30/04/2026 · 08:30

WIP 136 – NQM Markers Redux – Tidy Tabletops

 

3 SS Panzergrenadier Division captures IVANOVSKI at great cost.

3 SS Panzergrenadier Division captures IVANOVSKI at great cost.

Following the Front Scale Orbat (FSO) game at KURSK, the bases that had a steel paper 20mm strip at the back to take magnetised markers worked smoothly. To make recognition easier, I painted the hit markers with broad stripes in green, amber and red for better visibility. That worked too!

Our colour-impaired member can see them and so can our blind-as-a-bat-without-his-glasses member. Players have had time to get used to the idea that one numbered marker is placed onto the back of the base rather than a pile of singles and suddenly, time is not being wasted trying to sort out and allocate casualties in what previously was a crowded hex. We rattled through a game involving four players with seven divisions that I thought would take two hours, in one.  This was largely due to Phil and Graham not needing me to umpire, so two pairs of players were playing in parallel, as happens in the larger games..

Hit markers in the process of being painted in green, amber and red.

Hit markers in the process of being painted in green, amber and red.

It left plenty of time for drinking coffee, munching biscuits and talking about the victory over the huge temporary pile of soil dumped on the battlefield at Edgcote that has now been removed. Credit for that goes entirely to Graham Evans – without his contacts with various heritage bodies and his willingness to pressure local MPs and local media, it is likely that the soil would still be there. Additionally, there is an undertaking to conduct non-invasive archeology on any future site before tons of soil are dumped in the area. We did muse that it would be hilarious if artefacts were found that changed our view of where the battle was actually fought!

 As well as real life, a number of ideas were chewed over :

  1. I like the idea of going back to giving each base a strength value that equals its unit quality :  Elite (5), Veteran (4), Regular (3), Conscript (2) and Green/Raw (1). These are the colours that Tom Mouat uses for his SCRUD dice (Simple Combat Resolution Using Dice). I see no reason to reinvent the wheel.
  2. The way that NQM models currently logistics and casevac is simple and gives players something that requires thought, rather than die-rolling to kill things, but it isn’t really how reorganisation works. A battalion or brigade can pull subunits out of contact with the enemy to resupply and remove casualties. Allowing units to reorganise if they have a command unit in contact and can trace a supply line to logistics within 10 hexes is a closer fit to the way that armies manage resupply and casualty removal. Rules 9.6 and 10.3 cover the current state of play.
  3. If base SPs equal the unit quality, there is now no need to track how many times the subunit Command (3.1.3.) base has reorganised its own Fighting  (3.1.1.) subunits. Formation C1 and C2 units remain unchanged. At FSO, a fighting base would represent a brigade, with a divisional command base controlling three or four brigades and a medium artillery brigade. The Formation HQ would be at corps level, controlling Med (3.1.7.), Log (3.1.6.),  Engineers (3.1.5.) and heavy artillery.
  4. We ran this in the game and it worked. To make infantry Command bases slightly easier to spot, I have made them 40 x 60 mm and have made Fighting Bases 40 x 40 mm. Again I would stress that this is purely for my own entertainment and amusement. NQM works with any base size, within reason. I took the opportunity to base onto 80 x 60 mm cork, some artillery that was still split up as guns and limbers.
  5. I need to play a good few more games with Strength Points equalling the Unit Quality before it becomes anything more than a scenario rule. The most obvious change in dynamic is that an SP4 base facing two SP2 bases is only putting out half the firepower, so they are equal in points value, but not firepower. If the SP4 base attacks as medium, the balance is redressed. (M vs L causes 8/6 potential hits as opposed to L vs L causing 4/6.) This is probably a fair reflection of the German desire to increase the number of automatic weapons and self-propelled artillery and anti-tank guns in the orbat as the war went on. Implementation was, however patchy and crippled by shortages of every kind.

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23/04/2026 · 08:30

Campaigns 133 – Disguised Scenario, KURSK AG South – 11-13 Jul 1943

2 SS PgD LAH attacks 29 TC

1st SS Panzergrenadier Division LAH attacks 29th Tank Corps.

I wanted to run an armoured battle and see if my points value system worked, so what better than KURSK/PROKHOROVKA? Regardless of what opinions are as to what actually happened, it was a tank battle with a lot of tanks and Tim is a fan of Panthers … so he got one! Phil got a Tiger, so he was happy. Steve and Graham got six T-34s between them and as many light tank brigades again, so Graham’s grumbling was only for form’s sake. Who doesn’t like outnumbering the enemy? 🙂

“With Rotmistrov’s defences well set the Panzers … made few inroads into the Soviet line. Rotmistrov … used his … [29 Corps] artillery to smash Hausser’s embryonic attacks.“

Lloyd Clark (2011). Kursk p. 392

As each tank model represented a brigade or regiment at Front Scale Orbat and there were twelve tanks on the Soviet side and five on the German side, this was a big battle. Historians have opinions as to how many tanks were at Kursk and how many were destroyed. Kharkov is the other contender, but the Russians have probably surpassed both now in their illegal invasion of the Ukraine.¹

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Prokhorovka%2C_Battle_of_Kursk%2C_night_11_July.png

This map from Wikipedia, citing : ( Glantz, David M.; House, Jonathan M. (2004) [1999]. The Battle of Kursk. Lawrence, KS, USA: University Press of Kansas. ISBN 978-0-7006-1335-9. Pages: 165, 183–184. Clark, Lloyd (2012). Kursk: The Greatest Battle: Eastern Front 1943. London, UK: Headline Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-7553-3639-5. Page: 322.) is derived from the Map 9, on p 324 in Lloyd Clark’s  “Kursk the Greatest Battle.” and is close enough for an abstracted wargame on hexes.

3 SS attack 2 GdTkC

2nd SS Panzergrenadier Division “Das Reich”  attacks 2nd Guard Tank Corps.

