Operation Market Garden....Game Number 32, Part 1

The map for Operation Market Garden

The first game of the new year to be held in the man cave will be based on the Memoir '44, Richard Borg penned large scale scenario depicting Operation Market Garden. The set up will be as per the scenario map but I shall be using Bob Cordery's Memoir of Modern Battle rules with the rather neat solo option of rolling the dice to determine which units you can order.

I am using the playing pieces from Memoir '44 which means the Germans and the Americans will be out of the base set (of which I have two copies) and the British will be, rather uncharacteristically, from the Mediterranean expansion set - so this will mean infantry wearing shorts and Crusader tanks....;-) I chose to do this because it will help the identification process. As far as the number of dice to be rolled in order to determine the units that can be activated is concerned I am using the system suggested by Bob in that units with a good commander roll 6 dice, average is 5 and poor is 4. The units have been subdivided as follows:

• Each Airborne division has 6 combat dice
• 30 Corps has 6 command dice
• German Belgian Border units have 4 combat dice
• German Eindhoven units have 4 combat dice
• German Nijmegen  units have 4 combat dice
• German Arnhem units have 6 combat dice

The low numbers reflect the chaotic condition of the German defenders and for the Airborne units the value of superior training and the element of surprise. Should an Airborne formation lose a complete unit then the number of combat dice drops by one for each unit down to a minimum of 4 dice. The corresponding Germans then add an additional dice, up to a maximum of six.

I have borrowed the victory conditions for the scenario from the scenario itself (13 medals granting victory) and also a couple of the special rules - special forces for the Paratroops, inflatable boats for the 82nd and special road movement rules.

I plan to run this tomorrow (Friday) and of course the after action report will follow on the blog in due course.

"This will be a tale to tell your grandchildren - and mightily bored they'll be....'