EW North Africa Escalation League (4)

For 'Black Friday' I traveled down to  Adler Hobby to get in another game in our Early War North Africa Escalation league. My opponent was Adam with his German medium tank company featuring a platoon of potent Panzer IV tanks, two light panzer platoons of Panzer IIc and I tanks and an artillery battery consisting of a single section of LeFH18 10.5cm guns (seen below left). My force was my Australian Commonwealth infantry company with a platoon of infantry, a 3" Mortar platoon, a full battery of four OQF 18/25 guns and two captured tank platoons each containing two M11/39 and one M14/40 tanks (seen below right).

The scenario was "Night Attack" which is this month's chosen scenario for the league. I deployed in defense with my artillery forward to act as improvised AT guns covering the center objective with my two tank platoons covering the right flank where I had only a single artillery piece. My infantry deployed in defense of Adam's objective on my right flank and my mortars on the left objective. Adam advanced aggressively under the cover of the first two turns darkness and when dawn broke started working on destroying my artillery battery which he correctly assessed as my biggest threat to his armor. In the duel I lost a couple of guns and my battery's commander but in the trade was able to eventually take out his CinC and one of his Panzer IVs. This reduced his damage on my batteries by removing 2/3rds of his high-firepower assets. Over the next couple of turns I was able to destroy the remaining Panzer IV with my artillery which left my tanks to clean up the light panzer platoons by the end of turn six.

Adam had a tough draw at 950 points against my infantry with it's high-AT value artillery pieces and two tank companies. At higher point values his tank list will continue to be able to add more good armor, while my infantry's AT asset choices thin out. Should make for a much balanced match up later on in the league.