Blunder at Tel Fakhar - 6/5/67 - DAR (solo vs. A/I)

[berto]

TURN #5



Yes! The close assault succeeds! Good-bye to those pesky ATGs!

[berto]

TURN #5

The wide swing around the Syrian right proceeds. My hunch was correct: There don't seem to be many Syrians in this sector. I bring up Shermans, halftracks, unload passengers, then ...



D@mn! A hidden Syrian RCLR unit at Tel Aziziat (turquoise circle) blows away my halftracks (red circle)!

Still, not too bad. The halftracks were empty. It could have been worse, I could have lost both halftracks and passengers.

[berto]

TURN #5

I bring up still more tanks and halftracks, and successfully unload another mechanized infantry platoon in the safety of the downslope west of Tel Aziziat.

On the right, with the ATGs out of the picture, tanks and infantry approach the orchards south of Zaoura.

Turn 5 reinforcements arrive -- more Shermans, a battalion HQ, a mortar unit -- and head off to support the left. (That's it. No more Israeli reinforcements after this.)

The situation at the end of Turn 5, first Side A (Israeli) phase:



Wow! Isn't that dramatically different! Compare with the situation last turn, even more so the situation at Turn 3.

And get this: In Total Point Loss, the two sides are now even (6 SP losses, 28 Total Point Loss, Israel; vs. 7 SP losses, 28 Total Point Loss, Syria).

In the latest screenshot, I have moved up entrucked artillery pieces (green circles) that were increasingly to totally out of range.

The battalion HQs (turquoise circles; also on trucks) are advancing forward too.

For the M3 Mk. D mobile 120mm SP Mortars, I had toggled ON Save AP's for Firing. At their destination hex, I target the Syrian ATGs newly revealed at hex 39,15 (right magenta circle).

With the rest of my long-range artillery, I pinpoint target Tel Aziziat (left magenta circle). I will destroy the RCLRs there with my artillery if I can. With forces nearby now able to performing spotting functions, there shouldn't be any scatter.

On the Israeli left, I have committed a half dozen M50 & M51 Sherman platoons. If and when Tal Aziziat falls, a breakout into the Syrian rear looks increasingly possible. The front door to Tel Fakhar looks to be locked tight. So try the rear door. Why not?

[berto]

TURN #5

Moving on to the Side B (Syrian) phase, much action, many Israeli losses. Let's get right to it.



A disastrous Syrian artillery strike! Terrible bad luck. It happens. [:(]

[berto]

TURN #5

Concealed Syrian infantry at hex 25,12 (turquoise circle) direct fire at their Israeli counterparts, hex 23,12 (magenta circle), disrupting them.



Oh well, so Tel Aziziat is well defended after all. Foolish to think otherwise.

Then:



The RCLRs at Tel Aziziat (turquoise circle) slam the Israelis (red circle), scoring 1 SP hit.

It was a costly, careless mistake my unloading those halftracks in a clear hex northwest of Tel Aziziat. Better if I'd done it at either of the two protected yellow hexes (where in fact I did unload halftracks successfully). But I was trying to encircle Tel Aziziat. You win some, you lose some. Here I lost.

[berto]

TURN #5

RCLRs (? or perhaps ATGs?) at Tel Fakhar (turquoise circle) direct fire at 2nd Platoon across the way (red circle), scoring 1 SP hit, and disrupting it.



Not surprisingly, Tel Fakhar itself is well defended too.

[berto]

TURN #5

Still more disaster on the right. The Syrian ATGs at hex 39,15 (turquoise circle) direct fire at the Israeli infantry in the orchard upslope, scoring 2 SP hits. They fire again, scoring another 1 SP hit, and force a retreat. A third direct fire forces the battered Israelis back to the Rough hex to the SE.



Making matters worse, with that final retreat of 1st Platoon, I have lost my spotting there. Subsequently, the artillery fire I have directed against those ATGs will scatter.

7 infantry SPs and 3 halftrack SPs lost in this Turn 5. Brutal! Is there any answer to this?

[berto]

TURN #6

There is.

As Turn 6 opens, artillery fire directed at Tel Aziziat results in:



With a subsequent Israeli artillery strike:



Thanks and praise to the guys manning the big guns!

[berto]

TURN #6

The situation at the beginning of Turn 6, first Side A (Israeli) phase:



I might have to commit my Shermans (the Israeli infantry being just a bit too far away), but Tal Aziziat is mine for the taking.

I still have a real fight on my hands. I took heavy losses last turn, but they were all infantry. My tank forces are still largely intact.

All in all, and especially with the imminent fall of Tel Aziziat, things are looking up. I do need to even the SP loss balance, though.

[berto]

TURN #6

Tel Aziziat falls!



The action sequence:

[*]1st Platoon, Gimel Company moves into Rough hex 24,13 (yellow circle). From there, it fires at the RCLRs at hex 25,14 (magenta circle), disrupting them, and forcing them to retreat one hex to the south.
[*]In a rather risky move, but in order to divert the RCLRs away from the tanks, M3 Mk. A Halftracks move upslope to hex 24,14 (blue circle). Neither the RCLRs nor the Syrian infantry opfire. The halftracks direct fire at the RCLRs, forcing them to retreat again one more hex to the south.
[*]1st Tank Platoon advances upslope to hex 24,15 (green circle). They direct fire at the RCLRs at pointblank range, destroying the Syrian guns (red circle).
[*]With the RCLR threat now eliminated, 2nd Tank Platoon races up and around the road and seizes Tal Aziziat (turquoise circle).

First objective taken. Good job, guys!

