We have received a number of phone calls and comment cards recently from players having a tough time playing the British in Afrika. Dean asked me if I would write an article on possible British strategy, since I have played the game several times as both the Axis and the Allies. I based my comments on the full 28 turn campaign game. They may or may not be applicable to the shorter campaign or any of the scenarios (and you'll have to decide which).

Starting at the Beginning

The first thing you should do as the British player is look over the victory conditions for both sides. What should strike you is that, while both sides can win at the conclusion of the game, only the Axis player can win during the game. To put it plainly, if there are Nazis and/or Fascisti in Alexandria and Cairo at the end of your turn, you lose. This drives (or should drive) British strategy. You can lose at any time during the game, but you can only win at the conclusion of turn 28. What are the implications of this?

First, no matter how aggressive you want to be, you must always be conservative with your rear areas. Always garrison Alexandria and Cairo. Always box those garrisons in! The garrisons do not need to be huge unless the Axis is driving on you rapidly. In which case, it may be too late to make them huge! The garrisons are there to prevent the Axis from simply driving in. This is the most embarrassing way to lose a game. Just ask anyone who has! Other areas worth fortifying are any ports you control, although Bardia and Tobruk are already fortified. I also suggest you consider fortifying a short line near Alamein that runs from the coast to the escarpment. It is best to build this line with rebuilding infantry units. Its purpose is to prevent the Axis from easily getting by you. It also represents a handy place to fail back on should you suffer some disaster further forward.

Having settled your rear areas into some semblance of order and security, how should you go about winning the war? The only way you can win is by taking away two towns with which the Axis begins play. The easiest way to do this is by destroying the enemy field army and then destroying the garrisons (sounds sort of like Vauban ... ). It does not matter when you do this, so long as by turn 28 everything is in your hands. Against a good Axis player, it may take that long. Essentially, what you are trying to accomplish is the destruction of the Axis mobile force. This is possible because of the low rate of Axis replacement points compared to the Allies. Go out there with your tanks and bang heads! Several people have commented that the CRT weighs in favor of the attacker. It is. Make use of it. Don't be afraid of trading losses with Italian and German mobile forces. If he takes enough losses, chances are you will never see those units again. A few bad turns, and the Afrika Korps will be running for Benghazi to replenish itself.

The disadvantage of this is that you may be the one who gets hammered. Never, ever, be afraid of pulling back to recuperate. It is often necessary. It is also good to recognize when the gig is up and pull a damaged-but still intact--division back. It is much easier rebuilding a damaged division than trying to resurrect it completely from the dead pile. Knowing when to call off an offensive is one of the hardest details to master in Afrika, but mastering it will help you go a long way towards victory. Remember: no matter how hard you try, you CANNOT win the game on turn 10. Conserve your forces and stay in the fight.

The Turtle and other Amusing Things You'll See from Your Opponent

The above discourse is a listing of general things you can do to help your position. However, so much of what happens in a game depends on what your opponent tries. Here, I will cover a couple of strategies you will likely see from your opponent(s) and some possible counters to them.

The Charge

Your opponent, having read Dave Demko's article in OP 10, has decided to light his hair on fire and come charging as fast as he can with the Italians. If he is foolhardy, he will leave all sorts of opportunity to cut off his supply line. Cut them, and watch the Italians flop around like a bunch of dying fish, I recommend this highly as it puts you in the best of spirits. Unfortunately, a competent Axis player will guard his lines of supply carefully. The watchword then is opportunity. Garrison Mersa Matruh heavily; his continued advance will depend on capturing it. Carefully gauge how much supply you put into it. Too much, and you hand him a foodfest if he takes it. Too little, and you will have to evacuate. It is probably best to err on the side of caution, since you can always evacuate your units if necessary. Use your armor to harass his deep flank and engage in hit and run raiding. Keeping his mobile force occupied will prevent him from using it to help crack Mersa Matruh. It also keeps your armor in position to take advantage of any mistakes or gaps he leaves you to attack his line of supply. Avoid using the 7th Armor Division to attack Italian infantry mano-a-mano.

Trading losses with Axis mobile forces is cool (heh, heh, heh); trading losses with Italian infantry divisions is generally dumb unless the division is somewhere you really want to be. With some luck, the Italian forward force will be destroyed. If the Germans have not entered yet, it may be possible to race forward and seize Bardia and/or Tobruk. If you have a choice, always take Tobruk. Taking Bardia by the time the Germans arrive in strength is usually the best you can hope for, though. If it bugs you that you cannot get farther, remember that your opponent is no Graziani and you are no O'Connor. When the Germans begin to trickle on, another opportunity presents itself. If the Germans come at you piecemeal, gobble them up and spit them out. If he waits a few turns, decide how froggy you want to be. Leave an adequate garrison of any ports you take (at least one infantry division, plus maybe some supporting troops) if you decide to withdraw. After this, keep the Germans in play, causing as many casualties as you can to any Axis mobile forces. Make him fight at your tempo, and everything else should fall into place.

