625 - Another Bolt Action Desert Game

...but only a quick write-up this time. 

(My two new Bren Carriers. Caunterrific!)

Last week, my Sikhs played Guy's Italians again: we went for a late-1941-ish theme at 2000 points. 

The table. All these pics are from my side, the bottom long edge.

I went for two platoons including (by prior arrangement) my Churchill I in its first outing; Guy - for fun - actually rocked up with some sort of Italian tank platoon of sure-and-certain machine-gunny death: four M14/41s plus a Semovente SPG. 

Turn 1 - arriving. Note the M14/41s heading toward my left flank!

We had a late start and there were quite a few distractions around us, so with quite a few order dice on the table we didn't get to play more than four turns; more tellingly, I didn't get to take many pictures. Still, here are the bulk of them:

Left; turn 2 or 3. There was absolutely sod-all I could do against
those M14/41s, and my brave Boys team got slaughtered as soon
as they stopped going 'down'. 

Right; same turn. I fared better against the unholy trio of  M14/41,
 command tank and Autoblinda  armoured car heading my way,
but I was still a little unlucky with my armour penetration.

In the centre, my Churchill performed...okay...ish, but I was at
least lucky with my medium mortar (left), which hit the Italian
SPG with its first round and destroyed it with the second.

 ...and these are the right-flank workhorses. Unlike the left flank,
here I actually had some chance. Mind you, it didn't help when
the Humber succumbed to a lucky AT rifle shot...  

So that's that, for this game at least.

Thoughts? - well, I was always going to struggle with an infantry-heavy list against a five-tank, anti-personnel tank platoon(!) but at least I managed to lay a bit of hurt down in the centre of the enemy line. 

My Churchill was predictably a bit 'meh' for its points cost (I now have an M3 Lee to take my Desert Rats into 1942...that's for another post) but my FOO and my trusty medium mortar did Sterling work - even the 25pdr was more useful than it usually is!

I think I need to get back to smaller, more narrative games again. 

For now, though, fly casual.

- D.