(17th April 2013 update: "Other points" added at the bottom)

Figuring that this scenario was similar to Episode 2 of the "Band of Brothers" mini-series, and that it wasn’t likely to go as well as First Lt Winters and his paras managed to do, I tried to set the German forces up to give the attack on the 105mm unit a better chance of success. By putting it in 0706, the PARAs could advance using the cover of the wood 0708 into the pre-assault hex 0707.

The HMG, GREN and LT were dug in at 0704 to provide OP FIRE along the road to the west; and the 51mm, wagon and CAPT were dug in at 0703 with LOS along that road. My aim was to hold these units back to defend the Victory Condition villages in 0604 and 0803, accept that the 105mm was going to be lost, and try to get at least 3 American step losses for a draw if not a victory (4 or more American step losses).

On with the game: the PARAs advanced from the marsh through the wood and got knocked about by OP FIRE when getting into 0707, where they also took incoming mortar rounds. One of the Captains hung back in 0708 and helped with morale checks. The first PARA assault went in on GT5, and the 105mm was eventually knocked out on GT9; the by then reduced GREN became demoralized and fled along with their LT.

I reckon that’s a fair bit slower than in the BoB programme, but Winters’ men achieved complete surprise. In this game scenario the Germans not only had OP FIRE and mortar opportunities, but also got first fire when the PARA assault went in across the hedgerow at the edge of the wood. Having said that, I am sure that German reinforcements would have piled into the assault hex rather than sit it out by the villages waiting for the next phase of the battle (the priority would have been to stop the troops on the beaches – so defend the guns that were capable of firing on them).

As an aside, because the initial assault was delayed whilst the PARAs and their leaders got themselves sorted out, the Germans got their wagon unit into the 105mm’s hex and loaded up, but the horses became spooked before they could drag the guns away and they had to unload.

The Germans split their surviving units between the 2 villages, and awaited the onslaught. By the time that the PARAs had formed up to the south of the village in 0803, the INF and M4 reinforcements were ready to take on the village in 0604. Without bothering to soften up the defendants (time was tight), both groups stormed adjacent to the villages. Sheer weight of numbers meant that sufficient manpower survived OP FIRE from the defenders to smash their way in on the assaults. It was all over in 0803 at the end of GT17; but the Germans clung on in 0604, with a disrupted 51mm and demoralized LT still there at the end of GT18.

Game result: draw.

Even if the dice gods had been kinder to the Americans and they had evicted the 51mm, the PARAs had lost a third step so it would still have been a draw. The Germans came close to winning, only needing to inflict one more American step loss. The scenario turned out a lot closer than I had expected.

Other points:

The PARAs lost 2 steps dealing with the Germans in the first assault hex.

The 105mm fired BF at the PARAs in the pre-assault hex 0707 at point blank range (adjacent hex) – surely it should have been some sort of DF; and if the guns had been in revetted positions pointing north towards the beaches, would they have had an arc of fire towards the west where the PARAs launched their assault from?

I am still not sure about wagons being able to cross hedgerows.

Well, after a few months of struggling solo to learn the game, I settled into the first scenario for "real" after many aborted attempts due to rules fiascos bad enough to stop the game. Playing solo, I chose to focus on being the Americans with the Germans doing what I felt was the best choice in each turn to stop me. The Germans, of course had this uncanny way of knowing what I was about to do, and so I presumed this would hamper me. It did not. I mowed these to dug-in sets of German Grenadiers and guns faster than I can mow my back yard. I began by waiting until my first support team dropped and then we proceeded toward the first town, using the hedgerows as God's own shield. Ordering all to hold fire, I anticipated that the Germans would not move until they spotted me, (in the scenario rules) and so we were able to close nicely before dropping our pants. Within a few turns, we had assaulted them and the first town was ours. Thanks to some really lucky shots from us and some poor leadership on the German side (their Lt. in the first town had the morale of a platypus) we ran them through in time for dinner, with the second town falling soon after. I am so happy that war is this easy and I am sure that when I return from France I will be seen as a hero. I am on top of the world!

(Obviously, I interjected some humor here. My point is that if I was in this battle, it was so misleadingliy easy (thanks to some wonderful dice rolling and I'm sure a misread rule or two) that my imaginary soldiers think they can take on Hitler by themselves. When learning a game solo, it is very easy to get bogged down looking up rules, and this was the first time in the 4 months I have had this game (my first wargame) that I have enjoyed the journey. I intend to replay the scenario again and focus on the Germans, maybe even allowing them a patrol or not digging them in to note the different results.)

Having recently acquired the first edition of Airborne, (now I have three) I wanted to christen it. It took it on a business trip and the first scenario is one that I have played in Airborn-IE but, if you've got three Airbornes you gotta play 'em right?

In this one the Airborne units have to capture two town hexes and eliminate a 105 battery and its supporting Grenadier company. The Germans can't move until they see you and substantial reinformcing units come on for the Americans several times in the game. I kept my paratroopers hidden until the first reinforcements came on the board and then quickly closed for assault combat.

The Americans had some initial success but then the assaults bogged down as the Germans made morale roll after morale roll. One town hex was captured but the second held out until the Shermans made it to the scene and they rolled through the town. On the very last turn the paratroopers caused the last step loss to the German Grenadiers supporting the battery but the battery made its M2 check and therefore a draw was the result.

