Operation Compass - 1st Mechili, January 1941

 Next in our Operation Compasss mini campaign was 1st Mechili, which took place on 24th January 1941. I managed to run it on 21st January 2025, so almost exactly 84 years after the event. After outflanking and breaking the Italian fortified line, Western Desert Force exploited westwards and the Italians fell back to a new line across the Cyrencian bulge, anchored at Derna on the coast and at Mechili in the desert. Mechili was a critical junction of desert tracks and much fought over. 7th Armoured Division planned to take it and then move due west to cut off the entire Italian army on the coast.

Mechili was garrisoned by units from Sabratha Division, but Italian air detected the British armoured collumns moving across the desert, and the Special Armoured Brigade under Colonel Tivoli moved to intercept Brigadier Scott-Coburns 4th Armoured Brigade. This scenario is based on the one in Frank Chadwicks 'Benghazi Handicap'.

Battlefield from the south. Mechili is the settlement in the mid left, the road to Benghazi is the one in the northwest corner. The Ras el Mechili is just visible northwest of Mechili and Hill 79 between the two tracks leading east. The North-South wadi is a significant obstacle, but can be crossed (slowly) by all units. 

The Italian defenders. A mixed unit of infantry, heavy weapons and anti-tank guns in Mechili, and in direct support III Medium and LX Light Tank battalions. Logistic units are driving down the road from Benghazi. None of these units are terribly enthusiastic. If there is no good order armour within two hexes of Mechili, the infantry will abandon the town.

The Italians had suffered loads of breakdowns, which is partly why the tank units are so weak. III Medium is the equivalent of a strong squadron. Units represent 4-6 Command Decision stands (so roughly half a normal battalion).

The rest of the Special Armoured Brigade rides to the rescue! They had been newly equipped with M13/40s to replace their obselescent M11/39s. Supposedly some of these arrived in European paint schemes as they were so new, but mine are in desert colours.

Terry and Micheal commanded the Italians, to be joined by Tim the following day.

Up front we have the good Colonel himself, plus a light recce unit with Autoblinda armoured cars. These should be Tripoli armoured cars, but as only 12 were ever made, I don't have a model of them.

Next up is V Medium Tank Bn, with two units. I only have enough M13s to use one each for the medium tank units.

Bringing up the rear are elements of 60th Bersaglieri Battalion with attached AT guns from 116th AT Co, and II Bn, 12th Artillery Regiment with 75mm howitzers. These guys have all good good morale. The Italian guns need a FOO to spot for them.

The Reggia Aeronautica also puts in an inevitable appearance. I'm randomising the air for this game, so they will arrive on the turn of a card and attack stuff across their designated bomb line, prioritising moving targets on roads (as they are easier to find).

Motoring across the desert to fight them is the might of 4th Armoured Brigade, at this stage still equipped with a very high proportion of light tanks. Like the Italians, breakdowns had thinned their ranks.

John and Jim commanded the British, initially, to be joined by Mark later on.

In the lead are 7th Hussars with a squadron of cruisers and two of Vickers Lights. I've been generous here as irl the Regiment only had a single troop of cruisers, but they did have a 2pdr portee AT battery attached and my A9 looks much nicer than a portee. As with Italians I've doubled up the light tanks but I'm using single models for the mediums. I've only got three desert scheme Vickers, but loads of BEF Vickers so I'm using some of the BEF camo ones alongside the desert ones.

Following up is a squadron of 11th Hussars with Morris armoured cars and two squadrons of 2nd RTR. These did have genuine mixed squadrons of Lights and Cruisers, but as I was so generous with 7th Hussars, I modelled it is a squadron each of Vickers and Cruisers. All the units were understrength already due to arduous desert march.

They are supported by F Battery, 4th RHA.

Bringing up the rear are the HQ and logistic elements. My trusty Dorchester, Scammell and Austin K2. Brigadier Scott-Coburn rides in a Dingo.

Finally we have the desert airforce. Like the Italians, they will be card driven. I was delighted to find my Gloster Gladiator in the aircraft box! I'm sure that will have fun with the Maachis.

7th Hussars just drove straight down the road and occupied the wadi crossing.

