Below is the fourth 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, 2, and 3 can be found here, here, and here. Enjoy! -Rachel

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Note: I accidentally removed the New Zealand division instead of the Australians on Turn 6, a mistake I didn’t notice until the end of Turn 7. The Australians are slightly stronger, so it no doubt helped the British marginally, but an extra few strength points would almost certainly not change the overall situation.

Turn 8: November 1941

With the maximum number of tanks and troops in the replacement pool, the 8^th Army launches Operation Crusader to both wear down the Afrika Korps and relieve Tobruk.  (The Auk Priority chit)

30 Corps with 7 Armored, with additional tank and armored support attacks a panzer battali units of  21 Panzer supported by motorized infantry from 15 Panzer at 1647, while 13 Corps attacks German armor and recon units on the Coast Road. Two brigades are brought up in the rear of 13 Corps but are disrupted in the march (in retrospect, I should have sent them by rail).

When the dust clears the units in 1647 are forced to retreat northeast, and the 13^th Corps has traded losses with the Germans on the coast. In the process the Afrika Korps HQ has become uncovered, and the British threaten to trap 3 panzer battalions. To prevent this Rommel himself pulls back the panzer regiment at 1848 to 1846 protect both the Afrika Korps HQ and themselves. (Rommel Chit) But though the short envelopment by 30 Corps has been blocked, a greater danger looms as only a single unit blocks 30 Corps from advancing on the desert track deep into the German rear.

21 Corps attacks Tobruk to no effect, and then Rommel breathes a sigh of relief when just enough supplies arrive to pull the Afrika Korps back to a line running from Sollum to Sidi Omar. (½ Move) 15 Panzer reforms to block the Coast Road, 21 Panzer holds the center, and 90 Light the desert flank.

(Logistics is followed by 13 Corps) 13 Corps moves up to Halfaya Pass, with two disorganized (Disrupted) brigades in their immediate rear. This will prove to be a tragic error. Facing heavy German concentrations, plans to attack (Combat chit) are canceled, and then, despite lack of supplies, 15 Panzer strikes back at 13 Corps, recapturing Halfaya and sending three enemy brigades fleeing east. Meanwhile 21 Panzer strikes out at 30 Corps, eliminating a British tank brigade.

Rommel has the bit between his teeth now (Afrika Korps HQ Chit) and 15 Panzer smashes into the two disrupted brigades on the Coast Road, destroying them both. 21 Panzer (at 75% panzer strength) attacks again, advancing to 1742, sending 7 Armored into retreat while inflicting a step loss,  but this proves to be too reckless, as after everyone resupplies (Logistics chit) the British come back with a one-two punch (Move followed by 30 Corps) that reduces 21 Panzer strength to 50% and more importantly cuts its lines of communication. This means that first, the 21 will be unable to replenish the tanks of either battalion in December, and second, it will have to fight its way out before it runs out of supplies.

The Allied rail advances to 1642, and the Coast Road bypass is completed.

Turn 9: December 1941

The British are able to replace both the armor and infantry lost in November, and even maintain a comfortable replacement reserve, though the replaced units will require time to fully organize (they are Disrupted). The Germans are unable to do anything but fill out a reduced regiment of the 90 Light. More importantly, though Rommel is determined to take the Initiative (Nov. ended with two consecutive British chits) he still has the problem that the weakened 21 is cut off and if left where it is will soon be out of supply. But how much should be risked to save a reduced panzer regiment and an armored car battalion?

