| Tactics
in Panzer Grenadier: Desert Rats
By Doug McNair
January 2006
From stifling jungles on the tiny island
of Tulagi, we go straight to open skies and
the endless sands of North Africa. Desert
Rats offers Panzer Grenadier players
a completely different set of challenges from
Guadalcanal (the subject of my
last Panzer Grenadier article).
With huge 22 x 34 inch maps, players have
plenty of room to execute sweeping maneuvers
around and through enemy formations. Also,
the flat, open terrain gives long-range weaponry
a real chance to show its strength. Finally,
the ability to activate large numbers of units
at once plays a major role in getting the
jump on the enemy, so players must keep their
formations well-organized with leaders communicating
in chain-of-command.
Just to be different, I started at the end
of the scenario book in picking a game situation
to demonstrate the characteristics of Desert
Rats. The first (that is to say last)
scenario fits the bill perfectly. Scenario
#50, “Operation Aberdeen,” is
a huge night assault by four columns of British,
Indian and Gurkha infantry on a long ridge
defended by strong Italian forces. The British
objective is to open a corridor 6 hexes wide
through the Italian lines, to establish a
supply line to British brigades beyond.
| 
Ayo Gorkhali!
|
The main factors driving game play in “Operation
Aberdeen” are:
Italian Artillery
The Italians have two batteries of 90mm anti-aircraft
guns, and two more of German “Long 88”
anti-aircraft guns. These can do much more
than AA work: They are highly effective for
long-range bombardment fire, and their long-range
anti-tank values are downright horrific. Their
presence, along with substantial tank support,
makes it suicide for the Allied player to
get his tanks anywhere near them. A daylight
infantry attack is also dubious, since (from
their ridge-top vantage point) the guns can
spot infantry from 20 hexes out and bombard
them all the way in. The only solution for
the Allied player is to let his infantry sneak
up in the dark, to the edge of the twp-hex
nighttime visibility limit, and then attack
the Axis line at vulnerable points. The goal
is to take out as much Italian artillery as
possible before the sun rises. Expected British
tank reinforcements (arriving Turn 20 or later)
will then hopefully be able to exploit any
breaches the infantry can create.
Chain of Command and Fog of War Coordinating
the movements of four huge infantry columns
in the dark, in blackout conditions, through
miles of trackless desert, reaching the Italian
lines all at once for a simultaneous attack
. . . is difficult. And once they
get there, a night assault under heavy artillery
bombardment is not ideal for communication
between columns.
So, it’s appropriate to use the optional
Fog of War rule in Operation Aberdeen. With
this rule, once both players have conducted
three activations, then after every subsequent
activation the just-done player rolls three
dice. On a roll of 16 or better, the turn
ends, and units on both sides that haven’t
yet activated this turn are out of luck till
next turn. This means that the British player
has to keep his four columns tightly organized
so that the Colonel commanding each one can
activate all his leaders and units in chain-of-command,
and the entire column can move and fight in
one activation. The longer the British can
keep their columns well-organized, the better
chance they have of being able to activate
all their units each turn.
But as formations take fire and units become
disrupted or demoralized, chain of command
breaks down, and the British player will be
able to activate fewer and fewer units per
activation. This increases the chances that
a Fog of War roll will leave some units unactivated
for the turn. The British player must keep
a column in reserve, so that when his forward
units open a breach in the Italian line the
column can activate as one and stream into
the gap. The reserve column can then take
over the fight from the fragmented front-line
columns, using the early activations in the
turn to avoid being stymied by Fog of War
rolls. Fragmented columns can use later activations
to regroup, Fog of War rolls merely slowing
their ability to rejoin the fight. British
Empire Infantry Superiority vs. Italian Defender’s
Advantage
The British, Indian and Gurkha infantry outnumber
the Italian infantry 4 to 1. In addition,
the Gurkhas are outstanding night fighters,
getting a +2 column shift in Assault combat
during night turns. This means that the British
Empire player must rush the Italian line as
quickly as possible and send in the Gurkhas,
hoping they can blow a hole in the line that
other troops can exploit before the sun comes
up. This will be difficult, because the
Italian units are all dug in on a ridge, meaning
the Allied troops get negative column shifts
when firing at them, and the Italians get
to fire first when Assaulted. The Italians
also have many tank and heavy machine gun
units in their line, so opportunity fire against
the advancing Gurkhas will be murderous (to
say nothing of bombardment from Italian artillery).
