'Out of [Italian East] Africa': A Review of Lion of Judah-The War for Ethiopia 1935-1941 (Part I)

Compass Games #1054 (2017)

One of my Christmas gifts this year is a game that has intrigued me since its release in 2017.  Designed by Javier Romero, Lion of Judah is actually a Tale of Two Campaigns: the Italian conquest of Ethiopia in 1935-36, and Italy's loss of all of Italian East Africa through Allied invasion in 1940-41.

These campaigns marked Italy's second go-around in Ethiopia.  In 1895-96, Italy had invaded from Italian Eritrea, striking south into the Tigre region before being contained, then decisively defeated by the Ethiopian army at the Battle of Adwa.  Although part of Tigre was annexed to Eritrea by the Treaty of Addis Ababa, it was a humiliating defeat for the Italians and led to the formation of a new Socialist government that would stand until after World War I.

After Italy's brutal experience during the Great War, the Fascists under Benito Mussolini came to power in the 1920s.  Among other things, the Fascists were hungry for creating a "new Roman Empire," and Mussolini believed Ethiopia would be a good start: it would erase the stain of Italy's prior defeat, connect and consolidate Italy's other East African territories, and provide a springboard for possible expansion.

In 1930, Italy built a fort at Ual-Ual in the Ogaden region---well within the boundaries of Ethiopia as defined by the Treaty.  They then garrisoned it with about 60 Dubats, tribal irregulars hired by the Royal Corps of Colonial Troops in Italian Somaliland.  In 1934, a force of Ethiopian militia were dispatched to deal with it when diplomacy failed, resulting in the "Ual-Ual Incident," with casualties on both sides.  Although not leading to war, Ual-Ual remained a bone of contention until outright war broke out.

On October 3, 1935, Italian forces invaded Ethiopia without a declaration of war, engaging on two fronts: southwestwards from Italian Eritrea and northwestwards from Italian Somalia.  By the time of the final battle in February of 1937, Ethiopia as an independent kingdom would cease to exist.

The first thing I noticed about this game is the outstanding artwork by artist and designer Knut Grunitz, in particular the map, which is both brilliantly colored and detailed.

The game uses hexes for movement and distance, with each hex representing approximately 75km/46 miles, working well for a game at the division/brigade level.  The 5/8"counters are well-done, with regular ground units being NATO standard and all others being marked in ways to make ID easy.  For instance, Italian Colonial irregular units like the Dubat in Somalia are depicted as a shield with a crossed spear and rifle over a brown background, and Armor and Truck units have side views of the vehicles in question.  The blend of NATO and custom counters should satisfy casual gamers as well as grognards. 

Initial setup is made relatively easy by the inclusion of Scenario Cards for each of the two scenarios.  The cards have spaces for all of the units involved to facilitate easy sorting and setup, and also to hold Reinforcements for upcoming turns.  Player Aid Cards display all of the tables needed for reference when Moving, providing Air Support, or when resolving Combat.  A Unit Key provides helpful information for recognizing both NATO Standard and traditional units, their allegiance, and mechanics like Movement, Attack, and Defense Factors.  It also provides historical unit identifications for those who, like me, want to know the historical details of a conflict.

Two books are included with the game---the Standard Rules and the Play Book.  The Standard Rules are self-explanatory, and they are set up clearly and logically, in my opinion.  The Play Book features specialized rules for the two Scenarios, including an Example of Play which walks you through a standard game.  The Sequence of Play is laid out in chart version on the back cover of the Standard Rules.

After doing some historical homework, I chose to play the 1935-'36 Invasion Scenario.  After punching out, Setup was simple.  The Ethiopian forces are placed according to the Scenario Card, with very little flexibility (usually limited to placement within "one or two hexes" of the target hex to allow for Stacking limitations) and clustered mostly on or near the Central Plateau.  The placement limitations are historical, in that the bulk of the Ethiopian forces are tribal levies under the command of local barons; Ethiopia had very little standing, Regular army before and during WWII.  Like many Irregular armies, Ethiopia would focus on using Terrain, Speed, and Maneuverability to make up for deficiencies in equipment, training, and doctrine.

