IN THIS ISSUE

INTENSIVE FLU 2009 - all the ASL action and results from Bournemouth CRUSADER LADDER - updated
UP AND DOWN THE DESERT - Mastering desert warfare PANZER VIB KING TIGER - history and use in ASL
REVIEWS GALORE - Schwerpunkt 15, Rally Point 4, Operation Chariot, Friendly Fire 4, The Long March and more reviewed
view from the trenches
Br i t a i n s Pr e mi e r ASL J o u r n a l
Issue 78 Jan - Apr 2010 UK 2.00 US $5.00
2
view from
PREP FIRE
Hello and welcome to the latest issue of VFTT, a couple
of weeks later than planned (as usual, maybe I should revise the
dates :-) ), but Trev Edwards massive review of the latest third
party products took him a bit longer to write than planned Im
sure youll agree with me that it was worth the wait though. 2009
seems to have been a bumper year for new ASL products, and
with a slew of new releases coming soon from MMP and several
others, 2010 looks like it might be another bumper year, so make
sure your wallets are prepared for a 36FP attack!
The UK ASL tournament scene has also grown again, with
the return of DOUBLE 1, so there will be plenty of chances to
actually play some of the new stuff as well!
Til next issue, roll Low and Prosper.
Pete Phillipps
VIEW FROM THE TRENCHES is the bi-monthly British ASL jour-
nal. All comments are welcome. Even better, contribute. Write an article.
Design a scenario. Share your ASL experiences with others. VFTT allows
you to communicate with other ASLers. Dont be a silent voice.
Issue 79 should be out at the beginning of May 2010.
VFTT costs 2.00 per issue (overseas 4.00), with a years subscrip-
tion costing 5.00 (overseas 10.00). Payment should be in pounds sterling,
with cheques made out to PETE PHILLIPPS. Readers are reminded to
check their address label to see when their subscription ends. You can also
donwload VFTT free from the VFTT web site.
Back issue are now out of print but can be downloaded for free
from:
http://www.vftt.co.uk/vfttpdf.htm
VIEW FROM THE TRENCHES
9 Pier Road
Kilchoan
Acharacle
Argyll
PH36 4LJ
Telephone:
(01972) 510 350
E-mail:
[email protected]
World Wide Web Home Page:
http://www.vftt.co.uk
COPYRIGHT AND TRADEMARK NOTICE
Most products are trademarks of the companies publishing them. Use of a product name without mention of the trademark status should not be construed as a
challenge to such status.
Copyright for all material printed within VFTT remains with its author, who can be contacted via VFTT if you would like to reprint his/her material.
EMOTICONS
With the growth of the InterNet, emoticons have originated to allow
people to show expressions in text. I find these very useful for the printed word in
general, so youll see plenty of them in View From the Trenches.
An emoticon is created with keyboard characters and read with the head
tilted to the left. Some typical emoticons are:
:-) humour or smiley
;-) winking
:-> devious smile
<g> grin
:-( sad
:-o shocked or surprised
#-( hung-over
THE ASL MAILING LIST
The ASL Mailing List is devoted to discussion of Advanced Squad Leader, and
is run by Paul Ferraro via a listserv program at the University of Pittsburgh. To
subscribe go to:
http://lists.aslml.net/listinfo.cgi/aslml-aslml.net.
COVER: A Tiger I of sPzAbt 501 pauses to be photo-
graphed in Tunisia.
25 Oct 04
IN THIS ISSUE
PREP FIRE 2
INCOMING 3
INTENSIVE FLU 2009 4
THE CRUSADERS OPEN
ASL TOURNAMENT LADDER 8
UP AND DOWN THE DESERT 10
PANZER VIB KING TIGER 21
THIRD PARTY MEGA-REVIEW 28
THIS IS THE CALL TO ARMS! 34
ON THE CONVENTION TRAIL 35
3
the trenches
MMP NEW YEAR SURGE
MMP expect to have several new
products out at the start of 2010, with ASL
Journal 8, Action Pack 6, and ASL Starter Kit
Expansion Set 1 all due in the New Year.
ASL Starter Kit Expansion Pack 1 is the
fourth instalment of the ASLSK line, and has
been designed with all level of ASLSK player
in mind. Designed to be a standalone package
providing everything needed to play the game
(except dice), it includes a fully illustrated
colour rulebook and charts incorporating the
latest errata, a sheet of 1/2 counters and a sheet
of 5/8 counters, three maps and eight scenarios.
The new maps (q, r, and s) consist of a small
city board, a village/woods board, and a rural
woods/hill board. Of the eight new scenarios,
which are set in locations as varied as Poland
1939, Finland 1942, Sicily 1943, France 1944,
and Germany 1944, two are ASLSK 1 level
(Infantry only), two feature Infantry and Guns
(ASLSK 2) and four feature Tanks (ASLSK 3). It
is expected to sell for $36.00.
Out now, for $10.00, is Beyond the
Beaches: ASLSK Bonus Pack 1, which contains
a new mapboard (p) and three new scenarios set
in Normandy designed for use with just ASLSK
1.
Under development is Elst, an ASLSK
historical module covering the battle in and
UK RETAILER STOCKISTS OF
THIRD PARTY PRODUCTS
To purchase other third party products such
as Critical Hit, Schwerpunkt or Heat of Battle
contact any of the following shops.
LEISURE GAMES, 100 Ballards Lane, Finchley,
London, N3 2DN. Telephone (020) 8346 2327,
e-mail them at [email protected], or go to
www.leisuregames.com.
SECOND CHANCE GAMES, 182 Borough
Road, Seacombe, The Wirral, L44 6NJ.
Telephone (0151) 638 3535, e-mail them at
[email protected], or go to www.
secondchancegames.com.
PLAN 9, 9 Rosemount Viaduct, Aberdeen, AB25
1NE. Telephone (01224) 624 467 or e-mail them at
[email protected].
BATTLEQUEST GAMES, 29 Victory
Road, Horsham, West Sussex, RH12 2JF.
Telephone 01403 242003 or go to http://www.
battlequestgames.com/.
If you know of other shops stocking third
party ASL products let me know so I can include
them here in future issues.
INCOMING
around the town of Elst (between Nijmegen
and Arnhem) in September 1944. It is planned
to have the ASLSK rulebook, 4 scenarios and
a campaign game, and a separate rulebook
introducing simplified off board artillery rules,
rules for steeples (from ASL) and a new terrain
type (polder). There will also be SS units added
to ASLSK. Should it prove popular, there are
tentative plans for a variety of additional ASLSK
historical modules, each containing the ASLSK
rulebook and a module-specific rule book
covering all the rules specific to that module.
For ASL players, 2010 sees the long-
awaited return of the ASL Journal. ASL Journal
8 will be 60 pages in length, and include
16 scenarios, the latest Debriefing of ASL
Q&A/Errata, the updates which went into the
forthcoming Doomed Battalions, 3rd Edition,
and numerous articles. Among these will be a
detailed look at the rules for Vehicular Overrun,
a detailed scenario analysis of J74 Priests
On the Line and a look at the scenarios of
Turning The Tide by Jim Stahler, Ian Daglishs
designers notes for Action Pack 4: Normandy
1944, and a look at the upcoming Finn module
Hakkaa Plle by designers Lars Thuring and
Tuomo Lukkari. The expected retail price will
INCOMING - check www.multimanpublishing.com, www.criticalhit.com, www.heatofbattlegames.com, Dispatches From The Bunker, others
Continued on page 27, column 1
4
view from
intensive flu 2009
We spent the evening in the pub having a
curry and beer while watching the football.
Come the morning Paul was alive but I felt
rough I was coming down with Pauls
flu from sharing a room with him :-( A
day of rest followed, with neither me nor
Paul drinking beer, in what must be a first
for an INTENSIVE FIRE weekend! With
the players gathering, an early night was
planned so I would be fresh in the morning
to get the minis underway. Unfortunately
the flu kicked in overnight, leaving me
shivering and sweating buckets all night :-(
I managed to be up Friday morning
for breakfast and to make sure things ran
And it started so well, with an
excellent weekend in Leicester catching
up with old friends the weekend before
INTENSIVE FIRE. After that it went
downhill. I couldnt find my train ticket
down to Pauls, that Id paid 15 for in
July, so I had to spend 50 quid on a new
one. Only to find the original halfway
through the journey :-( We got to the hotel
on Tuesday morning, only to learn that Ian
Pollard would be late due to car problems.
After curry and beer Tuesday night, Paul
came down with flu the next morning,
so me and Ian left him in the hotel while
we went to Bovington for the day he
still hadnt got up when we got back at 4!
Tournament action in the main gaming room during the weekend.
OK, but went back to bed for the rest
of the morning, then rested in reception
for the rest of the day still no beer :-(,
although at least I managed to get in a
game of ASL.
As usual, Friday saw a number of
mini-tournaments. Trev Edwards ran a
Gurkhas mini, tho as only Tom Jackson
and Bill Sherliker enrolled, they played a
best of three to determine the winner. The
prize, a pair of crossed Kukri mounted on
a plaque, was won by Bill.
Keith Bristow ran The Weather
Outside is Frightful, a mini themed
around winter scenarios. Only four players
enrolled, with Mark Blackmore ending up
as the eventual winner.
The final mini was not really a
proper mini-tournament, but a chance for
players to play from a set of new scenarios
Ian Daglish developed specifically for
INTENSIVE FIRE. As a result, these did
not count for Crusader ladder points. All
three were bases on the actions of the
Guards Armoured Division on the Brussels
road, and were quite popular.
Up Saturday, feeling a bit better, got
the Fire Teams drawn and the tournament
underway. As usual players were divided
into teams of 3, spread over 2 divisions,
based on their Crusader Ladder rating.
Two rounds were played on Saturday and
the third on Sunday morning.
Around lunch-time, I got a game
in, and this time a beer as well :-) Then
another beer that is :-) Two in 4 hours.
The third beer took four hours to drink, a
sign the meds were wearing off, so I took
things easy after that, sticking to water
and an early night I was able to go bed
early while others partied in the bar as the
tourney games had finished so I could post
the Sunday match-ups earlier than normal.
Up OK Sunday, took it steady, did
presentations in a hurry as was eager to
get down the pub for the United game that
kicked off at 2 after the result, wished I
hadnt bothered :-( - tip to gamblers, put
your money on United losing at HEROES
and INTENSIVE FIRE weekends and
youll usually earn a few quid.
The results in both divisions were
close, with the Elite Division being
particularly close, as the top team won
with 15 points while the other three all
5
the trenches
ended up with 12 points each
In the First Division, three teams
were in with a chance of winning on
Sunday morning, depending on how
results went.. Wins for Jackson Keddell
and Gerard Burton enabled Task Force
Keddell to win, while a clean sweep of
the Sunday games allowed Kampf Gruppe
Ramsey to steal second place.
Mark Blackmore won the
Tournament Champion prize, going 7-2
over the weekend, though Gerard Burton
and Jackson Keddell ran him close, both
going 5-0 (Jackson actually won 6 games,
but one of those was one of Ians Guards
scenarios, and was not counted for the
results).
Finally we had run a raffle for a
dice tower that Oliver Gray had donated,
with entry being a pound, and all proceeds
going to the Poppy Appeal Stewart Thain
won the tower, and the Poppy Appeal
benefitted with over 50, so well done
everyone.
Evening saw the last few of us out
for a meal. The next day, I had to hang
around in the hotel til 4pm for train back
to London and the sleeper back to Fort
William at 9pm. Got back home 4pm
Tuesday afternoon, and the flu really
kicked in, took a week to recover :-(
THE SCENARIOS
Here is the table of Scenario Win/Loss records
- remember draws are used in the tournament
rules:
Scenario Allied Axis Draw
A94 Last Defense Line 0 1 0
AP31 First Cristot 1 1 0
AP32 Second Crack At Caumont 5 0 0
AP34 Bocage Blockage 6 2 0
AP41 The Meat Grinder 5 5 0
AP42 Frontiers and Pioneers 1 3 0
AP50 Panzergeist 0 2 0
AP52 Into Vienna Woods 0 1 0
B1 Two Long Bars 2 0 0
B2 Ice Follies 1 0 0
B4 Clear Up the Bridgehead 0 2 0
BotH1 #1: The Hardest Day 0 1 0
BRd1 Point to Make 2 0 0
BRd2 Bridge to Nowhere 1 0 0
ESG18 Exceeding Expectations 0 1 0
FF2-10 Castle Keep 0 1 0
FrF30 Bidermanns Escape 0 1 0
FrF37 Crossing Swords at Kyaukse 0 1 0
J9 A Stiff Fight 0 1 0
J96 Another Bloody Attack 0 1 0
J98 Lend Lease Attack 1 0 0
RPT17 Hetzer Hunters 2 4 0
SF-5 Bushwhacking the Ambush 0 3 0
SP125 Nunshigum 4 7 0
SP163 First To Fastov 1 0 0
SP173 Der Letzte Geburtstag 1 1 0
SP177 Tic Tac Toe 1 0 0
SP179 Brittany Speared 2 1 0
SP180 Encircle This! 1 1 0
SP65 Ayo Gurkhali! 1 0 0
SP95 Burn Gurkha Burn! 0 1 0
SV12 Trap By Mishap 0 1 0
SV14 Day At Night 1 0 0
SV6 Norwegian Edelweiss 0 1 0
TOTALS 83 39 44 0
As usual for INTENSIVE FIRE, the bar was a popular site for exchanging war stories.
Above: a rare photo of Pete Phillipps (left) playing ASL without beer in his hand! Not that it
made a difference, Martin Mayers still beat him!
Below: the prizes for the weekend.
Continued on page 6, column 1
6
view from
FIRE TEAM PLACINGS
ELITE DIVISION
POS TEAM & PLAYERs PTS OPPO
1st Gruppo Schofield 15 16355
Dave Schofield (3475)
Phil Draper (3390)
Sam Prior (3085)
2nd Kampf Gruppe Edwards 12 13685
Trevor Edwards (3415)
Mark Blackmore (3385)
Miles Wiehahn (3070)
3rd Udarnaya Gruppa Bunce 12 13000
Tim Bunce (3720)
Bill Sherliker (3290)
Stewart Thain (3160)
4th Kampf Gruppe McGrath 12 12730
Dominic McGrath (3645)
Simon Croome (3200)
Tom Jackson (3095)
FIRST DIVISION
POS TEAM & PLAYERs PTS OPPO
1st Task Force Keddell 21 19920
Jackson Keddell (3000)
Gerard Burton (2775)
Wayne Baumber (2670)
2nd Kampf Gruppe Ramsey 18 16170
David Ramsey (2970)
Martin Mayers (2745)
Chris Walton (2605)
3rd Kampf Gruppe Binns 15 13535
William Binns (3045)
Shaun Carter (2865)
Jackie Eves (2345)
4th Kampf Gruppe Daglish 12 11050
Ian Daglish (2895)
Paul Legg (2775)
Paul Jones (2635)
5th Udarnaya Gruppa Haas 6 5430
Mat Haas (2965)
Brian Hooper (2860)
Simon Taylor (2555)
6th Kampf Gruppe Smith 6 5205
Graham Smith (2880)
Ian Parkes (2825)
Nigel Blair (2635)
The OPPO value is the total value of the
Crusader ladder points of the opponents beaten
by that fire team.
Id like to thank Dominic McGrath
and Derek Tocher for their help with the
scenario selection, Shaun Carter for help
with the prizes, and Trev Edwards, Ian
Daglish and Keith Bristow for organising
the mini-tournaments, and Ian Pollard for
taking the photos which are used here in
VFTT and the ASL Tourneys web site. Bu
most of all everyone for turning up and
making INTENSIVE FIRE the success it
is.
INTENSIVE FLU 2009
Continued from page 5
Above: the First Division winners (left-right): Gerard Burton, Wayne Baumber, and team captain
Jackson Keddell.
Below: Tournament Champion Mark Blackmore.
Bottom: Dave Schofield (left) and Trev Edwards clash.
7
the trenches
PLAYER RESULTS
Here are the individual win/loss records.
PLAYER P W L D
Wayne Baumber 4 1 3 0
William Binns 6 2 4 0
Mark Blackmore 9 7 2 0
Nigel Blair 4 2 2 0
Keith Bristow 4 1 3 0
Tim Bunce 4 3 1 0
Gerard Burton 5 5 0 0
Shaun Carter 3 2 1 0
Paul Case 1 0 1 0
Simon Croome 4 2 2 0
Ian Daglish 4 2 2 0
Phil Draper 4 3 1 0
Trevor Edwards 7 4 3 0
Jackie Eves 3 1 2 0
Eric Gerstenberg 3 2 1 0
Mat Haas 3 1 2 0
Brian Hooper 6 2 4 0
Tom Jackson 6 2 4 0
Paul Jones 8 4 4 0
Jackson Keddell 6 6 0 0
Paul Kettlewell 2 2 0 0
Justin Key 6 2 4 0
Paul Legg 3 1 2 0
Tim Macaire 4 3 1 0
Martin Mayers 4 3 1 0
Dominic McGrath 3 1 2 0
Ian Parkes 5 1 4 0
Pete Phillipps 2 0 2 0
Ian Pollard 1 0 1 0
Sam Prior 4 1 3 0
David Ramsey 5 4 1 0
Nick Ranson 1 0 1 0
Dave Schofield 3 2 1 0
Bill Sherliker 9 5 4 0
Graham Smith 3 0 3 0
Simon Taylor 4 1 3 0
Stewart Thain 3 1 2 0
Chris Walton 7 2 5 0
Miles Wiehahn 3 0 3 0
Above: the Elite Division winners (left-right): Sam Prior, team captain Dave Schofield, and Phil
Draper.
Below: Stewart Thain won the raffle draw for this dice tower donated by Oliver Gray.
Bottom: Trev Edwards proudly shows off his winning chit from his game againt Dave Schofield.
If you wish to attend INTENSIVE
FIRE 2010, the dates are Thursday 28 -
Sunday 31 October about a dozen of us
have already booked into the hotel so book
now to avoid disappointment!
And if you cant wait til October
2010 for some tournament action,
HEROES 2010 takes place in March 2010
in sunny Blackpool over the weekend
Thursday 11 14 March check out the
ad elsewhere for the details.

8
view from
The Crusaders Open ASL Tournament Ladder
INTENSIVE FIRE 2009 Update
New Champion Mark Blackmore
Derek Tocher
INTENSIVE FIRE 2009 was the 31st
British ASL tournament and there are now
almost 2900 results recorded on the ladder and
we now have 261 players who have participated
at least once. At any one time there are about
80-90 ASLers attending tournaments on at
least a semi-regular basis. The largest number
of games played over the history of UK ASL
tournaments has been racked up by Brian
Hooper, 158, and there are nine players with
over 100 games recorded, and another eighteen
who have played 50+. The top 10% of players
have ratings of 3280+ while the upper quartile
are rated 3160+. Those in the lower quartile
have ratings below 2810 while the bottom 10%
of participants are rated 2665 or less. These
numbers have remained essentially invariant
over the last ten years and the distribution of
results is essentially Gaussian about 3000.
Mark Blackmore recorded seven straight
wins in the tournament and is the new champion
and appears in 15th on the full ladder. Over the
weekend there were quite a number of results
that went contrary to ladder standings and hence
we have quite a number of players who have
lost/gained more than 200 points. The most
points gained over the weekend was recorded
by Gerard Burton who went 5-0 and gained 405
pts promoting himself to 115th on the all time
list and 21st on the active players list. A little
behind was Paul Jones 4-4 who picked up 285
points and newcommer Jackson Keddell +240
points leaving him at 16th on the active players
list after only one tournament. Close behind was
Phil Draper who picked up 230 pts to put him in
3rd position on the active players list and 8th on
the all time list.
Of course we also had a number of
significant losers over the weekend as well.
Ian Parkes lost 285 points despite winning one
game and is now on 2540 pts and creeps into
the bottom ten players. Long time regular Keith
Bristow lost 230 points and so slipping into the
bottom half of the list and Miles Wiehahn was
the third player to lose more than 200 pts.
Without more ado here is the Crusader
Ladder as of 21 December 2009.

