East Africa, enter the Black Watch

East Africa 1940

Cue Toto. ..
It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do
I bless the rains down in Africa
Gonna take some time to do the things we never had (ooh, ooh)

The old Turkish Fort at Bandar Wanaang protects a vital bridge over a deep wadi intersecting the impressively named "Road One."  

The Black Watch have deployed a company forward to defend the Wadi, and the HQ elements have settled into the old fort itself.  Major Pyles, sitting comfortably on his special cushion, has organised a sentry team with Boyes A/T rifle and MMG cover over the road. 
 

With Italian tanks streaming towards the position what could go wrong?

Road "Number One" leading past the old fort and over that girder bridge.

Passers by can identify the fort because I added a sign over the gate!

And on come the Italians, keen to get across the deep wadi.

The Black Watch sentries.  They both go on overwatch

The Nuisance factor again.  An Italian motorcycle group, backed by a pair of tankettes.

And on the walls wee Piper third class Mcgurk signals the alarm.  Spit boy, spit...  sorry wrong film, squeeze that cat tighter lad...

Incensed at the sights of cat torture the Italians let loose with the howitzer on that Semovente SP. 

Blowing one hell of a hole in my nice new fort

And wee Private McGurk puts a round into the Boyes A/T rifle the wrong way round.  A Jam!

The tankettes over-run the MMG position.

But the Black Watch counter attack as the Platoon Sergeant, "Hoots Mon" McGurk leads a section out in a bayonet charge at the Italian Motorcycles..  Will this work?

Into them with the bayonet.  Five hits convert to three kills.

The Italians fight back.  Three hits gives only one kill and the Italians scarper.  Please note the trailer on the back of that tankette.  its important for what comes next...

So it turns out that the Italians came equipped with a flame throwing tankette.  Not used against the MMG position because I forgot about it, but here it is devastating.

All that is left is for Wee corporal Hamish McGurk to blow the charges under the bridge.  I determined that a 5 or 6 would do the job and he rolled a 5.  Of course Wee Hamish is now on the wrong side of the Wadi and promptly gets taken prisoner. 

A great little game.  The Black Watch will now face off the Italians in battle at Tug Argan.  I intend to focus on three areas of the battle and rather than it being a (historic) foregone conclusion I will give both sides an even chance.