Atkins Wargames
For those times when 100 D6 and fifty tables is too damm much
Beda Fomm
Beda Fomm.
This Scenario concentrates on the actions of 5th Febuary 1941 on the gallant Blocking action carried out by Combeforce.
The British Include some TERROR units to represent the appauling morale of the Italians at the time.Likewise some good solid Italian units are poorer quality than in happier times. The game starts at 11:00 on the fifth and finishes at 20:00 with the arrival of the Australians behind the tenth army.
VICTORY CONDITIONS:
The Italians win if there is <2 COMBEFORCE units less than 12" (2.4 kilometers) away from the roadblock area, by 20:00.
Otherwise they lose.
The Table.
This is an easy one for all you economy freaks. Its a 6X4 foot area with a beige cloth thrown over it. The pimple is a featureless hill central and on the italian players table edge.
Their is one metalled road running North/South. The area 3" either side of the actual road is counted as Open Desert. The rest of the table is Soft Desert. (perhaps a cream pie?)
SETUP.
COMBEFORCE Sets up first and freely in a deploymenta area 20" wide by 4" deep 24" from the Italian Table edge.
The Initial Italian units set up in a deployment area 20" wide and 6" deep centred on the pimple.
The rapid British advance caused the Italians to make a decision to evacuate Cyrenaica. In late January 1941, the British learned that the Italians were evacuating Cyrenaica along the main coastal road from Benghazi. The British 7th Armoured Division under Major General Sir Michael O'Moore Creagh was dispatched to intercept the remnants of the fleeing Italian Tenth Army.
Creagh's division was to travel via Msus and Antelat (the bottom of the semi-circle), while the Australian 6th Division chased the Italians along the coast road round the north of the Jebel Akhdar mountains (the curve of the semi-circle). The poor terrain was hard going for the tanks, and Creagh took the bold decision to send a flying column (christened "Combe Force") south-west across the virtually unmapped Libyan Desert. Combe Force, under its namesake Lieutenant-Colonel John Combe of the 11th Hussars, consisted of 11th Hussars, a squadron of King's Dragoon Guards, 2nd Rifle Brigade, a Royal Air Force armoured car squadron, anti-tank guns from 3rd Regiment Royal Horse Artillery (RHA), 'C' battery 4 RHA, and the 106th battery RHA with nine portee-mounted 37 mm anti-tank guns.[36]The force totalled about 2,000 men. For the sake of speed, only light and Cruiser tanks were part of the Combe Force flying column.
In the afternoon of 5 February 1941, Combe Force arrived at the Benghazi – Tripoli road and set up road blocks near Sidi Saleh, some 20 miles (32 km) north of Ajedabia and 30 miles (48 km) southwest of Antelat. The leading elements of the Italian Tenth Army arrived 30 minutes later and were blocked. By the evening 4th Armoured Brigade had reached Beda Fomm, overlooking the coastal road some 10 miles (16 km) to the north of them while 7th Armoured Support Group took a more northerly route to threaten the retreating Italian Tenth Army's flank and rear and prevent a breakout across the desert.[20]. The following day, the Italian army had concentrated and attacked. The fighting was intense and as the day progressed increasingly desperate.
Through 6 February, the riflemen, tanks, and guns of Combe Force managed to hold off about 20,000 Italian soldiers supported by sixty M13/40 medium tanks and two hundred guns. Initially, Bambini's "Special Armored Brigade" (Brigata Corazzato Speciale, or BCS) was in the vicinity of Benghazi. The BCS was part of the rear guard and included approximately one-hundred tanks. But, because at least thirty tanks were kept back at Benghazi for rear guard purposes, the BCS was limited to sixty tanks to make the crucial break through at Beda Fomm.
The fighting was close and often hand-to-hand. At one point, a regimental sergeant major captured an Italian light tank by hitting the commander over the head with a rifle-butt.
The final Italian effort came in the morning of 7 February when the last twenty Italian medium tanks broke through the thin cordon of riflemen and anti-tank guns. But even this breakthrough was ultimately stopped by the fire of British field guns located just a few yards from regimental HQ. After this final failure, with the rest of the British 7th Armoured Division arriving, and the Australian 6th Division bearing down on them from the Benghazi, the Italians surrendered.
FORCES
BRITISH:
COMBEFORCE
ITALIANS
10th ARMY
TURN 1
1st Battalion M13 tanks, BATTALION TANK LIGHT SHAKY VETERAN
2nd Battalion M13 tanks,BATTALION TANK LIGHT SHAKY VETERAN
1st Bersaglieri Battalion INFANTRY MOTORISED VETERAN SHAKY
2nd Bersaglieri BattalionINFANTRY MOTORISED VETERAN SHAKY
3rd Bersaglieri Battalion, INFANTRY MOTORISED VETERAN SHAKY
Motorcycle Battalion, INFANTRY MOTORISED VETERAN RECON MOTORCYCLE
Artillery Regiment BATTALION ARTILLERY MEDIUM TOWED CONSCRIPT
, 2 X Antitank Companies, DETACHED COMPANY ARTILLERY LIGHT ANTITANK TOWED CONSCRIPT SHAKY
Arrives table edge TURN 3
1st Ragrupamento Carristi (Tank Group) (M11/39s, M13/40s & L3s) BATTALION TANK LIGHT SHAKY VETERAN
61st Sirte Division
69th IR INFANTRY BATTALION MOTORISED CONSCRIPT SHAKY
70th IR INFANTRY BATTALION MOTORISED CONSCRIPT SHAKY
A Bloody Nose. Hurtgen Forest 1944
Howdy, this isnt complete yet, ill bung in some real maps ASAP. This scenario covers the 9th infantry Divisons initial thrusts into the meat grinder of Hurtgen in 1944.
