It was another hot, dry day in sunny northern Tunisia and all was well with Monty's 1st Armored Division, or so Berty would like to believe. It was not to be. Striding ever so purposefully towards Berty's tank was Captain Gordon, who only spoke to Berty and his comrades when he needed something done that he considered hopeless or pointless or beneath his dignity. "Handle this Hanrahan, Colonel's orders." Gordon shoved the papers in Berty's hand and about faced in one swift move. Lieutenant Bertram Farnsworth Hanrahan, team leader, grimaced. Once again "Hardluck Berty Hanrahan" and his ratty squadron of leftover, homeless men and machines had drawn the short straw. The orders read easily enough: "Proceed posthaste to Bir Soltane area. Eliminate Axis supply depot. Speed is of the essence. Minimal resistance anticipated. Enemy in retreat." Right! Minimal resistance, just an 88 or two left behind to greet the new landlords. Oh well, he hadn't really had any plans for the afternoon. "Gus! Gas up Mother and get ready for another of the Colonel's picnics! Get the boys up and rolling; Monty needs us once again." Meanwhile, to the North of Hanrahan's position, camped near the Bir Soltane road were the remains of the rearguard of the Italian Saharan Group. As usual the Italians, members of a reinforced armor company of the 164th Light Division were arguing with their German cohorts of the 21st Panzer Division. The subject was water. The subject was ALWAYS water. There was plenty of water for washing, plenty of water for anything the Germans wanted, but just ask for a simple extra water ration to cook their pasta.... All requests by the Italians to go for additional supplies were denied. The reason was rearguard duties to maintain cover for the main body of the Italian Saharan Group and keep the road open to the Bir Soltane fuel depot. The Matmata Hills were crawling with Allied troops. No divergence from orders would be permitted. Priorities were to be maintained; the Italians would just have to do without their beloved pasta a while longer. Situation-Allied Forces: Your orders are to attack along the desert road, make a breakthrough, and destroy the Axis supply dump. Allied Order of Battle: 5-Matilda tanks 12-A13 Cruiser tanks 3-Lee/Grant tanks 2-Daimler AC armored cars Situation-Axis Forces: You are a blocking force on the road leading to the Axis rear area. Axis Order of Battle: Italian: 5-MI3/40 tanks 1-M11/39 tank, 1-Semovetti 75/18 (75L24) self-propelled anti-tank gun German: 1-88/56 anti-tank gun (88 is a towed unit) 3-37mm ATC anti-tank gun 2-PZ II D tank 3-Half track 251 1- Half track Sdzf27 Terrain Semi-desert area, sandy, open, one or two small hills. Special Desert Rules 2 shooting at moving Armored Fighting Vehicles (AFVs) 25% movement for each contour Victory Conditions Allied: Must reach opposite end of table from entry point by turn 30. Axis: Must prevent Allied units from reaching opposite end of board by turn 29, or eliminate all Allied units. This scenario was designed by Bill Alpert for the Origins Armor Tournament, Round I, 1980. Karen Summerfelt, the author, had the pleasure of playing on the British team in this same scenario, and proving that her scenario, and proving that her Matildas could carry the day. Back to Table of Contents -- Game News #12 To Game News List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1986 by Dana Lombardy. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com