Initial Ethiopian Setup

For the Italians, the goal was simple: crush the Ethiopian forces and merge the conquered Kingdom with Eritrea and Italian Somaliland, thus creating "Italian East Africa."  Unlike the Ethiopians, the Italians fielded a modern, partially-mechanized army which included aircraft which could perform in the Close Air Support (CAS) role.  Although their line of supply stretched back to Italy, itself, they had engaged in a substantial buildup of forces and support in their African territories for a number of years, and thus were well-prepared for their first "war of conquest."  This included stockpiles of chemical weapons, which were to see deployment in the coming war. 

As mentioned previously, the Grand Plan was to engage the Ethiopians on two fronts: A Northern Theater of Operations (TOO) staged from Eritrea and commanded by Gen. Emilio De Bono and, later, by Marshal Pietro Badoglio; and a Southern TOO staged from Italian Somaliland and led by the able and experienced desert fighter, Gen. Rodolfo Graziani.  Although the war was fought on two fronts, the Northern TOO was the main thrust; the Southern TOO was primarily intended to be a defensive campaign to ensure the security of the supply bases of Italian Somaliland, and to strike into Ogaden to seize the natural-well water sources for the Italians (and denying them to the Ethiopians).  Graziani, however, was having none of it; in spite of his limited resources compared with the Northern Front, he mounted a wily assault that not only achieved his primary objectives, but also put pressure on the Ethiopian forces in Sidamo-Galla and the southwestern highlands and tied them down to prevent them from reinforcing the Central Plateau.

The eve of battle: 10 October, 1935

My interpretation of the Northern campaign involves three Corps, and is based upon the historical Order of Battle (OOB): I Corps (mostly Italian Regulars) will strike almost due south from Asmara and on to the Central Plateau in an attack on the Tigra region, while the Eritrean Native Corps (Eritrean native infantry and cavalry) will head southwest to secure the left flank and seize the Gojjat, then swing southeast around Lake Tana and sweep towards Addis Ababa.  Finally, II Corps (Regulars, Militia, Dubats and Light Armor) will strike southwest from the coast, skirting the northern edge of the Dancalia Desert in a bid to take Macalle and simultaneously protect the right flank.

To fight the Southern Campaign as Graziani fought it, I split the available forces.  Graziani and his motorized HQ will lead Regulars, Colonials, Dubats, and a Light Armor battalion north to take Dolo.  The force will then split, with the slower, heavy Regulars heading east into Neghelli while the lighter, more mobile elements cross the river and follow the Kenyan border to Mega, then north.  Both forces will then converge on the forces of Ras Desta at Yabello.  To the northeast, a smaller force of Arabo-Somalian regiments and Dubats will cross the border at Belet Uen and follow the road, merging with the Dubat garrison from Uel-Uel and capturing Sassaneh, then engaging and pinning down the forces of the Dejaz's Merid and Nassibu. 

In Part II, I will report on the play-through and how the game mechanics flow. 

In the Meantime...

It has been a long while since the last post.  My wife and I have moved from Gustine to Merced, CA, and all of the work that entails.  My "leisure time" has been non-existent for months, and will probably remain so until at least February.

One good piece of gaming news, however: Joe Carter's game Devil Boats: PT Boats in the Solomons has been officially picked up by Compass Games and is available for pre-order.  I was one of the main playtesters for this game (see my review a few months back), and I recommend it.  

Here's the link:  https://www.compassgames.com/preorders/devil-boats-pt-boats-in-the-solomons.html

Playtesting Another Joe Carter Game

In 1942, the Philippine Islands were overrun by the Japanese.  The last part to fall was the island of Corregidor in Manila Bay.  When it fell, a small group of eighteen USN sailors from the crew of the minesweeper USS Quail decided to take a thirty-six-foot launch and make their way to Darwin, Australia.  They made it, and a book was written by the man who led them under the title South from Corregidor.  

