Played first two turns of "
Day of the Jackals" yesterday. Fluid action with multiple engagements occurring at various points in Kuneitra.
In the first British turn, a squad scored a CH with its ATR, destroying a mighty R35! During the AFPh, a cheeky British HS, having dispatched a CX Circassian HS in CC a turn earlier, hits a hapless FT-17M and proceeds to roll snake-eyes on the TK DR. Bam! Please recycle. Later, in an unsportsmanlike display unbecoming of Royal Fusiliers,
two squads and a shameless 8-1, pounce on an R35. The first squad to try its luck loses half its strength after failing to knock out the tank. The second fairs better. Britannia is now 3-0 in the AFV contest.
At the top of French 2, a broken 8-0 suddenly feels heroic. His Circassian comrades crouching in the kebab shop with him are unmoved by his grandstanding. Some cat-and-monkey business plays out in the northeastern part of town between the "Monkey Harrys" and a pair of AM Dodge that successfully dodge ATR fire. Meanwhile a small group of Circassians slowly surrounds those dumb enough to defend the compound in the southeast. Turns out they're all dumb asses, except a lone HS who didn't get the memo. More on these men later. Meanwhile a brushfire war continues to develop in the southwest corner of town. Here a couple of Circassian HS jackal-crawl through the undergrowth until a squad of Fusiliers takes matters into its own hands and jumps one of them in CC. Our local heroes opt to stay hidden in the shrubbery and the attack fails. Hoping to break the stalemate the following PFPh, the Circassians open up and pin down the Fusiliers. During the APh, the second Circassian HS will slip into the hex concealed. But nothing will come of CC this turn.
The doughty defenders fair better against one of the dilapidated French armour cars. A Bren gun in the western compound dispatches one as the cars turn east in order to get behind British forces trying to fallback from the mosque. [
In retrospect, it should have been a stun result.
The TK DR was 1,4 at a range of three hexes.] That hurts the French, as they're now down four vehicles. Although the lead car is able to take up a blocking position, it is immobilized by ATR fire. Unfortunately, the hit doesn't immobilize the crew, who promptly abandon their lame steed. Either way, it's another mission kill. Tin-can tally now stands at 5-0 in favour of the Fusiliers.
While the Circassians have succeeded in flushing the infidels out of the mosque, they continue to struggle clearing the area around it, especially the souk adjacent to the holy site. The British squad that destroyed an R35 the previous turn, has joined a handful of men manning a souvenir of their time in Eritrea. The latter have sensibly ignored the R35 prowling around them and concentrated their fire on the approaching Circassians. But it's not enough and an enemy squad enters their position, slaughtering them before the interlopers are in turn cut in half by the remaining Fusiliers. The French have more luck with the party that mobbed the R35 to the east, killing one enemy HS and breaking the British 8-1 and 4-5-7. Sloppy play on the part of the French allows them to flee during the run-away phase.
Why are there so many damn orchards in Kuneitra? Remind me,
who designed this... board?
The British don't have it all their way though. For example, a Fusilier squad near the mosque pays the piper when it's interdicted as it seeks refuge in the town centre. But the turn continues to favour the defenders. Witness the curious case of a CC in the eastern compound. You may recall that this cluster of buildings was defended by a lone HS. When a small group of Circassians go head to head with their British counterparts, they find themselves facing more men than expected. Their surprise is short-lived, however. Having appeared out of thin air, an 8-0 leader joins his comrades in dispatching the intruders. Although the French have secured the cluster of key buildings immediately east of the mosque, they appear to have lost momentum. The brushfire war that smoulders in the southwest is indicative of their lack of progress. The Circassians have lost five HS; the British three, plus a crew. It remains to be seen how the British will react to this state of affairs.
It begins with a rooftop mortar in the town centre dropping smoke on the 9-1 stack near the mosque, providing important cover for this group's withdrawal. Only it doesn't withdraw. Instead, the group advances toward the Frenchmen cowering outside their damaged car. To the relief of the men in the dodgy Dodge northeast of town, one of the British armoured cars uses the wall to their front for target practice. And while its companion does score a hit, the round nevertheless fails to penetrate the laughable armour of the AM Dodge. (This will prove fatal for the closer enemy car, as the Dodge later destroys it with defensive fire.) The British hero has more success, sending a Circassian HS to "Val-allah." The CCPh sees the Melee in the southwest come to an end after a 4-4-7 joins the fray. However, while both Circassian HS perish in the brush, the Fusiliers lose the 4-5-7 that started it all. Having been Encircled by defensive fire, the bullies with the 9-1 drag a CX counter with them into CC vs the French vehicle crew, . Four-to-one vs one-to-six hardly seems fair, and predictably the crew is wiped out. The Circassian HS in Melee with the ATR toting squad (minding the Italian AA Gun) likewise dies in CC.
To recap, the British are down one vehicle, one squad, one crew, and three HS. Ignoring the aforementioned vehicle crew, the French have lost five vehicles and the equivalent of four-and-a-half squads. Below is the situation at the start of the French PFPh on Turn 3. Still anyone's game at this point. But my money's on the British.