(Axis Move) Rommel sends the panzer grenadiers of 21 panzer to open a narrow supply corridor to the trapped 21 Panzer armor, but he sees a larger opportunity, sending the armored cars of 15 Panzer around the British desert flank to cut the supply of 7^th Armored. Rommel then personally leads the forces of 21 Panzer, supported by his flak guns, in an attack hoping to break the armor out of their pocket.  But though the attack trades losses with the British it fails to pry open the trap. (Rommel chit)

With a German battalion on the supply lines of 7 Armored, the Auk should have intervened but distracted by messages from Churchill (Why hasn’t Tobruk been relived yet?!) he leaves the immediate response to Rommel up to 8^th Army. Fortunately they turn out to be up to the job. (British 30 Corps chit) and the British eliminate the 15 Armor recon battalion, and smash the remains of 21 Armor, though again taking losses. (EX result)

(Logistics comes out, too late for Rommel)

With the armor of one panzer division littering the desert, the British redeploy, bringing up units on the Coast Road, positioning 13 Corps with three brigades and a fortified box at 1943, and deploying a now infantry-heavy 30 Corps in an arc bulging west from 1742 to 1443.  In response Rommel withdraws the remains of 21 Panzer and the bloodied 15 Panzer into a line 9 miles west of the British. But a regiment of 90 Light at 1442 is unable to break contact.

The Auk is heartened to learn that substantial reinforcements have arrived.  The 2/1 Armored Brigade and the strong Free French brigade are sent to Tobruk to provide punch for a breakout attempt.

The British now attack (Brit Combat Chit) the 200/90 Regiment at 1442, exchanging losses (BL1), and the Tobruk garrison, not waiting for the newly arrived forces, make two attacks on the Italians. Though the Italians take losses, the British come off worse in the exchange. (BL1 and AL1 results).

Rommel wants to pull back the battered Afrika Korps closer to Tobruk, efforts hindered by the sinking of tankers bringing fuel by the RAF from Malta. (Axis ½ Move) Unable to make a deep retreat, the Afrika Korps forms again on the Libyan side of the border, from Fort Sollum southwest to 1837, with the battered 200/90 holding southern flank at 1738, and with the Italian Bologna filling out the reduced ranks of 15 Panzer at 1838.

(Logistics chit-no one OOS)

The 13 Corps attacks once again into the Halfaya Pass, trading the reduced 22/1 for the reduction of a regiment of 90 Light. (13 Corps chit)

(21 Corps chit) The Italians reinforce around Tobruk as December comes to an end.

The Allied railhead advances to 1941.

With over half the Axis panzers destroyed, but 8^th Army losses also heavy, what will 1942 bring?

Turn 10: January-February 1942

(Replacements)  Rommel is able to build one Panzer battalion back to full strength, and another to half strength. The British rebuild most of their forces.

Rommel decides he must either now take Tobruk or fall back towards his base to rebuild. Ever the gambler, he decides on the former course.  This involves moving the 21 and 15 Panzer back to Tobruk, switching the Ariete and additional Italian units to the border to support the 90 Light to hold off 8^th Army until Tobruk falls. (Axis Move, Afrika Korps, Logistics)

Axis withdrawal means a scheduled British attack hits air (British Combat, no attacks)  Two Indian brigades arrive, but the New Zealanders and the Poles are withdrawn. (British Reinforcement)

Rommel now attacks the outer Tobruk defenses and luck is with the Afrika Korps as both forts fall. (Axis Combat with two DR results).  [Note: the stacking and retreat rules mean that one step of one brigade survives from these two Drs to stack with the units in Tobruk]

The 8^th Army decides not to risk the Free French and British armor holding Tobruk and evacuates them to Matruh leaving behind a garrison and a reduced brigade. (British ½ Move/Combat as ½ Move). The British then move forward in force against the weak Axis line on the border, trapping the 90 Light at Sidi Omer. A worried Rommel intervenes (Rommel chit) and sends the 21 Panzer, reinforced by a battalion of 15 Panzer to free the 90 Light, while the rest of 15 Panzer attacks Tobruk, eliminating the brigade but failing to eliminate the garrison. (BL1). 21 Panzer destroys two British brigades, but suffers very heavy losses in the process (EX) and while a supply line is opened to the 90 Light, it remains trapped.

More Italians move toward the Egyptian border (21 Corps). Though short of shells, the British attack 90 Light, which unfortunately breaks out to the west (DR result). (Logistics)

So Rommel almost takes Tobruk, but the Afrika Korps is battered. But so is 8^th Army. Who will recover first? The fate of the campaign hangs in the balance.

To be continued…

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