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The Desert Rats ...2 War in the Desert . Written by: James Brown Miniatures Design: Evan Allen, Tim Adcock, Matt Bickley, Will Jaynes Editors: Peter Simunovich, John-Paul Brisigotti Internal Art: Vincent Wai, Warren Mahy Graphic Design: Casey Davies, Sean Goodison, Victor Pesch Miniatures Painting: Aaron Te Hira-Mathie Assistant Writers: Phil Yates, Andrew Haught, Chris Townley, Playtest Groups: Dad’s Army (Gavin Van Rossum), Nigel Slater, Luke Melia Houston (Mike Callahan), La Brigada de Madrid (Jorge Sancho), Proof Readers: Mark Goddard, Sean Ireland, Mitch Kemmis, Northern Battle Gamers (Nigel Slater). Paul Kitchin, Michael McSwiney, Huw Peregrine-Young, Stephen Smith, Gregg Siter. The Desert Rats . 2. The Rifle Brigade . 28 British Special Rules...........................3 Motor Company . 29 War in the Desert . .5 Motor Company HQ.........................30 The Battle of Gazala ...........................6 Motor Platoon ..............................30 First Battle of El Alamein .......................8 6 pdr Anti-tank Platoon .......................31 Second Battle of El Alamein....................11 Universal Carrier Patrol .......................31 Know Your Tanks . 12 3-inch Mortar Section ........................32 Vickers MMG Platoon........................32 Monty’s Desert Rats . 14 Support Units . 33 Desert Rats Force . 15 25 pdr Field Troop ...........................33 Royal Scots Greys . 16 Honey OP Observation Post ...................33 Grant Armoured Squadron . 17 17/25 pdr Anti-tank Troop.....................34 Grant Armoured Squadron HQ .................18 Bofors Light AA Troop........................34 Grant Armoured Troop .......................19 Humber Armoured Car Troop ..................35 Hurricane Tank-Busting Flight..................35 County of London Yeomanry . 20 Painting Desert Rats . 36 Crusader Armoured Squadron . 21 Painting Tanks . 36 Crusader Armoured Squadron HQ ..............22 Tank Camouflage............................37 Crusader II Armoured Troop ...................23 Desert Rats Tank Markings ....................38 Crusader II & III Armoured Troop...............23 Infantry Colours ............................38 8th Hussars . 24 Aircraft....................................40 Honey Armoured Squadron . 25 Basing Guide ...............................40 Honey Armoured Squadron HQ ................26 Honey Armoured Troop.......................27 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. © Copyright Battlefront Miniatures Ltd., 2017. ISBN: XXXXXXXXXX 1 Our mandate from the Prime Minister is to destroy the Axis forces in North Africa. It can be done, and it will be done, beyond any possibility of doubt. —Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery The North African desert is a harsh and forbidding place. Arid rocky wastes are interspersed with patches of soft sand, where the only vegetation is scattered clumps of desert thorn bushes. Roads are few and poor. In the vast swathes of arid, trackless waste, navigation is often no easier than on a ship at sea, far out of the sight of land. All supplies must be carried to the front by long, straggling supply columns, which are constantly hounded by air attacks. Fuel is always too scarce, and even water is a precious resource. It is a brutal environment where only the toughest and most resourceful can survive, let alone fight. The eyes of the world are on the complex and bloody The infantry of the motor companies support the armoured campaign unfolding in the Western Desert of Egypt and forces commendably. Their distinctive khaki drill uniform Libya. If the Axis can succeed in pushing the British out of short sleeves and baggy shorts symbolises the tough of Egypt, there will be nothing keeping them from the rich practicality of these hardened desert veterans. On the attack, oil fields of the Middle East, and the strategically vital Suez their job is to beat a path through the enemy minefields and Canal will open the back door to the Far East. The brave but anti-tank defences for the tanks to exploit. In defence, they battered soldiers of the Eighth Army hold the last line of will steadfastly cling to their patch of desert, digging in and defence against fascist conquest. fighting off the enemy with pluck and determination. They The soldiers of the Desert Rats have their own unique flair. call on mortars and Vickers machine-guns to halt the enemy The armoured officers gained a reputation for being eccentric infantry, and their 6-pounder anti-tank guns knock out all in the way that only British gentleman of the Empire-building but the heaviest enemy tanks. class can be. Even their manner