Wargames Modeling AP Shell Differences vs. AP Shot

[John Kettler]

R. Cunningham,

The single best detailed treatment of this issue is the rigorously analyzed "Tobruk" (North African Campaign), designed by the late Hal Hock for what was then The Avalon Hill Game Company. Hal was a professional in military operations research, specializing in modeling weapon effectiveness. He not only did detailed assessments of sighting chance, terrain effects, rate of fire differences, etc., but analyzed hit probability, hit location, armor type, slope, thickness and quality vs. penetrator characteristics, and he explicitly addressed HE burster charges in AP shells, though I think his model required complete penetration before the shell could detonate.

Try E-bay for the game itself, then see if you can find the feature article on the game in back issues of the Avalon Hill house magazine THE GENERAL, which also featured a major game supplement. FIRE & MOVEMENT magazine also ran a lengthy article on the game, with feedback from Mr. Hock.

Hope this helps.

John Kettler