Hans Von Luck North Africa

7/31/2019 Hans Von Luck North Africa

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MajorHan

svonLuck

GerMan

Arrived: February 1941 Regiments: 5. Panzer, 104. SchtzenOperations and Battles: Sonnenblume, Brevity, Skorpion, Battleaxe, Sommernachtstraum, Crusader, Teseus, Venezia,Aida, Brandung,Second Alamein, Mersa El Brega, Buerat,Morgenlut, Sturmfut, Capri, El Hamma.

21. Panzerdivision

5. Leichte Division arrived in North Arica with Rommelin 1941, and led his rst oensive across Libya. Soon aterit was renamed 21. Panzerdivision. Te division was basedaround 5. Panzerregimentand 104. Schtzenregiment. Georgvon Bismarck, one o Rommels most competent and daringcommanders, led the division or most o 1942.

It was 21. Panzerdivision that broke through the GazalaLine in June 1942, opening a supply route to the trapped

Arikakorps. A week later, the division scattered the British at

El Adem and Sidi Rezegh, and on 20 June 1942 Bismarcksmen entered the ortress o obruk. Te division spearheadedthe advance on the Nile, but by July 1942 the division wasexhausted, and the oensive petered out at El Alamein.

21. Panzerdivision acted as a re brigade ormation duringJuly 1942, racing rom one place to another to halt theBritish attacks. 21. Panzerdivision led the August oensive

which was stopped at Alam Hala. Te death o Bismarck inaction at this time was a huge blow to the division.

In October 1942 the division became embroiled in erce tankbattles to halt the British in the Second Battle o Alamein. By3 November 1942, ater a week o ghting, the division hadbeen virtually destroyed. It regained strength as it retreated

on its supply base at ripoli, and by February 1943 was backin orm when it smashed the inexperienced Americans atKasserine Pass.

Hans-Ulrich von Luck und Witten was born into a amilywith a long military history, including service with Frederickthe Great in the Eighteenth Century. Von Luck joined theGerman Army in 1929 and was quickly appointed to the

newly-created Panzerwae, or Armoured Force.

Hans von Luck began 1942 transitioning rom the EasternFront just outside Moscow with the 7. Panzerdivision, to the

Arican Front with the21. Panzerdivision. His presence cameat the personal request o General Rommel, commander othe Arikakorps, and his old divisional commander duringthe battle or France. He let the ront lines in late January tomake the long, arduous journey back to Berlin. From Berlin,von Luck travelled to Rome via train and ew to Crete,

which the Fallschirmjgerhad taken the year beore.

Te last leg o the trip to Derna was made in a Junker 52

transport plane. It wasnt until the rst week o April 1942that von Luck rst saw the Arican desert.

Von Luck was rushed to headquarters where he held a briediscussion with General Rommel and was debrieed by hisChie o Sta, General Gause. Ater being brought up tospeed about the Arican campaign, he immediately travelledto his troops o the 3rd Panzer Reconnaissance Battalion.His direct orders were given by the divisional commander.For the time being, the battalion was charged with recon-naissance and security o the southern ank.

Over the next several weeks, von Luck became acclimatedwith desert conditions as well as his troops. Finally, on 26

May, Operation Venezia began. Te battalion travelledthrough the night toward their objective, which was thecoastal road east o obruk. Te goal was to block the coastroad and secure the ank o the Arica Corps. It wasnt longinto 27 May when the division came under attack romnewly arrived Grant tanks, most likely with the 3 rd Royalank Regiment. Suddenly spotted by the Grants, the bat-talion came under heavy re.

Von Luck ran rom his vehicle toward the Pak38 anti-tank

guns, in order to coordinate a deence. Amid the shelling, hewas blasted to the ground with a severe leg injury. Largelysustained by morphine, von Luck still retained commandor the next ve days, issuing orders rom the back o aKubelwagen.

Finally, ater ve days, medical orderlies ordered von Luckback to Derna as the wound became inected. From Derna,he travelled via hospital ship on to Germany or severalmonths o recovery.

Here he got a chance to meet other wounded men returningrom Russia as well as witness the air war and its eects onGerman cities. It was not until August that he was nallyreleased as t or limited combat duty. He immediately ewback to Derna and was once again on Arican soil.

Major Hans von LuckBy Erik Mozolik


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Hans von LuckMajor

By chance, von Luck again arrived mere weeks beore another

oensive, this time at the El Alamein position just outsidethe Egyptian border. Te Arica Corps had tried severaldays prior to crack the position, but ailed miserably. Uponmeeting with Rommel and Gause to be brought up to speed,they both indicated that a lack o supplies and British RAFair superiority sealed the ate o the assault. At this point inearly September, there was a lull in the ront lines, as bothsides consolidated positions and gathered reinorcements.

Von Luck travelled via plane to the Siwa oasis, on the southerntip o the German lines. Here his 3rd Panzer ReconnaissanceBattalion was again charged with ank security. Whilethe battle at El Alamein is considered a main event in the

desert war, the recon battalion actually took no major partin the battle, as it was so ar removed to the south. Oncethe Commonwealth troops punctured the Axis lines and theretreat began, the battalions job o ank security bore moreimportance.

Montgomery continued to utilize his now superior RAF toharass the Axis orces retreated west along to costal highwayand use his armour in a hook to the south to cut them o.Rommel remained one step ahead, and eventually led hisbroken army back to unisia to join von Arnim and his newarrived Fith Panzer Army.

