ATS Deir Munassib: El Alamein 1942

EL ALAMEIN NEVER ENDS AROUND HERE – NEW MODULE CONTINUES THE HISTORIC BATTLE

There’s a good chance men of the Battalion have noticed the publisher’s never ending fascination with the titanic, yet sporting struggle that took place in the Western Desert, Cyrenaica, and the killing ground of El Alamein. You can count on this focus to never, ever end, and just keep growing.

As in growing a library of modules, nonpareil.

Sure, we get that when “Kellam’s Bridge”, our first historical module, mentioned this library approach, some 20+ years ago – that a gammatudinous fellow or two might have posted up something along the lines of “riiight…”

Here’s a rag to wipe that runny egg off your mug.

“Operation Braganza” may not be a household name (Zerf anyone?) but it was an important offensive, launched at Deir el Munassib, situated east of Alam el Halfa. The operation was meant as a prelude to “Operation Lightfoot”, aka The Second Battle of El Alamein. At 0525 hours the supporting artillery was laid in … and while at first it looked like a cakewalk was at hand … the 1/5th Battalion, Queens Royal Regiment ran into a firestorm, courtest of the Italian solders of Folgore… and suffered a bloody nose.

A very bloody nose, as in 320+ casualties. Things were so intense that relief attempts failed and the operation was called off. The result was a feat of Italian arms in World War II that stand right there beside … say a paragraph up .. and men of the 5th Ranger Battalion.

Bring your ATS German, Italian and British – or your ATSer TOBRUK counter set from any of the editions over the last bunch of years and you are good to play. Then again, what is being depicted might transcend the term “play” – this is man’s work.