BATTLEFRONT - ROMMEL SCENARIOS
Strategic Studies Group (SSG)


LEARNING TO PLAY THE GAME

You  have  just stepped into the shoes of Lieutenant-General
Freyberg, commander of the New Zealand forces in the  Middle
East.  The date is March 26th, 1943. Behind you now  is  the
humiliation inflicted upon your armies by the Germans -  the
debacle at Crete, the loss of Tobruk and the retreat  to  El
Alamein.
Your  2nd  New Zealand Division is ready to assault  through
the  Tebourga  Gap into Tunisia, to clear the  way  for  the
British 2nd Armoured Division. If you succeed in time,  your
forces  will  cut  off  the remnants  of  the  Afrika  Korps
retreating from the Mareth line and bring the North  African
Campaign  to  an  abrupt  and victorious  end.  Examine  the
situation map which accompanies the historical notes. You'll
need to refer to it while you play through the tutorial.
(a). Starting Up. Start up your computer using the procedure
given  in  the  preceding chapter. Menu A  (Start  Up  Menu)
appears to the right of the title page. As is the case  with
every  menu  in the game, you use the arrow keys  to  locate
your choice from the menu and then type (RET) to select  it.
IBM users may alternatively use a function key to locate and
select a menu item. The <SET-UP> line in Menu A is the third
line in the menu; therefore f3 will select it. Similarly, f4
will select the <GOTO DOS> line.
If  you select the wrong menu, don't worry. Apple II and IBM
users  type  (ESC) to go back to the previous menu;  C64/128
users  type (f1). IBM and Apple II users note that the (DEL)
key will also serve as an (ESC) key in most situations.
(b).  Selecting  the Tebourga Gap Scenario.  Before  we  can
start  play,  we have to select the Tebourga  Gap  scenario,
tell the computer that we will control the Allied forces and
decide  whether we wish to use a handicap. Use either  arrow
key to locate the <GAME> line and type (RET) to go to Menu B
(Location  Select).  At this point, IBM owners  using  5.25"
floppy  disks  should remove Disk One  from  the  drive  and
replace  it with Disk Three. Apple II owners with  one  disk
drive  should remove the game disk, turn it over and put  it
back in the drive.
Use  an  arrow  key to locate the <SCENARIO> line  and  type
(RET)  to go to Menu C (Scenario Menu). Use an arrow key  to
locate the <TEBOUGA GAP> line and type (RET) to go to Menu E
(Edit Utility). The scenario briefing screen is displayed to
the left of the menu window. IBM users must select the <LOAD
GAME>  line and then position the cursor over the  <TEBOURGA
GAP> line and type (RET).
Use an arrow key to locate the <EDIT> line and type (RET) to
go to Menu N (Enhanced Opponent). We must now decide whether
to  play  an enhanced computer opponent. Since we  are  just
starting  out, this probably isn't a good idea.  Locate  the
<NORMAL>  line  and  type (RET) to go to  Menu  F  (Handicap
Utility).  Since  this  is only a  tutorial,  we  will  give
ourselves a break. The handicaps below the <NO EFFECT>  line
benefit the Allies, those above benefit the Axis.
Use  an arrow key to locate the <MAJOR> Allied line and type
(RET)  to  go to Menu G (Player Select). Locate the <ALLIED>
line  and  type (RET). The cursor has been thrown  into  the
briefing  screen and you have the opportunity to change  the
commanders' names. Do this if you wish, otherwise type (RET)
until you get back to Menu E (Edit Utility).
Have  a last look at the briefing screen and you'll see  the
Allies have a major handicap advantage, the Axis forces will
be  run by the computer and the Allied forces will be run by
human hands.
Use  an arrow key to locate the <START> line and type  (RET)
to  go to Menu H (Game Master).That's the preliminaries over
with.  We're just about ready to play. Turn your  menu  card
over to the game side.
(c). The First Turn. Back to Menu H. A current turn briefing
appears to the left of the menu window. This scenario starts
on  the  noon turn and it is turn 2 of 11. Subsequent  lines
tell  you  the  time  of day and the date,  the  atmospheric
weather and the expected weather forecast. The weather looks
fine.
The  <AXIS>  and  <RUN  5>  lines  in  the  menu  have  been
overprinted with a solid bar to show that you cannot  access
them.  The  solid bar will disappear from the <RUN  5>  line
after  the <ALLIES> line has been accessed. This is to guard
against  accidentally selecting <RUN 5> before issuing  your
orders.  The  <AXIS> line will always be overprinted  during
the  game. The computer does not want you to see what it  is
doing!
Locate  the  <ALLIES> line and type (RET). This  brings  you
Menu   2  (Operations).  Your  choices  here  are  <ORDERS>,
<REPORTS>  or  <OPTIONS>. Apple II and C-64 users  can  only
access the <RESIGN> option. The screen will be showing  some
undistinguished part of Tunisia. Below the map is a  summary
of  your  force  identity and the victory  points  you  have
accumulated  to date; i.e. if you were to end  the  game  at
this point you would have scored 39 VPs.
(d).  Reviewing  Your  Forces. Before issuing  orders  we'll
review  our  forces, examine the battlefield, the objectives
and the enemy forces.
Select the <REPORTS> line to go to Menu 4 (General Reports).
This  is just a branch menu. Select the <STATUS> line to  go
to Menu 5 (Unit Status).
For  Apple  II  and C-64 users, the name of your  senior  HQ
appears  beside its I.D. code in the menu window.  You  have
two  senior HQs under your command. IBM users will  the  see
the  names  of  the  senior  HQs  appearing  in  the  window
themselves.
Select the <SHQ 1> or the <2NZ Div> line to display the  2nd
New Zealand Division. This screen displays the status of  an
entire senior HQ at a time. There are three junior HQs,  all
of which are on the board at the start of the scenario. Each
junior  HQ controls three units while the senior HQ controls
an  additional four units which can be freely  allocated  to
the  junior HQs. These flexible units are called assets  and
are  shown at the top of the display. For example,  the  4NZ
Artillery  battalion is currently attached  to  JHQ  3  (8th
Bde).
The  display  tells you the identity, unit  type,  level  of
fatigue  and  the  experience  of  each  unit.  Any   losses
sustained by a unit are shown on the right-hand side of  the
screen.
The  status  screen is quite useful and should be  consulted
about once a day to get an overview of the condition of your
troops.
Type  (ESC/f1)  to return to Menu 5 and examine  your  other
senior  HQ. This is not as large, only having two  brigades.
None  of its battalions have arrived on the map at the start
of the game.
Type  (ESC/f1)  until  you return  to  Menu  4.  Select  the
<OBJECTIVE>   line  to  obtain  Menu  6  (Examine   Friendly
Objective). The cursor will be high-lighting the town of  El
Hamma.
The  text summarises the turns for which Victory Points  are
received,  the number of VPs per turn, and any  VPs  awarded
for  control at the end of the game. The icons show that  El
Hamma is on village terrain and is Axis controlled.
The  arrow  keys  will cycle through all of  your  objective
hexes.  Use  them now to look at all of your  objectives  to
gain  an  idea of your overall requirements for winning  the
game.  There  are  only  four other objectives.  Check  this
screen often as the game progresses to make sure you are  on
track.
Consider the display in the bottom right of the screen.  The
solid  area is the overall map size. The smaller  white  box
represents  the  location  of the  hexes  currently  on  the
screen.  As  you move the cursor to different parts  of  the
map,  the  small box will move to show the relative location
of the current screen against the overall map.
Type  (ESC/f1)  to  return to Menu 4.  We  can  examine  the
battlefield with the aid of the <MAP WALK> routines.  Select
<MAP WALK> to bring up Menu 7.
The  cursor and any visible objectives will be flashing. Use
the  arrow keys or the I,J,K,M keys to move the cursor  over
the battlefield. You can examine the terrain, the objectives
or enemy and friendly units.
Move the cursor to the Axis unit on Hill 209 You are told it
is a small infantry unit contacted by friendly forces.
Move  the  cursor  to the Allied unit on Hill  184.  A  full
status report is provided about the unit.
Now  type  (RET) to bring up the <MAP WALK> menu.  Selecting
the <CONTROL> line will display the who controls each hex on
the  battlefield. Hex control is very important for movement
and resupply.
Selecting the <ROADS> line will temporarily remove the roads
from the map.
Selecting  the <CLEAR MAP> line will temporarily remove  all
units from the map.
These three features are cumulative; i.e. any or all of them
can be active at the one time.
Type (ESC/f1) to go back to Menu 4.
Let's give the Germans some stick!
(e).  Issuing Orders. Type (ESC/f1) to bring up Menu  2  and
select the <ORDERS> line to bring up Menu 8. Select the <SHQ
1>/<2NZ Div> line to bring up Menu 9 and then select <ORDER>
to bring up Menu 13. We have three junior HQs to give orders
to.
Select <JHQ 1>/<5th Bde>. The flashing cursor indicates that
the   junior  HQ  is  in  the  <ENGAGED>  state.  This  fact
determines  what sort of orders we can give.  The  component
units  of  the  junior  HQ have been highlighted  and  their
target is indicated by the target marker. Select the <UNITS>
line.  The  arrow  keys will cycle the  cursor  through  the
component  units of the junior HQ. We can see that  we  have
two units of veteran infantry, one elite infantry unit and a
unit  of  5.5  inch guns. The 21st battalion is fit,  having
been  used to capture Point 184 the previous afternoon.  the
other  units are fresh. To the right of the unit description
you can see what type of terrain the units are in, which  is
either clear or hilltop.
The <UNITS> line is always available from this menu. Use  it
to  keep up with the location and condition of the units  in
each  junior HQ as we go through them. Note that  IBM  users
can access the Map Walk routines from Menu 14.
Type  (ESC/f1) to return to Menu 14 and select the <ENGAGED>
line  to bring up Menu 18. This is the menu with the  actual
orders  for a junior HQ in the <ENGAGED> state. Our  options
are  <RESERVE>,  <DEFEND>, <DELAY>, <ATTACK>.  We  have  the
Germans  on the run, so we will attack them. Select <ATTACK>
to bring up Menu 19 (Attack Action). Blast them away with an
<ASSAULT> order.
Type (ESC/f1) to go back to Menu 13. <JHQ 2>/<6th Bde> is in
an  <ENGAGED> state also. Select <ATTACK> (Menu 18) and then
<ASSAULT> (Menu 19).
Now  select  <JHQ  3>/<8th  Bde> and  go  through  the  same
procedure again to issue an <ASSAULT> order.
Type  (ESC/f1)  until  you return  to  Menu  9.  Select  the
<SUPPORT>  line  and you will see that  you  have  about  10
support  points.  (This can fluctuate from  turn  to  turn.)
Divide them equally between your three attacking junior HQs.
Now  to assign assets. Selecting <ASSETS> will bring up Menu
11.   We   have   four   asset   battalions,   one   cavalry
reconnaissance and three artillery. All have  been  assigned
to  junior HQs which can make use of them this turn. Do  not
change  the  assignment. You should check your assets  every
turn and assign them, especially artillery, to the junior HQ
that requires them most.
(f).  The First Turn Reviewed. We have issued assault orders
to  each  junior  HQ. We have allocated air support  to  our
assaulting formations, and examined all the troops under our
command. Now it is time to fight.
(g). The Computer's Role. Type (ESC/f1) until you return  to
Menu  H,  the  Master Game Menu. If you think all  is  ready
select <RUN 5>. Combat and movement will then occur. Hit the
space  bar to continue after each report. Each junior HQ  is
identified  as  the attacker or defender and  their  current
orders  appear underneath. IBM users are provided with  some
additional  graphics. Up to three bomb icons can  appear  to
the  right  of the I.D. This tells you how much support  has
been  added to the formation; none, light, medium or  heavy.
Up  to  three crosses can appear beside the formation order.
This  tells you how many strength points have been  lost  by
that  formation; none, light (less than 10%),  medium  (20%-
30%)  or  heavy  (more  than 30%). If  three  'death  heads'
appear, the unit has been KIAd (killed in action, destroyed,
rubbed out... however you like to describe it!).
After  the  first turn is finished you will be  returned  to
Menu H.
(h). The Game Plan. The fortunes of war being what they are,
it  is  not exactly possible to tell what will have happened
by  now. The two Axis battalions we have attacked will  have
certainly  either  taken  heavy losses  or  been  KIA'd.  In
addition, your units will have closed up on the enemy and in
doing so will have triggered a minefield.
As  time  is pressing, you must continue to <ASSAULT>.  <SHQ
2>/<2nd Div> will commence arriving on the map on turn 2. It
should  probably  be  held back until 2nd  New  Zealand  has
cleared  most  of  the opposition from the  pass.  Once  2nd
Armoured is let loose, use <OBJECTIVE> to get its junior HQs
moving  to  El  Hamma. Any opposition should be  dealt  with
immediately, using <ASSAULT> with maximum air power.


