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| Played at my house,
30 June, 2002, refereed by me!
US Players: Peter, Dave; French Players: Joe, Ron B |
| Historical Background Go to Table of Contents for Game Account & Game Photos | |||
| On 8 November 1942, Anglo-American forces landed in Vichy French North Africa. The landings were divided into three areas, Eastern, Centre, and Western Task Forces. The American Western Task Force had as its objectives the Morroccan city of Casablanca and several other ports. The British comprised the majority of the Eastern Task Force whose objective was the Algerian capital, Algiers. This game takes place in the American Center Task Force who were given the objective of taking the port of Oran, also in Algeria. | |||
| On the first day of Torch, Task Force Red of the US 1st Armoured Division, landed to the east of Oran. With very little opposition, they took the coastal town of Arzew. Part of TF Red proceeded along the coastal road to Oran, encountering French defenses at the town of St Cloud. Another force headed southwest to take the airfield at Tafaraoui, about 15 miles south of Oran, to deny French aircraft this landing area. Consolidating themselves at Tafaraoui, and preparing for the next day's thrust north to Oran, the local commander sent a combat team of an infantry company reinforced with a platoon of M3 75mm GMC tank destroyers to the foothills 6 miles south of Tafaraoui. Aircraft reconnaissance had reported French armour and infantry operating in these hills and the combat team represented a rearward screen protecting tomorrow's offensive operations. | |||
| It was dusk when the combat team set out and by darkness they had reached a dried up riverbed in the foothills. The combat team commander decided that this was far enough and ordered his platoons to take up positions on the western side of the riverbed (see the picture of the gaming table, below). The screen's southern advance had not gone unnoticed; French scouts had reported on their progress and later in the night, covered by darkness, French infantry moved into positions on the eastern side of the riverbed. From about midnight, the green American infantry were plagued French artillery falling around them, obviously an indication of registration of targets. To add to the American unease, in the distance could be heard the high pitched squeak of tracks and the low rumbling drone of tank engines. | |||
| At daybreak,
French and Americans are able to see each other across the riverbed...
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| Game Account | Scenario Details | Historical Background | French Artillery Fire Plan |
| Click
on any rectangle in the picture of the gaming table below for a game photo
in that location
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| Game AccountNote that not all activity of the game is reported here! | Table of Contents | ||
 [Photo
1] As the morning sun lightened the sky, the American troops spread
out along the riverbed (two platoons forward, with one back aways [off-board]
in reserve) were able to spot some French infantry in position directly
across from their AT gun position (at photo #7, above). However, a single
squad piqueting the southern bend of the river (at photo 1, above) along
with a GMC realised that at least a whole French company had moved into
position directly across the riverbed. They were not given much time
to ponder this as all hell broke loose with the falling of the first French
artillery registration. The M3 75mm GMC here is an Airfix M3 APC with a
scratch built "drop-in" 75mm, floor and crew (in this model, British 8th
Army figures). Two other similar conversions are used in this game. The
US squad are Matchbox figures. |
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| Despite the pounding of the French 75s, the GMC and the 60mm mortar equipped US rifle squad began to take a toll on French troops moving in the thickets on the other side of the riverbed. Nearby French mortars laid down a thick cover of smoke and eager French infantry rushed the American positions. After running into and sustaining some casualties (pins) from their own artillery, they close assaulted and destroyed the half-track and suppressed the infantry squad. | |||
 [Photo
1A] With the barrage still coming down, the rest of the French company
tried to bypass it to the west. With the first French platoon having suffered
some casualties from its own artillery and the short-lived but tenacious
defence of the Americans across the river, two other platoons charged across.
As they left the thicket and began to climb the hill another US infantry
squad, part of the platoon dispersed around the AT gun emplaced at photo
4, opened up. The two French platoons were pinned and supressed. French
mortars came to the rescue once again with a smoke screen against the sharp
shooting Americans and the company's 4th platoon made it past the other
two platoons, clambering up the hill. French figures are all ESCI, the
US troops are Matchbox. |
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 [Photo
2] The 4th French platoon investigated the rough ground at the top
of the hill (in the area of photo 5 and 6) and found, to their commander's
delight, no US defenders. Seeing the GMCs away to the north (engaging the
French Bofors which had been placed on the hill north of the area of photo
3 as well as the Renault tanks moving over that hill at photo 3) and no
visible American infantry between them and these half-tracks, the French
platoon set off wildly north. Moving from low hill to rough ground until
they reached the foot of the hill at Photo
2, they came under effective fire from an American machine gun set
up and hidden in rough ground on a hill in the eastern area of photo 2
(and near what the US did not realise at the time was French registration
number 4).