The British, on the other hand, are outnumbered
two to one in tanks at game start, and their
Valentine tanks have an anti-tank strength
that’s inferior to much Italian armor.
The British 2-Pounder anti-tank guns are no
better. So, unless the British want to wait
for their tank reinforcements to show up (on
a random turn after Turn 20), they have to
hope that their infantry can get through Italian
opportunity fire, swarm the Italian tanks
and eliminate them in assault combat.
Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs)
The British ACW armored personnel carrier
has a movement allowance of 12. This allows
it to transport HMGs and support weapons well
ahead of advancing infantry, so they can unload
and soften-up the Italian line before the
infantry gets there. Then, the ACWs can hang
back and wait for the infantry to open a breach,
then charge through and penetrate into the
Italian rear, taking-out their rear-echelon
artillery and/or providing flanking fire for
assaulting infantry.
On the other hand, the British Bren carrier
only has a movement allowance of 7, but it’s
much more heavily armed. It has a direct fire
strength of 6, which is more than a Valentine
tank. So since three APCs can stack in a hex
in addition to any infantry and tanks, Brens
can provide substantial fire support.
Also, Brens (like all APCs) are not tanks,
so they don’t need tank leaders to activate
them. This means that it’s relatively
easy for Brens to enter an assault hex along
with infantry. And since each Bren has enough
firepower to give the assaulting infantry
an extra one or two columns on the assault
table, this is very desirable.
In addition, Brens’ armor makes them
immune to direct and bombardment fire, so
they can get themselves and any infantry they’re
carrying through opportunity fire and to the
assault hex with ease.
And finally, because Brens are thinly armored,
Italian tanks in a target-rich environment
are likely to target them (an easy kill that
reduces British firepower by six is better
than an iffy morale check on infantry). So,
from the infantry’s perspective, empty
Brens make excellent cannon fodder.
| 
Not a good result. Italian engineers
capture a pair of Valentines, 1942.
|
Game Summary
Here’s how “Operation Aberdeen”
went when we ran it: Setup
The Italians have to cover the entire central
ridge (running the whole length of the board),
so they set up units in every other hex, dug
in. They put their two 90mm anti-aircraft
units on the forward slope (to keep British
armor at a distance), and their two Long 88’s
on the far slope so they’re protected
from British fire while still providing bombardment
support.
The British advance in four columns, which
are (north to south):
- 2nd Highland Light Infantry and 4th Royal
Tank Regiment (elements)
- 2/4th Gurkha Rifles and 50th Reconnaissance
Battalion
- 2nd Battalion West Yorkshire and 4th
Royal Tank Regiment (elements)
- 4/10th Baluch Regiment (Indian) and 4th
Royal Tank Regiment (elements)
The British battle plan is to assault the
Italian line at two places: the far southern
flank and the exposed point in the north-central
part of the line where the ridge curves back
to the west. This latter is also the place
where one of the Italian 90mm guns is positioned
(along with an HMG). The Gurkhas and Indians
will assault the line while the Highland and
Yorkshire troops back, provide fire support,
and exploit any breaches (it’s amazing
how the colonial troops just happen to enter
the board in the best position to do all the
dirty work . . . ).
0230 Hours
The British Empire troops enter the east
edge of the board and use Strategic Movement
to move west at maximum speed.
0245
The fast ACW APCs carrying the Gurkha HMGs
and support weapons arrive 3 hexes east of
the Italian line (just outside visual range).
Most other British units move westward, but
some of the British tanks get separated from
their columns in the dark (a Fog of War roll
ends the turn).
0300
The Gurkha infantry advances westward while
their HMGs, AT guns and mortars unload. The
ACWs that carried them there plus a Havildar
leader move east to a reserve position, ready
to move back in fast. All other British columns
continue west, but the tanks get thoroughly
lost (Fog of War roll again . . . ).
0315
The British get initiative by 3, meaning
they get two activations before the Italians.
The Gurkha HMGs move one hex west, into visual
range of the Italian line, dragging a 2-Pounder
anti-tank gun with them. Italian tanks near
the 90mm gun open up with opportunity fire,
inflict a step loss on the Gurkhas, and eliminate
their 2-Pounder. But their Subhedar (Gurkha
leader) makes his morale check, and the HMG
that took a step loss is only disrupted.
