After the success of Nige's SAS in the airfield attack we decided that his Long Range Desert Group should get an outing.
I set up a typical LRDG attack upon a supply convoy of DAK trucks with an escort.
The table you can see below was very, deceptively, open, with a small 'road' running across the table, through an occasionally rocky outcrop.
The table had lots of gentle rises and depressions in fact though that could easily hide a Chevy truck, bristling with MGs.
Essentially the German force entered on the southern road and would progress across the table to exit on the western edge. The blind marks the entry point of the convoy (see below).
The convoy would essentially stick to the road unless its passage was blocked, or it was attacked, whereby it would be free to take evasive action.
It was an unenviable, essentially, one sided game...or so I thought!
The Forces
Our forces are detailed below Nige had a couple of units of LRDG chaps and D6 AP/AT mines to be able to mine the road or small areas of desert. The LRDG rate as Elite for IABSM and add a dice for automatic weapons at short range. Plus, they also have one big man per section making them a very formidable force.
My DAK convoy consisted on ten trucks carrying provisions, fuel or ammo for Rommel's hard pressed forces. Many attacks had occurred and so the convoy was protected by a weak company of DAK mounted in a variety of motorised transports. Tellingly, as it was to turn out, one Platoon of Germans were mounted in three SdKfz 251/1 armoured halftracks. The convoy would be led by two heavy armoured SdKfz 231 armoured cars and acting as a rearguard two SdKfz 233 Armoured cars with 75mm howitzers.
A reasonably strong convoy but if attacked correctly on line of march then very, very vulnerable.
Kev's DAK Convoy
HQ Platoon
- Hauptmann Bereich (D6)
- One Rifle Squad (8 men, extra LMG)
- PzB 38-39 AT Rifle (2 men)
- Two Kubelwagens
- M/C Combo
Infantry Platoon 1
- Leutnant Bockstein (D6)
- Unterfeldwebel Pfalz (D6)
- Three Rifle Squads (8 men each, extra LMG per section)
- Three SdKfz 251/1
Infantry Platoon 3
- Obegfreiter Wurzgarten (D6+1)
- Two Rifle Squads (8 men each, extra LMG per section)
- Kfz15 Field car
- Two Kubelwagens
Armour 1
- Unterfeldwebel Bassermann (D4)
- Two SdKfz 231 (Veteran)
Armour 2
- Obergfreiter Kunstler (D4)
- Two SdKfz 233 (Veteran)
Armour 3
- Two Opel trucks carrying provisions
Armour 4
- Four CMP 3 ton Lorries carrying Ammo
Armour 5
- Four 15cwt trucks carrying fuel
National Characteristics Cards
- Rapid Deployment
- Recce Force
- Vehicle Breakdown
- MG Bonus Fire
- Rally
- Dynamic Commander
- Heroic Leader
- D4 fake blinds
Nige's LRDG Force
HQ
- Captain Miles Behind (DAV)
- One SMG/Rifle Squad (4 men with automatic weapons)
- Jeep with MMG
Infantry Platoon 1
- Lieutenant Dick Gobbler (DAV)
- Sergeant Eamon O’Potato (D6+2)
- Two Rifle/SMG Sections (8 men with automatic weapons)
- Two Chevy Trucks with MMG/HMG
- Four Jeeps with MMG
Infantry Platoon 2
- Lieutenant Hugh Jarce (D6)
- Sergeant Les Bow (D6+1)
- Two Rifle/SMG Sections (8 men with automatic weapons)
- Four Chevy Trucks with MMG/HMG
Gun 1
- 20mm Breda Portee
Special Rules
- D6 mines to allow a 1” section of road to be mined or 1” x 3” small minefield either AP of AT (your choice). AT will only destroy vehicles, AP will destroy softskins and infantry.
National Characteristics Cards
- Rapid Deployment
- Recce Force
- Vehicle Breakdown
- Dynamic Commander
- Gun Bonus Fire
- MG Bonus Fire
- Rally
- Heroic Leader
- D6+3 fake blinds
The Game
Nige's force were told they could deploy anywhere on table, except within 12" of the German entry point.
The game started with my initial blind, my 231 A/C's drawing 'Rapid Deployment' and so able to use all four dice for movement 18" along the road.
Nige spotted me and then revealed I had gone through an AP mined section of road with my leading 231 commanded by Unterfeldwebel Bassermann (yes, wine buffs, well spotted, all my German big men are German wines or wine producers).
I rolled and discovered that I had activated a mine but as it was an AP mine we decided that I should roll a 1 to become immobilised rather than a 1-3 as per the usual minefield rules.
Bloody typical! I rolled a one revealing that a wheel had become badly damaged causing immobilisation. Bassermann's crew would need hours to fix it.
