Slitherine

June 19th 1941 (5)
Major Krüger cursed. RAF Spitfires strafed his position and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it, he had pushed too hard and outrun the Flak battalions.


The last of the Italians in the area were swiftly routed by the determined British.


More British tanks threw themselves forward towards the ridge, Not as slow and ponderous as the Matilda’s but better armed and armoured than the swift Cruisers. 2.Panzer Regiment held their ground but took heavy casualties.


4.Aufklärungs Abt swept ahead of the division. When they reported contact with a second battalion of these new British tanks, Generalmajor Fischer was concerned “Tell the General that the British are not done here yet. We have no idea how many tanks the enemy have deployed here”


Major Weiss led his battalion in support of his regiment's 2nd battalion. Evenly matched to the fore, the British morale quickly crumbled as additional tanks appeared to their rear.


With the armour dealt with, the Schutzen battalion quickly moved to the attack. The British artillery attempted to withdraw but could not outpace the swift moving Panzers that pursued.


With another attack stopped Pferdmann ordered 1.Panzer division to adopt a defensive formation “Yes Markus, you said it yourself you have no idea what else lies in wait. Hold your ground. Dare the British to expend themselves on your steel wall”


Colonel Wilikins had a bitter taste in his mouth. HQ had not sent any additional forces to support him and his attempt to break out had failed. “Captain, tell the lads we’re done. I won’t waste their lives in a futile act of courage”


Pferdmann was impressed. Any doubts he had had over 5.Light divisions capabilities were swiftly being dispelled. In what seemed to be one fluid motion they had forced the surrender of an armoured battalion, forced some infantry to run and reformed their lines ready to hold.

Horseman wrote: ↑Wed Jul 08, 2020 7:43 am

WalterTFD wrote: ↑Wed Jul 08, 2020 4:09 am Man the AI just cannot keep its tanks out of rough terrain! I'm in that mission in 44 East where you are trying to capture 5 bridges. Enemy like lemmings, just putting unit after unit in the water to die.

In your force list it shows how many heroes are on each unit, can you maybe put a bit at the start of the next post saying what they do? I'm trying to work out how people are using the new heroes. I see the tanks have swept most of them up!

The Hero information is scattered through the AAR but for ease of looking it up here it is.....
1.Panzer Division:
Generalmajor Markus Fischer - PzIIIH - Rapid firex2
Major Hans Krüger - PzIIIH (same unit as above) - Famous (+10 prestige per turn passive)
Major Stefan Wolf - PzIVF - Vigilant
Major Udo Weiss - PzIIC - Envelopment
Obersleutnant Werner Meier - Panzerjäger - Camouflage
Hauptmann Christian Klein - Panzerjäger (same unit as above) - First strike (I keep meaning to move this guy as trying not to have 2 hero's on 1 unit)
Obersleutnant Steffen Schwarz - Pioneers - Fast dismount

5.Light Division
Oberarzt Bernd Fischer - Pioneers - First aid
Hauptmann Wolfgang Krüger - 21cm Art - Zero slots
Major Jürgen Hartmann - 15cm Art - Double support

So only 4 on tanks (and one of those could literally go on anything for exactly the same effect!), 2 on Infantry, 2 on AT and 2 on Artillery

Thanks for filling me in. Looks like things are going pretty well out in the sandbox!

June 20th 1941 (6)
A battalion of Raj infantry led the attack on 5.Light divisions flank.


Captain Harris saw the weak link in the German line. A battalion of armoured cars. What he didn’t see were Meiers’ Panzerjägers waiting for easy kills.


Major Weiss led his battalion forward. Command wanted 1.Panzer division to sweep south. Falling on the rear of what amounted to a company's strength of British tanks Weiss did not expect to be delayed. Some hours later what remained of the British forces surrendered, out of ammo and isolated. The report from Weiss was short and to the point “20mm guns no longer sufficient against allied armour.”
Note: I edited the picture wrong, the British tanks hadn’t moved after their attack!


1.Panzer advanced towards Sidi Omar at a cautious pace. Generalmajor Fischer was still concerned about further armoured attacks.


