The Fall of Tobruk
Conflict Game Company (1975),
Design; Frank Alan Chadwick
Art Direction: Paul Richard Banner

All too often, players have, no, idea who won their wargame until points from a dozen different victory conditions have been totalled. In, contrast, The Fall of Tobruk has a criterion of victory both simple and clear: whoever holds Tobruk after 32 turns, wins. Since the town lies fat behind the front lines, the problem the players face would seem to be a straight- forward question of Axis attack and, Allied defense. But few endeavors, especially in war, are ever straight, forward. This analysis of the subtleties involved in capturing or defending of Tobruk will begin with a general discussion of the most important influences on the conduct of play. Strategic guidelines and tactical hints complete the analysis.

The three key factors in the game are the composition of the opposing armies, minefields and boxes, and logistics.

First, a simple comparison of the orders of battle finds no clear-cut advantage for either side. The Germans possess two regiments of panzers, six of panzergrenadiers, and three of artiilery, plus miscellaneous units. The Italians add in a dozen tank companies, three regiments of berseglieri (mech infantry), two of motorized infantry, and eight of foot infantry, as well as five artillery regiments, The regimental-sized Littorio Armored, Division arrives on turn 26, just in time to either join the victory parade, throu gh Tobruk or help hoist the white flag.

The Allies field five armored brigades, three mechanized brigades, and eleven infantry brigades, each with an attached artillery battalion. Three more infantry brigades make timely arrivals 'between turns 7 and 16. By sheer numbers of bttn-equivalents, the Allies are marginally superior to the Axis.

Quality often outweighs quantity and a comparison of the combat arms of both sides is instructive. Neither side's infantry can claim superiority. The average german regt is slightly stronger than the average Allied brigade, andthe average Italian is a little weaker.

On a combat results table that sets 4-1 odds as the minium for a sfe attack, the variations in strength have little impact.

Turning to artillery, Allied battalions are better on the basis of an excellent anti-tank ability; barrage strengths and ranges are essentially invariant from nationality to nationality. But when armor is considered, the Germans enjoy a clear superiority.

A PzKwIIIh is fifty percent more effective than any tank in the British inventory, save for the Grant. Supporting units, namely four companies of 88mm anti- tank guns and three battalions of self- propelled guns, contribute significantly to the German anti-tank capabilities. Unfortunately just the opposite is true for the Italians, whose tanks are woefully fragile. In the Libyan desert, armor is the combat arm of decision, and the quality of the German armor is the basis of the Axis offensive towards Tobruk.

Minefields and supply lines exert greater influence on Axis strategy than any other aspect of the game. Minefields channel the Axis attack; supplies limit how far it can advance. Minefields represent widespread artificial terrain which drastically slows movement and provides major bonuses for defending behind one. More importantly, Allied units occupying the numerous minefield "boxes" may ignore Defender Retreat results and are immune to artillery. A box defended in greater than battalion strength requires a time-consuming siege to be eradicated.

Consequently, the Axis cannot hope to pierce the Gazala Line frontally. The initial deployment automatically concentrates the strongest units in the south, poised to conduct an end run. But Tobruk is not thereby placed in jeopardy - the Axis supply line can extend only 20 movement points from the west map edge. Not only is the supply line prohibited from crossing an intact minefield, but it cannot even be traced within two hexes of an occupied box. Relying on supplies hauled past the box at Bir Hachiem, the Axis radius of action is limited to the area southwest of the Bir el Harmat Bir el Gubi track. When Bir Hachiem is in Axis hands, the supply radius increases to include the high ground in the vicinity of Knightsbridge and El Adem. But to extend the supply line to the Tobruk perimeter, the Axis must pierce the line of minefields at or north of Rotonda Ualeb.

With these considerations in mind, a minor decision by the Allied player, about where to place the few units that may be freely deployed, has surprisingly serious strategic repercussions. Minefields outline a triangular area between Bir Hachiem, Rotonda Ualeb, and Bir el Harmat. Axis control of the Triangle, initially undefended, provides three strategic benefits: the siege of Bir Hachiem can be expanded to cover all six adjacent hexes; the area near the 150th Brigade's box is threatened; and a breach in the eastern edge of the Triangle allows supplies to be carried as far as Knightsbridge. So a wise Allied player stations the three independent South African battalions inside the Triangle. Forcing the enemy to fight for the area should delay occupation long enough for reinforcements to secure the area once and for all.

When the panzers sweep around Bir Hachiem, the Allied player must be prepared for more than just 32 turns of continuous defense. If Eighth Army remains passive while Panzerarmee Afrika attacks unhindered, Rommel will be almost certain to march into Tobruk. To win, the Allied player must be aggressive. Sooner or later, the Brit i sh armor must have a showdown with the German armor. Paradoxically, this means that on the first turn the Allies, limited to moving just one brigade under the Command Paralysis rule, should snatch the 4th Armored from the ravening jaws of the Afrika Korps by withdrawing it beyond the enemy supply radius. Matched on a one-to-one basis, the German tanks will triumph over the British tanks. Pulling back the 4th Armored avoids piecemeal commitment of the British armor. Only when all five armored brigades have concentrated together are the Allies ready to strike.

