Road to Tebessa - the French

43rd Colonial Regiment

Regular

Regimental Headquarters

1 x car with 3 figures

1 x telephone wagon (missing)

1 x Laffly AMD 80

1st Battalion, 43rd Colonial Regiment

Regular ,

Headquarters

1 x Battalion HQ with 3 figures

1st Infantry Company

1 x Company HQ with 3 figures

3 x platoons of 8 figures

1 x MMG with 3 figures

2nd Infantry Company

1 x Company HQ with 3 figures

3 x platoons of 8 figures

1 x MMG with 3 figures

Attached

62nd Antitank Company

Regular

1 x 47mm AT gun with 3 crew.

1 x 25mm AA gun with 3 crew.

2 x light trucks

Attached

7th (Tank) Squadron, 4th Chasseurs d’Afrique

Regular

3 x Char D1

Attached

5th Battery, 62nd African Artillery Regiment

Regular

1 x 75mm field gun with 4 crew plus limber

Deployment: All units except the 7th Tank Squadron begin on the battlefield. On-board units must be deployed within 25cm of either town; the 5th Artillery Battery may be placed within 50cm of either town. Each town must have a garrison of at least 16 figures. All units deployed in open terrain are considered entrenched.

The 7th Tank Squadron enters on the southwest road on turn 1.

Gauntlet Preparations (4)

Preparations continue, checking the OOBs I found I needed more tanks than I had available, in particular four M3 Lees for the US forces. I've compromised with the single Airfix M3 from the stash, plus a pair of "Russian" M3's with replacement turrets painted up for the US in North Africa. They'll pass muster provided no one reads the logos on the front plates. To complete the set there is an Airfix Sherman that was in my trading box painted up appropriately. For the Axis I needed another long barrelled Panzer IV so I utilised the ready assembled Airfix model from the stash, but when I sorted out the Fujimi ones I had I found they didn't have decals so some work had to be done on these to make them consistent.

Gauntlet preparations (3)

The roads are now finished so here's an impression of the finished table. On the day I will need to add more lines of stones, which define crest line and therefore limits line of sight. German deployment zone and entry road on the left, the village of Bordj Oum Ali, occupied by the French in the centre El Ma el Abiod also occupied by the French the Italians will arrive along the road at the bottom. I've also rebased my Foreign Legion who will provide part of the French garrison

Gauntlet - Road to Tebessa scenario

I was informed that there was nothing explaining what the game was about. It's a what-if scenario set during the Tunisian campaign in 1943 with a mixture of forces from all the major combatants. to quote the author Warwick Young "This fictional battle represents an action that took place instead of the conflagration at Kasserine. Mixed Axis units attacked from the Thelepte area northwards, along a road up a valley, with the aim of capturing Tebessa. They were halted by French defences in the towns of Bordj Oum Ali (to the south) and El Ma el Abiod (to the north), reinforced by British and American mixed units." It is available as a pdf (link)

Preparing for Gauntlet (2)

Spent most of yesterday sorting out the hills, that meant breaking up the existing hills and glueing them together in new configurations to match the battlefield plan as far as possible. The large ridge behind Bordj Oum Ali and El Ma el Abiod made of of four components If like me you were struggling to see how it might look here's it covered with the cloths, I've slightly scaled down the size of the villages. Will

Prepartion for Gauntlet (1)

Attempted to lay out the terrain for the Gauntlet game on the Garage floor. View down the US entry road, Italians will appear on the left and British on the right German deployment zone, bottom right, I had run out of road and need to create another metre for the game Overview , the French will occupy the two villages, which I think I'll reduce in size. The hill on the right needs to be bigger. There should be a long ride separating the Italians and Americans and another hill between the British and US entry roads Just over two weeks to go - should be feasible!

Possible Scottish Gathering

Dave Knight from Falkirk Wargames Club, who hosted SOTCW at a past Caronnade show has suggested a SOTCW event or twentieth century-themed day at their club in the Autumn of 2013.

Caronnade is a well-run show and I'm sure a Falkirk SOTCW event would be great fun and well organised.  I'm going to prepare to coordinate any such event through this blog.  Any thoughts on what members would like to see would be gratefully received.