The game is very interesting. The American parachutists are scattered around the battlefield. The Germans come into the scenario from all parts. There are tanks, AT guns, armored cars, strongpoints, night, day, glider landings... The scenario simulates well the chaotic conditions of the battle. The key of the game is the control of hex 411. There is an enormous tension throughout the scenario, until the last turn. In the end the Germans are not able to control hex 411. Draw.

This scenario is practically identical to scenario 11 of the previous edition (AIRBORNE IE). The turns have been reduced from 55 to 30.

Battle: In the pre-dawn hours of June 6, 1944, units from the 82nd Airborne Division were tasked with securing the bridge over the Merderet River at LaFiere. The drop disbursed troops on both sides of the river, and they were trying to regroup in the darkness. Around 0400, German units from the 1058th Infantry Regiment spotted and exchanged fire with American units, who retreated until they could gather others. By 0500, the Americans had gathered at Cauquigny, but by 0530 German reinforcements moved in from both the west and north including a StuG IIIG platoon moving along the Rue de Moulin toward the town. A major confrontation occurred in the town and along the road SE of town, while the Germans had most of the surrounding area in their control limiting American reinforcement. By the time an American 57mm platoon arrived and weakened the StuG unit, a German S.35 platoon had arrived to take its place in the assault. The US continued to try to reinforce the beleaguered units in Cauquigny and were helped when one the the 57mm units eliminated the S.35 platoon about three hours later. The Americans eventually had to retreat to LaFiere, but the causeway wasn’t cleared for a German response until 1015. As the Germans advanced, they took heavy fire from the remaining US troops, and they lost the remainder of the StuG IIIG platoon to another 57mm attack. This pattern continued, as every German advance was met with heavy fire, although the Germans had finally taken out the American 57mm platoons. The Germans then entered LaFiere at 1400 hours and house-to-house fighting took place around the Manor for almost two hours until the Americans finally took total control of the town. They then moved a few hundred meters west from the town to secure the causeway entrance. At that point, both sides stood down.

Analysis: This is a 55-turn scenario supposes that allows reinforcement by both sides, although the Germans have a decided advantage in terms of both FP and number if they can hit their die rolls related to reinforcement addition. In this playthrough, they definitely did, as most of their units were in play by Turn 12, which came up rather quickly since there were 9 FOW rolls in the first 12 turns. This put the Germans in an extraordinarily strong position since full daylight visibility came up the next turn, and they had plenty with which to fire. With primary objective for either side being control of the bridge, the Germans can use their numerical superiority to push the Americans back. However, once the Americans coalesce and hold LaFiere, further advancement is difficult due to all the swampland that needs to be crossed by the attacker. In this playthrough the Americans left a small force (2 INF and the Brig. Gen.) on the dam up north to both prevent a pincer attack by the Germans and force them to advance through the wetlands. They eventually needed to move south and strengthen the town defenses with 15-20 turns remaining. The Germans ended up losing 40 steps to the Americans 19, and they did not control hex 0411, which was still being contested, so the match ended up as a draw. If the American position can be established in the town just west of the bridge, and they can hold the area to the east toward the bridge, they can win. But this is a tough chore if the German units build up quickly. The town adjacent to the bridge (LaFiere) is a powerful defensive position as attackers have to cross the wetlands to attack it.

This scenario has two items that make this difficult, time and having to get your troops organized. Most of the scenario you will be trying to get the Americans rallied and up to strength and the Germans trying to get reinforcements on the board. The first one who does will most likely win, although I fought mine to a draw. The Germans were able to get there act together first and capture 0411 and the Americans could not get enough troops together to push them out.

I will say this was a bit frustrating as I played all the turns just to end in a official draw, but I would say that the Germans won a small victory by organizing first and denying the Americans the win.

This scenario looked promising for the Americans for the first 10 turns as the paras were able to quickly recover and organize from the intial drop before too many German reinforcements arrived. A lot of paras were also able to recover to full strength after taking up defensive postions but soon the floodgates opened with the German reinforcements around turn 20 and once again, even as defenders, the paras were easily overwhelmed by strength and numbers.

German units were able to brush right by the defenders and not only take hex 0411 but were also able to successfully dig-in there without any casualties or failed morale checks from opportunity fire. This objective hex for the Germans was never seriously threatened throughout the battle. Unfortunately this scenario started to drag on after halfway through 55 turns and I finished it before the conclusion of turn 44, as there was just one, lone American Major left, running and jumping through hedgerows frantically to evade capture, along with one 57mm AT gun and a Jeep unit. All other units and leaders were either eliminated or captured at this point.

The expected American reinforcements at 07:00/turn 17 were a double disappointment as only a 57mm AT gun and the Jeep survived the drop. The other 57mm, along with the 75mm (the only American indirect fire unit) and both steps of the PARA ENG units all perished. To make matters worse those step losses also reduced the American intiative significantly and the Germans would be able to get a lot more activations in before the paras could react.

