Europa As History The Invasion of Syria

Europa As History

The Invasion of Syria

by Frank E. Watson

A Play-by Play Account of Operation "Exporter"

In the original version of Europa, General Maitland Wilson faced Vichy General Henri Dentz in the Allied invasion of Syria. This is a turn-by-turn, blow-by-blow account of the actual historical Syrian campaign in the terms of Europa. All the special and optional rules from the Battle Scenario "The Invasion of Syria" are in effect, including the "Forward March" movement rules from TEM #10, and the newer air unit ratings from Balkan Front.

The Vichy defenders seem to have often used battalions as their basic maneuver units during the campaign. It is therefore difficult to exactly describe the movements of Europa's Vichy regiments. We have included Vichy unit IDs for clarity, but you should consider these IDs to be abstractions of Vichy assets.

The only activities omitted from the account are some of the air unit return segments, and the somewhat trivial movement of Allied supply steps on the Lebanese and Damas fronts.

The Commanderss

Wilson:

Sir Maitland Wilson, called "Jumbo" because of his build, gave capable service to the British throughout the war, although he always ended up in a somewhat inglorious theater. Wilson had previously led the Allied forces in the Greek campaign and the Iraqi revolt. In Syria he was the direct commander of the Allied forces. Later he commanded the invasion of Iran and for most of 1942 supervised Ninth Army guarding the Middle East against an Axis invasion from the Caucasus. By the end of the war, Wilson had risen to the post of Supreme Commander, MTO.

Wavell:

Commander-in-Chief Middle East and Wilson's superior, Gen. Archibald Wavell spent the first part of the Syrian campaign involved with Operation Battleaxe in the Western Desert. Following the failure of that offensive, he was replaced with Auchinleck.

Auchinleck:

Although he replaced Wavell at the end of June, Auchinleck had little direct part in the Syrian campaign. He did make its closure a priority.

Dentz:

Gen. Henri Dentz, Vichy High Commissioner in the Levant, proved a capable opponent of the British, using his limited forces well. He conducted an aggressive defense, deciding to expend his resources in counterattacks in hope of a true victory instead of a prolonged defense. His biggest personal mistake was packing away Allied prisoners to France--after the armistice. This earned him the wrath of the British and landed him in prison. The Vichy government eventually returned the prisoners.

Initial Setup

Allied.

The Allied units in Palestine, including both Allied air units, set up in Haifa. The two Free French brigades and the Indian brigade set up in Amman. Habforce begins in 21:5005.

The Allies secretly plan their amphibious landing hex as 20:4509.

Vichy.

The Vichy units set up as follows:

Jun I 41 - Allied Player Turn

The Allies invade the Levant in a three pronged attack: (1) along the coast toward Beyrouth (2) through Merjayoun toward Rayak, and (3) from Transjordan toward Damascus using the Indian Brigade and the Free French "division."

The eastern group takes Kiswe, on the road to Damascus, while the western force successfully crosses the Litani with naval support.

The center force has slower going. They take the town of Merjayoun in 20:4508, but are diverted to assist the attack up the coast.

Initial Phase. All units are in supply.

Movement Phase. The British commandos execute their landing in 20:4509. They attempt to seize the bridge over the Litani, but roll a '1' and are eliminated.

The 21st Aus Inf X and 6th Cav X move up the coast to 20:4509. The 7th Aus XX HQ, 25th Aus Inf X and 5th Mot Inf X enter 20:4508.

The 5th Ind X and the two Free French Xs advance to 20:4706.

Habforce moves to 21:4612. The 20th and 21st Ind Inf Xs enter as reinforcements using admin movement. The 20th reaches 21:4705; the 21st reaches 21:5008.

Air Phase. Both Allied air units fly air support to hex 20:4408. The Vichy MS.406 patrol attacks the Blenheim, but rolls a '2' for no effect. The same unit intercepts the mission and engages the Hurricane escort. The MS.406 rolls a 7 resulting in no effect on the '-1' air-to-air column. The Hurricane rolls a '10' in return, also for no effect. The MS.406 checks for an abort, rolling a '3' for no effect.

