Aug I Allied Turn

End of Turn Dispositions

Malta [end of turn]:

Malta Status: 8, end of turn [at turn’s start 10, – 2 repair this turn = 8]

Malta Repair Rate: beginning on the Jul I 41 turn, 2 repair points each I turn and I repair point each II turn, per the WitD Allied OB booklet.

At the start of the Allied turn there were no gsp’s present in the Valletta hex; on the previous Jul II 41 Allied turn the Allied player was unable to successfully sea transport any gsp’s to Malta.  Therefore at step 11 of this turn’s I. Phase all Allied ground units at Malta were definitely Red U-2.  In the naval movement step of this turn’s M. Phase the usual W Med NTP carrying the 4 gsp’s generated at Gibraltar was again sunk by Axis anti-shipping forces when it entered the Cent Med sea zone on map 18A .  This is important for the two Br hv AA IIs’ flack factors, which are halved due to being U-2.  Valletta’s intrinsic flack is not affected by supply, as in the EA reported game report of the WW 1941 ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario we are not using WW Optional Rule 12E4-Intrinsic AA and General Supply Effects.

The Br Hurri 2 F type air unit that began the turn in the Aborted Air Units Box of the Malta Command Replacement Pool was rebuilt at step 14 of the I. Phase when the Allied player expended the Br ARP stored at the Valletta hex, which arrived at Malta on the prior Jul II 41 Allied M. Phase.  The rebuilt Hurri 2 air unit is in special general supply this turn.

Valletta (18A:0407):
3-cap permanent airfield; one hit of damage

Valletta hex flack factor: 5 (3 intrinsic, + a total of 2 for the two Br 0-1-8 hv AA II units, AA = 2 each, but halved for being U-2)
3-6* Inf X 1 M [definitely Red U-2]
2-6* Inf X 2 M [definitely Red U-2]
1-8 MG II 2 Ch [definitely Red U-2]
0-1-8 Hv AA II AA=2 10 [definitely Red U-2; flack factor halved]
0-1-8 Hv AA II AA=2 4 [definitely Red U-2; flack factor halved]
0-4 Cons X MC [definitely Red U-2]
Hurri 2  5F5  1/9 [operative; ARP rebuild this turn at step 14 of the I. Phase; in general supply when rebuilt; never moved]

In Libya [{beginning of the turn}/end of turn]:

Tobruch (18A:4817) [clear terrain fortress/standard port]:
Note that per WW Optional Rule 12E, U-4 is in effect the most severe general supply state for a unit, and therefore in the EA reported Scenario we will not note w/ markers further turns out of general supply than the U-4 status.
Improved fortress; construction of the improved fortress was completed in the May II 41 Allied I. Phase.
3-cap temporary airfield
one hit of airfield damage
{one port damage hit marker, fixed this turn by the 0-1-4 cons X}
{7-8 Inf XX 9 (Aus) [began turn here; technically Red U-4; at the very beginning of the M. Phase it broke down into its supported components]}
2-8* Inf X 20 (Aus) [supported breakdown component of the Aus 7-8 Inf XX 9; broke down at the beginning of the naval movement step; remained here]
2-8* Inf X 26 (Aus) [supported breakdown component of the Aus 7-8 Inf XX 9; broke down at the beginning of the naval movement step; remained here]
{2-8* Inf X 24 (Aus) [supported breakdown component of the Aus 7-8 Inf XX 9; in the naval movement step of the M. Phase it was successfully sea transported to Alexandria]}
7-8 Inf XX 50 Nth [began turn here; never moved; technically Red U-4]
0-1-4 Cons X 66 RPC (Col) [began turn here; never moved; technically Red U-4; spent 4 MPs in the hex repairing the single port damage hit marker]
0-1-8 Hv AA II AA=2 51 [began turn here; never moved; technically Red U-4]
2-1-6 Tnk II 7 RT [began turn here; never moved; technically Red U-4]
3-8 Art X 13 [began turn here; never moved; technically Red U-4]
Hurri 1 5F5 1/8 SAAF [inop.; began turn here; never moved; technically Black U-4; in the naval movement step it flew the Patrol air mission against the Axis air op flying the Naval Patol air mission to the 18A:4718 target hex; paired against one of the Axis escort air units; returned to base here]
Hurri 1 5F5 1/8 [inop.; began turn here; technically Red U-1; in the Jul II 41 Axis E. Phase it flew a non-phasing air transfer air mission to here, from Damas, in Syria; in the naval movement step of this turn it flew the Patrol air mission against the Axis air op flying the Naval Patrol air mission to the 18A:4718 target hex; paired against one of the Axis escort air units; returned to base here]
12 gsp’s [generated at step 16 of the JuI II 41 Axis I. Phase from a step of attack supply present in the Tobruch hex; these provide special general supply this turn and in the following Aug I 41 Axis turn; they will be removed from the map at step 24 of the Aug I 41 Axis I. Phase, after the step 11 supply determination step]
one step of attack supply [turn reinf; successfully sea transported into Tobruch in 3 turn reinforcement NTPs in the naval movement step of the M. Phase]
{2 gsp’s [generated in the Jul II 41 Allied I. Phase at Suez; sea transported into Tobruch in the Jul II 41 M. Phase in an E Med NTP; removed from the maps at step 24 of the I. Phase of this turn]}

In Egypt [end of turn]:

Matruh (19A:1218) [clear terrain point city/minor port road-major rail junction coast hex]:
railhead marker [EA game report note: in the 1941 ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario the Matruh-Tobruch railroad construction does not begin until the Aug II 41 Allied turn, per the WitD Allied OB booklet]
3-cap permanent airfield
fort marker
7-8 Inf XX 1 (SA) [assembled here at the end of the M. Phase from its unsupported components]
8 Inf XX HQ 1 (SA) [turn reinf; disembarked at Matruh and assembled into the 7-8 Inf XX 1 (SA) at the end of the M. Phase]
2-8 Inf X 1 (SA) [began turn at 19A:1420; moved to here and assembled into the 7-8 Inf XX 1 (SA) at the end of the M. Phase]
2-8 Inf X 3 (SA) [began turn at 19A:1420; moved to here and assembled into the 7-8 Inf XX 1 (SA) at the end of the M. Phase]
2-8 Inf X 6 (SA) [began turn at 19A:1420; moved to here and assembled into the 7-8 Inf XX 1 (SA) at the end of the M. Phase]
3-8 Inf X 22 G [began turn here; never moved]
1-8 AT II 65 [began turn here; never moved]
0-1-8 Hv AA II AA=2 68 [began turn here; never moved]
P-40C 5F5 1/13 SAAF [operative; began turn here; never moved]
Hurri 1 5F5 1/8 [inop.; began turn here; in the naval movement step it flew the CAP air mission over all-sea hex 19A:0717; returned to base here early in the M. Phase]
Hurri 1 5NF5 1/8 [operative; turn Conversion; placed here at step 14 of the I. Phase, where the converted Huurri 1  5F5  1/8 air unit began the turn; never moved]