Then the Indian column on the south flank
advances into visual range of the line, with
HMG units once again dragging a 2-Pounder
up with them for support. Italian offboard
artillery then opens up, demoralizing one
of the Indian HMGs. Then the Highland Light
Infantry column at the far north moves their
HMGs and 2-Pounder to a position where they
can move up next turn and flank the Italian
90mm gun on the northern promontory.
The turn then ends on a Fog of War roll,
with the 2nd West Yorkshire Battalion having
fallen behind the Indians, and all British
tanks still trying to find each other in the
dark. . . .
0330
The British get the initiative by 1. The
entire Gurkha column advances into visual
range, concentrating their forces on the point
guarded by the Italian 90mm and HMG. They
mass at a two-hex range, and the Italian HMG
holds its fire so it can obliterate anything
that charges it. The Gurkha HMGs then open
fire, with their Subedar (who has a +1 combat
bonus) combining the fire of units in two
hexes. The Italian units hold, with the 90mm
just barely making its morale check (with
help from the sergente there). Italian offboard
artillery then demoralizes one Gurkha unit.
The Highland Light Infantry north of the
Gurkhas advances, with their HMGs dragging
a 2-Pounder up to flank the Italian 90mm and
HMG as planned. An Italian armored car hits
them with opportunity fire, inflicting a step
loss on the Highlanders and wiping out their
2-Pounder as well (the AT gunners are having
a really bad night . . . ).
The Highland HMGs make their morale checks,
but their leader is demoralized. The rest
of the Highland column moves into visual range
and takes little damage from Italian opportunity
fire, but Italian bombardment from 90mm guns,
Long 88’s and 75mm guns disrupts many
of them.
Then the Indians on the south flank activate,
with their HMGs recovering morale and the
rest advancing. There are three Italian tank
units guarding the extreme south flank, and
the Valentine tanks who were supposed to support
the Indians are somewhere back in the darkness
(probably claiming they don’t speak
Hindi . . . ). So, the
Indian infantry decides to concentrate on
a point farther north, which also happens
to house a 90mm gun. The advancing Indian
units take one step loss from an Italian HMG,
and others are disrupted.
The turn then ends on another Fog of War
roll — Yorkshiremen and tankers still
trying to figure out where they’re supposed
to go. . . .
|
Namaste, Itali.
|
0345
The British Empire troops have now taken
fivestep losses, while the Italians have taken
none. So British initiative is reduced by
one, and both sides have an initiative of
3. The British also have three demoralized
and 11 disrupted units (14 total, an amount
almost equal to an entire British column),
mostly among the Highland Light Infantry at
the north flank and the Indians at the south.
The Gurkhas have held their morale well,
and they have fire support now from the Highland
Light Infantry column. On the other hand,
it’s hard to say when the Yorkshiremen
will figure out which way is west, so the
British player decides to concentrate his
efforts on the northern half of the Italian
line.
The Italians get the initiative by 1, but
their offboard artillery attack on the Gurkhas
has no effect. The Gurkha HMGs and some infantry
then open fire and disrupt the Italian HMG
and 90mm gun guarding the promontory, and
demoralize the Sergente leading them! More
Gurkhas and some Highlanders then rush the
disrupted Italian position, and one Highland
unit takes a step loss from opportunity fire.
The rest of the Highlanders then open up on
the northern Italian flank, but their fire
is ineffective. One demoralized Highland unit
flees.
Then, a Highland lieutenant with three Bren
carriers at the south flank of the light infantry
column links up with two Gurkhas. He takes
all five units right up to the point in the
line held by the Italian AB41 armored car.
An Italian tank redeploys northward to a hex
just west of the disrupted 90mm/HMG position,
where it can flank the Gurkhas and Brens from
the south. More Gurkhas then rush the Italian
90mm/HMG position on its northern flank, and
another Italian tank opens up with opportunity
fire and does one step loss to them, demoralizing
a unit as well.
The sergente and his 90mm and HMG charges
all try to recover morale, but the sight of
those wicked Gurkha knives is too much for
him. He fails his recovery roll, says “Eh
. . . Ciao!” and flees
westward. The other units also fail and stay
disrupted.
Then, the Gurkha havildar who stayed with
the fast ACWs activates, and takes two of
them northwest to a hex just north of the
attacking Gurkhas and Brens. From this point
he can assault the Bersaglieri infantry and
anti-tank unit guarding the next hex northward
in the Italian line. By assaulting those two
hexes simultaneously, the Gurkha, Brens and
ACWs can pin down the defenders there and
open a hole in the line that the Highlanders
can exploit.
