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com May - June 2005

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The Hills of Tug Argan

13 August 1940
This scenario depicts the last Italian attack on the Commonwealth lines at Tug Argan on the evening of 13 August, 1940. I have played a little fast and loose with the historical order of battle in this one. General De Simone's actual force consisted almost entirely of colonial 'Askaris'. Only his armor and support troops were Italians. What I came up with was a sort of historical "what-if". Here's how it goes. of thing might happen, he may very well have brought along a regiment from one of his "Crack" European divisions, the Granatieri de Savoia (Savoy Grenadiers). A fresh and comparatively well armed force thrown in at the critical moment may have allowed him to achieve the breakthrough his men fought so hard to gain. Such a breakthrough would have prevented the orderly evacuation Godwin-Austen was able to pull off. Britain could ill afford another serious defeat in 1940. Churchill needed every Commonwealth and Colonial soldier he could get his hands on. A crisis of confidence and After nearly three days of fighting, both sides were morale among these exhausted and pretty much at the end of their troops would have tether. Had General De Simone realized this kind been a disaster!

TERRAIN:
Open, with one Poor Road running roughly West-to-East. The Tug Argan (a dry watercourse) runs roughly North-to South & East, with 4 named hills on its left bank.

GAME LENGTH: 15+ TURNS

BRITISH COMMONWEALTH

Cohesion

15 54

FASCIST ITALY

Cohesion

11th Grenadier Regiment (+)

12 98

Somaliland Defense Force (-)

Break Point

Break Point 1 x Infantry (GHQ)/Truck, 1 x [ Infantry[R]/Truck, 1 x 81mm Mortar(4): Deploy anywhere East of the Tug Argan waterway. Grenadier Battalion: 1 x Infantry (HQ), 12 x Infantry, 4 x Machinegun, 2 x 45mm Lt. Support Mortar 1 x Infantry (HQ), 11 x Infantry, 3 x Machinegun, 1 x 45mm Lt. Support Mortar 1 x Infantry (HQ), 11 x Infantry, 5 x Machinegun, 2 x 45mm Lt. Support Mortar 1 x Cavalry (HQ), 3 x 75mm M15(2)/Limber Cohesion

1 x Infantry (GHQ)/Truck:Deploy any where East of the Tug Argan waterway. 1 x Infantry (HQ):

Deploy anywhere East of the Tug Argan & North of Punjabi Ridge.

3 x Rhodesian Infantry: Deploy anywhere on Black Hill. 4 x Rhodesian Infantry, 1 x 3.7" Mountain Gun(1)/ Pack Mules: Deploy anywhere on Knobby Hill. 3 x Rhodesian Infantry, 1 x 3.7" Mountain Gun(1)/ Pack Mules: Deploy anywhere on Mill Hill. 2 x Rhodesian Infantry: Deploy anywhere on Observation Hill. 2 x Rhodesian 3" Mortar(1), 1 x Rhodesian MG: Deploy 10 inches or less from the Brigade "GHQ" stand. 3 x "Camel Corps" MG/Camels: Deploy anywhere East of the Tug Argan waterway.

Grenadier Battalion:

Grenadier Battalion:

Artillery Battalion:

48th Independent Tank Battalion 1xL3/33 (HQ), 9xL3/33: Deploy anywhere West of the Tug Argan waterway.

12 18

Break Point

BRITISH VICTORY: Prevent an Italian victory. SPECIAL RULES:

1.All commonwealth stands begin the scenario in "Light" Improved Positions. 2."Machinegun" stands correspond to "Support" stands in Micro Armour: The Game - WWII. 3.Add three (3) to all "Camel Corps" Cohesion die-rolls

Note: The Italians suffered from worthless maps and incompetent doctrine. Thus, their low Cohesion level.

ITALIAN VICTORY: Force the Commonwealth force

beyond its Break Point before the end of the last turn of the game.

4.Pack Mule and Camel "Transport" may be mounted separately or you may simply mark transported stands as such. 5.The Italian Tank Battalion has its own "Break Point". Be sure to record its losses separately. 6.HQ and GHQ stands only may act as forward observers. 7. The Commonwealth Force includes a 47mm "Saluting Gun" on an improvised carriage. You may "attach' this gun to one (1) Commonwealth infantry stand by making a note of it somewhere, giving it an AT firepower of three (3). 8.The actual length of this scenario is uncertain. The fighting ended around "dusk", but nobody rang a bell and said, "Game over!" Therefore, beginning with turn fifteen (15), you must roll 1D6 at the end of each turn. A die-roll of one (1) means the game is immediately over.

