Skip to main content

Scenario and AAR Operation Capri Campaign 3 The Hard Road to Hir Ksar Koutine




The Hard Road to Hir Ksar Koutine


Our campaign map showing the progress of the Italian probe into the British position 

Column Bari of the Italian Spezia Division advances toward the town Medenine after breaking through the pass at Kef Ahbdala. Historically the column was held  at Kef Abdala now however in our alternative history they are threatening 131 brigade HQ. The Italien player as winner chose the next scenario The Hard Road East.
The Italians have now done better than they manage historically. We elected to fight the next battle for the small village at Hir Ksar Koutine on the main coastal highway where it crosses a deep wadi. The hastily assembled blocking force was from 131 Brigade with motorised infantry from the The Queens Regiment and Valentine tanks from the army reserve.

British 8th Army 22nd Armour Brigade

1 platoon Motorised Infantry with 3" mortar from  A Company The Queen's Regiment
1 6 pounder AT gun
1 squadron Valantine  Mk III Tanks
1 additional Valentine Mk VIII  from (8th Army reserve)
I foot patrol 4/10 Rajput Infantry (8th Army reserve)
1 Daimler AC
1 OP in BREN carrier
1 battery Self Propelled M3 GMC 75mm
1 battery 25 pounder guns (off table)
1 timed artillery barrage 4.5" guns (off table)
1 timed 3" mortar barrage

Column Bari

Forward Headquater M41 SPG
1 Infantry Platoon  with AT gun Mountain gun and HMG  from Spezia Division
1 M13/40 tank platoon from Spezia Division
1 M41 SPG platoon from Spezia Division
1 Bersagleri motorised patrol
1 Autoblinda AC
1 Auto sahara light truck with 28mm Autocanon
1 transport column with 2 medium trucks
1 supply truck
1 AA truck
1 stretcher party
1 timed airstrike  C242
FO in light car
1 priority artilery request
1 48mm AT gun

After Action Report

La Spezia  of Column Bari attacked with Bersagleri and a mix of tanks and assault guns.Hoping to clear the road toward Medenine.

The British attacked first and used their lorries to quickly occupy the village and surrounding orchards,
Queens deploy from there lorries seizing their only objective of the game 

British Infantry deply to hold the village

Infantry section make use of the roof tops 

Infantry advance out of town 

Platoon HQ get onto the 3" motar 
Indian Army recce patrol on the barren hills beyond the town . They wages a lonely game of cat and mouse with Italian foot patrol 

The Recce patrol use there radio to contact the mortar battery

The Italians probe forward with there best infantry the Bersagleiri. A battle ensues with he men of the Queens Regiment. The British making their own probe toward the cluster of buildings occupied by La Spezia infantry.  The men of the Queen;s regiment retire in some haste toward the village after the firefight  making a hasty line in the orchards near the town.
Infantry from the Queen's occupy the orchards near the town 

BREN team takes up position

BREN team engages the advancing Itallien infantry in the field beyond 


Artillery pounds Ksar Koutine. Direct fire from an Italien infantry gun and supporting fire from off table Italian big guns begins to pound the pre-registered targets in a timed strike. The pounding means that most of the British infantry are pinned in their cover.

Mortars under fire in Ksar Koutine 


Infantry mortar pinned by weight of Italien artillery and air attacks 


Semovente Assault guns west  of the town take up positions and await the British main force.

A couple of probe the road towards Ksar Koutine. Italien M13/40 tanks on road to east with most of the advanced force pinned down the Daimler AC uses its 2 pounder gun challenge the advancing Italien tanks . One tank is hit and the other withdraws for now. 
Under the cover of the artillery support the Queens are forced back out of the orchards into the cover of the buildings
Not many casualties but lots of pinned sections 

The mainforce of British armour arrives . The 3 Valentine Mk III tanks  shake out of column and begin to advance line abreast across the cactus field toward the farm which is the Column Bari base of fire and a  Valentine MkVIII cover with 6 pounder gun  whilst  rest advance to west of Ksar Koutine.
Valentine tanls arriving from 8th Army reserves. This six pounder armed tank takes up covering position 

Valentines advance into withering fire 

Royal Artillery FOO watches the tanks advance  into the fields 


A Valentine Tank mk III The two pounder guns proved no match for the best Italien self propelled guns 


They quickly run into heavy fire from  the Semovente who stay back out of range of the  six pounder gun on the MkVIII and the two pounder guns on the other Valentines are no match for the Italien's assaults guns.


