| TOBRUK 1942
'THE CLASH OF ARMOUR' 1 Introduction 2 Loading 3 Getting Started 4 Map Mode 5 To Move a Unit 6 To Make an Attack 7 Action Screens 8 To Resupply Units 9 Command Phase 10 Computer Turn 11 Basic Tactics 12 To Load/Save or Quit Game 13 Twin Computer Game 14 Tobruk, 1942 (The Scenario) 15 Designer's Notes 16 Unit List 17 Bibliography (c)P.S.S. 1986 1. INTRODUCTION Many Computer Games of the 'ARCADE' variety can be played by simply loading the program and getting hold of the Joystick. Any rules etc. can be picked up as you go along. This is NOT a game of that type. Do not take this to mean that this game is of vast complexity. It is not that either. However it is a game you will learn and enjoy far quicker if you follow this manual. You must at least read Sections 1 to 13 to understand the basic game. This game covers Rommel's push against the Gazala Line in May, 1942. After months of fierce fighting in the North African desert, the British and Commonwealth forces had taken and defended Tobruk, a key port to Meditteranean strategy and vital to any supply in the desert war. With the Axis forces pushed back to Gazala, an immense operation began laying a vast minefield of over 500,000 mines stretching from Gazala to Bir Hachieim. When the offensive began, nearly 250,000 mines had still to be placed. Rommel's plan was to break through the Gazala line, re-take Tobruk and force the Allies back to Egypt. By early July, he had succeeded. You may choose to command the Axis forces in the one player game or either Axis or Allied forces in the two player game. As the Axis commander you must attempt to take as many of the Allied command points as possible, Tobruk being the ultimate goal. As the Allied commander you must defend your six command points from invasion while attempting to disrupt Axis supply and strength. 2. TO LOAD (A) AMSTRAD VERSION DISK: Reset the computer and RUN"DISC CASSETTE: Reset the computer. Type CTRL and small Enter key and follow the prompts. (B) SPECTRUM VERSION Load in the usual way using the command LOAD "" When the game has loaded the menu will appear on the screen. 2a. TWIN COMPUTER VERSION. (Amstrad only) The Amstrad version of this game has the option of using two computers, one for each player. If you have bought the cassette version then this can be found on side two and you should follow the instructions above. The disc version is all on the same side but for the twin computer game you should run "DISC2". The Twin Computer game requires a special lead which may be obtained from P.S.S. and some additional rules which are covered in Section 13. You are strongly advised to play the single computer game, learning its rules, before attempting the twin computer game. All of the following assumes the single computer version. 3. GETTING STARTED When the program has loaded a menu of six options will be displayed. 1: Determines whether arcade is to be included in the assault phases. This is set to WITH ARCADE when loaded. To change, press 1 and it will show WITHOUT. Press 1 again and it will switch back to WITH ARCADE. 2: Switches between colour monitor and green screen monitor. Pressing 2 will toggle between the two. (Amstrad only). On the Spectrum version, Option 2 allows you to select between Keyboard or Joystick. The Joystick option is compatible with KEMPSTON/PROTEK/ + 2 Interfaces. The keyboard controls are as follows: A = LEFT Q = UPPER LEFT D = RIGHT E = UPPER RIGHT W = UP Z = LOWER LEFT X = DOWN C = LOWER RIGHT S = FIRE SPACE = NEXT PHASE 3: One player game. Gives you control of the Axis forces with the computer controlling the Allies. 4: Two player game, One player controls the Axis forces, the other controls the Allies. Options 5 and 6 are covered in Section 12. Now Select option 3 by pressing "Y" on the main keyboard. 4. MAP MODE The screen will now clear and a map of Cyrenaica will be displayed. At the top of the screen is a line of text. This line is used to display game messages, information etc. The line now reads AXIS MOVEMENT PHASE. This tells us that the Phase of the game turn we are in allows Axis units to move. Below this line is a box with the current date and to the right of this a box reading AXIS COMMAND. On the far left of the map you will see a flashing red box surrounded by a white square. This white square is the COM BOX and is used to survey the map, move units, order attacks etc. By moving the joystick the COM BOX may be moved around the map. The large white box near the top right of the screen is the REPORT BOX. This tells you what the COM BOX is positioned over and gives a report on any units strength. As a guide here is a list of symbols used on the screen map. AMSTRAD SYMBOL COLOUR DESCRIPTION Blank Orange Desert Blank Blue Sea Shaded Brown Escarpment Shaded Grey Minefield Square Blue on White Allied command point Square Black on Grey Fallen command point Square Blue/White Bands Allied unit Square Black/Grey Bands Axis unit Square White on Black Axis supply dump SPECTRUM