On March 7, I ran a WWII micro-armor game using Spearhead rules at The Soldiery in Columbus. The scenario I selected was entitled "Barbarians at the Gates," which is the first scenario in the Spearhead North African supplement, "Blaze Across the Sands."

This is one of the smaller scenarios in the supplement, which I thought would be good for a Sunday afternoon game. The scenario depicts a fight which took place April 8, 1941, during Rommel's first offensive in Libya, shortly after the arrival of the Afrika Korp. The battle involved the encirclement of the British 2nd Armoured Division headquarters at El Mechili, during the retreat of the Commonwealth forces. The order of battle for this scenario is as follows:

Axis Forces:

Battalion Consisting Of: Morale Rating Size

Kampfgruppe Schwerin, 5th Light Division HQ

3 x PzJr IB
2 x Zgkw I 20mm SPAA
3 x Engineer/Flame
Regulars 9

Panzer Regt 5 HQ Kampfgruppe, 5th Light Division

HQ PzIIF
PzIIF Recon
3xPzIIIE
Veteran 5

Battle Group Fabris, 132nd Ariete Armored Division

HQ Motorcycle (m/c)
SMG m/c Recon
6 x Rifle m/c
2 x HMG m/c
2 x 65/17 Infantry Gun
3 x AB40 Armored Car
Regular 15

Battle Group Montemmuro, 132nd Ariete Armored Division

HQ
SMG m/c Recon
3 x Rifle
HMG
2 x 47/32 AT Gun
Regular 8

Commonwealth Forces
Headquarters, 2nd Armoured Division

HQ MkVIB
A-10 Cruiser Tank
Daimler Scout Car
Rifle
Regular 4

1st Battalion, 3rd Indian Motor Brigade, 4th Indian Division

HQ
12 x Rifle
Regular 13

2nd Battalion, 3rd Indian Motor Brigade, 4th Indian Division
HQ
12 x Rifle
Regular 13

3rd Australian Antitank Regiment, 9th Australian Division
HQ
6 x 2 Pdr Portee
2 x 2 Pdr AT (Towed)
Regular 9

All infantry and towed weapons include truck transport.

Commonwealth Deployment

2nd Armoured Div HQ must set up in El Mechili; all other battalion HQs must set up within 6" of the Div HQ. The 3rd Australian AT Regiment may not attach out. One battalion may be in reserve, but must still begin set up on table as described above.

Commonwealth battalions may exit without penalty from the southern and eastern table edges, but only if ordered to do so. Battalions that exit from these table edges are assumed to have broken out of the Axis encirclement and do not count as Killed or Routed for victory conditions.

Axis Deployment

Axis forces may enter from any and all table edges as desired, provided at least one battalion enters from the western edge. One battalion may be kept in reserve along any table edge.

VICTORY CONDITIONS

The Axis win if they fulfill any two of the following three conditions by games end:

• Kill or Rout any two Commonwealth battalions
• Kill or Rout the Division HQ stand
• Occupy El Mechili.

The Commonwealth wins if the Axis fails to fulfill its victory conditions. Game length is 16 turns.

Four players participated in the game John Haverstock and Chuck Diersing commanded the Commonwealth forces, while John Montgomery and Brian O'Leary played the Axis side. I used two unofficial rules modifications which I found on the Spearhead web site. Italian motorcycle troops had a modified defense factor of 4 instead of 5, to represent their increased vulnerability, and the British portees were permitted to unload and be treated as towed anti-tank guns. In addition, I always use hidden map movement when I run Spearhead games. Troops are placed on the table only after they are spotted.

After reviewing the victory conditions, it was apparent that the Commonwealth players could select from two different strategies. They could attempt an immediate breakout, which would give the Axis control of El Mechili, or they could stand and fight it out. The Commonwealth players chose the latter plan. They deployed the 1 st Indian battalion and the antitank guns in and around the southeastern town sector, with a strong force in the Wadi El Ramid. Anticipating that the Axis forces would attack from the south and east, they deployed the bulk of these troops facing in these directions. The 2nd Indian battalion deployed in and around the western town sector, with a company at the road junction west of town as an advance outpost. The 2nd Armoured Division HQ set up in the southeastern town sector.

The Axis forces planned a converging attack on El Mechili, with the 5th Panzer Regiment attacking from the west, Kampfgruppe Schwerin and the Italian Battlegroup Fabrims attacking from the south, and Battlegroup Montemmuro entering from the eastern table edge.

