Bardia 2. Bumfluff and the fall of Bardia

On the Front Line of Op Compass Major Mick Dundee of 2/2nd Australian Infantry had been in action all of yesterday, but today 4th January 1941, is the day that Bardia falls!

16th Australian Infantry Brigade with Dundee in the lead are within the Italian perimeter and have made some progress against a fairly irresolute defence.  The Aussies have followed a wadi and discovered a second line of Italian defences ready for them.  

During his attack on Post 41 yesterday Dundee rescued Lt Bumfluff Farthingdale, 11th Hussars, from the Italian command bunker where he was being tortured with Italian wine and Cheeses.  Bumfluff has somehow ended up commanding a Matlida II tank attached to Dundee's force 

In front of the Aussies is a low hill that looks as if it will provide some protection from the Italian artillery. Dundee's plan is to advance to the dead ground behind the hill and then work out the 

best way of taking the guns!

"Right, Cobbers, let’s kick their arses, eh mates?" 

Map & Terrain

The terrain is flat, dusty and stony, with the occasional patch of shrub and gentle undulation that might give a prone man some cover. 

Initial Deployment

The Aussies enter the table from the north-west table edge behind the major hill there i.e. they enter the table under cover from fire from the Italian position. They enter the table under Blinds, being able to enter up to three available Blinds each time your Australian Blinds card appears. One Blind per platoon available, with no False Blinds. 

Objectives & Victory Conditions

The objective is simple: neutralise the Italian position. You win a victory if, at the end of the game, there are no Italian troops on the table offering any kind of resistance. 

Special Rules

Your accompanying tank (which has only just turned up: late again!) has no HE ammunition, only solid shot.

Major Dundee’s Company, 2/2nd Australian Infantry Battalion

Company HQ 

Major Mick Dundee

2 x 3” Mortar 

1st Platoon

Lieutenant Eddie Everage

3 x Rifle Section (6 men each) 

2nd Platoon

Lieutenant Kev Blanchett 

3 x Rifle Section (6 men each) 

1st Platoon

Sergeant "Little" Wally Little

3 x Rifle Section (6 men each) 

Tank from 7th Royal Tank Regiment

1 x Matilda II 

The Italian Deployment

All troops start the game in their position under on-table Blinds. You have one Blind available per platoon, plus an extra three False Blinds that can be placed anywhere on the table at the start of the game. 

Objectives & Victory Conditions

Hold your position at all costs. Failing that, try and remain as some kind of offensive force 

Elements of 62nd “Marmarica” Division

Company HQ

Tenente Raymondo Liotta

2 x MMG (3 crew each) 

1st Platoon

4 x Rifle Squad (8 men each) 

2nd Platoon

4 x Rifle Squad (8 men each) 

3rd Platoon

4 x Rifle Squad (8 men each) 

Battery from 44th Artillery Regiment

Tenente Paulo Sorvino 

3 x 75/27 guns (5 crew each) 

The Game

The last Italian Line of defence

The Blinds

First down, Bumfluff's Matilda

The Italian A/T gun has some issues against this tank

The Axis attempt to put the tank out of their misery

But Bumfluff's crew use the MMG and 16 dice later...

One tank caused all of that...

2/2 Australian come over the hill.  I drop the smoke from the mortars far too far behind the Italians making it pointless.

The Bren carrier is an added extra!  They have already had a pop at the Italian line

Little Wally Little leads his men off the blind in the wadi onto the Italian flank.  That Italian Officer (Paulo) can point all he wants, it's not looking good.

Dundee charges the centre

The A/T gun gets a hit, but with the Matilda hugging the hill line the only target is the bren carrier and it is wiped out.

Little Wally's boys storm the second line.

But Mick Dundee in hit in the head.  A flesh wound for a man like that!

Wally takes the second line.

With Mick wounded the Matlida closes in and hoses down the gun position with its MMG.  Game over as the Italian morale breaks and they surrender en mass.  

Next up, Mick Dundee slaps on a band aid and joins the siege of Tobruk, whilst Bumfluff's Colonel desperately tries to keep him with 7 RTR rather than see him back with the 11th Hussars.  Ever popular that boy. 

