Historical Background: Philippe de Hauteclocque, alias Colonel Leclerc, arrived in Chad in November 1940 with the aim to launch offensive operations against Italian troops. Immediately, he wanted to strike a decisive blow by the capture of the oasis of Kufra in south-east of Libya. With less than 250 soldiers, a single 75mm mountain gun and some worn trucks, he crossed the desert to reach the Italian oasis. The first battle was against the "Compagnia Sahariana di Cufra", a motorized unit and was a success. So the Italian garrison was isolated surrounded by the Free french. Besieged during 10 days in the fort El Tag, the garrison was demoralized. A last bluff by Colonel Leclerc entering alone in the fort to force the Italians to capitulate was a success : the 1st of March 1941, the whole Italian garrison surrendered. The day after, Colonel Leclerc swore the famous oath of Kufra to his soldiers : "Swear not to lay down arms until our colors, our beautiful colors, float on the Strasbourg Cathedral."
The stage is set, the battle lines are drawn, and you are in command. The rest is history.
Briefing: Axis player [Italy] 4 Command cards.
Allied player [Free French] 6 Command cards. You move first.
Conditions of Victory: 6 medals.
El Giof and the main hexagon of the airfield are each a permanent medal objective for both players.
The four hexes of Fort El Tag form a Temporary Majority Medal Objective worth 1 Medal for whoever controls El Tag.
As the Axis player is in control of Fort El Tag and El Giof at the start of the battle, thus starting with 2 (temporary) medals.
Special Rules: Use "Royal Italian Army" rules (Nations 6 - Royal Italian Army) to all Axis units. Badges are not required.
Use "Specialized Units" rules (Troops 2 - Specialized Units) to all Allied infantry units except the mortar unit. It represents motorized infantry. Badges are not required.
Use "Special Asset Weapon" (SWAs 1) and "Mortar" (SWAs 3) to the Allied unit with mortar badge.
Patrol Cars rules are in effect (Troops 19 - Long Range Patrol Cars) for the "Sahariana di Kufra" unit.
Oasis Recovery rules are in effect (Actions 10 ? Oasis Recovery).
"Barrage" card is not used in this scenario, if taken plays it as "Firefight" card.
Scenario Bibliography: - Magazine Les années 40 n°41 - La légende de Leclerc. - 39/45 Magazine - Forces Françaises Libres. - Magazine Connaissance de l'Histoire n°30 - La 2ème DB au combat. - Magazine Ligne de Front n°12 - article : Koufra, la victoire symbolique.
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