The struggle for the 50 square miles of heavily wooded and hilly terrain south of Aachen actually began in mid-September. With their supply line stretched to the breaking point, the Allies’ rapid advance through France had finally slowed down at the Siegfried Line, the formidable defensive belt that blocked Germany’s western border and guarded the entrance to the Ruhr Valley. Hoping to seize Aachen and establish a firm breach in the Siegfried Line before winter’s onset, Maj. Gen. J. Lawton Collins, commanding VII Corps, ordered Maj. Gen. Louis A. Craig’s 9th Infantry Division to seize the villages of Hürtgen and Kleinhau. After some initial progress, the American drive stalled when two of Craig’s regiments were diverted north to assist the 3rd Armored Division, which was embroiled in a brutal battle at the Aachen suburb of Stolberg.
In early October, Craig was ordered to resume his attack in the Hürtgen Forest. Now, however, he would have to do so minus his 47th Infantry Regiment, which remained in support of the 3rd Armored, and with understrength units sent from the fighting around Aachen. To further complicate matters, Collins made it clear that the 9th Division’s effort was regarded only as secondary -- supporting the Allies’ main attack at Aachen. That meant Craig would be at the bottom of the list for reinforcements, artillery or air support, though the general took some comfort knowing he was not expected to begin his assault until three days after VII Corps began its renewed push toward Aachen.
The villages of Germeter and Vossenack, as well as the crossroads settlement of Reichelskaul, were designated as the 9th Division’s initial objectives. Lieutenant Colonel Van H. Bond’s 39th Infantry Regiment would attack on the left. Once it had occupied Germeter, the 39th would seize Vossenack while guarding against an enemy counterattack from the north. Meanwhile, after capturing Reichelskaul, Colonel John G. Van Houten’s 60th Infantry Regiment would reorient itself to the south to guard against a German counterthrust from the direction of Monschau. The division would then push on against the town of Schmidt. Jump-off time was originally set for October 5 but was later postponed for 24 hours.
The initial thrust would be conducted by four battalions. Craig had four divisional howitzer battalions along with three battalions of reinforcing artillery, for a grand total of 96 pieces. A company of 4.2-inch mortars was attached to each regiment, along with a company each from supporting tank (746th) and tank destroyer (899th) battalions.
on October 6. Craig opened with fighter-bombers striking at otherwise invisible targets that U.S. artillery units had marked with columns of red smoke. Once the planes departed, there was a five-minute preparatory artillery barrage, then the U.S. foot soldiers began surging forward.
SPECIAL RULES:
Germans are dug in fortifications in all areas. They may upon digging in new positions declare them fortifications with no further cost.
Recon by aircraft can not spot units in woods.
All german fire is counted as Ambush on the first turn of them firing.
TERRAIN:
All terrain is close woods, the town of Schmidt is urban Of course and all units in there count as fortified.
9th Infantry Division.Maj. Gen. Louis A. Craig (The old reliables)
1 battalion Infantry, mechanised, steady, Veteran
2 battalion Infantry, mechanised, steady, Veteran
3battalion Infantry, mechanised, steady, conscript
1 battalion Infantry, mechanised, steady, Veteran
3battalion Infantry, mechanised, steady, conscript
9th Reconnaissance Troop
Detached company tank recon steady veteran (Staghound)
Battalion Infantry, mechanised, steady,engineer
Battalion Artillery light steady conscript
Battalion Artillery light steady conscript
Battalion Artillery light steady conscript
Battalion Artillery Heavy steady conscript
746 Tank coy
Detached Coy Tank medium steady veteran
899 TD coy
Detached Coy Tank medium steady veteran opentop
Detached company infantry mechanised shaky signals veteran
Detached company infantry mechanised shaky military police veteran
ARTILLERY: 2 x Interdiction tokens 3 fire mission tokens per battalion.
Air support 3 squadrons Fighterbombers (Thunderbolts)
275th Infantry Division Generalleutnant Hans Schmidt
DHQ Detached Company Infantry light Gritty Veteran DHQ
1 battalion Infantry, Light, Gritty, Veteran
2 battalion Infantry, Light, Gritty, Veteran
3 battalion Infantry, Light, Gritty, Conscript
1 battalion Infantry, Light, Gritty, Veteran
2 battalion Infantry, Light, Gritty, Conscript
3 battalion Infantry, Light, Gritty, Conscript
1 battalion Infantry, Light, Gritty, Veteran
2 battalion Infantry, Light, Gritty, Conscript
3 battalion Infantry, Light, Gritty, Conscript
275.Panzerjäger Abteilung (Hetzers)
1 Battalion Tank Assault gun medium Veteran
- 275. Artillerie Regiment
1 Battalion Artillery Steady light veteran (105mm's)
- 275.Pioniere Battalion
1 battalion Infantry, mechanized, Gritty, Veteran, Engineer
- 275. Fusilier Battalion
1 battalion Infantry, Light, Gritty, Veteran,Recon
ARTILLERY: 1 interdiction 9 fire mission tokens
Minefeilds: the germans have up to 54 square inches of minefeilds of their choice to deploy as they wish.