Friday 9 July 2021

A Bridge Not Near Enough - Part 2

Life got in the way for a couple of weeks and so we were finally able to finish off our big Halloween Christmas Easter Summer game, based on the Market Garden campaign.


We left things with Pete's Irish Guards pushing towards the bridge, whilst his Para's assaulted the town from the rear and Wes's US Glider troops continued their push to secure the road.

My Fallschirmjäger had been largely decimated by the Irish Guards, but had managed to destroy a Churchill and gold up the column.

Matt's Grenadiers were hard pressed in the town, but still held the bridge with the support of some heavy armour.


Turn 5 began with a largely ineffective US air strikes and the British tanks pushing further towards the bridge; we had a house rule allowing wrecked tanks to be pushed out if the way by a tank given an Advance order.

However, the lead Cromwell exposed its flank to the Fallschirmjäger light howitzer, which managed to score a direct hit, taking the tank commander out of commission.


The news was less good for the Germans beyond the town as the Flammpanzer that had been running riot was finally brought to a halt.


With the vulnerability of tanks being highlighted, the Tiger edged away from the advancing Paras and took up position at the end of the bridge, waiting for the British column to appear.


It was supported by a smattering of fire from surrounding buildings trying to keep the Allied infantry away, along with a squad of Grenadiers which launched a doomed assault against the Paras' jeep and were ultimately mowed down by its twin machine guns.


More Grenadiers moved across the bridge to support the remnants of the Fallschirmjäger, which were trying to hold the encroaching Americans at bay.


Meanwhile, the British tanks rumbled forwards, largely unmolested...


...whilst the British Paratroopers swarmed into the town



The sixth turn saw lots of action and very little accuracy as the Irish Guards made their final push for the bridge. Panzerfausts missed flank shots from point blank range; British guns fired in all directions to little effect; Americans and Fallschirmjäger watched on in futility as they lack the armaments to swing the battle either way.


On the other side of the bridge, the Paras finally reached the German tanks and two assaults were launched on the Tiger to no avail.


This left the Tiger free to swing its massive gun round at the start of Turb Seven and demolish the leading Cromwell as it was poised to cross the bridge.

It was at this point that we called the game as the Allies could no longer win. Unlike Arnhem, the airborne assault on the town had been a massive success, but it was the damage to the armoured column that caused the push to be abandoned.

The Allies would have to wait the enter Germany.

The game was lots of fun, and although it was a tough ask for the Allied force, there was a sense that they could have made it with a little more luck. Even something as simple as getting the first few Dice on the final turn could have put the German tanks out of commission and opened the route to victory.

It was also nice yo get lots of toys on the table for the first time in a long time, so everyone was a winner.

But the Germans were the proper winners, not consolation prize, participation certificate 'winners' like the Allies.

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