When Did Rommel Get His Goggles? Operation Compass & Operation Sonnenblume

[bayonetbrant]

#UnboxingDay ~ When Did Rommel Get His Goggles? From Japan in 2024, apparently

https://www.armchairdragoons.com/articles/unbox/unbox-rommelgoggles/

[bayonetbrant]

https://rockymountainnavy.com/2024/03/14/wargame-sitrep-24-14-when-did-rommel-get-his-goggles-supplied-all-the-way-from-japan-in-2024/

(see the article for the rest of the article + the supporting images)

From Japan to North Africa

When Did Rommel Get His Goggles? covers the North Africa campaign in World War II. The game covers the period from November 1940 (Operation Compass) to May 1941 (Operation Sonnenblume). Units are division-battalion with each turn covering two weeks. Ground scale is 10 km per hex.

At first glance, When Did Rommel Get His Goggles? looks like a fairly standard hex & counter wargame. The components are like one expects in a magazine wargame; a single paper-mounted map, a 12-page rule book, two player aids, and less than 100 counters.

Supplying Japanese style

The rules for supply in When Did Rommel Get His Goggles? are actually very innovative. The core supply rules appear in 8.2 Supply Segment. Each player has a limited cache of Supply markers (10 for the Allies, 10 for the Axis through Turn 6 and 13 markers for Turns 7-12). Supply markers have two major uses in the game; forming a supply line to forward troops and for bonuses found on the Tactical Management Sheet for each player.

Supply to advance

In the Strategic Phase of odd-numbered game turns, Supply markers can be placed on the map for When Did Rommel Got His Goggles? at five-hex intervals to form a supply line to support forward troops. It takes the Allies four (4) supply markers to support troops just beyond Tobruk; for the Axis player to do the same it takes seven (7) markers (which technically reaches to Bardia assuming Tobruk is friendly). If any units belonging to a player are beyond the last supply marker those units are Out of Supply (see 8.2.2). Units that are Out of Supply cannot move or attack (but they can defend and retreat normally) nor do they benefit from any supply bonuses (see below).

[Staggerwing]

IIRC, Rommel's goggles were actually booty from English supplies, presumably gained during one of his successful operations.

One can imagine what the manufacturers must have thought the first time they saw a photo of Rommel wearing them.

Marketing no doubt started writing some copy- "Goggles so good even the Desert Fox had so get himself some!"

[bob48]