Pferdmann visibly slumped as reports from 3.Aufklärungs Abt. came through. An entire regiment of the fearsome Matilda IIs held positions between 5.Light division and Halfaya pass. Backed by AT guns these would prove formidable.


With the armoured wall protecting the pass from the west, Pferdmann directed 5.Light division to break through to Sollum and attack from the east. The initial thrust saw a battalion of Raj infantry routed and a battalion of British heavy infantry forced to withdraw with heavy losses.

June 21st 1941 (7)
The 1st battalion of 14.Infanterie Rgt. fought like devils. Outnumbered and outflanked yet still they refused to give ground. As the morning sun reached its pinnacle the attacks wavered as the British caught their breath.


Pferdmann read the dispatch from his old friend Markus. 1.Panzer had continued to advance cautiously expecting to face fresh enemy forces. No contact had yet been reported.


As the British infantry paused in their attack the Germans, who until now had been holding a loose defensive perimeter, launched a small counter attack. Caught unaware the British began a retreat. The arrival of Panzers quickly saw the organised retreat become a panicked rout.


Panzer IVs of 2.Abt/5.Panzer Rgt/5.Light Div. sped through the desert. Moments after completing the rout of a British infantry battalion they had altered course and retaken the local airstrip. From here their guns roared in defiance. Another British infantry battalion was forced to concede ground. Their fate was sealed with the order for 14.Infanterie Rgt. to advance and retake Sollum barracks.


The remainder of 5.Light division held their ground. Unwilling to press an attack against the heavy Matildas and unwilling to fall back to expose their comrades flanks.


June 22nd 1941 (8)
The British heavy infantry battalion, now isolated and alone north of Sollum attempted to retake the airstrip. Pferdmann could not fathom what they hoped to achieve. They should have surrendered.


Generalmajor Fischer could not believe the report coming from 4.Aufklärungs Abt. “Tell the General that a lone battalion stands in my path now. 1.Panzer will soon swing east to support 5.Light”


As the last light of the day faded, the defenders of Sidi Omar saw the sea of Germans encircle their position.


Sgt Williams was screaming “Come on lads, RUN!” He had advised against the assault on the airfield but had been ignored and now what was left of the battalion had been hit hard.


With Sollum and the barracks secured the next objective was to retake Halfaya pass.


3.Aufklärungs Abt made a faint towards the British tank battalion. As the ponderous beasts moved to engage the nimble armoured cars fell back. The British officers goaded their men forward “Get after them!” Too late they saw the retreating forms of the recon battalion replaced with the advancing forms of Panzer IIIs.

June 23rd 1941 (9)
Pferdmann did not know whether it was courage or desperation that drove the Raj infantry into attacking towards Sollum. But unsupported attacks against a superior enemy were seldom the correct choice.


Private Jones was not convinced his officers knew what the hell they were doing. He, like most of the battalion, had witnessed the Germans surrounding their position. He was also pretty sure they were the “rear guard” Which in his eyes meant that if the Germans were here then the rest of the British army wasn’t. Which in turn meant they had three options. 1) Stand and fight and almost certainly die (not Jones favourite choice) 2) Surrender or 3) Try and break out to retreat and probably die because, look at all those Germans! Well Jones had tried to explain to his platoon mates why option 2 was by far the best way forward only to be shouted down by his Sergeant “Pipe down lad, the old boys know what they’re doing” The last thing Private Jones saw before everything went black was a maniac with a sub machine guns shouting some gibberish in German whilst spraying his position with bullets.


Obersleutnant Schwarz had to do a double take, the British had begun falling back out of the village and he had been leading his men in to cut them off. All of a sudden he realised some of the British weren’t falling back anymore but actually advancing on him! He dropped to the floor just in time as bullets whizzed over, all around men seemed frozen in shock. He quickly stood, hefting his trusty MP38 and spaying fire in the direction of the closest British troops “Forward men, FORWARD!”


Generalmajor Fischer wasted no time, With the British resistance quickly ended he turned the entire division eastwards towards Sidi Suleiman.


5.Light division made short work of the Raj infantry foolish enough to have attacked.


