by Zachary Grant, 16 February 2025
We are in the home stretch of the introductory scenario for North Africa ‘41. To get started, there are some events that occur in the prep phase for turn six we need to discuss. At the end of the last turn, the Allies suffered 1 Supply Point (SP) of supply attrition at Mersa Matruh. As far as the Axis is concerned, the Allies have far too much supply to begin with, so one less SP is fine with me.
Next, to reflect historical equipment improvements, the Allies get upgraded armor. The new and improved 2nd Royal Tank Regiment and the 6th Royal Tank Regiment, (RTR) arrive in North Africa. The 2nd RTR improves its attack value from five to six and keeps the same tank rating of one. The 6th RTR improves its attack value from five to six and improves its tank rating from one to two. Older Allied tank units need to be removed from play once these new upgrades arrive. They don’t need to be the exact same units that have been upgraded. The idea is, the staff from those older units are used to populate the new units. To round out the upgrades, the 22nd Guards infantry brigade gets a new set of wheels and becomes motorized.
Finally, following historical events, the Axis get the Crete airfield, which provides them with another die roll modifier to their advantage when making naval transports.
Events of the first impulse
The Event Roll for the Allies is a bombing raid and they set their sights on Benghazi. Their raid is successful and reduces the port capacity from three to one.
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The Allies rearrange the defense of Tobruk after the last battle. The stalwart 16th brigade, after keeping the Germans at bay, are sent back to the port of Tobruk for rest and replacements. The Australian brigades are shuffled around so the 18th and 26th are now defending the east side of Tobruk, while the 20th brigade takes up the defensive positions in the west.
This is the latest episode in a running playthrough of North Africa ’41 from GMT Games; you can find the links to all published episodes at the end of article, with new ones each Sunday
Outside Tobruk, the Allied commander is equally busy. He maneuvers the 3rd Indian brigade, supported by the 1st & 5th RTRs, adjacent to the German forces. The 4th Indian brigade, supported by Matildas and a South African brigade, trundles towards Tobruk along the Trigh Capuzzo track.
The 3rd Hussars move to Bardia. Finally, more SPs are shipped to Tobruk; however, they only just make it. Gaining those airfields is beginning to pay off as the die roll modifier for the Allies is getting worse and worse.
The Allies use a Resource Point (RP), to repair Tobruk’s port and return it to full capacity. Because the Allies only used Tactical Movement this impulse, their HQ in Tobruk gets another free SP. After all this, my cheeky opponent sends me this note:
“Dear Mum, all is sunny and fun here in Tobruk. Rations are plentiful. Plenty of bullets for the Hun. Love, your son, General John Lavarack, 9th Australian Division. P.S. Glad I am not those stupid Nazi’s baking in the sun outside our perimeter. They sure look thirsty.”
The Axis forces are busy too; however, all does not go well. The Axis Event Roll is for Commando Supremo. What I really need are RPs, or a bombing raid, not the ability to fight with combined Italian and German units, at least not this turn.
At the start of turn six, the Axis receive 2 SPs, panzer armor replacements and the German 300 Oasen, (Oasis) battalion. One SP and the panzer replacements arrive safely in Tripoli; however, the Oasen battalion and the other SP do not. They are caught by the British Navy and sunk to the bottom of the Mediterranean.
I tighten the siege around Tobruk by moving the Italian forces adjacent to the Tobruk perimeter. I pull the 15th Divion’s 104th infantry regiment back, to avoid losing them if the Allies attack next impulse. I push the panzer and flak battalions into positions to deal with any Allied hostilities and to prepare for my moves during the second impulse. I’m concerned about the 11th Hussars and the 2nd British Rifle brigade skulking around in the south, so I advance a couple Italian battalions in their general direction to prevent the Brits from sneaking behind me to cause trouble.
Events of the second impulse
The Allied event roll is for a RP. The 16th brigade, after resting and getting replacements, moves to the western perimeter of Tobruk. In a very surprising move, both the 18th and 26th Australian brigades fall back to the port of Tobruk, leaving the eastern perimeter completely undefended. Word races back to the German HQ of this new development.
The 4th Indian brigade, along with its supporting units, advances to pin the Germans down near Sidi Rezegh. In essence, the Allies have a new defensive line adjacent to the German positions. The 7th RTR speeds to the front as quickly as the pokey Matildas will go, arriving at the outskirts of Gambut. The Allied commander attempts to Naval Transport the newly upgraded 6th RTR and 2nd RTR to Tobruk. It is now the Luftwaffe’s turn to intercept the Allies. The 2nd RTR arrives safely; however, the 6th RTR is caught in the open and sunk, along with all those shiny upgraded tanks.
The 11th Hussars and the 2nd Rifle Brigade near El Cuasc decide it is time to engage the small Italian force keeping tabs on them. The 3rd Hussars are sent from Bardia to assist in the attack. The Genova 4th machine gun battalion and the Savona 16th regiment, seeing the attackers approach from across the desert, brace for the battle.