3. THE SCENARIOS
There  are  8 scenarios included with the Rommel  game.  The
Tebourga  Gap  scenario (#8) is the tutorial and  is  highly
recommended for beginners. In order of difficulty, the other
scenarios  are Syria (#1), Alem el Halfa (#5),  Sidi  Rezegh
(#2), Kasserine (#6), Cauldron (#4), Malta (#3) and Maknassy
(#7).
In  addition  to  the  general  history,  each  scenario  is
accompanied by a short historical briefing, a situation  map
which shows the locations of the opposing junior HQs at  the
start of the battle, player's notes and scenario variants.
Before  playing a scenario, we recommend you  read  all  the
notes and examine the situation map.

THE DESERT CAMPAIGN (1940-1943)
INTRODUCTION
With  Italy's belated declaration of war on June 10, 1940  a
whole new range of opportunities and problems confronted the
major protagonists active in the Middle East. For Italy,  it
was  a  chance to expand its North African empire,  at  that
time  confined to Libya, Somaliland and the recently annexed
Ethiopia.  France was allowed to preserve a vestige  of  its
pride  by  retaining its possessions in Tunisia  and  Syria.
Great Britain, having survived the campaign in France  by  a
whisker   and  facing  the  threat  of  invasion,  was   now
confronted  in a new arena. Germany, although  unwilling  to
become  embroiled in another theatre, was not blind  to  the
possibilities of discomfiting the Allies yet further.
To most people the campaign encompasses the 1,000 km stretch
of  Africa running between El Agheila and Alexandria,  where
the most renowned battles were fought - Tobruk, Crusader and
El  Alamein are familiar to all. To a certain extent this is
due to the fact that Great Britain fought its most sustained
campaign  of World War II here and won. And as we all  know,
in   warfare  the  winner  writes  the  histories.   However
campaigns vital to both sides were fought in adjacent  areas
with great vigor and with the normal trappings of war - bold
deeds, victory, chaos, defeat and death.
Mention North Africa and the mind turns to the rolling  sand
dunes  under the blazing sun beloved of Hollywood directors.
The  forces arrayed in the theatre had to cope with some  of
the  greatest  variety of terrain nature could  create.  The
burning  sand hills of course, do exist. On the other  hand,
the  Australians in Syria found they had to create units  of
ski  troops!  The general weather conditions are  harsh  and
dry,  yet sudden downpours could turn dry wadis into  raging
torrents overnight.
It  was  against this background that Italy took  its  first
faltering steps towards war in the desert. Probably the only
aspect  of  Italy's participation in World War II  that  was
well prepared was Mussolini's oratory. The people themselves
were  unwilling,  the forces ill trained and  the  equipment
largely obsolete. Nonetheless, after taking three months  to
prepare,  the  Italian Tenth Army crossed the Libyan  Border
into Egypt. After an advance of 100 kms the army stopped  to
allow its supplies to catch up, and deployed in a series  of
fortified camps of approximately divisional size, 20  to  30
kms  apart.  The plan was to continue after a  short  pause;
however, the days grew into weeks and then months and  still
the Italians did not move.
The  Allied  forces  under  General  Wavell,  being  heavily
outnumbered, had initially confined their activity to  heavy
raiding  of  Axis  positions. However in November  a  larger
"raid"  was authorised. The plan, devised by General Richard
O'Connor,  was to exploit the deployment of the Italians  to
isolate  individual  camps, achieve  local  superiority  and
destroy them piecemeal.
The plan succeeded beyond all expectations. O'Connor's force
of  two  divisions and a brigade moved swiftly  through  the
gaps  between the camps and in a series of well co-ordinated
attacks  using  combined arms, three camps were  overwhelmed
within  24 hours. The Italians were paralysed by events  and
after  three  days of fighting, no less than four  divisions
and  large amounts of supplies and equipment had "gone  into
the cage".
O'Connor  pressed to be allowed to continue  the  offensive.
Although Allied operations in Ethiopia now deprived  him  of
the  4th  Indian  Division,  it  was  replaced  by  the  6th
Australian  Division.  This  division,  together  with   the
British  7th  Armoured Division pushed  towards  Bardia  and
Tobruk,  which the Italian commander, Marshal  Graziani  was
ordered to hold. Bardia was surrounded by the Australians in
mid  December and after a three day assault fell on  January
3rd  1941, with another 40,000 troops being captured. Tobruk
followed  two  weeks  later  but  O'Connor  was  still   not
satisfied.  The Australians pushed along the coast  while  a
brigade sized force boldly pushed through the desert to  cut
off  the  Italian forces. At the battle of  Beda  Fomm  (5-7
February  1941) the Allies were able to establish a blocking
position  ahead of the retreating Italians, from  which  few
escaped. In two months, O'Connor had driven the Axis  forces
back 600 kms and killed or captured 140,000 of their troops,
all with a force which at the time amounted to not much more
than two divisions.
Although  O'Connor  still  wanted  to  keep  going,  thereby
ridding  all  of  Africa  of Axis forces,  events  elsewhere
overruled  his  ambitions. Mussolini had continued  true  to
form  and  launched a badly managed invasion of  Greece  via
Albania.  The  Greeks had handled the Italians severely  but
not  without cost and had called upon the British for  help.
Churchill has often been criticised for the decision to send
troops  to  Greece. Such action was sure to bring a  violent
response  from the Germans, who could not afford to  have  a
hostile  presence in the Balkans, especially  as  they  were
going  to  be  fully involved in Russia. On the other  hand,
Churchill was fully aware of the necessity to challenge  the
Axis wherever possible as well as being seen to be trying to
assist countries in need.
And  so  the die was cast. O'Connor lost his battle  trained
6th  Australian  Division plus the other  reinforcements  he
needed, while his armour units returned to Egypt for a badly
needed  refit. It was now known by the British  that  German
units  were in Libya, but it was thought their presence  was
mainly  to  prevent further disintegration  of  the  Italian
position. The German High Command shared this view,  as  did
the  Italians. The man on the spot, General Irwin Rommel did
not.  Although  the  forces available to  him  were  meagre,
amounting  to  only six formations (the 5th  Leichte  Afrika
Division, the Italian Ariete armoured division and four low-
grade  Italian  Infantry Divisions), Rommel soon  discovered
his  opponents forces were no larger and were spread out  in
penny packets. All attention was on Greece and East Africa.
A series of actions culminating in a full blown offensive on
the  31st  March 1941, saw the British 2nd Armoured Division
severely  handled at El Agheila. It's remnants and the  only
other  major  formation  in  the area,  the  9th  Australian
Division,  were  herded  along  the  coast  by  the  Italian
infantry while Rommel's mobile troops sought to do  a  "Beda
Fomm", only this time at Tobruk. The plan did not succeed as
the  Allied troops managed to avoid the trap, however a rich
prize  was secured with the capture of General O'Connor  and
his staff.
On  9th April, Wavell made the decision to pull the bulk  of
his  forces back to Egypt, while leaving the port of  Tobruk
garrisoned  by the 9th Australian Division. Two days  later,
Rommel  launched  the first attack on the Tobruk  defenders,
the  first of many to occur in the next six months. The Axis
forces  were  generally better equipped than the Australians
and  those  that  took  their places, however  Rommel  never
managed  to  develop  a  reliable  logistic  base  for   his
operation  and  his  forces  suffered  from  chronic  supply
problems. Accordingly, any attack on Tobruk was difficult to
sustain.
In  the meantime, events elsewhere had not stood still.  The
Italians  had  been defeated in East Africa and  the  Allies
defeated  in Greece and then Crete. (For a scenario  on  the
main  part of the Crete campaign, see the original  game  in
the  series, Battlefront). While Tobruk was being  invested,
the remainder of Rommel's forces moved east to positions  at
Halfaya Pass and Sollum on the Egyptian border. Gradually  a
line  was formed at the two points and extended south,  with
the  Italian infantry holding the front and the Axis  mobile
troops in support. They did not have long to wait.
On  the 15th May, Wavell launched Operation Brevity, a brief
offensive  designed to capture Bardia and Sollum preparatory
to  launching  a relief attempt on Tobruk. The plan  failed,
although the Germans did have some anxious moments.
At  great  risk  the Allied Command managed to  run  a  fast
convoy through the Mediterranean, carrying with it 238 tanks
to  re-equip the 7th Armoured Division. Using this  Division
together with the 4th Indian just returned from East Africa,
Wavell  hoped to pierce the northern end of the  Axis  front
line with an infantry assault. The armour would then advance
to  seek  out  the German armoured forces and destroy  them.
This  operation,  christened "Battleaxe",  was  featured  in
Issue 7 of Run 5 magazine.
The  British  plan looked good but Rommel gave  them  little
chance to employ it. Outnumbered two to one in medium  tanks
and  knowing that the attrition from a clash of armour would
be  of  more benefit to his opponent, Rommel encouraged  the
British  to  expend  themselves against anti-tank  ambushes.
These included the dreaded 88mm anti-aircraft guns, used for
the  first  time in the desert. After two days of  fruitless
attacks by the British, Rommel attempted to turn the  Allied
southern  flank. Fortunately, the threat was  perceived  and
the  British  pulled back to their start lines. "Battleaxe",
however, had failed.
At  the  same  time, away to the east, events  had  taken  a
serious turn.

