Panzer Grenadier Battles on April 26th:
Afrika Korps #28 - "Meet Me at the Pass" Edelweiss: Expanded #13 - Spring Offensive
Army Group South Ukraine #1 - A Meaningless Day First Axis #20 - End Game in Italy
Army Group South Ukraine #4 - Beyond the Prut Parachutes Over Crete #39 - Corinith
Edelweiss #10 - Spring Offensive Road to Berlin #71 - Horst Wessel's Last Verse
Edelweiss IV #19 - Spring Offensive
Worst Tanks
Author rerathbun
Method Solo
Victor Britain, India
Play Date 2012-03-27
Language English
Scenario DCor001

In this scenario, an Italian combined-arms force attempts to clear a road of British-led Indian infantry reinforced by a few British tanks. The Italians have Bersaglieri and motorcycle troops, and equal morale to the Indians. They outnumber the Commonwealth forces more than four-to-one in tanks. Sounds easy, until you see the Italian tanks. They're forced to use L5/21 & 30 "Iron Coffins," easily the worst tanks in the Panzer Grenadier system.

The Indians set up perpendicular to the road, with the line anchored on the ends by entrenchments. One platoon with machine guns sets up in an entrenchment on the road well back of the line as a reserve point to rally around if the line is breached.

The Italians send the motorcycles around the Indian left flank in the valley between the hills, intending to get behind the line and take out the Indian mortars. This doesn't work, as the bikers are badly disrupted by the Indians' substantial off-board artillery. The rest of the force goes for the Indian left along the hill rather than try a frontal assault. Using the rough ground for cover, they start on the Indian's far left and begin to slowly roll up their flank.

The British tank reinforcements appear on the first turn when they are available and go tin-can hunting. They are able to stand back out of Italian gun range and knock off the L5's whenever they enter clear terrain, or assault or fire and get spotted in the hills.

The Italians eventually roll up the right side of the line and reach the road, but they're not able to crack any of the Indian entrenchments. The entrenchment on the north end of the line, defended by only a machine gun platoon and an anti-tank gun, fends off all the Italians can throw against it despite being surrounded for most of the day. While the north half of the line is holding off the Italians, the Indians holding the left side fall back to the rally point along the road and dig in.

In the end, the Indians still hold the road and the area is littered with burning Italian tanks. Italian losses far outnumber the Indians' (mostly due to the tank losses), earning the Allies a Major Victory.

This is a tough one for the Italians, but still could be winnable with some (or a lot of) luck and good planning. It's interesting to see British A9 tanks as the Kings of the Battlefield. Probably the only time the British tankers get to feel like the German Tiger drivers.

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