SYMBOL COLOUR DESCRIPTION Blank Yellow Desert Blank Blue Sea Shaded Black Escarpment Chequered Square Black on Yellow Minefield Large Square Black on White Allied command point Large Square Block on White Axis command point Square Black on Yellow Fallen command point Square White/Black Bands Allied unit Square White/Black X's Axis unit D Symbol White on Black Axis supply dump 5. To MOVE a UNIT Place the COM BOX over any Axis Unit. In the report box you will now see the strength of that unit. The last line, MOB, will give you the mobility of the unit in moves it is capable of making in this game turn. If it reads 6 for example, it may move only six map squares. Now press the fire button and the COM BOX will change to a white cross showing the unit is ready to move. Move the cross to where you wish the unit to go but note that the unit will follow the exact path that the cross takes. Neither may units pass through each other, over a minefield or an escarpment. Great care must be taken with the route of the white cross as any infringement of these rules will result in the loss of all the units remaining mobility for that turn. Now press the fire button a second time and the unit will move. Units may move any number of times in one game turn as long as it has mobility remaining. Mobility of each unit is determined by the construction of its forces. Infantry divisions have less mobility than Semi-motorised infantry which in turn have less than fully motorised Armoured Fighting Vehicles (AFV). To cancel any particular move press the space bar and the white cross will return to the COM BOX. 6. To MAKE an ATTACK. Press the space bar to leave the movement phase. The text line should now read AXIS ASSAULT PHASE. Each unit on the map, including Allied command points (oasis), has a 'Zone of Control' of one map square around it. If any unit passes into the ZOC of an enemy unit, i.e. next to it, that unit will be 'trapped' and all subsequent movement suspended for that game turn. Any attacking units must be inside the ZOC of the defending unit. To make an attack place the COM BOX over your unit and press the fire button. The COM BOX will again change to a white cross. Now place the cross over the unit you wish to attack and press the fire button. Both units will now flash indicating that your order has been accepted. Note that when attacking occupied Allied command points the oasis does not flash. You may not attack your own units, minefields or escarpments or attack an oasis once taken. (You may, however, move over a fallen oasis). Now press the space bar to leave the Assault Phase. 7. ACTION SCREENS. (A) AMSTRAD If you have chosen to include arcade the message to select the battle will now appear on the text line. If you did not then proceed with the MAP ATTACKS section. To select the battle place the COM BOX over one of your flashing units and press the fire button. If you do not wish to see the battle then press the space bar for the map attacks. The screen will now clear and give you control of one AFV in your unit. Your objective is to destroy as many targets as possible. If you are attacking an oasis you must attempt to place as many shells as possible on to the target. In a unit to unit battle your tank has three modes: Drive, Turret and Machine Gun. At the start of the action you will be in Driving mode and must move the tank to the nearest target which is on a heading shown by 'TARGET'. To do this push the joystick forward to accelerate and left and right to alter your heading. When the target is close enough you may now change mode to operate the turret by pressing 'T' or the machine gun by pressing 'M'. Enemy tanks will fire shells in an attempt to destroy you while machine gun posts will fire, (you guessed it), bullets. If no target is in range you will hear the whistling of incoming shells from distant artillery. The longer you stay still the more accurate the enemy fire will become so try to keep moving. To return to driving mode press 'D'. To operate the turret move the joystick left and right to adjust the bearing, up and down to adjust the elevation. Press the fire button to load and fire a shell. The message IN FLIGHT will now indicate that the shell is being loaded and fired. When the shell flight is over, the range indicator will show you how far long or short the shell had fallen. Adjust your elevation accordingly. When the ON TARGET message appears the target will explode. Now switch to drive mode and move to your next target. To operate the machine gun simply move the sight with your joystick and press the fire button but beware of the 'kick'. Targets will be destroyed at varying rates so keep trying. Note that your ammunition is determined by the supply strength of the unit you chose on the map screen. The arcade battle will be over when either your damage is too great for you to continue or you have fired all your shells. A bonus will be given for each target destroyed. Although tanks or machine gun posts may