Reluctant Enemies: July 1 - July 5 (The Dash for Beirut)

July 1, outskirts of Damour. As previously plans had come together, I expected to launch another coordinated offensive against the Vichy defenders along the coast following a coordinated strike by the supporting air, naval, and artillery assets assigned to the 6th Division (and attached 23rd Infantry Brigade). As far as I was concerned, the valley advance (with its poor supply location) and the fight towards Rayak by the French and Indians were a side show. 

The Australian and British artillery take the next river line under fire.

Opening bombardments on the legionnaires and defending colonial battalions in Damour were unsuccessful, despite the supply involved. The arrival of the 23rd Infantry Brigade and fresh supplies, however, allowed for a parallel line of advance along the coast. This was to offset bloody progress against the Vichy defenders at Hasbaya and a stalemate against the Vichy defenders along the Hejaz Railway and at the foot of the Jebel Druze. Despite their irreplaceable losses, the Vichy forces under Verdilhac, Arlabosse, and Delhomme made effective use of the mountain and river lines in the path of the Laverack's three-pronged advance. 

Interestingly, it was against the last formidable force on the field (Arlabosse's -- who still commanded the core of the 6th Chasseurs and 6th Legionnaires) who served as the crack in the Vichy line. 

In Beit ed Dine, the 23rd Infantry Brigade and the armored forces of the 6th and 9th cavalry broke through the 3rd line of defense. 

Situation along the front -- July 3

With the bulk of Arlabosse's crack troops occupied at Damour, Laverack sensed opportunity and threw all caution to the wind. With enough supply to last through July 7, Laverack sent the British armor on a dash for Beirut, around the Damour defenses, supported by the 23rd Infantry Brigade on the morning of July 5.

The dash for Beirut, skirting the Damour defenses.

Without further defenders to throw into their path, the British armor rolled on Arlabosse's HQ in Beirut. Advance roadblocks were thrown up at Aley. Preceded by the entire concentration of the British air force assigned to Laverack's sector, the few defenders in Beirut were bombed out before the tanks arrived. 

Forward! Beirut lies ahead! -- Laverack sends in the armor, one last time.

With barely enough fuel in their tanks, they launched an immediate attack, managing to surprise Arlabosse, still certain the main threat had yet to make it past Damour. In the ensuing fight, Arlabosse was initially listed missing from the few stragglers fleeing north. A Bren carrier, running on mere fumes, later identified his body and those of his entourage in a side street felled by a stray shell. With a little dash and elan, Laverack had made short work of Arlabosse's HQ. 

The final Vichy counterattack.

In the ensuing assault into Damour by the remainder of the 6th Infantry, successful bombardment of the defender's positions, as well as their loss of supply led to an outright rout along the coast. The legionnaires and remainder Vichy tankers were neutralized.

When the few remaining battalions still loyal to Verdilhac and Delhomme failed to take back Beirut, the hard-fought, sudden-death victory had been finally achieved. On the verge of giving up, I had finally found a way to break through the mountain and river lines in time to achieve victory. With that, the game was won -- and swiftly packed up.

In all, an excellent game. Next OCS title on my list will be Burma. It's late here, so I won't be able to offer any further words on my first campaign game this time around, but suffice it to say this was an excellent experience. Especially since after this game, I have a much better appreciation for the OCS system.  I guess that just means I'll need to get more games on the books soon.