Post 41, Bumfluff at Bardia

By 15th December the Italian army was out of Egypt and the British paused to count their gains, with both sides holding their positions. The Division, less 4th Armoured Brigade, surrounded Bardia waiting for the 6th Australian Division to be brought up to prepare for an assault on Bardia and for supplies to be brought up. 

The enemy positions around Bardia, which was garrisoned by 45,000 men and over 400 guns (off all types), 12 M-13 Tanks and a Hundred L-3 Tankettes. consisted of a 18 mile long perimeter, with double barbed wire, a four foot anti-tank ditch, many natural wadis and scores of artillery and MG positions, plus six well dispersed minefields. 

Having captured plans of these defences back in June, the defences were probed for weakness for a while. There was also a need to re-equip as the strength of 7th Armoured had dropped to 108 light tanks and 59 Cruiser tanks, of which many had outrun the designed track mileage.

Major Mick Dundee with one of his mates, in happier times.

While the Italians in Bardia enjoyed every luxury, the Australians and 7th Armoured Division settled down outside the perimeter for their Christmas lunch, waiting for the main assault in the new year.

Major Mick Dundee of 2/2nd Australians has the task of capturing Post 41 and allowing passage of Matilda tanks from 7RTR.  The Aussies are green but keen, having replaced the veteran 4th Indian Division up the Blue.

The Regimental diary of the 11th Hussars records that Lt Bumfluff Farthingdale was captured by the enemy on the night of 2nd January 1940.  The Colonel was not too upset.  Bumfluff`s armoured car was reported to have become "lost" in the area between post 41 and the Australian lines.  As Major Dundee and his men prepared their attack on the post Bumfluff was being royally entertained by the Italians, and regaling them with tales of his time at Eton, don`t you know...

Clearly Mick's mission is not just to capture Post 41.  He must also rescue that 11th Hussars idiot.  It's not going to be easy.

Elements of Major Dundee’s Company, 2/2nd Australian Infantry Battalion

Company HQ

Captain Mick Dundee 

1 x Boys Anti-Tank Rifle Team (2 crew)

1st Platoon

Sergeant "Little" Wally Little

4 x Rifle Section (8 men each) 

Supporting Tank Troop from 7th Royal Tank Regiment 

2 x A12 Infantry Tank Mk II “Matilda” tanks 

Defenders of Post 41

Headquarters Element [in easternmost bunker]

Tenente Giuseppe Pesci

2 x Rifle Squad (8 men each) 

1st Platoon [in westernmost trenches, either side of gun pits]

4 x Rifle Squad (8 men each) 

2nd Platoon [in easternmost trenches] 

4 x Rifle Squad (8 men each) 

Weapons Platoon [in guns pits] 

1 x 65/17 Field Gun (4 crew) 

1 x MMG (3 crew) 

In The Gun Pit At The South-East Corner Of The Map

Elements of 45th Artillery Regiment 

1 x 75/27 Field Gun (5 crew) 

The Game

The tabletop

Dawn.  The Italians stand to.

The Matildas of 7RTR break through the wire

Behind the Matildas are the Aussie Infantry, hidden in the dust of the advancing tanks

The Italian gunners miss their first shots.  

The turret MMGs on the Matildas hit the Italians hard

The Aussies come out from behind the right
flank tank and strafe the Italian gun position.

The Matildas lead Mick Dundee onto the flank of the Italian trenches.

The Italian gun position is taken.  They had no answer to the attacker's composition of forces.

Dundee and his men get into the trenches

And he clears the first section with a bayonet charge.

The MMGs on the Matildas once again hammer the Italian trenches.

Little Wally Little storms the command dugout and rescues Bumfluff from the Italians wine and cheese torture.

Dundee himself breaks into the main Italian defensive dugouts, capturing the MMG and field gun.  

The Italians begin to come out of their trenches to surrender.

My phone camera rather than the poor tablet one.  The Matildas 

and Little Wally round up the Italians, as Bumfluff is bundled into the back of a tank.

A win for the Aussies, who must now continue with the assault and take the town.  Major Dundee won`t have a chance to send Bumfluff back, so he has in effect been temporarily drafted into 7RTR for the second game.

The dunes west of Buq-Buq

On 9th December 1940 whilst Op Compass got underway in attacks on the Italian camps, 11th Hussars discovered the Italian 64th Catanazaro Division, under General Armico, well dug into the dunes west of Buq-Buq.  This was potentially a strong position, behind the salt flats, with thirty-five guns of all types covering the east and another twenty-five guns of all types covering the south. 