Pferdmann took stock - the eastern side of Halfaya pass had only some artillery to protect it with a battalion of 2 pounder AT guns entrenching within the pass itself.


14.Infanterie Rgt. pushed down, determined to secure this side of the pass. Heavily suppressed by artillery fire, the first of the heavy Matilda battalions on the west side were taken out by a bold move from 5.Panzer Rgt.


As the sun began dipping below the horizon, Pferdmann received a dispatch from Berlin. “Well at least we now know why there were few reinforcements available for us Walter”
His aide took the dispatch and read it “Russia!” Pferdmann forced a smile
“Projections say they should surrender before the year is out. After that, well hopefully we’ll see some more material to support us here”

June 24th 1941 (10)
Markus Fischer was surprised to see no British troops in the vicinity of Sidi Suleiman, he had expected at least a token holding force.


The advance of 1.Panzer continued unimpeded.


The British guns east of Halfaya pass could not stand against 14.Infanterie Rgt.


The last of the British armour was cut of and surrounded. Calls for their surrender went out.


June 25th 1941 (11)

With no planes to engage and their fellows in Halfaya pass at risk of encirclement the British AA battalion moved forward. Their 20mm cannons could be deadly against infantry but caught by artillery fire before they could bring their guns to bear they failed to dislodge the Germans.


With only light resistance ahead of them


1.Panzer swarmed ahead.


The arrival of a 2nd battalion of Panzers convinced the remaining British tank crews to surrender.


Assailed from all sides, the last defenders of Halfaya pass were overwhelmed.


June 27th 1941 (12-13)
A Dingo recon battalion had tried to remain hidden but was found and quickly surrendered whilst 5.Light division probed to the east, securing an airfield.

With no remaining British forces in the area the fighting was done. With a heavy heart, Pferdmann continued his long standing tradition of reviewing his command's casualties.

And there we go - another victory in the bag, this time with slightly more significant casualties!

This time I don't feel like any of my casualties were due to mistakes but mainly just expected chip damage from actual combat operations!

The one sort of exception would be my Panzer IIIs that took a whooping (but gave a bigger whooping back) from some Crusader tanks. Serves as a good example why its better to have support for all your units. The motto needs to be "fight on your terms and at a time of your choosing"

The Matilda's who I spent the majority of the build up to this mission (and even through it) fearing proved to not be a huge issue. And actually comparing stats afterwards they're not really superior to my Panzer IIIs! Yes they have better armour (but not by that much) but they also have weaker guns.....and they're so slow. Still I captured enough for a unit of them if I want and at the moment I have an inkling of a use for them.

Final prestige count is 6656 so I fell short of my target by 344! Not the end of the world but I really need a mission like Kiev (tons of easy captures) or Stalingrad (tons of bonus objectives) I thought I did pretty well gobbling up the Matildas but need to do better - the PzIVs helped here as they don't kill as many as the PzIIIs and I need to be more patient and wait for deadly grasp to do its job.....hitting with artillery seems to kill a fair bit now (thanks to unit XP and the new kill mechanic!) I also need a more reliable way of forcing soft targets to surrender without killing most of the unit as artillery and AA guns tend to be worth a fair bit. Sadly all my units tend to kill way too many to make it really profitable!

Anyway time to ponder what I want to buy to fill my 4 new core slots.....still tempted by halftracks for all my infantry!

The British have something you dont. Actually quite a lot of something that could be useful if captured. Cryptic is fun!

fluffybunnyuk wrote: ↑Fri Jul 10, 2020 2:19 pm The British have something you dont. Actually quite a lot of something that could be useful if captured. Cryptic is fun!

Valentine's? Can't say I've seen anything else in Crusader that peaks my interest all that much

One of the hidden gems is that you can actually capture infantry on this map. Its amazingly overpowered in the right way.
You can use it to travel 8 hexes, dismount, and fight/win a town hex. Amongst other uses...

Theres a few other hidden gems too on these maps in this line.

Crusader

July 15th 1941
The desert heat was almost unbearable in the summer months and Pferdmann did not like it.

