New battle
Eastern Front is not available yet so Western Dessert meeting first since the Poles
Not worth giving you the map a few small steep rough hills 3 in centre 250 x 500m that could be used as cover, also 250m round hill behind North Flags Otherwise dead flat with the odd strip of high grass but not wide enough to be a vision problem unless looking along it. Flags equaly spaced 3 groups running N>S placed slightly closer to enemy than me but central group is furthest forward & near to central hill group.
Its very sunny vis 88
Force only change both platoons with pioneers swaped one squad for pioneer LMG to give them covering fire.
Support 2x 110s along for the ride
Lets hope the AI does not just field cruiser tanks or it will be a turkey shoot.
Going to Russia next battle but may well come back here for a bit once Allies equipment improves.
Simple plan close & destroy, to this end all arty is forming a smoke screen at the end of turn 1 just east of central hills. it will run from North flags to roughly halfway between central & South flags. Arty transport has been borrowed & all vehicles will head flat out for the smoke screen, they will drop pasengers then head for cover behind hills or retreat to hide behind the anticipated dust cloud they should kick up.
HQ & 223Fu are to the South & have a clear view of those flags for arty direction, hope is if 223 does not move it won't be seen.
The smallest force is going after South flags, C Company - 1 platoon 3 MkIIIs & the ATGs
The Rest are spread out across the other 2 objectives, the idea role these up hopefully getting behind while C Comp perform a holding action.
231s, MkIIs & Rams will hide in dust till troops sighted when they will assist in encirclement & destruction of leaving MkIIIs free to kill vehicles.
My AA poses a problem as its vulnerable & the dust clouds cause real headaches but initial thoughts they are going to move forward for 2 turns then hold position.
If possible my 2 planes will hold off till I am in a position to exploit breakout when they will start looking for arty & AA in the rear area.
Try to knock out in 20 turns
Turn1
Most of the smoke comes down ok a couple will need a second mission but most of my smoke was used battery dumped the lot & most just have a few rounds remaining
Before it comes down we see 4 groups of vehicles from N>S
Some A10s further back than other groups
4 Daimler Dingos heading for N flags, small dust trail
Several Marm HerIII & A10 heading for C flags
15 Rolls Royce AC & 5 A10s heading towards S hill in central group.
Movement of 150m or more produces dust & no arty fire was recieved
I realise the flaw in my plan at the start of turn 2, these Brits might be coming at me with nothing more than MGs & ATRs but they are coming fast, to fast infact troops were going to unload at smoke screen but if they do that tanks will be buried in a huge cloud of dust. Transport sorts into more distinct groups so there are dust free areas, scouts in 3 motorbikes run up to locations for a look.
A Co moves behind mainly North of the central hills
B Co some risk moving to smoke line as only Dingos are heading that way
C Co drops off at the bottom of central hills & will work SE towards flags, ATGs drop here close to the smoke.
As initial contact will be with AC MkIIs & 231 get a shift on, by turn 3 231s take up position in gaps between the hills, 2 cover the South gap as I think thats the larger force. The other covers the North sets range to 15 gets the first kill as Marm Her goes down.
Turn 4 & tanks are still moving forward most flat out but a couple have gone to combat speed, the MkIIs move just North of central hill & I decide to risk leaving the 3 Flaks in the area there because they are stationary & about 600m back from the smoke. Transport is now pulling back, I will cover initial probe in AIs turn at the start of turn 5 but arty 5 troops of 25Pdr plus one onboard plus about 5 3inMTRs.
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