The hapless French platon was cut to pieces, all of its rifle squads being pinned or suppressed...only the platoon commander made it as far as the half track. Soon, the reserve US platoon came in and, working with the machine gun, wiped out survivors of the French platoon. Nevertheless, this incursion behind US lines had the American players believing the game was just about over. The reserve US platoon, with the GMC of photo 2, moved rapidly to the hill to the south, worried about stopping any further French advances that way - there was, after all, the better part of an infantry company still there, along with tanks. This GMC is similar to the one described in photo 1, except with a tarp covered fighting compartment. French are ESCI, the MG is Matchbox. |
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 [Photo
3] The tanks were a platoon of FT-17s which had been positioned behind
the hill at photo 3. En route to help the company at photo 1A, they went
over a hill, exposing themselves to very long range reactive fire from
the other end of the gaming table, by two GMCs - the one which was attacked
in the preceeding paragraph and another in Photo
4, which can be seen as a distant bump in photo 3, on the horizon about
a third of the way from the left.. The first FT-17 with an octagonal turret
is Matchbox, from the Char B1bis/FT-17 kit and the other two, with round
turrets, are completely scratch-built from plastic card. The GMC in photo
4 is another of the M3 conversions described in photo 1. The gun in the
mid ground of photo 3 is the French Bofors (actually an Airfix model with
British crew, but the French didn't mind borrowing it). |
[Photo 4] |
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 [Photo
5] The French commanders now switched their 75mm batteries to the second
registered target, the hill on which the US had just established a hasty
defensive position with the reserve platoon and GMC. Once again, a murderous
concentration of fire wreaked havoc on the Americans. The GMC was unaffected
by the artillery however and entered into a slogging match with the FT-17
platoon in the low ground below. Amazingly enough, the antiquated WWI vintage
tanks got the better of the 75mm on the M3 GMC, but only after considerable
other activity had taken place. By now, the US combat team commanders had
reported back to Tafaraoui Airfield that they were under major attack by
at least two companies of infantry supported by armour. TF Red commander
responded by placing a 105mm battery in support and sending another combat
team (a second company plus a platoon of Stuarts) south. |
[Photo 6] |
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 [Photo
7] And other activity was in progress. Although a major French
effort was in the south, a little further north, in the area of photo 7
was a platoon from the second company. It was directly across the riverbed
from a well positioned US 37mm AT gun which was able to cover the road
coming from the north and south east. Another FT-17 platoon was in position
behind the hill around the location of photo 14 and the French players
wanted to get them forward to engage the machine gun (photo 2) and the
GMC remaining in the north. To accomplish this, the French infantry platoon
poured across the river just as the French artillery commander (who was
the 2nd company commander, set up in a command post, complete with land
line in the rough ground at photo 13) switched to artillery registration
3, pinning the AT crew. A rifle squad was in a nearby woods/thicket feature
and there was another with the AT gun, but were both were suppressed by
artillery and then eliminated by the French platoon when it crossed the
riverbed. The French infantry had a much rougher time with the crew of
the 37mm gun, however. Despite the reduced dice, it stopped the French
infantry in their tracks and held them off until such time as the reinforcing
US company arrived. The 37mm gun and jeep are Hasegawa. The US crew are
loose figures from the Airfix US Marine set and the French are all figures
that came with the Matchbox FT-17 kit, except the commander who is a converted
ESCI figure. |
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| In the meantime, the doughty 37mm gunners were helped by numerous concentrated sheafs of fire from the 105mm battery the TF Red commander had alloted his besieged troops. Later, a 2 tank platoon of Somua S-35s drove up to the 37mm, across the riverbed on the road. Even engagement from the S-35 machine guns did little more than momentarily pin the 37mm and its crew, and the remaining GMC at photo 4 took out first one S-35, and then, unfortunately for the French commander who had performed "Hart tactics" (placing the S-35s rather close together) a second free shot from the GMC put paid to the second Somua. With the French tanks killed and the French infantry now suppressed ( arriving US infantry reinforcements engaged them and inflicted more casulaties), the US player in charge of the gun engaged in a curious gun dragging contest in which he had his crew, as a reward for their heroism, drag and push the 37mm all over the board for the rest of the game, eventually ending up on the road just to the west of the cut near photo 4, covering the road in case any further French armour came... | |||
