Firestorm Gazala – Turn 1 British Commander’s Intent

by Tom Burgess (standing in as General Ritchie)

The game is afoot…..

Mark from Breakthrough Assault and I finished the operational moves for Turn 1 in the Breakthrough Assault and No Dice No Glory Collaborative Firestorm Gazala Campaign. Several battles have already been reported but there’s still time to get in those first-round fights.

King and Country need you!

As the British C-in-C, I wanted to share some thoughts about how we got to where we are in the turn one battles and what my hopes for each are.

Though we rolled a high number of battles for turn one, miraculously the British won the initiative in two of these against steep odds.  That was the good news. The bad news was that initiative came late and after the main German attacks had already been committed. The opportunities for spoiling attacks were limited to just one option.

See Turn 1 Battles

Battle 1:  C2 into C4

The Germans won initiative for the first battle in Turn 1 and committed Panzer Regt 8 (15th Pz Div) with Stuka air support. I countered with the 4th Armoured Bde (7th Armoured Div) and Hurricane air support.  There was not much choice here, the 4th Armoured had to defend and I could not afford to leave it alone so I committed Hurricanes. The Grants are very stout against the PzKw-III’s, but Marders could ruin their day from long range. So that is the Hurricanes’ priority target.  British players should take the SAS Raid Command Card as keeping the Stukas away for even one guaranteed turn could be huge.

This battle has already had two results reported, one a German win and one British, so this one is very much in the balance. It is also very critical and perhaps the most important for the British this turn. Maximum effort here lads.

Battle 2: B1 into B3

The Germans also won the initiative for the second Turn 1 Battle and struck out with the Italians towards Bir El Hamat in an effort to isolate British forces at Sidi Mufta. Mark committed the 101st Trieste Division with Falco air support to this battle. I in response committed the 22nd Armoured Bde (1st Armoured Div) and Hurricane air support.  Again I suggest British players take the SAS Raid Command Card.  I would expect Semoventes in the Italian force, so make sure you take 25 pounders and concentrate your Hurricanes on the Semoventes first and then lesser Italian tanks. I am so thankful there are no Firestorm Semoventes.

The British do have minefields and wire in B3 and these can be used to help channel Italian forces. A Rifle Company backed up with HMGs, 6 pdr AT guns, and 25 Pounders should do well here in defensive missions. No results have been reported for this battle yet, but I like our chances. Sidi Mufta can hold out for a while. Though I am encouraged that we will win here a loss will not be unrecoverable.

Battle 3: A3 into A2

Amazingly the British won the initiative for the 3rd battle in Turn 1. But there was only one place I could put it, A3 (Gazala) attacking into A2. I thought initially about making this a mere “probe” with just one Firestorm unit to avoid Firestorm Unit loss. But attacking into minefields and wire will be hard. I decided that it was worth the gamble and committed both the South African Division Infantry and South African Artillery. This very un-General Ritchie like. A win here could seriously threaten the Axis rear area and give Rommel…errr…Mark a lot of problems. The Gazala area (A3) is also fortified. So if beaten here, our forces will have a strong refuge to fall back on.

Mark committed both the 102° Divisione Motorizzate ‘Trieste’ and the Infantrie Regiment 155 (90 Leichte Afrika Div) to defend A2.  This will be a tough and bloody battle. The suggested British force has to be a Rifle Co. Don’t be afraid to use the South African Rifle Co command card. You’ll get more troops and when they are down to that 5+ Last Stand, they will have already done their job Even though this battle will have a free Firestorm 25 pdr unit, take more. Take as many as you can and maybe bring some Matildas or Valentines for tank support.

I don’t expect a British win here, but if it happens it would be just lovely. The reality is that because of the mere fact that we were able to launch an attack in Turn 1, taking one away from the Axis, this already is “a win.” So long as we don’t lose both Firestorm troops here I will be happy. So if it looks too tough, concentrate on eliminating units to get VPs up and lessen the Firestorm loss rolls later.

Battle 4: C2 into C6

This was the battle I did not want to see. It is the weakest point on our line and it is also where a loss could be critical. Mark committed the Panzer Regiment 5 (21^th Panzer Div) and the 132°Divisione Corazzata ‘Ariete’ Firestorm troops. To counter all those tanks I only had the 7th Motor Brigade Group. If this battle is a big loss for the British and we lose the 7th Motor Brigade Group, Mark’s forces will be able to exploit deep behind our lines.

I’m not confident in victory here. I think a Motor Rifle Co with maximum 6 pdr guns might be called for. This will also let the Firestorm Motor Platoon fit in as a core formation unit. My main goal here is not to hold the area as I think that is too much to hope for but to inflict maximum damage on the Axis armor units.

I believe one game for this battle has already been played and it was an Axis win. A big one I think. We really need British players to step up here and help keep the 7th Motor Brigade Group from being flat out destroyed so we can limit Mark’s exploration options.

Battle 5: C2 into C5

The British actually won the initiative for the 5th battle in Turn 1. However, there was no option where I could actually place an attack arrow, so we just “burned it.” Mark won the next initiative roll and so the 5th and last attack was his call.  Mark chose to commit the Infantrie Regiment 200  (90 Leichte Afrika Div) with Stuka air support against the 3rd Indian Motor Brigade in C5.

I like our chances here. The Indian troops are fierce in counter-attack. I’d suggest running an Indian Motor Company formation here to let the Firestorm unit bolster the formation morale. The SAS Raid command card will not be as critical here as dug in troops will be fairly safe from Stuka bombs.

This battle will be tricky. If the Axis win Battle 1, it will be resolved first and then the 3rd Indian Motor Brigade will be cut off should it have to retreat in Battle 5. If so it will be captured and taken out of the game permanently. This why I said Battle 1 needed our maximum effort.

So there you go British players. You know what I want and I hope you can get in games with your local Axis players to help our side realize some of these goals. I’m looking forward to hearing about your battles.