| Campaigns and Commanders
Vol. 2: The King’s Officers
Desert War Diaries Chapter Two
19 November 1941, 1300-1345
By Doug McNair
August 2009
Operation Crusader continues as the British Leader Characters advance on their objectives:
1300 Hours
Rall: Vee haff ze advantage of zem (the Germans get initiative, and the Major commanding Rall’s position on the German south flank activates the mortars and sends Von Breymann’s reserves forward. The mortars self-spot against the two HMG platoon’s with Gage’s detachment but roll a 7 for no effect).
Von Breymann: Vanity, all is vanity.
Gage: We’re taking fire, with enemy reinforcements taking point on the hill. But our formation is intact so we close with them quickly.
Rall: Smesh zem, please (artillery on Rall’s hilltop self-spots against the advancing British HMGs and scores an M1 result, but they all pass the morale check).
Carleton: Mortars deployed; firing on the roadblock (his Mortarman/Artillerist skill puts the fire on the 21 column and gets him an M result for 1 LP. The reduced INF unit at the roadblock becomes demoralized).
Von Knyphausen: You cowardly DOGS! (the Captain at the roadblock activates to help the INF unit recover, but it fails and flees up the road and adjacent to the secondary roadblock).
Burgoyne: Right then, we’ve got them on the run! (he spots for OBA on the roadblock and rolls a 3, scoring an M2 result for 1 LP). Damn these Prussians (they all pass the morale check).
Von Knyphausen: Hah! Vee TRUE Chermans SPIT on your passetic projectiles!!! (unseen by him, the 88mm unit on the northern hilltop then self-spots against Carleton’s northern detachment but rolls a 7 for no effect).
Burgoyne: Let them have it! (the Lt. Colonel activates the firing line). DAMN, DAMN, DAMN, DAMN, DAMN!! (Burgoyne’s fire team rolls a 7 for no effect, and the Germans all pass the M2 morale check caused by the northern team’s fire).
Von Knyphausen: You hide behind your tinks und do nassing, you English cowards!
Burgoyne: Damn them all (fire from the Crusader tanks scores an M result which the Germans at the roadblock all pass).
Gage: More Germans are moving off the hilltop to intercept us.
Carleton: Colonel sends the rest of the men forward while he rallies the troops (the disrupted INF recovers but the demoralized INF does not).
Von Knyphausen: Enaff of zees English. FIRE! Vot vass zat? (the fire from the HMG at the roadblock is ineffective).
Carleton: German reinforcements just crested the hill (the last of the German reserves move northeast to oppose Carleton’s detachment).
Burgoyne: This is dreadful. … What, ho! (fire from the BREN carriers behind the British firing line disrupts the HMGs at the roadblock, and since they’ve already fired this turn they can’t recover).
1315 Hours
Carleton: Keep firing lads! (The British roll a modified 11 to the Germans’ 3, getting 4 activations before the Germans can do anything!!! Carleton directs mortar fire at the roadblock but the roll of 6 is ineffective).
Burgoyne: Right, TALLY HO!! (The tanks fire first and score an M result that demoralizes the HMG at the roadblock, and then all the British infantry advances, nearly surrounding the roadblock. Opportunity fire from the HMGs at the secondary roadblock is ineffective. Burgoyne tries and fails to recover).
Von Knyphausen: (unprintable German obscenities directed at his demoralized troops)
Gage: Hitting the German flank now so their reinforcements can’t link up.
Von Breymann: In zee struggles of nations, zee poor und disenfrenchized are alvays zee victims (British infantry rushes his position before he can dig-in, and the first opportunity fire scores a 2X to wipe out an INF unit for 2 VPs and 2 LPs. The second opportunity fire scores an M2 result that disrupts the Captain and INF rushing the hex. The rest complete their move).
Rall: Zey run to zer deaths. Smesh zer assault force (the mortars self-spot and fire ineffectively).
Gage: Stuart tanks coming up from the rear to support us.
Rall: Very interesting, but schtupid! (he opts not to take long-range AT fire at the tanks since that would expose his gun position. Instead the 88mm guns on the northern hilltop fire but are ineffective).
Carleton: Our men advance on the northern hill, taking some fire now (a Sergeant becomes demoralized by opportunity fire while an INF he’s leading becomes disrupted).
Von Knyphausen: Jawohl, Mein Herr! I vonce had a comrade (the Captain at the forward roadblock activates and gets the HMG to recover to demoralized status, but then orders Von Knyphausen to escape while he can and fall back to the secondary roadblock).
