Slitherine

After purchasing Afrika Korp (and allied corps) last week I've decided to write another AAR...after some deliberation I've decided to go with The Desert Fox...

Due to a holiday I've not yet had a chance to play either properly yet so this will be my 1st run through though I have played a few turns of the first scenario to get a feel for it.

After I completed my first campaign on Colonel (see viewtopic.php?f=145&t=26166) I tried out other difficulty levels and settled on Rommel as my preferred as I like to build an experienced core force and Field Marshall level reduces unit xp gain by half, Guderian makes me feel to rushed and I'm just not hard core (insane) enough for Manstein!

So......
Difficulty level = Rommel ( kind of appropriate)
Game rules = 1.2 (first time using these for me)
Usual options on (FOW, supply and weather)
And I'll be using reform unit.....I never used that cheat but it seems like a good role play choice.
Dice roll will be normal.

Initially I had thought to disband most of the Italian units and buy new German ones (though I'd have kept at least a few for story/role play purposes) but looking at my pitiful starting prestige and starting core force I'll probably have to keep more than intended.

I spent time muling over unit sizes for this AAR but decided to follow the conventions set down by the names the scenario designer has used....air units are all Squadrons, Italian ground units are all Regiments and everyone else's ground are Battalions.

The Diary of Herr Wüstenfuchs

August 20th 1939
It has been only a month since I was given command of 13th Gebirgsjager Regiment and orders from Germany indicate that we shall be assisting in the invasion of Poland. Imagine my surprise to hear that the officer in command is none other than my older cousin Herr Pferdmann!

September 19th 1939
Under my cousins directions Poland was easily brought low. I have yet had a chance to converse directly with him but I hope that he remembers me as something other than his annoying younger cousin who would not stop pestering him at family gatherings.

April 27th 1940
My Regiment saw action in the invasion of Norway once more under the command of my cousin. Following the successful campaign I finally got a chance to talk with him when I literally almost bumped into him whilst unloading at dock in Wilhelmshaven. He was surprised to see me having not realised that not only had I joined the army but that I'd been assigned to support his Korps.

Following a long night of drinking and catching up I was summoned to HQ early in the morning where I was given new orders. A promotion and command of the 1st Panzer Division.....I suspect my cousins influence has aided my career.

June 16th 1940
Two long months of fighting has seen the French surrender and the British expelled from mainland Europe. A communication from my cousin congratulating me on my handling of a Panzer Division also came with some advice...rest well for soon we will be tested further in the most ambitious plan to date.

October 1st 1940
The British are driven from their ancestral home but with the escape of their Royal Family and parliament it remains to be seen whether a peace will exist between us now. The British fought hard and with a courage not seen before and I truly hope that they come to terms.

January 10th 1941
The British did not surrender. The crown and parliament have continued the fight from Canada and some how the commonwealth has remained as one. Our allies the Italians launched an attack in to Egypt and suffered a humiliating defeat against a numerically inferior (and one should imagine demoralised) foe. They have also been involved in a disastrous invasion of Greece which has seen them pushed back in to Albania. In response High Command will send German troops to North Africa under the command or Erwin Rommel to support the Italians.

February 25th 1940
Summoned to Berlin today I was saddened to hear that Rommel's plane never made it to Africa. No one knows what happened but it is assumed to have been shot down. A recommendation from my cousin has secured me a promotion and command of the Afrikakorps....my transport leaves in the morning,

March 30th 1941
It has been a long journey and I have finally arrived at my new command. The 5th Light Division (under strength as it is) is ready for action though the 15th Panzer Division has yet to reach Africa. I also have elements of the Italian 132nd Ariete armoured Division and 27th Bresia infantry Division assigned to my command. With reports that many British and commonwealth troops have transferred to the defence of Greece (at least the Italian disaster there has had some positive effect) I prepare to make a reconnaissance in force.

March 31st 1941
A communication from Berlin


Today I met the man who for the time being at least will be serving as my second in command


An overview of our disposition shows we have two Squadrons (1 dive bomber and 1 fighter-bomber) from the 10th Fliegerkorps supporting us as well as an Italian fighter squadron. Recon units have also spotted a British Infantry Battalion supported by Artillery holding to our fore.


The Italian forces will screen my right flank while I lead the 5th Light Division directly to Benghazi.


With my Panzers leading the way the British positions near Agedabia are quickly overrun with minimal loses. Despite their terrible reputation the Italians performed OK though it was their elite Bersaglieri and Panzers in action


Machine gun Battalion 2 secured the city without incident but reports from my recon battalions show the British aren't done for yet. Two armoured regiments including one made up of captured Italian tanks, a heavy weapons battalion and an anti-tank battalion to the north alongside some Free French infantry


Keeping Panzers and Panzerjagers to the fore my forces advance and the Luftwaffe knock out some British tanks.