The battle centred on  5 Guards Tank Army and II SS Panzer Corps. Our battle followed the course of the historical pretty closely, with the Germans initially surging forward, but being pushed back as the Soviets counterattacked. From my point of view as an umpire, the revisions to markers worked smoothly and sped the game up. Graham and Phil were matched up against each other so just got on with their half of the tabletop – after all, they have been playing each other for over thirty years now. Tim and Steve are getting the hang of it too. Tim in particular is starting to get that I’m-going-down-but you’re coming-with-me fanatical gleam in his eyes, which is entirely appropriate for a German commander from 1943 onwards. Casualties were distributed pretty evenly between both sides but the Germans were firmly on the defensive and falling back at the end of the evening.

A Cauldron develops around OKTIABRSKIL

A Cauldron develops around OKTIABRSKII.

The battle ended when 1 SS LAH were pushed back to the western limit of their boundary with both sides down to half their tank strength or less and the Germans needing to stabilise the battle with their limited reserves. Things were much the same on the southern half of the table with 2 SS DR. This game gave each base  a strength point value based on the Unit Quality – Veteran (4), Regular (3) and Conscript (2). The SP-based points values thus derived for each side were Soviet 132 vs German 117. Close enough that history could have been overturned, but with an expectation that it wouldn’t have been. Trebian has written an excellent battle report here, allowing for the usual Soviet propaganda. 🙂

In the south, 1/3 and 1/4 Panzergrenadier Regiments attack 183 Rifle Division.

In the south, 1/3 and 1/4 Panzergrenadier Regiments attack 183 Rifle Division.

Footnotes

1. Ever since the start of modern (post-1945) wargaming, we have been used to inserting statements that wargames are played with the aim of understanding history and should not be interpreted as a vindication or glorification of Nazism. Since Putin’s illegal and increasingly ill-advised invasion of Ukraine, this is doubly true of anything that can be said of Putin’s imperial ambitions and the current bunch of totalitarian criminals sitting in the Kremlin. One may think that I am looking at the war on the Eastern Front again because the tide has turned against Putin. One may well be right.

“Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”

Winston Churchill

 

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16/04/2026 · 20:18

Rules 023 – Balancing a Scenario

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There are occasions when you want to know if a scenario is likely to be balanced before a game. I am not thinking of equal point tournament armies, but rather, is the game going to keep both sides engaged, with both thinking that they in with a chance of winning? The best way of doing this is to take a historical scenario and use the forces involved, then you have a real battle to compare your performance with. Failing that, I did some back-of-the-fag-packet sums to see if my totally invented points costs of the two sides balanced up.¹

An Italian 47 mm Anti tank base takes on a Soviet T-34

An Italian 47 mm Anti tank base takes on a Soviet T-34

Base Calculation

Briefly, I took the sum total of all the pips scored on the combat table (Rule 9.1) against light, medium and heavy defence values, each by light, medium and heavy attack values, divided by six (because we use 1D6 and have six chances of a hit or a miss). For example L vs L gives ([0+0+0+1+1+2]/6 = 4/6 or 0.67) This gave me a relative combat power of (L) 1.17, (M) 2.17 and (H) 3.67. This can be multiplied by 10 and rounded to give scalar values of 12, 22 and 37. To give an idea of the combat value of a unit, just aggregate the Strength Points (SP) by the appropriate L,M or H value.

Taking the unit below as an example, the sum would look like this :  37 + 22 = 59

Schwere Panzer Abteilung 505 :

1 x Tiger I (F1,Vet,Had), 1 x PzIII (F1,Vet,Mad)

Unit Quality? (Rule 5)

How do we cope with Unit Quality? (Rule 5). One way might be to give a further multiplier of Elite (5), Veteran (4), Regular (3), Conscript (2) and Green/Raw (1) taking as a basis something that I have come to think of as the Evans Variation, seen here in a Spanish Civil War Game.² Give each functional E, F, R and S unit an SP equal to the troop quality. This would make the unit value for sPzAbt 505 59 x 4 = 236. It can be reduced by a factor of 10 to keep the numbers workable at 24 (rounded up). It is a fundamental change, because it is rating combat durability by Unit Quality rather than number of hulls and it is saying that the combat power of a unit of 12-16 guns is equivalent to that of 30-50 tanks. Operationally, I don’t have a problem with this, but it is probably not for you if you like to see tactical detail reflected in your games rather than functional detail.

Think of it like this :  An anti – tank battalion may appear to have the same combat value  (S2,Con,Mad) as the Tank Brigade that it is supporting  (S2,Con,Mad), but in reality, it would be spread out amongst, and to the flanks of the division, so it is just giving the divisional commander some flexibility with a unit that can act in the shooting phase rather than the combat phase. Linking the unit quality to the Strength points allows us to show the unit as (S2,Mad) – a simplification. In the trial game, progress was faster because players knew that all bases in the division were of the same SP. I am not about to change all the published SPs of my orders of battle though – it is a simple enough tweak to employ as a scenario rule if you want to.

We played a Kursk scenario using this and it rated the strength of the Germans as 109 and the Soviets as 132. I did not add the Unit Quality to the opposed die roll for the Post-combat Outcome (Rule 9.4), as we usually do so I may have inadvertently disadvantaged the Germans and this was reflected in the game, where the Soviets counterattacked out of their defended positions, as they did at PROKOROVKA, and pushed the Germans back in about half of their attacks. Nevertheless, the Soviets still grumbled that they had T-34/85 models that I had rated as medium, when the 85 mm is clearly a heavy gun. The points values need more playtesting to be fit for purpose but I’m happy that things are in the correct ball park.³

I don't think this one is a Tiger Tovaritch!

I don’t think this one is a Tiger Tovaritch!