It had been several weeks since the latest British attack had been beaten back and the Afrika Korps had settled back into positions watching the Egyptian boarder whilst the Italians managed the siege of Tobruk. Pferdmann had requested permission to assault this thorn in his side but this had been denied.

He had also requested further troops. He had argued that with one more German division he would be in a position to invade Egypt and possibly secure the Suez canal. This request had also been denied. Reports from Berlin indicated that the invasion of Russia was going well and that the red army was melting before the German onslaught but all available men and equipment was being diverted to that crucial front. The Soviets were expected to capitulate by the end of the year.

August 15th 1941
Pferdmann read the dispatch with interest. 5.Light division was to receive a third regiment to bring them up to strength. Their order of battle was thus brought up to full divisional strength and they have now been redesignated as 21.Panzer division.

Pferdmann allowed a smile to form. Whilst short of the division he had requested at least he was receiving some men.

September 12th 1941
Oberst Klaus Lange stood smartly to attention whilst Generalleutnant Pferdmann read the letter he had hand delivered.

“Greetings Herr Pferdmann.

Your performance in beating back the British has been commendable however I’m sure you can appreciate that we can not spare the men and materials to reinforce your Korps as you requested.

I predict the fall of the Soviet union by the end of the year. Once that campaign has been successfully completed I will personally see that a substantial force is diverted to Afrika, including the Luftwaffe.

In the meantime. To ensure your continued success I have authorised 5.Light division to be brought up to full Panzer division strength. As you are aware, our Panzer divisions underwent a restructure earlier this year. Reducing the number of Panzer regiments to one and increasing the Schutzen contingent to two regiments. 1.Panzer avoided this due to the hasty nature in which we needed her sent to Afrika.

Following your reports it is clear that the African desert is the realm of the Panzer and not the humble infantryman. To this end I have also authorised that 21.Panzer division is also to retain the old order of battle.

Oberst Lange is an experienced officer who has proven himself irresistible on the attack. The newly formed 22.Panzer regiment is equipped with our latest models and should be more than adequate for facing the British armour.

Erich Von Manstein”

Pferdmann looked up after reading “Welcome to the Afrika Korps Oberst Lange.”


September 14th 1941
Major Christian Klein took another look in the mirror and grinned. His recent promotion and transfer to 39.Panzerjager Abt. had come as a bit of a shock. But he was pleased that his friend and mentor Werner Meier had sponsored him for this role. He grinned again, command of his own battalion, imagine that!

October 12th 1941
Intelligence reports indicated another build up of British forces in Egypt. Pferdmann expected an attack to come any day now. The Afrika Korps had been busy over the summer. Along with 22.Panzer regiment further equipment had been delivered. The Panzer IIIJ would prove formidable and he was glad to have enough to equip both his divisions.

He was impressed with Major Weiss. He had spent the past two months training his men in the captured Matilda IIs that had been taken from the British. Weiss had at first been disappointed to learn that there were still not enough of the modern Panzers available to equip his battalion but quickly formulated a plan to repurpose the captured equipment to use against the British. Pferdmann had quickly authorised the plan and now Weiss felt his men were ready.

The Afrika Korps OOB was strong.




November 18th 1941 06:00
Pferdmann was already awake when he received the news.


He had been expecting this attack for some time now.

1.Panzer would marshall in the red zone and then strike out eastwards across the desert whilst 21.Panzer would marshal in the blue zone and reinforce Halfaya pass. The plan was to suck the lead British forces into the north, isolate and destroy them and then push back against the rear formations.

Upgrades:
PzII > Matilda II
3xPzIIIH > PzIIIJ
1xPzIVE > PzIVF (note I thought I'd upgraded them both last mission...obviously I missed one)
5cm Pak > 5cm Pak 38(sf)
Purchases:
2x PzIIIJ

I wanted to bring 5.Light Div up to strength (3 regiments) to become a proper Panzer division - I chose two more PzIIIs rather than IVs as my main opponent in the desert is armour. Plus the lower soft attack will help with soft target captures rather than kills, their armour makes them largely invulnerable to infantry in the open now so I don't need to worry to much about return fire.

