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IABSM Battle Report 26/04/05
..DAK Vs Nige's LRDG
Group should get an outing.
I set up a typical LRDG attack upon a supply convoy of DAK trucks with an escort.
The table you can see below was very, deceptively, open, with a small 'road' running across the
table, through an occasionally rocky outcrop.
The table had lots of gentle rises and depressions infact though that could easily hide a chevy
truck, bristling with MG's.
Essentially the German force entered on the southern road and would progress across the table
to exit on the western edge. The blind marks the entry point of the convoy (see below).
The convoy would essentially stick to the road unless its passage was blocked, or it was
attacked, whereby it would be free to take evasive action.
It was an unenviable, essentially, one sided game or so I thought!
be able to mine the road or small areas of desert. The LRDG rate as Elite for IABSM and add a
dice for automatic weapons at short range. Plus, they also have one big man per section
making them a very formidable force.
My DAK convoy consisted on ten trucks carrying provisions, fuel or ammo for Rommels hard
pressed forces. Many attacks had occurred and so the convoy was protected by a weak
company of DAK mounted in a variety of motorised transports. Tellingly, as it was to turn out,
one Platoon of German's were mounted in three SdKfz 251/1 armoured halftracks. The coonvoy
would be led by two heavy armoured SdKfz 231 armoured cars and acting as a rearguard two
SdKfz 233 Armoured cars with 75mm howitzers.
A reasonably strong convoy but if attacked correctly on line of march then very, very vulnerable.
Kev's DAK Convoy
HQ Platoon Rifle Squad (8 men)
(Extra LMG) PzB 38-39 AT Rifle (2 men)
Two Kubelwagens
M/C Combo
Hauptmann Bereich Big Man 1 (D6)
Infantry Pltn 1 Three Rifle Squads (8 men)
(Extra LMG per section) Three SdKfz 251/1 (Fast,Armour 2, MG)
Leutnant Bockstein Big Man 2 (D6)
Unterfeldwebel Pfalz Big Man 3 (D6)
Infantry Pltn 3 Two Rifle Squads (8 men)
(Extra LMG per section) Kfz15 Field car
Two Kubelwagens
Obegfreiter Wurzgarten Big Man 4 (D6+1)
Armour 1 Two SdKfz 231 (Wheeled, Armour 4, Gun 2) VETERAN
Unterfeldwebel Bassermann Big Man 5 (D4)
Armour 2 Two SdKfz 233 (Wheeled, Armour 4, Gun 7) VETERAN
Obegfreiter Kunstler Big Man 6 (D4)
Armour 3 Two Opel trucks carrying provisions
Armour 4 Four CMP 3 ton Lorries carrying Ammo
Armour 5 Four 15cwt trucks carrying fuel
National Characteristics Cards
Rapid Deployment Recce Force
Vehicle Breakdown MG Bonus Fire
Rally Dynamic Commander
Heroic Leader
D4 fake blinds
Nige's LRDG Force
HQ SMG/Rifle Squad (4 men) Automatic Weapons
Jeep MMG
Captain Miles Behind Big Man 1 (DAV)
Infantry Pltn 1 Two Rifle/SMG Sections (8 men) Automatic Weapons
Two Chevy Trucks with MMG/HMG
Four Jeeps with MMG
Lieutenant Dick Gobbler Big Man 2 (DAV)
Sergeant Eamon O’Potato Big Man 3 (D6+2)
Infantry Pltn 2 Two Rifle/SMG Sections (8 men) Automatic Weapons
Four Chevy Trucks with MMG/HMG
Lieutenant Hugh Jarce Big Man 4 (D6)
Sergeant Les Bow Big Man 5 (D6+1)
Gun 1 20mm Breda Portee [Gun3]
D6+3 fakes
Special Rules
D6 mines to allow a 1” section of road to be mined or 1” x 3” small minefield either AP of AT (your
choice). AT will only destroy vehicles, AP will destroy softskins and infantry.
National Characteristics Cards
Rapid Deployment Recce Force
Vehicle Breakdown Dynamic Commander
Gun Bonus Fire MG Bonus Fire
Rally
Heroic Leader
except within 12" of the German entry point.
The game started with my initial blind, my 231 A/C's drawing
'Rapid Deployment' and so able to use all four dice for
movement 18" along the road.
Nige spotted me and then revealed I had gone through an AP
mined section of road with my leading 231 commanded by
Unterfeldwebel Bassermann (yes, wine buffs, well spotted, all
my German big men are German wines or wine producers).
I rolled and discovered that I had activated a mine but as it was
an AP mine we decided that I should roll a 1 ro become
immobilised rather than a 1-3 as per the useal minefield rules.
Bloody typical! I rolled a one revealing that a wheel had
become badly damaged causing immobilisation.
Bassermann's crew would need hours to fix it.
