Introduction

"Operation CRUSADER" is a Europa battle scenario for Western Desert or War in the Desert covering the British Eighth Army's anack to relieve Tobruk. It begins with the Nov II 41 game turn and ends after the Jan I 42 game turn. The scenario can also serve as the starting point for an abbreviated WD or WitD campaign game.

Background

Through five hot months of the African summer, the Eighth Army and Afrika Korps have faced each other in stalemate. The contest has not been on the battlefield but on the supply lines, as both sides have worked to build a superior force. Finally, Rommel has accumulated enough men, support, and supplies to renew his assault on the Tobruk fortress. Auchinleck, the British C-in-C in the Middle East, knows of the German plan through Ultra intelligence. He has scheduled his own offensive, Operation CRUSADER, to begin just before the German attack...

Components

All components needed to play "Operation CRUSADER" can be found in War in the Desert.

Prepare for Play

Set up Maps 18A and 19A. The Axis Player sets up first, using all units listed as Initial Forces in the "Operation CRUSADER" Order of Battle. The Allied Player then sets up all Allied units. Where possible, either player may set up divisions in combined or broken down form.

At the start of the game the Axis player owns Libya (except Tobruch), Sicily, the on-map Aegean islands, the off-map Aegean Islands holding box, and all hexes in Egypt occupied by or in the ZOCs of Axis units specified in the initial setup.

The Allied player owns Malta, Tobruk, and all hexes in Egypt except those controlled by the Axis player.

Special Rules

Do not use Rules 37E1, Allied Garrisons, 40B4, Scrapping, or 40C1, Disbanding.

Game Length. The scenario begins with the Nov 1141 game turn and ends with the Jan I 42 game turn.

Operational Boundaries. Use maps 18A and 19A, only. No ground units may move east of the Suez Canal.

Special Operations. The Axis player may not conduct a special operation.

The Allied units starting in Tobruch have been out of general supply for four turns at the start of the game.

Air Replacement Cycles. Due to its short length, this battle scenario uses two two-turn air cycles (Nov II-Dec I and Dec II Jan I). Otherwise, there are no changes to Rule 25, Air Replacement System.

4th Armoured Bde Gp. Replacing the British 4th Arm X, 3-210*, as a supported unit costs 3 Br Arm RPs and 1 Br Inf RP. It can also be replaced as an unsupported unit for only 3 Br Arm RPs. No other Br armored brigade can be replaced as supported. The supported 4th Arm X can be used to assemble a Br arm XX. This has no effect on the strength of the assembled XX.

Optional Rules

Although any combination is workable, I suggest the use of the following optional rules from the WitD rule book.

43A. Retreats and Overruns
43C. Advanced Game Mechanics
1. Ownership
4. Supply Lines
5. Attack Supply
6. SMP Losses
7. Airbases
9. Naval Movement at Night

43D2a. British and Indian Armies
43F. Malta and Air Units
44B. Ground Mechanics
44C I . Heavy Antiaircraft

The Ankara. During the Dec I Axis player turn, the Axis player may transport up to three REs of Axis RPs or attack supply on board the locomotive transport Ankara. This allows the Axis player to unload these three REs at the damaged portion of any Axis- controlled port. For example, assume that Bengasi has received six hits (doubled in effect because Bengasi is an artificial harbor). Normally, Bengasi would have a capacity of zero. However, using the Ankara, the Axis player could land three REs of cargo there despite the port damage. The Axis player does not announce which cargo is on board the Ankara until it arrives at its destination.

Italian Fleet Escort Operations. Once in each quarter year (Jan I-Mar II, Apr I-Jun II, Jul I-Sep II, Oct I-Dee II), the Axis player may make a major effort to escort convoys in the Central Mediterranean Sea. This effort last for only one Axis player turn and must be declared during the Initial Phase when the Axis player performs replacement/reinforcement activities. Thereafter, each time a major effort to escort convoys is made in a quarter, the Axis player must expend one step of attack supply located in Europe.

During the Axis player turn of a major effort to escort convoys, the Malta status number is temporarily increased by three for the duration of that player turn only.