Combat Phase. The Allied units in 20:4508 and 20:4509 attack across the Litani River into hex 20:4408. There are 6 ground attack factors divided by 2 for the river. Adding 4 naval gunfire points and 1TBF from the Blenheim gives an 8:2 or 4:1 attack. The Allies roll a '4' for a DR. The Vichy 22 TA regiment retreats to 20:4308. The 21st Aus X, 6th Cav X and 7th Aus XX HQ advance into 20:4408.

The other three Allied Xs attack the French at Kiswe, in 20:4605. The two Free French brigades are unsupported. The final odds are 4.5:1. A roll of '3' gives a 'DR' and the 22 TT retreats to Damas. 1st FF X advances into 20:4605.

The Allies expend one supply step.

Exploitation Phase. The 5th Indian X occupies Quneitra, at 20:4607. The 2nd FF X moves to 20:4604. The 25th Aus X and 5th Mot Inf X move into 20:4508.

Habforce moves to 21:4321. 21st Ind Inf X follows to 21:4811. 20th Ind Inf X continues north to 21:4407.

Jun I 41 - At Sea

Guepard and Valmy attempt to support the French defenders along the coast. The British intercepted. In a brief surface action, the Vichy flotilla leaders engage the British destroyers Janus and Jackal. Janus is heavily damaged, Jackal lightly. The French ships withdraw.

The submarine Caiman attacks Ajax, but misses.

Cyprus-based Swordfish torpedo bombers attack and sink the reinforcing Vichy destroyer Chevalier Paul. The destroyer Vauquelin makes it through to Beyrouth.

The British Fulmar unit provides air cover for the naval squadron offshore against Vichy naval planes and Luftwaffe Ju88s.

Jun I 41 - Axis Player Turn

The French counterattack in the Merjayoun area but just fail. Another counterattack (not represented here) destroys a battalion of 5th Ind X at Quneitra.

Initial Phase. There are no modifiers to the surrender die roll so there can be no surrender.

Movement Phase. The 6th CA Arm II goes to 20:4406; 7 CA Arm II goes to Beyrouth. 6th LE III rails to Damas. 24th MC III moves south to 20:4308. 22nd TA III goes to 20:4407. The two hv AA pts move to 20:4306.

Air Phase. Both Vichy air units fly DAS to 20:4308. The Hurricane patrol attacks the LeO.451 with no effect (dr = 1) and intercepts the MS.406. The MS.406 misses with a roll of 7 on the '-1' column The Allies roll a '5' on the '0' column for an 'A' result. The MS.406 aborts to Rayak (20:4306).

Combat Phase. The Vichy units in 20:4407 and 20:4507 attack hex 20:4508. Odds are 6:1.5 or 4: 1, with -1 for rough. A roll of '4' sends 25th Aus X retreating to 20:4509 and 5th Mot Inf X retreating to 20:4608. The 29th TA III advances into 20:4508. The Vichy supply step is expended.

Exploitation Phase. Ist ST Cav III goes to 20:4405, and 6th CA Arm II to 4407.

Jun II 41 - Allied Player Turn

The Free French and Indians take Damascus, but not without fierce fighting in which the Indian Brigade is eliminated. In the west, the Allied drive up the coast is diverted to deal with the Vichy counterattack. The Allied threat from Iraq is developing, but is stalled by a gallant defense at Palmyre.

Initial Phase. All units are in supply. The Allies receive 16th and 23rd Inf Xs and the 70th XX HQ (actually this unit is still called 6th XX HQ), plus the Well I C air unit.

Movement Phase. The 5 Ind X moves to 20:4506; 70 Inf XX HQ, 16 Inf X, IFF X and 2FF X all move into 20:4605.

The British 23rd Inf X, 6th Cav X and the 7th Aus XX HQ move to 20:4509.

Habforce advances to 21:4128. 21st Ind Inf X moves to 21:4320, benefiting from tracks crossing the wadis and unopposed movement. 20th Ind Inf X admins to 21:3212. The supply step rails to 21:3212, then continues to 21:3116.

Air Phase. The Allies change their strategy in the air and allocate the Hurricanes for a 'naval cooperation' mission. The Blenheims and Wellingtons fly support to Damas.

