Falklands Panhards and Scorpions AAR

Howdie.

I recently ran a small "what if" type scenario for the Falklands.  After the series of successful (but costly) British hill assaults, the Argentine forces have retreated towards (Port) Stanley.  They hope to reform defensive positions, stall for time, and see if the upcoming storm season stalls the British drive. 

Really, I just was looking for a reason to work my 2 Panhard AML 90s into a game.

All of the stats and rules came directly from Seek Out Close With and Destroy

This was a small game, with the various squads on both sides suffering from attrition.  The first two turns would occur in the low light conditions of pre-dawn, meaning a heavy fire penalty for everyone (except the Scorpions).  The Argentine infantry were considered fragile, meaning every time they were pinned they had a chance of disbanding.  Also, the Panhards were likely to bog if they traveled off road.

The table does not represent any specific part of Stanley, it is just meant to represent the change from the rocky slopes to the town..

from the Argentine left flank, looking towards British descending from the hills

from the outskirts of Port Stanley, looking towards the hills

 

from the British positions, looking towards Stanley

The initial 2 turns saw the Argentine units (instead of falling back into the town) move forward to take up positions amidst the stone runs/rock streams.  The darkness and stones helped protect both sides, but casualties began to mount.  An Argentine AT rifle grenade missed a Scorpion.  The British had an advantage in firepower.

Argentine units suffer casualties

the Scorpions obliterate this Argentine unit

Sunrise occurred on turn three, meaning the cover of darkness disappeared, and both sides anticipated increased casualties.  The Panhards also moved on board, tied to the road.  One Panhard moved slightly offroad for a better firing position and promptly bogged... but it was (unfortunately for the British) still combat capable.

plenty of targets to the fore

both Panhards on table

BOGGED!

The thing about those Panhards is that their 90mm gun works wonders when it hits lightly armored vehicles... about this time the focus of the battle shifted from the infantry fight to the armored fight

the first Scorpion is destroyed by an AML 90

the remaining Scorpion promptly scores a hit... immobilizing and damaging this Panhard, but failing to destroy it

the bogged Panhard returns fire, and destroys the other Scorpion

The Argentines by this time had suffered heavy casualties, though no unit had disbanded after being pinned.  At this stage of the game, they had 4 infantry left (one of which was double pinned).

Having no choice, the British AT team (Carl Gustav) boldly advanced in the open to make a shot at the immobilized Panhard on the road.

Carl Gustav team in upper right corner, targeting Panhard on left on road... shed blocks LOS from the bogged Panhard to the AT team

When the AT team hit, the Panhard was destroyed.

 

destroyed AML 90 (the Argentine infantry on the hill are casualties)

The bogged Panhard put effective fire back up the hill, and knocked out the British GPMG team.  With that shot, the Argentine commander conceded the game.

This was a tough game for both sides.  The British infantry definitely performed better (they did have fire power advantages) but still suffered about 10 casualties (figure 1 kia, 3 wia, 6 stunned or lightly wounded).  The Argentine infantry suffered about 25 casualties (figure 3 kia, 6 wia, 16 stunned or lightly wounded).  However, the loss of both Scorpions was unexpected ( the Panhards had better rolls for firing, the Scorpions would have generally been more accurate with their fire ), making up somewhat for the infantry losses.

Still, with the other Panhard bogged in such a way it could not see any of the British infantry, it was effectively "out of the game."

The Argentine defenders had failed to effectively resist the British advance... but the British had suffered heavier than anticipated losses.  Our assessment was a tactical victory for the British, but close enough it might convince the Argentine commanders to continue fighting.