Footnotes

  1. I don’t smoke, so I used an Apache Open Office spreadsheet instead.
  2. I may be doing Tim Gow a disservice here, as this was his tweak to NQM when he wrote Megablitz. The colours chosen for Unit Quality correspond to Tom Mouat’s Simple Combat Resolution Using Dice (SCRUD) colours, in case I ever decide to use them. It needs a little tweaking around the edges to stop base proliferation with things like Anti-tank, AA and Recce. Consider halving the value of logistics and other units that only defend, or only calculate Fighting and Support  units.
  3. T-34/85s only came into service in 1944, with production starting in January, and were not present at KURSK, but I needed the models to make up numbers to put them on the tabletop. I should have just mixed ’76s and ’85s instead of putting them all into one unit and explained that they were all T-34/76s. You think that I would have learned after previously putting a “Supergun” on the table as a decorative objective! 🙂

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02/04/2026 · 08:59

Hive City – The Third Battle of Cassino (operation Dickens) (CSO)

MONTECASSINO with the mountains in the background.

MONTECASSINO with the mountains in the background, and THAT supergun!

Everything was lined up and ready to roll for a big Corps Scale Orbat (CSO) city battle – only one problem, Phil was keen to bring some Germans along to give them an airing, and the new bases that I had made up were all modern or Sci-fi. A disguised scenario rode to the rescue. I decided to loosely model the third battle of Cassino (Operation Dickens), in which Second New Zealand Division attacked the town from the north. By this time, CASSINO was a ruin. The town was actually defended by Fallschirmjägers, but light and mountain troops were equipped on the same scale, so it worked out well. The battle went much as the real one, with the Germans grimly holding on to the town, but losing the railway station, proxied by a BIG handwavium siege mortar in a star fort. This proved to be a distraction as, of course, players wanted to shoot it at something. Look at it, it’s huge, who wouldn’t want to roll the umpteen heavy dice that surely it merits? 🙂

Looking along the length of the battlefield from the west.

Looking along the length of the battlefield from the west.

As with all good “action” propaganda photos, some mocking-up after the battle occurred, so on Graham’s blog and below you will see not-Harkonnen thugs waving plasma swords, rather than the plucky New Zealanders shown above.

Medical unit retrieving casualties in the town of CASSINO.

Medical unit retrieving casualties in the town of CASSINO.

In a throwaway remark, I told players that the battle was for Northampton Greyfriars bus station (a.k.a. “The Mouth of Hell.”) That was another mistake, as a lively ten minutes ensued whilst the local lads discussed where Greyfriars bus station should be in relation to the Casino (closed and briefly taken over as a cannabis farm), The Mounts swimming pool, St James Park and Danes Camp, (all real places.)

The heart of the German Defence.

The heart of the German Defence.

The game worked well enough. The updated markers survived five minutes of contact with the players before the (constructive) criticism started flooding in. Graham and Tim on the NZ right flank made better time than Steve and Phil on the left flank and had little trouble with their markers other than being unable to see the glass beads. Kit faff with Phil’s smaller 30 mm bases was the main contributor to the slower progress on his side, as once players became used to taking off a single marker and substituting a double or triple, progress was quicker all round. Phil had also added a couple of mortars and a field artillery piece because he wanted to give them an airing. He is rather like Rommel in that respect in that he takes a briefing into consideration, then does his own thing. No confusion occurred as to which side casualties belonged. Some of the buildings are still too crowded for fat fingers to manoeuvre in, but that is easily fixed and the built-up areas are starting to operate in the way that I want, whilst retaining the crowded skylines that I have been aiming for here. Casualties were pretty evenly spread between attacker and defender, which is reckoned to be correct by current research, so I am happy with that. After the battle, defender hits/casualties should be allocated as one third permanent and two thirds prisoner of war (PW). Attackers should have one third dead and two thirds returned. It can be seen therefore that fighting in built-up areas is expensive for both sides but benefits the attacker more. The benefit to the defender is that it takes a vast amount of time and planning to dislodge enemy from a well-defended area, and the defending troops can be spread more thinly.

The attack bogs down.

The attack bogs down.

Post battle debrief

  1. Opinion was unanimous amongst the group that the one , two and three beads delineating the markers are too small. I shall make the colours larger, brighter and easier to spot for colour blindness and poor eyesight. A lighting upgrade to the Den is also in order as “cosy” is not the best light level for gaming. I am however, happy that each side is having trouble seeing what the status of the enemy is.
  2. Opinion was divided as to the utility of magnetising bases, but as the players with magnetised bases proceeded quicker than the player without, I am happy that marker proliferation on the tabletop has been controlled.
  3. Some concern was expressed by players used to Peter Pig six inch (15 cm) squares, saying that things are still too crowded, but Hexon is the industry standard at 10 cm, so that’s an end to it as far as hexes are concerned. NQM works perfectly well on 15 and 12 cm squares, but I’m increasingly moving to a smaller table size as Phil finds it tricky squeezing in to the larger table nowadays.
  4. Phil and Graham have been playing NQM in all it’s iterations for forty years now, so we have been through the new idea development loop several times – it usually takes a while to settle down as they have almost as much invested in the game as I do
  5. It is worth mentioning that the faffing about with markers and bases is solely for my own benefit and amusement. Graham likes rings because once they are on the figure, they move with the base. Use whatever you happen to have or like. Over the years we have used pins, card markers, curtain rings and airgun pellets. They all have their own benefits, drawbacks and aesthetics, but if the new markers still keep getting left behind, I have some 20 mm hula hoops lurking about somewhere. Graham will like that. 🙂

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28/03/2026 · 16:30

WIP 136 – Hive City

Two Hive City factory buildings on 10cm Hexon sized hexes.

Two Hive City factory buildings on 10cm Hexon sized hexes.

