Box Description
The sun blazed down with white hot intensity, turning the horizon into a shimmering, dancing ribbon. In the distance, the mechanical roar of German panzers could be heard like a thunderstorm about to break. The Afrika Korps was on the move!
Exhausted British infantry, part of the famed Desert Rats, crouched low in their slit trenches, patiently waiting. Weary, dirty, and sleepless, they braced themselves to repel yet another of Rommel's ferocious assaults. Could this ragged, thin line of Australian, South African, Free French and British infantry continue to hold against the Desert Fox's veteran troops?
There could be no retreat. There could be no hope of relief. The British faced the Germans in the desert with their backs to the sea. This was the battle for North Africa, the conquest of a continent. This was the most famous siege in the annals of modern warfare. This was the battle for... TOBRUK.
Advanced TOBRUK is a detailed new game SYSTEM that allows you to recreate the war in North Africa during World War II. The ultimate tactical-level game presentation is coupled with easy-to-understand and use rules and charts to enable you to re-create all the facets of the decisive Gazala battle - Rommel's most spectacular victory that led directly to his defeat at El Alamein only a few months later. Unlike its predecessor, Advanced TOBRUK allows you to experience Gazala AND the entire war in North Africa. Advanced TOBRUK includes scenarios from Gazala, Crusader, Battleaxe, the 1940 campaign and action in Tunisia.
Your investment in the Advanced TOBRUK SYSTEM (ATS) will be rewarded with new ATS MODULES, each covering a different battle during the war in North Africa. And that's not all! The ATS will be used to depict tactical-level warfare in other theatres of World War II, including Finland, the Eastern Front, Normandy, the Pacific Theatre and others.
Advanced TOBRUK delivers breathtaking action and suspense at the scale and detail true tactical-level enthusiasts demand - individual squads, weapons and tanks. All the subtle nuances of tactical-level combat are provided by the system: gun duels; separate pivoting turrets; AFV indirect fire; coaxial machine-guns; melee; smoke; armor penetration; morale; AFV overruns; and more. Tanks are modeled using discrete armor values at turret, superstructure, lower hull and track aspects and front, side and rear facings and allows for the realistic use of High Explosive, Armor Piercing, APCR and HEAT ammunition. This is all accomplished using a detailed yet intuitive system that avoids the use of side notes, pre-recorded written moves and is SOLITAIRE friendly.
BEGIN PLAY ALMOST IMMEDIATELY using the provided QUICK START tutorials that take moments to read and get your tanks down on the game map-board within minutes. There's a tutorial provided for tank and infantry combat to get you started quickly and painlessly.
IN EACH GAME YOU GET:
- a HUGE collection of 1025 color die-cut counters in 1/2, 5/6 and 3/4 inch sizes, representing the tanks, guns, and infantry that fought in the war in the Western Desert - over 50 unit types
- TWO gorgeous new 22 x 34 inch GEOMORPHIC desert maps on heavy-weight stock that can be linked on any edge - and with additional maps to make a HUGE desert battlefield
- Complete rules of play including examples of play and historical notes
- 24 historical SCENARIOS - each on a high quality 8.5 x 11 inch card with historical summary and photo art
- High quality 11 x 17 play aids on durable stock
- Numerous TERRAIN overlays creating desert tracks, hillocks, wadis, deirs, sand dunes and more interesting topographical features
SOME OF THE UNITS YOU WILL COMMAND:
Crusader II: Two versions of the Cruiser Mk II saw action in the Western Dessert, the Crusader I and II. The Crusader was fast and offered a low profile and up-armored compared to its predecessor, the A13 Mk II. The Crusader first saw action with the 6th Royal Tank Regiment during Operation Battleaxe, the failed attempt to relieve Tobruk during June 1941.
Panzerjäger 1B: This AFV was the first SPG to be adopted by the German Army and a number were still in use in the desert during the Gazala battles. Using a Panzer I chassis, the Panzerjäger 1B mounted the excellent Czech 47mm ATG whose performance roughly equaled the 50mm short-barreled weapon used in the Panzer III. The SPG was handicapped by very thin armor and no machine-guns.
Pzkw IIIh: The heart of the Afrika Korps armored
schwerepunkt, this main battle tank was fast and reliable. The 'h' model featured extra bolted-on nose armor that was able to cope effectively with British 2-pdr ammunition, making this a tough opponent for most of the British tanks in service at the time. The 50mm short-barreled weapon in the Panzer III was unable to cope with the Grant frontally.
