This post covers the armoured fighting vehicles used by the Italians during Operation Compass.

No Vehicle Radios

Italian vehicles are not fitted with radios. This reduces the Command Group radius to 3”. All units must be within 3” of the leader to be included in a Command Group.

Autoblinda AB40 Armoured Car

The AB40 is a fast and reliable armoured car armed with twin machine guns.

Training: Regular

Move: Fast

Reliability: Average

Reaction: 3D

Weapon: Machine Gun

• Range: 6/12/24
• FP: 5D AT: –

Notes: Recon. Break-off.

Carro Veloce 3/33 (L3/35)

Developed from the British Carden-Lloyd tankette the L3/35 is outdated and outclassed by the British Cruisers.

Training: Regular

Move: Average

Reliability: Poor

Reaction: 4D (3D)

Weapon: Machine Gun

• Range: 6/12/24
• FP: 5D AT: – Notes: Low profile.

Carro Veloce 3 (L3/35)

Armed with a Solothurn S–18/100 anti-tank rifle, this version has some Anti-Tank capability, but with a very limited range.

Training: Regular

Move: Average

Reliability: Poor

Reaction: 4D (3D)

Weapon: Solothurn S–18/100 Anti-tank Rifle

• Range: 2/5/10
• FP: – AT: 4D

Notes: Low profile.

Carro Veloce 3 (Flamethrower)

This L3/35 is armed with a flamethrower. While potentially devastating, the flamethrower has a much shorter range than an anti-tank gun.

Training: Regular

Move: Average

Reliability: Poor

Reaction: 4D (3D)

Weapon: Flamethrower

• Range: 1/2/3
• FP: 10D AT: 10D

Notes: Low profile. The flamethrower ignores all types of cover. Any unit hit by the flamethrower is automatically suppressed. Any time the vehicle rolls more 1s than 6s when firing, it runs out of ammunition and cannot fire again.

Carro Armato M11/39

The M11/39 is an improvement over the CV3/33 with increased armour and a better gun, but the 37mm gun is restricted to a 180° fire arc.

Training: Regular

Move: Average

Reliability: Poor

Reaction: 4D

Weapon: 37L40 Gun

• Range: 6/12/24
• FP: 5D AT: 5D

Notes: The 37L40 gun is restricted to a 180° fire arc. It may fire its turret machine guns (FP: 5D) in a 360° fire arc.

Carro Armato M13/40

A more effective design than the M11/39, the M13/40 has a 47mm gun mounted in its turret and can hold its own against the British Cruisers.

Training: Regular

Move: Average

Reliability: Poor

Reaction: 4D

Weapon: 47L32

• Range: 7/14/28
• FP: 5D AT: 6D

Royal Artillery Battery (25-pdrs)

Equipped with the Ordnance QF (Quick Firing) , the Royal Artillery provides reliable off-table support to Commonwealth forces.

Training: Veteran

Move: —

Reaction: —
Weapon: Ordnance QF 25-pounder

• Range: Off-Table
• Burst Radius: 4”
• FP: 5D AT: 5D

Notes: Artillery Suppression.

Machine Guns Versus Armour

Many early war tanks are armed only with machine guns. While lacking dedicated anti-tank weapons they are still capable of damaging enemy armour. When firing at armoured vehicles deduct the vehicle’s Reaction Dice from the machine gun’s FP, then roll the remaining dice as normal.

For example, a Mk VIb is firing at an M11/39 Italian tank. The Mk VIb has 7D Firepower. The M11/39 has 5D Reaction. Deducting 5D from 7D results in 2D that can be used to fire against the M11/39. The most hits the MKVIb can cause is two and this is still opposed to the M11/39’s 5D Reaction. If the MKVIb later fires against a CV–35 with only 3D Reaction, it would fire with 4D giving it a good chance of hitting the CV–35.

Vehicle Reliability

Vehicles in Operation Crusader are prone to break downs when they make double or triple moves. The frequency of a break down is determined by a vehicle’s Reliability: Poor, Average, or Good.

A Command Group that rolls more 1s than 6s with the Variable Move Dice when making a double or triple move may suffer a break down.

Poor Reliability: One vehicle in the Command Group is affected for each 1 rolled in excess of 6s. If two 1s are rolled, two vehicles break down.

Average Reliability: Vehicles with average reliability break down when rolling two more 1 than 6s. If three 1s are rolled two vehicles break down.

Good Reliability: Vehicles with good reliability break down when rolling three more 1 than 6s – this can only occur when making a triple move.

The owning player chooses which vehicles break down.

A vehicle that breaks down cannot move until repaired. Place a counter or coloured cotton wool on or next to the vehicle to show that it’s immobile. The vehicle may fire. Other units in the Command Group are unaffected and continue to their destination.

For example, a company of Matilda IIs is ordered to make a double move towards two Italian anti-tank guns. The Matilda’s have Poor Reliability. They move 3+D” normally. This is doubled to 6+2D”. Tom, unfortunately, rolls two 1s. Two of the Matilda’s grind to a halt while the third moves 8” towards the Italians.