 [Photo
8] With the diversion taking place around the AT gun, the northern
FT-17 platoon moved. The lead tank reached the area of photo 8 and engaged
the MG. By this time, French artillery had switched to the registration
which was actually pretty much right where the MG was. The MG position
was wiped out, but the remaining US GMC, now added this lone FT (the others
in the platoon had stayed to the east of the hill at photo 14) to its score
(2 S-35, 1 Bofors, and now the FT-17). By now, the US Stuarts had arrived
and were on the hill at photo 5 and 6, taking up where the destroyed GMC
had failed. FT-17 in this picture is Matchbox. |
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 [Photo
9] The US infantry which had been placed along the riverbed to the
north had now crossed and were in the thickets at the foot of the hill
at photo 9. The surviving FT-17s from the northern platoon rallied themselves
and one drove down the riverbed, firing at the Americans. This is one of
four scratchbuilt FTs. |
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 [Photo
10] The Stuarts on the southern hill had destroyed the southern FTs.
One, under the command of the same curious individual who was performing
the 37mm AT gun jig, began a strange, inexplicable dance around the hill
at photo 5 and 6... Another Stuart, the Hasegawa M3 model in this picture,
moved north to act as a screen against possible French armour incursions
along the road there (doubtless, the American commander felt the AT crew
needed a rest from their long dancing journey). |
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  [Photo
12] Now, things were serious for the Americans. Under effective attack
from French infantry at photo 11 and the momentum of their armoured infantry
attack in the north smashed by the S-35s, quick decisions were called for.
Leaving the dancing Stuart on the hill at photo 5, the Americans raced
across the riverbed in the south with two Stuarts from the tank platoon,
which roared up to hull down positions at photo 12. Ignoring the infantry
to their left and trusting the US infantry to deal with them, the Stuarts
concentrated on trying to deal with the dangerous S-35s. Stuarts in this
picture are Matchbox M3A1s. |
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 [Photo
13] The Americans in photo 9 sent forward a squad with a 60mm mortar.
French infantry in the command post area at photo 13 were harassing US
infantry in the low ground. The mortar men of the US squad were able to
smoke off these infantry and the artillery command post. These ESCI French
obviously know the meaning of sharing as several heads have been changed
around on the figures. The US 60mm mortar equipped squad in the back ground
are Matchbox figures. |
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 [Photo
14] Now came the final great tension point of the game. The Stuarts
pulled into their hull down positions, visible in this photo as bumps on
the far horizon. An S-35 platoon (Heller S-35) crossfire failed to hit
either Stuart as they pulled up. Then in a flurry of amazing dice rolling,
with very low probabilities for hitting (the Stuarts had moved) a Stuart
crossfire killed first one S-35, and then, the hart tactics rule came into
effect: a second shot at the remaining S-35 was allowed...this was successful
and now all the french armour had been destroyed except for a couple of
FT-17s. The French conceded defeat. The game was over.
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| Scenario Details | Table of Contents | ||
| American Initial Forces | French Initial Forces | ||
| French Artillery Fire Plan | Referee Activity | ||
| American Reinforcements | French Reinforcements | ||
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Terrain Notes |
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| Woods features are, in
fact, dried up thick thickets of thorny bushes and some stunted trees.
Vehicles may enter woods features, on entering, no further actions permitted
that initiative. While in woods feature, only one move action is permitted
per initiative...of course driving out allows the vehicle to carry on as
if it were in open ground.... Of course, deployment in a woods/thicket
feature means such forces are hidden.