[berto]

TURN #6

The left wing rear echelon arrives. The immediate aim is to destroy the Syrians around Tel Aziziat (turquoise circle). After that, advance on Tel Fakhar from the west and northwest. I have six tank platoons for the advance, all of them still at full strength and highest morale.

I face tough situations at the center and on the right. At each of the yellow circled hexes, ATGs or RCLRs are poised to strike me hard if I am so bold as to come out into the open. Too little gain, lots of pain pushing up the center. So I load up on mobile transports (halftracks) and carefully shift forces rightward. The plan is to assemble around those orchards, and attack the bunkers, one by one, directly from the south. With the infantry leading the way, and paying better attention to LOS this next time.

The situation at the end of Turn 6, first Side A (Israeli) phase:



With the capture of Tel Aziziat, my Total Points jump upward.



I'm still far short of a Draw, much less a Minor or Major Victory. I won't win this fight destroying Syrians. It's Tel Fakhar or bust!

[berto]

The scene at Tel Aziziat, in 3D:

[berto]

TURN #7

By occupying Tel Aziziat with just a single tank platoon last phase, I risked Syrian artillery fire and/or direct ground fire driving the tanks out, vacating the hex so that the Syrians could move right back in again. Fortunately, that did not happen.

The situation at the beginning of Turn 7, first Side A (Israeli) phase:



In their just concluded phase, the Syrians managed to score 2 SP hits against the Israeli tanks in and just west of Tel Aziziat (red circles). Lucky for me, there were no Israeli retreats.

Even more lucky, as Turn 7 opened, my artillery scored 6 SP hits against Syrian targets, including at least one RCLR. My Total Points have broken through the 200 Major Defeat threshold for the very first time.

Massed artillery fire against well spotted targets -- it's key to winning this scenario.

Boldness -- another key? Those two Israeli tank platoons to the southeast of Tel Fakhar (turquoise circles) -- they are not well suited for the impending attack up and through the orchards. Better, I think, to send them on a flanking attack around the Syrian left. If I am really lucky, there are little if any prepared Syrian defenses around Zaoura and east of Tel Fakhar. If I am extraordinarily lucky, I can bag some HQs, artillery pieces, and transports in the Syrian rear, and attack Tel Fakhar from both the west and northwest and also from the east.

Of course, I might be mistaken, and more Syrian anti-tank guns might be lying in wait. Those halftracks (turquoise circles) will scout ahead of the tanks, just in case.

Time to gamble on a win ...

[berto]

TURN #7

There's luck. Then there's ... utter stupidity:



Forgetting to toggle elevations ON (hot key '.'), I moved my halftracks to the east and northeast. Suddenly, the ATGs at hex 39,15 (turquoise circle) blasted away at the exposed halftracks, destroying three of them at hex 44,17 (red circle to the right). [:(]

It gets worse. I directed fully loaded halftracks to move up and across the slope to hex 39,18 (yellow circle). Rather than plot the move myself through the orchards hex by hex, I let the A/I plot the route. Of course the A/I plotted the fastest route, up the road and ... BAM! Hidden ATGs at hex 37,14 (green circle) opfired at the halftracks, obliterating them and also their passengers (left red circle).

Recall the name of this scenario: Blunder at Tel Fakhar. I have just made two of them!

[berto]

TURN #7

At Tel Aziziat, I press the assault.

On the right, badly bloodied, I grimly push onward.

The situation at the end of Turn 7, first Side A (Israeli) phase:



This battle has taken a sudden, awful turn for the worse. 9 SPs lost in a single disastrous phase. I don't foresee how I draw this one, much less win it. D@mn those Syrian long-range guns! [:@]

[berto]

TURN #8

Israeli artillery fire again got the job done: scored some SP hits, and drove away the defenders (magenta circle, screenshot following). Prying the Tel Fakhar back door open.

The situation at the beginning of Turn 8, first Side A (Israeli) phase:



Syrian infantry is drifting north and northwest in response to the Israeli presence around Tel Aziziat. Of course I no longer have forces in the center to exploit that.

[berto]

TURN #8

On my right, I continue the flanking maneuver, paying careful, careful attention to possible exposure to enemy LOS.

Northeast of Tel Aziziat, I assemble my assault group. Upslope, just over 1 KM distant -- Tel Fakhar!

The situation at the end of Turn 8, first Side A (Israeli) phase:



Alas, I am beginning to outrun my rear area artillery support. The selected unit, at the hot spot hex 8,14, is a 120mm Tampella heavy mortar (in the screenshot above, with its ranGe toggled ON (hot key 'g'):





I should add: My rear area heavy artillery are all fixed. I can't move them forward!

[berto]

TURN #8

On to the Side B (Syrian) phase.

Here I dodged a bullet, literally:



Syrian RCLRs moved up from hex 31,13 (green circle). M50 Shermans (turquoise circle) opfired at the advancing RCLRs, disrupting them, and driving them off (to magenta circle). Without that lucky opfire shot, the RCLRs would have been perfectly positioned to blast those two Shermans.

[berto]

TURN #9

As Turn 9 opens, an amazingly lucky Israeli artillery hit:



5 Syrian SP losses in just one artillery barrage!

[berto]

TURN #9

Another Israeli artillery strike reduces, disrupts, and retreats some more Syrian infantry (red circle, screenshot following).

The situation at the beginning of Turn 9, first Side A (Israeli) phase:



With all of these (unanswered) Syrian losses, I have made up for the disastrous Israeli losses suffered two turns ago. Total Points are back up to 210. Without the massive Israeli losses in Turn 7, the TP count would by now be up to ~250, well on the way towards a Draw. As it is, I am now just barely out of Major Defeat. I have a long way to go yet before I can Draw this thing.