Avoiding Breaking Down

Using a Wild Dice or Staff Order to replace a Variable Move Dice can prevent a break down occurring on a double move, and greatly reduces it for a triple move. As the Wild Dice or Staff Order is counted as a 6, it’s not possible to roll more 1s than 6s on a double move, and makes it highly unlikely on a triple move.

Vehicle Repair

A broken down vehicle can be repaired automatically using a Command Dice or Staff Order in a following turn. The vehicle cannot move when being repaired, but it may fire. A vehicle cannot be activated as part of a Command Group in the same turn it’s repaired in.

Commonwealth Armour

Here’s the statistics for Commonwealth armoured units in Operation Compass.

Mk VIb Light Tank

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 your Mk VIbs out of trouble.

Training: Veteran

Move: Fast 6+1D6x2

Reliability: Poor

Reaction: 4D

Weapon: Machine Guns

• Range: 6/12/24
• FP: 7D AT: –

Notes: Recon. Break-off.

A9 Cruiser Mk I

Classed originally as a medium tank, the A9 was reclassified as a cruiser tank in 1937 as it has similar armour to the Mk VIb. Armed with the two-pounder anti-tank gun, the A9 offsets some of its lack of HE ammunition with its three machine guns.

Training: Veteran

Move: Average 6+1D6

Reliability: Poor

Reaction: 4D

Weapon:2-Pdr Gun

• Range: 6/12/24
• FP: 7D AT: 7D

Notes: No High Explosive ammunition. The 2-pdr suffers +1 TN penalty when using FP at effective and long ranges.

A10 Cruiser Mk II

Originally designed as an infantry tank version of the A9, the A10 had the twin machine gun turrets removed and was fitted with extra amour. 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: Veteran

Move: Slow 3+1D6

Reliability: Poor

Reaction: 5D

Weapon:2-Pdr Gun

• Range: 6/12/24
• FP: 6D AT: 7D

Notes: No High Explosive ammunition. The 2-pdr suffers +1 TN penalty when using FP at effective and long ranges.

A13 Cruiser Mk IV

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: Veteran

Move: Fast 6+1D6x2

Reliability: Poor

Reaction: 5D

Weapon:2-Pdr Gun

• Range: 6/12/24
• FP: 6D AT: 7D

Notes: No High Explosive ammunition. The 2-pdr suffers +1 TN penalty when using FP at effective and long ranges.

A12 Matilda Mk II

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, but performs exceptionally well when supported by infantry and anti-tank guns.

Training: Veteran

Move: Slow 3+1D6

Reliability: Poor

Reaction: 7D

Weapon:2-Pdr Gun

• Range: 6/12/24
• FP: 6D AT: 7D

Notes: No High Explosive ammunition. The 2-pdr suffers +1 TN penalty when using FP at effective and long ranges.

Here’s Armour Battles statistics for Commonwealth armoured car units in December 1940. These units formed the backbone of reconnaissance forces during Operation Compass, General O’Connor’s five day raid against the Italians in Egypt.

Note: Vehicle Reliability will be explained in a later post.

Armoured Cars

Rolls-Royce Armoured Car

Originally of First World War One vintage, the Rolls-Royce was obsolete by 1940 but saw extensive use in the Western Desert by the 11th Hussars. Although an effective reconnaissance vehicle, the Rolls-Royce is vulnerable to machine gun and anti-tank fire, and is armed only with a Bren gun and a Boys Anti-Tank rifle.

Training: Veteran

Move: Fast 6+1Dx2

Reliability: Poor

Reaction: 4D (3D)

Weapon: Bren Gun

• Range: 4/8/16
• FP: 4D AT: –

Weapon: Boys Anti-Tank Rifle

• Range: 1/3/5
• FP:– AT: 4

Notes: Recon. Break-off. Open-topped.

Morris CS9 Armoured Car

The Morris Armoured Car is more reliable than the Rolls-Royce, but remains just as under-gunned and under-armoured as it predecessor.

Training: Veteran

Move: Fast 6+1Dx2

Reliability: Average

Reaction: 4D

Weapon: Bren Gun

• Range: 4/8/16
• FP: 4D AT: –

Weapon: Boys Anti-Tank Rifle

• Range: 1/3/5
• FP:–  AT: 3

Notes: Recon. Break-off.

Marmon-Hetherington Mk II Armoured Car

(Available February 1941) The Marmon-Hetherington Mk II has a lower profile than the Rolls-Royce and Morris armoured cars and is armed with a Vickers machine gun.

Training: Veteran

Move: Fast 6+1Dx2

Reliability: Average

Reaction: 5D (4D)

Weapon: Machine Gun

• Range: 6/12/24
• FP: 7D AT: –

Weapon: Boys Anti-Tank Rifle

• Range: 1/3/5
• FP:– AT: 4

Notes: Recon. Break-off. Low profile.