An Australian Hurricane squadron has engaged the Italian fighters and against all expectations we got the better of the initial exchange


I lose half of my Panzer II's in a ferocious British counter attack but they give a good account of themselves destroying more than they lose.
The Italian recon battalion fare less well and take a beating

Oh my God! Horseman is back in action. Really happy to see you make another AAR. Your Diary of Herr Pferdemann are even after a few years still among the best AARs i ever seen.

Tarrak wrote:Oh my God! Horseman is back in action. Really happy to see you make another AAR. Your Diary of Herr Pferdemann are even after a few years still among the best AARs i ever seen.

Thanks Tarrak, hopefully this one will go well though I'm a little concerned by the (lack of) prestige you start with! And the number of Italian units.....

April 1st 1941 (2)
The Italian air force manage to surprise me again..they pressed their advantage and finished off the Australian Hurricanes


The Luftwaffe scored enough damage against the British armour to allow my Panzerjagers and Italian tanks to finish them off


Msus has been secured but the Free French put up a fight and hold fast (thankfully the French didn't fight this well last year)


As the day comes to an end a review of my forces dispositions reveal my plan to have the Italians screening my right flank has failed. Instead the 5th Light Division leads the way and the Italians bring up the rear!


A British recon battalion is sighted probing my right flank.

April 2nd 1941 (3)


Following this report my objectives for this campaign have changed, I will send a small part of my forces to capture Benghazi and then along the coast road whilst the rest will head east across the desert


Italian tanks destroyed the British Dingos probing my right flank, 5th Division infantry succeed in routing the Free French and Italian infantry of Brescia division manage to force the British anti-tank guns to retreat allowing my German infantry to destroy them


The Italian reconnaissance battalion although battered presses forward and reports Benghazi is only lightly held


My forces advance on the city and force back the British AA guns as well as capturing the airfield


The 5th Divisions recon battalion finds Mechilli far better defended by Commonwealth troops from India


I direct my forces pushing east to begin an encirclement


10th Fliegerkorps has made the 181st fighter squadron available to me. They are equipped with Bf109e planes and are I am informed amongst the best pilots in the whole Luftwaffe.

The British have reinforced the AA guns near Benghazi in an attempt to deny us use of the nearby airfield.

April 3rd 1941 (4)
My Panzer III battalion easily rout the British AA guns while a machine gun battalion overruns the defenders of Benghazi. An Italian Regiment secures the city claiming credit for the capture...
A reconnaissance of Barce shows it to be lightly held


Our air assets make their presence felt amongst the defenders of Mechilli with the 181st announcing their arrival in style


A heavy ground assault followed and managed to punch through the anti-tank screen and overrun their artillery. The infantry to the south of the city were also badly mauled by armoured formations


In the north the British once more showed their courage with a counter offensive. The Italian Santa Maria recon battalion bore the brunt of the attack and were left with only a handful of operational vehicles


Near Mechili the Indian troops attempted to force pack the 605th Panzerjager battalion but were repulsed with heavy loses, a Vickers tank regiment failed to make an impression attacking our flank and another Hurricane squadron shot up some armoured cars


April 4th 1941 (5)
The 181st supported by the Italian fighters (who I have been informed are Stormo squadron) have engaged and shot down the British Hurricanes


In the north the counter attacking British have been obliterated and Barce captured. The remnants of Santa Maria recon are order forward and report an anti-tank unit blocking the coastal road


The 39th Panzerjager battalion deploy their guns and force the attacking Vickers back allowing the more mobile 605th to finish the retreating tanks. The remaining Indian infantry were overrun and Mechilli captured


A message from the front



For now we must isolate Tobruk and place them under siege.

April 5th 1941 (6)
On the coastal road the British anti-tank guns attempt to fortify themselves in the mountains but are swept aside with a combination of air and ground assault. Australian infantry defend the Derma airfield


We dare a closer look at the Tobruk defences and they are indeed too well fortified to mount a frontal assault


Accordingly my forces move to bypass the fortress and surround Bir Haiheim


A small British “frontier force” attacks our flank but once again the 605th Panzerjagers are well placed to repulse the attempt

Herr Horseman is back.

Three cheers for Horseman:

Hip hip hooray

Hip hip hooray

Hip hip hooray

Horseman wrote:

Tarrak wrote:Oh my God! Horseman is back in action. Really happy to see you make another AAR. Your Diary of Herr Pferdemann are even after a few years still among the best AARs i ever seen.

