British Tank Ace

British Tank Ace: 1940-45 is a solitaire tactical wargame designed by Gregory M. Smith, putting you directly in command of a British tank during World War II.

From North Africa to Italy and then the European Theater, you will command your tank, manage your crew and make the tactical decisions required to complete your missions — while doing everything possible to survive the war.

The game covers a complete career from June 1940 through April 1945. Players can attempt to survive the entire war, with up to eight missions per month, or concentrate on a shorter campaign covering a single theater of operations.

COMMAND YOUR OWN TANK

Your career begins with one of the tank models available to the British Army at the start of the war.

As you survive missions, your crew gains experience and can acquire new skills, improving your chances of success.

Your growing Prestige can also give you access to more advanced tanks when your current vehicle is destroyed.

Promotions and awards help tell the story of your career, while the ultimate objective remains straightforward: survive the war and help defeat the Axis powers.

FAST, VARIED MISSIONS

At the beginning of each mission, the tactical situation determines what you will have to accomplish. Missions can include:

• attacking an enemy position;
• defending an objective;
• conducting a movement-to-contact mission to locate and engage the enemy.

Enemy forces are randomly generated, ranging from penal formations to elite units such as the SS and Fallschirmjäger.

Combat is fast, but there is plenty to consider. Terrain, weather, smoke, hull-down status, hull and turret orientation, artillery and mortar support, and random events can all affect the outcome of a mission.

You will also have to decide when it is wise to button up and protect your crew.

A single mission can take as little as 10 minutes, while a complete career takes approximately 4-5 hours.

EXPERIENCE, PROMOTIONS AND PRESTIGE

Surviving a mission is only the beginning.

After each mission, you determine whether your crew has earned awards or experience. Promotions can provide additional capabilities, including access to artillery and mortar support.

Prestige can also be spent to obtain a better tank. If you lack sufficient Prestige, however, you may have to continue fighting in your current vehicle until it is knocked out.

The result is a campaign with a strong narrative element, where every tank commander can develop a different career.

DESIGNED FOR SOLITAIRE PLAY

British Tank Ace is primarily designed as a solitaire experience.

Compass Games also provides options for cooperative and competitive multiplayer play, giving players additional ways to experience the system.

BoardGameGeek categorizes the game as a tactical tank game with role-playing elements, and its database confirms the 2025 English edition published by Compass Games.

GAME SPECIFICATIONS

The specifications above are based primarily on Compass Games' official product information and cross-checked against the BoardGameGeek listing.

CONTENTS

• 2½ sheets of 9/16" counters
• 11 double-sided Tank Display Mats, covering 22 different tank models
• 11 Player Aid Cards, 10 of them double-sided
• 1 double-sided Crew Status Display Mat
• 3 8.5" × 11" Battle Boards
• 3 Operational Displays
• Rulebook
• 4 Mission Logsheets
• 1 ten-sided die
• 2 six-sided dice
• Box and lid

WHY PLAY BRITISH TANK ACE?

British Tank Ace is particularly suited to players who enjoy:

• tactical tank wargames;
• highly replayable solitaire games;
• campaign games featuring crew development;
• missions where survival is never guaranteed;
• tactical decisions focused on an individual tank and its crew;
• games that generate a different career and story every time.

The game combines tactical armored warfare with a campaign progression system reminiscent of a role-playing game. Individual missions can be completed quickly, while their consequences build toward a much longer wartime career.

Your tank can be replaced. Your crew has to survive.