WF: First Battle of Tembien - Need Play Testers

[Kool Kat]

Gents: :smoke:

Looking for players to step up and help play test my new West Front scenario! Feedback has been collected from play testers in the 1st round of testing and changes and updates have been incorporated into this version 1.1

You may register and download the game files HERE.

Hopefully you can get one of your regular opponents to help test the scenario with you? :chin:

I have also attached a MS Word document that provides an analysis of the Ethiopian and Italian forces, including suggested tactics.


First Battle of Tembien (January 20, 1936)

Tembien, Ethiopia: [H2H] [HISB] [GD] On 3 October 1935, Italy invaded Ethiopia without a declaration of war. The inital campaign began with 100,000 men organized into four corps, marching southward in three columns south from Eritrea. The Italians met no resistance at the border: Ethiopian Emperor Haille Selassie had ordered his frontier troops not to fight, that Italy might be clearly established as the military aggressor. General Emilio De Bono adopted a slow and cautious advance since invading East Africa was not like fighting a war in Europe. There were virtually no paved roads. Water, food, and shelter were scarce. Furthermore, East Africa lay at the end of an over 1,000 mile supply chain. But Mussolini grew impatient with De Bono's pace, and in December, after a brief period of inactivity and minor setbacks for the Italians, De Bono was replaced by General Pietro Badoglio. In early January 1936, the Italian position was precarious. Their line ran a length of about 150 miles, from Asmara to Makalle, across high mountains punctuated by passes and ravines. Ethiopian forces were in the hills everywhere overlooking the Italian positions and launching attacks against them on a regular basis. Ethiopian leaders Ras Kassa and Ras Seyoumm armies were excerting pressure from the Tembien and Badoglio decided he needed to dislodge these troops from their strong positions in order for the Italians to continue the advance towards Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital. On 20 January, elements of the Italian 2nd Eritrean Division, made up of the Eritrean ascari who provied the regular colonial forces of Italian Eritrea, and the 2nd Blackshirt Division (28 October) named in honor of the Fascist March on Rome (28 October 1922), advanced through the area around Abaro Pass and assaulted the Ethiopian forces in the hills overlooking the pass. [All: No EA: No VV] (Note: Ethiopian Retinue units function as HQs. Map used is a heavily modified stock WF map file name 1-7pzLCG_5.map. A special thanks to the map designer.)


First Battle of Tembien is a Complexity 4, 15 turn scenario that features tribal forces, colonial units, Blackshirts, camels, and tankettes. Tough battle as the Italians assault Ethiopian forces occupying rough terrain hills overlooking a mountain pass.

[Kool Kat]

Gents: :smoke:

Could use 1-2 more test games to see how the revisions operate in version 1.1? :chin:

Scenario is very close to being approved!

Many thanks to all play testers!