Thus after the first turn the Axis player faces a tough strategic decision. Should the panzers, his main strike force, push northwards beyond the supply radius, wait in the desert for the British armor to be committed, besiege Bir Hachiem, or hit some other part of the Gazala Line? On the whole, the best action is probably the siege of Bir Hachiem. As noted previously, the capture of this position improves the Axis supply situation and hence enhances strategic flexibility. Unfortunately, the box is defended by the five battalions of the 1st Free French Brigade, the toughest infantry force in either army. Based on a five-hex attack frontage, the best odds an allinfantry force can achieve is 2-1.

Such an attack requires four panzergrenadier regiments (including the strongest one, the 361st) and all three German engineer battalions. The chance of success comes out to a mere 14%. Given a hesitant Allied player, the siege would be lengthy but eventually successful. Given an aggressive Allied player, the Germans would need much luck to conclude the siege before British tanks charged to the rescue. Replacing two regiments with armor transforms the attack into an overrun, which essentially negates the eflect of the minefields. If enough tanks survive the mines and the anti-tank fire the odds will just barely reach 5-1. (An Italian tank company should reinforce each stack just to make sure.) Even at 5-1, the chance of success is only 22%, and each assault has a 25% chance of stalling on the minefields! If and when Bir Hachiem falls, there'll be a celebration in Berlin.

Given such a course of action, the Allies should prepare for a counteroffensive. The three battalions of longrange guns are best positioned inside the Triangle. A few disruptions among the attackers at Bir Hachiem seriously weakens the siege. Meanwhile, the British armor should be screened by several infantry brigades. At this point, the Allies probably face three lines in the desert - a forward screen of recon battalions, the main defensive line of panzergrenadiers and bersaglieri stiffened with 88's and self-propelled guns, and finally the besiegers at Bir Hachiem. The armored reconnaissance units, possessing the ability to retreat before combat, theoretically stall any attempt to relieve Bir Hachiem so that the Axis can deal with it in an offensive rather than a defensive posture. In practice, the Allies can easily by-pass the skirmishers because disruption by artillery fire removes zones of control. Artillery fire is likewise necessary to neutralize the potent anti-tank strength in selected stacks in the main line of resistance. Led by the armored brigades, the Allies should need no more than two or three attacks to push aside the defending regiments suff iciently to threaten the ring of enemy units surrounding Bir Hachiem. Several days of incessant barrages may be necessary to cause an optimum pattern of disruptions, and this may set the timetable for the relief of Bir Hachiem.

The stage is now set for the final confrontation, the clash of armor. Both players must use their tactical skills to the utmost, coordinating the three combat arms with the objective of breaking the power of the enemy armor. The struggle will last many turns, due to lulls in the fighting that occur while both sides refit their disabled tanks. When the smoke clears, one side or the other will be bereft of armor. If the Allies retain an armored force, Tobruk will not fall. If the Axis retains an armored force, there is a chance that Tobruk will fall.

The rest of the front is likely to remain quiet. The map edge cramps the Italian positions on the left wing, so the Axis should abandon the area north of Alem Hamza. The foot regiments are better employed in relieving the mobile units west of the Gazala Line. There seems to be a chink in the Gazala Line between the boxes of the 69th Brigade and the 150th Brigade, but this is actually an illusion. The boxes are close enough to block the supply lines through this area, even with an engineer battalion to create a gap in the minefield. Unsupplied Italian foot regiments are easy meat, even for a scratch Allied force.

To the south, Rotonda Ualeb is a salient vulnerable to capture with a moderate amount of forces, but the position is worthless except as a staging area for an assault against the box occupied by the 150th Brigade - the seconcl toughest infantry outfit in either army! Finally, a surprise seizure of the Triangle is possible if the Allied player is napping. An engineer battalion must be adjacent to the western edge of the Triangle, and an artillery barrage must disrupt all units defending the interior of the Triangle. Without entangling zones of control to contend with, the assault troops may move beyond the engineer's shallow bridgehead to extend the attack frontage, and still remain in supply.

If Axis armor triumphs in the desert, the Axis player should avoid becoming methodical. At least half the game will have passed by the time the tank wrecks have been adequately rehabilitated. Completing the siege of Bir Hachiem will extend the supply lines far enough to invest the boxes at Knightsbridge and Rotonda Ualeb, and control of the track through these towns will supply an Axis attack anywhere along the Tobruk perimeter. Barring fabulously good luck, however, time will expire before Tobruk is directly threatened. Instead of this methodical approach, the Axis player should assemble the toughest combined arms team he can muster out of his surviving mobile units and head straight for Tobruk regardless of supply. The column will seem painfully slow and therefore easily blocked. But the overrun bonus should offset the supply penalty, so that the column will represent a viable threat to Tobruk. At best, the Allies will have to strip the Gazala Line of troops for a sturdy defense of Tobruk, giving the Italians a chance to force open a supply line along an unexpected route. At worst, the Axis will have the satisfaction of missing the goal by a slim margin.

