Fox & the Rat: Day 12: The Finale

 After the previous bloody reverse during the direct assault on Benghazi Capt. Rohrstock had realised an alternate plan was required to force the British and their allies out of the town. So he'd massed his men slightly down the coastal road in order to cut the defenders off from their supplies. Victory here would sufficiently weaken the enemy for the following main column of DAK troops to easily capture Benghazi.

Once the allies had realised his plan they'd quickly thrown all available troops into the race to secure the vital road. Once more the Stuka's had flown over his advancing troops and Rohrstock was delighted to see a think cloud of black smoke rise from the advancing enemy lines as a vehicle was knocked out. 

Less welcome was the sighting of multiple armoured enemy vehicles as his infantry rushed forwards towards the objectives. Firstly a Humber armoured car sped forwards and poured fire into the leading infantry section but with little effect. It was then startled by a high velocity anti-tank shell from the gun Rohrstock had ordered along to deal with any enemy armour.

The startled driver thrust the vehicle into a rapid advance which took it clean through the German lines and in to the rear of their forces. At the same time an Indian Pattern Carrier joined the advance and menaced the SDKFZ 251 which with it's machine gun had no real answer to it's armour.

All the while the infantry on both sides tried to advance with his troops seizing the central building Rohrstock felt confident his men had the upper hand.

Then things changed in an instance, firstly the Pak 38 and Humber had exchanged fire with the Humber missing it's mark only in turn to be destroyed by the AT gun which could then turn towards the IPC. It however had put it's AT rifle to good use and blown up the 251. using this as cover a section of Sikh's had also charged and destroyed the MG team occupying the house.

Despite their valiant efforts to capture the house this opened the Sikh's up to a withering fusillade of fire from Rohrstock's veteran men who soon had them grovelling on the floor of the building unable and unwilling to advance further.

They also lost the support of the IPC as it feared the Pak 38 and it too sped off forwards at high speed avoiding incoming shells.

Capt Rohrstock was unworried as one lone carrier could cause little trouble and his men had decisively worn down the fighting ability of the enemy who could only sit and cower in their positions as his men seized the objectives and won the day.

So there we are, at the end of a long campaign the DAK have proved victorious with the 8th Army having struggled to make significant headway. I'm sure we will return to the desert again in the future with Mr T painting up some Italians and I've got my eye on some French Foreign Legion.

Fox & The Rat: Day 11, The Final Assault?

Capt. Rohrstock shook his head in shock and disbelief as him men trudged back past him off the field of battle. Benghazi had been within his grasp but instead of victory fate had dealt him a stinging defeat. 

The battle had started well enough with his advance guard seeming catching the enemy unaware and short of men, though well dug in. He decided to concentrate his efforts on one side of the enemy perimeter and try to use superior German firepower to blow them out of their defences. 

His men had poured a withering fire into the enemy but their deep defences had protected them from any serious harm and the fire coming back from the enemy lines had been unusually accurate. So accurate in fact that the machine gun team of no. 3 section was cut down to the man.

But the assault pressed ahead and no. 2 section braved the fire of a newly arrived Sikh 6pdr to launch a bayonet charge which sent one defending team flying backwards. This however exposed them to a withering return fire from the defenders.

His battle hardened men kept at their task even though the enemy Vickers was causing havoc in their ranks and indedd the rest of no. 3 section eventually gave their lives trying to oust the enemy from his position.

The concentrated fire of the two remaining sections did eventually cause a second Sikh unit to abandon it's defences but it was all too late. His own men had largely become exhausted from their efforts and Capt. Rohrstock reluctantly called off the attack rather than push them over the edge. He would need to think of a better way to oust the defenders of Benghazi, or come back with overwhelming force.

Fox & The Rat: Day 9 - We Must Hold

As the column moved forwards Capt. Rohrstock peered into the early morning gloom trying to pick out the enemy lines. The Stukas had done their work but he suspected it was mostly via guessing that actually being able to see the enemy. The wadi ahead and it's crossing represented the last natural defence between his men and Benghazi and he expected the enemy to put up a fierce defence.

The would no doubt be well dug in, he could only hope that they lacked the numbers to strongly man the entire wadi so he could seize the crossing point before reinforcements could arrive. 

As the men pushed closer to the crossing point Rohrstock ordered the anti-tank gun to deploy to give covering fire and the squad in the half-track rumbled forwards using a sand dune as cover. Rohrstock was sure the enemy would have a anti-tank gun and didn't want it to have any easy targets.

Then fire erupted from hidden positions all along the far side of the wadi, bullets whistled overhead and shells from a gun landed amongst the troops. Fortunately his men where by now veterans of many encounters in the desert and instead of panicking they behaved magnificently. Whilst the machine gunners laid down return fire the rifle teams pushed onwards towards the crossing point.

