Panzer Grenadier Battles on April 20th:
Road to Berlin #70 - Gasoline Alley
Breakthrough at Henchir Karachoum Pass
Author Schoenwulf
Method Solo
Victor Draw
Play Date 2016-09-06
Language English
Scenario LCDT007

Before dawn on January 11, 1943, units from Detachment Lagarde moved forward against Italian forces from the 1st “Superga” Infantry Division. The Italians had AT guns placed in rocky ground on both sides of the road, and infantry, HMG and mortar platoons on the 60-meter summits and slopes. A White recon car moved forward along the road and spotted Italian infantry at 0500 hours; the recon unit retreated to hold a convoy carrying Legionnaire platoons. Around 0530 hours, another group of Legionnaires moved up the southwest slope of the large 60-meter hill. They encountered an Italian AT unit bolstered by infantry and HMG platoons, and a firefight ensued. The AT unit retreated and the Legionnaires moved toward the summit, causing a mortar platoon to retreat east as well. The 47mm AT unit was finally eliminated, while a Legionnaire platoon was lost in the summit attack. By sunrise, the French controlled the summit and were moving down the north slope toward the road in pursuit of Italian infantry and HMG units. At 0715 hours, German reinforcements from the I/Afrika Marsch Battalion arrived from the east. The battle ultimately centered along the easternmost section of the road with several clashes between the French and Axis troops, with control of the road maintained by a single German ERS platoon at 1115 hours. The Moroccan troops distinguished themselves by assaulting and eliminating both 75mm and 37mm AT gun positons. The French D1 tank did not play a role due to the fact that it was mired twice over the course of the last three hours of the battle.

The scenario seems to favor the French with high morale and greater #’s of units. However, the Axis forces were aided by positioning and some fortunate OBA hits. Nonetheless, the Axis lost 15 steps to only 4 for the French (a minor victory for the Italians). The scenario begins at 0430, resulting in a number of turns with one hex visibility; this allows the French to move forward and position units under cover of darkness, a decided advantage. At game end, the French also achieved a minor victory by controlling all of the 60-meter hill hexes, and they were within a single road hex of a major victory. The lone remaining unit with road access, a reduced ERS unit, was on the board edge road hex, but survived a M2 morale check on the last turn. The final result was a draw, since each side had achieved a minor victory.

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