Rank Player Played WDL Points

1 Toby Pilling 75 68--2--5 4085
2 Derek Tocher 122 91--2--28 3855
3 Steve Thomas 42 32--1--9 3755
4 Tim Bunce 59 41--0--18 3735
5 Simon Strevens 87 60--1--25 3720
6 Mike Rudd 38 32--1--5 3660
7 Fermin Retamero 13 11--0--2 3650
8 Phil Draper 65 41--2--22 3620
9 Michael Hastrup-Leth 45 31--1--13 3615
10 Aaron Cleavin 6 6--0--0 3565
11= Peter Bennett 14 12--1--1 3560
11= Bjarne Marell 36 26--0--10 3560
13 Steve Linton 17 14--0--3 3545
14 Dominic Mcgrath 150 92-2--57 3535
15 Mark Blackmore 50 34--0--16 3505
16= Dave Schofield 145 104--0--41 3475
16= Jes Touvdal 24 16--0--8 3475
18 Martin Vicca 33 23--1--9 3420
19 Trevor Edwards 116 62--1--53 3415
20 Lars Klysner 11 8--0--3 3400
21 Craig Benn 46 3--0--13 3380
22= Ran Shiloah 11 7--0--4 3370
22= Peter Struijf 10 8--0--2 3370
24= Andrew Dando 48 27--2--19 3365
24= Carl Sizmur 21 13--0--8 3365
26 Bernt Ribom 5 5--0--0 3350
27 Paul Haesler 14 7--2--5 3325
28 Joe Arthur 21 13--0--8 3305
29= Bill Sherliker 27 14--2--11 3295
29= Aaron Sibley 58 35--0--23 3295
29= Frank Tinschert 15 10--0--5 3295
32 Philippe Leonard 9 7--1--1 3285
33= Will Fleming 3 3--0--0 3280
33= Ralf Krusat 6 5--0--1 3280
33= Alan Smee 4 4--0--0 3280
36 Dave Booth 7 5--0--2 3270
37 Malcolm Hatfield 56 26--0--30 3265
38= Derek Cox 16 8--0--8 3245
38= Daniel Kalman 11 8--0--3 3245
40 Jackson Keddell 4 4--0--0 3240
41= Daniel Batey 4 4--0--0 3235
41= Paul Saunders 19 10--0--9 3235
43 David Tye 42 19--0--23 3230
44= Ulric Schwela 44 20--1--23 3225
44= Ray Woloszyn 31 18--1--12 3225
46 Christain Koppmeyer 15 8--0--7 3220
47= Ian Percy 12 8--1--3 3215
47= Tom Slizewski 5 4--0--1 3215
49= Klaus Malmstrom 4 3--1--0 3210
49= Nils-Gunner Nilsson 5 4--0--1 3210
49= Yves Tielemans 3 3--0--0 3210
52= Francois Boudrenghien 3 3--0--0 3205
52= Bob Eburne 56 32--0--24 3205
54 Michael Davies 71 38--1--32 3200
55 Jean Devaux 3 3--0--0 3190
56 Armin Deppe 13 7--1--5 3185
57= Gerard Burton 29 15--0--14 3180
57= Bill Durrant 5 4--0--1 3180
Rank Player Played WDL Points
59= Steve Crowley 47 21--1--25 3175
59= Jonathan Pickles 8 5--0--3 3175
61= Grant Pettit 7 4--1--2 3170
61= Bruno Tielemans 3 3--0--0 3170
63 Tony Gibson 31 17--0--14 3165
64= Rodney Callen 6 4--0--2 3160
64= Mel Falk 9 5--0--4 3160
66 Jeremy Copley 9 6--0--3 3150
67= Simon Croome 56 30--0--26 3145
67= Nick Edelsten 22 14--1--7 3145
69= Paul Odonald 72 44--1--27 3135
69= Frenk Van Der MEY 4 3--0--1 3135
69= Andrew Whinnett 16 9--0--7 3135
72 Chris Courtier 13 7--2--4 3130
73 Paul Sanderson 41 21--0--20 3125
74= Lee Brimmicombe-Wood 12 8--0--4 3120
74= William Hanson 19 11--0--7 3120
74= Philip Jones 5 3--0--2 3120
74= Anthony Oboyle 3 2-0--1 3120
74= Paul Ryde-Weller 10 5--1--4 3120
79= Tom Jackson 17 9--0--8 3115
79= Georges Tournemire 3 2--1--0 3115
79= Mark Walley 4 3--0--1 3115
82= Luis Calcada 43 21--1--21 3110
82= Steve Cook 23 14--0--9 3110
82= Luc Schonkerren 5 3--0--2 3110
82= Stewart Thain 24 12--0--12 3110
86 Simon Morris 11 6--0--5 3105
87 Russ Curry 6 4--0--2 3100
88= Nigel Brown 26 11--0--15 3095
88= Marc Hanna 6 4--0--2 3095
88= Mikael Siemsen 6 3--0--3 3095
91= Jas Bal 5 3--0--2 3090
91= Kevin Beard 13 9--1--3 3090
91= Gary Lock 2 2--0--0 3090
91= Iain Mackay 43 22--0--21 3090
91= Peter Michels 3 2--0--1 3090
96 Paulo Alessi 6 4-0-2 3085
97 Dirk Beijaard 5 3--0--2 3080
98= Billy Carslaw 11 4--0--7 3075
98= Robin Langston 9 4--2--3 3075
98= Chris Milne 5 3--0--2 3075
101= Jean-Luc Baas 3 2--0--1 3070
101= Serge Bettencourt 3 2--0--1 3070
101= Robert Schaaf 3 2--0--1 3070
104= Alexander Rousse-Lacordaire 4 2--1--1 3065
104= Bob Runnicles 3 2--0--1 3065
106= Scott Byrne 12 7--0--5 3060
106= Raurigh Dale 38 17--0--21 3060
106= Patrik Manlig 16 9--0--7 3060
109= Stefan Jacobi 11 5--0--6 3050
109= Bo Siemsen 4 2--0--2 3050
111 Scott Greenman 8 3--1--4 3045
112 Tim Macaire 61 32--0--29 3040
113 Steve Pleva 6 3--0--3 3035
114 Mark Warren 20 11--0--9 3030
115= Daniele Dal Bello 4 1-0-3 3025
115= Peter Hofland 4 2--0--2 3025
117 Vincent Kamer 4 2--0--2 3015
Rank Player Played WDL Points
118= Colin Graham 5 3--0--2 3010
118= Sam Prior 51 27--0--24 3010
118= Andrew Saunders 33 15--1--17 3010
121 Allard Koene 7 4--0--3 3005
122= Nick Brown 3 1--1--1 3000
122= Thomas Buettner 3 2--0--1 3000
122= Stephen Burleigh 37 15--2--20 3000
122= Steve Grainger 8 4--0--4 3000
122= Martin Hubley 4 3--0--1 3000
122= Ian Kenney 4 2--0--2 3000
122= Phil Nobo 11 6--0--5 3000
122= Duncan Spencer 4 2--0--2 3000
130= Gilles Hakim 5 2--0--3 2995
130= Kris Pugh 14 6--0--8 2995
132= Eric Baker 2 1--0--1 2985
132= Matt Blackman 2 1--0--1 2985
134= David Farr 4 2--0--2 2980
134= David Ramsey 35 15--0--20 2980
134= Malcolm Rutledge 3 1--0--2 2980
137 Sergio Puzziello 5 1--0--4 2975
138 John Orielly 5 2--1--2 2970
139 David Blackwood 7 4--0--3 2965
140= Elliot Cox 2 0--1--1 2960
140= Ben Jones 49 23--0--26 2960
142= Eric Gerstenberg 9 5--0--4 2955
142= Michael Maus 7 3--0--4 2955
144 Neil Brunger 48 18--0--30 2950
145= Stuart Brant 5 3--0--2 2945
145= Laurent Forest 3 0--0--3 2945
145= Alex Ganna 2 0--1--1 2945
145= David Murry 5 2--1--2 2945
145= Pedro Ramis 6 3--0--3 2945
150= Paulo Ferreira 9 4--0--5 2940
150= Wayne Kelly 11 4--1--6 2940
150= Bob Nugent 3 2--0--1 2940
150= Jon Williams 14 6--0--8 2940
154= Derek Briscoe 1 0--0--1 2935
154= Martin Bryan 19 8--0--11 2935
156= Andrea Marchino 1 0--0--1 2930
156= Andy Price 3 1--0--2 2930
158= Paul Boyle 5 2--0--3 2925
158= Martin Mayers 27 11--0--16 2925
158= John Sharp 8 3--0--5 2925
161= Steve Allen 6 1--1--4 2920
161= Tim Collier 17 7--0--10 2920
161= Paul Jones 14 5--0--9 2920
164= Iain Ainsworth 1 0--0--1 2915
164= Edo Giaroni 3 1--0--2 2915
166= Joel Berridge 3 1--0--2 2910
166= Brian Martuzas 5 2--0--3 2910
166= Andy Smith 4 0--0--4 2910
169= Mark Caddy 1 0--0--1 2905
169= James Neary 5 2--0--3 2905
169= Phil Ward 5 2--0--3 2905
172= Shaun Carter 76 34--1--41 2900
172= Ian Daglish 135 61--2--72 2900
172= Josh Kalman 10 5--0--5 2900
175 Martin Kristensen 6 2--0--4 2895
176= Jakob Norgaard 6 1--1--4 2885
176= Bernard Savage 21 9--1--11 2885
9
the trenches

Rank Player Played WDL Points
178 Sam Belcher 8 3--0--5 2880
179= William Binns 16 7-0--9 2875
179= Patrick Dale 38 15--1--22 2875
181= John Johnson 1 0--0--1 2870
181= David Kalman 5 2--0--3 2870
183= Russell Gough 81 45--4--38 2865
183= Miles Wiehahn 16 7--0--9 2865
185= Brendan Clark 16 6--1--9 2860
185= Peter Ladwein 21 9--0--12 2860
185= Lutz Pietschker 4 1--0--3 2860
185= Neil Piggot 4 1--0--3 2860
185= Neil Stevens 60 24--2--34 2860
190 Paul Kettlewell 86 39--0--47 2855
191 Nick Angelopoulos 5 1--0--4 2850
192 Keith Bristow 69 39--1--29 2845
193 Bill Eaton 21 8--3--10 2840
194= Mark Furnell 13 5--1--7 2835
194= Mat Haas 10 4--0--6 2835
194= Dave Otway 5 1--0--4 2835
197 Mike Daniel 5 2--0--3 2825
198 Mark Chapman 6 2--0--4 2820
199 Michael Robertson 4 1--0--3 2810
200= Michael Essex 30 14--0--16 2800
200= Ivor Gardiner 17 8--0--9 2800
200= Clive Haden 5 2--0--3 2800
200= William Roberts 11 3--1--7 2800
204= Kevin Croskery 16 6--0--10 2790
204= Alistair Fairbairn 3 0--0--3 2790
204= Nick Sionskyj 8 3--0--5 2790
207 Chris Littlejohn 14 3--2--9 2780
208 Graham Worsfold 3 0--0--3 2775
209= Lee Bray 14 3--0--11 2770
209= Richard Kirby 7 2--0--5 2770
211 Bill Hensby 31 10--0--21 2765
212= Andrew Hershey 10 4--0--6 2760
212= Flemming Scott-Christensen 6 1--0--5 2760
214= Oliver Gray 9 3--0--6 2755
214= Jonathan Townsend 4 1--0--3 2755
216= Martin Barker 9 2--0--7 2750
216= Peter Neale 3 0--0--3 2750
218 Burnham Fox 23 10--0--13 2740
219= Rupert Featherby 3 0--0--3 2735
219= Nick Quinn 14 5--0--9 2735
219= Graham Smith 43 16--1--26 2735
222= Gareth Evans 4 0--0--4 2730
222= Justin Key 63 25--1--37 2730
224 Hamish Hughson 4 0--0--4 2725
225= Steve Cocks 4 0--0--4 2720
225= Marc Horton 6 1--0--5 2720
227 Ray Jennings 11 3--0--8 2715
228 Brian Hooper 158 55--2--101 2695
229 Simon Hoare 4 0--0--4 2690
230= Nigel Blair 108 41--1--66 2685
230= Jeff Howarden 7 2--0--5 2685
232= Andy Mcmaster 29 10--0--19 2680
232= Christain Speis 5 1--0--4 2680
234 James Crosfield 15 6--0--9 2670
235 Paul Legg 123 50--2--71 2660
236 Pedro Barradas 7 1--0--6 2655
237= Nigel Ashcroft 52 19--1--32 2635
237= Chris Walton 43 12--0--31 2635
239 Adrian Catchpole 11 2--0--9 2625
240 Adrian Maddocks 12 3--0--9 2620
241 Arthur Garlick 21 2--5--14 2615
242 Bryan Brinkman 9 1--0--8 2610
243 Damien Maher 4 0--0--4 2595
244= Roger Cook 29 9--2--18 2590
244= Ian Pollard 110 42--1--67 2590
246 John Fletcher 6 0--0--6 2585
247 Wayne Baumber 67 28--0--39 2580
248 Chris Netherton 30 10--2--18 2560
249= Pete Phillipps 124 52--0--73 2555
249= Mike Stanbridge 47 13--1--33 2555
251 Michael Rhodes 43 10--0--33 2545
252 Ian Parkes 9 3--0--6 2540
253 Simon Taylor 12 2--1--9 2535
254 Paul Case 123 32--3--88 2515
255 Robert Seeney 5 0--0--5 2510
256 Nick Carter 11 2--0--9 2475
257 John Kennedy 24 5--0--19 2415
258 Jackie Eves 42 12--0--30 2410
259 Chris Ager 26 7--0--19 2400
260 Ray Porter 33 3--0--30 2340
261 Nick Ranson 27 3--1--23 2120
Londons Advanced Squad Leaders (LASL) welcome ASL/ASLSK players or potential
players. If youre passing through or staying over in London, youre welcome to come
along and take part. Theres no fee for taking part or spectating.
We usually meet on the second Saturday of each month from 10.30am until 5.30pm.
LASLs venue is located in the lower ground floor of Starbucks, 32 Fleet Street, London,
EC4Y 1AA. Its quiet and has space for up to 20 games.
If you want to come along send your name and contact details to brendan@doubleone-
online.net to arrrange a game and ensure there are no last minute problems.
Mlord Derek,

Seeing that we are tied on the ladder, a circumstance intol-
erable to gentil and parfit chevaliers, Shaun Carter Esq,
Townsman of Breightmet in the Burh of Bury, has thrown
his cap at my feet and challenged me to a duel.

As the challenged party, I have nominated SU85 vs
PzIVH at ten hexes, with uncapped lances (aka APCBC)
caparisoned and bedecked with Schrtzen and plate. The
joust will be subject to the regulations of the Baronet Shell-
ing, per scroll SP163.

Can we appeal for the College of ASL Heralds to recognise
this as an official tournament?

SNAFU in Omnium.

Ian Daglish
Knight of Alderley on Edge
in the Lordship of
Sir Hugh de Trafford
10
view from
Up and Down the Desert
A systematic approach to mastering desert warfare in ASL
Jon Neall
the Desert rules. But I prefer to think of
this as more of a systematic approach
even though I realise that the semantic
difference is slim (in some sense the
following might resemble a Training
Manual approach). It occurs to me that by
examining just a few scenarios from WOA
(or even HL), and digesting certain rules
to begin with, while adding others later
on, we can quite efficiently develop our
own mastery of this unique battlefield of
the Second World War. I wont necessarily
offer any tactical advice. The WOA
scenarios have been analysed in the past
by a much more qualified writer than me,
and tactics in the desert develop only after
mastery of the mechanics, and this is what
I offer here. So lets transport ourselves to
Libya, late 1941, for our first lesson. The
attempt to relieve Tobruk is about to begin,
and you are set to command armour in
your first desert battle.
LESSON 1:
Introduction to the Desert
Text: 35 Blazin Chariots
Firstly, it is assumed that you have
a grasp of the vehicle and ordnance rules,
as well as those regarding basic infantry.
Footsloggers will not last long out in the
desert without some kind of mechanical
transport. Cities, towns and villages are
few and far between, and once you move
over the escarpment and head inland,
youll find civilisation has completely
abandoned you, leaving you to wither and
die in the sands. Many theorists at the
beginning of the war saw desert operations
as an opportunity for a type of land-based
naval warfare, where fleets of vehicles
would manoeuvre about like fleets of
battleships, and where occupation of key
terrain was less important than gaining
a position from which the most effective
fire could be brought upon an enemy.
Scenario 35 Blazin Chariots enables you
to test this theory. One player commands
a squadron of 5 Battalion, Royal Tank
Regiment, 7
th
Armoured Division, while
the other commands a motley collection
of Panzers (Marks IIF, IIIH, IIIG and
IVE) of Kampfgruppe Stephen, part of 5
Panzer Regiment of 21
st
Panzer Division.
This British counterattack is a perfect
introduction to the desert; minimal rules
with only armour, with no need to worry
about infantry, only three terrain types, and
one climatic condition to really be aware
of.
Basic Terrain
Terrain is the easiest to grasp in this
case. You only have to deal with Open
Ground, Scrub and Hammada, in other
words the terrain printed on the three map
boards. There is no complicated overlay
terrain, and you dont have to worry about
Board 25.
Open Ground (F1.1) in the Desert
is, you guessed it, pretty much just like
Open terrain anywhere else. There is a
slight difference, however, and it is mostly
to do with the hard surface so regularly
encountered in North Africa. Because of
this you are not allowed to Emplace your
guns during set-up, and any entrenchment
attempt suffers a +2 DRM (as does any
such attempt on a desert board, unless
in sand). Neither of these issues are a
problem in this scenario, but they are
important to remember for later on.
Scrub (F2.1) is only a little bit
different from Open Ground. There is
no TEM to be gained here (and it wont
even negate FFMO or Interdiction), but
Entrenching is allowed (+2 DRM), and
so is Concealment and Emplacement for
Infantry and Guns only. Movement costs
for Vehicles differ for Scrub also. In our
case, it will cost our Fully Tracked AFVs
2 MP to enter, slowing us down some as
our drivers try to negotiate this piece of
tricky ground. Wheeled Vehicles, such as
Armoured Cars and Trucks, pay an even
greater cost to enter Scrub.
In 1940, none of the eventual major
combatants in North Africa, save perhaps
the Italians, expected to have to fight a war
in the desert. By 1943, many were experts,
having learnt the hard way that fighting
in arid conditions was a far cry from war
on the European mainland. The desert
was harsh and unforgiving. Extremes
of weather, from blistering hot days, to
freezing cold nights, and sandstorms that
could almost tear at ones skin, drove men
mad. Like the jungles of the Far East, in
North Africa it could truly be said that a
soldier fought more than one enemy. The
North African war, fought over such large
distances, was also the most mechanised
of the war. Each side depended on motored
vehicles for survival, and as such, not
only was their maintenance of the utmost
importance, but the correct utilisation of
such tools of war was paramount to any
one sides success.
The Chapter F rules have a good
go at representing these conditions in
ASL terms. For a start, vehicles all have
a greater VP value (DVP desert VP,
F.3). But its the landscape that strikes
the prospective desert ASLer first. The
map boards are almost bare, giving a
commander little in the way of cover, and
Lines of Sight seem endless. New terrain
types abound, from the simple (scrub
and hammada) to the complex (hillocks,
wadis and sand). At first, it would seem
that mastery of these would be enough
for the desert commander. Of course,
ASL is never that simple. Mastery is also
required of a range of different climatic
conditions, each of which affect visibility
most of all, providing not just cover, but in
their most severe form providing contests
where battles are almost fought by the
blind versus the blind. In fact, mobility
and visibility are perhaps the areas most
affected by the desert, in real life and in
ASL. Suddenly, that open landscape can
begin to feel a little constricting.
As the commanders and the troops
on the ground learnt these new rules
in 1940-43, so do we on our cardboard
battlefield; bit by bit, lesson by lesson,
mistake by costly mistake. To ease
the process I offer this approach. A
programmed instruction method is hardly
original in ASL, although I am unaware
of any such article or guide dealing with
11
the trenches
Hammada (F3.1) mainly affects
movement also, and can prove to be a bit
dodgy for most vehicles, kind of in the
same way that driving your family sedan
over successive kerbs and footpaths is bad
on the suspension and the bodywork. Like
Scrub, Hammada does not negate FFMO
or Interdiction, but it has a variety of
different movement costs for each type of
vehicle. A Truck must spend 6 MP to enter
(!) although our hardier AFVs can take the
punishment with only a 2 MP cost.
If our vehicles were not
fully tracked, however, entry into a
Hammada hex would require an instant
Immobilisation DR (as would entry into a
hex accessible to a Hammada hex). This
would be needed also if we were trying
to change VCA in the hex. This DR is
adversely affected for vehicles over 4
tonnes, non-British vehicles, and those
that do not spend more time negotiating
the hex through the doubling of movement
costs. A failed Immobilisation DR results
in a TC, failure of which means the vehicle
is buggered and the occupants have clearly
decided to move on.
Hammada also adds quite lethal
effects to certain types of fire. In the same
way that Air Burst Indirect fire can be
deadly for those sheltering in woods; a -1
TEM applies for any DC, Bombardment,
and Ordnance/OBA HE attack against any
non-armoured target. This wont apply
for now, but once again it is something
to remember for later on. Ultimately,
Hammada is best avoided by most vehicles
and men.
Sunblindness
The only environmental condition
we have to worry about for the moment
is Late Afternoon Sunblindness (F11.61-
612). The British squadron arrives on the
eastern side of the map, charging west
into the setting sun. This provides a +2
Desert Low Visibility (DLV) hindrance to
any TH or non-ordnance IFT fire facing
west. This is probably one of the biggest
problems (other than trying to stay on the
move and fire) that the British commander
will face, although if he can manoeuvre
his forces to attack the Germans from a
different direction, or to even get behind
them somehow, then he can negate this
disadvantage or even turn it to his own
advantage.
As the EC is defined as Moist, there
will be no dust of any kind to worry about.
Dust only occurs when EC are Dry or
Very Dry, and at least one desert mapboard
is in use. Vehicle Dust occurs whenever
Light Dust (which we will discuss later) is
theoretically possible.
Other than that, there is little else
to be mentioned for now. Scenario 35
can be played with just these few rules in
mind. It is a classic charge across the open
desert. The British Stuart tanks have to
exploit their higher speed and close with
the German armour as soon as possible.
You can try to focus your attack either
in the north or the south (remembering
that the British player has to enter at least
3 tanks on each board), in an attempt to
move in on either of the German flanks,
hopefully quickly negating the effects of
Sunblindness, or you can split your force
to achieve both flanking opportunities.
Due to the dispersed German set up, a
charge across the centre of the board,
while it might split the German force,
will do little other than leave your forces
vulnerable from attack on two sides.
The wide open terrain, however, ensures
that everybody is in LOS at all times, so
speed, constant manoeuvre and motion
are paramount for the British player. The
German will stay still for the first few fire
phases, trying his best to cull the British
force a bit before it gets too close. Then
he, too, must move into the fight to avoid
being outflanked. At most hell want to
keep between the British tanks and the sun,
maximising the DLV effect on the British
fire. If they manage to turn his flank, either
in the north or the south, he will have lost
his primary protection from fire, and will
start losing tanks faster than his opponent.
You are ready at this point to try it.
LESSON 2:
Sand, Sangars and Dust
Text: 39 Turning the Tables
It is time to welcome the infantry
to the fight in North Africa, and to do so
well travel back a few months to March
1941. The Afrika Korps has just arrived
in the desert to face the British, the latter
force flush with its recent overwhelming
victory over the moribund Italian 10
th

