Despite the actual historical outcome mentioned this seems to be a very hard scenario for South Africa to lose. To claim a minor victory all the South Africans have to manage is to keep one undemoralized unit in control of one road hex; for a major victory they have to have at least 10 undemoralized steps on the road or in hill hexes north of it. The Germans have a lot of desert area to cover to prevent this.

Since South African units can enter anywhere from the south edge of the map I spread the German units out in four groups with one 37mm AT gun on each flank. Once the South Africans attacked one area other German units would be redeployed piecemeal to reinforce the assaulted area, as needed, but still leaving some units behind to contend with armored reinforcements that would arrive later.

The German advantage was that they had very powerful OBA at: 1x20 and 4x16; along with air support every other turn. The disadvantage was low morale at 7/6 plus the surrender rule in effect. Also, the Germans did not receive a very good leader draw either. The South Africans also had a poor leader draw but overall morale was better at 8/6 and they also had a 2 point initiative advantage to start.

The Boks get pounded on the advance to the hill by OBA and airstrikes initially, taking step losses right away on the first turn. Airstrikes are also deadly; at 13:30/turn 5 a He111 eliminates 2 3-inch mortar units in one shot along with Lieutenant! A few units and leaders get stranded out in the open desert far from the objective after failing morale checks but despite early losses the bulk of the advancing force keeps trudging on and makes it to the ridge. What ensues the rest of the scenario is one long slugfest with heavy South African casualties but that is almost entirely from OBA and the occasional successful air attack. The actual German units are not holding up well with their low morale and lackluster leadership. Soon they get pushed back and out of dug-in positons and the Boks easily occupy road and upper hill hexes and then dig-in themselves.

German units from other posts make their way down to attempt some counterattacks but most of those don't go so well except that once the South African armoured cars arrive they do fall as easy prey to a successful German assault and half of the MHIIs are eventually eliminated. Eventually it is clear that German OBA and airattacks cannot win this battle alone and that there is no way of pushing the majority of the unbreakable Boks back off the ridge. Eventually some demoralized German units actually surrender along with a Lieutenant making matters worse. Then at 17:45/turn 22, right after sunset, the Crusader reinforcements arrive and there is really no way of stopping them from getting to the ridge or chasing them down with the few units left at the isolated outposts. Some German units vainly try to catch up with them, they get close but can't outrun them with their mechanized movement of 9 and visibility has also dropped to 2 hexes making spotting them tougher as well. These reinforcements are probably what make it nearly impossible to prevent at least a minor South African victory as there is just too much hill area for the Crusaders to get to and occupy to meet the VCs. However, I did try a pot-shot with an air attack and it almost worked! A Ju88 was drawn and "snake eyes" were rolled, forcing the Crusaders to make a morale check but both units passed. Had at least one or both of them had failed morale checks then that would have allowed German foot units to get close enough to attempt an assault but really, even then, there were still many other South African foot units still embedded in the hills with no intention of giving up their ground.

So, in the end, a grand total of 21 steps of South African units occupy hexes on or north of the road in hill areas making it a major South African victory. Losses were high for the Boks however, losing 4 leaders (including the Lieutenant Colonel) and 20 steps; about half from the original OOB. Though this scenario seems to be very unbalanced in favor of South Africa I really enjoyed it as a solo play and give it a '3' for that. I knew straight on that it would be near impossible winning with the Germans but it was fun trying anyway.

This game was played PBEM against John Legan over some months.

The German forces had concentrated at one end of the ridge line in an effort to coax the South Africans to corral themselves as a group at the other end of the ridge. The Germans believed their artillery would then knock out enough South African strength for the DAK infantry to finish the clear up, especially with Luftwaffe flying overhead regularly too. The South African advance began at 1230 hours and some casualties were absorbed from the off. However, these troops had some pretty keen officers leading them and continued to plough on to the ridge. The Germans meanwhile sent their own troops to meet them on the ridge line.

Over 3-4 hours or so the South Africans continued to be bombarded and straffed and though casualties mounted, it seemed to mean nothing to the advancing SAF infantry. Their determination was fixed on the target ridge. Furthermore they were beginning to receive some armoured support and the dark was drawing in. Once the ridge was reached, the Boks dug-in there. For another 3 hours, they clung into the dug-outs quite unshakeable despite all that was being thrown at them, including DAK small-arms fire added to the OBA and air-attacks.

By 1830(turn 25) it was clear to the DAK commander that these enemies were not going to be moved off the hil. There was no point in throwing in senseless low chance frontal attacks and so the ridge was given up to the South Africans. Casualties had been just the 1 DAK HMG step and an officer against 13 SAF steps lost and 4 officers. But they had been completely unbreakable throughout the battle and for that, they had earned their target prize.

This turned out to be a pretty straight forward scenario. SAF to rush the ridge, Germans to stop them or throw them off. Unfortunately, I believe I chose completely the wrong way to stop the Boks but I made sure I completed my self-imposed minimum 75% of play-turns (got through 83% of this one before conceding despite VC defeat on wall at the half-way stage).

I had set up the Germans at one end of the ridge. The logic for this being that a whole desert map is used, which is a vast frontage for the small amount of DAK foot troops available. I wanted the SAF's to corral themselves at the other end, thus keeping them in one place. This would wipe out any chances of those silly chase and tag situations where players try and slip the odd unit all over the map. I would also be able to then use the large OBA to blast them till they were so weak, my lower-moraled infantry could then chase them off. But SAF morale just kept holding up and holding up in what became a tiresome game of bombard, morale check, pass morale, bombard, morale, pass, air-attack, miss, etc etc. It really was very dreary.

That all said, my plan was at fault and I think a far more exciting game and one where the DAK may have a better chance is to divide the DAK troops into 4 x groups made up of 3 x INF, 1 X HMG. Plot them, evenly spaced in 4 areas of the ridge. As the SAF attack goes in, those DAK groups away from the SAF advance will have time to make their way to the action area and can therefore move to support. The fly in the ointment in all this though is that the SAF's get a group of fast moving armoured cars. Once darkeness falls, they will be able to slip onto the ridge somewhere and speedily without DAK 37mm's seeing them. The SAF's also later on, get some British tanks.

Its a tough one for the Germans, but my plan made it a boring one too and I do regret my choice of play. But for being so bored, and the VC's very tough on one side, I only rate it a '2'. This is a shame as my previous two SAW's scenarios have been exciting and epic '4's !!