Thanks Tarrak, hopefully this one will go well though I'm a little concerned by the (lack of) prestige you start with! And the number of Italian units.....

Don't worry to much about the Itallian units. Some of them are actually quite good and can keep up with their German counterparts through the war.

The Italian tanks tend to be pretty crappy and the normal infantry is useless as well except of the Bersaglieri which are surprisingly good.

The towed artillery stops at 15cm but it got higher RoF then the German counterparts so its quite nice and 15cm is sufficient against soft targets even in late war. The self propelled artillery is quite interesting .. it's something in between a StuG III and a real self propelled artillery: Only a range of 2 but quite tough to crack so it can withstand some punishment. Without to much spoiling: You will get two of them at some point for free and i loved them and kept them with me until the end of the war.

The AB recon cars get their job done and the Sahariana get the abillity to switch into an infantry unit which can be a nice option. Some like it really, i personally don't use them but they aren't bad.

The Italian planes aren't to shabby too. The MC20x chain of fighters is not far behind the bf109 chain and it certainly gets the job done. To bad the latest and best of the Italian fighters is out of the family with them but so is the Fw190 on the German side. The Piaggio P.108 strategic bomber is a real alternative to it's German counterparts as well.

So all in all while the Italian units are mostly inferior they aren't to bad and especially when low on credits sticking to a few of them is certainly not a bad idea and it adds some historical flavor to the campaign.

April 6th 1941 (7)
Derna airfield is easily overrun and captured. We quickly move in ground staff to give us a forward airbase


The British Frontier force is forced to retreat with heavy casualties allowing the Italian armour to continue their advance eastward. I send my recon battalion in to finish the job and they report a small build up of British equipment


An air and artillery bombardment of Bir Hacheim begins to soften up the well entrenched defenders. 605th Panzerjagers roll forward and neutralise the newly discovered British artillery


The 605th once more prove resolute in defence as they stop a counter attack from the British anti-tank guns dead in its tracks


April 7th 1941 (8)
Tmimi lies undefended and is secured by my advancing Panzers. The coast road force now continues to move south reinforcing the siege lines around Tobruk. Following further air and artillery bombardment German and Italian troops succeed in capturing Bir Hacheim in a bloody assault. Gambut airfield has been occupied


Bardia is held by Australian Infantry and Sollum by British with artillery support. We begin an aerial bombardment and tanks of the Ariete division force the artillery to retreat away from the city

hs1611 wrote:Herr Horseman is back.

Three cheers for Horseman:

Hip hip hooray

Hip hip hooray

Hip hip hooray

Thanks

Tarrak wrote:

Horseman wrote:

Tarrak wrote:Oh my God! Horseman is back in action. Really happy to see you make another AAR. Your Diary of Herr Pferdemann are even after a few years still among the best AARs i ever seen.

Thanks Tarrak, hopefully this one will go well though I'm a little concerned by the (lack of) prestige you start with! And the number of Italian units.....

Don't worry to much about the Itallian units. Some of them are actually quite good and can keep up with their German counterparts through the war.

The Italian tanks tend to be pretty crappy and the normal infantry is useless as well except of the Bersaglieri which are surprisingly good.

The towed artillery stops at 15cm but it got higher RoF then the German counterparts so its quite nice and 15cm is sufficient against soft targets even in late war. The self propelled artillery is quite interesting .. it's something in between a StuG III and a real self propelled artillery: Only a range of 2 but quite tough to crack so it can withstand some punishment. Without to much spoiling: You will get two of them at some point for free and i loved them and kept them with me until the end of the war.

The AB recon cars get their job done and the Sahariana get the abillity to switch into an infantry unit which can be a nice option. Some like it really, i personally don't use them but they aren't bad.

The Italian planes aren't to shabby too. The MC20x chain of fighters is not far behind the bf109 chain and it certainly gets the job done. To bad the latest and best of the Italian fighters is out of the family with them but so is the Fw190 on the German side. The Piaggio P.108 strategic bomber is a real alternative to it's German counterparts as well.

So all in all while the Italian units are mostly inferior they aren't to bad and especially when low on credits sticking to a few of them is certainly not a bad idea and it adds some historical flavor to the campaign.

I'm certainly going to keep some Italians....which ones I don't know yet! I can't comment on their infantry yet as without transports they're too slow to achieve much! Though the stats are less than stellar - the rest of the Italians have done quite well so far though I suspect the fighters had a large slice of luck in their first air engaement

We have ALL been waiting for the return of this Diary! Victory to the Afrika Korps! Push all the way into India!