be destroyed with either of your weapons try not to waste shells on machine gun posts or machine gun belts on tanks. Also note that if an enemy machine gun post is not firing at you, your machine gun will not reach him! Finally, when attacking an oasis, only the turret mode is available to you so don't try to switch to drive or machine gun mode. A bonus will be given for the number of shells you drop on the oasis and how widely spread the shells are. (B) SPECTRUM These are broadly similar to the Amstrad version but different in layout. You are first presented with an Icon based selection screen. You have four icons laid out N, S, E, W. NORTH - TURRET/MAIN GUN CONTROLS EAST DRIVING WEST - MACHINE GUN CONTROLS SOUTH - OBSERVER/MAP DISPLAY Using RIGHT/LEFT/UP/DOWN, highlight the icon and press fire to select each option. They then operate in much the same way as on the Amstrad. The OBSERVER/MAP DISPLAY is an extra feature and shows the immediate surrounding area from your tank. This will return to the main icon screen after a few seconds. To exit from any action screen, pull the cursor to the bottom of the screen and press fire. As combat progresses, your tank will inevitably be damaged and you will begin to lose various controls. MAP ATTACKS: The screen will display the normal map mode. All units involved in battles will flicker. Any units destroyed during battle will be removed from the map and a message indicating its identity will appear on the text line. Allied command points will change to a black square on grey if taken. Some units may also retreat at this stage. When the attacks have finished the next phase will begin. Note that there are two movement and assault phases in any one day. One in the morning (A.M.) and one in the afternoon (P. M.). 8. To REBUILD UNITS. At the end of the Alied P.M. assault phase the message ALLIED RESUPPLY PHASE appears on the text line. If you are playing the one player game then the computer will handle this (along with its command phase). Supply is vital to both sides. The Allied forces supply network uses each of the six main command points (oasis) so taking one will effect the supply routes and so the front line positions of the Allied forces. The Axis forces have no such fixed network but are given two mobile supply dumps. Each has a mobility range of 6 map squares per day and a supply range of 6 map squares in each direction. Try to keep your units within supply range of either supply dump and an open route between it and the dump with no intervening enemy units or ZOC. The supply route from dump to unit may not pass over minefields, enemy units and their ZOC or escarpments. The text line should now read AXIS RESUPPLY PHASE. On the far right of the text line will be INF and a number next to it. This is the number of infantry strength points available to you. Now move the COM BOX over the map. You will notice that at certain positions the COM BOX indicates that this particular map square is IN SUPPLY while the normal COM BOX shows the square is OUT OF SUPPLY. Now place the com box over one of your units. If the cursor changes to the SUP BOX then you may resupply that unit. If the cursor is the COM BOX then you may not. To resupply the unit press the fire button and one point will be taken from INF on the text line and placed into the INF of the unit. If you are unable to move supplies to the unit (and the SUP BOX is displayed) then that unit has its maximum possible points. This maximum varies from unit to unit according to its composition. Note here that all units consist of Infantry, Artillery and AFV but where none is shown, the strength is negligible. When either all your units have their maximum or the value on the text line is zero, press the space bar to cycle through AFV and SUPply giving each unit extra strength as for INF. Note that ARTillery cannot be resupplied. 9. COMMAND PHASE This phase is used to control your air support and engineer activities. Displayed on the screen are two sets of three boxes with a figure over the top. These are the missions to which you may assign points from the reserves. Reading from left to right they are: Air superiority, Interdiction and Ground strike for air support; AFV Recovery AFV Destruct and Mine lifting for engineer support. The figure over each box indicates how many points are allocated to that mission. Also displayed are two lines of aircraft and two lines of spanners. These are the reserves for air and engineer support respectively. By moving the joystick the Text Pointer may be moved to the various missions. The colours of the figures over the box indicates the strength of the enemy allocations. This may not always be exact! Red means less than enemy, white is equal and green is greater. If you press the fire button, one point from reserve will move to the mission where your text pointer is positioned. After you have assigned the missions you require press the space bar. The text pointer is now pointing up and any subsequent