Original
Scenario by TAHGC
HOLLAND, October 6, 1944: Antwerp had fallen unharmed into Allied hands. All that prevented Allied use of one of Europe’s largest ports were the German flak and artillery that lined the narrow waterway linking the North Sea to Antwerp; the narrow Scheldt Estuary. Axis and Allied commanders both knew the vital strategic importance of the Scheldt Estuary. Hitler assigned General Eberding as Fortress Commander of the estuary’s south shore, OKW permitted flooding of much of the subsealevel terrain and gave Eberding the 64th Infantry Division, totally composed of Russian front combat veterans and heavily armed with support weapons. The Canadian First Army had twice earlier tried to cross the Leopold Canal and reach the Scheldt, and twice had been rebuffed. Today the Canadians would try again.
VICTORY CONDITIONS: To win the Canadians must be able to trace a road from the edge of the canal to the north edge of the board free of enemy units on or adjacent to the road AND be sole occupant of all five stone buildings on Board 3. The Germans win by avoiding the Canadian victory conditions.
Board Configuration:
^ NORTH^
2 |
3 |
10 |
9
|
7 |
8
|
4
|
6
|
TURN RECORD CHART: 18 Game Turns; German sets up first; Canadian moves first;
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GERMAN OB: (Germans start with one Module of 100 mm Art. )
Elements of the 1037th Grenadier Regiment of the 64th Infantry Division - set up north of Leopold Canal on Boards 7, 8, 9, 10, 2, & 3:
10-2, 2x9-1; 2x8-1; 2x8-0; 16x467; 6x247c; 2xHMG; 2xMMG; 6xLMG; 4xPF44a; 2xRadio; 16x"?";
Mtr120mm; Mtr81mm; 6xEntrenchment; 6xTrench;
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CANADIAN OB: (British start with two Modules of 88 mm Art. )
Elements of the 7th Brigade of the Canadian 3rd Infantry Division - set up south of Leopold Canal:
2x9-2; 9-1; 2x8-1; 2x8-0; 2x7-0; 25x457; 5x458; 10x237; 1xHMG; 3xMMG; 5xLMG; 2xRadio; 3x51Mtr;
2xBren WASP; 1xBren WASP51Mtr; 2x76Mtr; 2x107Mtr; 10xKleineFlossack; 6xGrosseFlossack; 8xEntrenchments
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SPECIAL RULES
R218.1 Waterway on Boards 7 & 8 is Leopold Canal. The Canal is Deep and flows West slowly.
R218.2 All marsh hexes are clear terrain. No wheatfields. Environmental conditions are wet.
R218.3 All Level 1 hexes are ground level MUD and contain other terrain as normal.
R218.4 All crags are treated as orchard, Islands in canal do exist.
R2l8.5 All Level 2 and higher terrain is inundated. Inundated
hexes are submerged by flood waters and are treated as ground level pond. All
terrain in
inundated hexes is submerged beneath the water except as noted below.
R218.6 All roads are paved and above water even in inundated hexes.
R218.7 All hexes of the canal south and inclusive of 718,
7J7, 7K7, 7L7, 7M8, 7N8, 706, 7P7, 7Q8, 7R6, 7S6, 7T6, 7U7, 7V6, 7W7, 7X6, 7Y6,
7Z6,
and 7AA8 (eight) are clear terrain to the south shore of canal.
R218.8 No entrenchments or trenches may be dug or placed in mud.
R218.9 Mud cannot be bypassed and does double infantry movement costs.
R218.10 Infantry units may set up concealed in TRENCHES (not entrenchments) in any terrain (including open).
R218.11 Bldgs 3N2, 305, 3R3, 3T4 and 3R5 are stone, all others are wood.
R218.12 All bldgs are Level 1 except HEX (not bldg) 3M2 which is level two.
R218.13 Canadians automatically get 3 fighters on Turn 1 as air support. They roll every turn for additional air support regardless of the presence of other air units BUT additional air can only be fighters and only one per turn (see 139.12).
R218.14 Canadians may erect infantry hasty pontoon bridges (133.8) by having two unbroken crews or one unbroken squad in a large raft in the canal unmoving for one full turn. The canal may be bridged no faster than 1 hex per turn. Bridges appear automatically in the owner’s next rally phase. Germans may not dismantle bridges but may destroy them with KIA on IFT.
R218.15 WASPs may not ferry using 128.32
AFTERMATH: After the WASPs had flamed the far shore, the Canadian 7th Brigade (Royal Winnipeg Rifles, Regina Rifle Regiment, and 1st Bn Canadian Scots) paddled across the Leopold. The crossing initially went easily. As the Canadians advanced however, they were forced to wade through waist high muddy water and crawl along elevated roadways. Much of the terrain had been submerged beneath the seawater the Germans had let in. With the aid of close support air missions, the Canadians were finally able to open a significant bridgehead. The cost, though, was so heavy the involved battalions had to be withdrawn. Someone else would have to open the waterway to Antwerp.