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IABSM Battle Report;
16/06/05 Brits Vs Clivey's and Max's Italians
The Italian's have occupied the village of M'Jaffi Kak near the Iwannakish road. British recce
forces have been watching the Italian position from around D'Jellibebe railway station, awaiting
reinforcements to be able to tackle the enemy.
Iwannakish road.
D' Jellibebe railway station sits in the south west. A road crossed the railway line here and runs
north east.
The table is largely flat with just a few contours. However there are a couple of low rises running
up the centre of the table plus the edge of a ridge in the south eastern corner. In addition there
are a couple of patches of dense scrub, extending down the southern edge.
The Brits are charged with taking the hamlet and forcing back the Italians.
Platoon 1 Three rifle sections (8 men)
Boys AT rifle (2 men)
Capt. Pratchett (D6) Big Man 1
Sgt McNab (D6) Big Man 2
Two Dingo Scout Cars
Observation Platoon HQ Carrier
Six Carriers
Platoon 2 Four rifle sections ( 8 men)
Boys AT rifle (2 men)
Major F Wally (D4) Big Man 3
Sgt Ryan (D6) Big Man 4
Four trucks
Armour 1 Three Stuarts (Gun 5, Armour 5)
Lt. Bryson (D4) Big Man 5
Armour 2 Three Grant I (Turret Gun 5, Hull Gun 7, Armour 7)
Lt. Brown (D4) Big Man 6
Armour 3 Three Grant I (Turret Gun 5, Hull Gun 7, Armour 7)
Lt. Lawhead (D4) Big Man 6
Forward Observer in Carrier in contact with 2 x 25pdr guns off-table;
- 4" Blast radius
- 2D6 + 1 Fire effect
- 9-18" Column
The Italians have dug in at the village of M’Jaffi Kak next to the important Iwannakish supply road.
You are to command a small armoured column. Team up with the recce troop that are watching
over the Italians and clear the irritation.
The Carrier Platoon and light tank troop can deploy in the vacinity of D'Jellibebe station. Other
forces arrive on turn one anywhere on the southern baseline. You may have D6 fakes.
Max's Bersaglieri Company (Monte Cassino Regt)
HQ Platoon Rifle squad (8 men)
Capitano D'Avola (D4) Big Man 1
Platoon 1 Three Rifle Squads (8 men)
Caporale Luigi (D4) Big Man 2
Platoon 2 Three Rifle Squads (8 men)
Tenente Alfonso (D4) Big Man 3
Support 1 Three Breda MMGs (3 crew)
Sergente Guido (D6) Big Man 4
Armour 1 Three M13/40 (Ave. Armour 5, Gun 4)
AT Gun 1 47mm M32 AT guns (5 crew, Gun 5)
AT Gun 2 47mm M32 AT guns (5 crew, Gun 5)
Forward Observer in contact with 3 x 75mm M15 Skoda field guns;
- 5" blast radius
- 2D6 fire effect
- 9-18" column
You are to defend the village of M'Jaffi Kak. The village sits next to the important Iwannakish
supply road and must be defended at all costs. Local goat herders tell you a party of British Infidel
Pigs are lurking around the D'Jelebebi Station. A nice Chianti buys a lot of loyality in these parts.
You may get support from a local DAK force if you ask nicely, and it's not the night Herman
washes his hair.
You send Luigi to have a look at the Inglese. He reports back that it is nothing but a carrier platoon
with some little tanks. When you report this to HQ you are told to deal with this little force pronto,
before it can attack the supply road.
All infantry can be dug in at the beginning. You may set up anywhere up to 3' from the Northern
edge. You have D6 fakes.
Clivey's DAK Reinforcements
Armour 2 Three DAK PzKpfw III H (Ave, Armour 5, Gun 5)
Armour 3 Three DAK PzKpfw IV E (Ave, Armour 5, Gun 7)
Platoon 3 Three Rifle squads (8 men)
Three SdKfz 251 halftracks
[The Germans may turn up in the NE corner, D6 turns of the reinforcement card, after they are
requested by the Italian Big Man 1]
one of caution.
This is rare for me. I decided to deploy my initial forces
behind the station at D'Jellibebe, hiding from the
enemy eyes. These would then re-position, when my
reinforcements arrived, to the low rises in the centre of
the table. At an approriate time they would race for the
hamlet of M'Jaffi Kak.
My Grants would arrive on the southern table edge,
behind the low ridge, out of LOS and then advance
and use their sponson guns to batter the enemy when
required, acting more as mobile artillery than tanks per
se.
My leg infantry would dismount from their trucks and
advance down the western flank into the cover of the
scrub drawing enemy fire.
My FO would set up shop on the low rises in the
centre, and call in fire on targets identified by the
infantry's advance.
The first few moves passed quickly as Clivey drew 'tea
break' early on. My reinforcements arrived exactly as
desired and set up in their positions. Most had
remained totally unspotted and I think Max and Clive
found it most disconcerting that I was not showing my
hand (LOL, the wizened one, with the claw)
I decided to recce by sacrifice the left. As my leading
section raced up the table it was hit by fire from
entrenched Italians around the hamlet and decimated.
