"WWII North Africa" Topic

Do you game the North African theater?

Yes in 25mm.

Yes, in 20mm and 10mm. My absolute favorite theater to game.

Really want to.

Started with North Africa and microtanks back in the 80's, still have it all with the terrain but they could do with a repaint………

Yes, in 20mm and 3mm.

No. The terrain is too "blah" for me to get excited about desert games…plus I have to paint a whole new army just for that theater. If I could use my armies in green/gray from Europe I might try it.

That's the plan. It is a WIP. 1/72 scale for me.

Yes, 15 and 25

Yes.

6mm for me. Both WW1 and WW2.

In the deep, dark past with 20mm.

I bought 6mm Brits, Italians, and Germans, painted them up nice – and not yet touched them for a game. Plan to though.

Too much sand. Too many tanks.

If I could use my armies in green/gray from Europe I might try it.

Take it step-wise.

Start with Tunisia. Use your NW Europe Yanks and Tommies. Add some of the early armor: Valentine, Lee and M3 Stuart tanks, and some SP 75mm half-tracks. Paint up some Afrika Korps and Sahara Italians with 1942 tanks. You won't need too many Axis tanks, they didn't have many left by that stage: a few long-barrelled Pzkw. III and IV, the odd armored car or Tiger, and a battery of 88s.

Then you can build 8th Army for Libya, and add early-war vehicles for the Axis. And then Bob's your uncle. Or Helmut. Or Guido. Or somebody.

Yes 15mm, favourite WW2 theatre. Early period has both sides with lots of really rubbish tanks. Great fun.

Yes

What Crispy said.

Yes

10mm – Blitzkrieg commander rules

28mm – Skirmish (though now at Battalion level) using 7c47B + house rules

Yes both in 28 mm and 15 mm. Probably my favorite with Europe being my second choice.

+1 to zippyfusenet on the advice to EC.

Actually the terrain is anything but blah. Battles in waddies, rocky cliffs, scrub, yes open desert, olive groves, Roman ruins, adobe urban centers and of course the sieges of old colonial forts.

I did in 15mm. But sold them all to one of our group.

No, but I want to. Probably do it in 6mm as a tank game.
Crusaders and lend-lease Stuarts vs Panzer III ? What's not to love.

No

Yes, 15mm

Yes! 3mm and 28mm

28mm with a cut off date of the end of 1941 to keep the tanks interesting. Building up Vichy French forces for Syria and Madagascar.

Just started in 15mm using Rapid Fire after vowing not too :)

I think part of the appeal of the North Africa campaign is that it has been highly romanticized and rightly or wrongly (the truth being somewhere in between) as being somewhat civil if you can say such a think about war. You did not have mass destruction of cities as was taking place in Europe,Russia and Asia and large civilian death tolls. There is of course the personality of Rommel and the mythology of the Desert Fox. The terrain was the perfect place to fight battles which a challenging terrain and grand maneuvers. There are the truly courageous and indefatigable Aussies and the defense of Tobruk. The equally tough and indefatigable New Zealanders and all the Commonwealth forces who showed daring and aplomb even while the higher ups were making a right mess of things at times as Rommel kept putting them on their back foot.

The entire theater is colorful. The early to mid war tanks, Vishy French, Free French, Arabs, Shieks, Maori, Bengals, Gurkas, Austrailians, New Zealanders, and of course British, and the Afrika Korps. It is the last hurrah for the poor bloody Italians who were good soldiers but had crap leaders and actually some good kit but not enough of it. The Matilda II the Queen of the Battlefield until 88s show up. Oh and of course the LRDG and the Desert Rats.

Then Operation Torch and you toss in us Yanks learning on the fly how to fight a war and taking everything the Germans could toss at us while also taking everything our allies were tossing at us.

Yes. It's my entire 20mm collection. Maybe I move on to Sicily someday. maybe.

Yes, I do: in 28mm, 20mm and 10mm/12mm scale (1/144 scale).

Yes 6mm both German and Commonwealth

Yes in 20mm using Rapid Fire rules.
It's the only WW2 gaming I do.

I like to game French North Africa, whether Morocco or Algeria November 1942, or Tunisia 1942/43. Also the occasional "What if?" of Tunisia/Libya border 1940. One of my favorite theaters of war.

I get to use French, British, American, Italian and/or German kit, in many combinations of who vs. whom. The not knowing if your S35s will face Semoventi di 47's or Pz IVGs, or if your M3 Lees will be confronted by M13/40s or Tigers? What's not to love about that?!?

So much interesting and unusual kit!

So much to game, so little time!

-Mark
(aka: Mk 1)

That looks great!

My first Flames of War army was 8th Army.

In 28mm.

North Afrika 1941 and 1942 prior to Alamein was and still is my favourite. Started in the late 60's with GHQ and moved on to 20mm then to 15mm in the late 90's. Rules were from Donald Featherstone then CD II and III and also Rapid Fire. Always loved the ease of terrain and the naval feeling of the gaming.

I love gaming North Africa.
Two phases in particular. The early battles between the Italians and British, and early Africa Corps clashes. Early tanks, Caunter camo etc.
Then Tunisia with, as stated, a large selection of troops, even cavalry, equipment from decrepit Vichy stuff to Tigers, and quite the variety in terrain as well.

Yes. When I was a kid, the best war comics seemed to all be based in the western desert. Stuck with me ever since. I echo kallman's thoughts above.

Yes.

Yes. 10/12mm. Lots of tanks! (from Pithead)

Yes, 15mm. Nothing is prettier in WW2.

Yes … 15mm North Africa … particularly Operation Torch itself … Port Lyautey/Kenitra (and generally French and Italian scenarios … ) ..

Phil

Don't have any Desert War stuff myself, but I've played Italians in 10mm using 'Spearhead', and Brits in 6mm using 'Rommel's Battles'.
Both thoroughly enjoyable games, as I recall.

I have been in several WWII Northern African games but have not taken it on as a project. Would like to but it's one of those periods I may never get to.

My gaming group is currently playing a North Africa Campaign in FOW using modified Firestorm rules.

The Allies are not doing well as of yet.

My FOW army is 8th Army with Indian infantry.

I also have a lot of unpainted DAK for it.

So… yes.

Want to get into this theater. Regularly play Northwest Europe 44-45 with homebrew platoon level rules. Working on 1:1 rules for North Africa.

Yes. Started it out in 3mm but have since added 15mm and 1/72.

Yes, 15mm. Need to build either British or French infantry to hold the desert forts, then Italians.

My first toy soldiers were Airfix 1/76 8th army so I've always found it fascinating.
So, with so much available now, I spent a couple of years collecting and painting loads of lovely models from PSC, Britannia, Frontline etc only to find out what I wanted to do could not be achieved in my chosen scale! I'm going to put the lot on eBay and just paint up some 1/35 for display.

It's only taken me 47 years to get to this…

Yes but I don't own anything for it because so many people around here has figs.