I decided that the convoy would progress as normal without
necessarily thinking it was an ambush. The roads had often
been mined in places, it was very unfortunate.
Skirting around the first armoured car, the second suddenly
ran into a mine too! AP again. I rolled and another bloody
one! Immobilised permanently for the game.
Things were looking very rough when the Company HQ
turned up in kubels and a motorcycle combo. Hauptmann
Bereich surveyed the scene and decided that Rommel's
supplies were his priority and that progress should be
continued.
As the combo turned north of the immobilised armoured cars
another loud explosion erupted. The poor motorcycle had
had its axel broken by another AP mine. The area was littered
with mines and I had only travelled 18" of the 96" road!
This was serious. The halftracks behind Bereich left the road
and travelled round the western flank spotting several British
fake blinds.
Suddenly a 20mm portee mounted Breda Cannon revealed its
presence by firing at long range into the trucks on the road
and luckily for me just immobilising a truck.
Bereich now knew this was no mere odd mine that had
caused him problems.
When their cards were drawn the trucks began to peel off the
road and head westwards escorted by the halftracks. It was
like sheepdogs and flock.
As his crew abandoned their vehicle, Unterfledwebel
Bassermann dropped to the sand from his damaged
armoured car, and sweating from the effort, clambered into a
nearby German halftrack. 'Komm' he cried waving towards
the Breda 'Vortwards!'
The halftrack swung north, after clearing an area of
underlation, and opened fire with its MMG on the hull down
Breda portee. The first rounds entered the engine causing
possible breakdown. The second and third German halftracks
headed westwards, keen to spring further ambushes and
protect their flock of trucks from the snapping attentions of
the LRDG wolves.
Another couple of fakes were spotted. "Where was the
verdamt Englisher?" thought a perplexed Bereich.
After the 'Tea Break' card had been drawn I was lucky enough
to get my halftrack Platoon as the first drawn unit. With its
second volley the Bereich's halftrack's MG34 rounds
peppered the truck mounting the Breda, its petrol tank
exploding killing the crew and destroying the gun. Maybe my
luck has changed, thougfh Bereich
Progress continued for the flock. Large dustclouds raised
from the white desert sand as the vehicles sped for safety.
My rearguard 233's entered on a blind, as yet unspotted, and
headed towards the west, herding on the flock.
Suddenly far to the west, dust clouds were spotted. Four
chevy trucks bristling with MG's burst onto the scene, quickly
destoying a captured 15cwt truck which burst into flames as it
was hit by a burst from a twin vickers K.
The 'Englisher had arrived!'. However, here Nige had made a
fatal error. Keen to engage he had advanced to short range.
'Tea Break'. My unmotivated halftracks were permitted a fire at
the end of the short turn. Two chevy's burst into flames, their
unprotected trucks no protection against the halftrack MG34's.
LRDG men spilled from their mounts, dead, dying and carrying
'wounds'.
Next turn second LRDG force of mixed jeeps and chevy's
advanced from the north, keen on attacking the flank and rear.
'Tea Break' again. This time they had closed to within short
range of my immobilised remaining 231. Its unit card not
being drawn, and therefore no test for bailing required, the
armoured cars gun rattled dispatching a jeep and its crew.
Another fatal error of judgement.
At the beginning of the next turn Nige spotted my remaining
blinds and the 233 were revelaed. The balance had shifted.
With big men now in all the halftracks, a run of German big
men cards ensured that the remaining chevy's to the west
burst into flames. Bassermann knocked out another jeep to
the north with his vehicles MG34.
I dismounted an infantry Platoon in motorised transports and
took up position to engage the LRDG jeeps if they continued.
Realising the day was lost, the jeeps swung round and
headed for their lines, the remaining 231 knocking out a chevy
as yet again its close range fire at 'Tea Break' was telling.
The remaining halftracks quickly shot up the dismounted
LRDG men as they advanced amongst the burning chevy
hulks.
We decided that the game was over.
Several DAK vehicles had been lost but casualties amongst
the LRDG had been catastrophic.
Undeniably, Nige had had some bad luck with his cards but
the mines had sprung the trap before my head was in the
noose allowing me to react tellingly with my halftracks.
Once sprung, Nige had made the critical error of advancing to
within the 12" short range of my MMG mounted SdKfz 251's,
allowing me to dispatch him with firing at the 'Tea Break'.
In retrospect perhaps Nige would have been better to place
mines towards the western end of the road, allowing me to
advance in cloumn along the road, and then spring his attacks
on my strung out flanks. I had used local superiority of
firepower no small amount of luck to defeat him.
But, then its always easy in retrospect.
Nige told me that he had also mined the road towards its
western end, so I would have suffered more losses once I had
continued along the road.
Once my 'dogs' were in position though, the progress of the
'flock' was assured. No amount of MGs will help if your trucks
have no armour!
A lesson to learn Nige?
