Club Night - BlitzKreig Commander - Operation Crusader November 1941

Last night I finally got to play with all those WWII micro-tanks and infantry that I have been painting of late. I was originally scheduled to play Adie Mac at Black Powder Napoleonics, but he was delayed on the M25. A quick bit of phoning around and Steve Meth was cajoled into making an appearance at the club.

As it was all very last minute, I set up the table and picked out a couple of roughly equal forces.

The DAK were:

Commanding Officer (CV10) - 150pts
SdKfz222 - 70pts
Forward Observer (CV8) - 45pts
Battery of 105mm - 45pts


HQ (CV9) - 90pts
One PzII - 60pts
Two PzIII kurz - 200pts
Two PzIV kurz - 220pts



HQ (CV9) - 90pts
One PzII - 60pts
Two PzIII kurz - 200pts
Two PzIV kurz - 220pts



HQ (CV9) - 90pts
Four Regular Infantry - 160pts
1 81mm Mortar - 75pts
1 MG34 - 40pts


Total - 1905pts


The 8th Army were:



Commanding Officer (CV8) - 60pts
Forward Observer (CV7) - 30pts
Two batteries of 25pdr - 90pts


HQ (CV8) - 60pts
Four A9 Cruisers - 260pts



HQ (CV7) - 30pts
Four Crusader I - 320pts



HQ (CV7) - 30pts
Nine Regular Infantry - 360pts
One 2pdr Anti-tank gun - 30pts
One 3" Mortar - 50pts
One Scout Carrier



HQ (CV7) - 30pts
Nine Regular Infantry - 360pts
One 2pdr Anti-tank gun - 30pts
One 3" Mortar - 50pts
One Scout Carrier



Total 1900pts

As mentioned before, it was all very 'pick-up' we would fight a meeting engagement and the players should try to control the town and the central ridge-line.

We tossed a coin, I got the British and Steve got the DAK. It was a great little game, but I would say that, despite the imbalance in command ratings, I could not roll badly, but Steve had some very poor command dice. The British also had the better of the shooting, every time I made an opportunity shot I seemed to suppress his troops further cutting down his superior command and mobility. At one stage I had Infantry taking out his tanks in an assault - OK I lost one assault and won one, but it was not a good 'dice day' for the DAK.

Here are a few snaps from the game:

A9 Cruiser Squadron

PanzerKompanie

The town await the arrival of the combatants

8th Army infantry secure the heights

That A-9 Cruiser Squadron again

8th Army Rifle Battalion

DAK SchutzenKompanie advances up the road towards the town

First blood to the DAK, a Scout Carrier is caught out.

The British reply and a PzIII is soon burning

British Crusader I supported by infantry advance slowly

The DAK secure the town with their Scutzen while the Panzers support the flank

It does not go so well for the DAK in the center as they succumb to an infantry assault

The DAK have a tenuous hold on the town.

The PzII does not succumb to the infantry as easily as it's PzIV brother.

British infantry cross the high ground to outflank the town.

The A9-Cruisers mop up the last of the PanzerKompanie facing them

It's not going well for Jerry