When the Axis player declares he is making a major effort to escort convoys, the Allied player rolls two dice and consults the Naval Table using the current, unmodified Malta status number (not the temporarily increased status number). If the Allied player obtains an X, then there is the possibility for Axis naval losses, reflected in terms of VPs awarded to the Allied player. The Allied player rolls one die and subtracts 3. This is the number of VPs immediately awarded to the Allied player for damage inflicted upon the escorting Italian vessels (note the Allied player can not earn negative VPs).

For purposes of this scenario, the Axis has not conducted a major escort effort in the last quarter of 1941 )

Hidden Supply Units. The Allied player may keep up to four steps of attack supply hidden in one or two separate locations. These must begin with the initial forces in the Allied OB. The Allied player secretly records their position in the initial setup. During each Allied movement phase, the Allied player records the number of SMPs expended in moving the hidden steps and their new location. Hidden steps expend SMPs nonnally. The Allied player does not have report the number of SMPs remaining unexpended at the end of each turn.

If Axis units enter any hex containing a hidden supply step(s), that supply step(s) is placed on the map and is either destroyed or captured as per the normal supply/resource item rules.

During every initial phase, the Allied player checks the location of his hidden supply steps. If a hidden supply step is more than five hexes from an Allied ground unit and more than five hexes from an Allied airfield, that supply step is immediately placed on the map. If a step of attack supply is converted to either resource points or general supply points, it is immediately placed on the map. No supply/resource item may ever be hidden other than the four steps originally designated by the Allied player. Once these are expended, destroyed, or converted, there are no more hidden supply steps.

Armor Attrition. Any armored (not just c/m) unit that moves more than half its movement rating during the exploitation phase must roll a die. On a roll of "6" the unit is eliminated (or if a division, it is flipped to its cadre side).

Exploitation Phase. All units may move in the exploitation phase. All phasing c/m units may spend movement points equal to their movement rating. All phasing non-c/m units may move up to one-half their movement rating in the exploitation phase.

Variant

Free Setup. Deploy airfields and forts per the scenario OB. Axis forces set up first. Axis ground units may set up in any hex in Libya (except Tobruch), or in any hex in Egypt west of hexrow 19A:04xx. Allied units may set up in Tobruch, Malta, or any hex in Egypt east of hexrow 19A:07xx. All air units may set up at any friendly airbase.

Victory Conditions

Victory is evaluated after the completion of the Axis player turn of Jan I 42. Only the Allied player scores victory points, as outlined below.

Victory Point Awards

Upon Occurrence:

+5 each Axis armored division flipped to cadre
+5 each Axis armored RE eliminated (do not count individual battalions)
+2 each Axis air unit eliminated
+1 each Axis non-armor RE eliminated
+1 each Axis armored battalion eliminated
-1 each Allied RE eliminated (except for the 2-8 inf X 26 Aus and the transport counter ( 1 RE))
-1 if the Allied player does not withdraw the transport counter(1 RE) on Jan I 42
-1 for each hit on the Allied TF
-2 2-8 inf X 26 Aus eliminated
-2 transport counter (1 RE) eliminated
-2 each Allied division flipped to cadre
-2 each Allied air unit eliminated

At the End of the Game:

+20 Tobruch is Allied controlled and can trace a line hexes free of Axis ZOCs to an Allied supply terminal. Allied ZOCs negate Axis ZOCs for this purpose
+5 Tobruch is Allied controlled and can bace a valid supply route to an Allied supply terminal. Note: This VP award is cumulative with the 20 point award above
+1 Each Allied RE which starts in the Middle East Reserve that has not left the Delta, Alexandria, or Cairo during the entire scenario. -? The Malta status number
-30 Tobruch is Axis controlled

Note that if an Axis armored division is entirely eliminated, the Allied player scores a total of 10 VPs (5 for flipping the division to cadre plus 5 for eliminating the 1 RE cadre).

Levels of Victory:

40 or more Allied Decisive Victory
25 - 39 Allied Substantial Victory
12 - 34 Allied Marginal Victory
6- 11 Draw
(-7) - (+5) Axis Marginal Victory
(-20) - (-8) Axis Substantial Victory
(-21) or less Axis Decisive Victory

More Operation Crusader

Operation Crusader: Auchinleck's Offensive Nov. 1941
Allied Order of Battle
Axis Order of Battle
Operation Crusader Desiger's Notes
Operation Crusader Battle Report
Operation Crusader Scenario Errata