Below is the third part in an series of articles from designer Ted Raicer in which he shares an After Action Report of the Campaign Game of The Dark Sands. Parts 1 and 2 can be found here and here. Enjoy! -Rachel

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Turn 5: July-August 1941

Tanks being shipped to Rommel are sunk by planes from Malta (Axis Replacement Chit 0 Tank Rps), but repair crews manage to bring one battalion of 21 Panzer up to strength.

The Allies rebuild the 20/9 Australian to full strength, while the 26/9 is rebuilding outside Cairo. (British Replacements 2 Infantry)

(British Initiative Chit-Reinforcements) A Polish brigade is landed at Tobruk, and two brigades of the New Zealand Division arrive at Mersa Matruh. The remaining brigade arrives with the 29/5 Indian outside Alexandria.

(Logistics Chit) The British Garrison at Sollum signals to Cairo that it is running out of supplies.

(Axis ½ Move/-1 Combat as Move) Rommel orders the 21 Panzer at Bardia to clear away the British Garrison at Sollum, while 15  Panzer advances down the Coast Road to strike the infantry tanks of the 1 Tank Brigade. Despite fuel and ammo shortages, both attacks are successful. Sollum is captured and the bloodied British tanks are sent in hasty retreat to the west.

The British command, seemingly still in shock over the recent turn of events, respond sluggishly, slowly moving forces from the rear towards the front. (British 1/ 2 Move/-1 Combat as 1/ 2 Move)

The forces at Tobruk consider an attack on their Italian guards, but ultimately decide to wait to build up more supplies. (!/2 Move/-1 Combat as Combat with no attack)

Italian armored cars arrive at 21 HQ in the ring outside Tobruk, while a new infantry regiment of the 90 Light joins the 21 Panzer and Afrika Korps HQ at Sollum. (Axis Reinforcements, and the first time I remembered to keep stacking so as to bring in units at the HQ s)

(Afrika Korps chit) The German forces at Sollum leapfrog the 15 Panzer units on the Coast Road to Buq Buq, attacking and destroying the remains of the 1 Tank Brigade, but the regiment from the 90 Light suffers losses. (Exchange result at 6-1 odds)

Rommel now personally leads the two battalions of 15 Panzer against the British 7/7 Brigade at 1649 (scattering the engineers building the railroad in the process. Each panzer battalion has 88s attached, and the Luftwaffe is brought into support. But the RAF outnumbers the Luftwaffe over the battlefield forcing some of the 88s into firing at aircraft rather than tanks. In the end the 7/7 takes losses, but manages to retreat from the battlefield. (Rommel chit)

The British forces at Tobruk drive the Babini and Sabratha east from 2728, but do not occupy the ground. (British Combat, DR result, no Advance)

(21 Corps chit) The Italians slightly reposition, but the gap in the Trobruk siege lines remains.

The attack on the 7/7 finally rouses British HQ and a line is formed to oppose the German advance. On the Coast Road at 2053 a New Zealand and an Australian brigade join the reduced 7/7 armor. At 1853 the a NZ brigade joins an Indian brigade and the remains of the 2 Armored, while 4/7, 7 Support Group, and the last NZ brigade hold the desert flank at 1553. The 25/9 moves to El Daba. (British Move, including Extended Moves with no Disruptions. Note the NZ units are split up as they will soon be withdrawn.)

(Logistic chit) No unit is OOS.

The railhead cannot advance because of Axis troops. The attack by the troops in Tobruk prevents Axis work on the Bypass Road.

Turn 6: September 1941

The Axis are only able to replenish the reduced 90 Light regiment, but the British rebuild the 1^st Tank Brigade and bring all their units (apart from the remans of 2 Armored) up to full strength. (Replacements: note that the Axis inability, unlike the British, to save replacements means many potential Axis replacements go to waste)

The British build Fortified Boxes along the line west of Sidi Barrini. The rebuilt (but Disrupted) 1 Tank moves just west of El Alamein.  The 26/9 Australian reaches Baggush. (British 1/ 2 Move/-1 Combat as Move)

The Italian lack of fuel means that units east of Tobruk continue to be shifted only slowly west. (Axis 21 Corps one hex movement)

(Logistics) All units have supply lines.