19A:1119 [clear terrain hex, SW of Matruh; on the not begun Tobruch-Matruh railway route]:
0-1-4 Cons X 43 RPC (Col) [began turn at 19A:1319; spent 2 MPs moving one hex to here, abandoning the unfinished construction of a 1-cap temporary airfield begun at 1319 on the Jul II 41 Allied turn; spent its last 2 MPs in 1119 beginning the construction there of another 1-cap temporary airfield]
2-8* Inf X 24 (Aus) [began turn at Tobruch; technically Red U-4, but in special general supply via gsp’s present at the Tobruch hex; supported breakdown of the Aus 7-8 Inf XX 9; in the naval movement step of the M. Phase it was successfully sea transported to Alexandria; in the ground movement step of the M. Phase it railed to Matruh and then moved to here]
1-8 MG II 1 RNF [began turn at 19A:1320; regular moved to here]

19A:1219 [clear terrain road to Siwa hex, S of Matruh]:
2-8 Inf X 4 (NZ) [began turn at El Alamein; admin moved along the transportation lines to here]
2-8 Inf X 161 [turn reinf; disembarked at Alexandria, railed to Matruh, and then moved to here]
2-8 Inf X 19 (Aus) [began turn at Lattique (20A:3405), on the Syrian Mediterranean coastline; sea transported to Axexandria in the naval movement step; in the ground movement step railed to Matruh and then moved to here]

19A:1418 [clear terrain major rail coast hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield
0-8 Lt AA II AA=1 57 [began turn here; never moved]
A-22 3A3 2-1/19 [inop.; began turn at El Alamein; in the E. Phase flew a tac port bombing air mission to Porto Bardia, in Libya (19A:0318); Hit; returned to base here]
A-22 3A3 2-1/19 SAAF [inop.; began turn at El Alamein; in the E. Phase flew a tac port bombing air mission to Porto Bardia, in Libya (19A:0318); Hit; returned to base here]
Blen 4 3B3 1-2/23 [inop.; began turn here; in the Jul II 41 Axis E. Phase it flew a non-phasing air transfer air mission to here, from Haifa, in Palestine; in the E. Phase flew a strat port bombing air mission to Porto Bardia, in Libya (19A:0318); Miss; returned to base here]

19A:1018 [coast road hex]
6-4-6 Tnk X 1 T [began turn at 19A:1219; regular moved to here; remained in the hex]
1-10 Recon II 6 (SA) [turn reinf; disembarked at Matruh and moved to here; remained in the hex]
3-8 Art X 10 [turn reinf; disembarked at Matruh and moved to here]
5 pos flk unit AA=1 [British; began at Alexandria; railed to Matruh, then moved to here]

19A:1019 [clear terrain hex]:
0-8 Marine Cmdo II ME [began turn at 19A:1220; regular moved to here]

19A:1020 [clear terrain Siwi road hex]:
7-10* Arm XX 7 [began turn at 19A:1219; moved to here; remained in the hex]
1-10* Mot SG X AA=1 2 [began turn at 19A:1219; regular moved westwards along the Egyptian coast road to 19A:0519, capturing for the Allies the road hexes along the way, including the Halfaya Pass (19A:0419) hex, w/ its ZOC, and also Sidi Barriani (19A:0718), by moving through it; exploited back to here]
1-10* Mot Inf X 3 (Ind) [began turn at 19A:1219; regular moved southwestwards along the Siwi Oasis road to 19A:0823, capturing for the Allies the road hexes along the way; exploited back to here]
4 gsp’s [generated at Alexandria at step 16 of the I. Phase; railed to Matruh in the M. Phase; in the E. Phase spent 3 SMPs moving along the Siwa road to here]

19A:1320 [clear terrain hex]:
8 Inf XX HQ 2 (NZ) [began turn here; never moved]
2-8 Inf X 6 (NZ) [began turn here; never moved]
1-8 Inf II Y [unsupported inf II breakdown of the 2-8 Inf X 151, which began the turn at Matruh and where it broke down early in the M. Phase; the 1-8 Inf II Y component then regular moved to here]

19A:1420 [clear terrain hex]:
8 Inf XX HQ 6 (Aus) [began turn at Matruh; regular moved to here]
2-8 Inf X 150 [began turn at Matruh; regular moved to here]
0-1-8 Inf II Y [unsupported inf II breakdown of the 2-8 Inf X 151, which began the turn at Matruh and where it broke down early in the M. Phase; the 0-1-8 Inf II Y component then regular moved to here]

19A:1521 [clear terrain hex]:
2-8* Inf X 5 (Ind) [began turn here; never moved]
2-8 Inf X 5 (SA) [began turn here; never moved]

19A:1621 [clear terrain hex, adjacent to Qattara Depression]:
2-8* Inf X 11 (Ind) [began turn here; never moved]
2-8 Inf X 2 (SA) [began turn here; never moved]

El Alamein (19A:2119/20A:5033) [clear terrain point city major rail coast road hex]:
3-cap temporary airfield
fort marker [completed in the Jul II 41 Allied I. Phase]
2-1-10* Lt Arm X 9 [turn Conversion of the 2-1-10* Mot Inf X Hab unit; began turn at major rail line hex 20A:4205, in Lebanon, at step 14 of the I. Phase, where the converted 2-1-10 Mot Inf X Hab unit began the turn; in the M. Phase the new lt arm X railed as far as hex 20A:5028, in Egypt, using a secondary rail line part of the way; exploited to here]
2-1-6 Tnk II 4 RT [began turn at major rail line hex 20A:4205, in Lebanon; in the M. Phase it railed as far as Alexandria, using a secondary rail line part of the way; exploited to here]
0-8 Hv AA II AA=1 2 (Aus) [began turn here; never moved]
Well 1C 3NB4 1-6/28 [inop.; began turn at 19A:1418; in the E. Phase flew a strat port bombing air mission at night to Derna (18A:4116); Miss; returned to base here]
Well 1C 3NB4 1-6/28 [inop.; began turn at 19A:1418; in the E. Phase flew a strat port bombing air mission at night to Derna (18A;4116); Miss; returned to base here]
Blen 4 3B3 1-2/23 [inop.; began turn here; in the Jul II 41 Axis E. Phase it flew a non-phasing air transfer air mission to here from a temporary airfield in Lebanon; in the E. Phase flew a strat port bombing air mission to Porto Bardia, in Libya (19A:0318); Hit; returned to base here]