The strategic ideas discussed above should be carried out with the following tactical guidelines. First, when tank companies shoot it out in anti- tank fire, always concentrate on the weaker targets. Besides straining your opponent's repair capability, you will set up favorable odds in the ensuing regular combat. While anti-tank factors vary from 1 to 5 among the various models of tanks, combat factors vary only from 3 to 5, even including the Italians. Hence by knocking out more companies, the total strength in attack or defense is decreased more than if just the heavies were hit. The impor- tance of regular combat is that a retreat will usually permit the victorious side to occupy the crucial armored wreck counters, and a lucky die roll will wipe out enemy armor en masse.

Possession of the wrecks is crucial. Ideally, the Axis player should repair one wreck of his own and destroy two enemy wrecks each turn. Chances should be taken in repair only when the counter is likely to be occupied by the enemy. The Allies should always destroy enemy wrecks in lieu of repairing their own - Allied tank reserves are ample enough to reconstitute an entire brigade, whereas Axis tank reserves are practically nil. But the Allied player should seriously consider opportunities to repair his most valuable tanks, Grants and Matildas.

Infantry is best handled in brigade or regiment-sized stacks, as dislodging such a formation requires a full-scale assault. The Allies, however, may safely garrison boxes in quiet areas of the front with lone battalions. Infantry is best employed to defend territory, but a good offensive use of infantry is against tanks. The aftermath of a major tank battle is likely to be a small number of companies in possession of vast tank graveyards. An infantry force directed against the armor will not receive any damage from anti-tank fire and will probably force the defenders to retreat, leaving the infantry with a firm grip on the wrecks.

Artillery is worthless in a mobile situation, since it cannot both move and fire. But when the situation becomes static, an inevitability, artillery becomes extremely valuable. By itself, a barrage cannot eliminate a target. But a disruption halves the target's anti-tank and combat factors, and removes its zone of control, making the target a prime candidate for an attack against it. Combined arms operations are essential for success in this game.

Likewise counterbattery fire becomes an important tactic. The effect of counterbattery fire may be minimized by dispersing the battalions. Rather than scattering them haphazardly, they should be stacked with infantry in the front lines, one per regiment as allowed by the stacking rules. Not only are the guns thereby dispersed, but more targets are likely to be in range, and they also bolster the anti-tank strength of the riflemen.

Indeed, for the Italians such deployment is mandatory given the anti-tank factor of zero for the foot regiments, which otherwise can be overrun by a single tank company. However, the Germans may wish to stack all their long-range artillery together for convenience.

Pay close attention to the stacking rules - you can actually cram more people into a hex than you think. The Germans can stack three battalions together; at four tank companies per battalion, they can concentrate twelve companies in a single hex - a regiment and a half - plus a battalion of selfpropelled guns plus an 88 company or another tank unit! For the Allies, battalions of the same brigade may always stack together; because artillery is directly attached to brigades, a second artillery battalion is free to stack with any brigade. As to the question of when Axis mechanized regiments should be broken down into battalions, the deciding factor is the presence of artillery. A regiment liable to be plastered with a heavy barrage should break down into battalions to maximize the chance that somebody will avoid, disruption.

Do not get carried away with the sequence of play. Just because you can move and fight, then move other units and fight, does not mean you can punch holes all the way to Tobruk in one turn. The relatively bloodless CRT will usually keep enemy units in front of you, and most units can't move too far anyway. You can also forget the idea of destroying the enemy in a grand envelopment. Retreat through zones of control only disrupts the defender, and even double disruption eliminates only one battalion per stack. Instead, the sequence of play should be used to support the major attack of the turn, either in preparing for it or in consolidating afterwards.

Finally, the Afrika Korps has several specialized units which are important auxillaries to the panzers. The 88's appear fearsome at first glance, but their operational usefulness is limited. They are unlikely to be helpful in the attack, thanks to the towed guns rule. and in the defense they are likely to draw heavy artillery fire to suppress them. Still, the presence of an 88 practically rules out the possibility of an overrun against that position, and since it is company-sized it can reinforce an otherwise full stack.

The self-propelled guns are truly fearsome. Concentrating all three battalions against an armored brigade almost guarantees dealing out a severe crippling, and reinforcing a panzer regiment with one or two (remember, a panzer regiment is only two battalions) is sufficient to create a devastating assault force. But the weak combat factor means that these units are purely offensive anti-tank weapons. Since they do not suffer from the towed guns limitations, their best deployment is safe in the rear, out of artillery range, ready to dash into the midst of a big tank battle to swing the tide in favor of the Axis, Last but not least, the six engineer battalions are precious to the Axis player; he must think twice before risking them. The weak Italian battalions should be reserved for garrison duty, such as keeping the track through Bir Hachiem open. The stronger German units can be employed in selected battles where they have plenty of support. Without engineers, the minefields become completely impenetrable for the purpose of tracing supply lines; the Allies could completely abandon the Gazala Line to fall back on Tobruk, and the Axis would have to fight them without hope of supply. Thus, the Axis player must be ever alert to "engineer" the fall of Tobruk.

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