1. SYRIA
June 9th, 1941
The  campaign  in  Syria  must rank  as  one  of  the  great
tragedies  of  World War II. At the beginning  of  the  war,
Syria  and  Lebanon  were under the control  of  the  French
mandate granted after World War I. With the added buffer  of
a  neutral Turkey, the Allies had no immediate concern  over
German  aggression  in  this area and  interdiction  of  the
Middle  East oil supplies. However, the surrender of  France
in  June 1940 and the installation of a puppet government in
Vichy altered the situation dramatically.
For  a time the British had their hands full coping with the
Italians in Libya and later the first of Rommel's offensives
and   the   debacles  in  Greece  and  Crete.  However   the
establishment  of strong German forces in Greece  and  Crete
only a few hours flight from Syria, together with the recent
Axis  victories in Libya, was a threat the Allies  could  no
longer  ignore. Given sufficient casus belli  by  the  Vichy
authorities  allowing German aircraft  to  use  Syria  as  a
staging   point  during  the  Iraq  rebellion,  the   allies
attempted to neutralise the threat through diplomatic means.
When these approaches were rejected, an Allied force of five
brigades crossed the border on 8th June 1941.
As  usual the British Command was strapped for resources, as
their   first   major  counter-offensive   against   Rommel,
Operation  Battleaxe was also about to commence. They  hoped
that  a  reasonable show of force would allow the French  to
surrender with honour and that the campaign would be over in
a  fortnight. Hence minimum forces were assigned  and  given
objectives  commensurate with a police action.  The  reality
came  as a shock. The French had 18 battalions of reasonable
to   good  quality  troops,  armour  (the  Renault  35,   an
undistinguished  tank, but more than  the  Allies  initially
mustered)  and  some of the best defensive  terrain  in  the
world.
The  French  had  resolved to fight. Thus after  a  week  of
bitter  fighting, the Allies had only reached a line running
approximately Sidon-Jezzine-El Kuneitra-Kiswe, reaching this
latter  objective only because the French had chosen not  to
fight before it. On the 15th the French launched a series of
fairly  successful counter-attacks towards Merjayoun and  El
Kuneitra,  recapturing  both  towns  and  severely   mauling
several allied formations including the 1st Royal Fusiliers,
which  was  totally destroyed. Although these  attacks  were
never serious enough to defeat the invasion, for a time they
caused  a panic in the Allied command and made them  realise
the Vichy forces were not going to roll over and play dead.
The  16th  British Infantry Brigade was introduced into  the
campaign on the 17th to make up losses and augment the  Free
French Brigade d'Orient, which was showing an understandable
reluctance to fight fellow Frenchmen. In the next few days a
renewed  Allied effort saw the vital cities  of  Damour  and
Damascus  captured and although the campaign was to continue
for  another  two weeks, the beginning of  the  end  was  in
sight.
The  scenario  commences on the second day of  the  campaign
(9th  June  1941)  and continues until 21st  June,  the  day
Damascus  historically fell. The ground scale is 2.5km  (1.6
miles)  to the hex. Neither side has any airpower  they  can
rely on.
PLAYER'S NOTES
COMMONWEALTH.  You  have generally better  troops  than  the
Vichy  and  more  of  them. Unfortunately,  the  terrain  is
completely  against you. This is a grinding  campaign  where
the French will try and block you at every opportunity while
you steadily crunch your way to your objectives.
However  you  must take care. The French do  have  a  potent
counter-attack capability with their tanks and  any  exposed
troops,  low on strength or supply, or fatigued, can  expect
to  be  dealt with severely. Hence you must plan  carefully,
rotate your brigades when they need rest and not allow  your
frustrations to cause you to over-commit your troops.
VICHY  FRENCH. For most of the game you can expect to be  on
the  defensive as your troops are weaker than the allies and
of  lesser  quality. You do, however, have  two  significant
advantages. First, the terrain is abominable and the  Allies
have  to push you out of it. This will cost him time, supply
and  men.  Secondly, keep watch for Allied units  that  have
been in heavy combat and have taken losses. They may be ripe
for  counter-attack. Even the threat of such action  can  be
effective, so try to always maintain a reserve.
SCENARIO VARIANTS
(a)  Germany  paid only minimal attention to the  events  in
Syria, as they had a somewhat more important project  on  at
the time - the invasion of Russia! The Allies were generally
not   aware  of  this  and  were  properly  fearful  of  the
introduction of German troops into Syria. Assume  the  100th
Regiment  of the 5th Mountain Division (which at  this  time
was  on  garrison  duty on Crete) had  been  flown  in.  The
regiment  can  be  attached to any  Axis  division  of  your
choosing.      Regt      HQ      (7,5,6);       1st       Bn
(1,28,6,0,0,11,5,8,8,6,0,12,7,6);           2nd           Bn
(2,28,6,0,0,11,5,8,8,6,0,14,7,6);           3rd           Bn
(3,28,6,4,0,11,5,6,6,9,1,16,7,6).
(b)   Assume   the   Allies  had  diverted  resources   from
"Battleaxe". Make all units of the 16th Brigade available on
turn  9. Give the Allies five daylight air points and change
the  air  superiority rating to 6 (Strong  Allied)  and  its
reliability to 6 (Dependable).

INTERLUDE
With  the high attrition of the Battleaxe operation in  June
1941,  neither  side  was  able to mount  further  offensive
operations  until November. The lull allowed new  formations
to  be bought up or old ones to be reorganised. For example,
the  German  5th  Leichte  Afrika  Division  became  a  full
strength Panzer Division, the 21st.
After  Battleaxe, Rommel's planning was directed to storming
the Tobruk fortress. This attack was originally set down for
September, but was continually postponed due to the  paucity
of supplies arriving from Europe. The date was finally fixed
for  the  21st  of November. The British had not  been  idle
either. The resupply of Tobruk was difficult and costly, the
fortress  had to be relieved. It was planned to swing  under
the  southern flank of the German line and push north, while
another force simultaneously broke through near Bardia.  The
operation  was code named "Crusader" and set  down  for  the
18th.  So  the stage was set, both combatants were  at  full
strength and planning offensive operations at the same time.