Normally I don't bother with Matilda IIs because they're so slow but with master of Blitzkreig I think I can make them work...I wanted them for one reason. Panzer IIs just kill soft targets to easily (rapid fire for the win) and are mostly useless against heavy armour. The weaker gun of the Matildas (compared to my PzIIIs) will hopefully allow them to dink targets just enough to force a surrender rather than annihilate them.

My new hero would be better deployed alongside Weiss if I was being optimal (enemy retreats with any damage and enemy cant retreat = printing prestige) but as I'm trying to avoid OP combinations and like to spread my hero's out (so more units have a character!) I have given him command of a green unit. With lower accuracy he'll hopefully not kill too much and force retreats. I'll just have to work a little harder to turn those retreats into surrenders.

I started here with 6656 prestige and had 5920 left after (elite) replacements all round. After upgrades and purchases I was left with 5300...ouch. SO heres the thing - I want to take the winning path so I'm going to have to get out there and surrender everything!

There's 400p to be had in objectives and flags the British start of with.
650p in objectives and flags that I control which I aim to lose and retake (interesting note - the dirt airfield near Bir El Gubi won't earn prestige for capturing)
Plus 750p in passive (including my hero)

A total of 1800 on the map then. I want to finish on around 9000p so thats about 2000p I'll need to make in captures.

If need be I might consider dismissing (KIA?) one of my hero's next scenario but I'd rather avoid that if I can.

November 18th 1941 08:00 (1)
The early morning did not bring good news.

A New Zealand infantry regiment seized Sidi Azeiz.


Halfaya pass is under attack by Raj infantry


Near Sidi Rezegh a large concentration of British armour was spotted. The lead battalion of Stuart light tanks crumbled against disciplined Panzer fire.


South African infantry supported by British tanks advanced on Bir El Gubi whilst an armoured car recon battalion slipped through the lines to seize the village.

The Italian troops in the area came under fire and took heavy loses.


As the Italians reeled against The British offensive, Major Weiss engaged the British armoured cars that had slipped through the lines.

Weiss ordered his crews to hold their fire. As the heavy Matildas crept ever closer the British looked on in dismay as round after round bounced off the thick armour.
“They’re using our own bloody tanks against us chaps!”

It took only a single volley of fire to convince the british that this was a fight they could not win.


With the armoured cars removed the Italian tank battalion was able to full back and join elements of 1.Panzer division in a defensive formation.

Further north Generalmajor Fischer pulled his forces back, hoping to lure the British onto his prepared positions.


21.Panzer division began moving to their assembly area, ready to repel the British advance.


November 19th 1941 (2)
The RAF make their presence known over 21.Panzer. As the first wing of planes wave off after sighting a Flak battalion nearby the second dove on their targets unaware of the heavy German flak about to make their own presence known.

b
Karl and Otto were sweating. The desert was not the place you wanted to be performing heavy labour. “Bertha says go away British flyboys!”
Otto glanced at his friend “Karl, save your energy for work not shouting at planes”


British Stuart light tanks engaged 2.Panzer regiment but failed to make an impression on the German formations. The Vickers battalion had more luck and managed to destroy the remnants of the Italian AT battalion.


Sidi Rezegh fell to the British but they had learnt their lesson it would seem as they did not engage the waiting Panzers.


On the Egyptian boarder, the Italians lost Halfaya pass and reports indicate armour is moving against Sollum.


Major Weiss saw the opening. British armour had attacked and come off worse in the exchange. “This is what the General anticipated, the British have over extended in attack. Now it is our turn”


The remaining British armour near Bir El Gubi was routed in a swift counter attack.


Colonel Rossi ignored the commands coming from Major Weiss. “He is only a Major and I am a Colonel. I want to retake that airstrip as it is imperative our planes have somewhere to operate from.”


With the skies above his head clear, Generalmajor Fischer launched his first counter attack. The most forward British tanks were unable to stand against his Panzers and their well trained crews.


Pferdmann smiled at his friend's report. The first British attack had been all but stopped and Sidi Rezegh was back in German hands.


Flak battalions assigned to protect 21.Panzer did their work with precision.



