KG Krafft, 8 April, 1942 - Afrika Korps
Repair, resupply and reorganization: KG Krafft's record of success in assisting recon operations has been noted by higher command. KG Krafft is temporarily detached from 15 Panzer Division and attached to korps recon. In order to better support the new duties, the support company is reorganized, losing the kradschutzen platoon and the 4.7cm ATG platoon; in their place it gains a pioneer platoon (gep), a platoon of sIG 33s, and an additional section of SdKfz 10/4 FlaK.
Situation: An Italian deep reconnacense patrol located a lightly guarded supply dump south of the Gazala defensive positions, evidently left over from Operation Crusader. While the Italian forces were able to overcome the defenders easily enough, radio intercepts indicate a relief column of Commonwealth forces is on the way. The area between the supply dump and the relief column includes a crossroads at a small village. The most likely route for a relief column is the road running east/west through the northern portion of the area through the village. The terrain is open desert with numerous depressions, rocky outcroppings, sand dunes, and windswept areas of packed dirt. [Delay mission, visibility 18, length 39, custom victory hexes, map size 80x80]
Orders: Intercept and delay the relief column long enough for the Italian supply column to arrive and load as much of the captured supplies as possible. Italian engineers will destroy whatever cannot be carried away. No friendly artillery is capable of reaching this far and Luftwaffe assets which would normally be available are tied up providing cover for the supply column. This is a joint operation, a reinforced Italian Ricognitori company (with a Bersagliari platoon attached) will assist KG Krafft in the mission. Oberstlt Krafft has overall command.
Game note: the victory hexes have been altered to include a cluster of six at the crossroads and the remainder scattered in an arc west of the north/south road. The arc represents the ability to bypass the crossroads or at the very least, assert some degree of control over it. The supply dump is assumed to be about ten kilometers west of the crossroads. Also note that the AI point advantage is still at +25% and, for this battle, AI Tank heavy has been turned off as this action is occurring near Commonwealth lines.
Battle Plan: Column C will be composed of Capitano Zampini's Ricognitori company and will operate in the southern area of the map, scouting into the deep desert but not maintaining contact or conducting offensive operations. As the battle develops, the Ricognitori company will fall back and assume the defense of the southern flank. Column A will be composed of platoons D and F of KG Krafft and will advance east along the road until contact is made. Column A will then launch a spoiling attack at their discretion. Column B will be composed of platoon G and the pioneer platoon. Column B will secure the southern flank of Column A, operating between Column A and Column C. Platoon E will be held in reserve. The command group will consist of the remaining elements and will deploy in a defensive posture southeast of the intersection.
Execution: The British announce their arrival in the area with salvoes from three troops of 25 pounders, although some near misses occur, no casualties result. Column A no sooner starts out than runs into a platoon of mechanized infantry, the lead halftrack is destroyed immediately, others are fired upon. Column C runs into an advanced patrol of British armored cars and scout cars, the Autoblinda's open fire on the lead scout car but it pops smoke. The Autoblinda's fire on the other vehicles but the British are quick to pop smoke. The remainder of column C, following orders to the letter, immediately falls back under cover of the Autoblinda's.
Meanwhile, column A destroys four more halftracks and quickly routs the survivors. Column B advances but has yet to spot anything. Shortly though, a number of halftracks and trucks come into view and column B opens fire. Four halftracks and two trucks are destroyed and their surviving occupants sent running within minutes of being sighted. Column A continues to fire upon followup halftracks on the road. Column C however, is running into trouble.
In broken german Capitano Zampini quickly requests reinforcements as he is being overrun by armored cars. Oberstlt Krafft dispatches platoon E to his assistance as column C goes into full reverse. Columns A and B continue the carnage. Finally the wave of halftracks and trucks comes to a halt, at least one Matilda II tank was spotted trailing them but none of the panzers have los to it. In the south, the Italians, once safely behind platoon E's panzers, turn and begin making various rude remarks and gestures in the direction of the British armored cars.
One Matilda in the north is caught in a crossfire and immobilized, it then pops smoke. A second is spotted but cannot be engaged at this time. Half an hour into the battle it appears to be over, but Oberstlt Krafft is unconvinced, he orders Capitano Zampini to scout the area south of column B now that the armored car threat has been largely dealt with. Three more Matilda IIs are spotted in the north, one is destroyed, another disabled and pops smoke, the third caused the spotting PzKw IIf to beat a hasty retreat. A Honey tank was destroyed in the south, and in the center there seems to be leg infantry appearing from the west.