The Hills of Tug Argan

B = BLACK HILL

N B

K = KNOBBY HILL M = MILL HILL O = OBSERVATION HILL

C = CASTLE HILL = HILL = ROUGH TERRAIN 2* = POOR ROAD

M C O
TU GA RG AN

= CLEAR

1 Inch = 100 Meters The total area of the battlefield is 48 x 84 or approximately 4.8 x 8.4 kilometers. Each hexagon equals four inches north-to-south.

WA TER WA Y

* The dry bed of the Tug Argan Waterway is below ground level and therefore does not block the line-of-sight.

UNIT DETERMINATION For Players of GHQs Micro Armour : The Game - WWII
GHQ's Micro Armour: The Game - Modern included rules for "Unit Determination". These rules simulate what happens when a command receives so many casualities it can no longer function in the presence of the enemy. A slightly simplified version of this section is presented here so that gamers using Micro Armour: The Game - WWII, can take advantage of it. Those of you who already own Micro Armour: The Game - Modern know that this rules set is fully compatible with our WWII rules, so you needn't be concerned with this version of its "Unit Determination" section. 1. To begin with, you will need a standard "Poker" deck of playing cards. The value of the numbered cards is self-evident. Picture or "Face" cards have the following numeric values: Jacks = 11, Queens = 12, Kings = 13. 2. There must always be at least one "GHQ" for each side in a two-player game. In large games there should be a separate "GHQ" for each player and the available forces should be divided between these GHQs. Each of these groups constitutes a separate "Force". 3. The "Base Determination Factor" (BDF) for a given "Force" represents the ability of that force to absorb casualties and remain functional. This is represented as a percentage. Official figures from various sources have established thirty percent (30%) casualties as the point at which the Cohesion of a given Force begins to collapse. Of course, this is only an average. There are many factors that can modify this number. For example, an "Elite" force of Soviets attacking a prepared German position in 1942 might very well take fifty-percent casualties before breaking! Italian conscripts defending themselves against British regulars in 1941 might run away after only losing five-percent of their total force! Therefore, the BDF given to each Force in a game should be agreed upon among the players before play begins. 4. Once a Force's BDF is established, count up the total number of "Combat" stands directly under the player's control, excluding any OFF-MAP artillery and including units entering the map later as reinforcements. "Combat" stands must be armed. (Trucks, Tractors, etc. with no combat value are not counted.) Multiply the total by the BDF and multiply this by seven (7). Round to the nearest whole number. This is the "Break Point" of the Force. Example: 24 combat stands x .3 (BDF) = 7.2, 7.2 x 7 = 50.4. The "Break Point" of this force is 50. 5. Whenever a "Combat" stand in your force is eliminated, draw a card from the deck. If the eliminated stand is an HQ stand, draw one (1) additional card. If it is a GHQ stand, draw two (2) additional cards! Do not show this card(s) to your opponent(s)! You may show your cards to another player on the your own side if you wish. When the total value of the cards in your possession exceeds your "Break Point", you lose a large portion of the control you previously exercised over the troops under your command at the end of that turn. Your ability to command has effectively collapsed! Your primary concern now becomes preserving the lives of your men (and your military career)! Example: The player above loses 6 stands. He draws the following cards: 5, 3, queen(12), 9, 7, 2, king(13), for a total of 51 points. He has reached his "Break Point"! (51 > 50) 6. Starting with the turn after the one in which your Force "Breaks", it suffers the following consequences: a. Its "Cohesion Value", for any purpose other than movement, (i.e. combat) is reduced by five (5) for the rest of the game. b. The "Cohesion Value" for movement purposes is increased by two (2) for the remainder of the game. c. The only movement allowed must be toward a friendly map edge, as determined in advance, by mutual agreement. d. Your stands may fire only if they have been fired upon this phase, unless they are OFF-MAP artillery. e. OFF-MAP artillery may complete any "duration" missions. Further OFF-MAP fire must use your new Cohesion Value. f. When your last stand leaves the map, all the OFF-MAP artillery under your command must cease-fire. g. Any future Air-Strikes under your control are cancelled. 7. More than one player may reach his "Break Point" in the same turn. 8. All players must reveal their cards at the end of the game, regardless of whether anyone reached their "Break Point". "Unit Determination" adds a lot of uncertainty to the game. It also makes a lot of games shorter. I use it all the time for historical flavor and for sheer "drama". I wouldn't recommend using "Unit Determination" until you have played the game several times and are comfortable and familiar with the rest of the rules. (JF)