A BRIDGE TOO FAR – CGIII

Game-by-Game Block Control

The Block designations are as per the ABtF Rules, with the exception of the Blocks created by the digging of entrenchments during the course of the game (R9.605).

These are:
st (Strip) – Foxhole in C13
j5 – Foxhole in J5
l0 – Building in L0 that was not designated as a Block originally
or (Orchard) – Foxholes in Q2, R1
ra (Ramp) – Foxholes in P7, Q7, Q12, Q15
b on the map stands for the Blockhouse
 
I have used the following colour key throughout the AARs and in this diagrammatic description of the games:
Yellow – No Control Points
Blue – Water
Black – German Controlled
Red – British Controlled
Purple – Uncontrolled           

At some stage during this CG we both mistakenly started to think that B31.3 allowed these building hexes to be up to Level 2… obviously this is wrong and by the time we had realised it we had been playing with it for 2-3 games… so we just let it go for continuities sake. Apologies to those who find the references to lvl2 hexes in the AAR confusing!

17N

The game goes on and on and on as the British use the Night to it’s fullest and claim a lot more territory than they had ever dreamed possible. The German defenders pull back, but importantly manage to maintain a hold on Block N & O thus keeping them both unclaimed for the next game. Although the German losses are massive they also cause the British a Platoon’s worth of casualties… a good result for the Defender

18AM

The game historians will call ‘mostly a non-event’. Apart from a random scattering of German OBA and some British foxhole digging the only noise to break the silence of the morning was that of tea being brewed by the confident British commander and his troops 

18PM

A German counter-attack comes raging in with the intention of stealing Block N, but very quickly becomes un-done. It went wrong from the start with an AFV falling into a cellar and then went downhill from there as  a lack of mutual support between SS units compounded the ferocious dice results. Despite the name of “German Attack” it was actually the British who increased their hold on this town… 

18N

Night-time is for sleeping and sweet dreams of sweet-hearts back home, this night is no exception. Like gunfighters we stand there and gaze at each other will our opponent to make the first move… neither did. 

19PM

This game could not be more different to the 18N match-up. The Germans swarm onto the map and swallow up Blocks A & C; the British defenders are totally overwhelmed but the 2nd line of defence fights back leaving the streets littered with AFV and HT wrecks. JP makes a half-hearted attempt to take Blocks N & R, but essentially just goes crew and MMC hunting, especially as his Tiger’s are getting picked off in Street-fights and from HIP AT. WP again sets buildings ablaze and dramatically alters the structure of the town. 

19EVE

The British concede in Turn 6 of this game, so there is nothing worth showing. With VASL Logfiles this game would have played for another year to get probably the same result so I did not feel like under-going the drawn-out stress! The German use of OBA in this game was it’s high-point; playing along the perimeter of Blocks F & H with a combination of 150mm and 120mm concentrations made it impossible for me to present an effective front line, whilst also destroying the buildings that I needed to hide behind. The Germans won this CG with style against a perfect start for the British…

            I think that the British have an almost impossible task to win this CG, yet it is also a hell of a lot of fun and we would play it again any day.