The second iteration of multi-storey Hive City is painted and ready to go. I chopped an existing tower in half and stuck some cork, card and plastic on top to make it look like a ruined two-storey factory. I’m quite pleased with the result.

The buildings take shape and have been dulled down with a grey basecoat prior to being sponged.

The buildings take shape and have been dulled down with a grey basecoat prior to being sponged.

The other prototype is just a standard ruined corner with a first floor stuck in. The windows and ladders are made from the ever-useful “Granny Grating” available from craft shops. The rather flashy red corner thingy that is visible in the first picture is an engineer’s square. It is very handy for making sure that corners are at right angles.

We used to make widgets here before we were bombed!

We used to make widgets here before we were bombed!

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19/03/2026 · 09:00

WIP 135 – NQM Markers

 

Hit and Casualty Markers

Hit and Casualty Markers

I have been trying to solve a marker conundrum for some years now – They proliferate and they get left behind. Tiny 6mm dice are really only used on command stands nowadays, so they travel with the base and I am increasingly putting figures onto the front edge of 40mm square bases to give space at the back for markers based on coins to sit. It works, but they still slip off and end up in the hex behind when a base advances. I haven’t gone the whole hog yet and magnetised the bases and coins but may yet do so.

A fully loaded base

A fully loaded base.

My latest wheeze is to make two sets of hit and casualty markers – one for each side – and to mark them up as 1-2-3 with little coloured glass beads. This should ensure that there is usually only ever a maximum of two markers on a base at any one time; a hit and a casualty. Other markers such as out of ammo (OOA), disorganisation and commissars tend to be temporary. Leaving a disorganisation marker behind is not such a problem as they tend to come off anyway once a unit moves. Out of ammo markers have flat tops and can sit under a casualty or hit marker.

Casualty markers

Casualty markers. Eat your hearts out Warhamster!

The skulls were originally intended as Goth jewelery; I simply filled in the hole in the head with Das modelling clay before painting. The other side will continue to use Peter Pig casualties. My pile has grown over the years from British, German, AK47 and Sci-fi packs. They all look the same under two coats of thick varnish. The sensible thing to have done would have been to just buy Allied and German casualties, but hey ho!  The hit markers are different colours but I will paint the bases a different colour too, to give one fewer excuse for muddling them. The markers have been finished off with two thick coats of gloss polyeurethane varnish, which I hope will protect the glass beads from being knocked off, as the markers tend to be treated roughly.

I have so far been unable to dissuade players from throwing them across the table to each other, but I hope that giving each side their own will prevent this. There are, of course, lots of perfectly workable solutions that other gamers have adopted: Card markers, curtain rings, flat acryllic Litko-style markers, magnetised paper markers, tiddley winks and so on. Don’t let my convoluted search for something that I like and that is player-proof detract from your own adoption of something simple.¹

New Hit markers (front) originals (back)

New hit markers (front) originals (back). They are cut from a plastic door mat.

Footnote

  1.  Over many years of playing NQM, the commonest feedback I get is :  Your game would be much better if you made it more like my own rules!

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12/03/2026 · 09:10

Review 079 – 15mm Scifi Harkim Miniatures by Zarbo 3D Printing

15mm Harkim by Zarbo 3D Printing

15mm Harkim by Zarbo 3D Printing

If you are in a sealed environment suit, with delicate electronics controlling your anti-gravity handwavium engine, then what better weapon to arm yourself with than an unstable plasma sword? Having fired it up, it is best waved around groin level for maximum mischief. See how that turned out for the 15mm Harkim miniatures that I purchased from  Zarbo 3D Printing over on Pygges in Spaace.

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06/03/2026 · 19:57

Not Quite Rocket Science 008 – More Sci-fi Fun over on Pygges in Spaaace!

Head over here to read more thinly disguised Sci-fi silliness over at Pygges in Spaaace.

Engineers waiting to blow the bridges across the river in Hive City, to halt the progress of the Ecclesiarchy.

Engineers waiting to blow the bridges across the river in Hive City, to halt the progress of the Ecclesiarchy.

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25/02/2026 · 20:02

A Grand Day Out 051 – First Alamein 1-5th July, Shedquarterly Game

XXX Corps artillery concentrates

XXX Corps artillery concentrates in the centre of the battle.

Graham (Trebian) Evans has been holding quarterly games with Richard Lockwood, swapping venues, for some years. It is only since retirement that I have managed to attend these weekday meets, so putting on a morning game of FSO NQM was a welcome opportunity to develop the game for shows later in the year.

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XIII Corps under pressure from TRENTO and BOLOGNA  (XXI Corps) at EL ALAMEIN Station. DAK sweeps eastward on their southern flank.

The preceding week was spent mostly trying to make sense of the geography, timeline and orbats of a confused ad hoc battle. In the end, I took the maps from Panzer Division Games as the clearest framework. The game was set up on the preceding afternoon with the help of Trebian, who handled the grown-up’s scissors with aplomb and cut three depressions out of felt without putting his fingers or anyone’s eye at risk!¹

Ariete swings south and east in support of DAK

Ariete swings south and east in support of DAK.

As there were only four of us on the day, I could pitch in as a Plumpire (Player-umpire) playing the Italian General Bastico supporting Richard Lockwood’s Rommel.² Phil in the north as Lieutenant General Gott  and Graham as Lieutenant General Ramsden in the south, took XIII and XXX Corps respectively. They shared an armoured division each from X Corps – 1st Armd to the north and 7th Armd to the south.

1 SA Bde in EL ALAMEIN station under bombardment from Italian XXI Corps.

1 SA Bde in EL ALAMEIN station under bombardment from Italian XXI Corps.

At the start of the day, there was no more than the normal amount of confusion as generals struggled to identify small, drab, similar, sand-coloured vehicles  in the desert, trying to work out who was where and how to follow out the orders that they had been given for the first of July.³ Nevertheless, things soon settled down and Rommel cracked on at pace to engage the enemy.