Army in Cyrenaica. The allied advance
had lost its impetus however, leaving the
recently arrived Rommel an opportunity
to strike. The line at Mersa el Brega
resembled the later Alamein line in the
sense that it allowed no open flank in
the south for a mobile force to turn.
The position was thus a bottleneck, and
was one that the newly arrive British 2
Armoured Division had fortified with lines
of mines and wire. Scenario 39 Turning
the Tables gives us a sense of this type
of frontal battle in the desert while is also
presents another obstacle; sand. But before
we look at the terrain, lets consider how
Routing works in the desert.
In the desert, units are not forced
to rout to woods or buildings (F.1C).
Only very occasionally will either appear
(actually woods will never appear, why
would they? Its the desert!). Because of
this, in any scenario that only uses desert
boards, an infantry unit is only eliminated
for failure to rout if the enemy forcing it
to do so is within six hexes of it. Added
to this is the fact that in North African
scenarios, probably a reflection of the
nature of the fighting there, surrender
cannot be refused (it is well known that
many of the combatants in North Africa
considered the theatre a gentlemans
war, and there were many examples of
chivalrous actions from officers and troops
of each side).
Sand
It seems a no-brainer that a desert
scenario should have lots of sand (F7.1),
but the sand overlays themselves represent
the very softest of sand, the type that is
so difficult for both men and vehicles to
easily traverse. Open Ground on a desert
mapboard is hard and difficult to break;
sand, however, is soft and almost fluid
in its movement. In most respects sand
is treated as Open Ground; it is neither
a Hindrance nor an Obstacle and it
doesnt negate FFMO or Interdiction. It
mostly affects movement, some attacks,
emplacement and fortifications. Sand
is something that, if you are moving a
vehicle, is best avoided if possible due to
the inhibiting nature of Sand Bog.
Movement costs for sand are
1+COT for infantry, 2+COT for fully
tracked vehicles, 3+COT for Halftracks
and a whopping 6+COT for trucks (all of
12
view from
these costs are lessened by 1 MF/MP if EC
is Wet/Mud). In addition, when any vehicle
enters or changes VCA in a Sand hex (or
into an accessible hex) it must take a Sand
Bog DR. Higher DRM apply for vehicles
with high ground pressure, that arent fully
tracked, or are trucks. A negative DRM
applies in Wed/Muddy conditions (due to
the way moisture makes sand a lot firmer),
or if you are doing the Sand Bog check
while in an accessible hex rather than the
sand hex itself.
Sand has some defensive benefits.
There is no TEM at all, but any ordnance
attack on the Infantry or Area Target Type
against an unarmoured target has its FP
halved (FRU) on the IFT, due most likely
to the muffling effect of sand on high
explosive shells that might often penetrate
the ground some way before going
off. However, sand is hard to control.
While its easier to dig a foxhole in sand
(entrenchment attempts do not face the +2
DRM), any protection from such is halved,
as is any Emplacement benefit. Not only
that, no other fortifications can be built in
sand at all. Its better to take advantage of
the way sand channels the movement of
your enemy. Look for chokepoints where
he will be forced to advance through gaps
in sand, or set up HIP units that can bring
heavy fire on units forced to wade through
sand at the higher movement cost. If
you are the attacker, use HS to probe the
defences and find out where the British
fortifications are.
We also have to consider the effect
of Sand Dunes (F7.5), particularly in this
scenario. Sand Dunes are signified by a
darker yellowish/brown hexside on Sand
overlays. There are two types of Sand
Dune crests, high and low. On a Low
Sand Dune Overlay, the sand hexes are
considered as normal sand hexes, while
the dune hexside itself is considered a
half-level obstacle, much like a wall in
terms of its affect on LOS. It provides a +1
TEM to fire across the hexside, and costs 1
MP/MF to cross (and when vehicles cross,
Underbelly Hits can occur as per usual).
On a High Sand Dune Overlay (as in this
scenario), the sand hexes are considered
the equivalent of half level Hillock hexes
(which will be considered in the next
lesson), while the Dune Crest is considered
a Level 1 obstacle. Normally a High Dune
would be marked by a counter, but this is
not necessary in this scenario where all
dunes are considered high. Dunes can do
much to inhibit movement, block or hinder
LOS and provide protection from fire.
They add a terrain benefit in a war zone
where every bit of cover is priceless.
Sangars
Sangars (F8.1) are a type of
Entrenchment unique to the desert. The
term itself originated among British troops
stationed in Afghanistan in the Nineteenth
Century (supposedly sanger was the
Persian word for barricade), and referred
to a type of rock structure that was able
to provide only a limited amount of cover
using materials available to troops at the
time.
A sangar cannot be set up in sand,
nor can one be created during play. It is
the equivalent of a 1S foxhole in many
respects. It can hold one squad, but it can
also hold a gun and its crew. Its TEM is +3
against an Overrun, and +1 against other
attacks. An emplaced gun still receives a
+2 benefit, but this is not in addition to
the benefit of the sangar. Like a foxhole,
it costs infantry 1 MF to move beneath
a sangar or out of it, and a gun can be
pushed into a sangar. One cool thing
about sangars is that a trench counter in an
accessible hex is presumed to be joined to
the sangar fortification, and this means that
your units can move from one to another
without having to first leave either of the
fortifications. This represents the ability
to create a type of fortified outpost so
common in the war in North Africa.
Sangars can be subject to Overrun of
course, and a gun that is in a sangar during
an overrun is automatically destroyed (as
is the sangar), even though other units get
to face a proper OVR resolution process.
A KIA result from a DC, OVR, or HE of
70mm or more also destroys the sangar
immediately. One opportunity arising
from a vehicle OVR of a sangar is that the
said vehicle (assuming it is fully tracked)
can be subject to Underbelly Hits while
crossing the relevant hexside.
Dust
Alfred Toppe, a former officer with
the Afrika Korps, wrote post-war of his
experiences in the desert of North Africa.
One of his main observations was that dust
in all of its forms had the most impact on
warfare in that arena, and that its effects
were at all levels, from strategic to tactical.
Toppe writes of how enormous dust clouds
quite pointedly showed the location of
advancing enemy troops, and how dust
itself could bring combating forces to
within metres of one another before battle
commenced. There is even a story of how
one British divisional commander was
lost for three hours trying to make his way
from his command tent to the mess tent
in a dust storm; a distance of a couple of
hundred metres. Dust is represented in ASL
in a number of complex ways. There are
different levels of extremity of dust, and
each level adds more complexity to the
resolution of LOS and fire attacks. We also
have to consider Vehicle Dust, the tail
of dust that follows vehicles around the
board, providing a rather convenient (at
times) amount of cover for other vehicles
or infantry that might be following. There
is also the concept of Heavy Wind and its
affect on fire attacks to consider.
Whenever EC are Dry or Very Dry
and a Desert Mapboard is in use, then dust
can occur (F11.7). In this scenario, Light
Dust is in effect as per SSR. This means
that Vehicle Dust will also occur, although,
with only four vehicles, the effect will
be minimal. More apparent will be the
slight effect Light Dust has on fire attacks.
Dust in any form usually causes either a
desert LV DRM (Light or Moderate Dust)
or in extreme cases such as Heavy, Very
Heavy and Extremely Heavy Dust a LOS
Hindrance DRM that negates FFMO and
Interdiction.
The application of the Dust rules
during Light or Moderate Dust is pretty
simple. You need only roll a second die
for any TH DR or non-Ordnance IFT
DR. This die is halved (FRD for Light
Dust; FRU for Moderate Dust) and the
remaining figure is the dust DLV added to
the attack. Range is not relevant to this dr,
and the total effect will always be in the
region of +0 to +3 DRM. The randomness
of the result clearly relates to the fact that
shifting winds can move dust around,
providing momentarily clear lines of
sight, or alternatively dust can rise quickly
enough to appear like fog then just as
quickly subside again. The Light/Moderate
Dust dr is a simple mechanism to simulate
this effect. It can be tiresome, but if you
are on the receiving end of incoming fire it
might just save you some serious damage.
As always in ASL it is wise to remember
the exceptions to the rule however; for
example DC, FT, OBA and Fire Lane
13
the trenches
DUST TYPE DLV LOS
HINDRANCE
OTHER
Light Dust
subsequent
dr (FRD)
NA Does not negate FFMO/
Interdiction*
*roll sub dr for Interdiction
negative modifier
Moderate Dust
subsequent
dr (FRU)
NA Does not negate FFMO/
Interdiction*
*roll sub dr for Interdiction
negative modifier
Heavy Dust
subsequent
dr (FRD)
Range in Hexes
(FRU)
Negates FFMO/Interdiction
+1 MP per hex for Vehicles
Very Heavy
Dust
subsequent
dr (FRD)
+1 per Hex of
Range
Negates FFMO/Interdiction
+1 MP per hex for Vehicles
+1 MP per hex for BU AFV
No Double Time/Charge
Extremely
Heavy Dust
subsequent
dr (FRU)
+1 per Hex of
Range
Negates FFMO/Interdiction
+1 MP per hex for Vehicles
+1 MP per hex for BU AFV
No Double Time/Charge
B/X # lowered by one
FFE Dust
NA +1 per Hex of
Blast Area
Vehicle Dust
NA +2 per VD counter Occurs whenever Light Dust can
occur
VD Counter placed in hex exited
by vehicle
VD does not occur during Heavy
Winds/Gusts/Rain
Table 1: Dust Summary
attacks are not affected by dust hindrances.
We will discuss Heavy Dust in the next
lesson, since it raises its ugly head in
Scenario 37 Khamsin.
Vehicle Dust (F11.74) might seem
an annoyance, but it is rather simple to
grasp and can quite easily become your
friend if you take advantage of it. In Dry or
Very Dry conditions it stands to reason that
a vehicle driving on sand or dirt surfaces
is going to raise dust. It happens all over
the world, not just the desert, although it
is clearly in the desert where its effects
are most apparent. Essentially the Vehicle
Dust counter follows your vehicle around
as it leaves one hex and moves to another.
As long as it spends 2 or less MP to enter a
hex (in other words it is going fast enough
to make dust), it leaves a Vehicle Dust
counter in the hex it has just left. This
counter remains until your vehicle moves
again into another hex, or spends an MP in
some other way (this further MP expense
suggests the passage of time and thus the
settling of the dust). Heavy winds, gusts
or rain, should they occur (or already exist
in the scenario) also negate the possibility
of Vehicle Dust, which is why it doesnt
occur in the next lesson. A vehicle that
ends its MPh in motion is given a VD
Motion counter.
One further trick regarding Vehicle
Dust involves Platoon Movement. Usually
you would probably choose not to use
Platoon Movement if you could avoid it,
but Chapter D makes it clear that you can
if you wish (D14.24). In the desert it can
be an advantage as Vehicle Dust is placed
for vehicles moving in Platoon or Convoy
after each impulse (F11.741). This enables
you to actually create a wall of dust, and
this of course can be really handy when
trying to provide cover for other units.
Remember, if LOS goes through three or
more hexes of Vehicle Dust (or Heavy,
Very Heavy, and Extremely Heavy Dust),
the LOS will automatically be blocked.
Therefore, in the desert it often pays to
move vehicles first, creating such a wall,
and then letting your other units follow,
unlike elsewhere where the threat of
hidden AT capability often causes us to
advance our infantry first.
AA, Wire and Minefields
This scenario has a few other
tricky sections that can make it a little
complicated. Youll have to deal with Late
Afternoon Sunblindness again, but you
already know how this works (in this case
its a definite advantage for the German). A
couple of Stuka DB make an appearance,
although this shouldnt cause too much of
an issue to most ASL players. In this case
they make it harder for the British player
to manoeuvre his forces. You might also
want to review how AA fire can deal with
this threat as the British Bofors gun is
essential in this task. There are 10 Wire
counters in the scenario, each of which
can help the British player influence the
movement of the advancing German troops
so you might want to think carefully about
their placement. Remember, however,
that the effect of Wire on movement is
variable, and the German player can
designate 3 squads (or their equivalent)
as Sappers. The most significant feature,
however, is the allocation of Mines to the
British player, and in the desert these are
treated a little differently than normal.
Minefields in the desert were usually
clearly marked. Their role and effect was
usually to deny movement rather than
to provide a violent effect. Both sides
used them extensively, and in places like
Gazala and Alamein, minefields had a
distinct effect on the course of the battle.
In Scenario 39, the British player is given
three rows of Known minefields, each
eight hexes long. Within each row he
has to designate at least one hex that is
a Dummy Minefield. The rest have and
attack value of 6 Anti Personnel, and 3
Anti Tank Factors. Such Known mines
can be cleared of course (B24.7-24.74)
by infantry expending their entire MF,
placing a partial TB counter on the hexside
crossed, declaring themselves TI and by
attempting a mine clearance DR of 2 or
less at the end of their CCPh. Such a DR
is favourably affected by Labor Status
(gained for failing the first and second
attempts), Leadership, and amount of
A German column in the desert obscured by clouds of dust.
14
view from
squads/HS/heroes/Sappers attempting the
task. Success results in a full TB counter
being placed with an exit hexside of the
owning players choice. A DR of 12 results
in Casualty Reduction of the clearing unit.
Remember that wire can be removed in
much the same way (B24.73).
This scenario will see the British
defenders, protected by Wire and
Minefields, and the confines of Sand,
faced with an elite German force, top
heavy with MG and supported by Stukas
and Sappers. The attackers will come out
of the setting sun onto a British defence
that is also hindered by low ELR. These
Brits might crack under the pressure or
they might not. As long as you can master
the environment (considering everything
mentioned above), and maximise it
whether you are attacking or defending,
you should have few problems with this
one.
LESSON 3:
Hillocks, Wind and
Sand Storms
Text: 37 KHAMSIN
The Gazala Line was a formidable
line of defences stretching from the
Mediterranean Coast in the north to the
Bir Hacheim fort some forty miles to the
south. Although it consisted of a well
developed series of minefield enclosed
brigade size boxes, this method of
fortification inhibited the movement of
(and communication between) allied
units, and the presence of an open flank
south of the position allowed Rommels
Panzerarmee to sweep around in a large
right hook into the rear of the British and
Commonwealth position over May/June
1942. ASL scenario 37 Khamsin gives
us a taste of a confused small scale battle,
symbolic in many ways of the larger battle
it was part of, of the Knightsbridge brigade
box between the main Gazala Line and the
prized fortress of Tobruk. Khamsin, as
the name suggests, also gives us a taste of
something else that was common to desert
warfare, a severe sand storm.
Dust and Wind
Heavy Dust (F11.73) is the third
level of Dust intensity, and the first level
that is able to negate FFMO/Interdiction.
This also means that, like Vehicle Dust,
enough Heavy Dust can actually block
LOS. Like Light Dust it can only occur
in Dry or Very Dry conditions, but is
only applicable in a scenario where all
mapboards are desert. Most times that you
make a TH DR or a IFT DR during Heavy
Dust you include a third dr that is halved
(FRD) and added as a LOS Hindrance
(exactly as it is in Light Dust). However,
in Heavy Dust, you must also add a DRM
equal to half of the range in hexes to the
target hex. This means that, at most, ranges
over 10 hexes are illegal during Heavy
Dust as the minimum LOS Hindrance
would still be six or more in such cases
(B.10). Heavy Dust therefore brings the
battle to a close quarter fight, where units
can often move right up alongside one
another without ever facing or receiving
any really effective fire. Also, vehicles
are constricted in their movement during
Heavy Dust, with each hex entered costing
a further 1 MP than usual.
Although it might not happen in the
scenario, there is the possibility that wind
and gusts might force the dust level up to
Very Heavy or Extremely Heavy Dust.
Very Heavy Dust is so bad that every hex
of range creates a +1 LOS Hindrance, and
a Light Dust DLV dr (FRD) is added to
the result. Also, BU AFV must expend an
extra MP to move into a hex while infantry
are prohibited from using Double Time.
Extremely Heavy Dust differs only in the
sense that a Moderate Dust DLV dr (FRU)
is made and added to the LOS Hindrance.
Extremely Heavy Dust hurts weapons too;
in this case B/X numbers are all lowered
by one. If youre fighting in Extremely
Heavy Dust, youll have to virtually walk
on top of the enemy to hurt him (refer to
Table 1 for a full summary of the effects of
Dust).
In this scenario, you also have to
face Heavy Wind (not literally), which in
the desert has an effect on the fire attacks
of units that are firing against the wind
direction. Presumably to simulate the
effect of trying to aim into the blinding
effect of dust particles travelling at high
speed, the Heavy Wind (F11.761) rule
adds a +1 DLV DRM to any attack into the
wind (i.e. opposite of the wind direction).
In this particular case, with the wind
coming from the south east, as a German
player attacking from the north of the
board encounters British defences he might
find himself staring directly into the wind,
creating an unnecessary disadvantage.
Therefore, an attack from the south,
heading northeast, might be wiser and
more successful (although neither player
can escape the effects of Heavy Dust).
Hillocks
The key terrain in the scenario is the
three Hillock overlays. Hillocks (F6.1) are
slight rises not high enough to be worthy
of calling a hill, and represent undulating
terrain as found in the desert; an attempt to
take away the billiard table feel. Hillocks
are half level obstacles, inherent terrain,
and cost no more than normal cost of
terrain for infantry, cavalry and wagons to
enter, and one extra MP for other vehicles.
Their only slight elevation change does
however pose some problems regarding
LOS from units behind hillocks, on
hillocks and adjacent to hillocks.
The Chapter F footnotes make a
good effort at simplifying the hillock
LOS rules by suggesting that we should
consider them the equivalent of a wide
wall. As long as we take this advice we are
a good way towards demystifying some
rather complex LOS rules. Getting this
right can be the difference between being
seen and not being seen, or at the very
least of being able at times to claim a +1
TEM benefit.
Every hex on a hillock overlay is a
hillock hex. Lets for the moment forget
about Hillock Summits and just consider
a normal such hex. If a unit is on a hillock
hex, it can see everywhere else on that
hillock overlay, and any other hillocks that
are next in its LOS. These other hillocks
are at the same level as the original hillock
and are thus in plain view. The same unit
can see past this next hillock to a third
one along the same LOS, but can only
see past it to units that are adjacent to this
third hillock. Any other unit further than
this that is not on a hillock hex or adjacent
to one cannot be seen, and is thus out of
LOS. Of course, any units on other hillock
hexes, or higher, can still be seen no matter
how far away they are.
Being adjacent to a hillock is easily
worked out (your unit is in a non-hillock
hex, but next to a hillock and the LOS in
question is crossing that hillock overlay
at some point). Two units that are each
adjacent to two separate hillocks that
exist between them can see each other
just like two units that each had a wall
for protection can see each other. A unit
behind, but adjacent to, a third hillock can
also be seen. However (theres always a
however in ASL isnt there?), if a unit
is entrenched or emplaced behind and
15
the trenches
Heat Haze
Range Against
Infantry
0-12 13-18 19-24 25-30 31-36 37-42 43-48
DRM +0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6
Range Against
Vehicle
0-24 25-36 37-48 49-60 61-72 73-84 85-96
DRM +0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6
Intense Heat Haze
Range Against
Infantry
0-6 7-12 13-18 19-24 25-30 31-36 37-42
DRM +0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6
Range Against
Vehicle
0-12 13-18 19-24 25-30 31-36 37-42 43-48
DRM +0 +1 +2 +3 +4 +5 +6
Air Attack
Heat Haze: +1 To Ground Support Aerial Attack
Intense Heat Haze: +2 To Ground Support Aerial Attack
Table 2: Heat Haze
the rules for Heat Haze reflect this. Heat
Haze adds a DLV of +1 for every multiple
of six hexes past the first twelve when
firing at infantry, or for every multiple of
twelve hexes past the first 24 if firing at
a vehicle. Intense Heat Haze lowers the
initial range of non-effect from 12 to 6
hexes in the case of an infantry target, and
24 to 12 hexes for a vehicle. Table 2 gives
a range vs. DRM outline that might be
useful (use it when playing A61 Across
The Wire).
Deirs
Deirs are not a particularly
challenging terrain. Essentially a deir
is just a shallow dip in the ground, not
even enough to be considered a half level
depression. Units in a deir are considered
to be at Level 0, but they can get some
protection from the deir lip (the edge hexes
of the deir overlay). A unit in a deir hex
can benefit from a +1 TEM if the unit
firing at it is firing across the lip but is not
adjacent to the lip hexside. LOS is only
ever affected if a unit in a deir is emplaced
or entrenched. Such units can only see the
deir lip hexside before them. Units in a
higher elevation than the deir can always
look and fire into it without penalty. A
deir can be utilised to provide some cover,
but dont expect too much from it. Take
advantage of it when you need to, but
adjacent to a hillock, it cannot be seen
by units on the other side of that hillock
even if they are on a half level hillock hex
themselves.
If a unit can be seen, but there is
a half level rise between itself and an
attacking unit it can claim a +1 TEM
(similar to that claimed for being behind a
hedge). The TEM would not apply if the
LOS was over the intervening hillock. For
example, in the situation above, each of
those two units could claim the TEM
against fire from the other. However, if
the attacker was on its hillock, it could
see over the defenders hillock into the
defenders hex, and thus the defender
would get no TEM (F6.4 and 6.5). If,
however, the defender was behind another
hillock further along the attackers LOS,
then it would receive TEM (F6.41).
Okay, it seems fairly complex,
doesnt it? But you need only to consider
each hillocks position in relation to
others. Generally, think in terms of the
first hillock (i.e. the one your unit is one,
for example), the next (or second) hillock
(the one you can see over), and the third
hillock (the one you can see, but can only
see units adjacent to it). Always remember
Reciprocity, so reverse this if you need
to work out if your units hiding behind
a hillock have LOS to that enemy unit
clambering over the hillock in the distance.
A Hillock Summit is a Level 1
elevation (i.e. it is a half level obstacle on
top of another half level obstacle). A unit
on a Hillock Summit can virtually see
everything and can see over other hillocks
lower than it. A unit behind a Hillock
Summit can conceivably (i.e. should LOS
pass through the summit hex) gain the +1
TEM from fire on its hillock or any other
with a LOS to it. If you are on a summit
you can claim Height Advantage over units
on Level 0, but not if they are on a hillock
hex (as you would then not be one full
level above, only half a level).
Khamsin; allows a close and tense
fight that is rarely seen in the desert,
proving (as if there was any doubt) that
while the maps may look bare, warfare in
the desert is anything but boring. There is
cover in the wind, you might say, and the
defenders will be trying hard to minimise
the effect of the German advance, trying to
get some effective fire onto the attackers
before they get too close. The British
infantry will face overruns without much
redress, although some of them might
try for CC against the odd German tank.
Learn in this scenario to use Dust as cover
(on the attack and in the defence), use the
heavy wind to your advantage, and master
the way hillocks can sometimes provide
the best protection possible in such a
desperate situation. The desert is a harsh
teacher, but if its lessons are learned it can
be a valuable ally.
LESSON 4
Where To From Here?
Well, that covers quite a bit (though
not all of) Chapter F. Playing these three
scenarios first as an introduction to desert
warfare in ASL is probably the most
effective way of tolerably digesting much
of what is in the chapter. However, we
havent included everything. Lets now
look at what we are left with, Heat Haze,
other terrain types in the form of Deirs and
Wadis, and the complex arrangement of
Board 25 and the Escarpment Overlay that
transforms it.
Heat Haze
A scenario might occasionally
stipulate that Heat Haze (or Intense Heat
Haze) is in effect. Heat Haze refers to the
visual distortion that occurs when objects
seen at a great distance through very hot
air tend to shimmer and become unclear.
In ASL terms its effects differ based on
whether the target is an infantry unit or a
vehicle. A vehicle, usually larger and with
a more defined shape, is generally easier to
see at greater ranges than foot soldiers and
16
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move on quick (ASL Scenario 56 Half a
Chance gives only deirs, foxholes and
sangars to the Italian defenders).
Board 25 and Wadis
Probably the most complex part of
using Board 25 revolves around the fact
that the gullies are in fact Wadis, and the
rules for Wadis include variable elevation
and the presence of Wadi Cliffs. Wadis
are, in fact, reasonably simple to grasp if
you treat them as gullies with just a few
modifications. In fact, the most complex
part of mastering Wadis is getting used to
the rules regarding how Crest Status can
be gained by vehicles.
Unlike a gully, a wadi is generally
assumed to have slightly different
characteristics. Due to flash flooding (fast
torrents of water at heavy volume), a wadi
can often be cut deeper in to the earth
with far more abrupt and vertical sides
(hence the rules for Wadi Cliffs). At the
other end of the scale a wadi could also be
considerably wider than a normal gully,
with gentler slopes that are accessible to
vehicles. So, unlike the case of a Gully, in
ASL a vehicle can assume Crest Status in
a Wadi. Also, any SW can be fired from
Crest Status in a Wadi as it is assumed that
more room is available for such activity.
A vehicle can either move forward
into Crest Status from within a Wadi, or
it can move from an adjacent hex into
Crest Status. Picture it like this. If the
vehicle is IN the wadi (at the bottom of
it, for example), it could drive forward
so that the guys in the turret could just
see over the crest, thus achieving a Hull-
down position from forward fire. Or, it
could reverse up the wadi bank behind it,
achieving HD from fire behind. In the first
case you would place a Vehicle Crest HD
counter, in the second you would place a
HD (rear) counter, each supplied in WOA.
If done from within the wadi, this move
costs 4 MP plus 1 MP to stop (quadrupled
if done in reverse). If your vehicle is in
a hex adjacent to a wadi, then it can do
each of the above actions without having
to move INTO the wadi in the first place.
It could move forward into the Wadi hex
and gain rear HD status immediately, or
it could reverse into such a hex, and gain
forward HD just as easily. In this case
the MP cost is COT of the hex since your
vehicle is not actually moving INTO the
wadi plus 1 MP to stop. In each case it
is only the movement costs that differ,
with reverse movement always costing
four times as much as forward movement
(its always easier in a tank to do things
looking forward). Remember to consider
where you want your CA to face, as you
have to consider the VCA change costs
when calculating your move, and if reverse
movement is part of the move you might
have to deal with a pretty high MP cost
overall.
Wadi cliff sides can greatly constrict
movement, but they can also shield your
infantry from fire in adjacent hexes. You
cant cross a cliff, of course, without
climbing, and this is something that most
players tend to avoid for the simple reason
that your infantry is extremely vulnerable
doing so. You also need to remember that
some wadis change elevation, meaning
that you have to pay double the cost
of moving IN a wadi from one level to
another.
A good introduction to Board 25 is
ASL scenario 51 The Taking of Takrouna
from Hollow Legions. In this small (half a
mapboard) battle a group of hardy warriors
from the New Zealand 28
th
(Maori)
Battalion attempt to take a three hex
village from a company of Italians. Getting
up that hill under fire is no easy task for
the British player, but it can be made easier
by using the Wadis for cover. If you ever
use the E1 overlay (escarpment) keep it
in mind that the two boards on either side
of Board 25 will be at different levels.
The Escarpment Overlay joins the two
boards, one at Level 0, the other at Level
4. This change has little practical effect
on play except that units at Level 4 might
have quite a superior LOS to any other
units on the map (ASL scenario 42 Point
of No Return uses the E1 overlay this
scenario can also be seen as a kind of
graduation to this article; with many of
the elements discussed present).
CONCLUSION
The Chapter F rules need not be a
reason to avoid battle in the desert. The
desert is an unforgiving environment, but
it is not always the bland, empty landscape
imagined by most. Battle in the desert
is with two opponents, the human (or
cardboard) enemy, and nature itself. But
nature can sometimes help you on your
way. Dust can cover an advance. Heat
Haze can allow movement without threat
of effective fire, as can Sunblindness,
whose effect can be used to give an attack
the advantage. Wadis can give your
infantry and your vehicles effective cover,
and Hillocks can shield your approach
if you know how to use them. Sand and
Dunes also transform the landscape,
providing traps for some, while ingenious
use of Deirs and Scrub on occasion might
just give you the edge over your opponent.
Dont fear the desert; learn to use and take
advantage of it.
Further reading on the subject
of desert warfare should include The
Crucible of War Vols. I-III by Barrie Pitt
(Papermac, 1986), and Desert Tactics by
Paddy Griffith (Osprey, 2008). There are
numerous works of literature on the war
in North Africa, and Major-General Alfred
Toppes article, Desert Warfare German
Experiences in World War II can be found
at the Fort Leavenworth/Combat Studies
Institute website. An indispensible guide
to desert tactics in ASL must also include
Mark Nixons scenario analyses for West
of Alamein as found in The General Vol.
25 No. 6 and Vol. 26 No. 1 and his article
Gunned Up in The Desert from The
General Vol. 25 No. 3 (reprinted in the ASL
Annual 89).

