Tunisia - April 1943

 Deployment: A German panzer grenadier regiment are defending a key crossroads and the terrain features which dominate it. They expect the British to attack up the road from the south, and have entrenched a battalion facing in that direction on the reverse slope of the line of hills. Waiting to deliver a counterpunch at the right moment, their second battalion occupies the village on their left supported by a panzer IV company hull down on the hills. Several Pak40 anti tank platoons are positioned in the orchards and woodland behind their lines, ready to deal with any enemy armour.



Turn 1: The Germans are wrong footed as the British mass two battalions with a company of Churchills in support and advance from the south east under the cover of a heavy smoke barrage. 



Turn 2: The overconfident British sweep into the town, and are shocked to discover a whole company tenaciously holding it. A platoon of tanks is knocked out and the infantry sent reeling back with heavy casualties. 

Meanwhile the rest of the British forces swing around to the east of the town. The panzers uncover their position to open fire on the Churchills, but with no effect. 



Turn 3: 2nd Battalion sweeps around the flank, but is bloodily repulsed as even more panzer grenadiers are found occupying the rest of the town. In the confusion the battalion commander is counter charged and killed whilst trying to establish a forward HQ. 1st Battalion regroup and renew their assault, eventually overcoming all resistance south of the road. 



The panzer IV's pullback off the ridgeline, drawing the Churchills into an ambush as a Pak40 platoon and more infantry are stationed in and around the woods. Nonetheless the panzers take punishing losses from the Churchills deadly 6lb's. 1st and 2nd battalion set up their mortars along the hedgeline, and together these eliminate a badly positioned German battalion HQ on the outskirts of the town. Right on time the British 3rd battalion arrives slightly west of the town, marching behind a company of Shermans. 

Turn 4: 1st and 2nd battalion renew once again attempt to snuff out the German garrison in the town, but two whole companies are wiped out in desperate house to house fighting. The tiny pocket of panzer grenadiers is whittled down to platoon strength, but keep their foothold. 



Scrambling up from their entrenchments the remaining panzer grenadiers rush to meet the attack. The British artillery is mercifully absent due to faulty radio sets. Despite the setback in the town the British infantry flow around it and begin to shake out a line of attack. The cavalier cruiser squadrons in their sherman tanks charge up the hill, but half their number are rapidly knocked out of action by the Pak40's and panzer IV's who are ready and waiting for them.

Turn 4: 2nd battalion pushes into the treeline and overruns the German mortars. 3rd battalion stagger up the hill to support their armour, but are soon trapped in a deadly crossfire as the last of the panzer grenadiers abandon their foxholes and swing in on the flank.  

Turn 6: At last the panzer grenadiers in the town are overrun, just as their comrades charge out of the treeline to try and relieve them. The tank duel escalates as another panzer IV platoon is eliminated, alongside all the remaining Shermans. 

Turn 7: 3rd battalion bring forward their reserves, but with nothing to deal with the deadly flanking fire they are mown down by panzergrenadiers as they crest the hill. The final straw is when a daring assault by a German SMG company cuts down the best part of a company. Distraught by the destruction of their supporting armor 3rd battalion is routed from the field! On the other flank 2nd battalion counterattack and similarly put to flight the panzer grenadiers in the woods, and the attached Pak40 crew are swept up with them. 





The last of the panzer IV's are knocked out, leaving a lone platoon of Churchills as the only remaining armor on the field. The British artillery are finally brought in with full effect and dozens of 25lb's smash the panzer grenadiers, softening them up for the infantry assault. 



Turn 8: As the artillery rains overhead 1st and 2nd battalion advance to finish the job. The desperately depleted panzer grenadiers counter attack up to the crest of the hill and fire down into the over packed British ranks. Exhausted after several hours fighting and having taken heavy casualties, both British battalions grind to a halt and beat a hasty retreat under continuous machinegun fire. The panzer grenadiers are badly bloodied, but they have held their ground. Germans win!