Desert Victory: North Africa, 1940-1942

On 9 September 1940, the Italian 10th Army marched across the Egyptian frontier with visions of Roman glory quickening their step. Six months later, General Erwin Rommel would push German troops to restore all that the Italians lost, and then capture those parts of Egypt that were part of the original Axis plan. The British and their Commonwealth allies recovered and twice forced Rommel back to his starting point. The armies of both sides maneuvered and intertwined in ferocious battles at soon to become famous locations, including Tobruk, Gazala, Halfaya Pass, Buq Buq, El Alamein and others. The pace of mechanized warfare would sweep the Western Desert no less than 5 times in what would be defined as the most elastic theater of operations in WWII, where supply drove the tempo, and the open flank beckoned one more offensive!

Desert Victory: North Africa, 1940-1942 is a low-complexity, high-detailed wargame set in eastern Libya and western Egypt during the formative years of WWII. Following on the heels of Battle for Kursk: The Tigers are Burning, 1943 found in C3iNr34, it is the second volume of the C3i Combined Arms Series and uses many of the same mechanics. In DV players manage their supplies and maneuver their forces to achieve victory in a game where both sides rapidly switch between offense and defense. Not familiar with the Western Desert campaign? No problem, as the Turn Record Track shows exactly what happened historically, allowing players to learn history and compare their game progress to actual results. Of paramount importance is the capture of coastal towns that allow a side to move their Supply Head forward to enable more efficient movement and combat. Furthermore, displacing an opponent’s Supply Head may frustrate their plans and capture much needed fuel. Supply, reinforcements, and replacements are all set at historical levels, and it’s up to the players to assess the correlation of forces and decide the opportune moment to press forward in search of the elusive automatic win; can you formulate a plan to achieve Desert Victory before your offensive power expires?

Game Scale: Units: Brigade, Division or Corps Map: 1 Hex = 25 miles Turns: Quarterly Turns (three months per turn) Playing Time: 2 to 3 hours