Author	treadasaurusrex (Australia, Britain)
Method	VASSAL
Victor	Germany
Participants	sagunto
Play Date	2022-10-19
Language	English
Scenario	AfKo035

This was a 3-session shared, online play-through with another newly Vassalized (trained) newcomer to PG. He played the defending German side and I led the attacking Australians and Brits. As so often in the Africa Korps sequence, this was a "take-the-strongpoints-but -don't-lose-too-many-steps-doing it" kind of a game, where the defenders benefit from interior lines and too many demonic AT guns. We dispensed with the defense-favoring FOW rule, but used the consolidation, excess initiative, strategic movement, extended assault, tank riders and smoke rules. Lately, most of my shared play opponents have stuck me with the side without armor, so it was fun to at least have 3 platoons of British tanks show up as reinforcements. We completed this play-through today to celebrate the 241st anniversary of the surrender of Cornwallis' British force at Yorktown in 1781.

Unlike other's experience, the pre-planned British OBA (including illumination) proved effective and both of the evil 50mm AT platoons were quickly eliminated in the first few turns. As the Aussie's moved up in the predawn hours, they were able to take 2 entrenchments before the sun was fully up at 0600. Sadly, the sole platoon of Australian combat engineers were lost in the process as visibility improved.

The Allies eventually captured a third entrenchment in a costly cose assault, but alas, were not able to take and hold the critical two entrenchments (Hexes 0407 & 0608) required for a win in the victory conditions. Excellent defender die rolls in "first fire" phases were deadly throughout this play-through, and the required 8 step loses for the Aussies came in game turn 9. The armor reinforcements did arrive thanks to a brief, contested occupation of Hex 0608. Determined German counterattacks and the loss of 3 steps of Australian HMG units, soon killed all possibility of an Allied win. Unfortunately, the tanks got very little opportunity for maneuver and mostly just worked to soften up adjacent hex targets for the rapidly diminishing Aussie infantry.

The final result was a hard-fought German victory with the Allies losing a total of 10 steps, and the Germans losing 15, By the end, both sides had also lost a quantity of leaders: 6 for the Allies, and 5 for the Germans.

This was a fun scenario to play, though the victory conditions were rather more stiff than they probably should be for the attacking side. I give this one a 3