We rolled for the mission and got "Night Assault". I was feeling less confident- My Bersaglieri list is really suited to defense with a strong counter punch, not an all out brawl for a central objective!
BRITISH MOTOR INFANTRY
HQ
3x Full Motor Inf Platoons
Scout Patrol
8 GUn RHA Battery
2x Grant Troops
Humber III Patrol
BERSAGLIERI
HQ
2x Bersaglieri Groups (full sans Solothurns)
75mm Cannon platone
5x M14/41s
Semovente 75s
lancia Heavy AAA
The Italians line up. Both Italian objectives are visible (Burnt Crusader, supply depot).
Semoventes, Lancias, Bersaglieri.
Cannons. Also my wife looking creepy at the edge of the camera flash while checking out my Italians.
and in this corner- the British!
Grants weight the center. The RHA deploys across the front.
So many Englanders! Oh wait, I'm not German. Inglese?
The board. The objective in the dead center also happens to be atop a craggy structure! This Night Assault just became a King of the Hill.
The Inglese make their recon move. Going is slow at night.
The Italians get the first turn and send their Bersaglieri forth! Avanti Savoia!
Semoventes provide some backbone, with Lancias lining up shots.
The Carri attempt to sneak around some terrain.
Semovente and Bersaglieri hold the center.
The British move out!
The Grants- what I wouldn't do for some bi-planes right now!
British Infantry, Artillery, and Armored cars.
The Italians start moving up the cliffside.
Semovente cautiously move forward.
The Carri platone sneak right up on an RHA observer
The British move up the other side! The fight for the hill is on!
The British move up hoping to assault, but their fire fails to knock out the two HMGs directly in front of them, much less pin the Bersaglieri.
Grants move into the scrub
The RHA observer calls fire down directly on himself! The murder knocks out one M14, and bails another. The RHA observer's carrier is also bailed. The Observer was later awarded a VC for valour.
Scouts charge forward MGs blazing just as the morning sun crests the horizon!
But the Italian rebuttal is swift. In one quick round, the English lose a Motor Infantry and their scouts. The Elefintino guns of the Bersaglieri prove viscious against thin armor.
The M14s make their way past the terrain and MG the Motor Infantry. At this point Capitano MacLauchlantini is feeling pretty confident.
Semoventes and Grants begin exchanging fire.
The RHA calls in a stonk on the Italians causing light casualties.
The Semoventes and Grants duke it out.
And the Semovente come out on the losing side. I got cocky with them due to their past excellent performance. I also rolled them as trained, which makes a *huge* difference.
Long range fire from the Grants knock out another M14 and bails another putting them below half.
Further fire from the RHA continues to hammer the Bersaglieri
The Italians rally and move up the hill. Cannon fire is called in on the Grants, while a bogged Grant that got left behind is sniped in the flank by a Lancia.
The other Bersaglieri move out.
The Grants now prove to be nearly impervious to anything the Italians can throw at them (except for the one burning Grant thanks to the lancias)
The English kill the Bersaglieri platoon commander, who valiantly arises from the sand as the Unknown Hero!
The battle for the hill is bloody. Both sides pull back to regroup.
The English move up, solidly holding their ground.
Grants move out to engage the remaining M14s.
Another M14 and Semovente fall to the concentrated fire from the Grants.
Another Stonk decimates the Bersaglieri!
The Semoventes are wiped out.
The Carri are wiped out.
Having nothing but gun teams remaining, and no units anywhere near the center objective, the Italians give their famous salute and throw in the towel.
Congrats to Sean on a well played victory. I thought the Italians had it in the bag from the get go, and after losing two platoons early I think so did he. But this yet again proves that persiverence is an absolute necessity in flames of war.
I think this will be an ongoing grudge match since these lists are well balanced against each other.