Burgoyne: Right, time to go to work on those other Jerries on the road (he spots for OBA on the secondary roadblock and gets an M result for 1 LP, but everyone there passes the morale check).
Gage: Germans advancing to support the enemy position ahead of us.
And the turn ends on a Fog of War roll.
1330 Hours
Burgoyne: Right, in they go! (the Brits beat the Germans by two activations, and the Lt. Colonel combines the fire of units in two hexes on the roadblock, and sends two more units and a Captain in for an assault. The Germans pass the morale check from the prep fire, and they get first fire in the assault since they’re dug-in. But they only roll a 2 on the 9 column for no damage, and the Germans all pass the M2 morale check the Brits inflict).
Gage: The Major assaults the center of the German line with one platoon, and orders the rest of us to swing around the German south flank. The assault bogs down a bit (the Major’s INF platoon becomes disrupted), and I take point on the flanking maneuver. I run into a hail of bullets, with men falling around me. We all dive for cover, and I’m pinned-down behind a rock (German opportunity fire from the platoon holding the right flank of the German line scores an X result for 1 VP, and also disrupts Gage and his platoon. He loses 2 LPs for being disrupted, and he also rolls a modified 3 on the leader casualties roll to just barely keep from being eliminated). Another Lieutenant brings his platoon up to our position and they fare better (passing the M morale check). The Captain and his disrupted platoon facing the German center both recover.
Rall: Vee are being flinkd. Smeesh zem! (German mortars self-spot on two INF units at the southern German flank and disrupt one of them).
Gage: I hear tank fire from the rear (the two Stuart tanks that advanced to just outside the range of Rall’s 50mm guns open fire on Von Breymann’s armored car platoon, which is spotted since it used opportunity fire last turn. Both shots miss).
Rall: Smeesh zem again! (the artillery on the southern hilltop self-spots against the HMG supporting the British southern flank attack but is ineffective).
Burgoyne: Right, get to work on the Jerries up the road! (he spots for OBA against the secondary roadblock but it’s ineffective).
Von Knyphausen: I come, kameraden! (he activates the demoralized INF in the neighboring hex while moving to occupy the rearward hex of the secondary roadblock. The demoralized INF fails to recover and flees).
Burgoyne: Tally ho, Crusaders! (the Crusader tanks and two Brens move southwest to support Gage’s flank attack, keeping just outside the long-range fire range of the 88mm guns on the northern hilltop but entering the range of Rall’s 50mm guns).
Rall: Aim carefully. (He waits one phase to avoid the -1 penalty for a target that just moved, and instead the German Lieutenant on the south flank counterassaults the British Major and his disrupted platoon. Neither side takes damage).
Carleton: Our main force tries to round the northern German flank, but the Lieutenant leading the maneuver becomes disrupted. His Sergeant is running back toward us now (he failed to recover from demoralization and flees), so those poor bastards are without a leader.
Rall: Take zem NOW! (he activates the AT gun next to him and fires at a Crusader 1 tank unit 8 hexes away. He rolls a natural 12, which would have been a 13 due to his AT Specialist skill but is dropped back to a 12 due to the range. So he only kills one Crusader step instead of both, scoring 2 VPs for the Germans and 1 LP for himself. The Crusader is demoralized). Zehr gut (with a nod to his gun crew).
Carleton: Right, I’m passing the mortars off to the Colonel and heading out west to help those poor sods. You there, back at it! (He runs to join the fleeing Sergeant while leaving his Brens behind to keep them out of 88mm range, and lets his mortars advance one hex behind him to join the Colonel).
Von Breymann: In zee end, vee are all dead (he fires point-blank on the British Captain and INF unit in the adjacent hex, scoring an M2 result that earns him 1 LP and disrupts the Captain and the INF).
Burgoyne: Yes, that’s the spirit lad! (the British Sergeant on the south flank advances his HMGs right up adjacent to Von Breymann, now that he can no longer use opportunity fire).
Carleton: God, they’re in for it! (the German Lt. Colonel on the northern hilltop advances with his INF units there to block the now largely leaderless British flanking maneuver. Fire from the 88mm gun on the hilltop is ineffective).
Burgoyne: Hello? Are you receiving? (he once again fails to recover from being disrupted).
Von Knyphausen: Ja, ja Herr Hauptmann!! (the Captain in the forward roadblock hex rallies his disrupted HMG to good order).
The turn then ends on recoveries and redeployments, with more British Brens and armored cars moving south to support the flank attack there, and Carleton acquiring an INF platoon sent forward by the Colonel. British initiative drops to 4 due to step losses taken.
