Bolt Action: Campaign Western Desert Book

When compared to the enormous campaigns waged on the Eastern Front and in Western Europe during World War II, the struggle in North Africa between the British Commonwealth and the Axis might seem an unimportant sideshow. However, its influence and impact were far-reaching and dictated many strategic decisions that influenced the course of the war.

This Bolt Action campaign book will focus on the conflict in the area most commonly referred to as the Western Desert - a campaign theatre reaching from the Libyan city of Tripoli to Cairo, and the Egyptian Nile valley, a distance of some 1300 miles, a featuring some of the most hostile terrains on Earth.

It covers a period of time from September 1940 when Mussolini's Italian Army invaded British-held Egypt to the final retreat of Rommel's Afrika Korps from Egypt during October 1942. During that period the conflict witnessed much hard fighting resulting in spectacular victories and the capture of territory, equipment and prisoners for both sides whilst also subjecting them to a series of demoralising retreats where final and irrevocable defeat seemed assured.

This book has 167 pages full of content, ranging from new rules and units, full-colour images, history and backgrounds and more!

This book contains:

        What is This Book?
        Campaign Background
        Operation Compass: The Fighting Begins
            Scenario 1: Frontier Battle
                The Italians Invade!
            Scenario 2: Fort Nibeiwa, 9 December 1940
            Scenario 3: The Battle for Bardia, 4 January 1941
                On To Tobruk and the Race to Beda Fomm
            Scenario 4: Tank Clash at Mechili, 24 January 1941
            Scenario 5: Fox killed in the Open, 5 February 1941

Operation Sonnenblume

            Scenario 6: Mersa Brega, 31 March 1941
                The Siege of Tobruk
            Scenario 7: Ras El Madauur, 13 April 1941

Operation Brevity and Battleaxe

            Scenario 8: Hellfire Pass, 15 June 1941

Operation Crusader

            Scenario 9: Bir El Gubi, 19 November 1941
            Scenario 10: Gabr Saleh, 19 November 1941
            Scenario 11: Point 175, 29 November 1941
                Crusader Finale

Gazala: Rommel's Greatest Victory

            Scenario 12: The Cauldron, 1 June 1942
            Scenario 13: Bir Hakeim, 27 May 1942
                The Jewish Brigade at Bir-El Harmat
            Scenario 14: Bir-El Harmat 2 June 1942

El Alamein: The End of the Beginning

            First Alamein
            Last Chance for Rommel: Alam Halfa
            Scenario 15: Alam Halfa, 31 August 1942
                El Alamein
                Operation Lightfoot
                The Battle continues
            Scenario 16: Outpost Snipe, 27 October 1942
                Operation Supercharge
            Scenario 17: The Charge of the 9th Armoured, Tel El Aqqaqir, 2 November 1942

Raid Scenarios

            Scenario 18: Dawn Raid
            Scenario 19: The Via Balbia Raid, 27 May 1942

British and Commonwealth New Units

Infantry Squads and Teams
Vehicles

Italian New Units

            Infantry Squads and Teams
            Artillery
            Vehicles

German New Units

            Infantry Squads and Teams
            Vehicles
            Artillery

Theatre Selectors

            British and Commonwealth
            Commonwealth Armies in Bolt Action
            Italian Theatre Selectors
            The Afrika Korps in Bolt Action

Free French Forces in the Western Desert

            Free French Units

Special Forces in the Western Desert Campaign

            Special Forces in Bolt Action
            British Special Forces in the Western Desert
            Italian Special Forces and Desert Raiders
            German Special Forces

Heroes of the Western Desert

            British and Commonwealth
            German

Special Rules for Fighting Bolt Action Games in the Western Desert

            Typical Terrain types for the Western Desert
            Roads and Tracks
            Desert Climate Effects
            Environmental Effects
            Weather Effects
            Desert Combat Special Rules
            Dug-In: Foxholes, Trenches and Gun Pits
            Minefields