Tank Combat In North Africa: The Opening Rounds, Operations Sonnenblume, Brevity, Skorpion and Battleaxe, February 1941 - June 1941 by Thomas L. Jentz; published by Schiffer Publishing Ltd. 1998

This new Jentz book from Schiffer Publishing is a superbly detailed analysis of the early armored battles in Libya during the first few months after the arrival of the Deutsches Afrikakorps, up to the British Battleaxe offensive. The author relies on primary sources such as official battle reports and tactical manuals, and these are quoted extensively in the text. Jentz spent over 30 years digging through original records while researching this work. The results of his efforts are impressive.

The first three chapters of the book provide the detailed technical descriptions of the British, German, and Italian tanks which fought during the period covered. Jentz provides technical specifications on armor and armament of the AFVs, including details as to armor thickness and angle at virtually all places on the vehicles. Even the different types of armor plating -- with information describing varying degrees of metal hardness -- are included.

Chapter 4, entitled Guns Against Tanks, features detailed tables of armor penetration for the major antitank weapons involved in the campaign. Of particular interest are a set of diagrams showing areas on the British Matilda II which could be penetrated by the various calibers and ammunition types of German AT weapons. The chapter also includes an extensive table of accuracy statistics of the major AT weapons at various ranges. The data contained in this chapter should be particularly useful to game designers.

Chapter 5 describes the armored tactics of the British and German forces, and quotes extensively from army regulations. Several diagrams depicting various tank formations are featured; these complement the text nicely. Chapters 6 through 11 cover the armored operations beginning with Rommel's initial offensive in March - April 1941, the subsequent operations around Tobruk, and Operations Brevity, Skorpion, and Battleaxe. Each chapter begins with order of battle information, with an emphasis on tank strength. Operations are described largely by quoting chronologically from both sides'after action reports and the Afrikakorps war diary. Accompanying the text are several maps of the major actions. Each chapter concludes with the authors analysis of the tactics used by each side, including how successful the tactics were and how well they conformed to doctrine.

Four appendices cover detailed AFV technical specifications, a listing of German units which were transported to North Africa, a glossary of German military terms, and a listing of recommended books.

Overall, I found this to be an excellent work, especially for historical gamers with a serious interest in these early North African battles. The amount of detail is, quite frankly, incredible. In fact, much of the text gets a bit dry at times, but one should keep in mind that this is a reference book and not a narrative history. I found the technical details on the tanks to be particularly interesting (being a "tread-head" from way back, of course!).

Chapter 4, "Guns Against Tanks," is a gold mine of armor penetration and accuracy statistics which are fascinating when viewed in the context of the rules which we use for our miniature battles. Jentz reminds us, however, that this technical data was generated on the test firing range, and not under real battlefield conditions. Also useful for evaluating our rules sets is the chapter on armored tactics. Jentz makes it clear that the armies didn't always conform to their own prescribed tactics.

The portion of the book covering the battles was very interesting yet slightly frustrating to read. Again, most of the text comes from battle reports, and many of these are a bit hard to follow at times. However, they dramatically convey the confusion of battle and the lack of information that the commanders actually had at the time. Estimates of enemy strength and dispositions are often grossly inaccurate; indeed, there was often a lack of knowledge concerning friendly forces, much less those of the enemy!

Although there are several well-done maps accompanying the text, many mentioned place names are not on them, which makes following the action a bit difficult at times. The book also features over 100 superb black and white photographs. Naturally, most of these photos feature tanks, with many showing battle damage.

Overall, I would highly recommend this book to anyone who is seriously interested in these early North African battles. Physically, the book is of a very high quality, printed on heavy, slick paper which should last for years. The book lists for $49 95; I purchased my copy at Borders for $44.95. As an aside, I found the release of this book to be quite timely. I've been building my collection of 1/285 armor for this period, largely for use with the Spearhead scenario book, "Blaze Across the Sands." More recently, the long-awaited Command Decision III rules have just been published. By coincidence, these rules include a ready- made campaign, the subject of which is Operation Battleaxe. Tank Combat In North Africa will nicely compliment these wargame publications, and should provide plenty of useful scenario ideas.