The center of the Italian line is not being
threatened (what with the lost Yorkshiremen),
so the Maggiore there sends two Bersaglieri
infantry units north to oppose the Gurkhas,
while running westward to catch the fleeing
Sergente before he takes ship back to Genoa.
But then, the Yorkshiremen suddenly get their
bearings, and move westward and up to a line
three hexes away from the Italian center.
The Italian leaders opposing them decide not
to redeploy anyone else north, and the turn
ends on a Fog of War roll. The Indians on
the south flank were not able to assault,
the British tanks are still asking for directions,
and most Italian artillery didn’t get
to fire.
0400
The Empire troops have taken seven step
losses, so both sides still have an initiative
of 3. The players both roll unmodified 5's
for initiative, so they roll again on the
Event Table. The result is that one British
Empire unit misunderstands its orders, so
the Italian player chooses one of the two
Gurkhas with the three Brens that are about
to assault the Italian armored car. He has
it move eastward three hexes, out of range
of any leaders.
The players roll for initiative again, and
the Italian wins. The tank that moved to flank
the Gurkhas and Brens blasts a Bren, eliminating
it. Then the Highland lieutenant activates
and takes his remaining Gurkha and two Brens
in to assault the armored car, demoralizing
it. Then the Havildar just north of him takes
his ACWs in to assault the Bersaglieri infantry
and its anti-tank gun. That assault bogs down,
with one ACW disrupted and no effect on the
Italians.
The Maggiore then activates and grabs the
sergente, rallying him so he’s only
disrupted. He also orders a Bersaglieri infantry
into the hex with the disrupted HMG and 90mm
gun. It’s just in time, because three
Gurkhas and a captain immediately pile in
and assault them. The Italians fire first
and demoralize one Gurkha, but the remaining
two Gurkhas destroy the 90mm gun, do one step
loss to the Bersaglieri (disrupting it), and
demoralize the HMG.
The Bersaglieri and AT gun who were assaulted
by the Havildar and his ACWs decide to eject
them so they’re no longer pinned down
and can use opportunity fire against advancing
troops. They are not successful — the
AT gun is destroyed and the Bersaglieri takes
a step loss and is disrupted. This is bad
for Italy. . . .
A Highland lieutenant, two Highland infantry
and two ACWs go through the one-hex gap between
the ACW and Gurkha/Bren assault hexes. The
charging ACWs take the lead and end up two
hexes away from the Italian mortar position.
The rest of the Highland light infantry column
tries to recover its disrupted units but fails.
Italian tanks move to block the gaps the
Gurkhas and Highlanders are creating. British
tanks backing the Highland column finally
get their bearings and move westward. Then
the turn ends on a Fog of War roll.
0415
The Italians have now taken three step losses,
while the British Empire has taken eight.
Italian initiative is still 3 while British
is down to 2. The Italian player wins initiative
by 4, meaning he gets two activations before
the British. An Italian tank destroys one
of the ACWs leading the charge through the
assault gap to the north. A second Italian
tank fires and demoralizes a Gurkha unit.
Two Highland HMGs then pile into the hex
with the Gurkha and two Brens assaulting the
Italian armored car. They eliminate the armored
car, and there is now a bona fide breach in
the line. Italian tanks move to plug it.
The Gurkha assault in the promontory hex
that used to contain the 90mm gun eliminates
the Bersaglieri the maggiore sent there and
inflicts a step loss on the demoralized HMG.
The Maggiore then leaves the annoying Sergente
and leaps onto a tank adjacent to the hex
with the Gurkha, Highlander HMGs and Brens
that killed the armored car and blew a hole
in the line.
The Highland lieutenant leading the remaining
ACW and two infantry through the gap turns
right and assaults the Italian tank that blew
up the other charging ACWs. It’s APC’s
revenge time — the tank takes a step
loss and is demoralized.
Now that the maggiore has made it back to
the line, the Italians have a leader who can
spot for artillery again. From his vantage
point atop the tank he pours 30 points of
offboard artillery into the Gurkha/HMG/Bren
stack that killed the armored car. The lieutenant
leading them and one HMG unit are demoralized.
Then the Highland colonel sends a captain
and two Highland infantry into the breach
to give a new leader to the Gurkha/HMG/Bren
hex whose leader was just demoralized. The
colonel then rallies disrupted units with
him.