Although the odds slightly favor the British, (due to some additional firepower from the RAF), luck is not on their side and they lose the fight.
At the end of the Allied second impulse the Allied commander looks to have the Germans hemmed in on the eastern side of Tobruk. I know I need to break this defensive line if I’m going to reach Bardia, and I set the wheels in motion to make this happen.
As word filters back to the DAK HQ about the welcome Italian victory, the Germans are contemplating the now empty eastern perimeter of Tobruk. In the end, I decide this is intentional bait, meant to lure the Axis forces away from pressing towards Bardia and ignore it.
The Axis event roll is for one RP which the Germans immediately apply towards a bombing raid on Tobruk. The Tobruk AA defenses are in fine form and prevent the bombing raid from being successful. Frustrated, the Axis use their last remaining RP to launch another bombing raid, which again fails. Although the failures are due to a combination of bad luck and excellent AA defense, a rumor begins to filter through the Axis forces that the Luftwffe bombardiers were drunk during their failed bombing missions.
The Axis, knowing they must advance, make small tactical adjustments to set up for their attacks across the Allied defensive line. While the Germans prepare for their attacks, a group of Italians race to the aid of the Genova battalion and Savona regiment.
As Axis supplies from Tobruk reach the front lines, three attacks are unleashed at the same time. A combined force of the German 5th Light Division and the 15th Division attack the Allied units, while simultaneously the Italians attempt to destroy the British near Bir el Gubi.
In the north, although the Germans have the higher ground, they misjudge the Allied defenses, (the Allied commander calls in defensive artillery fire), and only manage to disrupt the Allies, which causes them to retreat. The disrupted units fall back to the protection of 7th RTR.
The Italians in the south launch their attack against the Brits. The battle ends with both sides taking a step loss. The Italian 4th Genova battalion and the British 2nd Rifle Brigade are eliminated. As the dust settles, the Brits are forced to retreat, with the remaining Italians following close on their heels.
The battle in the middle is the most fierce. The odds are even, so the Germans know this could go either way. As the Matildas are brought into the fight, 18/I Flak battalion unleashes their 88mm shells. I get the best combat result possible, which is an exchange of strength steps and the defender must retreat. Because the Flak battalion was involved in this battle, the Allied tank unit suffers two hits instead of one, eliminating the 4th RTR. In return, the Allied commander selects the Flak battalion to be eliminated. The remaining Allied brigades reel back from the fight, wondering what happened.
The Axis forces advance on all fronts to keep the disrupted Allies on their toes and in the process capture Gambut airfield. Concerned with the defenses at El Adem, I move the 15th Division’s 8/II panzer battalion to provide support. The battle has been successful. The Allies have been pushed back and are disrupted. Bardia looks like it might be within reach!
Events of the third impulse
For the Allied Event roll, they gain another RP. The Allied commander knows all he needs to do is slow me down for one more turn, so he withdraws a wee bit to allow his units to reorganize and return to good order. In the end, the direct path to Bardia is blocked; however, there is a tempting gap along the Trigh el Abd track that the Axis can pass through.
I know it is now or never, so I decide to make a concerned push to Bardia. My event roll is for one RP, which I apply to another bombing raid on Tobruk. This time the raid is successful and Tobruk’s port capacity is reduced from four to two.
My plan is simple. I will use the stronger German panzer battalions to pin the Allied defenders down and advance the Italians through the gap in the Allied lines. I know I can’t capture Bardia. I am confident I can get to the Via Balbia and cut those damn Allied supply lines.
This task would be much easier if it wasn’t for the 3rd Hussars in the south, waiting to cut off the Italian supply lines. My thought is, if the Allies blocking the Germans react to the advancing Italians, that will weaken their main defensive line, making it easier for the Germans to attack and possibly break through. In the end, the Italian advance reaches the outskirts of Sollum, cutting off the Allied supply lines. I know the thin line of Italians across the desert is weak. There are just not enough resources to make a stronger advance. You make do with what you have.
Conclusion & Discussion
With only one turn left, it is not looking good for the Axis. Allowing myself to be distracted by the weak spot in Tobruk last turn was a mistake. Even though the attacks to push the Allied forces back were successful, and the Italians were able to take advantage of the gap in the Allied defensive lines, I lack the resources to support the Axis forces. Hammering away at the Allied defensive line with the German battalions is a battle of attrition I can’t win. The Italian thrust to cut off the Allied supply lines is weak and probably easily countered. It gives the Allied commander an unwelcome situation and it won’t tax him too much to deal with it. Now I wait and see how the Allied commander reacts.
NORTH AFRICA ’41 AAR
PART 1 ~ PART 2 ~ PART 3 ~ PART 4 ~ PART 5 ~ PART 6 ~ PART 7 ~ PART 8
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