pressing of the fire button will now move points from the missions into reserve. Notice that we cannot move points from one mission to another in the same command phase but must always pass through reserve. Here is a summary of the six missions available to you: AIR SUPPORT Air Superiority. Points on this mission seek to gain control of the air space over the battlefield. They achieve this by patrolling and attacking enemy aircraft. If the enemy is winning air superiority you will take greater losses in other missions. If you are in the lead he will take greater losses. Interdiction. This air mission attacks enemy supply and movement network. This will affect the supply points the enemy receives at the end of each day. Ground Strike. This is a special mission which requires a minimum of ten air points and can be used to attack any ground target. Before the first movement phase of each day the message SELECT TARGET will appear on the text line. Position the cursor over your selected target and press the fire button. Note that the air strike may occur at any time during the day so if you select an enemy unit it could have moved by the time the strike comes in! ENGINEER SUPPORT AFV Recovery. After the battles of any one day Armoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV) wrecks may be recovered from the battlefield. The more engineers allocated to this task, the more wrecks will be recovered. Note however that they may only recover AFV points lost in one day. Don't waste resources if you are not losing AFVs or you are receiving enough in resupply anyway. AFV destruct. Enemy AFV wrecks left on the battlefield may be sabotaged beyond repair. The more engineers allocated to this task will reduce the number of wrecks the enemy can recover. AFV recovery and destruct are therefore linked. Note that on the command screen your AFV recovery will turn green only if you have more than the enemy has allocated to AFV destruct and vice versa. Minefields. This mission lifts a minefield for the Axis player and lays a minefield for the Allied player. A minimum of ten engineer points are required to achieve this and will take one full day. Before the first movement phase of each day the message SELECT MINE LIFTING TARGET for the Axis or MINE LAYING for the Allied. Move the white cross to the position required and press the fire button. Note that the position selected must be within supply range. If not, it will be disallowed and the confirmation message will not appear. 10. COMPUTER TURN. In the one player game the computer controls all Allied phases including resupply and command. If you have selected action screens then the option to select battle will only be given on your assault phases. 11. BASIC TACTICS. The battle for supply is as important as that for ground. Look after your supply points and attacks will become more effective. Do not let your units become less than three on all lines or you will lose them. Attacking with a unit which has no supply will be fatal. Axis. Remember that your objective is to take as many oasis as possible. Destroying enemy units may help but better to use your resources on the command points which will weaken Allied supply and force their retreat. Air strikes on mobile units are risky but effective. Oasis however, dont move. Protect your supply dumps at all costs. Keep your units between them and the enemy and remember that an air strike could be targetted on them. If you lose your supply dumps they are not replaced and the game is lost! Choose your openings in the minefields carefully and don't try to clear it from top to bottom. One or two breaks are usually sufficient. Apart from resupply your only reinforcement is the Littorio Division which will appear sometime in early June. Allied. (Two player game) Defend your command points (oasis) well. Although immobile these have the same supply rules as the Axis supply dumps (See Section 8). Try to keep all your units in supply but in a strong defensive position. When attacking use units which complement each other so that if one unit has a high AFV strength add a unit with a high infantry strength to the battle. Remember you are on the defensive so attacking with all your resources could prove costly. 12. To SAVE/LOAD OR QUIT GAME. During any movement or assault phase not controlled by the computer press the ESC key (SHIFT & SPACE on Spectrum) and the game will return to the menu. Pressing the options for one or two player games will restart the game from day 1. (A) AMSTRAD VERSION SAVE. Select the save option and insert either a blank cassette or disc. When ready press 'D' to save to disc or 'C' to cassette. Once saved the game will return to the point where the ESC key was pressed. You may now continue with the game. LOAD. Select the load option and insert the cassette or disc with a previously saved game. Press 'D' if disc or 'C' if cassette. When loaded the game will return to the point where the ESC key was pressed. You may now continue with the game. (B) SPECTRUM VERSION Select the LOAD/SAVE option, press fire and follow the screen prompts. 