5.Panzer regiment linked up with the divisions infantry in the assembly zone ready to strike south. 22.Panzer regiment deployed to watch the open desert between the Afika Korps two divisions.

So the Matildas are already doing the job I hoped they would. Gaining surrenders without killing loads! The two units they captured weren't particularity expensive but I wont get to 9000p by holding out only for full strength expensive units to be in a position for me to capture. Every little bit I can gobble up I will.

Likewise I smashed the first Crusader unit in the objective rather than encircle to capture because 1) There's likely to be more British units behind them and I couldn't see a safe way to isolate both tanks and protect my troops and 2) I'm still on a time limit. I can't afford to dally to long!

A bit of luck with the British seizing the two western most objectives is handy - I can take the shackles off of 1.Panzer now and they can go ham in pushing forward.

November 20th 1941 (3)
Colonel Rossi didn’t know what had happened. The British artillery had moved up and engaged directly against his tanks causing heavy damage. The South African infantry that pursued his fleeing battalion picked off some stragglers.


Generalmajor Fischer did not recognise the light trucks that came roaring out of the desert attacking one of his Schutzen battalions but he marvelled at how well they seemed to handle themselves.


Major Klein saw his battalion reap a heavy toll on British armoured cars that had engaged a nearby Flak battalion. The British recon force quickly withdrew and joined a column of Crusader II tanks heading for Gambut.


At 11:00 all contact was lost with the defenders of Sollum. Pferdmann could only assume they were lost as reports from the nearby airfield strongpoint came in. “British armour sighted on approach”


Major Weiss was angry. He had hoped to keep the local gruppe together in mutual support but that blasted idiot Rossi had taken his tanks to secure the airfield unsupported. With the Italian unit decimated, Weiss was down one third of his armoured forces. “Tell 4.Aufklärungs they need to clear my left flank, I want those guns!”


With Bir El Gubi back in German hands the lone South African infantry battalion holding the airfield began to dig in and entrench their position.


The British Chevy WB was formidable against infantry. Against tanks it was badly outmatched.


With British armour heading towards Gambut 5.Panzer regiment raced to reinforce 22.Panzer regiment. Their combined strength should be enough to see off any British thrust. Oberst Lange led his Regiment in a quick hit and fade attack on the British column, With the recon cars knocked out, the British tanks would be partially blinded to German movements.

Deprived of Panzer support, 21.Panzers infantry contingent began to fortify themselves in the hills.


November 21st 1941 (4)
Major Weiss was sad at the loss of life, angry at the wasted resource and pleased to be rid of Rossi.


The British either did not see 21.Panzer deployed to the east or chose to ignore them in order to seize Gambut.


Oberarzt Fischer saw the British tanks enter the hills. A man to his right pulled his sleeve, motioning for him to duck down. “If they see us they’ll pull back. We need them close”
The short but brutal battle that took place only moments later shocked the Oberartz. His time now would be spent seeing to the wounded British.


Major Weiss directed his Gruppe to surround the South African infantry in a wall of steel. “Give them the terms for surrender”


Colonel Horn of the British army knew there was no way out of this trap. He had Panzers in every direction supported by infantry and fast recon cars. “Time to give it up lads. We’re not fighting our way out of here”


With the immediate area secure Generalmajor Fischer organised his force ready to advance into the desert.


Oberst Lange led the attack. The Crusader battalion in Gambut, now encircled by 21.Panzer quickly lost heart.


Gambut was secured.


With the British approaching Bardia the infantry of 21.Panzer continued to fortify their position. They would await the return of their Panzers before commencing an attack.

November 22nd 1941 (5)
British Valentine tanks came under heavy artillery fire as they attempted to push an attack against 3.Aufklärungs Abt. The feint, designed to draw the eyes of the German recon battalion away from the British armour that was cutting the entrenched infantry off from supply.


After a sort exchange of fire the South African infantry that was now trapped by Major Weiss and his Gruppe lay down their arms.


Under the direction of Generalmajor Fischer 1.Panzer advanced east towards Gabr Saleh.


39.Panzerjäger Abt led the way eastwards and with infantry support broke the encirclement of the divisions infantry.