Combat Phase. The attack on Damas is 12:3 or 4:1. The die roll is '2' for HX. The two Vichy units are eliminated. The Allies remove 5th Ind X.

[Note: Europa players may question the Allies' wisdom here and prefer to eliminate an unsupported 2-8, but you don't get that choice in real life.]

The other units enter Damas.

The Allies attack at Merjayoun (20:4508) with their units in 20:4408 and 20:4509. Odds are 6:2 or 3:1 with a -1 modifier for rough. A die roll of W gives a 'DR' and 29th TA III retreats to 20:4507. 7th Aus XX HQ, 23rd Inf X and 25 Aus X advance into 20:4508.

[Note: The Allies have made a mistake here and rolled the coastal attack after the attack on Damas, allowing the French a retreat path. A rule allowing retreats through ZOCs onto friendly units would accomplish the same thing.]

The LeO.451 returns to 20:4306, rolls a '1' and becomes inoperative.

Habforce attacks Palmyre at 2:0.5 or 4:1. A roll of '1' gives 'NE' and Palmyre remains Vichy controlled.

The Allies expend one supply step in Palestine.

Exploitation Phase. The 7th Aus XX HQ and 6th Cav X move to 20:4408. 1st FF X moves to 20:4605, and 2nd FF X to 20:4404.

Habforce remains in 21:4128. 21st Ind X exploits to 21:4021; 20th Ind X to 21:3116.

Jun II 41 - At Sea

The British submarine Parthian sinks the French sub Souffleur. In spite of the addition of the Hurricanes as naval air cover, the British destroyers Isis and Ilex are damaged by German Ju88 aircraft.

The three remaining Vichy destroyers leave Beyrouth and sail for Salonika. They are intercepted by those British destroyers not on ASW patrol. The French ships get through with only light damage to Guepard.

Jun II 41 - Axis Player Turn

The Vichy French form a new line defending the eastern approaches to Beyrouth from the passes of the Anti-Lebanon mountains.

Initial Phase. The modifier to the surrender die roll is +2; +2 for Damas, with an additional +1 for Damas failing this turn, and -1 for an eliminated Allied ground unit. Vichy rolls a '4' and does not surrender. All units are in supply.

Vichy uses their air replacement point to repair the LeO.451. The air repair roll on the MS.406 fails with a '6.'

Movement Phase. 7th CA Lt Arm II moves to 20:4308, 4th ST Cav III to 20:4305, 29th TA Inf III and 7th TS Inf III both to 20:4406.

1st SM Cav withdraws from Deir es Zor, using unopposed movement to reach 21:3329.

Air Phase. The LeO.451 flies a support mission to 20:4308. The Hurri 2 patrol attack rolls a '1' for no effect. Its intercept attack rolls a '6' with a -1 modifier for F vs. B, aborting the LeO.451.

Combat Phase. There are no Vichy attacks.

Exploitation Phase. 7th TS Inf II continues to 20:4405, occupying the Jebel Mazar fortifications. 1st SM Cav III continues its withdrawal, entering Alep.

Jul I 41 - Allied Player Turn

A major Allied assault carries the Vichy positions at Damour and set up an attack on Beyrouth itself. 10th Ind Inf XX and Habforce occupy much of northern Syria.

Initial Phase. The Allies receive the 17th Aus X, a P-4013, a Hurri 2 and two supply steps in Palestine. All units are in supply.

Movement Phase. All the Australian units enter 20:4408, where 7th Aus XX combines into its 7-8 form. The 23rd Inf X and the two cavalry brigades also enter 20:4408. The two Free French brigades move into Damas.

21st Ind X moves unopposed to 21:3330; 20th Ind X goes to 21:3027, also using unopposed movement. The supply step gets to 21:3419.

Air Phase. The P-4013, Bien IV, Well IC, and one Hurri 2 fly air support to 20:4308. The other Hurri 2 flies air support against 20:4405.

Combat Phase. Habforce renews its attack on the Vichy 1-8 Cav III in Palmyre at 4:1. The die roll is '5' for 'DH,' eliminating the Vichy unit. HabForce occupies Palmyre.