The New Zealand Division is withdrawn along with an Indian brigade from Tobruk, but a brigade of South Africans arrives at Tobruk, and two more SA brigades near Cairo. The 70 Division returns to the theater, with two brigades outside Alexandria and one at Mersa Matruh. More armor (the 32 Brigade) also arrives at Mersa Matruh.  (British Reinforcement chit)

(Logistics) All units have supply lines.

Two more regiments of the 90 Light arrive. One is rushed forward to Afrika Korps HQ at Buq Buq while the other remains at El Aghelia. The final unit of the Ariete arrives at Benghazi. (Axis Reinforcements. Stacking restrictions prevented more units placed at HQs)

(British 1/ 2 Move/-1 Combat as Move) Satisfied that their gradual build-up will allow them to soon take the offensive, the British meanwhile reposition their forces: A South African brigade takes the place of the withdrawn Indian brigade at 2729. The 8 Army’s main defense line is reorganized as follows: 7/7 and 32 Brigades and an Indian Brigade at 2053. An Australian brigade and the reduced 3/2 at 1853. The rest of 7 Armored at 1553. Two brigades of 70 Division are shipped to Mersa Matruh, while the other units of 8^th Army move as far as west as possible.

Rommel has decided earlier that Tobruk is too strong to take in 1941.* 8 Army is also too strong to hope to rush Alexandria. Rommel settles for trying to inflict damage and keep the British away from Tobruk. To that end he orders 21 Panzer (minus its motorized infantry, but with all of Rommel’s 88s attached) to attack the weakest British box at 1853. (Afrika Korps). Both sides throw in all their available air, but Rommel has miscalculated (what I thought was a 2-1 +1 drm was actually a 1-1 +1 drm) and the attack is a costly failure, with the second panzer battalion of the 21 now reduced as well. Rommel pulls battered the 21 panzers back to 2047 and 1848, with the Afrika Korps HQ positioned at 1848. (Rommel chit)

The turn ends with no Attrition and no Building.

* (Tobruk becomes much easier to take in 1942 when it no longer cancels retreat. This represents one of two things: British neglect of its defenses when not under siege (the historical effect) or the effect of Axis preparations following a prolonged siege. Historically Crusader preempted Rommel’s long-awaited “final offensive”  against Tobruk.)

Turn 7: October 1941

Rommel gets enough tanks to re-equip both of the 21’s battered panzer battalions, while the British build up a reserve of both tanks and infantry for the coming battle. (Replacements)

The British continue to receive reinforcements: The tanks of 22/1 Brigade arrive at Mersa Matruh, the 2 SA Division outside Alexandria, and an Indian motorized brigade near Cairo. (British Reinforcements chosen as the Initiative chit)

(21 Corps chit) The Italians finally re-close the ring around Tobruk, and plan to start building the Bypass Road.

(Rommel chit) Rommel pulls the panzers of 15 Panzer back to 1647, where they are joined by the 115/15 Regiment, while the division’s armored cars arrive at 1643 (Extended Move-no Disruption)

(Afrika Korps chit. Note because Rommel is a Priority chit, the two chit in a two max rule doesn’t apply, and the Afrika Korps is played) AK HQ is repositioned to 1846, the 12/8/15 joins the 1/5/21 at 1848, and a Fortified Box is built at 1647. Rommel is uncomfortably aware his forward position looks a bit too much like the Italians the previous December. On the other hand, the British are a long way from Tobruk.

(½ Move/-1 Combat as British ½ Move) The 70 Division is recombined at 2056. An Australian brigade reinforces the weak Box at 1853.  The 22/1 is held at 1959. Two SA Brigades arrive by sea at Mersa Matruh. And the rest of the 8^th Army marches west.

(Logistics) No one OOS.

(½ Move/-1 Combat as British ½ Move)  7 Armored concentrates at 1551. 70 Division occupies the box on the Coast Road.  The 32, an Australian, and Indian brigade occupy the center Box, while another Australian brigade and the 3/2 hold the southern Box. 22/1 moves to 1757, while 2 SA brigades reach 2056.

(Logistics) No OOS.

The Italians begin building the Coast Road Bypass around Tobruk.

The Auk declares that Operation Crusader will begin in November with the goal of relieving the siege of Tobruk.

To be continued…

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Articles in this Series: Part 1  Part 2  Part 3  Part 4  Part 5