The morning started out cloudy.
The troops hang on in Arnhem,
as the relief force battles across the bridge at Nijmegen.
The eastern flank is making progress,
pushing the Germans back.
The same is happening on the western flank.
The afternoon had clear skies.
Further progress is made on breaking out from Nijmegen.
Further progress is made on breaking out from Nijmegen.
A victory town is captured, however we need many more before we can claim victory.
There is another victory city on this flank,
but this fighting on the map edge sucks.
Night and the British/Polish paratroopers have shrunk to just three hexes.
But relief is on its way!
Trust me.
This flank looks well contained.
The Germans keep attacking in the hope of inflicting losses.
The same can be said for this flank.
The final day is overcast.
Not good.
Things were going well,
but with bad weather we lose a bit of our advantage.
We are getting ready to attack the final victory town on this flank.
Again, the same applies on this flank.
The force in Arnhem still holds
and the breakthrough has progressed well, but...
The Germans have taken a victory point location.
The Allied attack on the other one failed.
Losses are unacceptable.
Again, same bad news on this flank.
The continued German counterattacks have paid off and passed the magic threshold which has enabled them to claim victory. There was one turn left.
Intense game. The basic mechanics are simple, but there are a variety of exceptions and variations that mean you need to watch carefully.
Should I give it a go solo on Vassal?
I finally read Cornelius Ryan's "A Bridge Too Far" and perhaps the most surprising thing was how totally impotent and ineffective the Allied Air Superiority was. There was no adaptability or spontinaity in their deployment. They wouldn't take off in fog and land in a forward Belgian airfield, they wouldn't rove ahead into German held areas and attack reinforcements, they didn't intercept Luftwaffe attacks, and the "cab rank" system of Forward Air Control never worked except on the first day. German aircraft on the other hand bombed and strafed the Allies and intercepted the bombers and gliders bringing up supplies and reinforcements.
ReplyDeleteAs for Attenborough's movie version, it was pretty accurate and several incidents depicted were right from the memoirs quoted in the book.
Having now played the game (and planning to play again) and having watched the movie (and read the Beevor book) I will have to add Ryan's book to my "to read"list.
DeleteAntony Beevor did an interview on the podcast "Dan Snow's History Hit" and he said Market Garden was a failure right from planning. It could never have worked. It was published January 25, 2019. I downloaded my mp3 from podbay.fm-http://podbay.fm/show/1042631089/e/1548435985?autostart=1
DeleteI would enjoy following a solo playing of this one.
ReplyDeleteDoing that is certainly playing on my mind. I think it would play well solo. There are provisions for sudden victory, so if one side gets lucky things could go quiet differently.
DeleteHowever I have to get closure on this Hearts of Iron game I'm currently playing.