Alexandria (20A:4930/19A:2416) [major port/full city hex/major rail line coast hex]:
Supply Terminal marker
3-cap permanent airfield
0-2-8 Hv AA X AA=4 1 NMBDO (RM) [began turn here; never moved]
5 pos flk unit AA=1 [British; turn reinf; disembarked here and remained in the hex]
Hurri 1 5F5 1/8 (RAAF) [operative; began turn here; in the Jul II 41 Axis E. Phase it flew a non-phasing air transfer air mission to here from Damas, in Syria; this turn never moved]
one step of attack supply [turn reinf; disembarked at Alexandria in the naval movement step of the M. Phase; remained in the hex]

Disuq (20A:5126) [canal intensive point city major rail line hex]:
2-8 Inf X 17 (Aus) [began turn at 20A:4406; spent 1 MP moving one hex to Rayak, entrained on the secondary rail line there, and railed as far as Disuq, in Egypt]
1-8 Art II 1 (Aus) [began turn at 20A:4406; spent 1 MP moving one hex to Rayak, entrained on the secondary rail line there, and railed as far as Disuq, in Egypt]
2-8* Inf X 7 (Ind) [began turn at 20A:4406; spent 1 MP moving one hex to Rayak, entrained on the secondary rail line there, and railed as far as Disuq, in Egypt]
Cairo (19A:3219) [full city hex transportation line junction hex, NW of the Cairo partial city hex]:
0-1-6 RR Eng X MEF (Emp) [turn reinf; disembarked at Suez and admin moved along road to here]
Although technically it doesn’t have to be, this unit is probably the preferred engineer-category unit (1RE) for the Egypt garrison requirement beginning on the Aug II 41 Allied I. Phase, at step 17, per the WW Allied Garrisons Chart. The Allied player must be careful where he places his designated Egyptian engineer-category garrison unit, as per WW Rule 37EC-Use of [Allied] Garrison Forces, this unit “may not move, spend MPs, or use their construction abilities during any turn in which they are part of an Allied garrison.” For our Egyptian engineer-category garrison unit, this would be, in all WW Scenarios, from the Aug II 41 Allied I. Phase until the “end of time,” meaning until either the final Jan II 43 game turn, in WW Western Desert-based Scenarios, or until the final Jul II 43 game turn, in WW War in the Desert-based Scenarios. In the EA reported game it is placed here, in the Cairo full city hex. Other candidate Egyptian hexes for its permanent on-map placement might be the Cairo partial city hex, or one of the Suez Canal port hexes, or perhaps a dot or reference city hex in the Delta zone, or perhaps at Alexandria.
Cairo (19A:3320) [clear terrain partial city hex, SE of the Cairo full city hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield

Suez (19A:3718) [clear terrain reference city/major port major rail line terminus coast hex]:
Supply Terminal marker

Port Said (20A:5121/19A:3413) [swamp dot city/standard port/Suez Canal major rail line terminal coast hex]:
vacant by the end of the E. Phase

Ismailia (19A:3516) [sand reference city/standard port/Suez Canal transportation line junction hex]:
Glad 3F3 0/8 [operative; began turn here; in the Jul II 41 Axis E. Phase it flew a non-phasing air transfer air mission to here from Alexandria; this turn never moved]

In Palestine [end of turn]:

Per WW Game Play Chart 5–Allied Garrisons, the Palestine garrison requirement is 3 REs of Garrison-category units. The Allied garrisons are determined at step 17 of the Allied I. Phase. However, per WW Rule 37E4, Forming units in the ME Replacement Pool count at their regular RE size for the Palestine Garrison requirement, as do also ME Replacement Pool units, but they count at 1/3 their regular RE size. In addition to the 1.5 Garrison-capable REs present on-map in Palestine, the Allied player is counting some of the 3.5 Garrison-capable REs in the Forming Box of the Middle East Command Replacement Pool. See below, in the Middle East Replacement Pool section, for further details.

Haifa (20A:4710) [clear terrain dot city/major port transportation line junction coast hex]:
Railhead marker [per WW Rule 41B1a-Western Desert Campaign Starting Conditions, “the transportation line from Haifa to Tripoli (20A:4005) is a road, not a railroad.” This stipulation is used in the 1941 ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario. Probably more later regarding its construction in WW ME Scenarios.
8* Inf XX HQ 6 [British; began turn at 20A:4407, in Lebanon; regular moved to here]
2-8 Inf X 14 [began turn at 20A:4407; regular moved to here]
3-8* Mtn X Karp (Pol) [began turn at 20A:4206, in Lebanon; regular moved to here]
1-8 MG II 2 Ch [began turn at 20A:4308, in Lebanon; regular moved to here]
20A:4808 [clear terrain secondary rail line hex]:
2-8 Inf X 29 (Ind) [began turn at 20A:4407; regular moved to here]

Safad (20A:4608) [rough terrain point city]:
vacant at the end of the M. Phase

Allied Units in Armistice Lebanon & Syria [end of turn]:

Per the WW Game Play Chart 5–Allied Garrisons (Rule 37E), it appears the Allied player is fulfilling the garrison requirements for the Vichy French Levant, and has been since the beginning of the Allied invasion of the the Levant on the Jun I 41 Allied turn.

