Menzel Captures Third Afrika Korps Title!

The top four players after the 2025 Freeform Rounds were:

1. Jeff Linroth
2. Ed Menzel
3. Mark Gutfreund
4. Robert Frisby

Semifinal: Robert Frisby (Axis) vs Jeff Linroth (Allies)

Jeff was at the top of the leader board after the Free Form and was looking for his first WBC Afrika Korps Wood. Robert has already picked up a fistful of various WBC first place plaques that include Afrika Korps.

With a steady stream of supply, the Axis (Robert), moved smartly toward Tobruk and rolled the Allies into the fortress killing a couple of units enroute. Continuing east the Axis picked off all available Allied blockers forcing the retreat of the remainder beyond Halfaya Pass to the Matruh area. However, as July rolled around, German supplies began to dry up as the 50-50 roll for supplies turned against the Germans. Faced with dwindling supplies and Allied strength increasing, Robert decided to take 1-1 on Tobruk on August I. The result was an attacker eliminated and Robert surrendered to Jeff.

Semifinal: The game between old friends Ed Menzel (really old) and Mark Gutfreund (pretty old) did not materialize as Mark chose a higher priority endeavor that Friday night and surrendered to Ed in the Semifinal. Both of these fellows are true gentlemen and it is always an honor to sit across the table from them.

Final: Ed Menzel (Axis) vs Jeff Linroth (Allies).

On April I, Ed used the standard opening sending the 21 Panzer Division skirting south of the desert escarpments that loop in a U-configuration below Bir Hacheim. Jeff countered with a standard occupation of the western reaches of those escarpments while sending six 1-1-6 infantry brigades to sea.

On April II, Ed placed the Recce at U29, the 7-7-10 with Supply in escarpment hex T26, with Rommel and the 3-3-10 on the escarpment at R23. This was a bit deceptive because the Recce usually moves much further east on April II. Jeff countered by holding M23 and N26 with 2CF each, preventing overruns, with one 1-1-6 at M31 and one at N29. The 1-1-6 at N29 was too far south.

On May I, sneaky Ed, pulling off a move reminiscent of sneaky Bert, used Rommel to increase the move of the 7-7-10 to get adjacent to the 1-1-6 at N29 and overrun it. In the same move by Rommel, the Recce was then able to move 14 hexes to the road net and then capture Tobruk. Jeff launched a counterattack on his half of the turn with a 3-1 vs the Recce in Tobruk. Jeff rolled an exchange vs the doubled Recce in Tobruk, spelling doom for the Allies. Jeff then surrendered to the sneaky Ed. Congratulations to Ed for his third Afrika Korps first place Plaque.

Basic Lessons of Afrika Korps”

1. Supplies that land on Sep II, 42 can attack at Alexandria on Nov I, 42
2. You must control the Axis Home Base to earn the replacement point
3. Units at Sea without supply can die on the second turn of isolation
4. You always gotta count hexes when you play Bert, or Ed