The German IG and mortars go to work.
But only manage to pin the offending rifle squad.
German infantry of the southern column advance under mortar fire.
Moving up to rally their Sdkfz 222.
The U.S. Platoon Commander decides it's time to go, so he grabs his suppressed guys...
And pulls back (bottom left, from top right).
The U.S. mortar team in town (bottom left) is absolutely on fire, burning out their tubes on the southern column.
A German rifle squad is knocked out (next to the Sdkfz 222) and another is suppressed (red bead at top center).
The mortar team across the river (bottom left) fires on the northern column.
But it's not nearly as effective.
The U.S. CO moves into the center of town and rallies a suppressed rifle squad.
While the suppressed mortar team across the river finally rallies (far left).
The northern column pushes slowly to the edge of town.
German infantry are now in the buildings and engaging U.S. infantry at close range.
While the German mortar team (bottom left) pounds the center of town.
The rifle squad the CO just rallied is knocked out!
The remaining German scout car rallies on the road, while the southern column commander tries to rally a suppressed rifle squad (right)...
But they fail and fall back, taking cover behind the burning Sdkfz 222.
The remaining scout car and rifle squad move up, entering the town from the east.
A waiting U.S. bazooka team cuts loose.
And sends them straight to hell! The southern column is pretty much hors de combat...
The mortar team in town thereby turns its sights on the northern column...
Knocking out one German squad (bottom right), suppressing another (atop building, at center top), and suppressing their commander (on road at right center)!!!
The U.S. mortar team across the river also adds to the mayhem.
Suppressing one of the Tigers (left) and pinning a rifle squad (right top).
U.S. infantry in the south open fire on the northern column as the remaining bazooka team (right bottom)...
Charges across the street, joining the CO (center, from bottom right).
The southern commander moves up to try and rally his suppressed rifle squad again (left bottom, with their MG team atop the hill suppressed as well and their IG pinned, mortar team at top center okay).
They succeed and move up (center, from top right), as do their compadres (bottom left, just below the burning Sdkfz 222 on the road).
The northern column sets about rallying and reorganizing, again. Just about every turn.
Some German infantry try a right hook on the nearby suppressed U.S. rifle squad (far left).
As U.S. forces in the south begin re-positioning to meet the threat posed by the northern column.
The CO falls back to rally the suppressed ATG crew (bottom left).
But they saw TWO Tigers and said hell with it, and fell back (red bead at center left bottom, from right bottom).
Feeling a bit nervous, the CO makes sure a round is chambered in his .45.
The CO moves back and tries rallying the ATG crew again...
But they said 'hell with it!' and left town (bottom left)!
The U.S. mortar across the river fires on the northern column.
Suppressing the German commander.
As the remaining U.S. bazooka team pops onto a roof and launches a rocket at the thinner armor of the Tiger's roof!
The round still bounces off, but it suppresses both Tigers! A nearby German rifle squad (center bottom) returns fire on them.
And guns them down on the roof...
The nearest U.S. rifle squad rallies and hops the stone wall, "Let's go boys!"
They defeat a pinned German rifle squad in close combat.
Then they charge the 'men down' German rifle squad...
They defeat them (atop roof) then come down and charge the suppressed German northern column command element...
They defeat the German command team, then charge the Tigers (both of which are suppressed)...
It only takes a few shots and one grenade before shouts of "Kamerad" are heard. The lone U.S. rifle squad captures the crews of both Tiger tanks and the nearby rifle squad (that shot the bazooka team off the roof).
That's some Audie Murphy stuff right there!
The remaining German squad from the northern column falls back down the road.
As do the survivors of the southern column and heavy weapons.
Yeah, that was the one that kinda did me in. I think the original rules allowed you to keep hopping from melee to melee (as I just did, defeating one command team, three rifle squads, and two tanks), but they've been changed to say you can move but not into another close combat. I think I need to change to that, it's too much like playing checkers when the enemy units are lined up and pinned/suppressed/men down.
More to come.
V/R,
Jack