A Crusader passes a brewed-up Panzer IV during the battle of El Alamein.

17
the trenches
Double One 2010
Friday June 25
th
to Sunday June 27
th
The London ASL tournament Double One returns in 2010, over the weekend of June 25
th
to 27
th
, with a new venue and continued
support from its main sponsor, Leisure Games www.leisuregames.com.
Double Ones new venue offers excellent value for money bed and breakfast accommodation, a large gaming room, open for
extended gaming times, and is located close to Chelmsford, Essex, with easy access to London via a 40 minute main rail link, the
M25, and Stansted international airport.
The weekend
The gaming room opens at 3pm on Friday 25
th
June for early arrivals ideal for those wishing to tackle one of those monster
scenarios that you never normally get to play in a morning or afternoon.
On Saturday morning, players will have the option to continue open gaming or enter one of several mini-tournaments. Participants
that want to take part in a mini-tournament will be entered according to their ASL ladder rating. Subject to demand, we will also
be running a Starter Kit mini tournament.
Each mini tournament will have capacity for 8 players, and will consist of 3 rounds, with round 1 commencing at 9.30am, round 2
at 3.30pm, and round 3 on Sunday morning at 9.30am. Details of the tournament scenarios will be released in early February 2010
and will be sent to all those pre-registered at the time.
Mini-tournament sponsors include Friendly Fire and Le Franc Tireur. Like Leisure Games, they have kindly agreed to provide
prizes for mini tournament winners.
The venue
The tournaments venue will be the Writtle Room, Writtle College, Lordships Road, Writtle, Chelmsford, Essex CM1 3RR www.
writtle.ac.uk.
Room opening times will be:
Friday 3.00pm 11.00pm
Saturday 8.00am 11.00pm
Sunday 8.00am 5.00 (prize giving circa 4.00pm)
The venue is less than 2 miles outside Chelmsford and is easily accessible:
By car the college is less than 15 miles from both junction 28 of the M25 and junction 7 of the M11.
By train Chelmsford station has a regular direct service on the London Liverpool Street line. Free pick ups and travel
between the station and college can be arranged with the organisers
By plane London Stansted airport is less than 30 minutes from the venue, and for those fying into Stansted, free pick
ups and transportation can again be arranged with the organisers.
Participants intending to stay overnight should book their B&B accommodation directly with the college (30.00 plus VAT per
person per night). A booking form and T&Cs are attached. Further information can be obtained by contacting Jenny Phillips at the
college (phone +44 (0) 1245 424200 ext 25645 or e-mail [email protected]).
The college has a licensed bar which will be open during the weekend, partly in response to the frst round of knockout games in
the 2010 World Cup. Sandwiches and snacks will also be available at certain times. Writtle village is a very short walk from the
college, with a varied selection of pubs, restaurants and a mid-sized supermarket.
Attendance fees
The attendance fee for the weekend is 15.00 if paid before 30
th
April 2010, or 20.00 if booked after that date. Payment can
18
view from
be made by either Paypal or cheque.
For further details, please either visit the tournaments website at www.doubleone-online.net or contact the organisers as
follows:
Derek Cox, 25 Cramphorn Walk, Chelmsford, Essex. CM1 2RD. United Kingdom. [email protected]
Brendan Clark [email protected]
We look forward to welcoming you to Double One in 2010!
19
the trenches
20
view from
DOUBLE ONE 2010
FRIDAY JUNE 25
th
TO SUNDAY JUNE 27
th
2010
PRE-REGISTRATION FORM
NAME:__________________________________________________________________
ADDRESS:_______________________________________________________________
TOWN / CITY:____________________________________________________________
COUNTY / STATE / PROVINCE:_______________________________________________
POST / ZIPCODE:____________________ COUNTRY:____________________________
PHONE:____________________________ EMAIL:_______________________________
PLANNED ARRIVAL DAY AND TIME:___________________________________________
PLAYING IN STARTER KIT / MAIN TOURNAMENT / NON-COMPETITION GAMES
(delete as applicable)
I WOULD LIKE A PICK UP CHELMSFORD RAIL STATION: YES / NO
I WOULD LIKE A PICK UP FROM STANSTED AIRPORT: YES / NO
(Please indicate estimated fight arrival time if known):______________________________
Registration fee is 15 if received before 30
th
April 2010, 20 thereafter.
Attendees are responsible for making their own B&B arrangements directly with the college. B&B booking
forms are available on request from Derek.
Entry and payment options:-
1. By post - please make cheques payable to Derek Cox and send both the cheque and this completed
form to
Derek Cox, 25 Cramphorn Walk, Chelmsford, Essex. CM1 2RD. United Kingdom
2. Electronically please e-mail this completed form to [email protected]. Paypal funds should be
sent directly to this account at www.paypal.com.
Sponsored by:-
21
the trenches
Panzer VIB King Tiger
Michael Davies
and suspension in 1937. Ferdinand
Porsche, the designer of the Volkswagen
Beetle, and Tiger I, started work on a
parallel design in 1939. The gun and turret
were developed by the Krupp Company,
long famous for armour development, gun
and turret design.
All three developers needed to
communicate with each other and accept
changes to the design as the project
developed. At an early stage the tank was
slotted to mount the 8.8 cm kw.K 36 (L56),
the same gun as the Tiger I would mount.
Another option considered later was a
squeeze bore 75mm gun with optimized
anti tank capability, a design which
was cancelled due to shortages of the
tungsten carbide needed for hyper velocity
ammunition. Although the concept gun
was not developed it does show the aim
was to produce a tank with phenomenal
anti tank capability.
Ultimately the armament was
decided between two very long 8.8
cm guns. Rheinmetal-Borsig FlaK 41
(L/74) and Krupps own 8.8 cm Kw.K 43
(L/71). In ASL game terms the two guns
are treated as 88LL guns (see German
Ordnance note 12), in the real world their
performance with similar ammunition was
comparable, however the Krupp design
was felt to be better and selected for the
Tiger II.
Adoption of such a powerful
gun increased the size of the turret
ring needed for the Tiger II. This had
implications for the size and weight of the
vehicle. Porsche felt his design could not
accommodate the dimensions needed so
his chassis were used for the Ferdinand
or Elefant assault guns famously used at
Kursk. The Henschel design was chosen
for production at the Kassel factory in
Germany.
Production started in October 1943,
with the first Tiger II manufactured in
November; output was in single figures
per month until April 1944. The initial
production went to training units and
weapons development teams. The tank did
not see front line action until June/July
1944.
An initial order of fewer than 200
was increased to 1500, with a production
target of at least 50 per month. In actuality
the production target was exceeded in
September and October 1944 before
production was severely disrupted by a
series of destructive bombing raids that
destroyed close to 95% of the Henschel
production line at Kassel and disrupted
subsidiary production and transportation
in nearby areas. Allied strategic bombing
reduced overall production by over 600
units.
Two main types of Tiger II were
produced, the second being a command
tank, the Panzerbefehlswagen, which
mounted extra radio equipment and carried
fewer rounds.
Tigers were issued to Tiger
Abtielung of 45 Tanks and in small
numbers to training or weapons testing
units. Units started at full strength then
gradually depleted as replacements were
rarely sent, chiefly for transportation
difficulties.
In action against armour or anti tank
weapons, the Tiger II was very effective,
with thick armour resistant to frontal
attack, and a powerful gun. It was about
as manoeuvrable as a Panzer IV, though
perhaps a little underpowered as it used
the same engine as the 45.5 ton Panther to
move 68 tons!
Over short distances the Tiger II
was very mobile; it could cross small
streams by fording and could be supported
on existing German mobile bridges. It
did suffer from mechanical reliability
problems when called on to cover
distances approaching 100Km, when
This article will be a very condensed
version of the history and development
of the Tiger II, followed by a comparison
with a selection of opposing tanks and
weapon systems. For a finale some tactics
for King Tigers in ASL, and a few ideas for
tactics against them.
Naming Conventions
The Panzerkampfwagen VI B (Sd
Kf 182) picked up a few nicknames during
the war. Initially called Tiger H3, the
name Tiger II caught on in March 1943. In
June 1943 the official designation became
Panzerkampfwagen Tiger Ausf. B. Konigs
Tiger (Bengal tiger) was an unofficial
name first used in January 1945.
The British translated Konig as
King, whereas the Americans favoured
Royal. Very briefly Allied intelligence
referred to them as PanTigers, as the new
tank incorporated features from both the
Panther and Tiger.
Its almost certain most troops
referred to the tank as a Tiger throughout
the war.
Development
At the start of WW2 the German
main battle tank was the Panzer III armed
with a 37mm or 50mm gun, supported
by Panzer IVs with a short 75mm gun.
Additionally the Third Reich used lighter
Panzer I and II tanks for infantry support
and scouting, plus PzKpfw 35/38 tanks
gained from the fall of Czechoslovakia.
Plans to develop a heavier tank to be used
in small numbers were being developed
from as early as 1937.
Work was divided between three
main developers. Henschel und Sohn
manufacturers of weapons, trains, trucks,
planes and tanks started work on a chassis
These shots show the difference between the Porsche turreted Tiger II (left) and the more angular Henschel turret (right).
22
view from
engines could break down. Most Tiger
losses were caused by mechanical failure
of the engine or tracks that could not be
addressed with the resources available in
the field. Whilst this does not detract from
the weapons combat effect in a duel it was
a weakness.
Krupps 8.8 Kw.K 43 (L/71)
The Pak 43 was mounted in the
Tiger II, as well as in the Ferdinand/
Elefant, Nashorn, and JadgPanther. It was
also used as an anti tank gun mounted on
a cruciform mount or conventional gun
carriage.
The greater effect of the PaK 43
than the PaK 36 was a result of the longer
barrel and more powerful shell used.
More propellant was used in the PaK 43,
generating greater pressure which could
act on the shell for longer due to the
additional barrel length.
Two main types of ammunition were
carried. SprGR 43 was the standard high
explosive charge, used against infantry,
buildings and soft targets. PzGr 39/43
was the standard anti tank round; it was
a APCBC-HE (Armour Piercing Capped
with Ballistic CapHigh Explosive) round.
The AT round carried a base mounted high
explosive charge; the ballistic cap gave
the round better long range performance
whilst the second cap aided penetration.
The shell also included a tracer. Usual
load was 50% AP and 50% AT rounds,
total rounds carried was usually 86 in a
Henschel Turret, 80 in a Porsche Turret,
and 63 in a command tank. Keep in view
on occasions tanks went into action with
less than a full load, but if possible some
crews preferred to carry more than a
nominal load. In game terms a Tiger II has
plenty of ammunition. One source I read
said ammunition stowage in racks above
the gun was discouraged after penetrating
rounds set fire to ammunition in the turret.
Special ammunition did exist. The
sexiest was PzGr 40/43 APCR (Armour
Piercing Composite Rigid) ammunition
with a tungsten core. The round would
penetrate an extra 40mm of armour out
to 2000 metres. Not many rounds were
produced, crews tended to keep them for
targets like the IS series tanks and assault
guns. A basic To Kill number would be
about 31. The round is so rare it should
only be included by SSR.
Not quite as rare was the Gr 39/3 HL
(HEAT) round, sometimes substituted for
standard high explosive rounds. This could
be useful against lightly armoured targets
such as half tracks or armoured cars,
infantry or fortifications. Tank crews tend
to load them when the nature of the next
target was unknown, for example when
destroying buildings in the vicinity of
enemy tanks. Most sources give the round
a penetration value of 90 mm, in ASL it
would be perhaps a To Kill of 14. Only
makes sense to include the round by SSR,
perhaps in city fights.
Armour
The Tiger II used very thick sloped
armour, interlocked then welded in place.
Frontal protection was extremely good.
Virtually nothing could penetrate the
front hull armour. The turret was shaped
to deflect some shells, with work done to
remove a shell trap present in early turret
design. Very few Allied weapons could
penetrate the frontal armour of a King
Tiger, probably just the 17 pounder, the
Russian 122mm and 100mm guns, and the
US 90mm. Lesser weapons like the Soviet
85mm or American 76mm APCR rounds
might get lucky and penetrate at very close
range, other weapons would need to be
phenomenally lucky to damage a Tiger
significantly. There are many anecdotes
about Tigers being damaged by all sorts of
weapons including Soviet anti tank rifles
and the humble mortar. In practical terms
though the frontal armour of a Tiger II was
highly resistant against virtually every gun
system the Allies used.
The Red Army did capture some
Tiger II and subjected them to a series
of trials against their guns. Comments
were made about poorly executed
welding, armour quality, engine reliability
and issues with the transmission and
suspension. It is likely armour quality
did decline in the last year of the war
due to shortages of manganese and other
metals; the welding issue could be a one
off. It would be interesting for existing
Tigers metallurgy to be studied for
those two issues. Observations about
the engine, transmission and suspension
have prompted considerable debate.
Its probably the case that the captured
vehicles were due maintenance which the
Russians couldnt do with the resources
available.
Until September 1944 Zimmerit
anti magnetic mine paste was applied to
production Tigers. In October 1944 front
line troops were told not to apply the paste
to new or existing tanks. The Germans
investigated a rumour that the paste was
being ignited by artillery shells, but tests
could not reproduce the effect. The paste
contained small quantities of sawdust but
was hardly flammable. Zimmerit fell out of
favour and was not reintroduced. Zimmerit
delayed the production of German AFVs,
wasting time in their production whilst the
paste was applied and dried, also adding to
field maintenance and logistical tail. The
Germans did make use of magnetic mines
but the Allied forces did not develop a
suitable weapon.
A much more useful defensive
measure was the Nahverteidigunswaffe.
This translates loosely as close defence
weapon; it is, though its more of an
oversized pistol port that can be used by
a flare pistol, or used as a hole to project
smoke candles from without the crew
being exposed to fire. For creating smoke
the port is very effective. As a close
defence weapon system the flare pistol
round would be roughly equivalent to an
air bursting grenade. Other flare pistol
rounds could be fired, including coloured
smoke and star shell.
Opponents
The original Tiger II concept
visualized a company of about 20 tanks in
each Panzer division acting as an armoured
spearhead in break through operations, or
A Tiger II knocked off the rail-car transporting it by an Allied air attack in France in August 1944.
23
the trenches
as a solid bastion in defensive actions. By
1944 operational experience with the Tiger
I suggested using the new tank in powerful
battalions was the best idea.
Tiger II were organized into Heavy
Tank Battalions (Abtielung) of about
45 Tanks. Four Abtielung fought on the
western front, of which the 501
st
SS was
transferred to the eastern front, while
seven Abtielung (including the 501
st
SS)
fought on the eastern front. In the west
some small ad hoc units were formed from
tanks held by training and research units
and pushed into battle in the final days of
the Third Reich.
With Tiger II concentrated in a small
number of units, not all Allied tankers
encountered them. For instance only about
twelve clashes between Tiger II and IS-2
tanks are recorded, including fighting on
the Seelowe Heights and in the battle for
Berlin. The Russians tried to identify and
deliberately avoid strong concentrations of
enemy armour, unless no other avenue of
attack was available. Further, IS-2 tanks
and assault guns were generally reserved
as an offensive weapon and would not be
expected where Tiger II are attacking.
Often Tiger II on the eastern front
faced anti tank artillery, field guns, the
odd SU-76m, T-34s, light SU, and the
occasional light tank, plenty of infantry
and anti tank rifles. In 1944/45 the
exchange rate for Russian and German
tanks was generally falling, as Soviet
tactics and weapons improved. The
Tiger II could seriously dent this trend.
Typically ten Soviet medium tanks would
be destroyed for each Tiger II, which
includes losses for mechanical reliability.
To penetrate thick armour Soviet gunners
needed flank or rear shots that could
only be gained by ambush or manoeuvre.
The 100mm gun of the SU-100 or on an
anti tank mounting could just penetrate
the Tiger II turret armour, but neither
was particularly common. Generally an
engagement would involve the Tiger II
opening fire and everyone else hiding or
staying hidden whilst artillery or air assets
were called in!
On the western front only the British
17 pounder gun, and US 90mm guns could
do serious damage to a Tiger II frontally,
and even then only from a solid hit on the
turret. Tanks with 75mm or 76mm guns
struggled, even with APCR ammunition.
Any encounter with a Tiger II would call
for extensive use of smoke, followed by air
or artillery bombardment. Where possible
reconnaissance sought to detect Tiger
II before committing armour to action
against it.
On neither front was the Tiger easy
to deal with. Who ever found one had two
problems, firstly to extricate themselves
from the line of fire, and secondly to plan
a way of dealing with the threat. Often the
solution was to bypass the position.
Tactical Use in ASL
In ASL, the Tiger II does have a
fearsome gun, effective machine guns,
extremely thick armour, a potent close
defence weapon, and an Elite crew.
Its weaknesses are large target size,
Mechanical Reliability, relatively weak
side armour and in some scenarios high
CVP.
The gun is just superb. It is near
certain death for most armour, except the
Sherman Jumbo, and later model IS tanks.
Only an IS-3 could stand in front of a PaK
43 with any confidence.
Against buildings and soft targets
the 88mm gun is effective enough, used
in conjunction with its machine gun
armament a King Tiger can kill enemy
infantry or persuade them to move.
Against all types of Target, Rate of
Fire helps. Long range an also be an asset
given the Tigers superior optics and long
gun. Most ASL scenarios are short range
encounters, firing at sub 800 metres, the
PaK 43 excels at ranges of 1500-2000m
(50 hexes!) but well probably never see a
scenario exploiting that!
From the front a King Tiger fears
little. Its still worth going Hull down
when you can for protection against
Deliberate Immobilisation, and the
odd immobilisation result on the AFV
Destruction Table from near kills. There
is scope to be aggressive with a Tiger,
trusting its thick armour for protection
then closely approaching the enemy. This
is something you can do with a Tiger I or
Panther but not as often.
Although the Nahverteidigunswaffe
is effective against assaulting infantry its a
bad idea to use it offensively. Accepted if a
horde of enemy Infantry try to assault you,
open the little hatch and fire the deadly
flare pistol rounds into their midst, but
generally try to kill infantry with machine
guns or main armament as not being in
or adjacent to infantry gives them fewer
opportunities to hurt you.
Smoke from the
Nahverteidigunswaffe (which must have
a nickname!), is very cool though, costs
one Movement Point and is tactically very
useful.
Tiger crews are Elite within the
Panzer force, as an inherent crew their
morale is 9. This helps with most Morale
or Task Checks. Probably the most likely
is an Immobilisation Task Check for
rounds striking an immobilised but not
destroyed King Tiger. With such high
morale theres always a temptation to go
Crew Exposed, trusting to high morale and
+2 TEM keeping IFT results out of K/KIA.
Can be dangerous. Every Morale Check
is potentially dangerous, fail a Morale
Check and the mighty Tiger is stunned, or
Recalled if you suffer a casualty Morale
Check on a boxcars. Even weak attacks
can cause Morale Checks. Another threat
to an exposed crew is sniping, an active or
lucky sniper will move towards an exposed
tank commander. Think carefully before
you go Crew Exposed. Of course there are
times when its a really good idea. If you
are say using road movement or need to
improve the chance of a vital To Hit attack.
Pretty much you need to be in the situation
This shot shows the size of the turret on the Tiger II. This particular example took minor track
damage while engaging some Shermans west of Magny-en-Vexin on 29 August 1944, then
subsequently broke its final drive turning too tightly. The crew blew up the tank but were fired at
by French Marquisards, suffering two casualties. Later, Sergeant Roberts of A Squadron of the
23rd Hussars fired at the abandoned tank and claimed the kill. It was later taken back to Great
Britain and has been on display ever since at the Royal Military College at Shrivenham.
24
view from
where when an exposed crew is Stunned
or Recalled you accept it as the result of a
well calculated risk, rather than throwing
the rest of your toys out of the pram
because youve been unlucky. Generally
though, high crew morale is a good thing.
If you ever stand next to a King
Tiger in a Museum the first thing you
are likely to notice is the sheer size of it.
Shermans are big, as are Panthers and
Tiger Is, but Tiger II are really enormous
compared even to modern main battle
tTanks. A combination of factors led to
the size, most important being the huge
gun, that needed a large turret ring, which
widens the hull and presto you end up with
a big tank. The weight stops the vehicle
going over a lot of bridges safely; in the
real world the Tiger would generally
ford shallow rivers, and could make use
of the German Armys standard 16 ton
portable bridge. In ASL keep the Tiger off
ice, anything over 50 tonnes goes straight
through.
Being big makes the Tiger II
easier to hit. Not always a problem if the
attacking weapon cant do damage. If
there is a chance of damage or the crew
bailing out you want to minimise the
chances of being hit. Target size matters
most when you are subject to Deliberate
Immobilisation attempts. Usually such
attacks qualify for a +5 modifier; this
is partially offset by your large size.
Dont dawdle close to a weapon trying
to immobilise you. If you can move out
of Line of Sight, use Bounding Fire or
distract the attacker with other threats,
try for Smoke, activate your sniper, wish
lost rate of fire on your enemy, or better
yet hope he runs out of ammunition
or malfunctions the gun! If you are
startled by the sudden appearance of a
hidden enemy anti tank gun intent on
immobilising your best tank, you may
panic and lose confidence. The surprise
can be offset partially by looking at the
scenario card for such potential threats,
then trying to anticipate where the enemy
are likely to put such weapons. Its very
rare for immobilisation of a single unit to
be crucial to play. If it is then you need
to throw a protective ring around the
Tiger. This cordon should consist of less
vulnerable infantry. Half squads can cover
a lot of ground, perhaps one of the most
surprising ways of doing this though is to
use a motorcycle to tear through Orchard,
Brush, and grain, half tracks and carriers
work fairly well. If the enemy could be
hidden in building though, infantry are
key. Remember you can search terrain,
or fire to draw out enemy troops. White
Phosphorous is one of the best ways of
finding things, but its not readily available
to you. The most effective counter to
Deliberate Immobilisation is undoubtedly
range. If you can plant a Tiger on a hill
half a board back from the enemy and
bang away you are pretty safe. Hull down
also provides complete protection so
exploit terrain like walls, bridges and with
a bit of luck hill crests.
Sadly the Tiger II doesnt need
enemy units to end up immobilised. As it
is subject to mechanical reliability it must
risk immobilisation each time it moves.
This isnt an issue where you are firing
from a fixed position, generally this is
what guns do, and it isnt always necessary
to move a tank. If you must move its
a risk. In scenarios where you must
exit units staying in Motion completely
removes any risk of mechanical failure.
Similarly if you must get a tank to a
particular point either to satisfy a victory
condition or for some tactical advantage
dont stop and start more often than you
Tiger 222 was knocked out by the Ambleve Bridge in Stavelot during the Ardennes offensive.
must. Because of mechanical reliability
you have to think more carefully when
using Tigers. Moving and firing may be
essential but try if you can to always stop
a Tiger in a place where it can provide
or threaten something useful. You dont
want to end up sandwiched between two
buildings with a line of sight to another
building, hearing foreign voices debating
whether to attack you or leave you alone as
you arent hurting anyone!
The Tigers thick armour and deadly
gun will almost look after themselves,
but you do need to be a bit careful or
thoughtful moving.
The side and rear armour of a Tiger
II is not very much stronger than a Tiger
I. Against medium tanks like the T34/76,
and most Shermans the armour is just
about strong enough. Deadlier threats such
as 122mm, 100mm, or 17 pounders will
rip through it very easily, even 85mm and
US 76mm guns are marginally dangerous.
If you can protect your flanks. Use solid
obstacles like woods or buildings that
can only be entered with the risk of bog,
and perhaps falling into a cellar. Be dug
in if the scenario allows. Move your
turret to face the threat, as you fire the
main gun, or machine gun, pop Smoke
if its really looks bleak. Friendly troops
can help. A squad either side of you will
threaten enemy armour with Panzerfaust
or Panzerschrek rounds, making massed
attack more dangerous. If everything fails
and you are hit in the side armour, plan
B is not to be penetrated. Good luck with
that.
Dont overlook other flank
protection; canals, marsh, crag and
complex village or town layouts can limit
the approaches to your flanks. Be creative,
especially if you have fortifications such
as roadblocks, anti tank ditches, trenches,
mines, even wire.
If you are playing scenarios with
a CVP cap or exit requirement each
Tiger II is a lot of potential points. Ten,
including the crew, equivalent to five
infantry squads. Exactly how important
this is depends on the scenario, in each
case it makes reading the scenario card
particularly the objective notes crucial.
Tactically Tiger II can be deadly, if
the enemy obliges by lining up targets in
front of you and keeps away from your
flanks. With reasonable gunnery a Tiger
can expect to kill one tank a turn, and
spend the odd spare moment machine
gunning crews, or enemy infantry. Almost
as good, the mere threat of your Tiger
II will drive enemy tanks and infantry
away, seeking protection by line of sight
or cover, and creating opportunities for
25
the trenches
the rest of your troops. More often you
will face cunning opponents, who seek to
outflank you, or force you to move and
risk mechanical reliability. In most cases
Tigers are fun.
Conclusion
The Tiger II was optimised as a
heavily armoured tank, with an extremely
powerful anti tank gun. Its main weakness
was mobility. Tactically it was relatively
slow, and subject to transmission or
engine faults due to strains placed on the
engine. The mechanical reliability rules
in ASL capture this well, plus the inherent
difficulty of moving anything that heavy
on slightly soft or already damaged
ground. Even so in combat against other
tanks it could achieve kill ratios of 5-10
for each Tiger II lost, including mechanical
write offs. Allied tankers were scared of
the Tiger I let alone the Tiger II, something
which doesnt readily transfer to the ASL
game system.
When moving operationally, the
King Tigers steering and manoeuvrability
was comparable to the Panzer IV, certainly
good enough. Unfortunately a Panzer IV
suffering a mechanical breakdown was
easier to recover or repair in situ. Any
problem with a King Tiger was an epic.
Pulling it out of a ditch or up a river bank
required another Tiger as nothing else was
readily available to pull it. Any component
was nearly twice the size of that on a
medium tank, making routine maintenance
harder. Changing tracks could be done in
the field but would be exhausting. It is
well documented that more Tigers were
lost to mechanical problems than ground
fire.
Strategically the Tiger II really did
Dear Derek,

I hope the questionable K night of Cheshire
has duly acknowledged the precedence of
Scottish over English arms on the U K A SL
ladder in his address to you!

We would like your blessing for this N orth
Western designers deciding duel before H eroes
in March using SP 163.

Y our humble servant.

Shaun
Despite its thick armour, the Tiger II was not invulnerable. The front of this Tiger II was pen-
etrated by a round from a IS-2, killing the driver.
have issues. Assembly was concentrated
in north western Germany at Kassel.
Thousands of tons of bombs from the
USAF targeted tank production, with
some additional support bombing from
the RAF. Both air forces destroyed fuel,
transportation assets, ball bearings and
other strategic targets that also delayed
production. Over 600 Tiger II were
destroyed or delayed by air attack.
Strategic mobility was also a
problem for Tiger Abtielung. Units
tended to be formed then sent to the front,
receiving few replacement Tanks, unless
nearly destroyed and pulled from the line
to reform. Tiger II were lost because they
could not be withdrawn quickly enough.
Nowadays there are plenty of people
who have an opinion on the Tiger II. My
own view is the unit is tremendously
useful in ASL. Used properly they can be
deadly, particularly against opponents who
in some way fear them! Playing against the
Tiger II is perhaps more rewarding though.
You can feel elated when one throws a
track or you successfully ambush and
immobilise one.
Think one approach is to bid for
Tigers if you like them and try to get the
balance in a scenario if you dont.
The one thing Ive noticed though
is almost every picture of a Tiger II with
its crew shows them looking extremely
happy.

26
view from
27
the trenches
be $20.00.
ASL Action Pack 6 - A Decade of
War is a collaboration between MMP and
Gary Fortenberry, Charlie Kibler, and Bob
McNamara, three noted ASL figures from the
days of The Avalon Hill Game Company. It
contains three new maps (based on a concept
that Gary has been toying with for a number
of years) that resemble two half-boards placed
side-by-side long edges abutting, which allow
new mapboard configurations not possible
before. Each map is backprinted with an almost-
exact copy designed to fit geomorphically with
existing maps no matter which orientation is
used.
The included scenarios consist of a battle
a year for the ten year period of 1936-1945 and
among the campaigns featured are the Spanish
Civil War, the Sino-Japanese War, France 1940,
Malaya, the Philippines, the East Front, and the
Bulge. Also included are optional Australian
Balancing System (ABS) handicap bids for each
scenario, providing 8 levels of balance for each
battle. The expected retail price is $34.00.
The long-awaited reprint of Doomed
Battalions is also expected to be released at
MMPs Winter Offensive tournament in mid-
January. Combining the contents of the long out
of print modules The Last Hurrah and Doomed
Battalions (1st ed), it will include ASLSK-
style mapboards 9, 11, 33, 44 and 45, four
countersheets, the 16 scenarios from TLH and
DB, Chapter H notes of the Allied Minors and
three sheets of overlays. It is expected to retail
for $72.00.
For King and Country is also being
reprinted and should be available again soon.
BUNKER TESTING
Playtesting of the scenarios for
Dispatches From The Bunker 30 is underway.
Task Force to Cotignac is a medium-sized
scenario which sees French Partisans with
American support battling for control of
the town of Cotignac from a mixed force of
Germans, while Lack of Discernment sees
fighting in Canton, China between Red and
Nationalist Chinese forces. The Western Cross,
a tournament-szied scenario, is the next in the
Operation Rosselsprung series, and sees a small
glider landing by Fallschirmjaegers into the
midst of Titos Partisans at Driver. Finally, Mga
Station is the latest in the NKVD series and
covers a NKVD assault on the railroad station
at Mga in September 1941. Several railroad
overlays are used to transform mapboard 45 into
the station and vicinity.
There will also be an article from
either Jim Torkelson or Carl Nogueira plus
Carls Tactical Tips, the summaries of the
Bunker Bash and Albany tournaments, and a
look ahead to the NorEaster tournament.
Four issue subscriptions (starting
with the current issue, number 29) are available
for $15.00 ($18.00 outside the USA). Issues 1
to 10 are now out of print but PDF versions are
available for free from www.aslbunker.com.
Other back issues are $4.00 ($4.50 outside the
USA) or $45.00 ($55.00 outside the USA) for
a complete set of issues 11-28. A complete set
of issues 11-28 and a subscription for issues
29-32 is available for $55.00 ($65.00 outside the
USA). Cheques should be made payable to Vic
Provost and sent to Dispatches from the Bunker,
P.O. Box 2024, Hinsdale MA 01235, or you can
pay by PayPal to [email protected].
You can email them at [email protected].
BLOOD AND JUNGLE
BFP 3: Blood and Jungle, Bounding
Fire Productions latest module focuses on the
Pacific Theatre of Operations. 47 scenarios
cover a wide range of actions from China,
Burma, Borneo, the Philippines, Tarawa and
many other locations throughout southeast Asia
and the Pacific.
Also included are four countersheets
depicting units, weapons, vehicles, and planes
that are featured in the scenarios, and two new
ASLSK-style mapboards. DW-1 is a double-wide
16x22 geomorphic mapboard representing a
large urban area made up of buildings and huts,
printed in two 8x22 sections on heavy card
stock, while BFP G is a regular sized mapboard.
Numerous rule pages describe new terrain
counters, vehicle listings and notes, and special
units, while a divider card lists the new unit
capabilities and terrain counter notes.
The module is rounded out with a
magazine with articles on subjects including
tactics, histories, units, countries, and tank
hunters.
The numerous contents make this
one of the largest ASL product ever released,
and it will cost $125.00 in the U.S./Canada, and
$135.00 elsewhere.
FROM FRANCE TO CHINA
Out now is Le Franc Tireur 12,
which focuses on the war between China and
Japan, the PTO rules, and seaborne assaults.
As usual there are ten new scenarios, printed
on cardstock, as well as 2 SASL missions
and a new ASLSK-style map. 99% of the 80
pages are printed in English. It is available for
33.00 from http://www.lefranctireur.org/spip.
php?rubrique1 and several ASL stockists.
HOB MOVE ON WEB
As a result of administration errors,
Heat of Battle have been forced to move their
web site, which can now be found at http://
heatofbattlegames.com/index.php.

