DAR: Italy vs. GB - North Africa 6/40

[RERomine]

Turn 16

Enemy Matilda II crew was sent running this turn. Getting a touch to bold, I tried to move up and take out an A10 that was hanging close by. The squad in question, failed the morale check and ran east toward the enemy. It just so happens another Matilda II was sitting in that direction. They ran again and at least this time they ran in the right direction. Other action just involved some exposed units getting shot at by tank machine guns. It is a good thing the British didn't issue HE for the 2-pdr and tend to have more than one machine gun on tanks early in the war. My troops are still holding.

Enemy tanks are clustering around the immobilized Matilda II in Bravo's sector. It probably isn't intentional. The tanks there are just slow. Anyhow, there are seven Matilda's of one type or another within 150m. Like with Alpha, the enemy tanks are firing at my infantry with machine guns, but the success is limited. Across the gully, enemy infantry is also firing, mainly at one exposed squad. They are taking more damage from a machine gun to the rear of Alpha. Some infantry is trying to push up through the smoke near the gully, but are having a rough time there. I have a lot of tanks and infantry clustered there and they blast anything that comes into sight.

Three Matilda Is with a few squads of supporting infantry on the east side of Charlie's gully. My tank plinked a bunch of rounds off of one Matilda, but the angle wasn't right. It usually works better with two tanks at different angles. The enemy had one squad that was hanging in there for quite a while. I fired everything I could, but he wouldn't budge. Finally, a few well placed hits had him backing up.

Lead enemy tank in Delta sector stopped. I've been hitting it with machine guns and infantry guns, not that they damaged him. A second Matilda II pulled up behind him. It is like they are waiting for my mortars to hit. I fired what I could at the supporting infantry. That squad also stopped. If they hang another turn, they won't be happy.

Pulling the engineers out of the wadi and have Echo moving up. Maybe this is why the enemy tanks stopped. I'm not worrying so much about staying in the gully with my movements. Two support squads are holding in the wadi while one of Echo's platoons moves up to cover the position. A Matilda I appeared just to the east of the wadi, but I don't have anything there to kill it and I'm not going to worry about it.

Capped what I thought was the last tank in Foxtrot's sector. Turns out there is one more Matilda I moving up the hill and two Matilda IIs are heading toward the salient. My armored cars spotted those, but one has a new window for his efforts. I guess I better pull them back. The rest of Foxtrot's infantry is moving forward and will stay in the wadi rather than clear the area of enemy infantry. I need to deal with the new threat.

Casualties

Friendly: Estimated 10 casualties.

Enemy: 1xMatilida I tank destroyed. Estimated 10 casualties.