Soueida (20A:4905) [rough terrain point city hex]:
1-8 Cav X 5 [began turn at 20A: 4105; regular moved to here]

Beyrouth (20A:4207) [rough terrain dot city/standard port transportation line junction coast hex]:
7-8 Inf XX 7 (Aus) [began turn at 20A:4308, S of Beyrouth; moved one hex to here]

Rayak (20A:4306) [clear terrain point city secondary rail line hex]:
Allied owned; vacant at the end of the M. Phase

Tripoli (20A:4005) [rough terrain reference city/minor port transportation line coast hex]:
Railhead marker [per WW Rule 41B1a-Western Desert Campaign Starting Conditions, “the transportation line from Haifa to Tripoli (20A:4005) is a road, not a railroad.” This stipulation is used in the 1941 ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario. Probably more later regarding its construction in WW ME Scenarios.
2-8 Eng X 1 (Aus) [began turn at 20A:4308; regular moved to here, abandoning the 2-cap temporary airfield at 4308 and spending 2 MPs in the hex repairing the hit of damage on the Tripoli reference city airbase; remained in the hex]

Damas (20A:4505) [clear terrain dot city transportation line junction hex]:
3-8* Inf X 1 FL (FF) [began turn at Rayak (20A:4306); moved to here]

Lattique (20A:3405) [clear terrain reference city/minor port road terminus coast hex]
vacant by the end of the naval movement step; Allied owned
{4 gsp’s [generated in the Jul II 41 Allied I. Phase at Alexandria; sea transported to here on an E Med NTP in the naval movement step; removed from the maps at step 24 of the current I. Phase]}

Homs (20A:3902) [clear terrain reference city transportation line junction hex]:
hit marker on reference city airbase
Allied controlled by the end of the M. Phase

Hama (20A:3702) [clear terrain reference city major rail line hex]:
hit marker on reference city airbase
Allied controlled by the end of the M. Phase

Alep (21A:3231) [clear terrain partial city transportation line junction hex]:
1-8 Cav X 6 [began turn at 20A:4002, S of Homs; regular moved north to here, capturing Homs and Hama along the way]

21A:3116 [clear terrain road hex, W of Kamechile (21A:3115), in the Syrian “duckbill” area]:
1-8 Inf X 20 (Ind) [began turn at 21A:3526, in Syria, admin moved 16 hexes along the road to here]

Trans-Jordan [end of turn]:
20A:5106 [ravines road hex]:
2-8 Inf X 10 (Ind) [began turn at Safad (20A:4608), in Palestine; regular moved to here]

On Cyprus [end of turn]:
Limassol (20A:3615) [clear terrain point city/standard port coast road hex]:
1-cap permanent airstrip

Famagusta (20A:3411) [clear terrain point city/standard port coast road hex]:
1-cap permanent airstrip

Non Phasing Axis Air Activity in the Allied Exploitation Phase:

Late in the E. Phase the Ger LW He 111H4 4B4 2-7/22 air unit based at Licata (18A:0120), at Sicily, air transfers to the 1-cap temporary airfield at Misurata (18A:1022), in Libya. It makes sure to stay out of the patrol and intercept radius of the operative Br Hurri 2 F type air unit based at Valletta, at Malta.

Late in the E. Phase the It CR 42AS 3F3 1/8 air unit based at Derna (18A:4116), in Libya, air transfers to Syracusa (18A:0702), at Sicily.

Late in the E. Phase the It CR 42 3F3 0/9 air unit based at the 3-cap permanent airfield at 18A:0403, at Sicily, air transfers to Derna, in Libya. The Br operative Hurri 2 F type air unit based at Valletta, at Malta, declines to Patrol attack the CR 42 air unit as it flies off from the airfield at 10A:0403.

Late in the E. Phase the It Ca 311 2B2 1/L/14 air unit based at Derna, in Libya, air transfers to Syracusa (18A:0702), at Sicily.

Middle East (ME) Command Replacement Pool [end of turn]:
3-8 Inf X 5 (NZ) [moved from Balkan Command Replacement Pool]
2-8 Inf X 16 (Aus) [moved from Balkan Command Replacement Pool]
3-2-10 Arm X 4 [in the WW 1941 ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario this unit is at-start in the ME Replacement Pool, per F. Watson’s ER-II Europa battle scenario, published in TEM#71]
3-2-10 Arm X 1 [moved from Balkan Command Replacement Pool; this is the original pre-conversion unit of the one sent to Greece]

Eliminated Air Units Box:
Blen 4 3B3 1-2/23 [in the Jun I 41 Allied C. Phase it participated in the first Allied attack in the Vichy French Levant, flying the GS air mission at 20A:4607; it was Killed in air combat there by the bypassing Vichy Fr D 520 F type air unit, flying the Interception air mission to the target hex]

Forming Box:
3-8* Mtn X 1 (Gk) [counted as part of the Palestine Garrison]
0-1-8 Inf II Gd (Yugo) [counted as part of the Palestine Garrison]
2-8* Inf X 2 FL (FF) [placed here at step 14 of the I. Phase after the Allied conquest of the Levant, per the WitD Allied French Conditional Reinforcements: Forces from the Levant, in the WitD Allied OB booklet, p. 6; this unit will be Full on the Apr II 42 Allied turn]
1-2-6 Inf X 3FL (FF) [placed here at step 14 of the I. Phase after the Allied conquest of the Levant, per the WitD Allied French Conditional Reinforcements: Forces from the Levant, in the WitD Allied OB booklet, p. 6; this unit will be Full on the May II 42 Allied turn]

In the Allied Near East (NE) Command:

Iraqi coup collapse occurred in the May II 41 Axis I. Phase, per the dice roll done then using the Variable Iraqi Coup Collapse Table. At that time all Iraqi forces/production were removed from the map and the Iraq Replacement Pool. By the end of the I. Phase all Iraqi territory was Allied owned; except in our case the Mosul hex, which at the time contained the Axis Conditional Reinforcement Ger LW Mxd A type air unit.

The current Allied Iraqi railnet-cap is 3 1/2.

At step 14 of the I. Phase the Allied player transferred 10 Middle East Command SMPs to the Near East Command, per WW Rule 12H2b. They cannot be used there until the following Aug II 41 Allied turn. See the Turn Activity section below for further details.

Allied Regular NE Command Reinforcements, Aug I 41 Allied Turn, per the WitD Allied OB booklet.

Near East Command:

Arrive:
8* Inf XX HQ 8 (Ind)
2-8 Inf X 19 (Ind)
2 steps of attack supply
5 SMPs [Note: There is in addition to the 5 SMPs already in the Near East Command at the start of the turn.]

In pro-Allied Iraq:

Per the WW Game Play Chart 5–Allied Garrisons (Rule 37E), it appears the Allied player is fulfilling the garrison requirements this turn, for Iraq. This would be per the horizontal line reading: “EJIS [Jul II 41] – Sep I 41”. For a more detailed discussion of the Iraq garrison, see the Jul I 41 Allied game report

21A:4726 [stony desert road hex]:
2-8 Inf X 9 (Ind) [began turn at 20A:4504, in Syria, NE of Damas; admin moved along the road to here]

21A:4925 [sand road hex]:
1-10 Mot Cav III AL (T-J) [Arab Legion; began turn at Damas (20A:4505), in Syria; admin moved to 21A:4726, in Iraq; exploited to here]

This is a provisional new unit introduced in the 1941 ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario on the May I 41 Allied turn. For more details, see that posted EA game report.