INCOMING
Continued from page 3
28
view from
off. No ratty corners here. This was true of
both From The Cellar 4 and the module,
which I will discuss below. Apparently the
quality of production has to do with having
the actual game components manufactured
in Cambodia.
The scenario cards which LFT
produce are beautifully presented on
glossy thin cardstock in what Id expect
all producers cards would look like if the
game were new today. Standard looking
scenario layout with the addition of a full
colour rendition of the map boards as well
as the counters and national symbols, also
in full colour. Having the map boards
presented in miniature immediately gives
you an idea of the type of fight which
is depicted and can help you choose a
scenario. Scenarios set in snow have
white as the background colour for the
hexes, much like the VASL option. In short
the presentation of the scenario cards is
excellent. The only gripe I have is that a
couple of them extend over to a second
page and the SSRs run on to the back side
of the one sheet. Its a pain in the bum to
have to turn the scenario card over mid
setup or mid game and Id appeal to all
producers to have the run-on appear on the
back of another scenario card! Some do it
already and to those I tip my hat.
Scenarios include infantry-only
battles, OBs with armoured cars on each
side, some sleighs on each side and a fair
quantity of cavalry crops up. Anyone up
for a fight between the Mongolian Militia
and the northern Chinese Army circa
accompanying counters and rules devoted
to the Russian Civil War in the East.
This is a conflict I personally know too
little about except that it was protracted
and bloody and the Soviet Empire was
the ultimate result. There are nineteen
scenarios set from 1908 through to 1921
and they depict conflict between 12
factions of Russians or other nationalities,
represented by most of the counter mixes
in the game. The designers have looked at
the factions involved (I never knew there
were three types of Communist) and
theyve picked out the existing nationality
counter mixes that fitted closest. Examples
include White Russians using Axis Minor
counters, Red Russians, Bolsheviks and
the Social Revolutionary Party using
Italians, Russians and partisans and
French counters respectively. Thats just a
moderate sample of the oddly juxtaposed
counter mixes that you will set up to fight.
I think Italian vs. Japanese has to be the
strangest. The British, Japanese and US are
also depicted, getting involved to protect
their interests, but they use their own
counters. Oddly though there are WWII
value squads involved. Id have thought
the US infantry squad of 1919 would have
been best depicted by the 447 that came
with Gung Ho (the Philippine units). Five
FP seems a lot in the pre-Garand age.
In order to play the scenarios there
are provided counter mix extensions.
These include Russian (Maxim) type
machine guns in nationality colours for
the Chinese, Axis Minors and Italians. You
also get Commissar and Taczanka counters
in unusual nationality colours also and
there are counters for Ice Sangars and
hasty roadblocks. These are clearly
designed as if official ASL counters which
do not look out of place. Finally, while
they had their full colour palette out for the
counter sheet, LFT saw to it that we got a
set of nationality colour VCA counters for
all AFV - using countermixes. These are
very nice, with the turret depiction being in
white on the CE side. Ive adopted these
straight away.
Counter quality is perfection in these
LFT products. They look at least as good
as official ones, however they are harder
and smoother, reminding me very much of
the Kinetic Energy counters from the last
decade. They are so precisely cut out from
the sprues that they come in an envelope,
as practically all the counters had fallen
If the health of the ASL hobby
were to be read solely from the quantity
and quality of products from Third Party
Producers (TPP) released in 2009, then
youd have to conclude all was well. There
has been an avalanche of product, and all
that Ive seen (which is by no means all)
has been really good stuff. Ive spent the
year just trying to try out something from
each and not managing to get round to it.
Can too much of a good thing really be
bad? Well obviously the answer has to be
Not if the products being released are well
produced. Im happy to tell you, from my
experience of the following products, that
all is indeed well.
Ive spent the most on magazines
and modules from a TTP I had heretofore
ignored because I understood that so
much of their product was produced in
the French language. Hearing that their
content was now mostly in English, I
purchased Le Franc Tireur 10 and 11 early
in the year and was very impressed, not
least with the counters that came with
LFT 10. SW First Fire and PF First Fire
Counters were long overdue. From The
Cellar 3 was also very well presented.
However they werent released in 09 as
far as I know. What I believe to have been
released was the latest From The Cellar
pack and something very special.
Ill start with From The Cellar
4, which is a scenario pack with
THIRD PARTY MEGA-REVIEW
Trev Edwards
29
the trenches
1908? (me, see you Thursday at HEROES!
2010 Pete)I see several scenarios with
variable OBs, which is another feature
Im dead keen on. Interestingly there
is a genuine three-player scenario with
Bolsheviks, Social Revolutionary Party
and Red Russians battling over the city
of Glaskov, Siberia in 1921. Sadly I have
yet to play a scenario from this pack but
Ill be giving them ago in the New Year,
especially that three player number.
The most impressive single release
of 09 for me was also a LFT product, their
first full on- module, called Operation
Chariot. LFT have definitely taken the
lead in presentation. This is an HASL
treatment of the Commando raid against St
Nazaire which successfully destroyed the
Normandie dry-dock, ramming the sea-
doors with an explosive laden destroyer,
and so denying the German navy a repair
facility for the Tirpitz on the French
Atlantic coast. Epic stuff. Within a glossy
box-come-slipcase cover you get two A1
sized HASL maps depicting the docksides
and buildings of the port, 210 counters
including one three hexes long depicting
HMS Campbeltown herself (you have
to cut that from the body of the sprue).
Counter quality is as good as the From The
Cellar sheets (I heard they printed them at
the same time). You get the Royal Marine
Commandoes OB in counter form, which
at first just look like normal 648 and 348
British MMC with the Tommy Gun-And-
Anchor symbol in the corner. However
a closer look reveals custom artwork on
the counters, the kneeling Tommy-gunner
on the right is firing and a stream of shell
cases is being ejected. Nice stuff. The
Commandoes MMCs Self Rally and are
Fanatic on shore. The SMC (again with
custom artwork) are Heroic once ashore.
The British player has to load these troops
in the various parts of the Campbeltown,
on or below decks, before game start and
she will be escorted into the fray by a
flotilla of Motor Torpedo Boats and motor
launches. Lavish player aids make laying
all this out a pleasure, with the many
weapon covered arcs and vulnerable arcs
depicted in valorous colour schemes. The
German counters include extra 20 mm
Flak guns (almost indistinguishable foirm
official counters) and Marine crews.
A 38 page rulebook, printed on
glossy stock includes all the rules for the
St Nazaire raid, and this includes such
chrome as rules for searchlights locking
onto and blinding naval units, swing
bridges, various methods of sabotage,
submarine pens, super demo charges,
ramming and scuttling the Campbeltown
herself and a couple of pages of designer
notes. It all looks very thrilling and
complex, and the level of detail is
impressive to say the least. Of course its
going to be a steep learning curve and
night is going to be the start of your rules
research.
Also included is a separate game
system allowing you to play MTB actions
from other theatres of the war, with MTBs
from the US and Japan, German E Boats,
Russian Rocket Boats and Italian craft in
addition to the British types. 7 of the 15
scenarios in the module are for the MTB
game system.
All in all this makes up a very
impressive package, and I only had to see
one of these opened to be convinced to
part with 62. This is a lot of money but
I dont regret it for a minute. This sets
the standard by which the presentation of
future TPP modules will be judged. My
one gripe is that the map is a bit soulless to
look at. Its too obviously a crisp rendition
done on a computer and it sadly lacks any
aesthetic appeal. I dont think youd notice
one youve been playing for a while. The
only other thing we have to be concerned
with is how the thing plays out. At the
moment Id need to have a run at this to
get my regular face-to-face players ready
to fight night scenarios (the most frequent
players are relative newcomers) and so this
will be a big project later in the New Year.
Theres a new issue of LFT just released
but I am yet to get my copy.
Aside from LFT product the only
other items I bought at INTENSIVE FIRE
in the October of 2009 were Schwerpunkt
15 and its sister publication from Sherry
Enterprises, Rally Pont 4. The legacy that
Schwerpunkt has already left the ASL
community over the last fifteen issues
(over thirteen years) has been one of
consistent quality and a source of countless
solutions to the problems of tournament
directors throughout that time. Usually
theres a sense that the producers have
been quietly proud of their scenarios
and have let the product speak for itself.
However Evan Sherrys self congratulatory
editorial grates a bit on first reading. He
comes across more like Terrell Owens
when he deserves the respect of Jerry
Rice, however I cant actually argue with
anything he writes there. I guess modesty
is a cultural issue. After some thought I
suppose he deserves his moment in the sun
after all the work he has done. However
praise from others is worth many times
that which he may pen himself. That being
said I always feel that Ill get great value
for money from Schwerpunkt and that,
if it ever came down to having to choose
just one Third Party Product a year, it
would always be Schwerpunkt that Id buy.
Theyve earned too much loyalty with real
hard work and quality product not to be
considered the benchmark of the TTPs.
Brook Whites article on the way the
Italians are depicted in ASL pretty much
rails against their unit weakness when
compared to (particularly) the Russians,
before laying out the way he would expect
an OB of various formations to look.
Summary: Hes not happy with the way
the Italians are depicted in ASL. Then the
rest of the magazine portion has the usual
players guide and designer notes for each
of the dozen scenarios in the issue. As
usual Evan has designed more than half
but there are some well established names
such as Bill Sisler and Pete Schelling in
there also.
Ive played Petes Encircle This
which is a late war city and factory fight.
The Russians get to place some hidden
rubble counters which can stymie the
German attack. In my game I concentrated
too much on defence of the factories and
the Germans easily flanked my units,
getting in to shoot up my T34/85s from
behind with their Panthers. Good scenario
though - Id play again as either side with
no qualms. The rest of the scenarios are
the usual tourney sized actions we have
come to love and there are, as always,
some involving Tiger Tanks. Petes
Brittany Speared depicts an action
where the Medal of Honor (sic) was won
posthumously and the SSR that generates
the hero is right out of the SP pack from
years gone by. Scenario title stinks though.
30
view from
oil is burned setting up. Even the attacker
is faced with a big question in one of the
scenarios, The Kings Are Dead, where
exit VP are in the VC. You dont have
enough petrol to get all the vehicles across
the board to exit. So how much fuel to give
the heavy slow but well armoured Tiger
IIs compared to the quick, thin skinned
halftracks and ACs? You have to love it.
These chrome SSRs (as Mark
refers to them) certainly add flavour to
the scenarios but they also create pitfalls.
For example it is not clear whether a
vehicle that sets up with 0 fuel points is
immobilised and therefore cant change
VCA, which is what clearly happens to
an AFV which starts with fuel but uses all
of it up moving to new hex(es). For that
matter the special crews are described as
having the same characteristics as a full
squad for PF firing purposes but what
wasnt quite as clear what they can do
with the 1 FP inherent FP. Can they fire
that twice? Once and fire a single PF? You
know it had to come up in my game of
this. The Damocles scenario looks like it
will be a close one.
One scenario presents itself as a
three player affair. Thats at least two
bonafide three player scenarios in one
year! Able Was I Ere I Saw Elba has
been designed to allow two Yugoslav
players play one German but also to play
each other if they want at the same time.
Even if they decide to fight on their own,
hoping for the win, they need to co operate
to some degree to win. For the first time
in a long time Im actually praying for a
(Liverpool ASL club) get together where
there are an odd number of players....
(instead of a number of odd players :-)
Pete)
There is one other scenario Im
itching to play which is Last Stand Of
The Besotten Jenny just because the OB
is so unique. French re-armed Prisoners,
a HS of African American soldiers riding
a solitary (if aggressive) Sherman, some
more US infantry and armour fighting
alongside get this some Germans holed
up in a castle against a force of SS who
are trying to clear the area. All we need
now is a dinosaur or zombies... or maybe
a... a... spaceship, OJ Simpson and Ernest
Borgnine and youd have the best B war
movie ever created! Some near forgotten
English actor plays the 8-1 SS leader Ill
bet.
Overall this is a very impressive
pack and Im glad I overcame my initial
reservations and bought it. In fact Id
say, based on what Ive seen and played,
that this is the outstanding issue of Rally
Point to date. The one minor shortcoming
Rally Point however Im not
usually quite so keen on. Ive played a
few scenarios from earlier issues I either
didnt like or found to be very poorly
balanced. They have had issues dedicated
to Schwerpunkt rejects, ASLSK board
scenarios (not terribly keen myself) and
a batch of Axis Minor stuff I found hard
to love. I approached the current issue
with some additional trepidation because
the designer of all the scenarios is Mark
Pitcavage, who designed all the scenarios
in Action Pack 3. I didnt take pleasure in
what I found there either.
However my experience (so far)
of Rally Point 4 is a vast improvement
and I have enjoyed myself with what Ive
read and played. Mark chose to theme
his Special Study scenarios around
the last gasp of the war in Europe and
you get 10 scenarios set on many fronts.
These scenarios are very unlike the ones
found in Schwerpunkt because some are
very long by those standards (RPT31 is 9
turns and has large OBs) and many have
very long SSRs to deal with. The SSRs
themselves will sometimes present a bar to
spontaneous play. Fine if you are agreeing
with an opponent to play a scenario next
time you meet, but frankly a turn off when
flicking through perspective scenarios at
an ASL weekend somewhere. Many of
these scenarios demand and deserve a
quiet evening in with the phone off the
hook to set up a defence. I know Im not
the only one who believes this to be no bad
thing if you can find the time.
The first I scenario played was
Attack To Retreat, which depicts some
Germans trying to battle their way through
some of Titos Yugoslavs (I did mention
it covered many fronts). The Germans
have captured T-34s and the Yugoslavs
have both Italian guns/mortars and British
and German SWs to try to stop them.
My defence was set up with most long-
ranged weapons on the large hill mass of
board 50 on the right, trying to make the
Germans lives a misery as they tried to
roll across board 3 through the main force
of my defending infantry. The exit VC
specify a minimum number of infantry
VP must exit, so I concentrated in the
end on the German infantry because it is
easier to harm than the German AFVs for
the most part. The Germans were bottled
in and unable to make progress without
exposing themselves in the open streets
of the village. This scenario has a tough
learning curve for the Germans and, if I
were to play again as them Id attack both
hills so as to shut down the long range
weapons. Its easy to overlook how easy it
is for AFVS to pass through woods, youd
only need to pass through one to open the
left flank, create the TB counter, and that
would open an easier route in my opinion.
In play as I write this review is
Sword of Damocles, which is a late-war
city-fight including a river crossing. The
recipe: take a city you never heard of.
Flatten some of it, set fire to it, destroy a
crossroads with shell holes. Then set up
Russians who have ordinance SMOKE
from six of their nine vehicles but must
cross one of the three board 23 bridges
to get started on achieving their exit VP,
by crossing board 51. A mixed bag of
Germans from elite to conscript stand in
their way, with three well armed AFV.
My only gripe is that I have been fighting
my way across these same dratted bridges
since about 1988 when I first bought
Beyond Valor (a new canal-city board from
MMP is overdue). To my horror I chose
the bridge which my opponent defended
with the 88LL AT gun and the three
special PF-toting crews which set up HIP
to ambush Soviet armour. Im across in
reasonable shape and ready to break out at
the start of my turn 3. The scenario looks
like it will be a close one.
The German armour is severely
restricted by one of the variations on fuel
shortage SSR that this pack contains.
Although there were some low fuel rules
included in KGP, the Mark has either gone
for the option of arbitrary DR at the start
of a turn (as in Attack To Retreat a 12
means no more fuel) or has granted the
German player so much fuel to allocate to
his vehicles as he sees fit from a limited
resource. The armoured car in this scenario
(Sword of Damocles) uses less fuel per
hex entered, so making it easy to move.
The JgPz IV (there are two) cost three
times as much fuel to move a hex and
there isnt enough to give both of them
full freedom to move. Again, the midnight
31
the trenches
is that the format of the sister mag to
Schwerpunkt denies the designer much
more than almost no room to better explain
his scenario designs. Dont let this put you
off however.
Well in From the Cellar 4 we
already saw esoteric subject matter.
From Heat of Battle this year we got
something else a little like that but at
least its something I know a little more
about, and it lies closer to the WWII time
frame of mainstream ASL. The Long
March is a study of the battles between
the Communist Chinese and the KMT
(Nationalist) Chinese, during a protracted
period of pursuit of the former by the
latter. There are 17 scenarios, no counters.
The scenarios are infantry based, generally
gun light (mortars make rare appearances)
and some scenario OBs dont even have
a single SW on either side. One scenario
(only) has a non-boat vehicle, although
some cavalry pops up. A test if ever there
was one of your pure infantry combat
skills here. Youre as far away from
mechanised 20th Century warfare as youll
ever be. The designers tell you that you
can play 14 scenarios back to back as one
long CG. You get points for winning the
scenario (obviously) but gain points for the
CVP you inflict. Brutal stuff.
Scenario layout is the by-now
familiar HOB style with a vertical turn
track and the I cant believe its not MMP
counter artwork. There is no full colour
here, just back and red on white but they
still look smart and they are a signature
layout by now. Black and white renditions
of the boards are better than nothing. This
looks to be a solid product which even
includes some DASL, if thats what floats
your boat.
One time bigwig at HOB (I neither
know, nor feel the need to know what
caused the recent rift) Chas Smith has
reverted to Bounding Fire Productions and
has released two packs: Beyond The Beach
Head 2 and Bounding Fire 2: Operation
Cobra. (Bounding Fire 1 was not the
venerated Hell on Wheels pack from way
back when egad was it really 1999?!
but Into The Rubble). When I ordered
these two packs I did so as though they
were just one product, and it was probably
well that I did so, because the Operation
Cobra pack relies heavily on the boards
from BtB (only one scenario uses none).
The magazine/booklet from it also has
a brief description of the BtB scenarios
which really reinforces the fact that these
two products make one whole. Id not buy
one without the other.
BtB 2 includes all the parts from
the original Beyond The Beach Head
from HOB, although some of the items
are renamed. The board HoB IV is now
BtB C for example. There are four ASLSK
style boards, 16 scenarios and six overlays
along with a page of special rules (light
bocage and small outbuildings which cross
a hexside are all that you need to worry
about here).
The scenarios in both packs are
beautifully presented on glossy stock in
full colour with colour renditions of the
boards and HoB-style artwork on the
counters. Theres a finely rendered sepia
photo (no naff image badly distorted by
digital processing) and theres little more
you could possibly ask from these cards.
Note that one of my pet-hates in other
packs the two sided scenario card on one
card - is absent here as the producers have
had the nous to print the extra page on
another card, so you can lay them next to
each other. Well done. Thank you. Really.
So what about the scenarios? There
are 16 in BtB. I loved what I played of
BtB1 and I found that AP 4 reminded me
of it, rather than the other way round.
It really is a very nice treatment of the
bocage country fighting which some of us
really like (despite the mind bending rules
for bocage - see below). All this without
having to use board 55! It seemed like I
spent two years fighting may way up and
down that board and if I never see it again
then it will be to soon (oh-oh whats this in
ASL Journal 8?). Really, if AP 4 was your
thing then get this. If it wasnt because you
dont like bocage... then Id probably avoid
these packs.
The boards that come with BtB are
very like the ASLSK style MMP maps
specifically those from AP 4 - except the
hedgerow artwork is significantly chunkier
and comes in two shades, allowing the
existence of normal hedges alongside
bocage or the pack-SSR driven light
bocage Overlays (large ones) offer
further variation. Nice pack.
Operation Cobra portrays actions of
the US armoured breakout on the weakly
defended flank of the Normandy front
in late July and August 1944 (weakly
defended = 10 Jagdpanthers in one
scenario!). Given the quagmire the Allies
found themselves in during the weeks
after Overlord, this was a refreshingly
fast movement of really well, equipped
US forces with massive close air support
resources and there are probably many
more thrilling scenarios that could yet be
portrayed, in addition to those provided
here. Cant fault what I see here though.
Operation Cobra comes with
no boards but includes 12 scenarios, a
32
view from
crossroads village overlay and 88 matt
finish counters. Dark US AFV on an
olive green background, most of them
representing the various US AFV you
might expect to see in Normandy, either
equipped with the Culin hedgerow
breaching ironwork or flamethrowers. It
is only as I looked at these latter variants
that I realised the fundamental limitation
of the US AFV mounted FT they only
have a normal range of 1 hex! Makes the
Crocodile look even more impressive in
my book. There are 5/8 counters and
rules to represent the Pppchen which is
basically a super Panzerschreck on wheels.
This seems very powerful to me: Not
only does it have a good chance of hitting
out to range 6, a TK # of 26 and 12 FP
equivalency, but it has 3 ROF. I advise it is
best avoided by an opponent... or send that
tank with the busted MA to deal with it!
Finally there are a set of variant US
Thunderbolt counters armed with various
weapon loadouts rather than the standard
Allied 44 FB with Bombs. Theres a
page of rules which goes into the various
types and how they work. Im personally
agnostic as to the need for refinement
of the air support rules by variant of
armament. Any old 44FB would have
done me. However Ive no doubt that there
are some out there who love the chrome,
and I guess if you could have Sturmoviks
over Orsha with all sorts of weapons, then
why not Normandy? Ill get excited when I
see an RAF Typhoon properly modelled.
The pack comes with a 56 page
booklet which starts off with a detailed
examination of the bocage rules. It points
out that there is a major issue with the
inability of a HIP unit to gain WA and
therefore no bore sighting is possible
except in the adjacent hex. It also points
out that the gun you want to fire will not
have LOS to a moving target until the
very moment it fires, thus invoking the
extra case J penalties. Ouchy. Errata are
expected from headquarters any time soon.
As good as this booklet is on the subject of
bocage, it still ends up falling foul of the
complexity of those dratted bocage rules.
Our own Tim Bunce has written to Chas
Smith raising a couple of points where
the WA and concealment rules dont seem
to have been applied correctly. Chas was
very graceful in his reply, having pretty
much expected that this might happen (by
implication). As far as Im concerned its
still a pretty good effort and probably those
examples in the booklet represent a better
stab at bocage/WA than many experienced
players might manage in a game. Its hard
to play bocage without error.
The booklet is more than just an
analysis of bocage rules, however, as it
continues with a piece on the Pppchen
historical and play examples, a long
section on the BtB scenarios and then
Chas rounds the publication off with a
review of Operation Cobra, including a
breakdown of the units involved on both
sides. Its a great read from cover to cover.
Tremendous stuff.
As I finish my review of BtB 2 and
Operation Cobra Im very much in awe
of the effort and attention to detail and
overall production values. Its hard to
find fault here and they really do set the
standard for a TPP product based on its
own geomorphic maps. I paid more for
these combined than I did for the LFT
St Nazaire pack, and I do believe youd
have to consider them one product in all
but name. However I dont regret a penny
spent.
The last two products I am
reviewing here are both produced in
Sweden. Friendly Fire Pack 5 follows
on from the first four in a similar style.
The success of the earlier packs has made
FrF the closest rival Schwerpunkt has had
for the title of most valuable source of
tournament scenarios. Its a compliment
to both to say this in my opinion. My
appreciation of the reasons behind this is
that both are the publishers of scenarios
specifically designed for tournaments
(in Florida and Sweden). The similarity
doesnt end with the type of scenario,
since the counters on the scenario cards
are just represented by the unit strength or
designation, rather than artwork. In fact,
although the layout of SP and FrF differ
slightly, the overall effect is similar.
Ten scenarios covering theatres
from Finland to Burma, but mostly set
in Europe. Five turns through to eight,
but the balance being towards the shorter
end of that scale. Interesting to see the
Wunderwaffe (PAK 41, a squeeze bore
APCR only 75LL gun) from the earlier
pack getting mounted on a Pz III chassis
and set to defend a village and hill from a
Russian attack. This looks like a great pack
and I regret not yet having had time to play
any scenarios.
Finally, and by no means least
most, Im going to review the Swedish
Volunteers pack, which amusingly
bills itself as ASL module 12.5 since
the Swedes will not appear in Hakkaa
Plle. I thought they just exported ore to
Germany during the war, so making them
Axis Miners (sorry really sorry about
that).
This is a sweet pack and has held
my attention since I received my copy.
Id probably not have bothered ordering
one if someone hadnt put an image of
the counter sheet of the Swedish units up
on Gamesquad. They are blue on white
and I can immediately perceive you
thinking (from the secret camera behind
your monitor as you read this) that theyll
clash with information counters. Take it
from me that they dont you get used to
them very quickly. The attention to detail
is excellent: on one side of the sheet the
only use of red ink is to put the dot in the
roundel of the British on the turn counter
(I absolutely love turn counters). The
counter art resembles that of the official
product, but the artwork is all custom and
has been lovingly created in great detail,
even down to the leaders wearing different
uniforms for the three different areas of
conflict the Swedes got involved in. Some
33
the trenches
128 counters depict three squads types,
some Crews and Leaders, and a mix of
SW, Guns and the Sniper counter. Quality
is very much like an official counter.
There are 14 scenarios depicting
Swedes fighting in Norway alongside
British or Norwegian forces, Fighting
in Finland in the Winter War and also
fighting in Finland in the Continuation
War against the Soviets. I have played
many of these by now and found them
all good to excellent. The first I played
was Norwegian Edelweiss which is a
beautifully balanced, flowing game of
defence against a main and flanking force
in defence of some buildings. Timing of
disengagement for the Allies is tricky as
you need to get your British back to help
the Swedish platoon defend the town
before the flanking Germans cut you off.
Very enjoyable. Trap By Mishap sees
some unfortunate Soviet attackers caught
in between defending Finns/Swedes and
a force of Finns who come on in right
behind the line of attack. If a Soviet
squad is unlucky, breaking means death
as routing is impossible. Day at Night
sees an advancing unit of Finnish/Swedish
StuGs and infantry suddenly come across
a massed force of Soviet armour, preparing
themselves to attack out of the mist of an
Arctic Circle midnight in 1944. Getting
your armour away from the T-34s alive so
you can set up a proper defence across the
open ground of board 19 is a challenge.
In my game of this at IF 09 Ian Daglish
manoeuvred his Red infantry quietly in
the mist for a couple of turns and set up a
really well executed human wave, which
ran through my Finnish MMG fire lane set
diagonally across their front. Six squads
and a leader set out; only one squad and
the leader made it to enter the hex of
the Finnish AT gun. This collapsed the
Finnish defence on that side, leading to a
clear route of exit for the Soviet armour.
It was epic stuff I can tell you! Ten Ton
tank sees radioless Soviet T-26 tanks with
accompanying infantry in 1940 battling
though deep snow to get past a well dug-
in Swedish defence, including some 37L
AT guns in a trench line. This is another
tight little number as there is little time
available. I also played Lions And Tin
Men, which is a really well designed
infantry-only affair, where the Germans
fight their way up half of the board 24
valley against a defence made up evenly
of Norwegians and Finns. Its deceptively
simple, not flashy, but a very sound design.
The pack comes with six pages of
chapter A25 rules, Chapter H ordinance
and SW notes and a long section on design
issues and the history of the Swedes in
WWII. The scenario cards themselves are
so like the original AH/MP in style, layout
and quality that you have to notice the
Swedish Tri-Crown National symbol in
the corner to realise they are from a TPP.
Crisp, clean print, the counter artwork
on the cards, use of just the usual MMP
colours as well as the right weight of
cardstock all add to the illusion. Bravo!
Even in a banner year for TPP, the design
philosophy and execution of Swedish
Volunteers has impressed me very much
indeed.
In a period where the official
products seem very far spaced, it is very
comforting to see so many well produced
packs coming from so many countries.
Hats off to all to those who made the effort
in 2009.
Swedes!