The Italians were just as aggressive and pushed their armour forward to meet the British.

While B squadron engaged the L3s, suppported by the 25 pdrs, the rest of 2nd RTR fanned out south along the wadi. The Italians responded in kind as the L3s returned fire and the M13s moved to cover their southern flank. Both sides discovered that MG armed tanks really aren't very effective against armoured targets, even if they are just tankettes at point blank range.

A certain degree of excitement took place when the Italian CAP clashed with the British CAP. The very first combat outing for my 1/144th Gladiator. Sadly it didn't prove to be much of a match for the Italian GR.50s and was driven off.

7th Hussars tried to assault the L3s, supported by the cruiser squadron, but the assault failed and the Vickers lights were driven off. C squadron occupied the wadi, a good hull down position, at ground level anyway. The Italian M13s contented themselves with knocking holes in the paper thin armour of the A9s.

There was much excitement in the Italian rear area as the main body of the armoured brigade rolled up. There was something of a traffic jam as they piled up the road west of Mechili. The artillery deployed on the ridge line and the medium tank battalion went cross country and crossed the Benghazi road. The Italian armoured cars moved south of Mechili, followed by the Bersaglieri while the L3s took the opportunity to reorganise.

The Desert Airforce turned up and managed to evade the Italian top cover, Maachis this time. They bombed the columns of Bersaglieri, to little effect.

2nd RTR now arrived and took up positions to the north of the main road. The armoured duel between the Italian armour and 7th Hussars continued, but B squadron reorganised.

The rest of the Italian armour moved up to support the lead units. Just visible in the distance are the armoured cars of 11th Hussars who have sneaked up from the south, but the Bersaglieri have dived into the adjacent wadi and set up their anti-tank guns, so I don't imagine they will be hanging around for long.

Italian bombers target the Vickers in the wadi. It looks impressive but only inflicted one hit. The RAF was nowhere to be seen. 

The tank battle began to go the British way as the battered L3 battalion by the wadi was destroyed, but one of the reserve M13 companies aggressively pushed forwards and occupied the wadi crossing accompanied by the Italian FOO.

More RAF bombers turned up and once again bombed the Bersaglieri who had perhaps unwisely emerged from their wadi. Fortunately it inflicted minimal damage, just chipping another hit off.

Back at the wadi III Medium Bn (M13s) succumbed to some stonking British fire, even the Vickers Lights scored some hits. The remaining M13s in the wadi poured shells into A Squadron at point blank range, which took it to five hits and it was disorganised.

The Bersaglieri reorganised while the Italian armoured cars moved back to the outskirts of Mechili.

The British now shot up the northern company of V Tank Battalion, inflicting enough hits to disorganise it.  The M13s in the wadi continued to shoot up the nearby cruisers though, and to add insult to injury the Italians bombed A squadron while they were being reorganised.

At the end of turn 7, the British still hadn't got across the wadi, but were certainly winning the tank battle.

The Italians pulled their battered M13 company back to reorganise out of range and the Bersaglieri started to dig in. There was a bit of a standoff between the British and Italian armoured cars, but the British were certainly coming off worst, perhaps reflecting their earlier dash into the middle of the Italian army.

We broke for the night at that point, game play resumed the next day when we were joined by Tim and Mark.

Turn 8 was a turn for R&R. Both sides busily resupplied their battered frontline units. The British shelled the M13s in wadi but otherwise they were largely left alone. With Mark now in charge one squadron of Vickers moved north along the wadi and parked adjacent to the Italian tanks. Jim sneaked one of his Vickers squadrons right up the towards to the northwest (it is just visible in the top right of the photo).

The Italians roeganised  both units of V Medium Tank Bn. The squadron near Mechili lost its disorder markers - a good job as the Itaalians needed to maintain at least one good order arour unit within 2 hexes of the Mechili garrison, and suddenly their tanks looked  a bit thin on the ground. They also resupplied the unit in the wadi, but the British made a mass attack. The Vickers and A13s shot in an armoured assault by the A9s!

Shot in by the 25 pdrs and despite an Italian defensive barrage, the assault succeeded and the Italian tanks were destroyed. This left their FOO rather out in a limb as well.