With the assault imminent the anti-tank gun starting throwing shells over into the enemy lines with great accuracy and the half-track had also reached a position to start throwing fire into the defenders. This seemed to much for the defenders as Rohrstock saw a unit of Indians break from their defences and fall back into the desert behind.

Then the moment of decision, with a roar of it's engine the half-track darted forwards which seemed to catch the British A/T gun by surprise, Rohrstock presumed it was still loading HE shells as it didn't open fire. At the crossing it's section poured out and started to lay down a heavy fire whilst supporting troops also advance to the line of the wadi.

A desperate struggle then erupted around the wadi with much reduced and shell-shocked Indians holding off two close assaults by one of the rifle teams. Rohrstock made a note to work on the close assault tactics if he ever got some time away from the front-line.

However, his men's firing was still top notch and the defenders where blown away in a storm of machine gun fire. Even as reinforcements started to arrive it was too late, the crossing was his and his men would not be shifted from control even by an entire division!

The leaves Capt. Rohrstock and his men on the very outskirts of Benghazi, no doubt staff officers are burning their secret papers even as you read these lines.

Fox & The Rat: Day 7, Crossroads

Capt. Rohrstock rubbed some of the ever present grit from his eyes and peered through his binoculars at the crossroads in the distance. The Stukas had already flown overhead and attacked a target behind the crossroads but he couldn't see any enemy in that area.

What he could see however was a Tommy tank and what looked to be a jeep on the road heading towards his force. As his infantry rushed forwards on either flank Rohrstock motioned his armoured support forwards towards the tempting targets. Unteroffizier Baade signalled his understanding and the Panzer III rumbled forwards into a firing position. It unleashed it's first shot whilst still on the move which sadly went wide.  

This aggressive action did not go unanswered however as Baade's tank was struck by fire from an unknown source, somewhere out in the desert scrub a gun had been setup that could not be see by any of the DAK forces. Fortunately it must have been one of the piddly Tommy 2pdrs as the rounds bounced harmlessly off the armour of the Panzer.

Unteroffizier Baade then showed extreme cool as he stopped the tank which was still coming under fire from unseen gun to take a better aim. This time one, then two shots rang out from the Panzer and first the Tommy tank and then it's accompanying jeep where hit and burst into flames.

Whilst the Panzer was bending to it's task Rohrstock's infantry had not been idle and had brought their foe under heavy fire on both flanks. Those on the left had halted the enemy advance at a lone building whilst those on the right had manged to knock out an enemy truck at long range, forcing it's occupants to spill out into the desert.

Taking advantage of the many set backs of the enemy Rohrstock sent his mobile reserve onto the offensive and they raced up the battlefield to take a position overlooking the enemy who where in total disarray. 

Whilst these troops had so far been untested in battle they were more than eager to get to grips with the enemy and unleashed a hail of fire onto the hapless infantry in front of them.

This along with the  destruction wreaked by Baade and his Panzer broke the enemies will to continue and they beat a hasty retreat from the crossroads giving Rohrstock another victory.

Fox & The Rat: Day 6, The Face of Chaos

Capt. Rohrstock had heard about the failed attack on the airfield and as the Stukas passed overhead he was glad the guards had done their duty and kept his air support operational. This time his attacking force was spared a bombardment from the enemy guns so perhaps Gruber's raid had gone well.

The days after a breakthrough where always chaotic and he hoped to capitalise on this to push further into the enemies rear. Though the enemy was not completely out of the fight and was rushing reinforcements forwards Rohrstock hoped to brush them aside. A walled building dominated the centre of the battlefield and he'd tasked No. 3 section with it's '251 to mount a lightning advance which the rest of the platoon would then support.

No sooner had the half-track pulled out of cover then disaster struck! Rohrstock was not sure how they'd missed the massive British tank but they had, it's guns let loose and one of the shells struck the '251 bursting it into flames. The rest of the platoon could only look on in horror as the survivors bailed out of the burning wreck. Half the men did not make it out.

As Rohrstock cursed the setback his own armoured support put in an appearance with the Panzer III appearing from behind a sand dune to put a shell into the M3, causing it in return to brew up.

Whilst the exchange of tank fire had been taking place the Sikh's had pushed up vigorously and instead of the planned German occupation of the strong points it was instead they that had seized the ground and the initiaitive.

Despite the setback Rohrstock was pleased to see his men stick to their task, whilst not willing to advance across the open they didn't fall back either and instead opened a withering fire upon the Commonwealth troops which was supported by the now unopposed Panzer III. The section nearest him was taking the brunt of the enemy fire but his presence helped calm the men and keep them in the fight. 

With fire pouring into their positions Rohrstock good see the enemy visibly start to wilt and then the only return firing was coming from a mortar far behind the enemies lines, otherwise the Sikh's had been forced to keep their heads down and their spirit to fight was broken.

As night fell all the Germans could here was the sound of feet running back into the night as the enemy beat a swift retreat.