The Rats of Tobruk

A couple of weeks ago the gaming group met in my basement for a game of I Ain’t Been Shot Mum (IABSM), produced by Too Fat Lardies (TFL). An excellent set of rules for company-level WWII-battles. A PDF-bargain at £7.This time we were outside Tobruk, playing the scenario “Rats of Tobruk” from Too Fat Lardies' 2006 Summer Special (The Specials comes out twice a year, and are filled with information and scenarios for TFL:s games, very good PDF-buys at £5 each).
It was to be a game where Italian forces attacks Australian defenders behind minefields and barbed wire, with me as umpire.
As can be seen in previous posts, we have decided to do the desert-war in 6mm.

The playing-area was half a table-tennis-table. We built hills using some odd pieces of expanded polystyrene and old socks (!) and covered with a beige bed-sheet. Where there was supposed to be rough ground we sprinkled coarse aquarium-sand. The houses were free paper-models (Laffe got them, and i don't remeber where from), some odd palm-trees and scratch-built trenches, and off course the barbed wires.

The Aussies used hidden deployment (troops, trenches and minefields) and the Italian troops entered under blinds.
You will find a good after-action report in Thomas’ blog, and below some highlights.

Italian recce ‘finds’ the minefields (they are found if you actively spot them end your move close, or, well, in this way)

Italian hordes attacking under blinds.

Breakthrough on the Italian left flank

Don’t charge dug-in troops on a hill behind barbed wire! It wasn’t pretty.

 

Don’t charge an immobilized armoured car. There just could be a tank following. It wasn’t pretty either.

The cavalry arrives! Two Matildas and other troops appear behind the Italians.

We decided to end the game there, considering it a draw. A really tense match, with a couple of good laughs.

Our first 6mm desert scenario completed, I started to plan for more to come using the scenario-book Operation Compass, from TFL.

I placed two orders for more Italians yesterday. There will be more games!