21 Pz Div flanks EL ALAMEIN to the south and heads eastward.

21 Pz Div flanks EL ALAMEIN to the south and heads eastward.

I had elected to tackle the challenge of players being unwilling to plan and write orders by giving this role to the historical timeline. At the every turn, fresh orders were  given out from the timeline shown in the previous post. Intelligence Company 621’s role in the battle was alluded to by giving Richard 10 seconds to read the British orders before handing them to Graham and Phil. A crueller umpire would have made the British move first.

7 Armd reinforce 18 IND Bde.

7 Armd reinforce 18 IND Bde.

All players seemed happier with being given written orders that they felt free to ignore than being asked to issue orders of their own.(4)

7 Mot Bde is reinforced by 50 NORTHUMB Div prior to heading north.

7 Mot Bde is reinforced by two brigades from 50 NORTHUMB Div prior to heading north.

The air interdiction battle fought by the Desert Air Force against the Axis supply columns was abstracted into a column of ten trucks, each counting as a light T1 target. The DAF attacked with a heavy die roll each game turn. Each hit removed a truck. When the trucks were all destroyed, the Axis advance halted.

7 Mot and 50 NORTHUMB swing north to catch Italian XX Corps in flank.

7 Mot and 50 NORTHUMB swing north to catch Italian XX Corps in flank.

The battle followed a broadly historical path :  18th Indian Brigade was heroic in defence and despite being reinforced by the armoured reserve, ultimately fared no better than their historical counterparts.

18 IND Bde is surrounded and destroyed by the full weight of both DAK Panzer divisions, 15 and 21.

18 IND Bde is surrounded and destroyed by the full weight of both DAK Panzer divisions, 15 and 21.

Rommel ran out to the end of his troops’ strength, with 15 and 21 Pz remaining concentrated, but suffering at the hands of 4 and 22 Armd Bdes. By counterattacking, the Allies had enough strength to halt Rommel, but not enough to repel or overwhelm him.

90th Light ran into the South Africans, as happened historically, but it overran 1 IBd SA, doing rather better in the game than history.

1stSouth African Brigade is overrun by 90th Light Division, at some cost to itself.

1st South African Brigade is overrun by 90th Light Division, at some cost to the Germans.

The Italians did rather well by following their orders, attacking the ALAMEIN box and almost overwhelming the South African 3rd Infantry Brigade (3 IBd SA) before being pushed out of the station by a stolid backstop defence as the XIII Corps service corps (RASC) and  divisional engineers counterattacked.

We managed five moves in two-and-a-half hours with breaks for coffee and man-snacks, followed by a grown-up lunch with looted Australian “Jam Shed” wine.  Packing away was achieved in record time with everything fitting into boxes for the retreat, just not necessarily the correct one.

The final front line marked by rubble as troops dig in

The final front line marked by rubble as troops dig in.

As I write, I am playing the post game reorganisation game, which has a slow, quiet satisfaction all of its own.

Generals Gott and Ramsden look confident

Generals Gott and Ramsden look confident.

For the next game, now that I know that the basic time and space parameters are broadly correct, I shall put base labels on all the troops in the manner of the Crete game.

Rommel wants to know where his trucks have gone

Rommel wants to know where all his trucks have gone.

Footnotes

  1. My ex-clinical Victorinox scissors that have been reserved exclusively for cutting 10mm felt, and have given fifteen years of solid daily service building prescription insoles without losing their edge.
  2. General Bastico was Rommel’s Commanding Officer. I made it quite clear to Richard that he could treat any orders that he was given as guidelines to be followed or ignored as he saw fit!
  3. This is a common feature of operational games and is an integral part of the early moves. If my own experience is anything to go by, commanders spend large parts of their working day wondering where they and their troops are! Deserts are notable for their lack of identifying road signs and landmarks. I feel vindicated that even with hexes to codify movement, there is still confusion in the air.
  4. This is the difference between commissioned and non-commissioned officers. Just saying.

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16/02/2026 · 21:12

Campaigns 132 – First Alamein 1-5th July, Planning

First Alamein board, looking north towards the coast. The Qattra Depression is closest to the camera.

First Alamein board, looking north towards the coast. The Qattra Depression is closest to the camera.

The first battle of el Alamein saw an exhausted Afrika Korps chasing a disorganised 8th Army that had wisely decided not to try and stop Rommel until he had run short of fuel. Rommel had an ambitious plan that, as usual, was slightly beyond his means and the 8th Army was still suffering from the ad-hockery and poor signals discipline that had plagued it to date.

It was during this battle on the 10th of July that the German 621st Radio Intercept Company was captured near TEL EL AISA by 9th Australian Division, so Rommel no longer had the advantage of knowing what his opponent was about to do. Suddenly, the two sides were on a more even footing and the 8th Army held its own, giving it time to rebuild and fight a battle of attrition that suited Montgomery and led to the eviction of Rommel out of North Africa.

Sorting the orbats out for this upcoming game and balancing them was trickier than most. I will see if I have managed it at the end of the week. In the meantime, here is a first attempt at it.

Lineup of forces for First Alamein scaled at Front Scale Orbat NQM.

Lineup of forces for First Alamein scaled at Corps Scale Orbat (CSO) NQM.

First Alamein (1–27 July 1942) – Mini Campaign

Timeline

Follow this link to the day-by-day maps of the action : Website: https://www.panzerdivisiongames.com/

Orders – Allied

XIII CORPS 1 July looking west towards EL ALAMEIN.

XIII CORPS 1 July looking west towards EL ALAMEIN.