Following in the wake of Major Klein and his Panerjagers, Oberst Lange led his Panzers into action against the British armour. 21.Panzer prepared to advance south, ready to sweep the British before them.


November 23rd 1941 (6)
13.Flak opened fire, the British planes never got to complete their attack run.
Captain Walker had seen the Italian artillery deployed covering the Germans flank. “Easy prey” he had commented.
Obersleutnant Meier watched the advance of the British tanks. They moved at pace towards the Italians “They haven’t seen us, time to give them a nasty shock”


More British armour was located advancing on Gambut. Pferdmann aware that 21.Panzer had a major concentration of British troops to their front signalled for 1.Panzer to help deal with this new threat.


Pinned by accurate AT fire to his front, Captain Walker had no option other than to surrender when Meiers Panzers appeared to his rear.


As 1.Panzer advanced, a lone British HW battalion stood defiant.


Generalmajor Fischer led his battalion to Gambut. A short fight saw the British armour withdraw with heavy losses.


Straight into the waiting guns of 21.Panzer.


Bereft of armoured support the British infantry facing down 21.Panzer were quick to lay down their rifles.


Allowing 21.Panzer to reform ready to attack.

November 24th 1941 (7)
In a display of courage seldom seen the British infantry threw themselves forward. Men of 1.Schützen Regiment watched in awe as they threw themselves forward again and again. When the attacks finally stopped not a single man was left alive. They’d disregarded all sense and smashed themselves mercilessly against an impenetrable wall.


The British fixation with Gambut continued, Major Krüger handled his battalion well as they caused the British regret at continuing to attack.


Near Bardia the British launched several probing attacks but seeing no chink to exploit fell back to a more defensable position.


With the Valentines still reeling Major Krüger urged his Panzers forward.



1.Panzer continue their drive east.


In a series of maneuvers that surprised even Pferdmann, 21.Panzer surged forward. Bardia was secured alongside the airfield whose defenders were routed. In all the chaos the two British Matilda battalions were avoided and left surrounded. With nowhere to run it would only be a matter of time before these units were unable to mount a serious resistance.


November 25th 1941 (8)
Trapped and running short on fuel the British heavy tanks made a futile attempt to break out.


In the open desert 1.Panzer continue their advance unimpeded. Generalmajor Fischer rejoining them fresh from his diversion to Gambut.


The Matilda’s succombe to the inevitable.



21.Panzer, with the area now secure, advance to complete their victory.

At the end of turn 7 I had 7171 prestige. There was still 500 left in flags and 400 in passive plus the easy 400 from the two trapped Matildas. I have (had) no idea what the British had left on the map but with only about 500-600 prestige needed to get to my goal of 9000 I felt quite confident.

That's Crusader handled! Pfeerdmann weathering British offensives like a champ.

WalterTFD wrote: ↑Tue Jul 14, 2020 3:24 pm That's Crusader handled! Pfeerdmann weathering British offensives like a champ.

Well its not won quite yet - still several more objectives to secure. And if I dither to much........

Yup, good to see Horseman back in the saddle. Really looking forward to seeing him handle the more strategic/tactical Middle East line.

fluffybunnyuk wrote: ↑Tue Jul 14, 2020 3:33 pm Yup, good to see Horseman back in the saddle. Really looking forward to seeing him handle the more strategic/tactical Middle East line.

What I'm loving the most is that this is still only my second play through and I haven't played the same scenario for the second time yet (I played the alternative through Poland/Noway/Low countries/France) and whilst I had seen the previous scenarios in AARs and videos I've not seen anything regarding the NA path - I've literally been playing blind since Libya and will be until Sea Lion (I'm confident of making that path now)

There's something about playing a scenario for the first time and not knowing exactly what you'll face or if there is any (nasty) surprises waiting like the counter attack at Moscow! ANd lets not mention the Para attacks in certain scenarios either.....

Of course Sealion and America will have special challenges with no airforce!

November 26th 1941 (9)
With the attack faltering the British generals made one last gambit. Throwing everything they had to support Sidi Azeiz in a desperate attempt to hold the ground they had taken. An armoured battalion led the charge followed swiftly by a battalion of Portees and a battalion of AA guns ordered to lower their barrels to engage.