13. TWIN COMPUTER VERSION. This advanced version of Tobruk requires the use of two Amstrad micros, one connecting lead and patience. It is designed for the player who enjoys the strategy game more than the arcade. For such a player this is a must. Two Amstrads are needed (464, 664 or 6128) in any combination. However, if you have the disc version BOTH machines must have independent drives. If you have the cassette version both machines must have access to a cassette recorder. The connecting lead is simply two joystick plugs wired identically at each end in the usual format as a standard joystick. These leads may be obtained from P.S.S. for a nominal fee, or you may try to make your own using the wiring diagram below. Wiring Diagram Requirements: (A) 2 x female joystick type 'D' connectors. (B) Sufficient 9-way cable - approx. 2 mtrs should be sufficient. (C) Soldering iron/solder. To make the cable simply link the two 'D' connectors via the 9-way cable. Connect each contact to the same contact on the other end. eg. Contact 1 to contact 1 , contact 2 to contact 2, etc. When all nine are connected your cable is complete. Please note: PSS cannot accept liability for any damage caused by using the cable. Arrange the computers so that each player cannot see the other's screen. To load the game run either side two of the tape or 'DISC2' if you have the disc, on the machine which will play the Axis forces. This computer (the MASTER) will hold the menu options and control what the second computer (the SLAVE) does. Once loaded, plug the lead into each of the joystick ports and move the disc or cassette to the Slave computer. Now RUN"SLAVE (disc or cassette) and wait. Note that on the cassette version the slave program follows on from the master. If the slave program has loaded successfully and the lead is connected the borders of both machines will change colour together. This will last only a minute or so. Once the connecting lead is plugged in do not remove it or you will lose the game on both machines! ADDITIONAL RULES. When the menu appears on the master computer select 2 to start game. There are only a few differences between this and the single computer game. If they are not mentioned here then consult section 1 to 12 for any queries which may arise. Firstly, as you may have noticed from the menu on the master computer, there is no option for arcade action. This is partly due to the fact that both joystick ports are now occupied making arcade impractical. Movement of the combox is now controlled by keyboard. If you take a look at the number keypad to the right of the keyboard you will notice that they are arranged in a square. Each key will move the combox in the direction the key is from the centre (5). Pressing the 9 will move diagonally up and right, key 2 will move directly down and so on. Key 5 itself acts as the fire button. Secondly, and most obvious, you can only see your own units on the map. Movement of units also remains hidden although the sound will indicate that something is moving. Enemy units will remain hidden until two opposing units meet (i.e. enter each others ZOC). If this occurs, the enemy unit will appear on your display and your unit will appear on the enemy's. Revealed units will remain seen until they are moved by the controlling player. Order of play is the same as the single computer game. While one player has control of his machine the other is 'suspended' so any attempt to intervene will fail. If you've mastered the single computer game beware. This version requires a completely different strategy and a great deal of thought. Loading and saving the game is the same as the one computer game but takes a little longer. Note that saving and loading is handled by the Master computer. The slave computer does not need its cassette or disc once the main game is loaded. 14. TOBRUK, 1942. The game map covers an area of Cyrenaica in Libya, close to the border with Egypt. Axis forces consist of mainly German and Italian units while the British and Commonwealth include British, South Africans and the First Free French brigade garrisoned at Bir Hacheim. During the North African war much 'toing-and-froing' occurred of the actual fighting front. In 1941, Tobruk itself was held by the Axis forces with a strong garrison of Italian infantry. In November of that year British forces launched an offensive known as Crusader against the Axis forces were pushed further and further west by the might of the Allied attack. Now, in 1942, after many counter offensives against Tobruk had failed, Rommel began his push through the Gazala line. At the start of the battle of the Axis forces were greatly under strength. Supplies were low and their network inefficient. The 90th Light Division started with less than 50% its full complement of infantry. Rommel had little support from the Axis High Command who were now concentrating most of