Rough ground features are represented by rocks on cut out templates. The rocky nature of the ground does not allow vehicles or large towed weapons such as the Bofors, but infantry can and will be considered hidden if they initially deploy there. |
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| American Initial Forces | Scenario Details Index | ||
| Mission: Prevent any French
from breaking through
Set Up: Anywhere west of the dried up riverbed, including woods features (dried up thickets) on west side of riverbedn and north of it where the riverbed exits the west side. Deploy hidden, but see following on referee set up. Infantry Company:
All American forces are considered green and normal US C&C applies. |
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| French Initial Forces | Scenario Details Index | ||
| Mission: Seize and control
the high ground on the western side of the road, to secure the road for
upcoming operations against the US.
Set Up: Infantry can be set up anywhere east and south of the dried up riverbed, including in the thickets (woods features) on the same side. Armour must begin off board, to be brought on at the discretion of the French players, the Bofors can be placed anywhere, except in the woods features alongside the river. 1st Infantry Company:
BR> |
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| Referee Set-Up/Pregame Activity | Scenario Details Index | ||
After both sides have set up and
mapped their forces, the referee then looks carefully at the placements
to see if:
This approach means that both sides have hidden forces. |
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| French Reinforcements | Scenario Details Index | ||
| The French player will be permitted,
at any time in the game, to "disband" 1st company and reconstitute it as
3rd company, to enter on the east side of the table. This is an approach
similar to Chris Leach's "Race for the Reichstag" scenario in the Hit
the Dirt Crossfire scenario supplement. It was necessary because of
the numbers of french infantry I have!
All remaining squads, including pinned and suppressed stands, are removed from the table. A complete company (including any killed stands) is entered. |
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| American Reinforcements | Scenario Details Index | ||
| Once the American player has reported
to Tafaroui (the refreee, via hand written notes) that a greater than company
sized French attack is taking place, commander Task Force Red will dispatch
a combat team south and immediately open channels for the US infantry CC
to act as an FO for a battery of 105mm guns.
The combat team will take 40 minutes to assemble and move south, which amounts to two 20 minute advances of the "moving clock" (q.v. Hit the Dirt Crossfire scenario supplement) before the following forces arrive: New Mission: Seize and control the high ground on both sides of the road and riverbed. Infantry Company:
All American forces are considered green and normal US C&C applies. |
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| French Artillery Fire Plan | Scenario Details Index | Table of Contents | |
| This has been given a section
all its own in this game report should I want to refer back to it for furture
scenarios. Although the French have mortars for opportunity fire, their
artillery has a fire plan.
As part of their game preparations, French players may map out up to ten artilery registration points (only 5 are shown in the map above), numbering them consecutively. At the start of the game, or at such a time or initiative when the French see fit, the artillery fire plan begins, opening up on registration 1, following the procedure below: 1. The French player positions a 16" by 8" area of effect such that the registration point is within the area of effect. The sides of the area of effect should be parallel with the gaming area. 2. The American player rolls a dice. A 5,6 has no effect, while a 1 to 4 means the US player may move the placed area of effect in any direction from 1" to 4" - whatever was rolled on the die. 3. The barrage is fired as per an area barrage in the house rules. 4. On the following French initiative, the French player can choose to keep the barrage going at registration 1 or move on to registration 2. If he moves on to the next registration, follow the procedure outlined in steps 1 and 2, above. If the French wish to keep the barrage in place, both sides roll a die, and the Americans subtract 2 from their roll. Whoever scores the highest may move the barrage area of effect the number of inches equal to their roll (1 to 4 for the US, 2 to 6 for the French) as described in step 2. 5. The French may only move to a registration point its artillery controller (see hereafter) may see and only if the artillery controller is successful in making an "artillery contact" roll. If the artillery contact roll fails, the barrage continues in its current place (after adjusting rolls described in 4, above). 6. The French may move to an out of sequence registration point, but the artillery contact roll is drastically affected (see below). If the artillery contact roll fails in an attempt to bring it to an out of sequence registration, no artillery falls that initiative or the following US initiative. The artillery controller is either of the first two infantry company commanders. One commander can be designated as having set up a command post with land line back to the artillery. This CP is where the CC sets up in initial deployment - if he moves from the CP or moves at all during the game, the CP is no longer in service and calls to change registrations must be made by radio. Artillery contact roll for an in-sequence registration change:
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