The Italians reorganised their defences somewhat. The artillery moved up the ridge to provide a position for the last M13 company. The Bersaglieri had finished digging in and as many supplies as possible were dumped at their positions. The Mechili garrison was rather pleased to find that some of the British tanks have moved into (long) range and proceeded to snipe at them with their 47mm AT guns.

In fact the British conducted a mass crossing of the wadi, having cleared the crossing. The Italian armoured cars were a bit brassed up and fell back to reorganise, but fire from the M13s and 75mm guns over open sight from the ridge disordered the A9 squadron. 

The Brigadiers cunning plan was to clear the Italian guns and tanks off the ridge prior to attacking Mechili.

So naturally 7th Hussars charged the outskirts of Mechili with their light tanks. 2nd RTR took the road exit to Benghazi, but their A13 squadron was blocked by the mass of light armour. Ambulance ferried away the casualties from the A9 squadron.

The delighted Italian AT gunners opened up and B Squadron, 7th Hussars was disorganised. Not wanting to miss the party, the Bersaglieri jumped on their motorcycles and roared across the desert to the southeast outskirts of Mechili, towing their AT guns with them.

Hard pounding at Mechili! The British cruiser squadrons moved up, and C squadron charged Mechili!

The assault was repulsed, although it left the garrison disorganised. With all their guns and remaining tanks in the line, the Italians furiously shot at everything in sight. The entirity of 7th Hussars became disorganised, but at least 2nd RTR had reunited its dispersed squadrons. B Squadron, 2RTR sitting on the Beghazi road, topped up on fuel and ammo before re-entering the fray. 

The British reorganised both of the battered light tank squadrons. The cruisers concentrated on the last M13s, supported by the 25 pdrs, and were fortunate in knocking them out. This in turn caused panic amongst the Mechili garrison who fled in disorder westwards hunkering down in the rough ground. B Sqadron 2RTR meanwhile crested the ridge and moved menacingly towards the Italian gun line. 

The Bersaglieri occupied the vacated town before the British could move in. 

Time was running short for the British. B Squadron, 7th Hussars assaulted Mechili shot in by the 25 pdrs and was repulsed. B Squadron 2RTR assaulted the Italian guns and were also repulsed. Both the defenders were left disorganised and weakened by the attacks however. A good turn for the Italians, as having repulsed both assaults, they then managed to knock out the A9 squadron.

On the very last turn, the British fired everything they had left at Mechili, and managed to inflict enough damage to rout the Bersaglieri. 11th Hussars drove in and occupied the town.

2RTR also managed to finally overrun the Italian guns, removing that threat.

The jubilant British however had not reckoned with the tenacity of Colonel Tivoli. Supported by the armoured cards, the Colonel led the Mechili garrison in a desperate counterattack, and despite being disorganised, managed to drive the British armoured cars back out again! What a hero.

So at game end Mechili is looking distinctly isolated, but the critical road junction is still in Italian hands. The British armour would have to laager back, but with all their armour out of action the Italians would no doubt recover what they could and slip away before dawn. 

That was a real nail biter, and came right down to the wire. I thought there might  be a bit more manouvre to be honest, but the battle did open up quite bit after the dogfight around the wadi. 

I'm happy with this iteration of the rules although I'm not 100% convinced by the randomised air support, however period appropriate it may be. I'm toying with making the attachments more like those in 5Core Brigade Commander, ie they can be reassigned and add a dice of a specific type, but I shall see. 

A very welcome contribution was from Terry, who shared this:

After last night's game I decided to re-read some of my father's letters from the desert. He was commissioned in 36 and served in 1st Field Regiment RA, 4th Indian Div, mobilising with them in 39 as a 2nd Lieutenant (with 18 pdrs). In early 41 he was a troop captain in 52nd battery with 25 pdrs, which he loved. He wrote regularly to his mother and one letter from February 41 caught my attention yesterday, about the Italians. I thought it might interest you.

"The Ites are a queer crowd. Some fight well like the Bersags, some just don't. Also they have some queer ideas. They are a treacherous lot of blighters too, coming out with hands up and then throwing hand grenades. I've seen that happen. It's no use trying to control our chaps once they see that, even if one wanted to"