2. SIDI REZEGH
November 21st, 1941
The  British  moved first. General Cunningham,  the  British
commander  intended to push north-west through  Sidi  Rezegh
and  on  to  Tobruk. The British moved off on  the  18th  of
November.   Rommel  initially  thought  this  was   only   a
reconnaissance in force, but by the 19th he  was  forced  to
postpone the planned assault on Tobruk and concentrate  both
the 15th and 21st Panzer Divisions. The British 7th Armoured
Division  was the main assault unit committed at this  time.
Its  22nd  Armoured Brigade ran straight  into  the  Italian
Ariete  Armoured  Division at Bir  el  Gubi  and  was  badly
mauled.  The  4th Armoured Brigade skirmished with  the  5th
Panzer  Regiment from the 21st Panzer for the whole  of  the
afternoon of the 19th. Both the 7th Armoured and 7th Support
Group Brigades were able to avoid these actions and push  on
to Sidi Rezegh where they were to camp for the night.
The 20th was a day of lost opportunities for both sides. The
British wanted to regroup the 7th Armoured Division at  Sidi
Rezegh before pushing on to Tobruk, while the Germans pushed
into thin air near Sidi Omar (far to the south-east) due  to
faulty  intelligence. The main action was sporadic  counter-
attacks around Sidi Rezegh by the Afrika Division (Ex French
Foreign  Legionaries). There is no doubt  that  the  Germans
could  have  concluded the battle on this day  if  they  had
attacked Sidi Rezegh with the whole of the Afrika Korps.
On  the  21st (the day the scenario starts), Rommel realised
that  he must crush the forces at Sidi Rezegh. At dawn,  the
Commonwealth forces in Tobruk began to break out towards the
armour  digging in at Sidi Rezegh. Rommel recalled the  15th
and  21st  Panzer (who were still in the Sidi  Omar  sector,
waiting  for  fuel resupply) and ordered them to  take  Sidi
Rezegh on the run.
This was no mean feat, both divisions were being engaged  by
the  4th  and  22nd  Armoured  Brigades  and  had  to  fight
rearguard  actions while advancing on Sidi Rezegh.  The  two
Panzer Divisions were stopped (just off the game map, to the
south-east) by the artillery of the 7th Support Group firing
over  open sights, but not before two battalions of the  7th
Armoured  Brigade  had  been badly  chewed  up.  During  the
evening, 21st Panzer moved to Belhamed while the 15th Panzer
camped further to the east.
The  22nd  saw the 7th Armoured Division regrouped  at  Sidi
Rezegh with the 1st South African moving up in support, with
orders  to take Point 178. At noon, the 21st Panzer attacked
Sidi  Rezegh  from  the north with all of the  Afrika  Korps
artillery  in  support  (Gruppe  Bottcher).  This  took  the
British  totally by surprise, and the whole 1KRRC  battalion
surrendered at the Prophet's Tomb. The 15th Panzer moved  up
from the southeast during the afternoon and captured the 4th
Armoured   Brigades  headquarters  during  the  night.   The
commander of the 7th Armoured Division realised that to hold
the  airfield was untenable, and a withdrawal to  the  south
was the only alternative.
The  23rd  of  November was Tottensonntag, (the day  Germany
remembers  her  dead) and Rommel intended to eliminate  both
the  1st South African Division and the remnants of the  7th
Armoured  Division. In the confusion the 5th  South  African
Brigade could not breakout and was eventually destroyed, but
not before inflicting heavy casualties on the Germans.
This  is  a  short scenario, only running for 11 turns.  The
ground  scale is just 800 metres (1/2 mile) to the hex,  but
the system handles the small scale with ease. The terrain is
fairly  standard with the escarpments being the only terrain
type to present real problems for mechanised units. There is
little supporting air due to both the highly fluid nature of
the  battle,  and  the  blanketing dust  thrown  up  by  the
armoured columns.
PLAYER'S NOTES
COMMONWEALTH. This scenario is different to many others that
have  been designed for the Battlefront system, in that  the
Commonwealth   Player  starts  the  game  with   only   four
"friendly"  hexes in the middle of the board. The situation,
is  that the 7th Armoured Division has been isolated on  the
Sidi Rezegh Airfield and is awaiting the arrival of the  1st
South African Division.
You  must  very  quickly  form a  defensive  perimeter  that
includes Sidi Rezegh, the Forward Airfield and Point 178. If
you  don't  hold these for most of the game,  you  will  not
accumulate  enough  victory points. On the  first  day  this
should be reasonably easy, as your only contacted opposition
will be the regiments of the Afrika Division. Unfortunately,
the  21st Panzer starts to arrive during the afternoon,  and
the  units around Sidi Rezegh will be under extreme pressure
by  the  morning  of  the 22nd. Remember  this  is  a  short
scenario,  and every turn you hold this important  objective
is another 20 points to your score. Do not make the error of
trying  to  hold  too many objectives. Your  forces,  though
reasonably  mobile, will be crushed, if they are too  spread
out. Pick where you want to hold and commit everything.
The  South Africans are your main reserve and must  be  used
according to the local situation. If Point 178 has not  been
taken yet, one Brigade should be allocated to this task.
AXIS.  You  are  in your element, here. You have  more,  and
better  troops  than the Allied player and  the  ability  to
choose your axis of attack. The problem is that it is a race
against time. If the Allied player can hold at least one  of
his  two  main  objectives  (Sidi  Rezegh  and  the  Forward
Airfield)  at  the end of the game he will  win.  Therefore,
your strategy must centre around taking these two objectives
quickly,  and  keeping  the  relieving  South  Africans  off
balance.
Your  only  troops on the board for the first  day  are  the
Afrika Division, and they should concentrate on holding  the
objectives  they are deployed around. Do not  use  them  for
attacks  until  the Panzers arrive. The 21st Panzer  arrives
during  the first night and should have Sidi Rezegh  as  its
immediate  objective.  Everything going  well,  Sidi  Rezegh
should be yours by nightfall. The 15th Panzer arrives during
the  afternoon of the 2nd day, and should make straight  for
the  airfield. After Sidi Rezegh has fallen, the 21st Panzer
should  continue to push south towards the airfield,  trying
to  pin  as many Allied units as possible. One of the Panzer
Divisions  should get to the airfield, as the Allied  player
just  doesn't  have enough units to stop  both.  The  Afrika
Division, should also be used for attacks from late  on  the
second day, just to maintain the pressure.
SCENARIO VARIANTS
(a)  Assume  that  the  two Panzer  Divisions  had  problems
disengaging  from the Sidi Omar area. Increase  the  arrival
time for each unit in both divisions by two.
(b)  Rommel acted on faulty intelligence when he ordered the
Panzers to thrust towards Sidi Omar. Assume Rommel held  his
Panzers   in  reserve  until  he  had  divined  the   Allies
intentions. All units of the 21st Panzer arrive on  turn  1,
while all of the 15th Panzer arrives on turn 3.
(c) On the 19th, Rommel ordered the 21st Panzer Division  to
advance  on  Gabr Saleh. At that time the whole of  the  7th
Armoured   Division   was   concentrated   in   this   area.
Fortunately,  before the 21st reached Gabr Saleh  the  7th's
component   brigades   had  been   dispatched   to   various
objectives. If the 7th had remained concentrated, the strung
out 21st could have been seriously defeated. Assume the 21st
Panzer  blundered into the whole of the 7th Armoured, reduce
the  current  strength of all the units in  the  5th  Panzer
Regiment by 3, and the current strength of all the units  in
the 104th Panzer Grenadier Regiment by 2.

INTERLUDE
By  24th  November,  the  Allies  had  taken  heavy  losses,
especially to their armour and Cunningham was giving serious
consideration  to  calling  off  Crusader.  Balancing  these
thoughts were the solid gains made by Allied infantry in the
Sollum/Halfaya  area  and  the  imminent  likelihood  of   a
breakout by the Tobruk garrison.
At   this  point,  Rommel  tried  to  put  together  another
outflanking  operation.  However, a  full  week  of  fierce,
confused  fighting had thrown communications for both  sides
into chaos. The Afrika Korps simply could not get sufficient
forces  moving in the right direction. In the meantime,  the
Tobruk  garrison had managed to link up with  the  relieving
XIII  Corps.  The battle continued in fits and starts  until
4th  December  when Rommel, aware of his dwindling  supplies
and  lack of tank replacements, decided to pull back to  the
Gazala  line.  The  withdrawal was not  without  cost.  Many
repairable tanks were abandoned and a full Italian  infantry
division was captured at Bardia.
The  British were only in slightly better condition and took
some  time  to follow up their defeated foe. An  attempt  to
force  the Gazala position was thwarted when the Desert  Fox
slipped away and by December 1941 he had reoccupied  the  El
Agheila line.
Most  generals would have been prepared to sit  things  out,
gather  a  reserve  of  supplies  and  equipment  and  await
developments. However, in early January 1942, several  vital
convoys  got  through, virtually unscathed. At once,  Rommel
drew  up  plans  for  an  audacious  offensive  against  his
complacent opponent. The attacks kicked off on 21st January.
Even  though  his two Panzer divisions had  only  100  tanks
between them, they fell upon the scattered brigades  of  the
British  1st Armoured Division strung out along the Benghazi
Road and destroyed them piecemeal.
It  was  the same story all over again. Although the British
fought  hard where they could, inexperience and bad  tactics
caused  them  to  be bundled back to the  old  Gazala  line.
Although  both  sides  suffered heavy  losses,  the  Germans
managed to maintain possession of the battlefield and  hence
were  able  to  recover much damaged equipment  as  well  as
capture abandoned Allied supplies and materials.
This  defeat,  more than any previous disaster,  caused  the
British  to  re-examine their doctrine. With the benefit  of
hindsight, it is easy to pin-point the blame for the  Allied
failures  in  the  desert. Most British  Army  officers  had
either  infantry or cavalry backgrounds and the idea of  co-
operating  with  other  arms (except  artillery)  was  quite
foreign  to  them.  In contrast, the Afrika  Korps  operated
tanks, mobile infantry and anti-tank guns in a deadly team.
Rommel's success in the first months of 1942 was largely due
to  the  untroubled  arrival of much  needed  supplies  from
Italy. The employment of a Luftwaffe Air Corps in Sicily had
completely  suppressed  Britain's  island  fortress  in  the
Mediterranean,  Malta. Plans were drawn up  for  a  combined
airborne  and  amphibious invasion. In the  event,  Rommel's
offensive  in  North Africa delayed the  operation  and  the
opportunity  to capture the strategically vital  island  was
lost.
It need not have been.