Another Matilda II is forced to pop smoke, and in the center one is destroyed by a shot from behind by a panzer PzKw IIIj/1. The pioneer's halftracks are withdrawn to a depression northwest of the pioneers in order to avoid incoming artillery. Also because of artillery, the PzKw IIf's of platoon D have closed up behind platoon F in the north. In the south, platoon E dispatches another Honey tank along with a pair of Morris CS9's.
A Matilda lumbers out of the smoke on the road and is dispatched by platoon F, another follows it and is damaged but not destroyed. Enemy infantry in company strength is moving just to the south of platoon G's position and suppresses two squads of the pioneer platoon. In the south, a half dozen more armored cars advance westward only to meet the guns of platoon E.
To rescue the pioneer platoon before it becomes hopelessly trapped, Oberstlt Krafft orders Capitano Zampini to send the Bersaglieri platoon forward to support their extrication and has Hptmann Tellner plot an artillery strike for the sIG 33s. Two more Matilda's are put down in the north and center respectively. The enemy infantry advance just south of center is largely brought to a halt by fire from platoon G and sIG 33 bombardment. In the south, a motorcycle scout spots an unlikely trio of enemy tanks; a Valentine, a Matilda, and a Lee. A few minutes and translations later, platoon E advances into the depression to hopefully set up an ambush for what may well be a company of enemy tanks.
The enemy advance along the road seems to finally be at an end nearly an hour after it began. In the center the action continues, a Matilda II tries to sneak up on platoon G but is hit with close range 5cm fire and forced to pop smoke. 15cm rounds pound into the enemy infantry just south of center and fall all around a supporting Matilda but it suffers no observable damage, the same cannot be said for the enemy infantry. In the south, the Lee tank was the first of the odd trio to be destroyed when it attempted to exchange fire with a PzKw IIIh at short range.
With activity dying down in the far north, Oberstlt Krafft orders platoon D to return to the vicinity of the crossroads and hold as a new reserve force. Platoon F is ordered to travel southwest and support platoon G and the withdrawal of the pioniers. The arrival of the Bersaglerie platoon together with the ongoing 15cm bombardment lessens the pressure on the center. Platoon G attempts to engage two Matilda IIs supporting the southcentral advance but one of them pops smoke and blocks los. A Valentine III and a second Lee tank is destroyed in the south, dashing hopes that the movement was in less than company strength.
Platoon G's luck finally ran out, both the command tank and the gun tank were lost in combat with a Matilda II at short range, a third tank suffered damage including loss of the main gun. The crew of the command tank is uninjured though quite shaken up, however there is only one survivor from the gun tank. Despite artillery fire from six 25 pounder troops, rescue operations are successfully extracting the crews as well as the trapped pionier platoon.
Platoon F rushed down from the north, taking potshots at stray units as it passed them by. In the far south, platoon E continued to knock out tank after tank but there were just too many to get them all especially after they turned northwest bypassing the ambush position. One of platoon E's panzers was heavily damaged and forced to retire. The sIG 33's engaged the enemy in direct fire mode, claiming two tank kills as well as disrupting enemy infantry movements. A lone Italian sniper made a valiant stand, rebuffing attempts by an entire platoon to advance.
Platoon E would not be denied, an alternate route was found back up to the main plateau and the panzers again blocked the British from their goals. As the British attack stalled with panzers from platoon E to their west, the command group and Bersaglieri assisting the remnants of platoon G to their north, and platoon F approaching fast from the east, their infantry routed and tank after tank was turned to wreckage or abandoned. The Italian armored cars stuck with it to the very end pumping cannon and machinegun fire into any available target.
Unexpectedly, not quite two hours into the fray, the British surrendered.
Decisive victory, KG Krafft.
Game notes: despite beginning with the charge of the light brigade, the AI was quite challenging in this one and made some unexpected moves. The late arriving southern armored company had a real chance to break through my lines and I was forced to put my core units at greater risk than I would normally prefer. I'll be a panzer platoon short if there are any more battles this month.
Last turn file attached, thanks for reading
