Sorry for being a bit lax in posting these. The Friday Night Fights go on with a slightly curtailed group. Only 10 playing this week. A clash from the best of friends that features Americans asleep in their beds when the Germans fall upon them.

I played this one years ago at a tournament but had to leave before the end which was a pity as with 2 turns to go I'd generated 3 heroes. Manning mmgs they turned stone buildings into open ground....

Von Arnim Unloads — ASL Starter Kit Scenario S107

Near Sedjenane, Tunisia — 26 February 1943

Three players gathered around a sprawling hex map to refight one of the lesser-known engagements of the North Africa campaign. The scenario depicts Division von Manteuffel's Operation AUSLADUNG, a German thrust in northern Tunisia designed to exploit the weakening of Allied lines following the disaster at Kasserine Pass.

On the Axis side, one player — dressed for the occasion in an Italian Bersaglieri uniform, complete with the corps' iconic plumed helmet — directed the Italian forces, while his partner in a Captain America t-shirt commanded the Germans. The Bersaglieri costume was an inspired choice: that elite light infantry corps fought extensively in North Africa and would have been right at home at Sedjenane. Facing them across the table, the author controlled the Allied defense: elements of the French Corps franc d'Afrique and the British 139th Brigade, 46th Division.

The Allied Defense Holds

The French and British won a hard-fought defensive victory, retaining control of the critical tN4 hex area when the final turn ended. The key to the Allied success was discipline and terrain — the French in particular proved maddeningly elusive, falling back through orchards, threading between village buildings, and melting into open fields just as German units closed in for the kill. The Germans burned turn after turn chasing them down, never quite landing the decisive blow needed to clear the objective zone.

The Allied mortar section was the unsung hero of the battle. Firing from a protected position, it provided long-range suppression that disrupted German formations and forced costly rerouting of the Axis advance. Against infantry in the open, even a single mortar can dictate the tempo of an attack — and here it did exactly that.

The Italians fought with determination, pushing forward and actually cutting the road — a genuine tactical achievement. But it was too little, too late. With the German main effort stalled and the clock running out, the Italian gains on the flank couldn't compensate for the failure to break through to the objective.

Named leaders on both sides — the German 9-1 Lt. Tichy, French 8-1 Sgt. Argent, German 7-0 Col. Pfeiffer — fought hard, but in the end the terrain and French elusiveness favored the defense. Operation AUSLADUNG failed, just as it did historically.

A well-played Allied victory — and the Bersaglieri uniform was a fantastic touch, even if its wearer ended up on the losing side.