In Rommel's Backyard: A Memoir of the Long Range Desert Group provides a first-hand and meticulously detailed look at the LRDG's activities in North Africa during World War II. Alastair Timpson of the Scots Guards provides the accounts in a very matter of fact manner. The book reads like a series of After Action Reports. That is not a negative. There is no hype here. His writing forces the reader to do a little work.
The LRDG supported the British 8th Army in a few ways: reconnaissance or "road watch" - counting trucks, supplies, tanks and men; harassing the enemy by destroying airfields, supply dumps and communcations; and providing escorts and delivery services for the SAS.
The missions described are done so without emotion. Again, the author works from his notes. The LRDG became the experts at desert navigation. These troops were truly Special Forces even though they do not get the publicity that the SAS received.
From a gaming perspective, this book offers a huge amount of detail. He provides unit composition including changes to the structure and going from full patrols to half patrols. He provides detail on vehicles and aircraft. Both British and Italian/German. Including the switch from Ford to Chevy trucks. Locations and types of missions. For example, blowing up water trucks. Terrain - including finding a cave with baby cheetahs. (Somehow, that will have to make it onto a table.)
The end of the book provides its most harrowing tale. That of being discovered inside a German camp and being chased across the desert.
There is enough information in this book to get me started on building a LRDG force. I've just started the process of mapping out a small starter force for each. The good news is that Battlefront has a great line of 15mm LRDG figures. There are also 28mm figures available from various suppliers.
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