My FO cooly called up his limited artillery support,
which then started dropping on the enemy the next
move.
My infantry hit the dirt and replied with small arms with
limited success, from effective range, against the dug
in Spaghetti eaters.
One troop of my Grants revealed themselves and
started to pepper the enemy with 37mm shells - no real
effect other than keeping their heads down and
pinning them, reducing their capacity to fire at my
chaps.
A fake blind spotted yet another Italian Platoon to the
west of the hamlet, dug in and supported by an 47mm
AT gun.
I gingerly began to advance my Grants to the centre of
the table, utilising as much cover as possible. Two
were hit and bailed out though with relative ease by
the small, but very effective enemy 47mm. At one
stage my entire tank force was lying in the dead
ground provided by the low rises! With the notoriety
of air support going rapidly awry in IABSM Max and
Clive were avidly rubbing their hand praying the RAF
would arrive and mistake the dust thrown up by the
Grants for their armour. Luckily this didn't happen.
I was aware that Max was ignoring the constant
reminders from Clive that he was but a phone call
away, though at this stage I had no idea what the
"Ring, ring" meant.
My second troop of Grants revealed themselves and
took up positions where their 75mm sponsons could
do damage, and what damage they did. Shells
whizzed back and forth as the Italian infantry took a
real pounding. Very few were killed intitially as they
were dug in, but wounds piled up and pins were
placed really effecting their infantry, and particularly
the AT gun's, ability to cause casualties.
My PBI at this time had taken significant casualties
with one section completely destroyed and both big
men killed. I was resoulutely hanging in their with my
infantry whilst shells and aircraft passed overhead
hitting the Italians.
The knocking out of the Italian 47mm AT gun was the
signal I was waiting for. It had proved very effective,
knocking out three Grants at long range. Not bad at
all, then artillery was the only Italian arm that I was
concerned about.
Revealing my Carrier Platoon and Stuart troop these
drove straight forward to engage the dug in Italian's
around M'Jaffi Kak who lacked AT weapons.
Max revealed an MG platoon on the hills in the extreme
NE corner of the table and another 47mm AT gun just
east of M'Jaffi Kak.
Unpeterbed, I engaged the Italians with MG fire from
my Carriers and Dingos. No need to dismount the
protected infantry yet. These caused a multitude of
wounds on the defenders of the hamlet.
Max was frantically looking for reinforcements but no
sign yet.
He then placed three Italian tanks on the table, north of
M'Jaffi Kak. As most Italian armour is nothing to write
home about, to say the least, I decided to engage with
my Stuarts. Using their fast speed, these raced
forwards knocking chunks off a M13/40. It was parially
immobilised, had its main gun destroyed, and took two
potential engine damages in one turn.
Max's HQ section arrived also, supporting the tanks.
The Italian surviving AT gun knocked out a carrier and
a dingo ran out of fuel. I dismounted some of my
infantry to take cover behind the vehicles, whilst some
stayed mounted in their versatile carriers.
As my Grant's now advanced, a building in M'Jaffi Kak
took three critical hits in a turn and collapsed, killing all
defenders. The fight now went out of the Italians and
Max who realised the end was nigh.
Around M'Jaffi Kak the Italians were down to 25% of
their original strength, with no big men and firing with
one initiative die.
Their second Platoon in the scrub had suffered 50%
casualties.
To make matters worse another M13/40 was destroyed
by a beauty of a shot from a Grant.
As my artillery switched target to the MG Platoon on
the hill and my infantry prepared to assault the pinned
and multiple wounded Italians, we decided the game
was over and that it was inevitable that the hamlet of
M'Jaffi Kak would fall.
Clive revealed that he had rolled a 6 for reinforcements
and as the chip had only appeared once, the DAK
were clearly a long way off.
Max had done nothing wrong at all in deployment of
his execution.
I had chosen not to throw away my armour, for once,
but use the powerful 75mm guns of the Grant's, Air
support and my off-table artillery to batter the enemy.
Keeping most of my troops undercover, and
unspotted meant that Max delayed phoning for
reinforcements until he was sure what I was up to. By
the time he called for support, and was unlucky
enough for Clive to roll a 6 for turns of arrival, things
were almost over.
Max's FO had started calling for his support early on
but it had taken ages to arrive, and thereby when it did
I had moved past his targeted location.
My artillery had been potentially inaccurate with 5D6
variation, but luckily had been on target almost every
time. However, it was quick response and when
viewed by the FO, this proved to be very effective in
pinning and causing a great many wounds.
My carrier Platoon had proved its worth, advancing to
close range and sitting there in relative safety pouring
a hail of fire into the dug in defenders causing more
wounds.
I had lost three Grants, all of which were repairable, a
dingo out of fuel and a carrier destroyed. In addition I
had lost about 15% casualties, mostly in my leg
infantry, and two big men.
The Italians had lost two tanks, an AT gun, over 50% of
their infantry force and of course M'Jaffi Kak.
A nice scenario, well conceived by Clive, who didn't
actually get to play. As a first IABSM scenario it was a
real challenge.
He's written another for next week....
