Posting #1

Now how do I get through all that as the British player in 15 turns and control hex 2008? I am sure the Italians can harvest 10 steps from the British if they try. Well, here is to finding out!

Posting #2

This scenario has more than meets the eye. It’s a very different mix off opposing forces. Overall, you need to play it twice to get it right as the British, maybe!

My Initial British force of light Mk VIb tanks, Rolls Royce armored cars and mixed units of a 25-pdr with truck, 2-pdr Portee and two LT-leaders must hit a wall of Italian Infantry and mix artillery with some L3/35’s as well.

The time is short, 15 turns, so as the British player, I must start ASAP and not wait for the Reinforcement, A9’s & A10 tanks. The Italian just have to keep their defense line in tact and trade out demoralize & disrupted units before British units can ask for surrender. Also, using the terrain to their advantage, hills, salt marshes & so on. The ocean marker should be another salt marsh marker, that I didn’t have the patience to find.

As the British I wasn’t sure how to go at the Italians in this, I mean that small start up force, well with the surrender rule, I decide to stay out of range of those big 105mm guns with a nice AT fire factor and try and punch a hole through the middle and right flank. It started to payoff but then those Italian 75mm gun start to dwindle my Small tanks and Armored Cars too much and the Italians were just trading out their demoralize & disrupted with fresh units. So it was time to pull out, before it was too late and pull an end around, through and opening by the big 105mm guns I was trying to avoid. Besides, the medium size tank reinforcements had now arrived.

Ok, the British now have new life. Everything through the small opening in the desert, passing the big Italian guns! I should have tried this in the first place with numbers. The big Italian 105mm, all four them, did rake in a good harvest but there was still enough armor to try for the victory hex # 2008 and make this thing a draw, as the Italian already achieve their victory of at least British 10 steps eliminated, in fact I quit counting after 10 steps. The 2-pdr Portee is useless in this scenario, with no direct-fire, it was shot up early and never made it through to engage any Italian light armor. The British can use their 25-pdr but not close to the front, or it will get pounded and with only one Leader left, it can only shot to twelve spotted hexes away.

Incredible but I found two great ways to use the Italian L3/35’s in the final defense of hex #2008. First to cluster it in two hexes in or around hex #2008. When the British engage them with their armor it took them up a couple of turns and the Italians then assaulted a stack of British armor with the adjacent hex of L3/35’s and rolled a 6 on the assault taking out the last chance the British might of have to pull off a draw. The BER INF then filled in the victory hex, as these units do not surrender, the British were finish, a complete Italian victory! Using the L3/35’s to assault British Armor, was their best use in this game, I can’t believe they pulled it off.

In hind sight, I should have rush both British forces through the small opening in the desert and risked the big guns from the beginning but maybe the Italian could have filled that hole as well? I want to try this again someday. Both Air-Forces showed up a couple of times but no real effect to the outcome of the game.

This scenario was more fun then I thought it was going to be. A real puzzle for both sides. I highly recommend it.