The Turtle

Another popular strategy of the Axis is to be initially passive, fortifying and tightly garrisoning all his ports. After the Germans arrive, this can fork into two possibilities. The Germans can provide a mobile force that covers the fortresses, or the Axis player can use his secure rear areas as a base to support a drive forward, to Mersa Matruh, Alamein, and beyond. This is a little tougher for the Allies to crack, initially. Bring your armor and infantry forward and begin to bang away at Bardia. Spread your armor out to take advantage of combined arms DRMs. With this, you should be able to get a +2 or +3 attack on Bardia. With average die rolling, you should be destroying two or more Italian steps a round. He may chuckle the first few times you do this, but he will stop chuckling when all he has are attrited Italian divisions to hold with. A little more pressure, and you may even see him fingering his rosary, praying for the Germans to show up. Use your air point for a column shift. Don't forget to barrage his ports--shut them down and he will starve in his little shell ... remember, there are no shifts applied to the Barrage Table when striking ports. The goal here is the same as when facing The Charge: take at least Bardia or Tobruk. Bardia is probably more practical, but take Tobruk if you can. After the Germans show up, the advice here is the same as above.

Odds and Ends (or the Stuff I Left Out Above)

Withdrawals: Withdrawals are bad, but they are a fact of life. The ones that are really bad are those four brigade ones, as Winnie siphons off your troops to send to Greece (and have them suffer another Dunkirk ... but that is another tale). The best advice here is to plan for them. That's right! Plan for them. There is no use thinking that they will never happen: count on them happening, and probably early at that. Earmark units for withdrawal, particularly those awful 2 step Aussie brigades. Use damaged units if they are available. Make it as painless as possible for yourself--though it will always hurt at least a little. The small withdrawals should be less of a worry: they only occur on a 1 in 12 chance.

Supply: The Allies have plenty of supply. Your only worry should be that you don't give it away to the Axis player. Do not station dumps too far forward. Always use your garrisoned ports as dumps. If you have forces far out on a flank, use your truck points to ship out only as much as they will need for this turn.

Disasters: Occasionally, your forces will undergo losses of monumental proportions. Draw back to Mersa Matruh or the line at Alamein. (See, there is a reason for building boxes there!) Try to get time to rebuild and receive reinforcements. Sometimes stopping even at Alamein is not possible. Do not be afraid to fall back on Alexandria and Cairo--after all you boxed them in, too, didn't you? If you have to make a choice between Alexandria and Cairo, choose Alexandria. All of your reinforcements and supply enter there. If you lose it, the game may not be over yet, but you can be sure the Axis player is getting his fork ready and preparing to call you done. Be patient and rebuild your forces. If you can fend off the Axis player, he will likely begin to suffer severe supply privations and have to withdraw. If he doesn't, get out your fork!

Artillery: You do not have much of this useful little commodity, so make the best out of what you have. The Axis, swine that they are, have plenty of artillery. A possible target of your raids and offensives is his artillery park. Killing them early will save you plenty of steps throughout the game. Given a choice between mobile or artillery units to rebuild, most Axis players will take the mobile units.

The LRDG: What an amusing unit! The first turn you have it, try to assassinate the Desert Scourge if he is on the map. If you succeed, the wailing and gnashing of teeth from your opponent should be very satisfying, in a visceral sort of way. If not, rebuild it and send it out to harass the Axis supply line.

Boxes: The key here is to fortify where you need to. As mentioned at the beginning, Alexandria and three or four hexes in and around Cairo should do the trick. If possible, build a line at Alamein as a stop-gap and fall-back line. Do not go overboard in the building of boxes; misplaced ones are just wasted supply points.

Conclusion

What I have tried to show in this short article is the viability of the British in Afrika. While the game rules are easy enough to learn, the choices the player must make are not easy or simple. Many times you will have to make a judgment call. Making the correct call is what separates the men from the boys. Temper aggressiveness with a judicious sense of the possible. Above all, don't PANIC!!! It's a long game and many reversals of fortune are possible by the end. If you have any comments on things I have said or failed to say, please contact me here at The Gamers.