I still give this one a "3" rating for my solo play as I really enjoyed the first half and towards the end I realized there were other options for the Americans than just waiting to be attacked. Possibly, since German units really do just start trickling in until about turn 13, a better strategy in hindsight maybe would have been to send half of the American forces into small attack groups to ambush German units as they entered the map instaed of just waiting for them to gather strength. Many times, at the three different entry areas, just one German unit would arrive, and could of been easily overwhelmed by a small band of paras. So I think I just played this one out without much imagination and could of perhaps at least had it end in a draw or even a rare American victory if I thought outside the box a bit more. I also believe that 55 turns is too long a time for this scenario to run and that 30 turns, like it is in the 'Airborne Remastered' scenario book is more appropriate.

THE BATTLE

A long battle with no OBA begins with the American force in tatters spread out throughout the map demoralised and mostly reduced. The Germans begin with a single Grenadier and some strongpoints on the map with the rest of their force beginning to arrive on turn 5. (You must roll individually for each unit each turn until it arrives.)

There are special rules for the Americans to recover their reduced units to full strength.

The scenario begins at night, so no units are within spotting range of one another.

Turn 1 – Americans roll lots of dice to rally. 2 leaders see the futility of the exercise and desert!

Turn 2&3 – Lots more rolling…

Turn 4 – A full strength Paratroop platoon explores a nearby strongpoint which is unoccupied.

Turn 5 – Tons more rolling as the Germans can now play the game. They roll the dice about 20 times and get one reinforcement in the west.

Turn 6 – more rolling

Turn 7/8/9 – Germans begin to arrive on all sides. The Americans lose their first reduced platoon as the German reinforcements in the west overpower them.

Turn 10 – The sun begins to rise (visibility 2). A big assault in the west sees two Para platoons reduced and their 2nd Lt KIA.

Turn 11 – Another unoccupied strongpoint discovered as the sun increases visibility.

Turn 12 – The StuG IIIG and S.35 appear. In the assault in the west both sides lose a step. In the north, some paratroopers unable to get to full strength are ambushed and eliminated. Casualties stand at 6-3.

Turn 13 – Sun is fully up and visibility is 12 hexes (if you could see that far through the hedgerows). Most German reinforcements have now arrived and the Americans have moved toward the objective. The StuG joins the assault and the Americans take heavy losses. Casualties at 9-3.

Turn 14 - German advance behind the Americans who the bulk of are now between the forces at the river and the reinforcements. Another strongpoint is cleared.

Turn 15 – Last of the German northern and western reinforcements appear and it looks very bad for the Americans who are greatly outnumbered. Another paratroop platoon is eliminated moving toward the lock. German assault gun joins the S.35 and armoured car for a combined attack versus the American forces.

Turn 16 – Germans force the Americans off the embankment with their superior firepower and begin to surround them.

Turn 17 – Some Para Engineers land, but their AT Guns are lost!

Turn 18 &19 – Americans are getting surrounded on both the east and west sides of the river. Some platoons on the east side still haven’t recovered to full strength!

Turn 20 – The American Colonel is captured by the German Armoured cars. The StuG is reduced in an assault but the Germans have the Brigadier General and his last platoons of men surrounded!

Turn 21 – The Br General loses two demoralised platoons as they are unable to flee and surrender.

Turn 22/23/24 – The Br General loses his last men and surrenders. In the east the German Armoured Car is eliminated as it is assaulted by two paratroop platoons.

With only 5 paratroop platoons remaining versus 20 German platoons the Americans give up. The Germans have cleared the east side of the river and are flocking to the west. It appears impossible for the Americans to “rid the east side of the river of German units”.

German Victory.

Aftermath

This is a bizarre scenario. In some ways it is interesting how the Americans recover their strength and the Germans enter in dribs and drabs. But there is an insane amount of dice rolling. Rolling for every American demoralised unit, every American reduced unit, every German every turn to see if it enters, FOW constantly as “formations” are out the window. In the end it just didn’t feel worth it.

There were just too many Germans. The Americans just don’t have enough men even with their “recover” ability. The only hope they really have is if the Germans roll poor on their reinforcements and the can somehow capture the river crossing and hold it against the tide of German forces. This didn’t happen in this play and the Americans just consistently lost too many men.

The 55 turn limit is ridiculous and even if the last 5 platoons could somehow make it to the river crossing and take it over, they would have still had to hold out 30 more turns against the Germans.

I’ve been playing through Airborne to try to finish the module, but I am convinced that most of the scenarios are ill-conceived. Also, the hedgerows are annoying. I prefer bigger and larger battles. To me, Airborne is the worst of the PG modules and I’m now shelving it (although I may need the counters for other modules). I advise any new players to stay away from this “Introductory Edition” and get Fall of France or Road to Berlin instead. To those of you that finished Airborne, I salute you. But I'm giving up on finishing this one. Besides, there are too many other modules that need plays and AARs. Airborne has enough already.

Scenario Rating: 2/5 – The scenario itself is a 3, but the consistent dice rolling just made it too tedious.