3. INVASION MALTA
March 23rd, 1942)
One   of  the  major  blunders  made  by  the  Axis  in  the
Mediterranean was the failure to capture Malta. This mistake
was to cost the Axis dearly in North Africa and ensure their
final demise.
The  failure  to  take  Malta  was  not  for  the  lack   of
preparation and planning. As many as six plans were made and
eventually  discarded  for various  reasons.  Of  these  six
plans,  the  most  viable was probably  Operation  Herkules,
planned  in  the  Spring  of 1942. It  required  a  combined
assault  from  the  air  and sea,  committing  about  20,000
paratroopers  (one German and one Italian Division),  and  a
further 10,000 air-landing troops (one Italian Division)  to
prepare  the  way by seizing the beach landing area  and  an
airfield for the following seaborne invasion troops. Another
five  divisions  (about  55,000 men) formed  these  seaborne
troops,  with  about 200 landing craft and as  much  of  the
Italian  Navy  as  could  be committed.  Approximately  1500
aircraft had been earmarked for the operation to provide the
aircover and ground support so vital to an operation of this
kind.
The   Malta   defences  at  this  time  were   composed   of
Commonwealth  troops,  supported  by  a  large   number   of
artillery formations. More than 100 each of heavy and  light
AA  guns  were  in constant use against the "neutralisation"
policy  adopted  by the Axis against Malta. There  was  also
more  than  30  coastal  artillery pieces  and  one  regular
artillery regiment of 25 pdr guns, 24 in all.
This  theoretical scenario is based on the  assumption  that
the critical importance of Malta was recognised in time, and
that  the  planned  invasion went  ahead.  The  scenario  as
depicted  plans  the  invasion for the Western  Beach,  with
drops in support of this landing area.
The  scenario is of medium length, running for 8  days.  The
ground scale is 2.5 kms (1.5 miles) to the hex.
PLAYER'S NOTES
COMMONWEALTH. The Commonwealth troops on Malta have a bit of
a  problem. Too many, for any commander's liking, are  fixed
position  coastal  batteries or anti-aircraft  emplacements.
Those  mobile  troops  at your disposal  are  of  reasonable
quality,  but care in committing them to assaults should  be
taken.
The paratroopers should have as much pressure put on them as
possible,  but limit your attacks to one per day,  and  hope
that  the minor combat routines will be kind to you. An over
vigorous  commander during the first two or three  days  may
well  find that he is pushing the paratroops back, and  even
eliminating some, but having no troops to face the  seaborne
invasion.
The  coastal  defences on the Western beaches are  of  vital
importance. The longer they hold out, the more difficult  it
is  for the Axis to reinforce as you engage new landed units
and  clog the routes to the other side of the island. It can
also  give you the satisfaction of seeing lots and  lots  of
Axis  routers  streaming past you looking for  somewhere  to
hide!
AXIS.  The  Axis must quickly consolidate the  central  area
around  Krendi  airfield  with the  first  German  parachute
regiment.  Holding  Luqa airfield gives you  some  breathing
space and victory points, so an effort should also be put in
here.  The  second German regiment should clear the  Western
Beach  to  avoid being cut off. Once Krendi is cleared,  the
air-landing  Italians  will start  arriving.  Use  these  to
relieve  the first regiment and hold a reasonable  perimeter
for the amphibious assault.
Once the amphibious landings start, get these troops quickly
to  the  front, as by this time the paratroops are  probably
going  to  be somewhat battered. This is where clearing  the
beaches  is  of  vital importance. If these troops  have  to
fight  their way to the front, then sheer weight of  numbers
will  mean  that the Commonwealth troops will probably  have
decimated your best troops - the paratroops. These  need  to
be  pulled  out  of the line and rested, as any  attempt  to
capture Valetta is going to require them to be in reasonably
good shape.
SCENARIO VARIANTS
This scenario is a gem for possible variations.
(a)  The  invasion  beaches can be  altered.  All  turns  of
arrival  stay  the same but alter the entry  hexes  for  all
amphibious forces as follows.
Western Beach (For the Percentage Commander). Hexes (12,16),
(13,16),   (14,17),  (15,17),  (16,18),  (17,18),   (18,18),
(19,18), (20,18).
Valetta  Beach  (For  the  Go for  Broke  Commander).  Hexes
(28,3),  (29,3),  (30,4),  (31,4), (32,5),  (33,5),  (34,6),
(35,6), (36,7), (36,9), (3610), (36,11)
Northern  Beach (For the Long Shot commander). Hexes  (2,1),
(2,2), (3,2), (4,3), (3,3), (3,4)
All  amphibious  units  must land at  the  same  beach.  The
special assault regiment, though, may land on any beach.
(b)  To  simulate the large amounts of flak present,  losses
from which the program cannot adequately handle, roll a  die
for each airborne or air-landing unit. 1-2 is no effect, 3-4
lose 1 point, 5-6 lose 2 points from the maximum strength to
get the current strength of the unit. (This will have to  be
done  through the design routines). Possibly more realistic,
but definitely favouring the Commonwealth player, is to roll
a  die and subtract one. This value is then subtracted  from
the maximum strength to give the current strength.
(c)  All  units may be placed up to three hexes  from  their
current scenario start positions. Units designated as having
"Shorebty"  equipment must be placed in  a  coastal  defence
hex.

INTERLUDE
Returning to North Afrika, Lt-Gen. Ritchie had replaced  the
captured  O'Connor in command of the newly organised  Eighth
Army.  His  plan  called for the construction  of  fortified
infantry posts, called "boxes", extending 60 kms inland. The
intervening gaps were laced with minefields. To the rear  of
the boxes, Ritchie deployed his mobile forces.
The  theory  for this arrangement was that the  boxes  would
prove too slow and formidable to assault and in consequence,
a flanking move to the south was the only practical route of
attack;  an  attack which would be countered and stopped  by
the  mobile  formations. Ritchie's thinking  was  completely
correct.  Unfortunately, his mobile  formations,  and  their
tactics, were not up to the job.

4. CAULDRON
June 5th, 1942
By  late  May 1942, Rommel intended to finally take  Tobruk.
The  front  line  at  this  time  ran  from  Gazala  on  the
Mediterranean  coast down to Bir Hacheim.  The  distance  to
Tobruk  was  approximately 80 kms (50 miles). Rommel's  plan
was  simple,  swing  around  the southern  flank  and  drive
towards  El  Adem, the main British supply area. This  would
force the British to retreat. Concurrently, the Italian 10th
and  21st  Infantry Corps would frontally attack the  Gazala
line.
The operation was launched and went awry from the beginning,
the  Free  French  Brigade could not be pushed  out  of  Bir
Hacheim. This allowed the French to harass the German supply
columns once the Afrika Korps had passed. The assault by the
Italians failed to breakthrough and suddenly Rommel found he
was a long way behind enemy lines, with very few supplies.
The  decision was made to halt the advance on  El  Adem  and
move  northwest to Sidi Muftah and linkup with the  Italians
allowing  supplies to be replenished. The Germans fell  back
to  the  "Cauldron" an area bounded by the Sidra and  Aslagh
ridges and finally broke through to the Italians on the  1st
of June, after eliminating the British 150th Brigade.
The  2nd  to 5th of June were spent by the Germans  reducing
the  Bir  Hacheim stronghold and preparing defences for  the
expected Allied counter-attack at the Cauldron.
The  assault  came  on  the 5th of  June.  The  Germans  had
positioned  the 21st Panzer on Sidra ridge and  the  Italian
Ariete Division on Aslagh ridge. The 15th Panzer was held in
reserve. The British assaulted the Aslagh ridge with the 9th
Indian Brigade and the 22nd Armoured Brigade in support. The
Italians  put up stiff but short resistance; they broke  and
the  British  were in the Cauldron, only to  be  stopped  by
antitank  guns  and artillery. They were  forced  to  retire
behind Bir et Tamr with serious losses. Meanwhile, the  32nd
Army  Tank  Bde had attacked the 21st Panzer's positions  on
Sidra Ridge. The Brigade, without support, lost 50 out of 70
tanks.
Rommel, anticipating the thrust of the British offensive had
had  gaps  cleared  in the minefields to the  south  of  the
Cauldron and now saw the opportunity to counter-attack.  The
15th  Panzer emerged from the minefields near Bir et  Harmat
and  struck at the rear of the troops holding Aslagh  ridge.
The  whole of the 10th Indian Brigade, the support group  of
the  22nd Armour and four regiments of field artillery  were
cut off. By the evening of the 6th they had all surrendered.
An  uneasy  lull fell over the battlefield. Both sides  were
exhausted and required extensive resupply. The Germans  also
wanted to clear Bir Hacheim, which was finally completed  on
the 11th.
The  battle  round the Cauldron was rejoined on  12th  June,
with the British being pushed off the ridge to the north  of
Knightsbridge  Box. The 201st Gds in Knights-bridge  finally
broke  out during the night of the 13th after being isolated
for two days. On the 14th of June, the British abandoned the
Gazala Line. The rout had begun.
This  is  a medium length scenario, running for 8 days.  The
ground  scale  is  3.2  kms (2 miles)  per  hex.  There  are
extensive minefields scattered across the map, placed  there
as part of the Gazala line defences.
PLAYER'S NOTES
COMMONWEALTH.  Be  warned  that  you  are  in  for  a   very
challenging  job.  Aslagh ridge must be  the  first  primary
objective and if you can smash the Italians quickly you will
get  into  the Cauldron and begin scoring big  VPs.  If  you
can't force the Italians out, then it's a matter of how  big
a loss you're in for.
AXIS.  You begin the scenario with the advantage of internal
lines.  The  British  will put heavy pressure  on  both  the
Aslagh and Sidra ridges in the first two days but you should
be  able  to  switch your central reserve (104 Regt/21st  Pz
Div) to whichever sector is most threatened.
The  5th  Pz  Regt  should  hold Sidra  ridge,  provided  it
receives the divisional assets. The Italians can hold Aslagh
ridge  but you must be prepared in case they are pushed  off
early.
Once  the  15th Pz Div arrives, you can go on the offensive,
aiming  to  capture as many objectives as  possible.  It  is
highly unlikely you will reach Knightsbridge.