Rutbah (21A:5023) [stony desert point city road junction hex]:
1-cap permanent airstrip [Allied owned]
8 Inf XX HQ 5 (Ind) [began turn at 21A:5120, in Trans-Jordan; admin moved along the road to here]
1-8 Inf II 11 (CS) [began the turn at Haifa (20A:4710), in Palestine; late in the E. Phase the Br Bombay 1T2 1-2/15 air unit based at Port Said (20A:5121/19A:3413), in Egypt, staged to Haifa (20A:4710) and air transported the 1-8 Inf II 11 (CS) to here.]
Bombay 1T2 1-2/15 [inop.; began the turn at Port Said (20A:5121/19A:3413), in Egypt; late in the E. Phase it staged to Haifa, in Palestine, and air transported the 1-8 Inf II 11 (CS) to here; rebased at Rutbah]

Ramadi (22A:2830) [clear terrain reference city road hex]:
0-1-4 Static II 1 As (Col) [began turn at Habbaniya (21A:5023); regular moved along the road to here]

Habbaniya (22A:2828) [clear terrain point city road hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield
2-8 Inf X 25 (Ind) [began turn at Rutbah (21A:5023; admin moved along the road to here]
Audax 1A1 1/8 [operative; began turn here; never moved]

22A:2827 [canal intensive road hex, E of Habbaniya]:
one step of attack supply [began turn at 22A:3324; spent 8 SMPs in the E. Phase exploiting to here along the transportation lines, crossing the demolished bridge]

Baghdad 22A:2825 [clear terrain partial city transportation line junction hex]:
one hit marker on airbase
2-8 Inf X 21 (Ind) [began turn at 21A:4411; admin moved along the transportation lines to here]

Baqubah (21A:4802) [canal intensive reference city transportation line junction hex]:
vacant at the end of the M. Phase

Khanaquin (21A:4501) [clear terrain point city secondary rail line-road junction hex, at the Iranian border]:
8* Inf XX HQ 10 (Ind) [began turn at Baghdad (22A:2815); regular moved to here]
2-8 Inf X 24 (Ind) [began turn at Baqubah (21A:4802) regular moved to here]

Shaibah (22A:4314) [clear terrain secondary rail line hex]:
3-cap permanent airfield
vacant at the end of the M. Phase

Basra (22A:4313) [clear terrain dot city/major port, w/ a major river hexside]:
Allied Supply Terminal marker
0-1-4 Static II 2 As (Col) [began turn at Shaibah; moved one hex to here]
4 steps of attack supply [three began the turn here, plus there were two new NE Command turn reinforcement steps of attack supply that disembarked at Basra in the current Allied M. Phase; one of the steps of attack supply at Basra used two SMPs to move along the road to 22A:4411; four remained in the hex]

22A:4212 [swamp hex, NE of Basra, next to the Iranian border]:
8* Inf XX HQ 8 (Ind) [Near East Command turn reinf; disembarked at Basra and regular moved one hex to here]
2-8 Inf X 19 (Ind) [Near East Command turn reinf; disembarked at Basra and regular moved one hex to here]
1-8 Inf X 17 (Ind) [began turn at Basra; regular moved one hex to here]
2-1-10* Lt Arm X 252 (Ind) [began turn at 22A:4215; regular moved to Basra; exploited to here]
22A:4411 [swamp road hex, next to the Iranian border]:
2-8 Inf X 18 (Ind) [began turn at Basra; regular moved to here]
one step of attack supply [began turn at Basra; spent 2 SMPs moving to here in the M. Phase]

Turn Activity

At step 11 of the I. Phase the Allied ground and air units at the isolated Tobruch hex that began the turn at technically Red or Black U-4 essentially remain at this U-4 status, as per WW Optional Rule 12E, U-4 is in effect the most severe supply status for a unit. Therefore in the EA reported Scenario we will not note with numbered markers any further turns out of general supply than the severest U-4 status. All 9 REs of ground units and the two air units beginning the turn at Tobruch are in special general supply at step 11 of the I. Phase due to the 14 gsp’s in the hex. Twelve were generated from a step of attack supply present in the hex on the Jul II 41 Axis I. Phase and 2 were generated in the Jul II 41 Allied I. Phase at an on-map Allied standard supply terminal hex and then sea transported that same turn into the Tobruch port hex. At Malta, all of the 4.5 REs of Allied ground units beginning the turn there are definitely Red U-2, as no gsp’s were sea transported to there on the previous Jul II 41 Allied turn. The Aus 2-8 Inf X 19, at Lattique (20A:3405), on the Vichy French Levant Mediterranean coastline, is back in general supply via a supply line trace to an Allied standard supply terminal marker.

At step 14 of the I. Phase the Allied player spends no accumulated RPs in the Middle East Command, but he does spend the ARP stored at the Valletta hex, on Malta, and rebuilds the Br Hurri 2 5F5 1/9 air unit, removing it from the Aborted Air Units Box of the Malta Command Replacement Pool and placing it at the Valletta 3-cap permanent airfield.

Also at step 14 of the I. Phase, in perhaps a desperate move to somehow solve the chronic scarcity of attack supply steps in the Mid East Command, the Allied player transfers 10 Middle East SMPs to the Near East Command, thereby hoping to eventually obtain at least one NE Command step of attack supply by moving it overland along the long east-west road from Baghdad-Habbaniya-Ramadi-Rutbah-to Haifa. He has in mind specifically the step of attack supply beginning the turn on the secondary rail line at 22A:3324, in central Iraq, and which moved onto the long east-west road in the E. Phase. Although the 10 Mid East SMPs were sent to the NE Command this I. Phase, they cannot be used until the subsequent Aug II 41 Allied turn. The Allied player began the turn with 25 SMPs in the Middle East Command; now he is down to 15 SMPs there. At the start of the turn the Allied player had 5 SMPs in the Near East Command, and 5 more turn reinforcement SMPs arrived at the Near East Command via Basra; now he has upped his SMPs there to 20. We will see if this hasty and risky shuffle works out, or if it puts him in a bind in the Western Desert at a bad time. He has good intentions of returning the 10 loaned SMPs back to the ME Command as soon as possible.