The fighting began almost immediately. Battlegroup Montemmuro ran smack into two companies of the Indian 1 st battalion deployed in the wadi, supported by some anti-tank guns. Historically, the British 2-pounder anti-tank gun was handicapped by the lack of a high explosive round. With no armored targets in front of them, the AT guns in the wadi could only sit idly by and watch as the Indian infantry fought the Italians. The two sides were fairly evenly matched in this sector, so a stalemate quickly ensued.

Meanwhile, the strong Axis forces attacking from the south quickly overwhelmed two antitank gun platoons south of El Mechili, but only after the guns destroyed two Italian armored car platoons.

The combined German-Italian forces began to exert strong pressure in the vicinity of the southeastern town sector. The Commonwealth line was stretched thinly in the open desert here. Battlegroup Fabris received new orders to turn east and attack the wadi from the rear while Battlegroup Montemmuro continued to push from the east. While conducting this maneuver, Battlegroup Fabris stumbled upon the headquarters platoons of both the 1 st Indian battalion and the 3rd Australian AT regiment, and quickly destroyed them both. With the forces in the wadi being attacked from the front and rear simultaneously, things were looking grim for the Commonwealth forces.

While the fighting raged in the eastern sector, the understrength Panzer Regiment 5 advanced from the west. They soon encountered troops from the 2nd Indian battalion. In the open desert, an overrun attack seemed like the best tactic for the German tanks. Unfortunately, in a game that was otherwise largely characterized by mediocre die rolling, the Indian infantry managed to destroy most of the panzers within the space of a couple of turns. The surviving panzer HQ platoon failed morale and retreated back down the road to the west. With the threat of the panzers eliminated, the 2nd Indian battalion was now free to shift its strength against Kampfgruppe Schwerin in the south. Although the German engineers had some initial success with their flame-throwers, an attempted close assault against the southern town sector failed.

Meanwhile, the Italians had nearly completed the destruction of the Commonwealth forces in the wadi, and soon both the Indian 1st battalion and the Australian anti-tank regiment failed morale checks. I used the optional morale failure rule, whereby troops which fail morale have a chance to rally after retreating for two turns. Although the anti-tank gun regiment (North Africa continued) quit the field, the I st Indian battalion was able to rally and form a new defensive line about 12" north of El Mechili. The 2nd Armoured Division HQ retreated with the Indians, thereby leaving the southern town sector temporarily unoccupied. The Indian 2nd battalion still occupied the western town sector in strength, however. At about the same time, the small Italian Battlegroup Montemmuro failed morale and quit the field. Battlegroup Fabris changed orders again, shifting their attack northward against the reforming Indian 1st battalion while Kampfgruppe Schwerin continued their fight against the Indian 2nd battalion.

By game turn 12, both sides had sustained heavy losses. The Commonwealth won the initiative roll, moved first, and reoccupied the southern town sector with several platoons of the 2nd Indian battalion. Finally, Kampfgruppe Schwerin failed a morale check and routed, leaving the somewhat battered Italian Battlegroup Fabris to continue the fight alone. This allowed the Indian 2nd battalion, along with the survivors of the Indian 1 st battalion, to concentrate all of their fire on the outnumbered Italians. At this point, the Axis players conceded the game.

Aftermath

Upon reflection, both sides plans were sound. The Commonwealth deployment correctly anticipated the actual Axis attacks, which resulted in frontal assaults for the most part. The Italian forces were able to demonstrate a degree of flexibility in changing their orders to respond to changing conditions, and were thus able to attack the forces in the wadi from the front and rear simultaneously. It is interesting to note that the German panzers and the Australian anti-tank guns never engaged each other, as they were deployed on opposite ends of the battlefield.

The game was closely fought, and could easily have gone either way. A few key die rolls seem to have turned the tide in favor of the Commonwealth. The destruction of the German panzers by the Indian infantry (which was the result of several 6s being rolled in quick succession), definitely hurt the Axis cause. But perhaps the most critical die rolls were the morale checks, particularly that of the 1 st Indian battalion. Had this battalion failed to rally, it would have been much harder for the remaining Commonwealth forces to maintain their position. It is also interesting to note that both German battalions failed morale and routed, leaving the oftenmaligned Italians to fend for themselves.

Overall, the players all seemed to have a good time, with both sides able to dish out plenty of punishment to their opponents. I really enjoyed running this scenario, which seems to be very well balanced. I did find it just a bit disappointing, however, that the Commonwealth players elected to dismount the 2-pounder portees, after I went to the trouble of mounting GHQ guns in C-in-C trucks just for this scenario! Oh well, maybe the portees will see action next time!