Camp Cromwell 25/05/06

Tunisia Campaign battle #3

Nick & Barrie's Kiwis
v.
Steve J & Anders' Panzers

The Kiwis have retreated & turned to face the Panzers in F5. As a result the battle is a semi FFA. Deployment was by platoons alternately, Kiwis start dug in & GTG. The terrain is open - mostly plain. The weather continued bad with heavy rain reducing visibility to 1m for most of the day.

The Kiwis deployed well back with their 2pdrs as a forlorn hope in a small village out front. It proved remarkably tough & took a few turns to destroy. Though they didn't take anyone with them, they bought some time. The Kiwi engineers laid a minefield to protect the Kiwi LoS then retired.

On their right the Germans advanced the recon in front of the Tigers. They attracted the fire of the 17pdrs, evaded and gave the Tigers a shot killing a 17pdr.
Meanwhile on their left the Panzers, having disposed of the forlorn hope were advancing on the Kiwi supply line in a menacing line.

On turn 8, the Allied reinforcements suddenly arrived in strength on the German right flank. 4 M10s came on supported by GIs and took on the Tigers. They popped one & the 25pdrs buried the other in smoke. The Tiger and HQ MkIV counterattacked, but only got a couple of bails on the M10s. It wasn't enough & the 2nd Tiger went the way of the first. Then the Brat armour arrived as well.

The Germans sent a Panzer platoon from the centre to delay the Allied reinforcements while stepping up the attack on the Kiwi right with the other 2 panzer platoons.
They zapped the Boffors and the HMGs, but the village full of Kiwis with sticky bombs wasn't an attractive target and the attack petered out when the 25pdrs behind the village beat off the Panzers.

The M10s & Brat armour overran the German right but night fell before they reached the German supply line.

A decisive Allied victory. The Germans were caught out by the Allied flank attack, but even so the Tigers could have won the day had not the critical dice rolls in the Heavy Weight Championship between the Tigers & the M10s gone very much the Allied way.