Afrika Korps

Commonwealth Unit Statistics

BO: Break-Off
HS: High Suppression
No HE: No HE
O: Open-topped
R: Recon
T: Towed
2MT: Two-man Turret

2nd Armoured Division

During Coronavirus Lockdown I thought I would complete my Western Desert project.

Reading some of the literature on the campaign I liked the open terrain and the almost naval manoeuvres made by the Armoured Brigades especially in the earlier battles and it seemed to suit the rules perfectly.

Idea was for a smaller scale than the usual 15mm or 20mm we have been using so far. I had some 10mm Minifigs for at least a couple of years that never got beyond an undercoat, so decided to go with that. After a comparison of manufacturers it was clear that some picking and choosing was necessary. Slightly thwarted by a lack of photos on the Minifigs (Caliver) site I stuck with them for some of the models and the infantry, and decided on Pendraken for others.

I have gone as far as the end of 1941, around Operation Crusader. The Brits consist of Mk VI, Matilda, A9, A10, A13, A15 (Crusader I) and Honey. Armoured cars include Rolls Royce, Morris and Marmon-Herrington. Infantry amount to almost 2 battalions, plus 2pdr dismounted and portee, 25pdr and some transport. Germans include the usual Pz I, II, III and IV, a couple of PzJgr !, Sd 222, Sd 232, 37mm, 50mm, an 88 and a variety of transport and infantry. The Italians so far have massed some L3-35, M11/39 and M13/40 with a solitary AB 41 armoured car. A couple of A/T guns but no infantry. The Minifigs all had large back packs which didn’t look anything like the photos I’d seen, and I haven’t got to accepting the chunky Pendraken infantry just yet.

So a few days with the file, the airbrush, the ink wash and the dry brush and it all looked ok. I haven’t found any decals in the right scale so they lack those at the moment which is a shame because it seems to make a considerable difference.

Blinds were made from mdf with suitable insignia from the airbrush and homemade stencils.

Charles King has been using his recently painted Western Desert forces to fight the battle of Msus.

The battle takes place in April 1941 following the success of the Western Desert Force against the Italians. The experienced British forces have been transferred to Greece and other theatres in the Middle East and Africa, leaving 3rd Armoured Brigade (2nd Armoured Division) to stop the German attack.

2nd Armoured Division is made up from 3rd Hussars (Vickers Mk VI) 5 RTR (mixed Cruisers, A9 and A13 tanks) and the 6th RTR equipped with captured M13/40 tanks. The Kings Dragoon Guards provide a recce armoured car. One RHA 25 pdr battery provides support.

The German 5th Panzer Battalion are equipped with modern armour and artillery including some of the up-to-date 50mm Pz IIIs, and the experienced 3rd Reconnaissance Regt. provided Sd222 and Sd232 armoured cars.

In reality, the German advance through Cyrenaica proved unstoppable but in this scenario the British Armoured Brigade, short of tanks due to battle and mechanical losses have to delay the Panzer advance on Msus and perhaps throw back this assault. The objective of each side is to reduce the other to zero Morale.

I fought this battle solo so there are no British Blinds. The Germans came on as Blinds, were randomly activated and operated on a system of pre-determined priorities and their true identity not revealed until spotted or deployed in medium firing range. So sometimes Command Dice were used in areas where it seemed less important and units advanced and fired according to pre-determined principles.

It all worked out well, with some interesting fluctuations before the end.