Joe Carter, for whom I have playtested previously, created a game based on the experience in the book titled Escape from Corregidor, and graciously invited me once again to playtest the new design.  It's a great concept, and so far I have found the design to be solid and a good play.

At War with the Evil Empire, Part II

The storm front: Pact positions on the eve of invasion

There are a number of ‘special’ attacks that can be made, either before or during the Ground Combat phase for each side.  Close Air Support (CAS) can be used, with the number of units determined by die roll and Turn number, and modified by Weather variables.  Artillery barrages can be called by the Pact player, either as its own attack or in conjunction with a ground assault---but there must be sufficient ammunition, and the supply is finite.  The use of special, high-tech munitions by NATO against mass Pact formations fall under the abstraction of Assault Breaker attacks; they, too, are of limited supply, and become less numerous as time goes on.  NATO also has the option of assaults by Attack Helicopter battalions, which have the key strength of being able to assault a single division while it is in a stacked formation; unfortunately, AH units can be savaged and Disrupted by divisional AA, and can (unlike CAS units) be destroyed.

 

After all of the “special” attacks like possible CAS, Attack Helicopter, Artillery Barrages, Assault Breakers, and possibly Chemical/Nuclear, it still comes down to armor and ground-pounders shooting at each other.  An attack against a ground unit takes into account relative Attack/Defense Factors, terrain, external support (CAS, Artillery, etc.), and previous levels of Disruption, if any.   All of these are then combined to determine the Odds between the two forces, then rolling for results on a table, both for the Attacker’s assault and for the Defender’s counter-attack.  I have always liked and preferred the “simultaneous damage” approach, and it works well in RS. 

Victory for either side is determined by a point system.  For the Warsaw Pact, points are accrued by taking and holding West German population centers, each of which has a specific point value.  For both sides, points are accrued by the number of enemy units eliminated.  So, NATO achieves victory by minimizing the number of points accrued by the Pact, either by successful defense or retaking of urban centers, or by eliminating enough Pact units to put a dent into the Pact’s score when the results are tallied. 

The weakest area in gameplay is Air Warfare.  There is an optional Air Superiority system which relies more on luck than technology and other factors, and which is also somewhat clunky to use.  It is the least attractive part of the game mechanics, in my opinion, and it skews the game in that air superiority and CAS were primary to NATO defensive strategy, and would be tilted in NATO’s favor.  This is one area when Hemphill’s apparent desire to avoid a lot of “chrome” actually shortchanges the game.  For the purposes of my game, I chose to use CAS only, ignoring the optional rule. 

One optional rule that makes life harder for the NATO player is the French Intervention Rule (17.0).   In essence, France holds its units back and avoids involvement until Turn 3, when France examines the current strategic situation and decides whether or not it will support NATO, and to what degree if the answer is positive.  While the fickle nature of the French is well-known, and de Gaulle’s withdrawal of French military forces from NATO is equally well-known, the Intervention Rule was based upon incomplete knowledge on the designer’s part; we now know that France had signed classified agreements with the US to honor its military commitments to NATO in the event of war with the Pact.  While an interesting “what if” and, in its way, darkly humorous, it is not historically accurate. 

On the whole, the game is solid.  There are, however, several major weaknesses which can affect gameplay and which (to me) hurt the game’s authenticity.  It’s not a bad game to play, and it moves with speed since chrome is kept to a minimum, but I usually prefer a bit more detail and complexity in my games.  

At War with the Evil Empire: A Review of "The Red Storm" Part I

J. Michael Hemphill, designer.  Yaquinto Games, 1983.

Upon its release in 1983, I bought a copy of this game.  At the time, however, I was more into RPGs with my friends than solitaire historical wargaming, so a few years later it was sold, unplayed. 

Last year I acquired a copy of it unpunched and in very good condition, albeit yellowed with age.  Since my recent attempt to unbox and play the newest addition to the collection---Blue Water Navy---has been put on hiatus for a number of reasons, I got out RS and began setup.