At step 16 of the I. Phase the Allied player generates 4 new gsp’s at both the Suez and Alexandria Allied Standard Supply terminals.

At step 22 of the I. Phase the Axis player has the Ger LW Me 109E 7F5 1/7 air unit, based at the 3-cap permanent airfield at 18A:0403, on Sicily, fly the CAP air mission over the Valletta hex (18A:0407), at Malta, but the Allied player does not have the newly resurrected and operative Br Hurri 2 F type air unit based there fly the Intercept air mission. Back in Libya, the Axis player assigns the It SM 79-2 B type air unit based at 18A:4718, SW of Tobruch, to the Naval Patrol air mission, along with the two It BR 20M NB type air units based at Ain el Gazala (18A:4518). At the time standing by the gameboard, these Axis Naval Patrol air missions appear cosmetic, or futile, as both Tobruch and the western half of Egypt are full of operative Allied F type air units.

At step 24 of the I. Phase the Allied player removes from the maps the 2 gsp’s at Tobruch that were generated on the Jul II 41 Allied I. Phase and then sea transported to there in the M. Phase of that same turn. The 4 gsp’s at Lattique that were generated on the Jul II 41 Allied I. Phase and then sea transported to there in the M. Phase of that same turn are also removed from the maps at this time.

In the naval movement step of the M. Phase the first thing the Allied player does is execute his naval transport itinerary to the Valletta port hex, at Malta. He sea transports on the just replaced W Med NTP the 4 gsp’s that were generated this turn at Gibraltar, per WW 41B1-Western Desert Campaign, and this transport naval group enters the west edge of map 18A at all-sea hex 0108. To determine Axis Central Med anti-shipping effects, he uses the 9 column of the Naval Table, per WW Rule 31E1, and once again, just like on the Jul II 41 Allied turn, runs into Axis unit-shipping forces when he rolls a 10: Contact. On the subsequent die roll using the Shipping Results Table, at the Supply/Resource Item column, he rolls a 4: Eliminated; and so the W Med NTP and the 4 gsp’s from Gibraltar are all lost. The W Med NTP will not be available again until the I. Phase of the Sep I 41 Allied turn, when it can be replaced, per WW Rule 35D.  Next the Allied player has the 2 Br inf RPs turn reinforcement, per the WitD Allied OB, arrive at his option on the west edge of of map 18A, once again at all-sea hex 0108, in a turn reinforcement NTP, per WW Rule 40A3.  This time Fate jimmies the Naval Table dice roll in the favor of the Allies, and the cargo naval naval group successfully arrives at the Valletta limited supply terminal, where the 2 Br inf RPs are disembarked and stored, no doubt to be used in the upcoming Aug II 41 Allied I. Phase to Upgrade the 1-8 MG II 1 Ch unit at Malta to the bigger and better 3-6* Inf X 3 M, per the WitD Allied OB.

Next, the Allied player does a number of other naval transport activities in the East and Central Mediterranean sea zones. This turn he is again very likely compelled to attempt to sea transport to Tobruch at least one of the three turn reinforcement steps of attack supply, per the Allied Production Chart found on p. 36 (back page) of the WW OB booklet.  These subsequent naval actions are listed below in sequential order. Those numbered that are indicated by a # are indicated as such in the naval movement step action activities picture included below in the game report.  However, this turn the Allied player has only 9 E Med NTPs, even after adding the 2 E Med replacements, per WW Rule 35D, because of the Allied E Med NTP losses incurred on the preceding two July game turns.

#1.  After breaking down the Aus 7-8 Inf XX 9 to its supported component parts, the Allied player attempts to sea transport the Aus 2-8* Inf X 24 (technically Red U-4) out of Tobruch and to the Alexandria port hex.  It embarks on an E Med NTP and expends 10 naval movement points moving eastwards at night through all-sea hexes until entering all-sea hex 19A:0917, the first hex movement done in daylight.  It avoids Axis anti-shipping contact on the Naval Table dice roll done when entering the Cent Med sea zone from the Tobruch harbor hex.  But upon entering the optimal daylight Axis target hex at 19A:0917, the Axis player declines to attempt any Axis Naval Patrol Contact die roll using the Success Table, as there are too many Allied fighters in the zone, and so the supported Australian inf X embarked on the E Med NTP continues its voyage to Alexandria, where the ground unit disembarks.

Right after this the Allied player flies the Br Hurri 1 F type air unit based at Matruh on the CAP air mission over the all-sea hex at 19A:0717, N of Sidi Barriani, prepping up for one of the turn’s big naval transport operations.

#2.  Now the Allied player gets to the point and sea transports towards Tobruch a step of attack supply embarked on three turn reinforcement NTPs.  The cargo naval group follows the same sea route and day-night chronology done on the previous Jul II 41 Allied turn, beginning its move at the east edge of 19A in the Red Sea and eventually entering the Mediterranean Sea via the Suez Canal. But when the cargo naval group gets to the last daylight all-sea hex at 19A:0717, N of Sidi Barrani, before the final all night segment of the voyage into the Tobruch harbor, the Axis player again declines to attempt a Contact die roll by any of his assigned Naval Patrol air units, evidently again due to the two operative Allied air units at Tobruch, the Br Hurri 1 air unit flying the CAP air mission over the last daylight all-sea hex, and the operative SAAF P-40C F type at Matruh.  The voyage isn’t over yet, and when the 3 turn reinforcement NTPs carrying the step of attack supply reaches the Cent Med sea zone at map 18A, disaster strikes when the Allied player rolls on the Naval Table; this time its a 10: Contact!  Then he rolls a 4 on the Shipping Results Table, using the Supply/Resource Item column, which is E: Eliminated.  One wonders if the big supply convoy sank amid fire and smoke, in the night.  Were there many survivors, and were they captured by the Axis, who controls the shoreline to the south?

#3.  Next, the Allied player easily brings back to Alexandria the Aus 2-8 Inf X 19, from the port of Lattique, on the Syrian coastline, embarked on an E Med NTP.

#4.  After that, a large naval group voyages into the Mediterranean Sea from the Suez Canal, consisting entirely of turn reinforcement NTPs (3), carrying three important Aug I 41 Allied reinforcement ground units to the Matruh minor port harbor, the last 10 naval movement points being done at night.  The cargo would be the 3-8 Art X 10, the 8 Inf XX HQ 1 (SA), and the 1-10 Recon II 6 (SA).  Once again, the Axis player declines to attempt any Contact die roll for the assigned Naval Patrol air units, probably due to the long range distance and the several available Allied fighter units in the vicinity of the optimal target hex, not to mention the two at Tobruch, which could Patrol attack.