4.Aufklärungs Abt occupied the airfield and reconnoitered the defenders around Sidi Omar. British heavy weapon infantry backed up by a battalion of New Zealanders, 25Ib artillery and a battalion of Matilda IIs.


Undaunted by what lay ahead, Generalmajor Fischer ordered the advance. A small probing attack was launched with some Panzer IIIs exchanging fire with the British.


Captain Hodges did not like the orders to engage directly with German tanks but cheered silently to himself when he saw them retreat, maybe the Generals did know what they were doing after all? That thought lasted right up to the moment the first shell tore the gun mounting of a nearby truck. More tanks had snuck up to the rear.


November 27th 1941 (10)
Major Klein had deployed his battalion ready to support the Panzers ahead. When the Matilda IIs came rolling out of the morning haze his men were the first to respond. The attack was stopped with minimal losses but the Matilda’s were not yet defeated.


As soon as confirmation came that the heavy British tanks had moved away and engaged 21.Panzer, Generalmajor Fischer wasted no time “Well, no need for subtle here. With no armour left to contend with it is time to show the British the meaning of mobile warfare”


Oberarzt Fischer was a busy man. “No no, that’s a scratch. Get back to your unit. Yes quite nasty, go see my colleague there, he’ll treat your friend. Good god! There's nothing I can do for this man. Yes treat him the same as if he were one of our own”
5.Pioneer Abt had assaulted Sidi Azeiz, whilst their own casualties were mercifully light. The British had not been so lucky. Forced to fall back in haste many of their wounded had been left for the Germans to care for.


14.Infanterie secured the village and engaged the British Portees. It took little to convince them to fall back out of range.


With the situation once more stable. Pferdmann ordered the Officers of 21.Panzer to give chase and finish the British.


The last of the known armoured units were encircled and calls for surrender were made.

And so ends Crusader. The AI is always boundlessly confident that it's 3 units can take the player's dozen.

I've given the occasional thought to what it would take to make the AI 'smarter', and you could do a lot fairly easily, but I'm probably barking up the wrong tree. The conceit of the campaign, after all, is that the players couple dozen units defeat larger enemy formations without any losses, over and over again. If the AI got gud, so to speak, it would mess with that dynamic.

November 28th 1941 (11)
The British, now cut off from retreat and supply, should have lost heart. Pferdmann could not feel anything but respect for men that refused to simply give up the fight as they made one last effort to break free of the snare they found themselves in.. “Send another offer for surrender. Reassure them that they will be well treated, I’d hate to see good men wasted”


It was as if the British had heard his words and recognised the honesty conveyed as the British lay down their rifles.


And the crews of the Matilda IIs abandoned their machines.


21.Panzer retook Sollum without a fight and all that stood between them and their final objective Halfaya pass were a lone battalion of Raj infantry.


November 29th (12)
“Lieutenant Colonel, Lieutenant Colonel! Sir!” The officer looked up at the fresh faced Lieutenant who was hailing him. “What is it Jenkins?”
“The guns sir, the guns to the south, They’ve gone. We’re on our own.”
Lieutenant Colonel Joseph Peart had taken command of the 18th New Zealand Infantry battalion only several weeks ago after his commanding officer had been taken to hospital. Here he was now, his first battalion command and facing captivity or death. “Tell the men to redouble their efforts. We need to dig in”


3.Aufklärungs Abt followed the coast road. Their objective was to secure the eastern side of Halfaya pass. On sighting the British Valentine tanks the call for heavier combat units came into Pferdmanns command post.


Obersleutnant Schwarz asked his radio operator to get confirmation of the orders. When that confirmation came he shrugged “Well the Generals know best I guess. Tell the men we’re going tank hunting!” Fighting tanks in open desert were not what his men were trained to do but never one to shirk a challenge, Schwarz slung his Mp38 and mounted his half track. “Demo charges, tell the men to bring extra demo charges”
Even with armoured protection, the sight of a maniac with no fear was enough to convince the British Tankers that this was not a fight they wanted to be a part of.


The Afrika Korps closed the noose on their final objectives.