Since I like historical wargames, I was curious as to how accurate the designer's unit designations and overall historicity fared twenty-five years after the scenario was relegated to "alternate history" status.

On the NATO side, Hemphill really did his homework; considering that he had to have developed the game between 1979-1982, his unit IDs and their placement for 1983 is excellent with very few errors.  I am particularly impressed with his inclusion of the six established Heimatschutzbrigaden (HSchBrig), or Homeland Security Brigades.  These were units consisting of mostly reservists that provided rear-area security and defense against para-troops or infiltration groups. While he chose not to reproduce what has been called NATO's "layer-cake defense," he did assign initial unit placement with the proper army groups, dividing the map into BALTAP (Area K), NORTHAG (Area N), and CENTAG (Area C) and assigning units with almost complete historical accuracy.  In my setup, I went one step further and ensured that my divisions were placed within their proper "layers" in each Area Command.  I also researched the location of numerous army airfields and bases so my placement of the various air assault and attack helicopter brigades would be a bit more historical.

On the Pact side, however, Hemphill is on shakier ground.  To be fair, the up-to-date placement and assigning of Soviet and Pact divisions within the German Democratic Republic (DDR) would have been difficult to obtain even by people familiar with the intelligence community, and would probably have been classified information even if it were available.  Still, Hemphill does get quite a few of the units right, in particular the Soviet divisions present in the DDR, but there are inconsistencies in the OB although they do not affect the game in any significant way.

The game, itself, was very well produced, and bears the trademarks of Yaquinto's all-too-brief history: double-thick counters, and maps of heavy, coated paper that neither tear nor wear easily. 
The artwork is well-done, with the map featuring a somewhat-abstracted West Germany divided into scaled hexes, with top-down views of terrain features and surrounded by both allied and enemy countries.  For the counters, the designers chose to go with silhouettes for the various unit-types, rather than the NATO Standard symbols, and the unit nationality is indicated by color variation.  This makes the game more approachable and easier to play, especially for new or first-time players not familiar with wargaming.  Personally, I could have gone either way as I am comfortable with either format.

The calm before the storm: initial NATO unit placement

The game is played at the operation level with most units at the division level, with a small number of brigade-units when necessary, or when breaking down Airborne or Air Assault divisions.  Combat is resolved using an Odds system, which, while not my favorite mechanic, works fairly well once you've used it.  Provision for counter-assault is made by allowing a defender to engage an attacker, although at slightly reduced effectiveness.  Terrain effects are straightforward and easy to remember.  Airborne drop survival rules are a weak point, in my opinion, since distance from friendly units would have no bearing in drop survival unless the division is being dropped in "Indian country."  There is also no provision for drift.

I will detail combat more extensively in Part II.

Unboxing the Latest

Since my wife and I have been busy preparing our house for sale, I haven't had much time for posting lately. 
Today, however, a new addition to the collection arrived: Stuart Tonge's Blue Water Navy: The War at Sea (Compass Games #1101, 2019).  The game pits the naval forces of NATO against those of the Warsaw Pact, and the scenarios range from 1983-1989.  It will cover  some of the same possible conflicts in my edition of HARPOON, but at less cost and easier solo play. 

The map (consisting of the entire North Atlantic and many of the landmasses surrounding it, as well as the Med) is quite large, so I'll be setting up on our long, 6-place dining table.  Fortunately, we have an enclosed dining room with a sturdy door, so I'll be able to begin the war with no interference from the Catzilla Crew.  
So, it's time to punch out, set up, and got to Round 2 with Gorshkov's boys.  I'll write a review soon. 

The Squadron to Date

Karen and I are in the process of packing our household up for an upcoming move.  Given the circumstances, the Gustine Naval Shipyard is closing until its relocation to Merced.  

Here is a formation shot of the squadron to date.  In the lead is the frigate USS General Pike (26), followed by the converted merchant topsail schooners USS Asp, USS Julia, and USS Fair American (all armed with a single 32-pounder).   This will be it in miniatures work for some months.