We started a new FOW theme set in Morocco and Tunisia, in the November-December 1942 timeframe. Our first scenario saw a large Vichy French force attempting to break through American defenses near the seaside resort of Mehdia, about five miles from Port Lyautey. This very large game had eight players (six French and two American).
Background: This link to the official U.S. history of the campaign provides the historical background to this battle.
HyperWar: US Army in WWII: Northwest Africa: Seizing the Initiative In the West
To summarize the situation, shortly after dawn on 9 November, an American blocking force consisting of a rifle company, plus an ad hoc infantry company composed of various personnel from the landing beach, and seven Stuart tanks, was confronted by the advance of a column of French Renault tanks and two battalions of infantry, moving north along the main road from Rabat. The French objective was to break through the thin American defense and reinforce Port Lyautey.
Terrain: The 14 X 5 foot table was oriented with its long axis running west-east. On the western edge was a line of steep sand dunes that were impassable except where the road from the beach entered the table. About one-third of the way from the western edge, the main road from Rabat entered the table from the south, and ran straight across the table to the north. About halfway across the table, the road from the beach intersected the main road. The terrain west of the main road was rough but open, and was slightly undulating which created some areas of dead ground and some crest lines that could provide cover. A few patches of dense scrub were located near the dunes. The terrain east of the main road featured a very large area of light scrub that extended from near the road all the way to the eastern edge of the table. Along the main road were a few scattered farmhouses and open groves of trees.
Objective: The French are to exit at least one armored or mechanized company and at least one infantry company off the northern edge of the table, via the main road.
American Forces (all rated Confident, Aggressive, Trained except where noted):
Rifle company with three platoons and support.
Ad Hoc Rifle company with three platoons and support (Confident, Aggressive, Green).
Tank company with 7 Stuart tanks.
Reinforcements:
Tank company with 9 Stuart tanks (via the beach road).
Three towed antitank batteries each with three 37mm guns (via the main road from the north).
Offshore naval gun support equivalent to two 105mm and one 155mm batteries, with AOP.
(Note that the Stuarts had defective gun sights, and suffered a -1 to hit penalty when shooting with their 37mm guns.)
French Forces (all rated Confident, Aggressive, Trained):
Two companies of Renault R-35 tanks, with 10 tanks per company.
Two companies of Panhard armored cars, with 10 vehicles per company.
One company of two motorcycle platoons.
Two infantry battalions, each with three infantry companies plus support.
Supporting towed antitank guns and off-board 75mm artillery.
Deployment:
Historically, the French attacked in several waves throughout the day. That said, we had eight players show up for the game, and only an afternoon in which to play it, so we allowed the six French players to use their entire force however they wished, starting on Turn 1. The French commanders decided to have one tank company and one infantry company attack across the open ground to the west of the main road. Four infantry companies, one tank company, and one A/C company would attack through the scrub east of the road. One infantry company, one A/C company, the motorcycle company and the antitank guns would remain in reserve, entering later near the main road.
The Americans began with their rifle company dug in on a line that roughly paralleled the beach road. Two platoons were concentrated near the intersection with the main road, and the third platoon was extended to the dunes. This company was supported by the seven Stuart tanks. The ad hoc infantry company was deployed to the east of the main road, with two platoons up front and the third platoon to the rear. This company was not dug in, because it had just arrived.
Moves:
The French began the game by pushing forward across the entire table. In the west, the single French infantry company was pinned down by small arms fire from the U.S. rifle company and MG fire from the Stuarts. The French tanks, knowing they were outclassed by the Stuarts, hesitated to move into range and engage, being content to contain the US tanks in this sector while events on other parts of the field took effect.
In the east, the four French infantry companies, led by the tank company, quickly overran the two ad hoc infantry platoons that were holding the front line. The survivors fell back and rallied near the third platoon in the rear, and all of these troops soon retired toward the main road. The Americans tried to oppose the French advance in the east with naval gunfire, but the French were moving forward so rapidly, the bombardments had to be constantly shifted, and thus caused relatively few casualties.
The American defense began to solidify when the reserve company of Stuarts arrived from the beach. These nine tanks took over the defense on the western side of the battlefield, freeing up the original seven Stuarts to move to the main road, where they could engage the French armored spearheads as they began to emerge from the scrub. A few French tanks and armored cars were knocked out.
The American defense improved further when the antitank guns arrived from the north and unlimbered to support the infantry, which had been pushed into a more concentrated position on both sides of the main road.
The French were now finding it difficult to bring all of their forces to bear against this smaller target, and two French infantry companies in the east were squeezed out of the front line. The French responded by bringing in their mobile reserves and directing them to attack down the main road, joined by the tank company from the west. This armored thrust was halted with some losses by fire from the Stuarts and the antitank guns. Also, with the battle lines now becoming more static, the naval gunfire was beginning to have greater effect. It appeared that the French attack was beginning to bog down.
And at this point we ran out of time! The American defense looked hard to crack, but the French still had plenty of forces and enjoyed a massive numerical advantage. With the eventual outcome thus in doubt, we declared the game a draw!
This historical battle was small enough, and our figure collections were large enough, that we were able to play at a one-to-one figure scale. Whether we should have played such a massive game is a different matter! Nevertheless, all of the players had a great time, and the Flames of War V.4 rules worked very smoothly at this large scale. It was a good game, and well played.
- TJ