I decided that the convoy would progress as normal without necessarily thinking it was an ambush. The roads had often been mined in places, it was very unfortunate.
Skirting around the first armoured car, the second suddenly ran into a mine too! AP again. I rolled and another bloody one! Immobilised permanently for the game.
Things were looking very rough when the Company HQ turned up in Kubels and a motorcycle combo. Hauptmann Bereich surveyed the scene and decided that Rommel's supplies were his priority and that progress should be continued.
As the combo turned north of the immobilised armoured cars another loud explosion erupted. The poor motorcycle had had its axel broken by another AP mine. The area was littered with mines and I had only travelled 18" of the 96" road!
This was serious. The halftracks behind Bereich left the road and travelled round the western flank spotting several British fake blinds.
Suddenly a 20mm portee mounted Breda Cannon revealed its presence by firing at long range into the trucks on the road and luckily for me just immobilising a truck.
Bereich now knew this was no mere odd mine that had caused him problems.
When their cards were drawn the trucks began to peel off the road and head westwards escorted by the halftracks. It was like sheepdogs and flock.
As his crew abandoned their vehicle, Unterfledwebel Bassermann dropped to the sand from his damaged armoured car, and sweating from the effort, clambered into a nearby German halftrack. 'Komm' he cried waving towards the Breda 'Vortwards!'
The halftrack swung north, after clearing an area of undulation, and opened fire with its MMG on the hull down Breda portee. The first rounds entered the engine causing possible breakdown. The second and third German halftracks headed westwards, keen to spring further ambushes and protect their flock of trucks from the snapping attentions of the LRDG wolves.
Another couple of fakes were spotted. "Where was the verdamt Englisher?" thought a perplexed Bereich.
After the 'Tea Break' card had been drawn I was lucky enough to get my halftrack Platoon as the first drawn unit. With its second volley the Bereich's halftrack's MG34 rounds peppered the truck mounting the Breda, its petrol tank exploding killing the crew and destroying the gun. Maybe my luck has changed, though Bereich
Progress continued for the flock. Large dust clouds raised from the white desert sand as the vehicles sped for safety.
My rearguard 233's entered on a blind, as yet unspotted, and headed towards the west, herding on the flock.
Suddenly far to the west, dust clouds were spotted. Four Chevy trucks bristling with MGs burst onto the scene, quickly destroying a captured 15cwt truck which burst into flames as it was hit by a burst from a twin Vickers K.
The 'Englisher had arrived!'. However, here Nige had made a fatal error. Keen to engage he had advanced to short range. 'Tea Break'. My unmotivated halftracks were permitted a fire at the end of the short turn. Two Chevy's burst into flames, their unprotected trucks no protection against the halftrack MG34's. LRDG men spilled from their mounts, dead, dying and carrying 'wounds'.
Next turn second LRDG force of mixed jeeps and Chevy's advanced from the north, keen on attacking the flank and rear. 'Tea Break' again. This time they had closed to within short range of my immobilised remaining 231. Its unit card not being drawn, and therefore no test for bailing required, the armoured cars gun rattled dispatching a jeep and its crew.
Another fatal error of judgement.
At the beginning of the next turn Nige spotted my remaining blinds and the 233 were revealed. The balance had shifted.
With big men now in all the halftracks, a run of German big men cards ensured that the remaining Chevy's to the west burst into flames. Bassermann knocked out another jeep to the north with his vehicles MG34.
I dismounted an infantry Platoon in motorised transports and took up position to engage the LRDG jeeps if they continued.
Realising the day was lost, the jeeps swung round and headed for their lines, the remaining 231 knocking out a Chevy as yet again its close range fire at 'Tea Break' was telling.
The remaining halftracks quickly shot up the dismounted LRDG men as they advanced amongst the burning Chevy hulks.
We decided that the game was over.
Several DAK vehicles had been lost but casualties amongst the LRDG had been catastrophic.
Undeniably, Nige had had some bad luck with his cards but the mines had sprung the trap before my head was in the noose allowing me to react tellingly with my halftracks.
Once sprung, Nige had made the critical error of advancing to within the 12" short range of my MMG mounted SdKfz 251's, allowing me to dispatch him with firing at the 'Tea Break'.
In retrospect perhaps Nige would have been better to place mines towards the western end of the road, allowing me to advance in column along the road, and then spring his attacks on my strung out flanks. I had used local superiority of firepower no small amount of luck to defeat him.
But, then its always easy in retrospect.
Nige told me that he had also mined the road towards its western end, so I would have suffered more losses once I had continued along the road.
Once my 'dogs' were in position though, the progress of the 'flock' was assured. No amount of MGs will help if your trucks have no armour!
A lesson to learn Nige?
Kev
