Roadblock in Dongolaas Gorge Africa Orientale Italiana #38 |
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(Defender) Italy | vs |
Britain
(Attacker)
India (Attacker) |
Formations Involved |
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Overall Rating, 2 votes |
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3.5
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Scenario Rank: --- of 940 |
Parent Game | Africa Orientale Italiana |
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Historicity | Historical |
Date | 1941-02-01 |
Start Time | 14:00 |
Turn Count | 32 |
Visibility | Day & Night |
Counters | 55 |
Net Morale | 1 |
Net Initiative | 1 |
Maps | 2: 84, 86 |
Layout Dimensions | 56 x 43 cm 22 x 17 in |
Play Bounty | 170 |
AAR Bounty | 171 |
Total Plays | 2 |
Total AARs | 1 |
Battle Types |
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Inflict Enemy Casualties |
Road Control |
Conditions |
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Anti-infantry Wire |
Entrenchments |
Reinforcements |
Smoke |
Terrain Mods |
Scenario Requirements & Playability | |
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Africa Orientale Italiana | Base Game |
Introduction |
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Advancing ahead of 5th Indian Division, Col. Frank Messervy’s Gazelle Force reached the mountains ringing Keren and moved up the road from Agordat into the Dongolaas Gorge. There the Italians had blocked the road and covered it with machine-gun positions on the slopes flanking the road on either side and infantry dug in behind the barrier. When initial attempts to break through failed, Messervy summoned reinforcements. |
Conclusion |
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Repeated attacks failed to dent the Italian position, even when tanks arrived and joined the assault. The Eritreans and their Italian officers retained their will to fight, and the British staff of 5th Indian Division had to accept the prospect of a long and bloody campaign to capture Keren. If the gorge could not be captured by frontal assault, the steep hills flanking it would have to be taken. |
AFV Rules Pertaining to this Scenario's Order of Battle |
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2 Errata Items | |
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This is an armored car. (Shad
on 2010 Dec 15)
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Ignore the direct fire values. (Shad
on 2010 Dec 15)
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Not much of a Roadblock | ||||||||||||
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Eritrean troops with 7/5 morale do not a roadblock make. This scenario was a British steamroller. The reinforcing tanks never did show up but the Indians don't really need them. The ACWs make excellent supplemental firepower. The Eritreans deployed to guard the pass, using their 65mm Guns as AT vs the Indian ACWs. These whimpy guns had very little effect on the battle, killing one step of ACs and one platoon of empty ACWs. Their BF was completely useless. The Indian plan was to go 'round the eastern flank, up & over the hill into the pass. (side note; the map orientation is incorrect, up is west, not north). Now, to be fair, the axis rolled a lot of 7s and the allied dice were hot. That said, the Eritrean morale is far too fragile to defend against the Indians riding in armored ACWs. Several positions were carried by assault by mounted Indian troops that didn't even bother to dismount! It was a complete rout. The Eritreans lost 23 steps, all but one! The Indians lost just 4, a half platoon, an ACW platoon and a step off the ACs which counts as 2. |
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