Point 171 DTO (id:#67136)
See Also: Action at Point 171 by Critical Hit
Designer: Steve Johns
Starter kit scenario?:    Deluxe scenario?:
 
Balance:
ItalianBritish (Indian)
50%

Overview:

On the second day of the assault towards Tobruk, Rommel ordered General Baldassarre’s XX Mobile Corps to advance and make contact with the Free French at Bir Hakeim. The Ariete Division on the extreme left of the formation ran into a significant Allied unit, Brigadier General Anthony Filose’s 3rd Indian Motor Brigade. The Indian Brigade had been directed to occupy a defensive position on Point 171. By dawn they had established a hasty perimeter but had not been able to lay mines or dig trenches. Even worse, half of their anti-tank guns had not yet arrived.
Attacker: Italian (X° Battaglione Carri M, and VIII° Reggimento Bersaglieri , 132 Divisione Corazzata 'Ariete')
Defender: British (Indian) (3rd Indian Motor Brigade with Brigade AT Coy, and 2nd Field Regiment, Indian Artillery, XXX Corps)  
6.5 turns
    Players: 2     OBA: None     Night: No
Unit Counts:
Squads: A:16.0 D:12.0
AFVs: A:8
M14/41 x 6
Semovente M42 da 75/18 x 2

AFVs: D:0
Guns: A:0
Mortaio da 45 Brixia x 2
D:2
OQF 25-Pounder Gun-How.
OQF 2-Pounder
OML 2-in. Mortar x 2

Victory Conditions:

Exit VP: Building Control VC: Area Control VC:
Unit Based VC: LOS Style VC: CVP Cap:
Misc Rules: Light Dust (F1.71), Hex 30Q6 is Hillock Summit (F6.6)
Overlays: H2 S3 S5
Errata (source)
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Scenario info

Last Played:
DateReporterOpponentBal.ResultTimeComments
2026-06-11(D) Paolo Cariolato vs Federico Corso Italian win6 hrsIn DftB Point 171, playing the British against Fred, I chose a reverse slope defence on the hillock: the 88 hidden on the position, the 40L farther back, and the ATRs covering the sangars and foxholes at close range. The idea was to avoid revealing the GUNs too early, since with Italian vehicles moving, vehicular dust and Light Dust, long-range three-dice shots did not look very attractive. The logic was not wrong, but I applied it too cautiously: I let the Italian tanks and infantry get too close, and they reached my line almost together, without being properly separated, except partially on my right flank. At that point the defence stopped being orderly and became a close-range brawl around the sangars and foxholes. The GUNs still did their job: the 88 killed two tanks, while the 40L killed two more and shocked another; there was also a very ASL moment when an overconfident Italian SPG came too close to the Indian infantry and was destroyed in melee. However, the early breakdown of the MMG and mortar from Turn 2 hurt badly, reducing my firepower against the Italian infantry, while the ATRs wasted huge chances: two adjacent underbelly hits with no effect, plus three more close-range shots that achieved nothing. The Italian tanks in my rear were also a major problem, not only because they threatened the positions, but because they caused failure to rout situations and the capture of broken squads, speeding up the collapse of the defence. Even so, the game was still alive on Turn 5: I still controlled four well-scattered foxholes, but with no GUNs left and two tanks plus one SPG still running, the Italians probably had enough strength to finish the job. The technical lesson is fairly clear: in this scenario the British probably need to start firing earlier, not necessarily to destroy everything at long range, but to slow the Italians down, separate tanks from infantry, create friction and disrupt the timing of the attack. I also really liked the Dust rules: they add uncertainty without slowing the game too much, and they force you to think less mechanically about range, movement and fire opportunities. Good scenario overall, but next time I start shooting earlier. Even in the dust.
2025-06-28(A) Tuomo Lukkari vs Lauri Mattila Italian win
View all or balance report
ActionDate
cosarara Added a playing2026-06-12 08:08:19
asloser Added a playing2025-06-28 14:08:36
peacmyer Rated the scenario2025-06-27 04:10:50
Hutch Linked the scenario to ROAR2025-05-22 19:27:34
Hutch Modified the misc. rules2025-03-25 17:28:10
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Statistics:
Avg Rating: 7.33Votes: 3
Views: 0
To-Play list count: 0
Estimated Play time: 6.5 hours
Recorded Games: 2
Archive recorded plays:
Italian2
British (Indian)0
Drawn:0

ROAR Data: (as of today)
Point 171 [Confirmed]
[A] British 0
[D] Italian 2
All Rights Reserved. (c)2022 Dave Ramsey.