Fortress Europa - Part Seven

 The situation end of winter 44/45.

The Germans have just had a failed offensive against Frankfurt.

All over by the end of March thanks to clear weather and good rolling.

A most enjoyable game.  

A classic!

Fortress Europa - Part Six

By mid February 1945 the Allies are across the Rhine in three places.  The end is nigh.

The Axis had to withdraw the Sixth Panzer Army, but not before it roughed up the British Army in a bad way.  However the Allied progress has been accelerating even without clear weather.

Fortress Europa - Part Five

In our last session Richard and I had just got up to the big German counterattack.  It went like this:

 The drive on Antwerp was successful.

 And on the border with Switzerland the French Army was badly mauled.

BUT...

 It immediately came to nought.

And by mid January the Allies were again pushing forward,

thanks to mild weather and good die rolls by me and not so good die rolls by Richard.

Fortress Europa - Part Four

Richard and I just managed to get in about three turns, completing November 1944.

 So we've raced up to the border...

But noe the Germans will be launching a huge counterattack with these new reinforcements!

Fortress Europa - Part Three

October and November have been a bit of a roller coaster as will be seen.

 October and the Axis launch another counterattack.

 Still October and still they are attacking.
Although note breakout to the west.

 However come November and things have changed dramatically!

The allies have linked up north and south, cleared the area to the Italian border and invested all the Atlantic ports.  The Axis have pulled back behind the Seine and are now retreating further.

In part the Axis collapse was due to the withdrawal of eight panzer divisions.

But even before this the Allied southern front had expanded 

and was putting a lot of pressure on the enemy's ability to hold France.

Fortress Europa - Part Two

This game has a few things arse about compared with more modern games (principally terrain effects), but all the same it is a remarkably good game.

 Things were going really well until this disaster.

Teaches me for not knowing the rules.

I didn't realise that the Germans could bomb the bridges.

That cut my Canadian Army's retreat.

That would only happen if the Germans threw a 6 in their attack.

:-(

Edit: Richard reminded me that at the time I landed the Canadians in the south of France that the warm weather wouldn't suit them.  How right he was.

 Of course that left them vulnerable to a counter attack.

Anything but a 1 and I would have cut them off.

Didn't happen.

 Back in Normandy and while things have improved,

my second breakout to St Malo ended in another disaster.

At least things have improved down south.

I'm expecting a race for Bordeaux.

Fortress Europa - Part One

You can never be playing too many games...

And Friday it was time for Fortress Europa with Richard.  I had never played this classic game before and wasn't too sure of what best strategy to follow, so I went historical.

 The paratroops got scattered and had to make some desperate attacks,
although looking at this again, they didn't have to attack as they were not in an enemy ZoC.
Luckily they survived.

 The Allies are successfully ashore and have even taken Caen.

 It was short lived.

 Two months later and despite almost breaking out once, the beach head has almost been split in two.

Desperate times.

A second landing has been made down south 

hoping to relieve some of the pressure on the Normandy beach head.

TO BE CONTINUED

The African Campaign - 1973 Style

Yesterday Richard and I decided on playing a game that would be less taxing on the brain.

I had never played this game in its heyday, being always a bit of an SPI devote or more likely captive.  This might have been the second time I've played it (I would have to check), but it felt warmly familiar.  It gave a great and tense game having a very cruel CRT.  By April 1942 however the Axis had reached their high water mark and it would have been all downhill after the failure of their last desperate attacks.  My Commonwealth forces had been worn thin, but there was more on the way. 

Great game!