A typical Airborne scenario with a lot of assaulting on low columns to hope to get some compound morale failures. The ability of the Germans (with an 8/7 morale) to withstand this made the draw possible. It was nearly an American win. I give it a "3". Fun enough but small and uncomplicated. A good starting scenario.

Initially the paratroopers worked their way toward the town near the SE corner of the board using hedgerows for cover while the Germans sat quietly. The 105mm and one platoon of grenadiers were dug in on the road next to the woods (0606) while one platoon of grenadiers and a HMG section were dug in in the SE town (0803) and the 81mm was dug in next to them (0704). When the first American reinforcements arrived they consolidated into a single group and worked their way through the woods. German opportunity fire was useless when the Americans entered the woods leading to an American charge and hand to hand fighting which went back and forth for an hour and a half until the German position was eliminated. Meanwhile by the SE town the American broke through the hedgerows south of the town and a firefight that continued throughout the afternoon with each side getting disrupted but the Germans refusing to yield an inch and the Screaming Eagles bending but not breaking. Unable to advance the two platoons of paratroopers waited for reinforcements. When the reinforcements finally did arrive they did so as German opportunity fire improved. The tanks were demoralized shortly after entering the board and the HMG platoon did the same. Thanks to off board artillery the 81mm was silenced but too late to allow victory for the American. In the end the Germans lost 4 steps and the American held one of the two towns with no step losses.

NOTE - re-reading the victory conditions I realize this was actually a German win as they merely had to hold one of the two towns to win.

IMPRESSION -A scenario I will play again to see how the Americans can prevail but maddening in having enough to always bring the GErmans to the brink of breaking but not enough to finish them off.

Author	geofgibson
Method	Solo
Victor	Germany
Play Date	2023-04-12
Language	English
Scenario	Airb001

Having played this a few times before, I wanted to dive into Airborne again. This scenario emphasizes the need to pay attention to the victory conditions. This time, and every time before, the game doesn't go the distance. For the second time I find the Americans making significant progress, only to lose on step loss, usually after some very unlucky rolls. I've always started by using the hedges to get to the artillery and take it out. That usually goes well and it did this time. Taking the closest village was next and that's when the dice rolled the wrong way and then we're down more steps. I've had good success with close combat with the dug-in infantry, but that is likely to lose a step and this game would not allow any more loss. Reinforcements came in and an overwhelming attack was about to clear the infantry but then a bad American roll followed by a freakin' Snake Eyes by the Germans on a last-ditch attack and, guess what troopers? You lost. I've never played this long enough for the tank to show up. One side or the other gets wiped out. I had seen someone else actually use the wagon, which I'd always thought useless in this scenario, and move the big gun. It hadn't occurred to me but that's a different German strategy I may try. Overall, not bad but the American step loss issue is a big deal.

An interesting puzzle, but one better played solitaire than as a two player since one player had almost nothing to do. German movement was not allowed until an American unit was spotted, which took about 10 out of 18 turns. Then there weren’t many choices for the German to make. So, here’s my tongue in cheek description from Scenario 1: Battery Position at Holdy from PG: Airborne.

Hans: Hey, Fritz!

Fritz: Yeah, Hans?

Hans: What do you think all those booms that we keep hearing are?

Fritz: It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it. Have another cigarette.

Hans: Hey, Fritz!

Fritz: Yeah, Hans?

Hans: What about all those airplanes overhead?

Fritz: Ya know, there sure are a lot of them. Probably nothing, though. Have some more Schnapps.

Hans: Hey, Fritz!

Fritz: Yeah, Hans?

Hans: What about all those things that look like parachutes?

Fritz: Probably practicing dropping an airborne company. No big deal. Have some more wurst.

Hans: Hey, Fritz!

Fritz: Yeah, Hans?

Hans: Don’t those guys coming over the hedgerow look like Americans?

Fritz: Now you mention it, yeah, they do. HEY, FIRE THE BIG GUNS!!!

[BOOM (outgoing)]

[RAT-A-TAT-TAT (incoming)]

Hans: Well, so much for the big guns.

Fritz: Yeah, maybe we should get into town.

[RAT-A-TAT-TAT (incoming)]

[RAT-A-TAT-TAT (incoming)]

[RAT-A-TAT-TAT (outgoing)]

[RAT-A-TAT-TAT (incoming)]

[RAT-A-TAT-TAT (incoming)]

[RAT-A-TAT-TAT (incoming)]

[RAT-A-TAT-TAT (outgoing)]

[RAT-A-TAT-TAT (incoming)]

[RAT-A-TAT-TAT (incoming)]

[RAT-A-TAT-TAT (incoming)]

[RAT-A-TAT-TAT (outgoing)]

[RAT-A-TAT-TAT (incoming)]

[RAT-A-TAT-TAT (incoming)]

Hans: Hey, Fritz!

Fritz: Yeah, Hans?

Hans: Don’t those look like American tanks?

Fritz: Yeah, good thing we’re in town.

[RUMBLE RUMBLE pause BOOM]

Hans: Hey, Fritz!

Fritz: Yeah, Hans?

Hans: Now that we’re completely surrounded, is this starting to look bad?

Fritz: Normally I’d say yes, but since we’ve still got the town after 18 turns I think we won.

Hans: So the war is over and we can go home?

Fritz: No, we’re pretty well doomed, but we’ve thrown their timetable into disarray. Maybe we’ll go to a prisoner of war camp.

Hans: Isn’t that bad?

Fritz: Not completely. We could have been captured by the Brits and been forced to eat their food…