All the units in 20:4408 attack the Vichy force at Damour, in 20:4308. There are 11 ground factors +4 naval gunnery points +5 TBF for a total of 20, against 4 defense factors. Odds are 5:1 with a -2 modifier for rough terrain and AECD. The die roll is a '5', resulting in a DR. The Australians move into 20:4308 as the French retreat into Beyrouth.

The Allies in Damas attack 20:4405 at 8:2 or 4:1 with a -2 modifier for rough and the fort. A roll of '3' yields 'NE.'

The Allies expend one supply step.

Exploitation Phase. The Indians begin to converge on Alep. 21st Ind X goes to 21:3230, 20th Ind X to 21:3030. HabForce occupies Horns in hex 20:3902.

[This is a somewhat curious objective for a Europa player. When the campaign ended on July 8th, in the middle of a Europa turn, HabForce had reached Homs. Had the actual campaign continued, it is reasonable to assume that they would have continued to advance, possibly to Tripoli, or up the Lebanon Valley through Baalbek.]

The 6th Cav X moves back to 20:4508 to guard the flank of the coastal drive.

Jul I 41 - At Sea

Vichy naval air units bomb Haifa, but do not score a Europascale hit. The Vichy destroyers embark an infantry battalion and a supply step at Salonika and sail for Syria. They are intercepted and turned back by British surface units in -the Eastern Mediterranean. The submarines Caiman and Morse evacuate to Bizerte, in Tunisia.

Jul I 41 - Axis Player Turn

General Dentz decides further resistance is hopeless and asks for an armistice.

Initial Phase. The modifier to the surrender die roll is +5 (+2 for Damas, +2 for a unit adjacent to Beyrouth, +1 for holding at least one reference city, +1 for Jul I 41 turn, and -1 for having eliminated an Allied ground unit. Vichy rolls a '9' and surrenders.

Scenario Ends. The Vichy player has collected 17 victory points for an Allied Marginal Victory. They just miss a substantial victory because of the loss of the commandos and 5th Indian Brigade.

Comments

There are probably hundreds of ways to recreate even a short Europa campaign such as this (and I went through a lot of them). I have tried to compromise between historical events and smart Europa playing. Even so, Europa can recreate the campaign quite well. There are a few incidents that were difficult, and I'll briefly mention those here.

The French counterattacked both at Merjayoun (20:4508) and at Quneitra (20:4507). They really only have enough resources for one decent Europa attack, so I dropped Quneitra. I think one of the light tank battalions should support the counterattack, but it can't. The combination of initial setup, Allied ZOCs, and French movement rates don't allow it to get there from a start in Damas, but I have nothing else to suggest the Vichy setup should be different. C'est le guerre, I guess.

I placed the cavalry regiments defending the desert flank because they were the only units available in the French initial set up for such duty. I don't really think there were horses galloping all over the desert.

The action of 21st Indian Brigade at Deir es Zor was actually bigger than the fight at Palmyre. The forces defending Palmyre were a couple of foreign legion companies and air force ground crews. This small force performed well beyond its means in holding up HabForce for 10 days. In contrast, the defenders at Deir es Zor collapsed quickly.

The gap between the Anti-Lebanon Mountains and Mount Hermon feels too wide. This allows the Allies to outflank the Jebel Mazar defenses too easily. The Allies had east-west communication and movement problems somewhat worse than what actually happens, but this detail is just barely worth comment.

It's anybody's guess as to the best way to replay the air war. The main thing is that Vichy started strongly but were whipped badly by the end. In reality, the Allies made quite a few airfield attacks. I had a couple worked in at times, but they never made sense from a Europa standpoint.

The extra movement rules aren't strictly necessary to recreate the campaign, but without them you need more fudging on the eastern flank. The limited exploitation allows the Allies to disperse after their attack on Damas and still present a respectable defense. It also makes Vichy hold reserves to combat a breakthrough by the Allied infantry in addition to the small motorized force.

I tried to maintain a proper distribution of die rolls. For example, the Allied combat die rolls were 4, 3, 2, 1, 5, 5 and 4, certainly not unusual.

Recreating even a small campaign such as this shows the complexities and interactions that make Europa appealing.

The Invasion of Syria "Operation Exporter" June-July, 1941

Rules

Orders of Battle

Designer's Notes

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