To the few people that read this pages I present my apologizes for all this time I've been absent.
Beside the work - yes, there is more life than wargames and army lists - I found a new and different rule I think is, at least, as much adequate as High Command for historical army lists.
Here it is:
So, I've been paying some attention to this.
In my first try I used the order of battle from Assault Gun concerning Operation Compass (already mentioned several times).
The result, a very amateur one, is this one:
Western Desert Force
British Company Commander, Rifle
Headquarters Section - British Motorised Infantry (6 men, truck)
Indian Platoon
Platoon Commander, Rifle
1st Section (7 men, truck)
2nd Section (7 men, truck)
MG Team
Carrier Troop (3 Bren Carrier)
Armoured Car Troop (3 Marmon-Harrington)
Anti-Tank Platoon (4 2pdr Portee)
Armoured Troop (2 Mk Vib, 1 A13)
Fieald Battery (2 25pdr, truck)
Australian Platoon (replace Indian Platoon)
Platoon Commander, Rifle
1st Section (7 men, truck)
2nd Section (7 men truck)
MG Team
10a Armata
Comandante Compagnia Fucilieri, Fucilieri
Squadra di Comando (3 Fucilieri)
Plotone Fucilieri
Comandante Plotone, Fucilieri
1a Squadra (8 Fucilieri)
2a Squadra (8 Fucilieri)
Plotone Libico
Comandante Plotone, Soldato Camicie Nere
Squadra Libica (5 Soldatos)
Squadra Camicie Nere (5 Soldatos)
Plotone Bersaglieri
Comandante Plotone, Bersaglieri
Squadra Bersaglieri (6 Soldatos, truck)
Squadra Bersaglieri motociclisti (2 Motorcycle)
Squadra controcarri (1 47mm ATG)
Squadra Carri (1 M11/39, 2 L3/33)
Batteria artiglieria (1 75mm, truck)
As I said, is just a first try and I only publish it to reinforce my apologies for the absence. Nevertheless, it represents well the superiority of the Italians in the number of men and the superiority of the British in the amount of assets.
If you want to check the conversion and with my thanks to the Assault Gun Yahoo Group, here is their order of battle:
Allies
Italians
1941
February 12
- Rommel arrives in Tripoli
February 14
- Arrives at Tripoli the Aufklarungs-Abteilung 3
February 15
- Aufklarungs-Abteilung 3 marchs to Sirte, to be held behind the Italian positions as a mobile reserve
February 21
- Rommel's Headquarters became DAK Stab
February 24
- A small force of German armoured cars and motorcycles made contact with a patrolof the King's Dragoon Guards, supported by some Australian anti-tank guns. In the skirmish that followed the German came off best
March 8-10
- Panzer-Regiment 5 completes its desembarkation, comprising 25x PzKpfw I Ausf A, 45x PzKpfw II, 61x PxKpfw II, and 17x PzKpfw IV, plus 7 command tanks
March 12
- Rommel sent a mixed force of German and Italian towards Murzuk, to protect the flank against activity from the Free French. Soon afterwards, he moved the complete Italian Brescia Inf Division into the line of Mugata, thus freeing 5 leichte for mobile employment
March 19
- Von Brauchitsch, Wermacht C-in-C, told Rommel he would not be permited to strike a significant blow against the British. His force was merely a Sperrverband (a blocking force), there to bolster up the Italians in Tripolitania and raise their morale. There would be no further reinforcements once the complete agrred DAK had arrived, and, while Rommel could attack as soon as 15 Panzer-Division was complete (end of May), he should only go as far as Benghazi
March 24
- Axis forces, Aufklarungs-Abteilung 3, occupy El Agheila
March 31
- 5 leichte Division began its advance on Mersa Brega and there was a fierce reaction, the British cruiser tanks engaging and holding the mix of German and Italian armour
April 1
- MG Battalion 8 put in a dashing attack, capturing the Mersa el Brega defile
April 2
- 5 leichte Division began to advance atride the Via Balbia and that afternoon not only took Agedabia but also pushed on to the Zuetina area
- Rommel's plan was to divide his forces into three columns: (1) on the left the Brescia Division led by Aufklarungs-Abteilung 3 would advance along the coast towards Benghazi; (2) on the right part of 5 leichte plus the recce battalion of the Ariete Div would strike across to Cyrenaica vis Ben Gania and Bir Tengeder, then turn northwards towards El Mechili and Derna, to cut the British escape route; (3) between these two prongs an armour-heavy force consisting of Panzer-Regiment 5 plus various units of the Ariete Div and 5 leichte would make for Msus and El Mechili
April 4
- Having taken Agedabia, the left-handed column then pushed to Benghazi
April 5
- Left-handed column pushed to Barce
April 6
- The centre column captured the important fuel dumps at Msus and Mechili
- General Gambier-Parry is taken prisioner at Mechili
- On the night Generals O'Connor and Neame are taken prisioner
April 7
- Centre column reached the coastal plain at Gazala
- Left-handed column pushed to Derna
April 8
- Rommel takes Mechili
April 10-11
- The British had been swept out of the whole of Cyrenaica, with the one exception of a small force in Tobruk, where two Australian brigades, plus the remnants of 3rd Armoured Brigade, were holed up
- Leading DAK troops reached the fortress but their hurried attack was beaten off
April 14
- 5 leicht tried again the assault on Tobruk but they were once again pushed back
April 25
- The germans struck at Halfaya Pass, pushing the British back once again to a line from Buq Buq on the coast to Sofafi
April 30
- Rommel tried another major assault on Tobruk but it had to be called off after four days of heavy fighting
References:
FORTY, George; "The Desert War"; Sutton Publishing; 2002