1 July 1942

  1. 1 SA will defend the  EL ALAMEIN box and  terrain to the S towards RUWEISAT ridge.
  2. 2 NZ will defend the centre of the line at ALAM NAYIT ridge.
  3. 50 NORTHUMB will defend ALEM EL HALFA ridge.
  4. 1  and 7 Armd will act as a mobile reserve.
  5. 18 IND Bde will prepare a defensive box at DEIR EL SHEIN.
  6. 9 IND Bde Gp will defend the far S, W of QARET EL HIMEIMAT.
XXX CORPS 1 July looking west.

XXX CORPS 1 July looking west.

2 July 1942

  1. ROBCOL (from 10 IND Div), 4 and 22 Armd Bdes will move to RUWEISAT ridge to prevent and enemy breakthrough.
  2. 2 NZ Div, 7 Mot Bde and 9 IND Bde Gp are to move to protect the S flank of RUWEISAT.

3 July 1942

1. All units will seek to engage the enemy.

4 July 1942

  1. All units are to maintain contact with the enemy.

5 July 1942

  1. All units are to maintain contact with the enemy.
  2. 2 NZ is to attack NW to EL MREIR.
  3. 9 AUS Div is to deploy W of EL ALAMEIN to deny the coast road to the enemy.

Orders Axis

1 July 1942

  1. 15Pz Div, 21 Pz Div and 90 Lt Div will attack E, Bypassing S the enemy defences at ALAMEIN, then swing N to cut the coast road.
  2. Ital XXI Corps will attack enemy at ALAMEIN to fix them in place.

2 July 1942

  1. DAK is to continue attacking E.
  2. Ital X, LITTORIO and XX Corps are to move S then attack E, S of DAK to protect their flank.

3 July 1942

  1. 90 LtD will hold posn and resupply.
  2. 15 and 21 Pz will attack RUWEISAT ridge.
  3. ARIETE will attack S of 15 and 21 Pz to protect their S flank.
  4. X and XX Corps are to close with the enemy in support of DAK.

4 July 1942

  1. All units are to hold their position and resupply.

5 July 1942

  1. All units are to hold their position and resupply.

Order of Battle (Orbat) Allied

At his immediate disposal Auchinleck had mostly elements of divisions which fought at GAZALA line, reinforced by several fresh units:

  • 1st South African Division – defending EL ALAMEIN box and the terrain just south of it towards RUWEISAT ridge
  • 50th Infantry Division – defending ALAM EL HALFA ridge
  • 2nd New Zealand Division – defending centre of the line
  • 7th Armoured Division – in mobile reserve
  • 1st Armoured Division – in mobile reserve
  • 18th Indian Infantry Brigade – defending the position west of RUWEISAT ridge
  • 9th Indian Infantry Brigade Group – defending the forward southern flank
  • 9th Australian Division – arrived on 5th July as reinforcements

8th Army

Comd staff car (C1,Ld) includes Tac HQ DAF, CRA Field Marshall Auchinleck

1 x Matador FAT + 3.7″ AA (S3,Reg,HaLd)

1 x Infantry (F3,Reg, Lad)

 

XXX Corps

 

1 x Comd in staff car (C1,Reg,Lad) Lieutenant General Ramsden

1 x Signals truck (C2,Reg,Ld) may be a Dorchester ACV

1 x Med Ambulance (Med3,Reg,Noncom)

1 x Log truck (Log3,Reg,Ld)

1 x Marmon Herrington A/C (R1,Vet,Lad)

2 x Matador limber + 5.5″ gun (S3,Vet,MaLd)

1 x Universal Carrier + 6pdr (S3,Reg,L/Mad)

1 x Sapper (E1,Reg,MaLd)

1 x D7 Bulldozer (E1,Reg,Ld) on 1 x low loader (T0)

1 x Matilda II tank (F3,Reg,Mad) (or Valentine)

1st South African Infantry Division (1 SAxx)

 

1 x Comd Dingo A/C (C3,Reg,Lad) Major-General Dan Pienaar

1 x Valentine II tank (C1,Reg,Mad)

1 x Marmon-Herrington armoured car (R1,Reg,Lad)

1 x Marmon-Herrington gun tractor + 25pdr (S3,Vet,MaLd)

1 x Sapper (E1,Vet,MaLd)

 

3 x Rifles (F3,Reg,Lad) – 1 SAx, 2 SAx, 3 SAx

1 x Transport 3 Tonner (T0) Can carry 3 brigades, or split to 3 x 15cwt (T0)

5th Indian Infantry Division (5 INDxx (-))

1 x Commander in India Pattern Carrier (C3,Reg,Lad)

1 x India Pattern Carrier (R1,Reg,Lad)

1 x Karrier KT4 Spider FAT + 25pdr (S3,Vet,MaLd)

1 x Sapper (E1,Reg,MaLd)

1 x Rifle (F3,Reg,Lad) (9 IND Bde)

9th Indian Infantry Brigade Group – defending the forward southern flank

1 x Rifle (F3,Reg,Lad) (9 INDx)

1 x Transport 15 cwt (T1) Can carry 1 brigade

18th Indian Infantry Brigade – from 8 IND in IRAQ defending the posn W of Ruweisat ridge

1 x Rifle (F3,Reg,Lad) (18 INDx)

1 x Transport 15 cwt (T1) Can carry 1 brigade

 

XIII Corps

1 x Comd in staff car (C1,Reg,Lad) Lt Gen Gott

1 x Marmon Herrington A/C (R1,Vet,Lad)

2 x Matador limber + 5.5″ gun (S3,Vet,MaLd)

1 x Universal Carrier + 6pdr (S3,Reg,L/Mad)

1 x Sapper (E1,Reg,MaLd)

1 x D7 Bulldozer (E1,Reg,Ld) on 1 x low loader (T0)

1 x Med Ambulance (Med3,Reg,Noncom)

1 x Log truck (Log3,Reg,Ld)

