I finally got to play a scenario from Desert Rats. With two maps, I had to move the game into the kitchen area for space, as two maps takes a lot more room then my normal desk will allow. I try out #10 Bir el Gubi and had the same results as the British did historically. It was nice to have all those Crusader Tanks but their gun is pretty weak even for the Italian armor. Now throw in the fact that they have to attack fixed/entrenchments with Italian BER Infantry that doesn’t surrender and AT guns not to mention the Big 102mm Naval guns and M13/40 tanks as well. The British have a small off board artillery allotment of a 1 X 10 that you can barely suppress, with few rolls, if you are lucky, those big 102mm portee guns. Most of my Crusaders are now burning and the Italian lost zero entrenchment’s as I put a ring around them of dug-in units. The Italians clearly won this one with just a few dug-ins lost, a few Infantry and truck steps lost and a few M13/40 steps lost as well. I lost count of the Crusader steps burning. The British had to take all four Italian entrenchments and eliminate 10 Italian steps. The second one is doable but both together, looks very hard. All the Italians have to do is avoid the British victory conditions and destroy British armor. Maybe I should have went after the Naval 102mm guns first, instead of avoiding them. But that opportunity fire would have made me pay just the same. My play was a clear Italian Victory!

102mm in scenario #10: In #10 Bir el Gubi, the British only have armor in this scenario with a weak off board artillery of 1 X 10. But next time I play I'll use the charge tactic but the Italians can always block it, with those M13/40's or at least hold it up, so those 102mm will still take a toll. Hopefully there will be enough left of my Crusader tanks to attack those fixed positions! It is a challenge. Note; save the two CS Crusader units for the entrenchments.

I also put a ring of dug-in Infantry around my AT-Gun entrenchment’s, which makes a pretty good defense in not losing the entrenchments.

I will have to re-visit Bir el Gubi from Desert rats someday! It was great moving all those Crusader tanks around, I think about 19 platoons in all. I lost with the British last time but I have a new strategy for next time. I highly recommend that scenario as well. There are quite a few scenarios I want to play in DR, as I now feel it is one of the top three games in this system for good scenarios. The only problem is that about half require two large maps to play! Space seems to be my problem right now.