#5.  Another large turn reinforcement naval group at the Red Sea east edge of map 19A then makes its move, this time going directly to Alexandria and therefore out of harm’s way from any Naval Patrol air missions based in far-off eastern Libya.  This convoy has the second step of attack supply, the Br 2-8 Inf X 161, and the 5 pos flk AA unit.  The turn reinforcement cargo arrives safely at Alexandria and disembarks its reinforcement cargo there.

#6.  This time the Allied player sends his third and last available step of attack supply towards Tobruch, again embarked in three turn reinforcement NTPs.  When it arrives at the critical last daylight hex at 19:0717, the Axis player once again declines to attempt any Contact die roll for the assigned Naval Patrol air units.  And so the Allied naval group continues onwards towards Tobruk, at night.  This time when it enters the Cent Med sea zone at map 18A the Allied player successfully rolls a no contact on the Naval Table, using the 9 column, and the critical step of attack supply finally arrives safely at the Tobruch fortress hex.

#7.  By now perhaps feeling a little bold and not forgetting about the current lack of supply at Malta, the Allied player decides to embark the 4 fresh gsp’s at Suez on an E Med NTP and sails it westwards, first going NW up towards Crete, getting the naval group as far away as he can from the Axis air units assigned to the Naval Patrol air mission based at two east Libyan coastline airfields.  He arranges for the naval group to enter the Cent Med sea zone on map 18A at all-sea hex 5105, on its first naval movement step at night.  There, upon entering the Cent Med sea zone at all-sea map edge hex 18A:5105, he successfully rolls a no contact on the Naval Table.  After that he proceeds at night 10 naval movement steps through 10 all-sea hexes, entering daylight at all-sea hex 18A:4003, SW of the Greek isle of Andikythera, and there the Axis player finally makes his Naval Patrol air mission request for a Contact die roll on the Success Table, for the It SM 79-2  2B3  3-4/V/20 air unit based at 18A:4718, SW of Tobruch, 18 hexes away from the 18A:4003 target hex.  There’s a +3 modifier for calm seas and a -3 for the range; and the die roll is a 5: Contact!  When the It B type air unit on the Naval Patrol air mission leaves its base at 18A:4718, it is escorted for 8 hexes by the It MC 200 3F4  1/8 and the Ger LW Me 109F1  6F6  1-8 air units, both based at the same airfield.  The Allied player isn’t sure what to do, but wants to do something, and so he sends the SAAF Hurri 1  5F5  1/8 and the Br Hurri 1  5F5  1/8 air units, based at adjacent Tobruch, on the Patrol air mission, designating 18A;4718 as the target hex.  The pair of Allied Patrol fighters pair up with the pair of Axis Escort fighters and after lots of shooting, all four fighter units return to their bases, intact but inoperative.  Meanwhile, the It B type air unit on the Naval Patrol air mission continues to the target hex, which is well beyond the range of both the escort and the patrolling fighters.  At the target hex it successfully evades the E Med NTP’s 2 factor flack shot, in spite of the -1 modifier for being a code V, which this time is definitely carrying torpedoes on the Naval Patrol air mission.  The Axis player then rolls three dice for the SM 79-2 air unit’s 3 tac factors, looking for 5’s or 6’s, due to the +1 modifier for the code V, and manages to sink the E Med NTP carrying the 4 gsp’s bound for Malta.

Although the Allied player has remaining available E Med NTPs and there are still 4 fresh gsp’s at the Alexandria standard supply terminal hex, he is loath to risk this turn any more E Med NTPs in naval transport activities, seeing the two operative It Br 20M NB type air units assigned to the Naval Patrol at the Ain el Gazala airfield and knowing the potent effects of the recent Axis anti-shipping dice rolls in the Cent Med sea zone; and so he declares the Allied naval movement step finished.  Malta will be on its own in the upcoming Aug I 41 Axis turn, regardless of the consequences.

At the start of the WW 1941 ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario the Allies had an on-map East Med NTP maximum capability of 10 NTPs.  The Allies began this turn with an on-map East Med NTP capability of 7 NTPs.  After this turn’s NTP rebuilds done at step 14 of the I. Phase, per WW Rule 35D, the Allies had an on-map East Med NTP capability of 9 NTPs.  After this turn’s naval movement step, and the loss of 1 East Med NTP, the Allies have an on-map East Med NTP capability of 8 NTPs.

Early in the M. Phase the Allied player rebases at Matruh the Hurri 1 F type air unit flying the CAP air mission over the all-sea hex 19A:0717, N of Sidi Barrani, on the Egyptian coastline.

Allied rail movement in the Middle East rail net on their Aug I 41 turn:

• 2-1-10* Lt Arm X 9 [began rail movement on a secondary rail line in Lebanon, for a total of 4 REs of railcap]
• 2-1-6 Tnk II 4 RT [began rail movement on a secondary rail line in Lebanon, for a total of 2 REs of railcap]
• 2-8 Inf X 17 (Aus) [began rail movement on a secondary rail line in Lebanon, for a total of 2 REs of railcap]
• 2-8* inf X 7 (Ind) [began rail movement on a secondary rail line in Lebanon, for a total of 2 REs of railcap]
• 1-8 Art II 1 (Aus) [began rail movement on a secondary rail line in Lebanon, for a total or 1 RE of railcap]
• 5 pos flk unit  AA=1  [British; began rail movement at Alexandria; .5 RE of railcap]
• 2-8 Inf X 161 [turn reinf; began rail movement at Alexandria; 1 RE of railcap]
• 2-8 Inf X 19 (Aus) [began rail movement at Alexandria; 1 RE of railcap]
• 2-8* Inf X 24 (Aus) [began rail movement at Alexandria; 1 RE of railcap]
• 4 gsp’s [began rail movement at Alexandria; 1 RE of railcap]

The Allies’ per turn Middle East railnet railcap is 16.