Soviet ATR
Corrections on Use in ASL
Arnaud Sanchis pointed out an
important mistake in Michael Davies ATR
article in the last issue of VFTT. On page
17, first column, fourth paragraph, Michael
wrote (about Deliberate Immobilization):
To attempt this your target must be at
six hexes or less range, and its weakest
hull Armour Factor has to be less than the
basic To Kill of your PTR, which is eight
for adjacent or same hex targets, seven for
anything beyond that.
This is wrong, the basic To Kill of
a Russian ATR is always 6. The Modified
To Kill can be improved by range, but here
the rule is clear so you cant attempt DI
against a target with, say, 6 side Hull AF
even if adjacent.
This error with the basic and
Modified To Kill number also prevents
Michaels suggested tactic of using an
ATR against a pillbox (again page 17, first
column, first paragraph) as per B30.35,
as the basic TK of 6 is not greater than
twice the Covered Arc defence modifier of
even a wooden n+3+5 bunker as noted in
the article. Additionally, as per Note 1 of
C8.31 ATR can use AP HE Equivalency
only if it is 20 mm., which does not
include Russian ATR. Thanks to Dana
Sandarusi and Chris Doary for pointing
those out.
Chris Doary does go on to note that
the tactic of firing AP against a pillbox
using HE Equivalency (B30.35 and C8.31)
is otherwise valid, but:
The tactic is rarely used for attacks
outside a Pillbox CA because one needs at
least a TK# of 11 for wooden PB and a
whopping TK# of 15 for a concrete PB.
Apart from the slight advantage afforded
to otherwise poor-performing ordnance
(e.g. 37LL, 45LL, and 47L), I can think of
much better things to fire at than a PB with
a puny one or two flat shot. In any case,
once you get to the 75L/76LL calibre plus
range, you will rarely want to sacrifice a
potential 12 FP attack (at another target)
for a 2 FP one. However, if youre stuck
with a pathetic Brit tank sporting a six-
pounder (e.g. Churchill Mk IV AP only) ,
it may be worthwhile firing away at a PB
flank with your 2 FP attack. In fact, all
those other Brit tanks that can fire only AP
would certainly benefit from this tactic.