INTERLUDE
Once  it  was  clear that his forces had  been  defeated  at
Gazala,  Ritchie ordered the Eighth army to retreat  towards
Egypt,  leaving  the  2nd  South African  Division  to  hold
Tobruk.  This  time there would be no prolonged  siege.  The
fortress'  defences  had been allowed to deteriorate,  there
were  no minefields in place and the South Africans  had  no
time  to  prepare  fixed  positions.  Furthermore,  Rommel's
supply  status was the best it had ever been. After a  brief
pause  to reorganise, the Afrika Korps captured the port  in
24  hours  of  fighting, taking 20,000 prisoners  and  badly
needed supplies.
The fall of Tobruk on 21st June, and Rommel's obvious desire
to  continue the pursuit, provoked scenes of sheer panic  in
Alexandria.  Base  troops were sent back to  Palestine,  the
fleet made preparations to escape via the Red Sea and trench
lines were dug along the eastern side of the Suez Canal.
General  Auchinleck,  the Middle East  Commander,  kept  his
head.  Realising  his troops were incapable  of  facing  the
Afrika  Korps  in  mobile battle, he  relieved  Ritchie  and
sought  out a location where his flank could not be  turned.
Such  a  place was a line of ridges lying between the  ocean
and  the  Qattara  Depression,  a  sand  sea  impassable  to
vehicular  traffic. On a front of barely 60  kms,  and  with
secure flanks, Auchinleck dug in. The place was El Alamein.
There  were three battles fought for El Alamein.  The  first
began on 1st July and dragged on, inconclusively, for almost
a  month. Rommel, and then Auchinleck, attacked but  neither
could  achieve  anything against solid defensive  positions.
Both  sides  settled  down to the task of  rebuilding  their
depleted forces.
The  end was in sight for the Afrika Korps. Oblivious to his
achievements, Churchill sacked Auchinleck, much  as  he  had
done  Wavell. In both cases, the British leader's impatience
had resulted in the loss of capable commanders.
General Sir Harold Alexander was his replacement and General
Bernard Montgomery was placed in command of the Eighth Army.
Auchinleck's  plans  were  followed  through  by   the   new
commanders, much to Churchill's dismay.
On the other side of the hill, Rommel recognised that he was
fast  losing the initiative. The British were receiving  the
full  benefit  of  the American war effort while  Malta  had
recovered  and  was  again causing serious  losses  to  Axis
supply  convoys. Rommel's supply line extended all  the  way
back  to Tripoli and Benghazi. Every day wasted served  only
to increase Allied superiority.
Rommel  attacked. The second Battle of El Alamein was  known
as Alem el Halfa.

5. ALAM EL HALFA
August 30th, 1942
Rommel's  plan  called  for  a  swing  around  the  southern
extremity  of  the Allied position and then rolling  up  the
rear areas. In fact, the plan was much the same as that used
at Gazala. The dominating feature in the southern sector was
the  Alem  el Halfa ridge which had been heavily  fortified.
Lying astride the proposed German advance, the ridge had  to
be captured before further progress could be made.
The  opening moves were disastrous. The German forces became
entangled in the extensive minefields and were nowhere  near
the  ridge  by 6 am on the 31st; the time they  should  have
been  there. Rommel's senior formation commanders,  Generals
von  Bismarck  and Nehring were casualties. At  this  point,
Rommel almost cancelled the attack.
However,  later that morning, events began to  improve.  The
minefields  were  eventually cleared and the  first  attacks
against  the  ridge  went in that afternoon.  Defending  the
ridge was the British 22nd Bde, dug in and equipped with new
Grant  medium  tanks. The German attacks, with air  support,
could  not  dislodge  the defenders.  In  the  evening,  the
Germans  withdrew and camped for the night to the  south  of
the  Alem  el Halfa ridge. Tank losses on the day were  much
the same for both sides.
The  attack was recommenced on the morning of 1st  September
by  the 15th Pz Div. The 21st Pz could not take part  as  it
had  run  out of fuel. Once again, the Germans were repulsed
although  the  British  8th  Armoured  Bde  which  tried  to
intervene from the east was severely mauled.
Meanwhile,  the  90th  Light  and  the  Italian  Ariete  and
Littorio  armoured divisions had been fought to a standstill
by the 2nd New Zealand Division around Alem Nayil.
The  night  of  1st/2nd September was the worst  the  Afrika
Korps had ever experienced. The bombing and shelling was  so
heavy  that  it  was  forced onto the defensive  although  a
crippling shortage of gasoline kept the Germans immobile for
two  days.  On the 3rd, the Germans withdrew to their  start
positions.  Also  on  the 3rd, Montgomery  allowed  the  New
Zealanders,  reinforced by the British 44th Inf,  to  attack
towards Deir el Munassib. Fierce fighting raged for two days
with  the Allies sustaining over 1,000 casualties but little
else. The German defence held and the battle was over.
Montgomery  is still criticised for his failure  to  exploit
the  German  immobility on 2nd September.  His  reasons  for
inaction  were  the  inexperience  of  his  troops  and  his
characteristic reluctance to take chances. This conservatism
was to be the hallmark of the Allied advance, all the way to
Tunisia.  Paraphrasing his leader, one could  well  describe
Montgomery's  generalship as "Never in the  field  of  human
conflict  have  so many taken so long to achieve  so  little
against so few!"
The  battlefield represents the area fought over by the 15th
and  21st Pz Divisions. The scale is 1.6 kms (1 mile) to the
hex and the battle runs for 5 days.
PLAYER'S NOTES
COMMONWEALTH.  At last the Allied player has the  forces  to
stand  and  slug  it out with the Afrika Korps.  During  the
initial German attacks you must control any urge to counter-
attack  until the arrival of the 8th and 23rd Armoured  Bdes
and the 7th Armoured Div. Stay in your forts until then.  By
the  afternoon  of the 1st, you should be in a  position  to
take the fight to the German tanks.
AXIS. There is only one objective for the Axis forces.  Take
Alem el Halfa ridge and hold it for as long as possible.  If
you  can't  do this, you can't win! As well, the 90th  Light
must  crush the New Zealanders and hold the 44th Inf at bay.
Furthermore,  you  must deal with the 7th Armoured  when  it
arrives from the south. We wish you good luck.
SCENARIO VARIANTS
(a) The presence of the RAF had a large effect on the course
of  the  battle.  Assume that the build up  of  British  air
strength had been delayed. Reduce the day and night  support
points to 8 and 2 respectively and the rating to 3.
(b)  The  HQ supply values for the German Panzer  units  are
generous.  A more historical representation may be  effected
by reducing the supply value all Pz HQs by 2.