1345 Hours
Burgoyne: Right, take that gun down! (The Brits beat the Germans by 3 activations, and Burgoyne spots for OBA on Rall’s 50mm AT gun, rolling an 8 for an M morale check and 1 LP. The unit just barely passes the morale check due to Rall’s Morale Bonus of 1).
Gage: Lots and lots of fire from the rear!! (the large formation of Crusaders, Stuarts and Brens on the south flank activates, with four tanks firing on Von Breymann’s armored cars, two Crusaders advancing frontally to threaten Rall’s mortars and the Brens swinging southward. None of the tank fire hits the armored cars, and the demoralized reduced Crusader unit fails to recover and flees!. Then the Sergeant opens up with his two HMG platoons point-blank on Von Breymann’s position, disrupting the MTC unit there but doing no other damage).
Von Breymann: In zee face of mindless machines Man is helpless (he fires point-blank on the Sergeant’s two HMGs, scoring an M2 result for 1 LP, demoralizing the Sergeant and disrupting one of the HMGs).
Gage: The assault goes in [the Lieutenant in the hex with Gage throws both of his good-order platoons into the existing assault hex in hopes of breaking the German line. Gage recovers morale but fails to rally the disrupted unit in his hex, and the two other disrupted platoons on the British line also fail to recover. But the assault comes off beautifully, rolling a 5 on the 13 column to kill a German step for 1 VP to the British (not credited to Gage) and disrupting the German leader and unit in the hex].
Rall: Ve haff no choice but to oppose zem. Un-jam that gun!! (the Major commanding the position on the southern hill activates everyone there including Rall, and Rall activates the AT gun and fires at a Crusader. He rolls a 2 and misses! Then the mortars fire on the British HMGs and score an M2 result, causing the Sergeant in the HMG hex to be eliminated by compound demoralization and demoralizes both the HMGs there! The Major then advances with an INF unit to an assault position on the tanks, leaving Rall with an INF unit to protect the guns and mortars).
Burgoyne: In go the machineguns to finish-off those Prussians on the road. (an HMG joins the assault on the forward roadblock, but the Germans pass the M2 morale check while the British Captain is disrupted). They must be made of stone.
Rall: Keep smeshing ze English (the artillery on the southern hilltop self-spots against the British troops that bypassed the roadblock and rolls a 3, scoring an M2 result which all the British in the hex pass).
Burgoyne: Right, give them what for! (the British that bypassed the roadblock move southwest toward Rall’s position, taking opportunity fire from the secondary roadblock with a +1 column shift from Von Knyphausen).
Von Knyphausen: Mein destiny is secure!! (the first op fire rolls a 12 to score an X result for 1 VP and 2 LPs for Von Knyphausen, demoralizing the INF unit as well. The second op fire scores an M1 result that demoralizes another INF!! The Captain who ordered the advance moves gingerly around the shattered remnants of his force in hopes of rallying them next turn).
Carleton: Hold on, lads! (the German line on the northern hill opens fire on the leaderless Brits nearby, but rolls a 7 for no effect. Guy then activates the demoralized Sergeant with him who recovers to Disrupted status for 2 LPs. He has no morale bonus to apply so he doesn’t need to stay in the hex with the Sergeant, and he runs forward with an INF unit to take command of the detachment. The 88mm gun on the hilltop then self-spots on Gage’s position and fires, but rolls a 7 for no effect).
Gage: Taking more fire from the German flank (the INF unit in front of him fires point-blank and scores an M result, which Gage passes but which demoralizes the INF unit with him).
Burgoyne: Ah, a new wireless! Thanks awfully, old mate! (he recovers to good order).
Carleton: Ah, good show old chap! (the Lieutenant who was leading the northern advance recovers to good-order along with his INF).
And the turn ends on recoveries and ineffective fire from both sides, with a German unit on the northern hill redeploying to lengthen the line against the revitalized northern British attack.
So at the end of the second hour of battle, the German south flank is fully engaged but the British are taking a beating there. They’ve got to break that flank or the battle will likely be lost, so now that Johnny Burgoyne is back in action he can hopefully use his Increased Endurance to get to the scene of action and help Tom Gage to roll those Jerries back.
The standings at this point are:
Total Victory Points (only for steps lost)
British: 2
Germans: 7
Leader Character Standings
Leader Character LPs VPs Scored Other Data for Medal Purposes
Burgoyne 1 0 Made a morale check
without being demoralized
Carleton 3 0 n/a
Gage: -2 0 Made two morale checks
without being demoralized
Von Knyphausen 1 2 n/a
Rall 4 2 n/a
Von Breymann 4 2 n/a
Tune in next time for Chapter Three of Desert War Diaries!
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