0904_01_Antwerp "Taurus Pursuant" - PzC 24 Scheldt '44
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| Rating: | 6.48 (8) |
| Games Played: | 7 |
| SM: | 1 |
| Turns: | 19 |
| Type: | Stock |
| First Side: | Allies |
| Second Side: | Axis |
On September 1, as Allied troops raced across France, Reniers and the Coordinating Committee
received a message from London: Le fermier a mis ses gros sabots, indicating a state of general
alert. The next day the first Allied troops entered Belgium and a second message was sent: Les
narcisses jaunes sont en fleur. Arms were distributed and the resistance fighters took their positions.
On the 3rd Guards Armoured Division entered triumphantly into Brussels while the advance guard
of 11th Armoured sped toward Antwerp. The message from the previous day was repeated. By
evening, 11th Armoured's two columns had reached Wolvertem and Aalst and the Black Bull
Division was set to make the final approach to Antwerp in the morning. On the night of the 3rd-4th,
Reniers received one last message from London: Pour François la lune est clair. The time was at
hand and the Belgian patriots would go into action in the morning. Though they had no shortage of
bravery and had the advantage of surprise, they were badly armed and few in number and could not
hope to withstand a determined counterattack. While the Resistance would take the first step toward
Antwerp's liberation, the future of the city and its critical port depended on the speedy arrival of the
British tanks...
[Size: Small]
Design Note: This version of the scenario is intended for PBEM play.
received a message from London: Le fermier a mis ses gros sabots, indicating a state of general
alert. The next day the first Allied troops entered Belgium and a second message was sent: Les
narcisses jaunes sont en fleur. Arms were distributed and the resistance fighters took their positions.
On the 3rd Guards Armoured Division entered triumphantly into Brussels while the advance guard
of 11th Armoured sped toward Antwerp. The message from the previous day was repeated. By
evening, 11th Armoured's two columns had reached Wolvertem and Aalst and the Black Bull
Division was set to make the final approach to Antwerp in the morning. On the night of the 3rd-4th,
Reniers received one last message from London: Pour François la lune est clair. The time was at
hand and the Belgian patriots would go into action in the morning. Though they had no shortage of
bravery and had the advantage of surprise, they were badly armed and few in number and could not
hope to withstand a determined counterattack. While the Resistance would take the first step toward
Antwerp's liberation, the future of the city and its critical port depended on the speedy arrival of the
British tanks...
[Size: Small]
Design Note: This version of the scenario is intended for PBEM play.
| Player Voting Stats | ||
|---|---|---|
| Member | Balance | Enjoyment |
 Kool Kat |
Moderately Pro Axis | 5 |
 Fhil |
Well Balanced | 7 |
 Partizanka |
Well Balanced | 6 |
 NikolaiB |
Well Balanced | 8 |
 Pete |
Totally Pro Allies | 4 |
| Gaming Records | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Side Player | 2nd Side Player | Result | Score | ||||||
|
 |
itlnprd | vs. | fastphil |  |
|
Axis Minor Victory | 14 | 6 |
|
 |
Gris | vs. | Duncan |  |
|
Axis Minor Victory | 14 | 6 |
|
 |
Kilo | vs. | Andrea G |  |
|
Axis Major Victory | 18 | 2 |
|
 |
NikolaiB | vs. | Pete |  |
|
Allies Minor Victory | 14 | 6 |
|
 |
Mike Prucha | vs. | DaveMic |  |
|
Draw | 10 | 10 |
My Allied opponent was able to drive into Antwerp, but was stopped adjacent to the two 100 VP hexes downtown. Once the German entrenched and enjoyed a negative 90% defense advantage in the urban hexes, it seems nearly impossible for the Allies to capture them. I have my doubts on balance too. It appears that the Allies need a lot of luck and maybe some sloppy German play to have a chance at a victory. Not a fan of the set piece and grinding nature of urban battle with morale D and E units! This was my first PBeM Scheldt '44 game.
Regards, Mike / "A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week." - George S. Patton /
One of those small puzzles you have to figure out as you go.
I think this scenario was far more interesting for the Allies since the Axis is limited early by fixed units and later by out of command and low supply problems that leave troops ineffective. It is a good training scenario for the game. however and probably the place to start PBEM for Scheldt'44.
I sent the 29th Armored straight to Antwerp while the 159th Infantry swept around Antwerp and made the crossing at Merksem. After that, the engineers never build the bridges and the offensive ground down. There are a lot of choices for the Allies on how to commit the forces and where to attack. Great game.
very weak axis troops with no armor
Very difficult for the Allied player to capture any VP hexes. They are all within Antwerp which is full of easily defendable city and industrial hexes, and surrounded by a canal and full hex river.
Really hard for the brits, an armoured division is the least apt to urban fighting.
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