Operation Compass was one of those slightly unorthodox offensives that worked. Not only did it work, but through vigorous exploitation it achieved a victory far beyond the planners' expectations. (Operation Cobra also falls in this category.)

WD starts off with this dramatic of- fensive. WD is the first Europa game to give the Allies the jump on the Axis -- and jump they do. Indeed, a well executed offensive can usually reach its objectives about one turn ahead of the historical dates.

TYPICAL GAME

DEC I - Sidi Barrani falls
Bardia invested

DEC II - Bardia falls
Tobruk invested

JAN I - Tobruk, Demafal

JAN II - Bengazi, Sirte fall

FEB I- ?

HISTORICAL

DEC I - Sidi Barrani fell

DEC II - Bardia invested

JAN I - Bardia fell, Tobruk invested

JAN II Tobruk, Dema fell

FEB I - Benghazi fell Sirte could have fallen

This is not to say these objectives will definitely fall by the turns given. (The Italian player can usually delay the fall of Sirte or Cyrenaica by sacrificing units.) But it does indicate that the Commonwealth player has some advantage his historical counterpart did not enjoy.

The name of this advantage is reserves. Actually it's not so much who as when. Compass was basically a short left hook that cut off and destroyed the Italian fortified camps situated between the escarpment and the sea around Sidi Barrani. Most of the other Italian troops in Egypt, though, were able to retreat to Libya where they took up defensive positions in the fortresses of Bardia and Tobruk.

General O'Connor, responsible for Compass, had only 7th Armored Division, 4th Indian Division (with some "I" tanks), and Selby Force (22nd Infantry Brigade) to work with. In the game, however, the Commonwealth player can rail up another seven infantry brigades (principally Australian) and a motor battalion (Free French) from the rear areas to bolster the attack on Sidi Barrani. Thus the typical Commonwealth maneuver on the surprise turn of turn 1, (Dec I40) is to make a wide left hook to destroy or surround a larger slice of the Italian 10th Army. Then on the regular turn of turn 1, the Australians et all reduce the Sidi Barrani pocket. The result is that fewer Italians escape to Bardia and Tobruk and consequently these fortresses fall more readily.

Historically, these Commonwealth reserves were not involved in the fight for Sidi Barrani. The 6th Australian Division came up on Dec II to replace the departing 4th Indian Division and subsequently attacked Bardia on Jan I. The problem, therefore, is that the reserves come up too soon in the game. Since they historically did not hop on the train and race to the front just in time for Compass, they should not be allowed to do so in WD.

One remedy would be to not let these reserves move on turn 1, or to release them only one unit at a time as is done with the Italian 5th Army in Tripolitania. A better and simpler solution is the following (add to WD Rule 28.B.3):

Allied units may not move by rail on the Dec I40 turn.

I have heard it argued that the Allies need some advantage in the opening stages of WD since the Italian 10th Army will be too wily a fox this time to be caught in the open during its retreat. Admittedly, there is power in this argument. Where would FOF be as an historical model if the Allies were not forcibly handicapped? Fortunately for WD, though, there is an equally powerful counter argument: if hindsight helps the Italian player from getting Beda Fomm-ed, it also helps the Allied player from getting Rommel-ed in the succeeding spring (on which occasion the British lost 2nd Armored Division.)

Therefore, stop the Allied trains on turn 1 and Operation Compass is more apt to run on schedule.

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Beyond Compass: Additional Rules and Ideas