April 8th 1941 (9)
The British Artillery was easily destroyed around Sollum while German and Italian infantry move up ready to assualt.


Some Dingo armoured cars attempt to flank our positions but are caught in an ambush and the British sally out of Sollum but are repulsed with light loses


April 9th 1941 (10)
The Italian armour destroys the flanking Dingos and succeed in capturing Sollum. Infantry move up for the final push of this campaign


April 10th 1941 (11)
Bardia is placed under siege


April 17th 1941 (16)
One more Australian Infantry and three heavy weapon battalions are shipped in by sea to reinforce Bardia before we complete the occupation. They are destroyed piecemeal by our combined forces



A communication form Berlin has been received...at least they seem (secretly) pleased

First mission down and a rather straight forward win...for the most part the Italian's weren't as bad as I thought they might be.

going into the next mission I have a little under 650 prestige to refine my core with. I have 2 more units than slots available but thats ok as theres no air deployment hexes or airfields so I guess that's my 2 fighters being left at home. Now where to spend my prestige.....

Reading this after a test only thing keeping me going

LandMarine47 wrote:Reading this after a test only thing keeping me going

Hope the test went well!

After a bit of research into the OOB for the 5th Light Division I have to salute the scenario designer (Kerensky?) The only unit not included in my core is the 33rd Anti-air Regiment....and the 88s were an auxiliary unit in the 1st scenario! I must confess I'd rather have taken the 88's than the sdkfz's through but I guess you cant have everything!
Of course there are abstractions – the tanks were a mix of I's, II's III's and IV's but just under half were III's and II's were the second largest in number. The Anti-tank battalion had a few 50cm guns but 37mm were the majority as well as the recon battalion being a mix of cars, motorcycle troops etc.

OOB (Italians in italics)
Infantry:
2xGrenadiers in Half tracks
2xItalian infantry
1xBersaglieri in trucks

Tanks:
1xPzIIIG
1xPzIIC
2xM13/40

Artillery:
1x10.5cm in trucks
1x105mm in trucks

Anti-tank:
1x3.7cm Pak36 in trucks
1xPanzerjager Ib

Recon:
1xsdkfz 232

Anti-air:
1xsdkfz 10/4

Fighters:
1xBf109e
1xMC.200 Saetta

I'm happy with the number of Infantry for now though I expect once the 15th Panzer division starts to reinforce me I'll get more (including some engineers) The Italian infantry proved less than useful mainly due to lack of transports (one unit never even saw combat and could have actually been left at the starting point without any negative consequence) so they'll need trucks and to make them more combat worthy an upgrade to Bersaglieri.

The Panzer IIIs are fine and will upgrade in family nicely (for a while at least) but the Panzer II's need to go. The best solution will probably be to disband them to get the prestige back and then buy a new unit of Panzer IV's........however they've seen combat and gained XP and kills and whilst I suspect that prestige is a more valuable commodity than XP or the kills earned in the 1st scenario the role player in me struggles to justify that option. My biggest complaint with the Italian armour is their slow speed (only 4) but they were a match for the British Cruiser tanks and for story/role play reasons I suspect they'll stay but hopefully will get an upgrade (keep fingers crossed for some faster options later)

The Artillery is fine though my favoured towed option is normally the 15cm so at some point I'll want to upgrade and also put them in half tracks, the Italian artillery will also stay.

I'm not a big fan of towed AT units so may well look to disband the Paks for something else, on the other hand they could be useful at some point in defensive scenarios...if they stay they'll almost certainly get an upgrade. The SPATs on the other hand I've come to like since playing through the grand campaign and they wont be going anywhere.

I have never kept any recon in my core as I tend to rely on air units to avoid ambushes and try to advance with armour in the lead in case of unexpected contacts. I do however see some use for the recon move ability and as I don’t intend to build a huge air-force I'm going to keep these guys for now and intend to add to their number.

Anti-air is another unit type I rarely use preferring a larger fighter group to protect my troops and gain air superiority. However as I don't intend to build a huge air-force and because for this campaign I expect to face a large number of British and American fighters (superior to the Russian types) I think they may be useful (plus it adds to flavour) The type I have at present will be useless in the next scenario (no air) but may be more useful later on as they're mobile. The may be left in reserve for now and replaced with something else (88s could be more useful with their high hard attack..) of course prestige may be too tight so I might have to sell them and replace them later on.

My air-force will have to be enlarged at some point but the next scenario has no air units so they can wait.

Oh and I have 652 prestige to achieve all of this! (And that was without spending anything what so ever except to purchase the fighters)

April 19th 1941
The past two days have been spent securing a siege line around Tobruk though it shall all be in vain if we are unable to breach the defences as the British can keep themselves supplied by sea.

