Reluctant Enemies: June 21 - July 1 (Sidon Breakout and Delhomme's Counterattack)

June 21, Merdjayoun. The Australians of the 21st and 25th Brigades finally reached the town of Merdjayoun at the end of the 21st, marking the high-point of their advance. For the next week to come, the Australians only launched one, unsuccessful attack at the next Vichy objective in their sights at Hasbaya. The terrain between Safad and Merdjayoun was so insufficient for conducting an offensive that Laverack abandoned pressing the Australian brigades any further, content to have them hold the line.

The RAF rules the skies (eventually).

At Sidon, Laverack ordered another breakout attempt. Heavy bombardment of the Vichy reserves along the coast disrupted elements of the 6th Legionnaires and 6th Chasseurs, but a counter-raid out of Rayak effectively delayed another attempted crossing of the Aouale, again.

Laverack responded with a further delay of forward progress all along the line to deal once and for all with Rayak. On the 24th, dozens of RAF fighters led a fighter sweep against the Vichy base. Even with their surprise attack on the airbase, many an RAF plane was sent down in flames. Only one squadron returned unscathed, but the attack had made a success. 

A pyrrhic victory, but the Vichy interceptors are neutralized one-by-one.

With all of the Vichy interceptors aborted, all British bombers were directed to strike the Vichy base, rows of French bombers parked below. The result? A natural dr 6 on the barrage table at 22 Strength -- In a single strike, the base was reduced down to 1 level and all but 1 bomber step and 1 fighter step were left on the ground. 

On the 26th, Laverack was again ready to attempt a breakout from Sidon. With the Vichy airforce out of the picture, the British bombers again hit the Vichy reserves and managed to disorganize them. The British and Australian artillery then in turn disorganized the river defenders under concentrated fire. This achieved, Laverack sent the 6th Infantry over the Aouale. Even without any surprise achieved, a battalion of the King's Own Royal Regiment led the way and this time stayed north of the 2nd river line. In quick succession, the disorganized and displaced Vichy defenders raced helter-skelter for the rear, only reorganizing back in Damour. 

Laverack finally achieves the breakout from Sidon.

While Arlabosse was finally whipped, Delhomme, however, had one final counter-strike ready for the Indians and Free French outside Damascus. While the battalions of the 6th Infantry were busy breaking out of Sidon, the tanks of the 7th Chasseurs were busy blasting a hole in the Free French line. Accompanied by mixed colonial infantry and crack motorized troops, the Vichy counterattack along the Hejaz railway was sudden and swift. Collet's armor raced up from their reserve status in Damascus and were thrown into the path of the 7th Chasseur's advance. In a surprising armor clash between Frenchmen, Collet sacrificed his armor to allow the battalion of Free French Senegalese to fall back. The reprieve was short-lived, though. Armor and infantry reserves exploited the break in the Commonwealth line NW of Damascus and the Senegalese were shortly overrun. In a sudden turn of fortunate, the Commonwealth and Free French artillery, HQs, and line of supply were suddenly in danger of being cut off. 

Delhomme's Counterattack.

In response, Lloyd and Lengtil ordered an immediate parry and counterattack by all available forces in a pincer to reform their frontline. The gamble worked and just as the armor of the 7th Chasseurs rolled up to the reserve positions held by artillerymen and supporting recce units, the Royal Fusiliers and Free French Marines reformed the broken line, trapping 3 battalions behind enemy lines. 

By the 28th, bombers from Egypt crippled the advance of the mixed armor and infantry and the 17th Australians had taken Dimas, further extending the distance between the cutoff attackers and Delhomme's remaining battalions. On the 29th, suffering attrition, the Vichy attackers surrendered en masse. 

The 7th Chasseurs are eliminated for good.

By the 30th, with both sides beset by a lack of adequate supply, Delhomme made one final attempt at disrupting the advance out of Damascus. With a local attack by the French Marines repulsed by a battalion of levy militia, the militia launched a surprise attack on Lloyd's HQ astride the Hejaz railway. Lucky as they were, the surprise attack was repulsed and to capitalize on the overextension of Delhomme's line, elements of both the 5th Indian brigade and Lengtil's Free French division surrounded two colonial battalions positioned along the railway by taking Zebedani on the 1st of July. 

With less than two weeks to complete the offensive and break Verdilhac's defenders for good, Laverack prepares to make one final effort all along the line.