INTERLUDE
With his hopes dashed, Rommel had no choice but to stand and
await Montgomery's counter-blow. His defensive measures, the
best  he  could manage, were to heavily fortify his infantry
divisions in the front line and deploy his mobile troops  in
reserve in the rear to deal with any Allied breakthrough.
Montgomery's  plan, although unimaginative, guarantied  that
he  could  not lose. The basic plan called for  an  infantry
attack on the northern part of the Axis line which would  in
due  course  bull-doze its way through the  defenders.  Once
this  occurred, the armour would pass through  the  gaps  to
pursue  and  defeat  the  foe. It was  to  be  a  battle  of
attrition.
The third Battle of El Alamein kicked off in the early hours
of  23rd  October, under the cover of a massive bombardment.
The   Allied   infantry,  advancing  on  narrow   divisional
frontages  because  of the extensive minefields,  could  not
employ  their  maximum combat power and the  Axis  defenders
were  able  to  hold the initial assault. For ten  days  the
opposing infantry fought it out. Numbers told in the end and
at last the Axis position crumbled.
At this point, Rommel returned from convalescence in Europe.
The  situation  was  critical.  The  only  solution  was  to
withdraw  whatever  troops  could  be  salvaged.  A  general
retreat was ordered for 3rd November. However, on hearing of
this,  Hitler  issued another of his infamous  "no  retreat"
orders.
Montgomery,  for his part, was unable to take  advantage  of
the  perilous  German position. After 36 hours of  desperate
pleading, Hitler relented and allowed Rommel to withdraw his
forces.  There  is  little  doubt  that  his  decision   was
influenced  by  the  news  that Allied  troop  convoys  were
heading into the Mediterranean, destination unknown.
Rommel  was  able to extricate his mobile forces but  20,000
German and Italian infantry were captured at El Alamein. The
surviving Germans were determined to carry on and  over  the
ensuing three months conducted a skilful withdrawal  in  the
face of an admittedly cautious pursuit.
Far  to the west, 2,500 kms from El Alamein, the final nails
were  being  driven in to the Axis' African coffin.  On  the
night of 7th November 1942, an Anglo-American force of  some
six  divisions  came ashore in Vichy controlled  Algeria.  A
combination  of  rough surf and inadequate training  ensured
that  the  landings  were  a  debacle.  Fortunately,  French
opposition was mostly negligible; a determined defence would
have  resulted in an Allied disaster. By the evening of  the
10th,  Admiral Darlan, the most competent French  leader  of
the  war  and the commander of Vichy forces in North Africa,
ordered  his  men to surrender. Several days  later  he  was
assassinated  and  suspicion  still  lingers  that   British
intelligence  had  some part in his demise.  Darlan  was  an
avowed Anglophobe.
This  unexpected turn of events provoked an  extreme  crisis
for  Germany. Hitler exposed the facade of Marshall Petain's
independent  French  State by marching  ten  divisions  into
Vichy. Yet there were almost no German troops in Algeria  or
Tunisia. A rag-tag force, consisting of base personnel,  re-
inforcements  destined for Rommel and sundry odds  and  ends
were   despatched  to  Tunis.  They  were   organised   with
remarkable  speed  by  the  German commander,  Nehring,  now
recovered from his wounds, and sent out to block the  Allied
advance into Tunisia.
The  Allies were experiencing their own problems.  The  east
and west extremities of the original landings were about 800
kms apart so that the forces at Oran and Casablanca were too
far  away  to support an advance on Tunis. Furthermore,  the
Allies were concerned that Hitler could attack Spain through
the Pyrenees and, if successful, cut off the forces in North
Africa.  And lastly, the weather went from bad to atrocious,
immobilising everything in a sea of mud.
Nonetheless, by the end of November, brigade size formations
of  Allied  troops were feeling out the German positions.  A
number  of sharp but inconclusive clashes occurred  as  each
side  probed  for  an  advantage. Although  the  Allies  had
numerical superiority, their troops lacked the battle skills
that   only  long  training  or  hard  combat  can   instil.
Furthermore,  the German forces had local air supremacy  and
used it to maximum effect.
Thus  the  line settled down, running pretty well north  and
south,  about  70 kms west of Tunis. Both sides  engaged  in
probes  and  local  offensives in January with  the  Germans
generally getting the better of their opponents although the
Allied    material   superiority   offset    these    gains.
Reinforcements  from  Italy continued to  arrive,  including
some of the infamous Tiger heavy tanks.
The  German  Army  in  World War II operated  on  the  basic
premise  that  the  best defence was  a  good  offence.  The
remnants of the Afrika Korps had at last reached Tunisia and
together with fresh reinforcements, allowed Rommel to create
a  mobile  reserve.  He waited only for  an  opportunity  to
strike.  Such  an opportunity presented itself  in  February
1943 at a small village called Sidi Bou Zid.

6. KASSERINE PASS
February 14th, 1943
The  German  offensive commenced at dawn when the  10th  and
21st Panzer Divisions fell upon Combat Command A of the  1st
US Armoured Division and part of the 168th Regimental Combat
Team  of  the 34th Infantry Division. The unpreparedness  of
the  Americans and the usual attacking flair of the  panzers
left  CCA  severely mauled and the infantry cut  off  to  be
eventually  captured. A counter-attack on the 15th  by  CCC,
the  only  armoured reserve in the immediate area, met  with
disaster  and the Allies were forced to retreat  to  Sbeitla
and Thelepte.
Fortunately  for the Allies the divided German command  (von
Arnim  had  control over 10th Panzer, while Rommel commanded
21st  Panzer  and  the  Deutsche  Afrika  Korps,  by  now  a
divisional sized unit), had 10th Panzer moving on Pinchon on
the 16th and 17th in a fruitless attempt to mop up more soft
Allied  targets, while 21st Panzer tried to take Sbeitla  on
the  run. Although the Allies were eventually pushed out  of
this position, CCB was able to hold long enough for the bulk
of the US forces to retire in reasonable order.
In  the  meantime, DAK had driven up from  Gafsa  (off  map,
south  of  Thelepte) and had linked up with 21st  Panzer  at
Kasserine. Sensing in the panicky Allied response the chance
to emulate his victories of old, Rommel sought permission to
press on towards the major American headquarters at Tebessa.
He  was  overruled by his superiors however and  ordered  to
attack  towards Thala and Sbiba on the 19th. The  attack  on
Sbiba  by  21st  Panzer was repulsed by an Allied  composite
force  based on the British Brigade of Guards and no further
progress was made.
The  attack  on Kasserine Pass slowly but surely  progressed
and  with  the  return of the 10th Panzer, on the  21st,  an
attempt   was   made   to   take  Thala.   However,   Allied
reinforcements  were now pouring into the area  and  Rommel,
realising the initiative was now lost, withdrew on the  22nd
leaving behind a much battered II Corps to lick its wounds.
This  is a medium length scenario covering 8 days of  battle
and using all the map area the computer can hold. The ground
scale  is  4.8  kms (3 miles) to the hex. All terrain  other
than  clear  presents real problems for  mechanised  troops,
hence   the  attack  will  be  channelled  along  the   main
communication lines.
PLAYER'S NOTES
ALLIED.  In the battle the Germans handed II Corps a  severe
thrashing. You can expect history to repeat itself. Although
you have a lot of men, their quality is not good and it is a
while  before their command comes together. You cannot stand
up to the panzers in an even fight and instead you will have
to  seek  good  defensive terrain and once there,  use  your
numerical superiority to cycle fresh troops forward as  your
front line battalions take losses. The German player will be
out  to kill your men; he gets a lot of points for this.  It
is  your job to ensure that your damaged men are pulled  out
of the line to rest and rebuild.
AXIS. Your initial attack should smash through the Sidi  Bou
Zid  position, however once taken you face the same  problem
as  Rommel; where to now? Most of your points will be earned
from  killing  Allied units, hence you must make  them  your
targets.  Pursuing weakened units to the death  is  probably
the  best technique and if the odd objective hex comes  your
way as well, so much the better.
SCENARIO VARIANTS
(a)   The   Allied  forces  were  badly  deployed   at   the
commencement  of the battle and scattered in penny  packets.
Assume  the  Allies,  who  were  forewarned  of  the  German
offensive,  took better steps to prepare for the  onslaught.
The  units  of 168 RCT at Sidi Bou Zid should be  fortified,
while  CCB  should be setup at Sbeitla. In  addition,  bring
forward the arrival turn of all reinforcements by 4 turns.
(b)   The  German  High  Command  forced  upon  Rommel   the
objectives  of  Thala  and  Sbiba,  whereas  he  would  have
preferred to attack towards Tebessa. Assume Rommel  had  had
his way and reduce the end game victory points for Thala and
Sbiba to 5 each and make Tebessa 200.
(c)  The  Axis  suffered chronic supply  and  administrative
problems due to the divided command. Assume these could have
been  solved and give each Axis Division a supply and  admin
value of 6 and 7 respectively.
(d)  It  is  clear that the "bunker" mentality and  gormless
nature of General Fredenhall had caused a severe decline  in
the morale of his troops. The vastly improved performance of
the  same  soldiers under Patton little more  than  a  month
later  is  testimony of this. Assume this  problem  had  not
arisen  and increase the experience of all US bns by  1  and
the leadership of their regiment and division HQs by 1.

INTERLUDE
Kasserine was a severe shock to the Allies. It brought  home
the  reality of war and paved the way for a better,  tougher
army  to  face  future battles. For Germany  there  was  the
certain  knowledge that it was only a matter of time  before
North Africa, indeed their homeland, was lost.
Rommel is reported to have been dismayed at the lavish scale
of  supplies  and  equipment available to  the  Allies.  His
health  had  again deteriorated and in early  March  he  was
recalled  to  Germany to recover. The final  scenes  in  the
North African drama were played out in his absence.
The   Allies  planned  a  two-pronged  assault   on   German
positions.  The British Eighth Army was to attack  from  the
east  at  Mareth while a supporting attack was made  by  the
American II Corps at Maknassy.

