Action at Qadr El Dabah, '42, with Battlegroup:Torch

Part two of our desert trilogy series, 1942 and a Gazala Line game, British armour vs a DAK/Italian combo in a Flanking Force meeting engagement, at 750 points per side. We rolled a random tabletop (using the Tobruk book), with just 3 pieces of terrain: an small area of rocks, a low hillock and the tomb/mausoleum (ruined fortress replacement).

Here’s my force;

Brit Armour ’42

FHQ Dingo        20    3-r    senior off, mortar spotter
Dorchester        20    1-i    comms

M3 Grant Troop    130    9-r    officer
Crusader II Troop    93    9-r    officer
Crusader II        34    3-r    

Motor Rifle Platoon    85    9-r    6 men, 3 x 7 men + trucks

Forward Observer    20    1-r    artillery spotter, 2 men + bren
25 pdr             50    2-r    quad + loader team
25 pdr             50    2-r    quad + loader team
3” mortar battery    54    0    off-table

Humber II        33    1-r    scout, mortar spotter
Humber II        33    1-r    scout, mortar spotter
Rifle patrol        20    2-r    7 men + truck, scout
Sniper            10    1-v    sniper scout

Recovery truck    11    1-r    repair,recovery
Supply trucks x2    16    2-i    resupply

Portee 2 pdr        14    2-r

Counter-battery     10    0    3+
PRTP            20    0
Timed 4.5” barrage    25    0    4 x guns


The game opened with both sides getting on, as it always does in the meeting engagements, and the Brits were faster. Seizing three of the four objectives early, but with a Humber armoured car breaking down due to ‘Wear and Tear’… later the recovery truck (back, by popular demand - and overall usefulness) would get it rolling again (old Bob with his trusty spanner was busy again). The Germans (leading, Italian assault guns behind) tried to land their timed artillery strike at the tomb, but it was stopped by a counter-battery fire (hurrah!). First long shots exchanged, as usual, not much doing, a few pins but it was obvious the gun-power wasn’t a match for the armour here…a lot of glancing shots in this game (but I like that, extends the tank on tank duel).

The Brits moved their Crsuadesr up towards the rocks to meet the advancing German armour head-on, whilst the M3s supported with fire from the right and moved towards the last objective (low hill), held by a recce 8-rad, pinned by 75mm HE fire. If we could grab it, then it would be a quick win. But it didn’t work, one M3 was hit by 150mm IDF fire (a lurking Bison), and KO’d, the other broke down, immobilised (again)… so plan thwarted.

The main fighting ‘hot-spot’ built-up around the rocks, tanks firing away but both found their guns not up to the enemy armour (Semoventas proved tough for my 2 pdr guns, but also found the Crusaders tough back), so it would be extend fight, lots of pinning. My own timed strike was badly placed and hit open desert (one pinned SP gun was all it scored). A timed Stuka strike on the tomb also rolled very badly and missed, or failed to pin anything and resulted in zippo… so much for off-table IDF in this game.

In the centre my 25 pdr battery had deployed, like horse-artillery, and was unleashing a lot of suppressing HE… but found itself out ranged by the single K-18 100mm gun at the far table edde. It was firing back (loader team active too) and pinning my gunners at 68” range (it has 70”). Damn, there was little I could do about it, but get repeatedly shelled and pinned. My 25 pdrs were, for now, out of game.

Until, at turn 7, the dust cloud arrived. Suddenly all the ranges and long range fire was finished. We’d have to close in again (point of the rule really). The 25 pdr battery unpinned, limbered up, and rolled forward to redeploy, did so, and in a fusillade of fire instantly KO’d a Panzer II and a Panzer 1, both looking to take out the gun crews. In return, a Panzer III KO’d a Crusader (fluke) and then a Semoventa rolled 2 x 6s and KO’d another (massive fluke!). The tank battle was turning to the Axis… trouble.

But, my stalwart Matador recovery truck did amazing work (huge fluke), and got both running again, before being ruthlessly targeted as too annoying to live… and got shot-up (being a truck in the front lines is a short life expectancy). Two Semoventas were abandoned by their crews (pinned, then hit again), and the Panzer IIs retreated to rearm, covered by the clouds.

It was a stalemate, neither was doing much damage, the chit stacks building slowly (mostly from unpinning). It was a long game now… but we kept at it. I lost the centre objective when the infantry section holding it were machine gunned by Italian troops in the rocks, who in turn were hit by Humber BESA fire and cut-down. A Panzer III came back and took the objective for the Axis. The annoying Bison then scored another direct hit with its IDF and KO’d a 25 pdr gun, then a Humber AC was destroyed by tank fire (hanging around in tank fight wasn’t a great idea, should have pulled back). That was just enough to push the Brits to their breakpoint… we’d duked it out in a close(ish) game, but the DAK and allies were still securely within their BR total. A win for the Axis… for a while we both thought we just couldn’t do enough damage to actually end this game… so much firing, missing and glancing off armour. His Bison did sterling work as a single IDF gun (it had a dedicated spotter team and supply truck) and my MotM? The recovery truck, fixed an armoured car and 2 tanks… hero. Bob and his spanner will be back. Oh, and I totally forgot I had a PRTP, that might have helped vs the Bison and K-18's fire... command confusion in action...

Qadr Al Dabah, Brits advancing past the tomb towards the rocks. DAK form their lines and also push towards the rocks.

Initial deployment, with recce armoured cars on the flank.

First overwatch firing position

Arrival of the big guns...

M3s advance on the right, trading long range AP fire.

Deployed with loader teams, ready to hammer out HE suppression, the horse artillery...

DAK and Italian armour roll on, towards the rocks.

British infantry claim the central objective, but are wiped out by fire soon after.

Busy recovery truck gets to the immobilised Humber AC.

Crusaders face-up the Axis armour and trade ineffective fire.

Semoventa assault guns join the Pz IIIs in the duel with the Crusaders.

Direct hit from IDF from the Bison, 150mm shells KO's the first M3.

Dust cloud cover means the tanks have to close in to engage.

Recovery truck fixes the Crusader and it's rolling again.

DAK light tanks arrive in the centre, and take 25 pdr fire. Both would be KO'd by it. 

A desert oddity, trial Panzer Selbfahrlafette II (75mm SP gun on half track). 2 were made and lost in North Africa. Here, it's a proxy Marder, and was eventually KO'd by a 37mm AP round.