The Western Desert 1940

As is often the case, my mind went a wandering after the recent CWD show, this time in the direction of the Western Desert, a period we used to enjoy and game as kids. This was partly down to the Airfix models available and the sparse nature of the terrain, which meant we could play on pretty much any surface and say it was like the desert. Happy days and simpler gaming!

So to scratch that itch I dug out some books for some reading to see what I might be able to achieve and more particulary, want to game. These can be seen below.

Classic Airfix magazine guides coupled with a mix of Osprey books. The Paddy Griffith 'WWII Desert Tactics' was really useful to bring my sort of up to speed.

Two excellent memoires-cum-histories, both picked up at a local 2nd hand book shop. Keith Douglas' book is a bit late for my period, but his observations are still relevant. The LRDG book is a game and signed May '45. Having flown over the Sahara a few times, the mix of terrain that can be seen and the stark and raw beauty of the place appeals to me no end. 

Try Before You Buy

Far too often have I jumped in head first to a period, only to find it doesn't grab me as I thought it would, or the rules were rubbish etc. So for once trying to be sensible (yeh, right I know!) I set up a simple game using the appropriate figures and vehicles, but in completely the wrong camo schemes and setting. This was just to see how I found gaming in the wide open space that some of the Western Desert affords the gamer.

The British force, a complete pot pourri of AFVs.

Ditto the Italians.

The Scenario

Nothing fancy at all, just a line 'em up and at 'em one, and a bit of terrain to break up lines-of-sight.

The End of Turn 1. The British on the right, the Italians on the left. Both sides had a real mix of moves, rather nicely replicating the poor C&C at this point of the campaign.

British Infantry and Infantry tanks in the centre, with AC's and Cruiser tanks on the flanks.

A similar set up for the Italians.

The end of Turn 2. The British begin to hit the Italians, forcing them to deploy their Infantry and ATG's in their centre.

The Italians forced to deploy.

The end of Turn 3. The Italian left flank has lost its L60 Light Tanks, as both sides trade long range shots.

Like ships in the night.

The end of Turn 4. The British fail ALL their command rolls, allowing the Italians some breathing space.

The Italian L3/35 tankettes make the most of the British indecision and close in on their gun line. The Infantry are no where to be seen to provide close in support!

The end of Turn 5. The British very much have the upper hand now.

Cruisers and Infantry Tanks converge against the Italian right flank.

The end of Turn 6. The Italian's have lost too much kit and can no longer contest the British advance.

The Rolls Royce Armoured Cars have arrived to roll up the Italian left flank.

Post Game Thoughts

A very quick and simple game that gave me plenty of food for thought, which was exactly what I wanted. I didn't make any notes, but here are a few observations in no particular order:

• Having wide open space seemed really strange, as I'm so used to a NWE type setting for all of my games, with hedges, fences etc to help break up LoS across the table.
• Early War tanks are great, but their limited shooting ability and armour saves took a bit of getting used to. Certainly different tactics are required here, which is to be expected. Having flicked through Griffith's book, the British certainly took time to appreciate this, the Germans much less so.
• The Italian's kit is pretty poor, even compared to the shocking British tanks, but both have a unique appeal to me, which more than makes up for this.
• Normally I up the CV's of both sides to give a speedier game when playing in NWE or Italy, but here I left them 'as is' from the rulebook, and it just felt right, nicely reflecting the huge C&C issues face by all sides, apart from the Germans who were much better prepared with their radios etc.
• I feel you certainly need a few low hills to break up the table visually but also for Los etc. Ditto maybe some Wadis, small villages etc.
• Like many periods, this would certainly work much better as a campaign, with the side in control of the battlefield able to recover more tank losses than the other side, as happened quite often with the Germans. 
• I'd like to run another game like this, but with a bit more thought and against the Germans, just to see how much of a contrast this would make. 
• I'm very much leaning towards 1940-'41, maybe early 1942, as this period of the campaign currently appeals to me more.
• Luckily if I do venture down this route, I have pretty much everything I need for the Germans and British in terms of Infantry in bags, and AFV's for the Germans. The Italians I would start from scratch, ditto with the British AFV's.

What Next?

Luckily we are away for a mid-week break from tomorrow, so this will give me a physical and mental break from my thoughts on this, although I will undoubtedly take some reading material with me. Probably some writing material too, to jot down thoughts etc.

Thanks for reading and as always, any comments greatly appreciated!

TTFN.