A Request For Support

Guys (and gals)... my name is Russ Curry
and I am a longtime ASLer. I know a bunch
of you guys from over the years going to
ASLOK, BERSERK, Arnhem, Winter
Offensive, Wild West Fest and other ASL
tourneys.
Late last year I signed up to participate
in the 2010 Disney Marathon Weekend. It
consists of a marathon on Saturday and
the full marathon the next day. What I have
actually signed up to do is the Goofy Race
Challenge which means I will run both races
back to back.that is 39.3 miles in two
days! Why? Not sure.but as time went by
I thought why not try to do some good with
the race. That is when I came up the idea
of trying to raise money for the Wounded
Warrior Project (WWP).
The Wounded Warrior Project (www.
woundedwarriorproject.org) is a non-profit
organization that works to raise awareness
and enlist the publics aid for the needs of
severely injured service men and women, to
help severely injured service members aid and
assist each other, and to provide unique, direct
programs and services to meet their needs.
If you are able and would like to help
out please go to http://WWPProudSupporter.
kintera.org/faf/r.asp?t=4&i=308932&u=
308932-270716745&e=2851722275 and
donate any amount you can. The website is
set up through WWP (it is on their server)
and everything goes directly through them.
If you dont want to donate online there is a
form on the webpage you can print and mail a
donation in.
Or if you just want drop me a line
with some encouragement like you are
crazy39 miles in two days is nuts etc.
by all means feel free to do that too..If you
have any questions please drop me an email
at [email protected].
34
view from
THIS IS THE CALL TO ARMS!
This is the latest edition of the ASL Players Directory. It is broken down by country and then by postal code region. Where a date
(in dd mm yyyy format) is shown at the end of each entry this indicates when it was last confirmed.
England
Joss Attridge, Newtown Linford, Leicester, Leicestershire (14/04/2007)
F. B. Dickens, 62 Yarnfield Road, Tyseley, Birmingham, W. Mids., B11 3PG ()
Billy Carslaw, 52 Spring Lane, Birmingham, B24 9BZ (19/03/2005)
Stuart Brant, 16 Kings Court, 25 Cox Street, Birmingham, B3 1RD (25/10/2007)
Garry Cramp, 25 Ferndale Road, Hall Green, Brimingham, W. Mids, B92 8HP (31/10/1996)
Gary Lock, 7 Dover Place, Bath, BA1 6DX (25/03/2004)
Jeff Hawarden, 9 Laburnum Road, Helmshore, Rossendale, Lancs., BB4 4LF ()
Craig Ambler, 2 Queensbury Square, Queensbury, Bradford, W. Yorks., BD13 1PS (28/02/1997)
Phil Ward, 7 Burnsall Mews, Silsden, Keighley, W. Yorks., BD20 9NY (06/03/2000)
Mat Haas, 8A Farcroft Road, Poole, Dorset, BH12 3BQ (03/09/2008)
Dave Schofield, 11 Longfield Drive, West Parley, Ferndown, Dorset, BH22 8TY (03/09/2008)
Stuart Holmes, 1 Milne Street, Irwell Vale, Ramsbottom, Lancs., BL0 0QP (08/03/2002)
Shaun Carter, 3 Arnside Grove, Breightmet, Bolton, Lancs, BL2 6PL (06/03/2008)
Mike Standbridge, 31 Hunstanon Drive, Bury, Lancs., BL8 1EG (09/03/2006)
Ian Kenney, 53 Withdean Crescent, Brighton, W. Sussex, BN1 6WG ()
Marc Hanna, 42 Sancroft Road, Eastbourne, Sussex, BN20 8HB (10/03/2009)
Graham Smith, 56 Durham Road, Bromley, Kent, BR2 0SW (01/08/2008)
Andy Tucker, 78 Constance Crescent, Hayes, Bromley, Kent, BR2 7QQ (11/11/1999)
Bill Durrant, 5 Gatcombe Court, 65 Park Road, Beckenham, Kent, BR3 1QG (19/06/1999)
Neil Piggot, 2 Beechmount Grove, Hengrove, Bristol, Avon, BS14 9DN ()
Mark Warren, 5 Gazzard Road, Winterbourne, Bristol, BS36 1NR (26/10/2006)
Rasmus Jensen, 17 Berkeley Road, Bishopston, Bristol, Avon, BS7 8HF (29/10/1997)
Gaute Strokkenes, Girton College, Cambridge, CB3 0JG (23/10/1998)
Paul ODonald, 13 Archway Court, Barton Road, Cambridge, Cambs., CB3 9LW (07/08/2002)
Martin Barker, Tradewinds, Wratting Rd, Haverhill, Suffolk, CB9 0DA (17/09/2008)
Ken Watson, 18 Arrendene Road, Haverhill, Suffolk, CB9 9JQ (03/10/2007)
Andrew Eynon, 36 Greenbank Drive, Pensby, Wirral, CH61 5UF (08/07/2005)
Gareth Evans, 29 Hillfield Road, Little Sutton, South Wirral, Merseyside, CH66 1JA ()
Derek Cox, 25 Cramphorn Walk, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 2RD (02/09/2008)
Brendan Clark, 5 Borda Close, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 4JY (25/10/2007)
Miles Wiehahn, 37 Nursery Rise, Great Dunmow, Essex, CM6 1XW (06/09/2009)
Alistair Fairbairn, 3 School Lane, Brantham, Manningtree, Essex, CO11 1QE ()
Martin Johnson, 16 Wick Lane, Dovercourt, Harwich, Essex, CO12 3TA ()
Matthew Leach, 12 Lodge Road, Little Oakley, Dovercourt, Essex, CO12 5ED (19/08/2002)
Rob Gallagher, 153 Halstead Rd, Stanway, Colchester, Essex, CO3 5JT (31/07/2001)
Nick Ranson, 31 Ashlong Grove, Halstead, Essex, CO9 2QH (24/08/2008)
Derek Tocher, 19 Tyrell Square, Mitcham, Surrey, CR4 3SD (25/10/2007)
Derek Briscoe, 129b Melfort Road, Thornton Heath, Croydon, Surrey, CR7 7RX (18/01/1999)
Joe Arthur, 33 Cedar Close, St Peters, Broadstairs, Kent, CT10 3BU (31/10/1999)
Peter Wenman, 12 Clementine Close, Belting, Herne Bay, Kent, CT6 6SN (26/07/1998)
Andy Back, 21 Elmwood Court, St Nicholas Street, Coventry, W. Mids., CV1 4BS ()
Hubert Noar, 39 Rugby Road, Cifton, Rugby, Warks., CV23 0DE (06/01/2004)
Tim Collier, 71 Kinross Road, Leamington Spa, Warks., CV32 7EN (09/05/2005)
Tony Wardlow, 6 Beech Tree Avenue, Coventry, W. Mids., CV4 9FG ()
Ray Jennings, 4 Dame Agnes Grove, Coventry, West Midlands, CV6 7HL (03/09/2008)
Ian Pollard, 19 Doria Drive, Gravesend, Kent, DA12 4HS (05/09/2008)
Aaron Sibley, 61 Ridgeway Avenue, Gravesend, Kent, DA12 5BE (29/08/2008)
Kris Pugh, 22 Norfolk Place, Welling, Kent, DA16 3HR (25/10/2007)
Carl Sizmur, 81 Millfield, New Ash Green, Longfield, Kent, DA3 8HN (25/10/2007)
Sean Pratt, 19 Premier Avenue, Ashbourne, Derbyshire, DE6 1LH (07/08/2002)
Neil Brunger, 72 Penhill Close, Ouston, Chester Le Street, Co. Durham, DH2 1SG (03/09/2008)
M. W. Jones, 1 Cheviot View, Front St, Dipton, Stanley, Co. Durham, DH9 9DQ ()
Brian Hooper, 38 Ridsdale Street, Darlington, County Durham, DL1 4EG (07/09/2008)
Chris Bunyan, 89 Hallcroft Road, Retford, Notts., DN22 7PY (17/10/1998)
Roy Quarton, 8 Bassey Road, Branton, Doncaster, S. Yorks., DN3 3NS (01/11/2000)
David Farr, First Floor Flat, 259 High Road Leyton, Leyton, London, E10 5QE (25/04/1999)
Larry Devis, 104 The Mission, 747 Commercial Road, London, E14 7LE (21/07/2001)
Michael Chantler, Flat 7, Pickwick House, 100-102 Goswell Road, London, EC1V 7DH (04/05/2004)
Lee Bray, 1 Oakfield Road, Exeter, Devon, EX4 1BA (04/03/2009)
Mike Elan, 26 King Edward Street, St. Davids, Exeter, Devon, EX4 4NY (01/06/2000)
Andrew Saunders, 3 Torbay Court, 221 Devonshire Road, Blackpool, Lancs., FY2 0TJ (29/12/2000)
Nigel Brown, 3 Chepstow Road, Blackpool, Lancs., FY3 7NN (31/10/1996)
Ulric Schwela, 18 Stuart Road, Thornton, Lancashire, FY5 4EE (15/09/2008)
Arthur Garlick, 23 St. Annes Road East, Lytham St. Annes, Lancs., FY8 1TA (04/05/1998)
Michael Davies, 36 Heyhouses Court, Heyhouses Lane, Lytham St Annes, Lancs., FY8 3RF (06/03/2008)
Russell Gough, Bellare, New Road, Southam, Cheltenham, GL52 3NX (09/03/2006)
Tim Bunce, 33 Ryde Court, Newport Road, Aldershot, Hants., GU12 4LL (03/09/2008)
Perry Tatman, 6 Foxley Close, Blackwater, Surrey, GU17 0JZ (02/09/2008)
Jeff Cansell, 24a Upper Queen Street, Godalming, Surrey, GU7 1DQ (17/03/1997)
Giuilo Manganoni, 111 Kings Road, Godalming, Farncombe, Surrey, GU7 3EU (30/04/1996)
Simon Croome, 1 Dowling Parade, Bridgewater Road, Wembley, Middx., HA0 1AJ (25/10/2007)
Jackie Eves, 1 Dowling Parade, Bridgewater Road, Wembley, Middx., HA0 1AJ (25/10/2007)
Malcolm Hatfield, 336B Alexandra Ave, South Harrow, Middlesex, HA2 9DB (03/09/2008)
Neil Stevens, 8 Trenchard Avenue, Ruislip, Middlesex, HA4 6NP (14/02/2007)
Chris Littlejohn, 214AField End Road, Eastcote, Pinner, Middx., HA5 1RD ()
Ben Kellington, 12 Clayton Fields, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, HD2 2BA (21/04/2007)
Fish Flowers, Church Farm, Westerns Lane, Markington, HG3 3PB (27/11/2004)
Paul Kettlewell, 1 Puffin Way, Watermead, Aylesbury, Bucks., HP20 2UG (06/03/2008)
Nick Edelsten, 139 Hivings Hill, Chesham, Bucks., HP5 2PN (05/09/2001)
Malcolm Holland, 57 Westfield Rise, Barrow Lane, Hessle, Humberside, HU13 0NA()
Ruarigh Dale, 77 Riverview Avenue, North Ferriby, HU14 3DT (27/10/2005)
Steve Balcam, 1 Cornwall Street, Cottingham, N. Humberside, HU16 4NB (01/01/1996)
Mark Furnell, 123 Roycraft Avenue, Thames View, Barking, Essex, IG1 0NS (10/09/2008)
Tony Maryou, 41 Benton Road, Ilford, Essex, IG1 4AU (15/08/2000)
Kevin Gookey, 95 Willingdale Road, Loughton, Essex, IG10 2DD (17/02/2001)
David Austin, 86 Lindsey Way, Stowmarket, Suffolk, IP14 2PD (04/01/2000)
Paul Legg, 21 Grimsey Road, Leiston, Suffolk, IP16 4BW (24/09/2008)
Andy Smith, 31 Egerton Road, New Malden, Surrey, KT3 4AP (23/06/1999)
Craig Benn, 122 Larkfield Road, Aigburth, L17 9PU (03/09/2008)
Andy Ashton, 62 Earlston Drive, Wallasey, The Wirral, Merseyside, L45 5DZ ()
Wayne Kelly, 72 Grassmere Road, Lancaster, Lancs, LA1 3HB (19/03/2005)
Adrian Bland, 15 Blankney Road, Cottesmore, Oakham, Rutland, LE15 7AG (10/12/2004)
Patrick Dale, 28 Bancroft Road, Cottingham, Market Harbourgh, Leics., LE16 8XA(25/10/2007)
Nick Brown, 53 Henley Crescent, Braunstone, Leicester, Leics., LE3 2SA(15/11/1996)
John Overton, 68 Brantingham Road, Whalley Range, Manchester, M18 8QH (18/09/2002)
Bernard Savage, 73 Penrhyn Avenue, Middleton, Manchester, M24 1FP (10/03/1998)
Simon Sayers, 21 Barlea Avenue, New Moston, Manchester, M40 3WL (21/11/2008)
Bob Eburne, 33 Whitton Way, Newport Pagnell, Bucks., MK16 0PR (28/10/2004)
Chris Walton, nb Burgan Pod, Cosgrove Marina, The Lock House, Lock Lane, Cosgrove, Milton Keynes, MK19
7JR
Jamie Sewell, 115 Cresent Road, Alexandra Palace, London, N22 4RU ()
Jas Bal, 63 Gardner Park, North Shields, Tyne and Wear, NE29 0EA (09/03/2006)
Philip Jones, 10 hazeldene, Jarrow, Tyne and Wear, NE32 4RB (09/03/2006)
Steve Jones, 90 Biddick Lane, Fatfield Village, Washington, Tyne and Wear, NE38 8AA (04/04/2005)
Martin Sabais, 36 Chalfont Road, Walker, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear, NE6 3ES (17/09/2008)
Andy McMaster, 29 Kingsley Place, Heaton, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE6 5AN (06/03/2008)
Andrew Cochrane, 19 Churchburn Drive, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE61 2BZ (04/08/2009)
Mike Rudd, 2 Blaeberry Hill, Rothbury, Northumberland, NE65 7YY (12/03/2002)
Geoff Geddes, 30 Sheepwalk Lane, Ravenshead, Nottingham, Notts., NG15 9FD ()
Ian Willey, 17 Strawberry Bank, Huthwaite, Sutton-In-Ashfield, Notts., NG17 2QG (26/03/2002)
George Jaycock, 51 Burleigh Road, West Bridgford, Nottingham, Notts., NG2 6FQ ()
Chris Gower, 7 Boxley Drive, West Bridgford, Nottingham, Notts., NG2 7GQ (28/09/1998)
L. Othacehe, 17 Russel Drive, Wollaston, Notts., NG8 2BA ()
Duncan Spencer, 33 St Anthonys Road, Kettering, Northants, NN15 5HT ()
A. Kendall, 12 Hunsbury Close, West Hunsbury, Northampton, NN4 9UE (13/12/1998)
Nigel Ashcroft, 5 Grasmere Way, Thornwell, Chepstow, Gwent, NP16 5SS (28/10/2004)
Clive Haden, Holly House, The Street, Swanton Abbott, Norfolk, NR10 5DU (09/05/2005)
Tom Jackson, 40 Keyes Rd, London, NW2 3XA (02/09/2008)
Steve Joyce, 23 South End Close, London, NW3 2RB (31/01/2001)
Peter Fraser, 66 Salcombe Gardens, Millhill, London, NW7 2NT ()
Nick Hughes, 15 Layfield Road, Hendon, London, NW9 3UH ()
Martin Mayers, 41 Frank Fold, Heywood, Lancs., OL10 4FF (28/10/2004)
Stephen Ashworth, 1 Nelson Street, Walsden, Manchester, Lancashire, OL14 7SP (12/12/2006)
Toby Pilling, 51 Wensum Drive, Didcot, Oxon, OX11 7RJ (09/03/2006)
John Sharp, 3 Union Street, Oxford, Oxon, OX4 1JP (23/10/1998)
Simon Stevenson, East Dairy Cottage, Welton Le Marsh, Spilsby, Lincolnshire, PE23 5TA (28/05/2005)
Hamish Hughson, 65 Gloucester Road, Wyton, Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, PE28 2HF (11/03/2008)
Jason Johns, 26 Hamerton Road, Alconbury Weston, Huntingdon, Cambs., PE28 4JD (22/01/2003)
Alan Anderson, Penmareve, Maddever Crescent, Liskeard, Cornwall, PL14 3PT (11/12/1998)
Nigel Blair, 105 Stanborough Road, Plymstock, Plymouth, PL9 8PG (03/09/2008)
Paul Rideout, 5 Fisher Close, Stubbington, Fareham, Hants., PO14 3RA()
Keith Bristow, 39 Carronade Walk, Portsmouth, Hampshire, PO3 5LX (25/10/2007)
Simon Strevens, 14 Teddington Road, Southsea, Hampshire, PO4 8DB (25/10/2007)
Justin Key, 25 Hilary Avenue, Portsmouth, Hants., PO6 2PP (03/09/2008)
Simon Hunt, 26 Inhurst Avenue, Waterlooville, Portsmouth, PO7 7QR ()
Steve Thomas, 19 Derwent House, Samuel Street, Preston, Lancs., PR1 4YL (23/10/1998)
Trevor Edwards, 11 Thirlmere Road, Preston, Lancs., PR1 5TR (02/09/2008)
Bill Sherliker, 16 The Heathers, Bamber Bridge, Preston, Lancs., PR5 8LJ (09/09/2008)
Phil Draper, 8 Chesterman Street, Reading, Berks., RG1 2PR (25/10/2007)
Paul Sanderson, Flat 4, Russell Street, Reading, Berks., RG1 7XD (26/03/2000)
Michael Strefford, 3 Walton Way, Shaw, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 2LL (05/06/1998)
Dominic McGrath, 19 George Street, Basingstoke, Hampshire, RG21 7RN (06/03/2008)
Chris Netherton, 36 Eungar Road, Whitchurch, Hants, RG28 7EY (26/10/2006)
Kevin Croskery, 4 Beechey Way, Copthorne, W. Sussex, RH10 3LT (10/08/2008)
Bill Hensby, 32 The Vineries, Burgess Hill, W. Sussex, RH15 0NF (18/06/1999)
John Barton, 194 Chanctonbury Road, Burgess Hill, W. Sussex, RH15 9HN (08/05/2007)
Gerard Burton, Flat 7 The Beacons, Beaconsfield Road, Chelwood Gate, London, RH17 7LH (08/08/2009)
Wayne Baumber, 39 Station Road, Lingfield, Surrey, RH7 6DZ (25/10/2007)
Keith Graves, 51 Humbar Avenue, South Ockenden, Essex, RM15 5JL ()
