Battleaxe: Full Monty vs the Purist

[The Purist]

June 1941 - South of Halfaya Pass, The Egyptian Frontier

The Battle for Point 116

Elements of 4th and 7th Armoured Brigade and the Support Group, 7th Armoured Division clash with elements of 8th Machine Gun Battalion supported by tanks of 5th Panzer Regiment.

Number 2 company, Kings Own Rifle Corps, supported by a machine gun section, a 3 in mortar section, and an AT section with elements of 7th Armoured Brigade (3rd County of London Yoemanry, Crusader Is) and 4th Armoured Brigade (4th RTR, Matilda IIs) advanced briskly down a desert track to seize the objective. Point 116 was the objective, a small hill made important only because it was the only piece of high ground along the trail for miles, and that it blocked the supply route to German positions in the pass to the north.

The British column advanced two platoons up with Matildas in support while no. 3 Platoon and the Crusaders were placed in reserve in a depression to the rear. Support elements moved to a slight rise to the left-rear flank where machine gun and an mortar positions were established. Initial contact with a large German infantry force was encountered and the two forward platoons were quickly driven to ground but not before they had occuppied a few mud huts on the objective.

The supporting six Matildas moved out to drive off the German infantry but were taken under fire by an anti-tank gun and then by a platoon of Pz IIIs. Shrugging off the hits from the German guns the Matildas pressed forward and dispatched the gun and all three tanks. However, the enthusiasm of the Matildas crews got the better of them and they pushed deep into the German infantry positions without infantry support. Trying to repeat the routing of Italian troops some 6 months earlier the Matildas drove right over the German positions inflicting many casualties.

While German infantry casualties were heavy they proved to be made of sterner stuff than their Italian allies as one by one the lumbering Matildas feel victim to grenade and anti-tank rifle fire. The lack of an effective high-explosive round for the Matildas's main gun again meant that the tanks had to rely on a sole machine gun for defense against enemy infnatry.

Number 3 platoon and the reserve armour were committed to try to get the advance moving again but the enemy infantry strength, estimated at one battalion, proved too much for a single rifle company to dislodge. The reserves did help to hold the objective against a final German assault but by night fall the Germans were still on the battlefield. Number 2 company and support troops had held, bloodied but defiant.

A tactical draw.

Casualties to be posted at later date.

[Full Monty]

This was a very enjoyable match! Gerry's added some nice 'semi-historical' touches in his narrative which I'm not going to mess with. Instead I'll give more of a 'gamey' pov.

I made some serious errors in this game. My forces makeup mas seriously flawed! I chose to pick up a whole motorised infantry battalion and then added three PzIIIs, a 37mm AT gun and an AT rifle. Therefore, apart from my armour, I was seriously lacking in mobility. When I placed my troops on the map I made still more mistakes. Although I correctly identified the low hill in the centre of the map as a primary objective I opted to place my tanks behind it intending them to take and hold until my infantry reached them. With this in mind I concentrated my infantry in the same area, leaving a couple of platoons on either flank with a third in reserve. About the only thing I did right was in my positioning of my HMGs where I focussed on spreading them out and ensuring they had wide fields of fire.

When the battle commenced I quickly realised the extent of my blunders. I expected to run into 'Crusader' tanks but instead I ran into those 'mobile pillboxes' aka 'Matildas' :D Shell after shell bounced off their armour and instead of holding the hill my tanks quickly retreated as the Matildas closed the range. As penetration followed penetration my tanks were abandoned and not only that but my AT gun perished under heavy artillery fire as well. Thus, after a third of the game I had no sigificant AT capability and, frankly, I was feeling decidedly depressed with the state of the game and my performance. However, it was here that my opponent seriously blundered. Thinking, like me, that his tanks were now invulnerable, he sent them charging into my rear areas unsupported. One by one they succumbed to grenade attacks and I began to realise that maybe I could achieve something in this game. I ordered my artillery to focus their fire on the nearest objective points held by my opponent and ordered my infantry forward. As the game neared its conclusion the battlefield was strewn with broken tanks and burning troop transports as my HMGs and grenades took their toll. Both sides raced troops in a desperate effort to claim enough objective points to secure a victory. Ultimately we both failed as two objectives remained contested at the end with the others held by the British. However, I had inflicted enough casualties and destroyed enough vehicles to achieve a draw.

So what conclusions do I draw from this?

1) It's important to understand the capabilities of your own troops. I believed my tanks to be far nearer to indestructible than they were and that my infantry could not counter armour on their own. Man was I wrong!

2) It's also important to be aware of the forces available to your opponent. I'd forgotten about the Matilda tank, it's capabilities and even its deployment to the Western Desert.

3) Tactically, tanks should, wherever possible, fight at long range and if they have superior mobility then it should be used. Even if I had been correct in believing my opponent to be equipped solely with Crusaders, stationing my Panzers behind the hill was a poor idea. Placing them on the flank would have been a much better idea - although they would still have struggled to combat the Matildas they would still have survived to play a role in the endgame.

4) Tanks should not be left to combat infantry unsupported, especially if they are not equipped with HE shells. Had my opponent not opted to let his Matildas go on the rampage I seriously doubt I could have achieved even a minor defeat let alone a draw.


Neither myself nor Gerry are particularly experienced in playing CM at present (as the above probably shows :D ) but this particularly game has to rank as being one of the most enjoyable online gaming experiences I have had. I believe Gerry has Tunisia '43 in mind for our next contest and it should be very interesting at least.

[The Purist]

Yep,....got just a touch over-excited with the Matilda tanks. By the time I thought it time to withdraw it was too late,...Matildas are a touch slow. When it comes right down to it, they are not really that effective a tank, but I understand the German panzer crews reluctance to engage the beasts - an affliction called 'Matilda-itis' historically.

To tell the truth, I have never (in solitaire play, at least) seen infantry do so much damage to 'heavy' tanks with just grenades. It has been my experience, when on the receiving end, to be crushed while my grenades simply make little 'puffs' in the dirt.

Ah, well,...it WAS fun running down all those German squads and teams. Nipping about in unarmed universal carriers, scaring the hell out of the Germans was fun as well, even though it did cost four or five in casualties. My Bren carriers did much better, they, at least, had a machine gun to shoot with. Still lost a cool 7 or 8 of those.

[Full Monty]

The next one should be fun :salute:

[KG_Norad]

Thanks for the report Gentlemen...I always enjoy the bold tales of blooded warriors such as yourselves. :D