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Author Topic: Escalation at Hellfire Pass - KGT AAR  (Read 1869 times)

Offline V

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Escalation at Hellfire Pass - KGT AAR
« on: November 19, 2011, 12:24:42 PM »
Last nights game was a 500 point test of Kampfrgruppe Tobruk played between my 8th Army and Skip's DAK. To say it went well was a bit of an understatement, the game was a nailbiting classic!







The engagement started well for the British. With no German recce units chosen I was able to choose table edge and got first turn. I took the end with alot more cover, forceing the German deployment (we rolled corner to corner deployment) to be at the exit of a pass between two ridge. This area was devoid of cover. On an unoppossed first turn my recce raced for the central ridge, closely followed by my vanguard of a Carrier Section. In the first two turns these were able to get into position on the ridge, and as the first German tanks streamed out of the exit to Hellfire Pass, the Carrier Section piled out into the trenches and the Recce Commander began to call in off-table mortar fire. Along with this the FAO arrived and set himself up on the Rocky Massif behind the ridge. The first salvo of 6" fire scored a gaggle of direct hits and soon burning tanks and suppressed troops littered the desert floor.







This continued to be the theme for several turns, artillery fire, suppressed or destroyed Germans, Matlidas too adding their fire and the Carrier Section Anti-Tank Rifle team even managing to suppress a Panzer IV! This pounding was further compounded by the Germans rolling a whole load of '1's the worst of which were three rolls to remove suppression that were all '1's. At this point after 5 or 6 turns it looked like a good old British drubbing of the DAK was going to happen. The Germans had a pile of ten Morale Chits to a single British chit.







Then it all turned...

Firstly a German Stuka was rolled up and it screamed in over the ridge. Then one of the remaining Panzer IVs fired suppresion at my FAO and scoring two direct hits, left a red smear where he was. Between Stuka bombs, German artillery fire and various other things, I went from a single chit to ten and was left with only nine morale point. With an FAO dead and a killed Recce Commander I was also left with no supporting artillery as I tried to move new commanders into position, I suffered another turn of all out attacks and I drew yet more chits as the Germans secured another objective. With three morale points remaining having taken a total 32 morale points, 30 of which occured in two turns, it looked all over for the British.







Then it all turned...

First a British plane turned, I managed to roll a '6', and it strafed the German '88's. But crucially I got my artillery back in action and kept the enemay artillery suppressed as it was all on table. I managed to direct enough fire to stabilise my line and cause the Germans to take more chits, but after drawing yet another I was left with two remaining morale points. The Germans then unsuppressed all their troops and I had one turn before I would feel the full force of everything the Germans could throw at me. Knowing I had two morale points left, I threw caution to the wind!





Two of my HMGs moved up and took positions on the ridge among the rocks and directed fire onto the German infantry and trucks. Heavy fire wiped out one unit, losing the Germans an objective and the second HMG managed to destroy a truck, killed a German MG team in the process, forcing two more chits, then promptly cut down the rifle team as they fled the burning truck! The chits began to mount! My infantry engaed anything they could, killing more German infantry, and my Matildas went hell for leather after a Panzer III that they knocked out eventually. With my final actions I called in all my artillery on the German FAO and infantry hiding around a rocky escarpment. The spotting round was direct on target and the German FAO took a direct hit from a 6" howitzer shell... The resultant morale chit pushed the Germans '1' point over their limit and their army withdrew leaving a battered, but victorious British force holding the pass!



Was a superb game, and the early war actions seem very finely balanced given a very exciting and tense game for both sides. To say the game could have gone either way was an understatement. Looking at the armies before the game we expected a German massacre of the British as they took so many tanks, but these soon littered the valley burning. Artillery once more proved utterly crucial in forcing a result and was key to the British. I also had a smidge more luck than the Germans who with the 'Curse of Skip' rolled alot of '1's at the start. All in all though a tense, hard fought game that went down to the wire. It ended with the Germans one point over their morale value and my British with two morale points remaining...

Offline Marine0846

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Re: Escalation at Hellfire Pass - KGT AAR
« Reply #1 on: November 19, 2011, 04:48:13 PM »
Another great AAR.
Love that the battle was played with British and DAK.
My favorite part of WWII. (If there can be a favorite.)
Great looking troops, sounds like it was a near run thing for the British.
« Last Edit: May 25, 2015, 01:39:02 AM by Marine0846 »
Semper Fi, Mac

Offline answer_is_42

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Re: Escalation at Hellfire Pass - KGT AAR
« Reply #2 on: November 19, 2011, 06:28:01 PM »
Great report and great photos.
Your use of cloth for the table looks fantastic, too.
Real eye candy.
I told you so. You damned fools.
 - H.G. Wells

Offline Colonel Tubby

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Re: Escalation at Hellfire Pass - KGT AAR
« Reply #3 on: November 19, 2011, 07:37:28 PM »
Excellent report - these are the sort of reports that leads one astray into new ventures!  ;)

Offline shadowking1957

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Re: Escalation at Hellfire Pass - KGT AAR
« Reply #4 on: November 19, 2011, 08:51:10 PM »
beautiful figures and models wonderful work... you must be proud.

Offline Usagi

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Re: Escalation at Hellfire Pass - KGT AAR
« Reply #5 on: November 21, 2011, 04:28:48 AM »
The more I read your excellent AARs and view your photos, the closer I come to switching to 20mm. Must..... resist.....  :)

Offline Helen

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Re: Escalation at Hellfire Pass - KGT AAR
« Reply #6 on: November 21, 2011, 06:17:19 AM »
Lovely photos and report, thanks Piers.

Cheers,

Helen
Best wishes,
Helen
Love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well (V van Gogh)

Offline Relic

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Re: Escalation at Hellfire Pass - KGT AAR
« Reply #7 on: November 21, 2011, 06:20:39 AM »
Fantastic report and amazing looking miniatures. Really inspiring....bad thing is that I don't want WW2 bug to bite me :( Too many other projects, so I shouldn't read these really :P

Offline Phil Robinson

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Re: Escalation at Hellfire Pass - KGT AAR
« Reply #8 on: November 24, 2011, 12:10:41 AM »
Another cracking game and narrative, I like the way it see sawed, left it till now to read as I was away the weekend in Oxford & at Warfare.

 

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