David Higginbotham, 18 Westfield Garden, Brampton, Chesterfield, S40 3SN (03/07/2000)
Andy Osborne, 42 Atlantis Close, Lee, London, SE12 8RE ()
Simon Horspool, 188 Leahurst Road, Hither Green, London, SE13 5NL (03/08/2007)
Martin Edwards, 127 Pepys Road, London, SE14 5SE (02/09/1999)
Michael Essex, 1B Wrottesley Road, London, SE18 3EW (11/06/2009)
David Ramsey, 25 Grenville Way, Stevenage, Herts, SG2 8XZ (03/09/2008)
Chris Milne, 19 Redoubt Close, Hitchin, Herts., SG4 0FP (25/03/2004)
Andrew Dando, 26 Constable Drive, Marple Bridge, Stockport, Cheshire, SK6 5BG (17/09/2002)
Andrew Daglish, 7 The Spinney, Cheadle, Cheshire, SK8 1JA ()
Paul Jones, 11 Irwin Drive, Handforth, Wilmslow, SK9 3JS (04/03/2009)
Ian Daglish, 5 Swiss Hill Mews, Alderley Edge, Cheshire, SK9 7DP (03/09/2008)
Pete Bennett, 84 Littlebrook Avenue, Burnham, Slough, Bucks., SL2 2NN (16/09/2002)
Steve Crowley, 2 Mossy Vale, Maidenhead, Berks., SL6 7RX (23/10/2003)
William Binns, 150 Carshalton Park Road, Carshalton, Surrey, SM5 3SG (25/10/2008)
Adrian Catchpole, The Malting Barn, Top Lane, Whitley, Melksham, Wilts., SN12 8QJ ()
Jon Williams, 17 Larch Road, Colerne, Chippenham, Wilts., SN14 8QG (06/12/1998)
William Roberts, 20 Clayhill Copse, Peatmoor, Swindon, Wilts., SN5 5AL (03/09/2008)
Bill Gunning, 14 Eagles, Faringdon, Oxon, SN7 7DT (14/09/1997)
Roger Cook, The Brick Farmhouse, Cleuch Common, Marlborough, Wilts, SN8 4DS (26/10/2006)
Chris Riches, 3 Bernwood Grove, Blackfield, Southampton, Hants., SO45 1ZW (06/02/2007)
James Crosfield, Lower Langham Farm, Langham Lane, Gillingham, Dorset, SP8 5NT (15/02/2009)
John Fletcher, 191 Trent Valley Road, Stoke-On-Trent, Staffordshire, ST4 5LE (23/10/1998)
Robert Seeney, 43 Priory Road, Newcastle Under Lyme, Staffs., ST5 2EN (19/03/2005)
Ronnie Tan, 250 Hydethorpe Road, Balham, London, SW12 0JH (21/07/2001)
Simon Taylor, 81 Valley Road, London, SW16 2XL (05/09/2008)
Julian Blakeney-Edwards, 1 Elmbourne Road, London, SW17 8JS (21/10/1998)
Lee Brimmicombe-Wood, 49 Edgecombe House, Whitlock Drive, Southfields, London, SW19 6SL (03/08/2009)
Christopher Chen, Flat 11, 14 Sloane Gardens, London, SW1W 8DL (25/02/1999)
Jonathan Pickles, 115 Wavertree Road, Streathem Hill, London, SW2 3SN (26/03/1999)
David Tye, 35 Redburn Street, London, SW3 4DA()
Chris Courtier, 17b Hargwyne Street, London, SW9 9RQ (23/10/1998)
John Sparks, 2 Standfast Place, Taunton, Somerset, TA2 8QG (01/10/2007)
Paul Case, 4 Brymas House, Rockwell Green, Wellington, Somerset, TA21 9BZ (06/03/2008)
Nick Carter, 13 Oak Tree Court, Uckfield, East Sussex, TN22 1TT (03/09/2008)
Mike Batley, 2 The Gables, Argos Hill, East Sussex, TN6 3QJ (29/04/2001)
Bill Eaton, Dart House, 20 Bridgetown, Totnes, Devon, TQ9 5BA (02/09/2008)
Ivor Gardiner, 19 Gibson Road, Ickenham, London, Middlesex, UB10 bEW (03/09/2008)
Aaron Patrick, 9 Arundel Gardens, London, W11 2LN (31/12/2004)
Nick Quinn, 7 Woodgrange Avenue, Ealing, London, W5 3NY (04/03/2002)
John Kennedy, 2 Hawthorn Road, Hale, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA15 9RG (23/10/2003)
Alan Lynott, Woodlands Parkway, Cheshire, WA15 7QU (10/12/2009)
Dave Booth, 47 Dunnock Grove, Oakwood, Warrington, Cheshire, WA3 6NW (07/10/1996)
Paul Ryde-Weller, 44 Farm Way, Watford, Herts., WD2 3SY ()
Robin Langston, 105 Little Bushey Lane, Bushey, Herts., WD23 4SD (19/09/1996)
Sandy Goh, 12 Mornington Road, Radlett, Herts., WD7 7BL (31/10/1996)
Matt Blackman, 10 Alfred St, Wigan, Lancs., WN1 2HL (14/03/2008)
Ian Parkes, 45 School Lane, Standish, Wigan, Lancs., WN6 0TG (23/09/2008)
Michael Murray, 34 Bell Road, Walsall, West Mids., WS5 3JW (30/03/1999)
Ian Price, 19 Upper Green, Yettenhall, Wolverhampton, W. Mids., WV6 8QN ()
Michael Clark, Wold View, East Heslerton, Malton, N. Yorks, YO17 8RN (12/02/2002)
David Murray, 29 Middle Street, Nafferton, Driffield, S. Yorks, YO25 4JS (02/09/2008)
Scotland
Steven Trease, 2 Charlestown Circle, Cove, Aberdeen, AB12 3EY (17/06/1999)
Tony Gibson, 107 Queens Drive, Hazelhead, Aberdeen, AB15 8BN (06/03/2008)
35
the trenches
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THE CRUSADERS PRESENTS
Clash
oF the
Designers
A heavyweight clash between
Shaun Wittman Carter and Ian Bocage Daglish
for the undisputed UK ASL Designer crown.
March 11 - 14, 2010
Hotel Skye
Blackpool
Steve Cook, 159 Lee Crescent, Aberdeen, AB22 8FH (13/03/2009)
Martin Vicca, 37 Dean Gardens, Westhill, Aberdeen, AB24 2UB (02/09/2008)
Paul Saunders, 59 Grampian Gardens, Arbroath, Angus, DD1 4AQ (03/09/2008)
Michael Green, 27 Rotchell Park, Dumfries, DG2 7RH (12/09/2002)
Mark Chapman, Flat 7, 265 Gorgie Road, Edinburgh, EH11 1TX (01/12/2005)
Garry Ferguson, 30E Forrester Park Avenue, Edinburgh, EH12 9AW (07/12/1998)
Stewart Thain, 77 Birrell Gardens, Murieston, Livingston, West Lothian, EH54 9LF (25/10/2007)
Bill Finlayson, 19 Taymouth Road, Polmont, Falkirk, Stirlingshire, FK2 0PF (16/06/2001)
Sam Prior, Flat 4, 264 St Vincent Street, Glasgow, G2 5RL (03/09/2008)
Andrew Kassian, Flat 14/2, 20 Petershill Court, Glasgow, G21 4QA (01/01/1996)
Ellis Simpson, 4 Langtree Avenue, Whitecraigs, Glasgow, G46 7LW (20/04/1999)
Oliver Gray, 117 Upper Dalgairn, Cupar, Fife, KY15 4JQ (04/02/2009)
Garry Marshall, 24 Allardice Crescent, Kirkcaldy, Fife, KY2 5TY (21/05/2001)
Pete Phillipps, 9 Pier Rd, Kilchoan, Argyll, PH36 4LJ (02/09/2008)
Jonathan Swilliamson, Da Croft, Bridge End, Burra, Shetland Islands, ZE2 9LE (01/05/1998)
Wales
Andrew Whinnett, 6 Aquilla Court, Conway Road, Cardiff, CF11 9PA (03/09/2008)
Paul Jones, 9 Cwm Nofydd, Rhiwbina, Cardiff, CF14 6JX (22/11/2002)
Martin Castrey, 1, Thomas Cottages, The Highway, Hawarden, Flintshire, CH5 3DY (03/09/2008)
Kev Sutton, 1 Gorphwysfa, Windsor Road, New Broughton, Wrexham, LL11 6SP (25/02/1999)
C. Jones, Deer Park Lodge, Stepaside, Narbeth, Pembrokeshire, SA67 8JL ()
Emyr Phillips, 2 Cysgod Y Bryn, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, SY23 4LR (27/08/2002)
If there are any mistakes, please let me know so I can
correct them for the next edition. If you have Internet access you
can also correct your details on the VFTT web site at www.vftt.
co.uk/aslers.asp - contact me if you need your user name and
password to do so.

ON THE CONVENTION TRAIL

There are more and more ASL tournaments cropping up all over the world. In fact, it is possible to be involved in an ASL tournament at least once a
month, often more, if you were so inclined (and had the financial means to live such a life - I wish!).
If you plan on holding an ASL tournament, please let me know and Ill include the details here, space permitting.
If you contact anyone regarding these tournaments, please tell them that I sent you!
MARCH
HEROES 2010
When: 11 14 March.
Where: Hotel Skye, 571-573 New South Promenade, Blackpool, England, FY4 1NG. Tel
01253 343220. Room rates are 25.00 for a shared room or 30.00 for a single room and include
breakfast. Bar meals and good beer are also available at the hotel.
Fee: 10.00 if registering with the organisers prior to 1 March, 15.00 thereafter and on the
door (entry is free for those only able to attend for one day). In addition to a discount on the entry fee,
players pre-registering will receive a tournament program in February.
Format: Five round tournament beginning Friday morning (arrangements will be made for
those unable to arrive until Friday afternoon), with three scenarios to choose from in each round.
Players will be expected to have knowledge of the first half of the Chapter G rules to play in the
tournament. CG and friendly games can also be found throughout the weekend. There will also be
opportunities for new players to learn the game and friendly games available.
Contact: For more details or to register contact Pete Phillipps, 9 Pier Road, Kilchoan,
Acharacle, Argyll, Scotland, PH36 4LJ. Phone (01972) 510 350 (evenings only) or email heroes@
vftt.co.uk. For up to date information check out the UK ASL tournament web site at www.asltourneys.
co.uk.
JUNE
DOUBLE ONE 2010
When: 25 27 June.
Where: Writtle College, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 3RR. On-site facilities include en-suite and
standard bedrooms, free car parking on application, mini market, cash points, a self-service cafeteria
and licensed bars. Bedroom rates start at 30.00 for a single room and breakfast.
Fee: 15.00 if paid before 30 April, 20.00 thereafter.
Format: A two day tournament with two rounds on Saturday and one on Sunday offering a
choice of scenarios. Friendly games will also be available.
Contact: For a booking form contact Derek Cox, 25 Cramphorn Walk, Chelmsford, Essex,
CM1 2RD or by email at [email protected], or Brendan Clark by email at brendan.clark@
virgin.net. Check out the web site at www.doubleone-online.net for the latest details.
OCTOBER
ASLOK XXIV
When: 3 10 October.
Where: Holiday Inn Airport, 4181 W. 150th St., Cleveland, Ohio 44135, phone 216-252-7700,
fax 216-252-3850 or visit www.holidayinn.com/cle-airport. Rooms are $75.00 plus tax if reservations
are made by 21 Sep - request ASL Oktoberfest to receive this discounted rate. Check the ASLOK
web page for the hotel discount code to book on-line.
Fee: $25.00 in advance, $30.00 on the door.
Format: Same as always. Weekend tournament plus numerous mini-tournaments. There is also
an informal USA vs. World Cup where everyone keeps track of their games and a plaque is presented
to the winning side.
Notes: T-shirts are $10.00 ea (XXL $13.00, XXXL $15.00, 4XL $18.00)
Contact: Bret Hildebran, 17810 Geauga Lake Rd, Chagrin Falls, OH 44023-2208 or by email
[email protected]. Check out the web site at www.aslok.org for the latest details.
INTENSIVE FIRE 2010
When: 28 31 October
Where: The Kiwi Hotel, West Hill Road, Bournemouth, England, BH2 5EG. Telephone
(01202) 555 889 or fax (01202) 789 567 to arrange accommodation. Single rooms are 37.00 per
night, double rooms 30.00 per night per person if booked prior to 1 October thereafter normal rates
apply. Remember to mention INTENSIVE FIRE when reserving to qualify for the special rates. You
can also book online at www.kiwihotel.co.uk.
Fee: 10.00 if registering with the organisers before 18 October, 15.00 thereafter and on the
door (entry is free for those only able to attend for one day). In addition to a discount on the entry fee,
players pre-registering will receive a tournament program in September.
Format: Three round Fire Team tournament (two rounds on Saturday, one on Sunday). There
will also be some single day mini-tournaments on the Friday. Open gaming is available for those who
do not wish to take part in the tournament.
Notes: Prizes are awarded to winning players and the Convention Champion, who is the player
judged to have had the most successful tournament with all games played over the weekend being
taken into consideration.
Contact: For more details or to register contact Pete Phillipps, 9 Pier Road, Kilchoan,
Acharacle, Argyll, Scotland, PH36 4LJ. Phone (01972) 510 350 (evenings only) or email if@vftt.
co.uk. For up to date information check out the UK ASL tournament web site at www.asltourneys.
co.uk.

heroes 2010
advanced squad leader tournament
11
th
- 14
th
march (thursday through sunday) 2010
hotel skye, south promenade, blackpool, england

the event
Following its success in previous years HEROES continues in 2010 to fill the gap for UK ASL action in the first
half of the year. As normal the action starts on Thursday and continues through to Sunday so you can play in
an ASL tournament and/or play friendly games (or even try your hand at a campaign game if you can find an
opponent). The focus of the weekend will be the main tournament,in which players of like record are paired off
to allow us to determine the winners - depending on numbers attending there will be four or five rounds. The
first round will start on Friday afternoon and each round sees players choose from three carefully selected
scenarios. Main tournament entrants are to be familiar with the rules through to the first half of Chapter G.
boot camp
Dont worry if you are a new player (someone who has only ever played five or fewer games against a live
opponent), as a special tournament based on the ASL Starter Kit will be available on Friday. You can learn the
game with an experienced player nearby to offer advice on rules. There will never be a better time to try your
hand at ASL!
Remember, you can also drop in just for part of a day if you cant make it for the full weekend.
the venue
The Hotel Skye is familar to those who have attended in the past and offers plenty of gaming room for the whole
weekend, Meals and good beer are also available in the hotel, and numerous alternative food outlets are close
by. The hotel is easily accessible from the M55 and the train station is a 5 minute walk away.
Room rates are the same as 2008, just 25.00 per person for a shared room or 30.00 for a single room for bed
and breakfast.
the cost
The weekend, whether you enter a tournament or just play games with the people you will meet, is fantastic
value at only 15.00, or just 10.00 if you register before the beginning of March 2010.
heroes 2010 hotel booking form
To book your room simply fill in this form and send it with a cheque for 10.00 to cover your deposit (payable
to HOTEL SKYE) to Hotel Skye, 571-573 New South Promenade, Blackpool, England, FY4 1NG. You can also
telephone them on 01253 343220 to book your room.
E M A N
S S E R D D A
) e n o h c a e k c i t ( R O F D E R I U Q E R M O O R S T H G I N
S R U H T I R F T A S N U S
M O O R E L G N I S M O O R E L B U O D
H T I W G N I R A H S N O S R E P F O E M A N