of dress is flamboyant and For artillery cover, the Desert Rats have the excellent Royal stylish, showing little regard for uniform standards. They Horse Artillery. Their 25-pounder batteries provide excellent favour baggy trousers, and brightly coloured silk scarves. fire support, knocking out the German 88mm anti-tank They pioneered a style of practical rubber-soled suede desert guns at long range before they can do their deadly work. boots, made for them by cobblers in Cairo, which have still When things get truly desperate, they are sometimes called not gone out of fashion to this day. on to bolster the anti-tank guns, knocking out German The tactics of the tank regiments embody the chivalrous panzers with direct fire. Finally, the dauntless aviators of the traditions of the original cavalry regiments, as they charge Desert Air Force attack the Afrika Korps anywhere, at any headlong into battle like country gentleman riding to a hunt. time, making sure they can never feel safe. The fast, lightly-armoured Crusader and Honey tanks can Are you ready to get stuck in to the enemy with courage, run circles around their slower opposition. The American- dash and a bit of old-fashioned British stiff upper lip? If you built Grant heavy tanks, on the other hand, can sit back and want a highly mobile army, featuring a generous supply of blow the enemy away with their big 75mm guns. Either on fast tanks backed by excellent infantry and artillery support, their own or in support of the light squadrons, the Grants then grab your riding crop and a hot cup of tea—the Desert are a fearsome sight for the German panzers. Rats are the army for you. 2 The following special rules are characteristic of Desert Rats forces, reflecting their own style of equipment, tactics, and approach to battle. DESERT RATS TALLY HO The Desert Rats are battered after years of hard fighting, Armed with guns that struggle to penetrate the enemy armour, but there is still a lot of fight left in them. and protected by only light armour themselves, the Crusader and Honey tanks of the British light squadrons are a poor BULLDOG match for the German panzers in a toe-to-toe slugging match. British infantry are extremely tenacious. They don't like to quit Their doctrine revolves around charging straight in close, where a fight once their blood is up, and once they have fought to short-range fire can threaten the enemy's weaker side armour. capture ground, they won't willingly give it up. This direct style is effective, but does not allow for much tacti- Troops with Bulldog have a better Counterattack rating. cal subtlety. Tanks with Tally Ho have a faster Tactical Speed at the cost DEADLY of a worse Tactics rating. Long-range fire can be very deadly, and is excellent at suppressing infantry forces, but often the decisive action is an old-fashioned ARTILLERY bayonet charge. British infantry don't shy away from a hand- The Royal Horse Artillery is a highly skilled professional to-hand fight. Their training includes ample bayonet drill, and force. they always have a plentiful supply of Mills Bomb fragmentation hand grenades. MIKE TARGET Deadly troops have a better Assault rating. The Royal Artillery have learned the value of concentrating their artillery fire. Different orders indicate the size of the bombard- TANKS ment. A ‘Mike target’ order calls for the fire of a full regiment of artillery, with 24 guns. FIGHT ANOTHER DAY When a Spotting Team successfully Ranges In an Artillery The Eighth Army has been pushed back and forth across the Unit with Mike Target, they may immediately roll to Range deserts of North Africa more times than they care to count. They In another Artillery Unit. If successful, the second Artillery still have the stomach for a hard fight, but if the casualties get Unit is treated as Ranging In on the same attempt as the first. too high, they will withdraw until they can restart the fight from a more favourable position. Troops that Fight Another Day have a worse Last Stand rating. PHOTO 3 SOVIET UNION NORWAY ESTONIA SWEDEN LATVIA Moscow LITHUANIA North Sea DENMARK Minsk Kursk GREAT POLAND Kharkov BRITAIN NETHERLANDS Berlin Warsaw Kiev London GERMANY Dunkirk BELGIUM Paris SLOVAKIA CRIMEA FRANCE HUNGARY Sevastopol SWITZERLAND ROMANIA Black Sea YUGOSLAVIA VICHY FRANCE BULGARIA ITALY CORSICA SPAIN Rome ALBANIA TURKEY SARDINIA GREECE SICILY Algiers Tunis CRETE Oran TUNISIA Mediterranean Sea ALGERIA Kasserine Pass MOROCCO Alexandria Tripoli Gazala Mersa Tobruk Matruh 0 500 Benghazi El Alamein Km 500 Beda Fomm M LIBYA EGYPT El Agheila Western Front Eastern Front North African Theatre Pacific Theatre 1939 1940 1 September
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