Campaign Series Middle East | You Tube Fan Channel

A dedicated CSME gamer already released 20 (!!) playthroughs of the lastest release from CS Legion on his YT channel and I highly recommend to visit it. He starts with all the Boot Camps and various interesting scenarios. 

Tankers Holiday | Situation Turn 4

The situation and friendly losses(!!!) at the beginning of turn 3. Not really encouraging, but that was to be expected. My next moves will reorganise my actual tactical positions, trying to draw the superior T-34 a tad closer to the objectives and hit them from the flank and/or rear. Alas, no surprise, I've dug up yet another interesting thesis - Building Guderian's Duck: Germany's Response to the Eastern Front Antitank Crisis.

Tankers Holiday | Situation Turn 3

Here they are! During the replay phase some Soviet screening units were able to snatch one of the objectives. Our reece already made out at least two T-34 Tank companies of the enemy. If you want to read about the German Defence Doctrine on the Eastern Front prior to 1943, just follow this link.

Tankers Holiday | Situation Turn 2

Here's the situation at the beginning of turn two. Recon elements ahead, naturally, to prevent any potential surprises I cannot afford to happen. Compare the old 2D map (right) with the new one (left)... Can't actually wait for EF III!

Tankers Holiday AAR | The Plan

Here's the general plan. For this engagement I'll try to keep it as simple as possible. 5./II/201 will screen the northern approaches through the woods and along the railroad. 4./II/201 and 6./II/201 will act as southern hook. The marching orders for one of the companies in the south I might delay a bit, to make sure I won't be bushwhacked in the process.

Tankers Holiday | JTCS EF II AAR

During the last few days of April 1942 both the Germans and the Russians continued to probe the enemy lines in preparation for their planned summer offensives around Kharkov. Soviet Major Grinyov's 1st Battalion/36th Tank Brigade was given the task of securing the railway sidings outside of the small village of Gotha, north east of Liptsy.

Key objective taken

Finally the enemy buckled in the centre. The whole orchards and the olive trees are on fire. No resistance supported so far from the advanced Reece sections far west.

Carnage...

That's how the Tunisian landscape looks now... The Shermans got severely punished, but some inexperienced Pz-IIIj crews also paid the price. Not much going on elsewhere. Some PzGrn. units roaming in Ernie's back; probably soon being dealt with by his remaining M-10 TD; who could say...

Behind enemy lines

Remember the Panzergrenadier Platoon I mentioned earlier? 50% of them were able to sneak through, including their APCs. In the centre the Ammo carrier was blown up by Ernie's engineers; but the munitions devastated an area of a 200m radius!

The south-west

Here's the situation in the south-west and the fruitless efforts of the Reece detachment. A platoon of Panzergrenadiere was split up, 50% made it to their assigned objectives.

Two Pz-IIIj were unlucky

Instead following orders they started a Reece on their own and got punished. One tank crew escaped the devastating shots of superbly hidden Shermans. In the centre the Panzergrenadiere made some ground and repelled the attacks of the engineers. Infantry was spotted in the south-west and suppressed by a remnant of the original Reece force.

Knocked out

More Shermans met the fate of the ones the skilled Pz-IIIj crews were able to destroy. There are however still some M-10 TD on the lose that have to be dealt with the Tigers in the south west.

Armoured clash

The main body of our tanks clashed and a few Shermans were left burning on the field. I the south another SdKfz-250/9 fell prey to a M-10 TD; the Panzergrendiere in the centre repelled an enemy Reece force.

Fw Kessler scored a hit

All over the place, especially on each others flanks the armoured and mechanized columns advance and exchange fire. The tank crew of Fw (Sgt) Kessler finished off the dreaded M-7 in the north. Recon elements came under machine gun fire from the plateau or drift in the south-west.

M10 TD, M7 Priest and M4 Shermans spotted!

The 1st recon reports came in an in the north there's a combined Sherman Tanks and M7 Priest SP group advancing. Southern group seems to be composed of M10 Tank Destroyers. Along the central approach, still hidden in a cloud of dust, a recon or armoured car column is heading my way!

Enemy spotted!

One advantage or disadvantage at desert battles is, the columns of dust that armoured and motorized columns produce. You can spot the enemy, but so does he notice your general approach... unless you employ deceptive measures and make the enemy believe an armoured column is actually approaching.

On to Tunisia!

After a short trip to East Asia and picking our respective sites at the Chinese Civil War, Ernie and I embark now on a journey to Tunisia. The date is set, February 1943, and the Panzergruppe Afrika is facing the armoured elements of the II. US Corps of General Fredenhall near Kasserine. There's the map...

Enemy at the gates!

Slowly but steadily the Republicans are approaching the eastern section of my positions in town. So far only a few skirmishes in the north around and about the woods where my scouts bumped into a reconnaissance detachment of Soviet ' advisers' with BA-10 armoured cars.

They are coming!

Not sure if the obstacles places along the eastern access into town will stop the tanks and armoured cars; but it won't be easy for them to gain access through the town. We will see how the situation develops in the next few turns around and about town.

The death ride of Panzer Zug Legion Condor

Without even firing a shot the dashing ride of the German Pzkw-II detachment was very short lived. The Soviet 'advisers' with their T-26 tanks and BA-10 armoured cars made minced meat out of them in minutes. Now it's up to the brave locals to embrace the impact of the Russian steel beasts rolling over their dug-outs.