This battle group is based on the 15th Panzer Division in early 1941.
Units: 14
Command Dice: 5
Staff Orders: 5
Rally Dice: 4
Artillery Response Dice: 4
Morale: 12
Artillery Supply: Average
Initial Barrage Round Modifier: 0
Howitzers were fitted to vehicles to provide close support in the form of smoke screens and High Explosive fire.
Direct Fire: Roll the unit’s FP or AT Dice depending on the target as usual. Apply modifiers based on the range to the target.
Indirect Fire: The unit may use indirect fire providing another unit acts as its Forward Observer. The unit fires against one unit in the same way as a mortar. When using indirect fire its FP Dice are halved (round up). It fires with a 4+ TN at effective and long ranges. It cannot fire at short range.
Indirect fire causes artillery suppressions.
Subtract -1D if the firing unit makes a double move, and -2D if it makes a triple move.
Smoke Screen: The unit may fire a smoke screen using direct or indirect fire. The smoke screen has a 3” diameter (the same as a mortar smoke screen) and does not deviate. It lasts until the player’s next Logistics Phase. When firing smoke, the unit cannot use any other type of fire.
By the time of Operation Brevity, Commonwealth units are no longer classed as veterans. Following the success of Operation Compass, many veteran units were transferred to Greece where they mauled by the advancing Germans and forced to evacuate to Crete leaving most of their equipment behind. New units from Great Britain did not benefit from the extensive training enjoyed by the original Western Desert Group.
Fast and lightly armoured, MK VIb tanks are armed with two machine guns making them effective against infantry and lightly armoured vehicles, but ineffective against more heavily armoured vehicles. Use Break Off to get it out of trouble.
Training: Regular
Move: Fast
Reliability: Poor
Reaction: 3D
Weapon: Machine Guns
Originally designed as an infantry tank version of the A9, the A10 had the twin machine gun turrets removed and was fitted with extra armour. Slower than the A9, the A10 lacks the heavy armour of the A12 Matilda II infantry tank and was reclassified as a heavy cruiser.
Training: Regular
Move: Slow
Reliability: Poor
Reaction: 4D
Weapon: 2-Pounder Gun
Fitted with the Christie suspension and a larger engine, the A13 is as well armoured as the A10, but moves as a fast tank.
Training: Regular
Move: Fast
Reliability: Poor
Reaction: 4D
Weapon: 2-Pounder Gun
The A13 close support tank provides smoke screen cover and high explosive fire from its 3” howitzer. It may use direct and indirect fire.
Training: Regular
Move: Fast
Reliability: Poor
Reaction: 4D
Weapon: 3” howitzer
The Crusader 1 has better armour than the A13, but this reduces its speed to average. It is just as unreliable as all early war British tanks.
Training: Regular
Move: Average
Reliability: Poor
Reaction: 5D
Weapon: 2-Pounder Gun
Heavily armoured and slow moving, the Matilda II was dubbed the “Queen of the Desert” by its crews. Resistant to most enemy anti-tank gun fire, the Matilda suffers from a lack of HE ammunition.
Training: Regular
Move: Slow
Reliability: Poor
Reaction: 6D
Weapon: 2-Pounder Gun
The Ordnance QF 25-pounder (87.6 mm) equips the armoured divisions with effective off-table artillery.
Type: Light Off-table Artillery
Training: Regular
Move: —
Reaction: —
Weapon: 25-pounder
Range: Off-Table
FP: 3D AT: 3D
Notes: Artillery Suppression
Support Unit Dividers
Use the following dividers when recalculating battle group statistics after adding support units.
Command Dice Divider: 3
Staff Order Divider: 4
Cruiser Squadron
Cruiser Squadron
Infantry Tank Squadron
Units: 14
Command Dice: 5
Staff Orders: 4
Rally Dice: 4
Artillery Response Dice: 4
Morale: 12
Artillery Supply: Average
Initial Barrage Round Modifier: +1
HQ
Cruiser Squadron
Cruiser Squadron
Cruiser Squadron
Off-Table Artillery