Upon arriving in unisia, Rommels army secured new posi-tions, and von Lucks battalion was charged with deendingthe area south o Homs and ripoli. Von Luck had anothermeeting with Rommel on New Years Eve, 1942. Rommel

was concerned that the Americans, with vast amountso resources and resh troops, posed a bigger threat in the

west. He moved the remainder o the 21. Panzerdivision tosouthern unisia to rest in anticipation o an American moverom the Atlas Mountains. Rommel gave him command otwo additional battalions o reconnaissance troops to stienresistance.

In late January von Lucks new recon group was ordered

to assault and capture the French ort o Foum ataouine.Designed to be a quick strike, the recon orces were sent tosack the ort and return to the saety o their lines.

Halway to the ort however, Allied air supremacy becamepainully apparent. British Hurricanes ound the Axis troopsand commenced attack, and on the rst run destroyed theanti-aircrat platoon beore it could re a shot. Te secondrun saw the destruction o an anti-tank platoon. Nearlyhelpless, the Axis troops radioed or air support, whichnally showed up over an hour later ater several vehicles

were shot up. Although the ort was taken without incident,Allied supremacy in Arica was now becoming apparent.

Upon returning to Axis lines and a debrieng with GeneralGause, von Luck became aware o the next oensive, thistime aimed at the newly arrived Americans. Rommel consid-ered the operation promising due to the lack o experience o

the American orces. It was to be conducted by the 10. and

21. Panzerdivisions and assorted Axis support units.

Te 21. Panzerdivision attacked American positions in theFaid pass on 1 February 1943. Te Axis took the pass and1,000 American POWs. Ater a week or two o rest, thesame panzer division turned north, and dealt a blow to theUS 2nd Armored Division, taking the town o Gasa, 1,600prisoners, and destroying 150 tanks.

In the wake o the assault, von Lucks recon battalion wasrushed orward to take the Kasserine pass and hold it openor advancing Axis units. Tis was the rst time he met

American military units, and it made a lasting impression on

him. Te American troops, although largely inexperienced,were amply equipped and supplied. He would nd out laterin Italy and France that the Americans had overcome theirinexperience and become an eective ghting orce.

Te thrust north came to a standstill with the Axis withdraw-ing back to the Kasserine Pass. In the beginning o Marchvon Luck had his nal meeting with Rommel in Arica

who ew back to Germany or a sta meeting with Hitler.Colonel-General von Arnim took control o Army Group

Arica. At the end o the month he sent or von Luck, whowas also scheduled to be sent back to Germany. In its deaththroes, Army Group Arica was being let to die by the high

command. Rommels nal appeals did nothing to change theact. In desperation, von Luck was chosen to y to Fuhrerheadquarters to lay beore Hitler a plan or evacuation.

Tus began the long journey back home, to several meetingswith senior ofcers and Hitler himsel. Along the way, vonLuck made his report to Field Marshall Kesselring, Colonel-General Guderian (now chie o sta), and nally a meeting

with Colonel General Jodl. Ater making his impassionedspeech, Jodl denied him access to the Fuhrer, perhapsknowing the outcome. Even ater the disaster at Stalingrad,Hitler reused to consolidate ground in order to save hisground troops. In the case o the Sixth Army, and now with

Army Group Arica, the Axis troops were let to their ownate with no help rom higher command.

Despite eorts to return to his men, von Luck wasnt able tomake it in time beore the nal collapse. Te Arican chaptero the war now at a close, and von Luck remained eager orhis next assignment. It wouldnt be until August he wouldbe assigned to Paris, to the Panzer Reconnaissance School.Eectively the mid-war period was over or von Luck. Hehad seen much, travelling thousands o miles, ought manybattles, and met with some o the most powerul men in theGerman armed orces.

Within the next year, he would take his experiences in thedesert and use it to hone the ghting skill o his new recruits,in order to prepare or the battle everyone knew was coming:a cross-channel invasion and the Allied attempt to gain aoothold on the European continent.


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Major Hans von Luck is a Warrior and a Higher CommandSMG team with a Kbelwagen or transport. He is rated asConfdent Veteran.

Von Luck may join a Panzersphkompnie rom the21. Panzerdivision (North Africa pages 32 to 35) or55 points.

Von Luck may be mounted in a Sd Kz 222 armoured carinstead o being an SMG team or an additional +35 points.

I he does this he is also a Reconnaissance team.

Its but a Flesh Wound: Even though gravely wounded, VonLuck remained in control o the battle or 5 days beore beingevacuated.

I von Luck is destroyed the opposing player makes a rollto see i von Luck is removed rom play. Instead o usingthe Warrior rules on page 78 o the rulebook roll a die andconsult below.

On a roll o 5+ you seriously wounded Von Luck and

the team is destroyed, but youll be seeing him again inNormandy!

Otherwise, the owning played may designate any otherriendly tank or inantry team that is within CommandDistance o the von Luck to become his new Warrior team.

Reconnaissance Expert: Von Luck is a reconnaissanceman.

Unless he has joined a platoon that is not a ReconnaissancePlatoon, von Luck may Disengage as i he were a Recceteam. Because o his experience, he is never Forced toDisengage (See pages 150 and 151 o the rulebook) even i

the platoon he has joined has Disengaged.

cHaracteristics

sPeciaL ruLes

MajorHan

svonLuck

GerMan

Get Moving: Von Luck knows the value o speed, and ocaution. Hes always on the move, seeking the critical point.

Major von Luck, and any platoon he leads, may re-rollailed Skill ests to make Stormtrooper moves.


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Hans Von Luck North Africa