I have received word that the first ships ferrying the 15th Panzer division to Africa have made port. Though it may be some time before the 15th are fully assembled I have sent orders for the landing troops to make all haste eastwards.

Johannes Streich reports that the 5th Light Division is ready for action and has had some equipment upgrades - the 39th Anti-tank battalion has been supplied with 5cm guns. He also had the pleasure to inform me that following my success Berlin has managed to convince Italian High Command to permanently attach the 27th Brescia Mechanised and the 132nd Ariete Armoured divisions to the Afrikakorps. I did have to point out to Johannes that we could hardly call the 27th “Mechanised” since their infantry lack transports!

I fear the Italians will be more a hindrance than a help but with a lack of German troops I guess I will require their help if I am to achieve my ultimate goal of securing the Suez canal. I have been previously informed by Berlin that no further equipment or men will be made available to me due to the demand of other operations.

April 22nd 1941
Johannes has passed on my comments about the 27th Brescia to Italian high Command and today they sent word that new trucks were being shipped out as well as new equipment to better arm them. They also inform me that they have added extra protection to the 132nd Ariete tanks, hopefully this will make them more useful to my plans. Further more the first unit from 15th Panzer division have arrived – the 2nd Panzer battalion (PzIVE)

Prestige spending:
2xItalian infantry upgrade to Bersaglieri with trucks – 222p
2xItalian M13/40 upgrade to M14/41 – 26p
3.7cm PAKS upgrade to 5cm – 58p
Buy a new Panzer IVE – 319p
Total: 625p (leaving me 27)

Ras el Mdauuar
07:00 April 30th 1941


So no air support and a heavy fortified Citadel lie ahead. Further more my anti-air units are redeployed, strung out along our supply route covering against RAF attacks against the trucks bringing much needed ammunition and fuel forward.

A report reached me advising of new equipment now available


A company of Flamm Panzers have already been deployed to aid me in this mission.

Studying a layout of the British fortifications I devised a strategy that would involve a two pronged assault...


In the north the 5th Light division supported by elements of the 15th Panzer Division (1xPzIVE battalion, 2xPioniere and 1xPzII Flamm companies) along with one Regiment of Italian heavy artillery and one company of Italian armoured cars.

In the south the Italian 132nd and 27th divisions supported by two German Anti-tank battalions along with some more heavy Italian artillery and a recon company.

In the middle of my lines a lone Bersaglieri regiment along with two recon companies. Their job is to simply pin any defenders in place

08:00 (1)
The 5th Light Division and 15th Panzer succeed in breaching the first line of defence destroying two strong-points as well as overrunning some British Artillery. They smack straight into a second defence line


In the south the Italians fail to make an impression.....


Despite the mainly static strong-points the British still manage a limited counter attack and once more our Panzer II's reveal their lack of armour


09:00 (2)
The 5th light division breaks through the second defensive line destroying two more strong-points with armoured units leading the way they advance through the gap


In the south the two German anti-tank battalions are brought forward and reduce a strong-point to rubble. The Italian armour advances and discovers a second defensive line


The Italians get something right as the 132nd division routes the British artillery


British Cruiser tanks launch a counter attack in the north. Our recon battalion and the Flamm Panzer company hold fast

10:00 (3)
We have secured an area that High command has marked as strategically important

The British Cruiser tanks are destroyed by our own Panzers and we advance on Ras el Mdauuar


In the south the German Anti-tank battalions once more lead the way and the Italians manage to punch a small hole through the second line of defences


In an attempt to close the gap in their defences two Australian infantry battalions launch a counter attack but fail to make a huge impression


In the south the British unleash their heavy tanks (Matilda IIs) against the Italians while some forces form a strong-point sally forth. I am pleasantly surprised to be told the Ariete Division held fast and beat back the attack with heavy loses


11:00 (4)
In the north we clear out another strong-point while some Australian infantry is forced to retreat is disorder


On the outskirts of Ras el Mdauuar the Australian infantry are wiped out and the 5th divisions infantry move in to assault positions


In the south the German anti-tank guns are in action again reducing another strong-point to rubble while the other battalion supports the Ariete division in action against the Matilda's (which are destroyed) The Italian infantry fail to capture the strong point that their tanks had already reduced an hour ago


Another Matilda battalion launches itself at Ariete division but with well sighted artillery in support the attack is stopped


Some Australian anti-tank guns engage our Flamm Panzer company who manage to make a fight of it despite being out ranged in the desert. It appears the Australian infantry have managed to regroup