The Gurkha lieutenant colonel then sends
a subedar and one Gurkha into the assault
hex from which the sergente wisely fled. The
sole Italian unit there is a demoralized HMG,
so the Gurkha, which starts with a strength
of 4+1 (for the +1 combat bonus Subedar) =
5, gets +5 column shifts on the assault table
(for having higher morale than all enemy units,
having an undemoralized leader, having only
demoralized enemies, and finally +2 for being
a purely Gurkha assault at night). It attacks
on the 30+ column, eliminating the demoralized
HMG. The hex is now clear of Italian units.
Other British units recover, and the turn
ends on a Fog of War roll.
0430
The tide of battle is turning. The Italians
have taken seven step losses, so their initiative
drops by one and both sides have an initiative
of 2. The British win the initiative roll.
The Gurkhas who just destroyed the Italian
HMG in the promontory hex turn right and assault
the tank next door that blew up a Bren just
before it could go in with the Gurkhas and
assault the armored car. They have strength
13 (with their +1 combat bonus leader) and
get +3 column shifts (for having a leader
and being Gurkhas assaulting at night), so
they attack on the 30+ column and inflict
two step losses on the tank unit, destroying
it outright.
The maggiore, illuminated dramatically by
the glow of exploding Italian tanks (while
the sergente makes the universal Italian gesture,
pointing at his temple . . . ),
brings a Bersaglieri infantry unit into his
hex with the tank, while the tank fires on
the Gurkha/HMG/Bren hex next door. It destroys
a Bren and kills the demoralized lieutenant
who was hiding behind it. The Gurkha, HMGs
and remaining Bren with their new captain
then return the favor, assaulting the maggiore
and his units. The assault bogs down with
neither side having much effect.
A Highland captain and fresh infantry then
pile into the hex with the Havildar and his
ACWs assaulting the Bersaglieri. They destroy
it, and the tenente who was leading it moves
out to the next hex. Then the Highland lieutenant
with the ACW and two infantry platoons who
led the initial rush into the breach destroy
the half-strength demoralized Italian tank
they first assaulted last turn.
The maggiore brings down 30 points of offboard
artillery on the murderous stack of Gurkhas
which has so far killed a 90mm gun, one Bersaglieri,
one HMG and a tank. The artillery fire disrupts
one Gurkha unit. More fresh Gurkhas come in
from the east and pile into the gap.
Then, the once lost but now found Yorkshire
column, which has stayed out of visual range
and is in tight formation, activates as one
and moves north. The lead unit turns west
and into the gap created when the maggiore
and some tanks redeployed north to fight the
Gurkhas.
More Gurkhas rush into the gap behind their
compatriots, and the crumbling Italian northern
flank starts to fall back. The turn then ends
on a Fog of War roll.
0445
The Italians are in deep trouble. They’ve
taken 18 step losses (tanks count double),
and their initiative is now 0, while the Brits
still have an initiative of 2. The Brits win
the initiative roll by 5, getting 3 activations
before the Italians. The “Gurkhas of
Death” pile into the maggiore’s
hex, but the maggiore, imbued with the true
fighting spirit of Italia, kills the Gurkha
captain and disrupts or demoralizes all the
Gurkha units (the sergente drinks a toast
to him from afar . . . ). The
Bersaglieri unit with him takes a step loss,
but it and the tank hold their morale.
The wave of Gurkhas that flooded into the
gap last turn moves south to widen it. An
Italian tank inflicts a step loss on one unit
and disrupts it while demoralizing another.
But then the Yorkshiremen activate as one
again and drive into the gap to the south
of the Maggiore, surrounding an Italian tank
and establishing a southern defensive perimeter
so the Gurkhas can finish their work undisturbed.
Then the Italian maggiore counter-assaults
the bloody-handed Gurkhas who’ve cut
down so many Sons of Italy. He inflicts another
step loss on them and demoralizes all three!
He turns around to gloat at the sergente —
and sees he has lost. The Yorkshiremen are
coming up fast behind, some Valentine tanks
have finally arrived, the entire northern
half of the Italian line has crumbled, and
ACWs and Infantry have penetrated far to the
rear and are about to blast the Italian mortars
out of existence. Only pockets of Italian
resistance remain in a compound gap ten hexes
wide, and each Italian defender is outnumbered
three to one by British infantry. Plus, the
sun will be up soon and the British will get
offboard artillery support, and eventually
there will be more British tanks.
The Maggiore sighs, salutes, orders the
retreat, and tells the Sergente to shut the
hell up. . . .
The British Empire wins! |