In the E. Phase the Allied player again sends the two Well 1C  3NB4  1-6/28 air units based at 19A:1418, in Egypt, on a night strat bombing air mission of the Derna port’s cargo capacity, in eastern Libya.  But this time the two night bombers miss their port target when rolling on the Bombing Table and return to their base.  After that the Allied player sends a big air op to the Porto Bardiya hex, in far eastern Libya, to bomb its nearly totally ruined minor port capacity. He flies to the Porto Bardiya target hex the Blen 4  3B3  1-2/23 from the 3-cap permanent airfield at 19A:1418, along with the other Blen 4 B type air unit and the two A-22  3A3  2-1/19 air units, all based at the 3-cap temporary airfield at El Alamein.  The two Br Blen 4 B types fly a strat port bombing air mission and the two A-22 A type air units (one Br and one SAAF) fly a tac port bombing air mission.  The four Allied port bombing air units manage three hits on the harbor, but all the blasting amounts to only one additional port damage hit marker, which jacks up the port’s damage to a maximum of 5 port damage hits, per the WW Port Summary Chart.  At the start of the turn Porto Bardiya had 4 port damage hits.

Late in the E. Phase the non-phasing Axis player does a variety of air transfer air missions on the maps.  See the text above or the maps below for details.

At the end of the E. Phase the non-phasing Axis player rebases the Ger LW Me 109E F type air unit flying the CAP air mission over the Valletta hex (18A:0407), at Malta, at the 3-cap permanent airfield at coast hex 18A:0603, at Sicily.

At the beginning of their turn the Allies had the following inventory of accumulated replacement points (RPs) in the ME Command: 7.5 Br inf, .5 Br arm, 1.5 Aus inf, 1.5 NZ inf, 1 Ind inf, and 3 Allied ARPs. All these items are stored at the Alexandria hex. Another available Allied ARP was stored at the Valletta hex, at Malta; this ARP was expended at step 14 of the I. Phase to rebuild the Hurri 2 F type air unit in the Aborted Air Units Box of the Malta Command Replacement Pool.

At the end of their turn the Allies have the following revised inventory of accumulated RPs in the ME Commad, after the arrival and inclusion of this turn’s ME Production reinforcements: 9.5 Br inf, 1.5 Br arm, 2.5 Aus inf, 2 NZ inf, 2 Inf inf, and 3 Allied ARPs.  All items are stored at the Alexandria hex.  At the end of their turn there are no Allied ARPs stored at Valletta, at Malta.  Except for replacing the Br Hurri 2 F type air unit at Malta, there were no replacement builds done this turn in the Allied I. Phase.

Commentary

This turn the Allied EOT dispositions in the Egyptian Western Desert zone caused the Allied player a considerable amount of distress.  An initial scheme was eventually scrapped, text, pictures & all, as finally believed not to be right.  In the original plan the Allied stack at 19A:1119 at the end of the turn in this EA game report, containing the 0-1-4 Cons X 43 RPC (Col), was instead at 1219, prepped to maybe build a fort there next turn.  The step of attack supply at Alexandria had been brought up to Matruh in the E. Phase, using the available SMPs.  The Allied desert shield mobile force was at the adjacent Siwi road hex 19A:1120, in the original plan all stacked with the 7-10* Arm XX 7.  The pesky 0-8 Marine Cmdo II ME unit was at adjacent hex 19A:1119, just to the north.  The two A-22 A type air units would have provided the needed Harassment air missions at coast road hex 19A:1018, in the upcoming Aug I 41 Axis I. Phase.  The  point in describing the worry is that at least for me, the “correct” Allied Western Desert strategy in the second half of 1941 has been hard to analyze.  Possibly this generic game “strategy” assumes that in this time frame genuinely aggressive Allied maneuver against the Afrika Korps is the preferred strategy; and in the context of the current WW 1941 ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario I believe it is.

If you want to play WW 1941 ME/ER-II/Crete Scenario deeper into 1942, say utilizing the WW ME Scenario’s provision for a possible final Jan II 43 game turn, then don’t forget to implement the WitD Allied OB booklet’s provisions (at p. 6) for the Free French (FF) Conditional Reinforcement “Forces in the Levant” ground unit additions after the surrender of the Vichy French Levant.  For those who wonder about such things, it was probably the Conquest Turn 21/[the historical May I 41 turn] Release from the Levant Garrison of the 2-8* Inf X 2 FL (FF) stipulation found in the WitD Allied OB booklet that enabled this unit to subsequently be moved to its stipulated place at its old WD map hex 19A:0225 at-start location (two hexes inside the Libyan border SW of Bardia, on a completed Matruh-Tobruch railway hex, which also contains the North Africa coast road) in F. Watson’s classic “Desert Cauldron: The Gazala Battles, May-June, 1942” Europa battle scenario, published in TEM#36, way back in 1994.  And so the wartime events in July of 1941 directly interact with wartime events in June of 1942.

The Allied player is also in a dither about his inability to accumulate steps of attack supply in the Western Desert.  In this game they all keep being gobbled up, either by the demands of supplying besieged and isolated Tobruch or for the hard-hitting ground attacks demanded by the Allied invasion of the Vichy French Levant.  Is he playing the Europa desert wargame wrong, or what?  Maybe he is just impatient for things to fall into place for him such that he can see the the correct gaming method, which in some ER-II based Europa desert Scenario games, at least, might mirror the historical Allied strategy.  But he is also worried about the Axis player still being able to spoil things for him, either by a stunning Axis punch at Tobruch or at a jaw-jutting Egyptian desert shield stance.  As a guide he digs out Peter Roger’s quite interesting “Operation Crusader: Auchinleck’s Offensive-November, 1941” Europa battle scenario, which is “updated for WitD” and published in TEM#55, in 1997.  Here, at least, one can study a Europa player’s historical set-up analysis for the historically critical Nov II 41 game turn in a classic Europa WitD format.  Well, P. Rogers has an Allied fort and airfield at Sidi Barrani (19A:0718) and another Allied airfield at nearby Egyptian hex 19A:0819, two hexes to the SE of Sidi Barrani.  Rogers also has 2 steps of attack supply at Tobruch and 6 steps of attack supply in Egypt.  In Rogers’ revised “Crusader” Europa battle scenario the Allied front line on the presumably historically-based at-start Nov II 41 turn would appear to be roughly at Sidi Barrani-19A:0819-and then apparently doglegs SE back towards the Siwi road, which is entirely in Allied control.  And somehow the mighty British 6-4-6 Arm X 32 T Conversion unit is at Tobruch.  Wow, in this game I’ve got a lot to do and not much time to try and fill the army boots of the British 8th Army’s renown General Auchinleck!  Let’s see if I can even get that far, in game turns played, without making a cardboard mistake too big to fix.