1 x Signals truck (C2,Reg,Ld) may be a Dorchester ACV

1 x Matilda II tank (F3,Reg,Mad) (or Valentine)

2nd New Zealand Infantry Division (2NZxx)

1 x Commander in Dingo (C3,Reg,Lad) Lieutenant-General Bernard Freyberg

1 x Universal Carrier (R1,Reg,Lad)

1 x Guy Quad Ant FAT + 25pdr (S3,Vet,MaLd)

1 x Sapper (E1,Reg,MaLd)

1 x Crusader III Tank (F4,Reg,Mad)

2 x Rifles (F3,Vet,Lad) (4 NZx, 5 NZx)

1 x Transport 3 Tonner (T0) Can carry 3 brigades, or split to 3 x 15cwt (T0)

 

50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division (50xx) defending ALAM EL HALFA ridge

1 x Commander in Staff Car (C3,Reg,Lad) Major-General John Nichols

1 x Universal Carrier (R1,Reg,Lad)

1 x Guy Quad FAT + 25pdr (S3,Vet,MaLd)

1 x Sapper (E1,Reg,MaLd)

150th Bde. 69th 151st Bdes attacked MITIERIYA RIDGE

3 x Rifles (F3,Reg,Lad) (69x.150x, 151x)

1 x Transport 3 Tonner (T3) Can carry 3 brigades, or split to 3 x 15cwt (T1)

X Corps

 

1 x Comd staff car (C3,Reg,Lad) Lt Gen Holmes

1 x Dorchester (C3,Reg,Lad)

1 x Med Ambulance (Med3,Reg,Noncom)

1 x Logistic truck (Log3,Reg,Ld)

1 x Sapper Base (E1,Reg,MaLd)

1 x Universal Carrier + 6pdr (S3,Reg,L/Mad)

 

 

1st Armoured Division (1 ARMDxx)

1 x Comd Grant Tank (C3,Reg,Mad) Major-General Raymond Briggs

1 x Humber A/C (R1,Vet,Lad)

1 x M7 Priest (S3,Vet,Mad)

1 x Deacon 6pdr Portée (S1,Vet,Mad)

2nd Armoured Brigade (2 Armdx) Brigadier Arthur Fisher

1 x Crusader III (S3,Reg,Mad)

7th Motor Brigade, (7 Motx) Brigadier Thomas J. Bosville

1 x Infantry in Carrier (F2,Reg,Lad) + 6pdr Atk (S1,Reg,Mad)

 

7th Armoured Division (7 Armdxx)

1 x Comd Stuart (C3,Reg,Lad) Major-General John Harding

1 x Daimler A/C (R1,Vet,Lad)

1 x Morris CS9 A/C (R1,Vet,Lad)

1 x Humber A/C (R1,Reg,Lad)

1 x Dingo lt recce car (R1,Reg,Lad)

1 x Quad FAT + 25pdr (S3,Vet,MaLd)

1 x Sapper base (E1 MaLd)

1 x Infantry in Carrier (F2,Reg,Lad) + 6pdr Atk (S1,Reg,Mad)

4th Light Armoured Brigade (4 LtArmdx) Brigadier Marcus G. Roddick

1 x M3 Stuart Tank (S3,Reg,Lad)

22nd Armoured Brigade (22 Armdx) Brigadier George “Pip” Roberts

1 x M3 Grant Tank (S3,Reg,Mad)

 

 

Desert Airforce

You can abstract this as one heavy die roll against ten (T1) light targets representing the axis supply columns. When there are no trucks left, Axis troops are out of supply.

 

Order of Battle (Orbat) Axis

A nice hotel. Gen Bastico in overall theatre command.

Panzer Armee Afrika (PAA)

1 x Sd Kfz 250 Greif (C1,Vet, Lad) General Rommel can act as a Commissar

1 x captured Dorchester or Sd Kfz 251 or 263 or similar (C2,Vet, Ld)¹

1 x 8.8cm KwK 36 with Sd Kfz 7 (S3,Vet,HaLd)

1 x Ambulance (Log/Med3,Vet,Noncombatant)

1 x Sd Kfz 234 Armoured Car (A/C) (R3,Vet, Lad)

1 x Sd Kfz 9 Famo + Anhänger (trailer) 116 (Log3,Vet, Ld)

1 x Mercedes Logistic/Med Truck (Log,Med3,Vet,Noncom)

1 x PaK 36 3.7cm KwK + Horsch LKw or Diane Sd Kfz6 [1942] (S3,Vet, MaLd)

1 x Sd Kfz 222 (R3,Vet,Lad)

1 x 2cm Flak with Sd Kfz 10/4 (S1,Vet, MaLd)

 

Deutches Afrika Korps (DAK)

1 x Comd Car (C1,Vet, Lad) General Nehring

1 x Signal HQ (C2,Vet, Ld)

1 x Med Ambulance (Med3,Vet, Noncom)

1 x Logistic Truck (Log3,Vet, Ld)

1 x 2cm Flak (S3,Vet, Lad)

1 x 8.8cm KwK 36 + Sd Kfz 7 (S3,Vet, HaLd)

1 x Pak 36 7.62cm(r) Atk +Sd Kfz 11 (S3,Vet, Mad)

1 x Sd Kfz 251/7 (E3,Vet, HaLd)

1 x Sd Kfz 222 (R3,Vet,Lad)

 

15th Panzer Division (15 Pzxx)

1 x PzIII Befehl (C3,Vet,Mad)

1 x PzIIIJ (F3,Vet,Mad)

1 x Sd Kfz 251 (F3,Vet,Mad)

1 x SiG 33 auf PzII with Sd Kfz 254 (S3,Vet, MaLd)

21st Panzer Division (21 Pzxx)

1 x Sd Kfz 263 Comd/Sig or Pz II (C3,Vet, Lad)

1 x PzIII (F3,Vet, Mad)

