SCENARIO 12
MERCOL AND FAWZI AL QAWUKJI
Ground
The ground is low rolling hilly countryside with gullies, boulders, scrub
patches, wadis and stone outcrops.
The dispersed insurgents are stationary in camp at the start of the game.
They will start to move as soon as the pursuers are spotted.
British Force Briefing
Mission: To capture or destroy the
irregulars.
Execution: Close in rapidly to
inflict maximum casualties on the insurgents.
If possible capture
Fawzi al Qawukji. Your force may be
split into groups with different orders under an officer or NCO.
YOU MAY NOT CROSS INTO SYRIA.
Iraqi Force Briefing
Execution:
Rearguard to delay the British, remainder to flee.
At least 1/3 of the force is to designated as rearguard.
Playing the Game
The ridges provide hull
down positions for the vehicles.
The insurgents are not
dug in but may have improvised sentry posts covering each track.
Every moving vehicle
outside the village should have a dust cloud placed behind it.
The length of this should be half the distance moved.
The dust blocks line of sight and any vehicle inside a dust cloud cannot
be seen but also cannot observe.
The tracks are regarded
as fairly good going for wheeled vehicles.
Driving across a wadi on a track at less than one third speed risks
bogging on a 1, at two thirds speed a 1 or 2 and at more than two thirds speed a
1, 2 or 3.
Off the track all
vehicles travel at half speed except in the wadis where the best speed is
walking pace for infantry.
Driving across a wadi off
a track at less than one third speed risks bogging on a 1 or 2, at two thirds
speed a 1 - 3 and at more than two thirds speed a 1 - 4.
If driving along it the risk is reduced to a 1 only.
Any vehicle that rolls a 1 rolls again d6 and overturns on a roll of 1.
Digging a vehicle out takes two men and the driver a whole turn.
The vehicle ends up in the bottom of he wadi.
The Household Cavalry had
4x4 vehicles; to reflect this they add 1 to their die rolls in negotiating wadis.
The dispersed parts of
the insurgents must concentrate on a leader figure before moving off.
They will follow the concentration plan unless the player has sent them a
message to change this. Roll a D6
for each vehicle crew; half the score rounded up is the time in turns taken for
the crew to be ready to move. The
trucks then concentrate on an officer before moving off.
Winning the Game
The Iraqis win if they get more than 2/3 off the table to Syria.
Any other result is a draw.
Historical Action
Mercol caught up with the insurgents and in a short sharp action dispersed them
with considerable loss. Because of
his orders Major Merry was not able to pursue them and finish their destruction.
Fawzi al Qawukji himself escaped and was thorn in the flesh for years to come.
Iraqi Counter Attack at Fallujah
River Crossing at Habib Shawi and Qrmat Ali