KG Krafft, 23 November, 1941 - Afrika Korps
Reorganization: Another motorized panzergrenadier company has rotated in, replacing the previous one. This one has self-propelled AAA and mortars but only has 37mm ATGs and one kraftradmelder section.
Situation: Sandy desert region near Sidi Rezegh dominated by a low central plateau. Numerous sand dunes and some rocky outcroppings are present. The flank of the British armored thrust in Operation Crusader is exposed. [Advance mission, visibility 17, length 39, scattered victory hexes, map size 100x100]
Orders: In conjunction with elements of the Ariete Division (Tank company plus Bersaglieri company), attack the exposed flank of the British armor force and destroy or capture all enemy units in the area. Possession of the battlefield at the end of three hours is preferable. Oberstlt Krafft will have overall command of the joint force. Support will be provided by an Italian artillery regiment, no Luftwaffe assets are available.
Battle Plan: The Italian force will sieze the northcentral plateau, KG Krafft will swing south around the southern tip of the plateau and drive northward taking the eastern plateau as well as the enemy rear areas.
Execution: The battle began with a brief artillery exchange which seemed mostly ineffective, four British 25pdr troops and four Italian 100/105 batteries opened up on suspected enemy positions. The Axis forces advanced quickly at first, but it wasn't long until the scout element of KG Krafft made contact with a British infantry platoon in the far south. The scout halftracks, security element halftracks, and the light panzer platoon took the positions under fire as a platoon of panzergrenadiers dismounted from their trucks and began advancing on the position.
In the north, the Italians were a bit too aggressive with their armored trucks and lost one to a 2pdr ATG, the 2pdr was quickly dispatched by the pair of Fiat 6.5mm machineguns the truck had been carrying. The advancing panzergrenadiers in the south spotted a pair of A9 tanks and the 5cm guns of panzer platoon G were employed to eliminate the threat without incident. The British attempted to shell the advancing panzergrenadiers but the bombardment fell long, unfortunately destroying a SdKfz 10/4 that was trailing the advance. Another A9 opened fire at long range and missed, the return fire from panzer platoon F didn't.
Artillery fire preceded the Italian advance and helped in suppressing an infantry platoon to their southeast. Another armored truck was lost, this time due to soft sand and an impatient driver. The Italian advance is held up though by a pair of A9 tanks and a hidden flanking 2pdr ATG. A regimental fire mission is called in on the tanks and infantry maneuvers to find and destroy the ATG.
The end of the first hour of battle was punctuated by a sharp exchange of artillery fire in the north. While British 25pdr shells fell amongst the Italian ATG positions, the Italian heavy artillery destroyed an A9 tank and a 2pdr ATG as well as suppressing two other tanks and a 40mm AA-gun position. In the south, KG Krafft has penetrated the British lines and is poised at the start of its breakthrough phase of operations.
The next half hour finds the Italian force running into stiffening opposition, losing one M-13/40 tank to 40mm AAA fire and another is heavily damaged by 2pdr ATG fire. The Italian force is also encountering infantry in platoon strength to the east and company strength to the southeast. The advance continues but slows. In the south, KG Krafft finds the terrain to be more of an impediment than the enemy although an additional half dozen A13 Mk I tanks are discovered to the east. While maneuvering to find firing positions, the force becomes bunched up and two 25pdr troops land shells in the rear of the traffic jam. One sIG Ib has its gun knocked askew and a track is blown off an ammo schlepper. One squad of the infantry reserve is also caught in that bombardment and suffers heavy casualties.
Scouts report at least one A9 tank on the plateau between the German and Italian forces, Oberstlt Krafft decides to deploy a panzergrenadier platoon and the 3.7cm ATG platoon onto the edge of the plateau to counter this threat. The bombardment in the south increases in intensity as additional troops join in and losses begin to mount. A halftrack and infantry squad of the kampfgruppe's security element vanishes in a hail of shells, the remaining operational sIG Ib loses a track, another SdKfz 10/4 takes a shell to the engine, a panzer from platoon E loses a track, and the entire reserve infantry platoon is pinned down along with the panzergrenadier company's machineguns.
The situation in the north isn't quite so bad although another M-13/40 is damaged by fire from a hidden 2pdr gun. Recon reports at least three A9 tanks on the plateau southeast of the Italian force and north of KG Krafft and the detachment from Ariete is still engaging infantry in company strength north of the reported enemy tank positions. As the situation develops, a second hidden 2pdr gun opens fire and forces the western M-13/40 platoon to withdraw north. Unfortunately one M-13/40 of that platoon was destroyed by ATG fire before it could escape.
Despite the setbacks, KG Krafft completes the initial breakthrough maneuver destroying two more A13 Mk I tanks that had managed to survive due to cover. The 3.7cm ATGs and SdKfz 10/5 PaK5s make short work of the three A9s on the southern portion of the central plateau as they move into positions on the rim with support from a panzergrenadier platoon.
While KG Krafft overcomes adversity in the south, the detachment from Ariete succumbs to it in the north losing one M-13/40 to 40mm AAA fire and another in the same platoon from a rifle grenade. The bersaglieri platoon they were supporting becomes pinned down by a well hidden marksman and supporting recon patrol. Italian artillery begins to even the score though as it catches the British infantry company out in the open.
As KG Krafft's attention turned north, the leading panzers bounced a trio of Honey tanks and quickly turned them into scrap metal. The 3.7cm PaK 35/36s on the plateau rim were pressed into service as infantry guns in support of the panzergrenadier advance against a platoon of British infantry. Evacuation of wounded and crews from disabled vehicles continued apace hoping to complete the rescues before more incoming arrived.
Just as the Italian situation began to look brighter with their artillery wreaking havoc among the British infantry company, another British infantry force launched a counter-attack from the east. This left them no reasonable choice but to engage the exposed ATG position with direct fire from M-13/40's. The only good luck the Italians were having was that the tanks managed to suppress the ATG while only one tank was rendered inoperable due to weapons damage.
The two hour mark comes and goes finding the Italians holding against the British counterattack and breaking even, if not winning, in the artillery duel. KG Krafft's advance through the enemy rear area comes under fire from numerous 40mm AA-gun positions and a panzer model h of F platoon is riddled with AP rounds, none of the crew survive. Fortunately the remainder of the platoon and other followup units were spared when two panzer model g's in lead positions came under fire and popped their smoke dischargers.
The three AA-guns did not survive long, a half dozen panzer h's emerged from the smoke and repaid them in lead and high explosives. Other units from KG Krafft fired upon the rear of the southern British infantry positions, relieving the pressure on the panzergrenadiers holding the south rim of the plateau. The combination of artillery and direct fire from the surviving M-13/40s broke the British in the center and their counterattacking forces to the east. Barring any unforeseen difficulties, another half hour should see the end of the battle.
Indeed half an hour it was, and despite an extra 2pdr ATG and an unspotted patrol or two, the last half hour was unsurprising as the remaining British forces, already mauled, were crushed between the German and Italian forces. Italian artillery even managed a successful counterbattery fire on a 25pdr troop in the closing minutes.
Decisive victory, KG Krafft. Operation Crusader is brought to an unsuccessful end as the Ariete Division and 15th Panzer Division pour through the hole made by KG Krafft and destroy the remaining British armor.
Game notes: a bit of twisted history here, but was quite fun. The Italian forces performed better than expected, especially the M-13/40 tank which fared well for the most part in this battle. It was also a very different experience to have more artillery than the British for once!
Last turn file attached, thanks for reading