1 x Sd Kfz 251 (F3,Vet, Mad)

1 x 15cm sFH Lorraine with Sd Kfz 253 (S3,Vet, MaLd)

 

90th Light (Afrika) Division (90 Ltxx)

1 x Command (Comd)/Signal (Sig) Car (C3,Vet, Lad)

1 x Opel Blitz with 15cm SiG 33 (F3,Vet, MaLd)

2 x Opel Blitz (F3,Vet, Lad)

1 x Granit H25 LkW (F3,Vet, Lad)

1 x 7.62cm Pak 36(r) with SdKfz 11 (S3,Vet, MaLd)

1 x 7.62cm Pak 36(r) Diane SdKfz 6 (S3,Vet, MaLd)

 

 

XX Italian Corps

General De Stephanis

1 x Comd/Sig Car or Van (C1,Con,Lad)

1 x Medical Ambulance (Log3,Con,Noncom)

1 x LogisticTruck (Log3,Con,Ld)

1 x Truck +90/53 SP Gun (S2,Reg,HaLd)

1 x Cannone da 90/53 SP (S1,Vet,HaLd),

1 x M/C or AB 41 or L6 recce (R3,Vet Lad)

1 x Engineer (E3,Vet,MaLd)

 

132nd Armoured Division “Ariete” (132 Tkxx)

1 x M14/41 (C3,Reg,MaLd)

1 x M14/41 (F3,Reg,MaLd)

1 x Rifle in Dovunque (F3,Vet,Lad)

1 x Semovente 75/18 (S3,Vet,MaLd)

1 x 47mm Atk (S3,Reg,Mad)

101st Motorised Division (101 Motxx) “Trieste” [arrived 4 Jul 42]

1 x Comd in AT37 (C3,Reg,Lad)

 

2 x Rifle in Dovunque (F3,Vet,Lad)

 

133rd Armoured Division (133 Tkxx) “Littorio”

1 x M14/41 (C3,Reg,MaLd)

1 x M14/41 (F3,Reg,MaLd)

1 x Rifle in Dovunque (F3,Vet,Lad)

1 x L6 47/18 SPG (S3,Vet,MaLd)

1 x AT37 + 75mm 75/18 (S3,Vet,Mad)

XXI Italian Corps

General Navarini

1 x Comd/Signal car (C1,Con,Lad)

1 x Logistic Truck (Log3,Con,Ld)

1 x Ambulance (Med3,Reg,Noncombatant)

1 x Bersaglieri truck (F3,Vet,Lad)

1 x 100/17 Howitzer + limber (S2,Reg,MaLd)

1 x Engineer (E1,Reg,MaLd)

1 x AT37 + 75mm 75/18 (S3,Vet,Mad)

1 x SP 20mm AA (S3,Reg, Lad)

2 x Transport Truck (T3,Con,Ld)

102nd Motorised Division (102 Motxx) “Trento”

1 x Comd/Sig car (C3,Con,Lad)

2 x Rifle (F3,Con,Lad)

1 x Comd/Limber + 100/17 Gun (S1,Reg,MaLd)

25th Infantry Division (25 Infxx) “Bologna”

1 x Comd/Sig car (C3,Con,Lad)

2 x Rifle (F3,Con,Lad)

1 x Comd/Limber + 100/17 Gun (S1,Reg,MaLd)

 

X Italian Corps

1 x Comd/Signal car (C1,Con,Lad) General Gioda

1 x Logistic Truck (Log3,Con,Ld)

1 x Ambulance (Med3,Reg,Noncombatant)

1 x Bersaglieri truck (F3,Vet,Lad)

1 x 100/17 Howitzer + limber (S2,Reg,MaLd)

1 x Engineer (E1,Reg,MaLd)

1 x AT37 + 75mm 75/18 (S3,Vet,Mad)

1 x SP 20mm AA (S3,Reg, Lad)

2 x Transport Truck (T3,Con,Ld)

185th Parachute Division (185 Paraxx) “Folgore” [Arrived 30 Aug 42]

27th Infantry Division (27 Ixx) “Brescia”

1 x Comd/Sig car (C3,Con,Lad)

2 x Rifle (F3,Con,Lad)

1 x Comd/Limber + 100/17 Gun (S1,Reg,MaLd)

17th Infantry Division (17 Ixx) “Pavia”

1 x Comd/Sig car (C3,Con,Lad)

2 x Rifle (F3,Con,Lad)

1 x Comd/Limber + 100/17 Gun (S1,Reg,MaLd)

 

On the 4th of July 164 Ltxx and 101 Motxx “Trieste” arrived at Alamein.

Sources

  1. https://forum.axishistory.com/viewtopic.php?t=263424 [accessed 16/02/2026]quoting as sources :
  2. Le Operazioni In Africa Settentrionale Vol. II Tobruk (Marzo 1941-Gennaio 1942)
    Stato maggiore dell’esercito, Ufficio storico, Mario Montanari. 1993.Pendulum of War: The Three Battles of Alamein
    The Overlook Press, Niall Barr. Woodstock & New York, NY, 2005.The Crucible of War: Year of Alamein 1942
    Paragon House, Barrie Pitt. New York, 1990.The War in the Mediterranean and the Middle East Volume III. British Fortunes Reach their Lowest Ebb
    Naval & Military Press, Major-General I. S. O. Playfair; and others. Uckfield, UK, 2004.Panzer Battles
    Spellmount Limited, Major-General F.W. von Mellenthin. Stroud, UK, 2008.Battle Orders: Rommel’s Afrika Korps, Tobruk to El Alamein
    Osprey Publishing, Pier Paolo Battisteli. Oxford, UK, 2006.

“Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.”
— Sir Winston Churchill, following the Second Battle of El Alamein

Website: https://www.panzerdivisiongames.com/

 

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