Rommel's Obsession

Rommel's Obsession is a block game that covers the 1941 battle for Tobruk and the British counterattack known as "Operation Crusader". The Axis had besieged Tobruk and were holding the Halfaya Pass into Egypt. The Allies launched a wide sweeping offensive through the open desert with the goal of relieving Tobruk. This is a battle with no clearly defined front line. Historically, British and Axis formations criss-crossed each other in bewildering patterns.

Blocks in this game are mostly regiments and brigades and each turn represents two days time. Great effort has been made to duplicate the feel and decisions the commanders faced in the battle. Smart aggressiveness is rewarded. The Germans have the superior units, but the Commonwealth can more readily replace losses. Victory is determined not only by possession of territory, but by those casualties.

Why call it Rommel’s Obsession? Tobruk became the focal point of Rommel’s attention, both during the time span of this game and the following year. As historian W.G.F. Jackson describes Rommel’s mindset before this battle,

“Contemporary evidence suggests that Rommel became more and more obsessed with the problems of attacking Tobruk and refused to accept the possibility of the British forestalling him.”

Before the battle began, Italian proclamations that the British were about to attack were dismissed as “excessive Latin nervousness.” Indeed, even after the battle began, Rommel refused to believe that it was anything more than a reconnaissance in force. He only changed his mind when he heard an announcement of the offensive on a British radio broadcast out of Cairo! It was this mindset that led to some of the unique circumstances of this battle.