Over the course of the advance two Valentines are Ko'ed  as run in to  heavy fire from assault guns
 Valentines also forced to retreat.


Valentines under heavy fire in the fields beyond Kef Koutine 

The extent of the advance 

Town continues to be pounded pinning The Queen's into  the buildings  the Regia Aeronautica  dive bombing adds to the woes. The  heavy air attack is costing men of Queen's regiment dear in Battle rating and the entire British position is close to collapse.

Only one thing for it hope the Italians are in an equally parlous state.  The Daimler Armoured Car guns his engine and tries to attempts to seize road junction But the ambush fire from destroyed by M13/40 Italian tank. No natch the Daimler careers fro the road knocked out as the crew bailout.
Daimler Armoured car and the dismounted crew

The British realise the situation is hopeless and  their withdrawal toward Medenine.
 The 8th Armies reserve will have one final chance to stop Column Bari before it forces the Gun lines of the Guards and New Zealanders to withdraw


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Scenario and AAR Second Battle of San Salvo 2-3 November 1943

  Tanks of 46 (Lierpool Welsh) RTR  History  “On the V Corps of 8th Army front was paused on the Trigno river, British 78th Infantry Division attacked along the coastal road while 8th Indian Infantry Division attacked some 10 mi (16 km) inland. Fighting was fierce, but on 3 November, British 78th Division reached San Salvo, some three miles beyond the Trigno, at which point Generalmajor Rudolf Sieckenius—commanding 16th Panzer Division—decided to make a fighting withdrawal to the Sangro river and the formidable Gustav defensive positions overlooking the river from the ridge tops on the far side. The plan was that the Skins were to capture San Salvo and the ridge on the left, while the Buffs were to capture the ridge to the right of the town. The first part of the attack was to take p1ace just before first light, and from first light onwards the two Infantry Battalions were to have the assistance of a Regiment of Tanks. The Buffs had a pretty clear run through on the right, but ther
Post a Comment
Read more

AAR The Bitter taste of Sugarloaf - Battlegroup Pacific War Scenario

Japanese defenders set up trench lines anchor the center, a pill box with AT guns out front covered by MG bunkers covering them. the furthest flank has a sniper on ambush fire (indicated by a puff of white smoke.  The US marines deployment on the Japanese right flank, Lots of small varied teams with a dizzying variety of equipment and specialisms. The rail line is actually in a shallow ravine so we agreed a special rule that shooting in and out could only be done from with 5" of the line. An artillery's observation bunker with FAO team. There is another off table on Half moon hill. This bunker was the only thing I placed on the ridge apart from the cave mouth which I placed nearby on the reverse slope. The bulk of the defenders would be hidden here safe from US air and artillery's strikes. The Japanese artillery's fire was efficiently suppressed all game by big off shore naval guns firing in the counter battery role. . Marine recon teams creep forward under fire from t
Post a Comment
Read more

Scenario and AAR Clearing the Road to Bou Arada 11 January 1943

  Clearing the Road to Bou Arada   11 January 1943 The History On 11 January, a squadron of 2 Lothian & Border tanks was sent from Goubellat to clear the enemy from the area. Advancing on each side of the road, several of them got bogged down in thick mud created by torrential winter rain. 2LIR was ordered to protect the tanks while they were to be dug out of the mud. Two motor companies of 10 Rifle Brigade were involved and they headed south and then east to attack farms held by German units. They found the task impossible and were withdrawn after suffering five fatalities. Battle British are advancing and have first move. Heavy rain in recent days means that movement of road is in difficult terrain and vehicles can become bogged down if the leave the roads. The paratrooper of Herman Goering Jaeger Regiment are holding the farms to the East of the Bou Arada Road and preventing movement on the road. The  2 Lothian and Border Horse supported by 10 Rifle Regiment set out to cle
Post a Comment
Read more