A hastily assembled force of 3rd Hussars, a squadron of 2nd RTR, cruisers from the 8th Hussars, along with 'B' & 'C' Squadrons of the 11th Hussars, plus a battery of 4 RHA, all under the command of Lt-Colonel John Combe (11th Hussars) attacked the Italian force. 

8th Hussars in 1939

I have some disagreement with the IABSM Op Compass Supplement, although I`m not following it directly.  From my reading 8th Hussars were almost certainly using Vickers MkVI light tanks, upgrading from these to the Honey in 1941, but 3rd Hussars may well have been in cruiser tanks, probably a mixture of A9, A10, before upgrading to the Crusader.

In action at Sidi Barani

"Combe-Force" met strong opposition from the Italian artillery, which stopped the advance of 'C' Squadron, 3rd Hussars, and knocked out many of the tanks of 'A' Squadron. The Italians were finally overwhelmed by a flank attack by 8th Hussars, along the western seaward side.

In my IABSM game "Barker Force" are tasked to cause as much damage and chaos as possible to Italian communications and supply lines around Buqbuq.  The Italians dug into the dunes are well equipped with field guns, Infantry and light tanks.  Should be an interesting fight.

"Barker" Force 

11th Hussars C Squadron

Major The Hon. Ronald Barker VC

Sergeant-Major Ronnie Corbett

2 x Rolls Royce Armoured cars

Attached from C Battery, 4th Royal Horse Artillery 

Lt Milligan 

2 x 18/25-pounder Field Gun (5 crew each) 

2 x Quad 

Attached From Rifle Brigade

1 platoon 3 sections Lt Thomas Trinder

1 MMG Northumberland Fusiliers 

Lieutenant "Bumfluff" Farthingdale 11H Commanding:

Attached Armour from 3 Hussars

2 x MkIV Light tank

Attached 2RTR  Cruisers

Lt Max Miller

4 tanks mixed A9 A10.

  

The Maletti Raggruppamento

Raggruppamento HQ

Colonele Lorenzo D’Gelato 

Staff Caravanette filled with "luxuries"

1st Platoon, IX Light Tank Battalion

3 x L3 tankette 

2nd Platoon, IX Light Tank Battalion

3 x L3 tankette 

Elements of 17th Battery, Libyan Artillery

4 x 77/28 guns (5 crew each) 

4 x Lorry 

Elements of 24th Battery, Libyan Artillery

4 x 77/28 guns (5 crew each) 

4 x Lorry 

Position HQ 

Capitano Vermicelli

1 x Rifle Section (8 men) 

1 x MMG (3 crew) 

1st Platoon, from 

4 x Rifle Section (8 men each) 

2nd Platoon, 

2 x Rifle Section (8 men each) 

Artillery from 250th & 204th Artillery Regiment 

1 x 65/17 Field Gun (4 crew) 

1 x 75/27 Field Gun (5 crew) 

1 x 105/28 Field Gun (6 crew) 

The Game

The Italian defence.  Why do I think this looks like a desert battle of the Nile?

On come 7th Armoured's blinds

I take the support group off their blind, planning to bombard with the 25pdrs and then send in the Infantry.  Turns out that the MMG does as much damage as anyone though!

The Italians are spotted.  Strong in numbers and in guns!

But first blood to the 25pdrs almost spot on.  

The British armour.  Bumfluff's Vickers tanks use their MMGs to spray down the gunners.  

But the 11th Armoured Rolls Royce gets his eye in and absolutely wallops the Italians.  12 dice, nine hits... 

About to be overrun the Italians panic and surrender.

Even at point blank range the Italians do poorly.  Put that shell in the right way around my man!

The Rolls Royce is not so unprofessional.   Ten dice six hits, of which four kills and two shock.  Exit the Italian gunners!

The light tanks and an armoured car sweep up behind the lines.  The Italian left is done for.

Adding insult to injury the Rifle Brigade charge forward into the Italian left flank.

Over on the right the Italian Commander reacts, and it isn't favourable.  Start your engines and flee...

With 7th Armoured cruiser tanks behind them the Italian right collapses.  Il Duce has had a bad day.  perhaps the "fortress" at Bardia can hold?