7. MAKNASSY
March 16th, 1943
II  Corps  was  badly shaken and demoralised.  At  Kasserine
Pass,  the  Germans had taught II Corps a lesson in  how  to
fight  a battle. As a result, morale and discipline were  at
an  all time low and something had to be done. On March 6th,
1943, Gen George S. Patton Jnr was given command of II Corps
and told to turn it into a fighting outfit.
By  March 15th, a new plan limiting II Corps to a subsidiary
role  to  the British 8th Army's main attack on  the  Mareth
Line  was ready. Dubbed Operation WOP, II Corps was to  take
the  vital crossroads at Gafsa in the initial stages of  the
advance,  and  then to push towards El Guettar and  Maknassy
and try to draw off the German reserves that would otherwise
reinforce  the Mareth Line. Despite arguments for a  greater
thrust  to the sea to cut off the Germans, Alexander limited
II Corps to the original plan.
II  Corps  consisted  of  the 1st, 9th,  and  34th  Infantry
Divisions,  and the 1st Armoured Division. The plan  was  to
have  the 1st Infantry drive on El Guettar, the 1st Armoured
on  Maknassy, and the 9th was in reserve. The 34th  Division
was  positioned  further north, and was not engaged  in  the
Maknassy area.
The Axis defenders consisted of parts of the 5th Panzerarmee
which  held  north and central Tunisia at the  time.  Around
Gafsa  and  El  Guettar was the Centauro Armoured  Division,
somewhat  incomplete, as part of the 1st Italian Army  which
was  holding the Mareth Line. Around Maknassy were parts  of
the  30th  Italian  Corps, mainly the 50th Special  Brigade.
Rommel had left Africa on the 9th of March, so Gen von Arnim
was in overall command.
The  Americans began moving on the 16th. On the  17th  Gafsa
was  taken  after  being abandoned by the Germans.  A  great
opportunity  to press the attack slipped by  for  Patton  as
there  was  no  German opposition; but  he  was  ordered  to
establish  his  base  of operations and could  not  advance.
Heavy  rainstorms during the 18th & 19th slowed any  further
advance.  The  weather cleared on the 20th and 1st  Armoured
attacked  through  Sened Station towards  Maknassy  but  got
bogged  down in difficult terrain and mine fields,  and  did
not  capture  it  until the 21st. A "demonstration"  towards
Maknassy was now called for, but new orders were received to
take  the higher ground east of Maknassy, but not to proceed
beyond it. On the 22nd, 1st Armoured found Maknassy free  of
enemy  troops.  Deploying  for a  prepared  assault  of  the
heights,  in view of their orders, a new request for  strong
thrust  to  the east found the armour scattered  across  the
Maknassy  plains. The assault went in, but the  Germans  had
time to rally, and the attack had little affect. The heights
were  to be not to be captured until the Germans pulled  out
on 10th April.
The  1st  Infantry  Division started their  assault  with  a
surprise  attack during the night of 20/21st by  the  ranger
battalion  and the 26th RCT, leading to the capture  of  Bou
Hamran.  Reshuffling  of RCT's followed  preparatory  to  an
assault on Dj el Mecheltat, but by this time the German 10th
Panzer  Division  had arrived and started a  counter-attack.
One  tank-destroyer battalion sacrificed itself to stall and
then  halt  the German attack, and for the next few  days  a
battle of attrition ensued.
On  the  25th,  the 9th Infantry was released from  reserve,
and, along with a task force from 1st Armoured, renewed  the
assault  from  El Guettar in an attempt to  take  Dj  Berda.
Unfortunately, the 9th had not fought as a Division  before.
One  battalion  got caught in a crossfire and  had  a  whole
company wiped out, one battalion got lost and two battalions
attacked the wrong hill. The attack failed. Reorganising  on
the  30th, it again assaulted Dj Berda and also Dj  Kreroua.
The  1st  Infantry also managed to clear Dj el Mecheltat  at
this  time.  The  9th, however, was again repulsed.  Several
more  attempts  were  made to break the  German  lines,  but
elements  of  the  21st Panzer Division had  reinforced  the
German lines. The battle was reduced to a meat-grinder until
the Germans finally pulled out on 7th April.
This is the longest scenario in the package, running for  19
days. The ground scale is 3.2 kms (2 miles) to the hex.  The
mountain ranges will channel the movement of units.
PLAYER'S NOTES
ALLIED.  Gafsa is your immediate objective, and  you  should
take its as soon as possible to maximise victory points from
it.   The  Axis  shouldn't  oppose  you  here,  but  if   so
destruction of such opposition is vital. This will  in  part
offset  the  loss of points for Gafsa but, more importantly,
will  deny the Axis player troops to garrison his fort line.
Any gaps in the defence should be exploited vigorously as an
early breakthrough in this area will probably guarantee  you
victory. If held up (as was the case historically) you  must
take  extra  care  with  the  rotation  of  your  regimental
attacks. When the 9th Division arrives you will have  a  bit
more  flexibility as to where you will make your  push,  but
from  this point on pressure must be continually applied  to
the defences to force a breakthrough.
The  1st Armoured must push very hard right from the  start.
The  quicker  pressure is applied to Maknassy, Maizila  Pass
and   Dj   Rouana  the  better,  as  this  will   draw   off
reinforcements   from   the   El   Guettar   sector.    Each
reinforcement drawn off will greatly improve the chances  of
the  1st and 9th Infantry in the south. Success in this area
is probably the key to the game for the Americans.
Try  and  take  the other objectives in the Maknassy  plains
area  en-passant,  and  if you get a  chance  to  infiltrate
through the mountains, do so.
AXIS. In the north, the 1st Armoured will probably wipe  out
the  initial  resistance.  The  longer  you  can  delay  the
advance,  the  better. You are not likely to get  lucky  and
have  the  historical rainstorm to slow the Americans  down.
The  main objective in the north is to deny Dj Rouana to the
Americans,  and, where possible mount pressure  on  Maknassy
and  Maizila  Pass. If you are fortunate  enough  to  retain
these  objectives for some time from the start of the  game,
you  should have a good chance at winning. In the south  try
and  hold  around  El Guettar as long as  possible,  but  be
prepared to trade some ground.
Your  main  defensive fort line should be used to grind  the
1st  Infantry into the ground. When the 10th Panzer Division
puts  in  an  appearance be careful not to  over-extend  it.
Limit counter-attacks to a specific objective (hopefully  El
Guettar).  Depending on the situation in the north  you  may
have  to dispatch reinforcements to the Maknassy area.  Such
reinforcements generally mean that an American victory is in
the offering, as a strong end-game in the El Guettar and  Dj
Berda area are necessary for an Axis victory.
SCENARIO VARIANT
(a)  Shorten the game length to 10 days. This represents the
first  phase  of the battle up until the commitment  of  the
9th. Give the Allies a major handicap.

INTERLUDE
While  the  American  II  Corps was making  steady  progress
towards Maknassy, to the east, Montgomery was having his own
supply problems on the Mareth line.

8. TEBOURGA GAP
March 26th, 1943
By  March  1943,  the Desert Fox was at last  being  run  to
ground. After five months of steady retreat from El Alamein,
the  Afrika Korps crossed into Tunisia. With the advance  of
General  Anderson's First Army from Algiers cutting off  any
further  retreat, the time had come to make a stand  against
Montgomery's  Eighth Army. As may be expected, Rommel  chose
the  best  position available, an old French  fort  line  at
Mareth.
A  set piece assault by the 50th Infantry Division failed to
pierce the line. Montgomery therefore chose to outflank  the
position  via Tebourga Gap, a pass through the Matama  Hills
located  about  100  kms behind the  German  front  line.  A
successful assault here meant that the Afrika Korps could be
cut off and captured.
It  took  the  Allies several days to get their troops  into
position.  The plan was for the 2nd New Zealand Division  to
capture  the  pass,  allowing the 2nd Armoured  Division  to
charge  through to the coast. The assault commenced  in  the
afternoon of the 26th March 1943 and initially went more  or
less  to  plan, the New Zealanders cutting through the  weak
Axis defence easily except at Point 209 where a battalion of
the  German  164th Infantry Division held out to the  bitter
end.
By  dawn  of the 27th the 2nd Armoured Division was  through
the  gap, but a desperate mobile defence by the 21st  Panzer
and 164th Infantry Divisions ensured that their progress was
not  the procession it was meant to be. Further fighting  on
the  28th  saw the attackers advance to Point 212 where  the
Axis  managed  to put up a sufficient line to  stop  further
Allied progress. A renewed Allied attack on the 29th punched
into  empty space - the Germans had left their positions  on
the Mareth Line and were now out of the trap. The Desert Fox
had escaped again.
This is a short game; only 10 turns! It commences on the  pm
turn  of 26th March and continues until 28th March, by which
time the 2nd Armoured Division had to have captured El Hamma
or the plan failed. The scale is 1.6 km (1 mile) to the hex.
PLAYER'S NOTES
COMMONWEALTH.  Your plan is simple; El Hamma  or  bust!  You
must  attack to the best of your ability and clear the  pass
quickly to allow 2nd Armoured through. For once you  do  not
have  to  worry about exhaustion as your men do not have  to
last  long; so attack day and night. The recipe is  a  quick
assault using maximum armour and artillery to blast away the
defenders, a furious pursuit by the 2nd Armoured and  a  bit
of  luck. And be careful with your infantry, Roger does  not
like  to  see  his  countrymen, the New Zealanders,  getting
roughed up!
AXIS. The German role is probably best left to the computer,
who does not have anyone to complain to. However, if you  do
get  past  the first three turns with your front blown  away
and your few remaining units desperately trying to hold back
a  flood of rampaging tanks, take heart; the Allies  have  a
lot of ground to cover and precious little time to do it in.
You  must  use  your  units to establish blocking  positions
along  the Allied axis of advance. Remember the key  victory
condition is possession of El Hamma at the end of the  game.
All else is secondary.
SCENARIO VARIANTS
(a)  The British 2nd Armoured Division arrived the night  of
the  first  day  of the battle and did not really  get  into
action  until the morning of the 27th. Assume it had arrived
earlier and set the arrival for all its units to turn 1.
(b)  The New Zealanders had managed to capture Point 184  in
an assault on the previous day (hence the weakened condition
of  the  21st  battalion) which permitted them  to  form  up
fairly close to the Axis front line. Assume this feature had
not  been captured in advance and position all Allied  units
two  hexes  closer  to the bottom of the  map.  Those  units
"pushed  off  the map" by this device should  start  on  the
bottom hexrow arriving on turn 1.

AFTERMATH
Battered but not yet beaten, the Axis forces struggled  back
to  a defensive perimeter around the port of Tunis. By April
1943, Axis naval convoys were under such pressure that  they
could  not  be  continued.  Only a  tenuous  link,  via  air
transport, connected German forces to Europe.
Allied  training continued apace and in early May, a  series
of  sharp offensives tore the heart from 5th Panzerarmee. On
the   11th,   the  last  of  Hitler's  legions   in   Africa
surrendered.  The battle for North Africa  was  over...  the
battle for Italy was about to begin.
Irwin  Rommel did not return to active duty until 1944  when
he  was  placed  in command of the German forces  in  France
which  would  oppose the impending Allied invasion.  He  saw
little  service  in this command. After the  abortive  "July
Bomb Plot" against Hitler, his tenuous connection to it  was
sufficient for him to be classed as a conspirator.  He  died
by his own hand to prevent the persecution of his family.
