likes the look of the Soviet KV-1 tank, and plunges into a project to paint three of them - plus a spare KV-2 turret!
In the sixth and final turn, my Italian assault guns engage the newest group of Crusader IIIs, but because of the dust and long range, only score one hit that fails to penetrate. The sole surviving crew from my decimated Pz III platoon fails their morale test and is unable to remount.
Crusaders attack the exposed flank of my Pz III platoon, inflicting heavy casualties.
My Pz IVs fire at the leftmost Crusader IIs without effect. Action heats up on the far right flank as the recon units overrun the 25lb guns. To avoid complete disaster, a company of M3 Lee medium tanks are rushed into battle. Because they are forced to call in their emergency reserve unit, the Allied players lose bonus points.
Some surviving Crusaders engage my assault guns, forcing two crews to bail out, but inflicting no casualties.
At the end of play, victory points are totaled up and the Axis players achieve a substantial victory, outscoring the Allies 10-5. In addition to expending their reserve, the Allies lost several Valentine tanks, and most of the infantry had been whipped out. The only serious Axis losses were among the recon units, which suffered heavy casualties, and my PzIII platoon, which had almost been annihilated.
Although my forces had suffered some losses, I had been able to prevent the Crusaders from encircling the main kampfgruppe. My losses were also minimal, and I had been able to inflict significant losses on the enemy.