their efforts on the Russian front. In Rommel's opinion, given a few more armoured divisions, he could have overrun the Allied forces in the Near East within a few months. From thereon, the raw materials of Africa and oil in the Middle East could have changed the course of the war. The Allied command had more foresight and realised the importance of the African theatre. Supplies were strong and well organised. Had Rommel stayed on the defensive the Allies were strong enough to outflank the Axis forces on the Gazala Line. Rommel decided there was no choice but to launch his offensive. Fighting began just west of Gazala itself against the Italian infantry on the 26th May, 1942. Many fierce battles were to follow, many lives lost and thousands of prisoners taken before the final fall of Tobruk in the early hours of 21st June. The scene was now set for the forthcoming decisive battle at El Alamein. 15 DESIGNERS NOTES. As with our previous wargames, we have attemped to produce a game which is accurate and playable to a wide age group. Tobruk 1942 has seen many revisions to its design and compromises have been made in factual areas to achieve this playability. For those of you who are experts in this field we apologise for any simplifications we have had to make. However, we hope that the game in its present form is a reasonable balance between conflicting requirements. Strengths for each unit are not given in quantity but indicate the capability of the unit. The Axis Panzer divisions, for example, have high AFV and artillery strengths. These reflect the superiority of the Panzer III and IV tanks at the time. The German 88mm anti- aircraft gun was, by then, mounted on its own wheels and used as an anti-tank weapon with devastating effect. Some units which were involved in minor skirmishes have either been omitted or merged with their appropriate brigade or division. Due to the importance of keeping forces active in the North African campaign many units were withdrawn before they became too weak to fight. We attempt to use the mobile supply dumps for the Axis units to show the difficulties involved in keeping mobile forces moving. Advancing units are limited by the supporting supply line. Resupply levels for each side show the superior organisation of the Allies in supply to its units. In any desert war, unit mobility is vital. In this respect, units are automatically refuelled to their maximum range each day IF that unit is in supply range. The tank commander with any experience would never report the true level of fuel to his superior. He would ensure that enough fuel remained for any unforeseen tactical retreat. Therefore, if any unit remains out of range of fuel supply a mobility of one is awarded to that unit. No units are ever totally immobile (unless garrisoned). Rommel had only limited control over the Air Command as did Ritchie and Auchinleck who led the Allied forces. Air strikes called by the player may arrive at any time during the day. Technically, it may be said, Rommel won the battle for Tobruk in 1942. The Allied forces, however, had weakened the Axis advance to such an extent that Rommel's victory was to prove too costly. Tobruk 1942 is a computer wargame and is not intended as any political statement. Neither do we wish to glorify war or to pretend that it is a game. We simply hope that many who play the game will have more insight and knowledge of what occurred during one month of World War II and military strategy in general. We dedicate this game to all those who fought and lost their lives during this battle. 16. UNIT LIST. MAXIMUM ALLIED UNITS IN GAME INF AFV MOB 1 ARMY TANK BRIGADE 2 9 6 32 BRIGADE 9 0 2 150 BRIGADE (BOX) 11 0 1 151 BRIGADE 11 0 1 2 ARMOURED BRIGADE 2 9 6 22 ARMOURED BRIGADE 2 9 6 201 GUARDS MOTOR BRIGADE 9 0 4 4 ARMOURED BRIGADE 2 9 6 7 MOTOR BRIGADE 9 0 4 3 INDIAN MOTOR BRIGADE 9 0 4 1 S.A. BRIGADE 9 1 2 2 S.A. BRIGADE 9 1 2 3 S.A. BRIGADE 9 1 2 2 S.A. DIVISION (TOBRUK) 15 - - ALLIED COMMAND POINTS TOBRUK 1 - - GAZALA 10 - - ACROMA 3 - - KNIGHTSBRIDGE 5 - - EL ADEM 4 - - BIR HACHEIM 10 - - AXIS UNITS MAXIMUM INF AW MOB 90 LIGHT DIVISION 10 4 6 21 PANZER DIVISION 9 9 6 15 PANZER DIVISION 9 9 6 ARIETE DIVISION 9 7 6 TRIESTE DIVISION 9 7 6 LITTORIO DIVISION 9 7 6 PAVIA DIVISION 9 0 1 BRESCIA DIVISION 9 0 1 SABRATHA DIVISION 9 0 1 TRENTO DIVISION 9 0 1 SUPPLY DUMPS (2) 3 0 6 17. BIBLIOGRAPHY. Most of the following information used for this program was obtained from the following sources: THE ROMMEL PAPERS edited by Liddel-Hart, 1953 edition THE NORTH AFRICAN CAMPAIGN 1940-43 by General Sir William Jackson TOBRUK by Heckstal-Smith LES FORCES ARMEES (French edition) by Andrew Mollo THE HARDWARE OF WORLD WAR II Galley Press Along with various other books, photographs and documents too numerous to mention here. Many thanks to the staff of The Imperial War Museum for their help during our research. Special thanks to Alan Steel for his invaluable assistance and advice during design and production. |