The Australians take advantage of a strong leader draw (a 10-0-2 and 10-2-1) for the (immobile) 2/23rd Battalion to eschew occupation of all but one of the entrenchments to set up a three-hex firing line aimed at German occupied entrenchment hex 1718. The mobile attacking companies (four) set up as per instructions.

German reinforcements arrive on turn one.

The first four turns center on repeated heavy DF by the "firing line" vs. the German entrenchment at 1718 and approach of three/four of the mobile companies. One company moves SW ultimately to make an approach/assault of S3(hex 2214). The Australians appear primed for battle double-demoralizing an entrenched HMG. Repeated morale failures allow Australian units to avoid OF whilst German units recover. German reinforcing units manage to assist and block the advance temporarily. German OBA and (single) mortar are unable to crack the firing line units.

Middle turns see German successes with OBA and DF bestowing DIS/DEM, but on the other hand, German counter-attack assaults (three) by the reinforcing units all go against the 104th MIR (i.e. despite assaults undertaken with German side on a higher attack col). The panzer III platoon is taken down on two separate assault turns (the accompanying INF having been DEM and fled). On the other hand, however, an Australian counter-assault likewise goes backwards. Still, by turn 11-12, the battle looks very good for the Australians.

The Germans wake up around 2200, by rolling three sequential first-fire 6's: ultimately, the defending units (including an ENG) account for 8 steps of Australian infantry. Entrenchment 1718 extracts a very high toll against Australia's finest.

German OF and OBA slows, but does not stop the flanking attack and a company of Australian infantry assault a single German INF platoon and the 37mm gun that had self-moved to reinforce.

End of Scenario tally: Australians capture one entrenchment hex, S3(2214). Despite the odds, Germans hold 1718 (with a dozen Knight's Crosses awarded!) Germany 14 step losses (four of which are the PzIIIG counting double) Australia 23 step losses.

This was an enjoyable, but frustrating for the Allies, 5-session, face-to-face play-through with the redoubtable, and rapidly-learning, Tubac52 leading the defending German side in yet another of the interminable series of Siege of Tobruk "over the top and take the entrenchment" scenarios. I played the attacking Australians & British who randomly drew a very poor set of random leaders. We played with the defense-favoring FOW optional rule, as well as the excess initiative and smoke-illumination optional rules.

My lucky opponent managed a much better leader draw and the Axis reinforcements appeared on the second turn. This is an odd-scenario, as the initial fighting consisted of firing from one set of entrenchments at another. The encounter rapidly degenerated into a die rolling contest, punctuated by the occasional Australian success in taking a position only to lose it in the inevitable German counter attack, while trying to recover morale. The S3 entrenchment in hex 2214 traded hands twice. At one point the Germans had lost 3 of their posts, but two were eventually recaptured in close assaults. Fortunately for the Aussies, the only German tank platoon was eliminated in turn 14 by a pair of successful close assaults, but at the cost of 3 steps of overextended & exhausted Digger infantry. As others have reported, the entrenchment in hex 1718 was a very hard nut for the Australians to try to crack. The sky high German morale was a key factor in this scenario, as was the impact of fighting at night.

By the end of our last session of this play-through, the Allies had only managed to take and hold a single entrenchment, and at an unacceptable (24 steps and 6 leaders) cost. The Germans lost only 16 steps and 4 leaders. Twelve of the 27 turns were FOW-shortened, which hurt the attacking Allies far more than the defenders, by derailing the attack sequence. This was a hard-fought German victory, won by a determined and gracious opponent.