Panzer Grenadier Battles on November 23rd:
An Army at Dawn #3 - Fire Support Leyte '44 #29 - Thanksgiving Day
Carpathian Brigade #3 - Breakout and Pursuit Panzer Lehr 2 #24 - Plug the Hole
Desert Rats #23 - Te Hokowhitu-a-Tu ("War Party") Panzer Lehr #24 - Plug the Hole
Desert Rats #24 - Hill 175 South Africa's War #7 - Rear Echelon
Dragon’s Teeth #33 - Chickenshit Regulations South Africa's War #8 - Ons Is Helsems
Invasion of Germany #38 - Making Hay South Africa's War #9 - Sunday of the Dead
Jungle Fighting #9 - Another Try West Wall #8 - Making Hay
No quarter asked or given at Sollum
Author Brett Nicholson
Method Solo
Victor South Africa
Play Date 2014-02-14
Language English
Scenario SAWa020

The 2nd Transvaal Scottish easily traversed anti-tank ditches and overran entrenched Italian positions and seized control of Sollum without any casualties. The Italian defenders held out as long as they could but by 02:00/turn 17 the last machinegunner, leaderless, perished in a final bayonet charge. Curiously, even after sustaining heavy losses and losing the town the Italians would not surrender per SSR#3 after their initiative dropped to zero; all units attempted to fight to the bitter end. South African forces almost pushed the opposition into the sea behind them. Of course units aren't required to flee entrenchments and if they had they would of started swimming in the Mediterranian as they were totally surrounded. The bagpipes must of been morale lifting as well as after the last Italian gunner fell there was not even one disrupted or demoralized South African unit or leader on the map. An almost perfect, textbook trench assault and the outcome was never in doubt. So South Africa wins a major victory after taking the town and losing no steps. I don't know what the Italians can do in this one but get lucky with some early opportunity fire or maybe get a better draw of leaders as the base Italian morale sits at 7/6. But even then, two of the four Italian leaders did have morale modifiers (though none with combat modifiers) which is not so bad drawing from the 'Afrika Korps' leader lot. Visibilty was 2 hexes the whole scenario so DF with a (-1) modifier wasn't very effective and all the Italians had for indirect fire was a 65mm pop-gun. It was a nice solo play though and a nice way to end 'South Africa's War' with an undisputed South African victory; perhaps very close to the the historical outcome. I give it a "3" for what it's worth as a fun and fast-moving solo play but best to be avoided in a shared match as the Italians never really had a chance and even to get a minor victory or a draw they would of had to of caused 8 South African losses and were never even close to that but still, again, they did not surrender which must have some merit.

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