Battles for the Ardennes


INTRO:
Before World War II, French War Minister Marshal Henri Petain called the Ardennes Forest of France, Belgium and Luxembourg " A sector that is not dangerous. It is impenetrable. " Yet this area's rugged valleys and wooded hills had seen battle for the past 2000 years. Caesar's legions fought the German tribes there, and between 1554 and 1794 no fewer than ten campaign raged through its dark forest. More recently, in 1914 Richthofen's I Cavalry Corps pierced the Ardennes in Germany's opening attack in World War I. And in World War II, two major battles would be fought there. The campaign in 1940 would lead to the fall of France; the campaign following four years later would foreshadow the collapse of the German Wehrmacht. Battle for the Ardennes is a set of games simulating the battles which occurred in the Ardennes area during World War II. Here, in 1940, the Germans overran the unsuspecting French and, in 1944, launched a surprise attack on American forces that later became known as the Battle of the Bulge.


CREDITS:
Publisher: SPI - (1st ed), TSR (2nd ed, reprint), DG - 1994 (3rd ed)
Designer: Danny S. Parker
Developer: John Butterfield (1st & 2nd edition), Mike Bennighof (3rd Edition)
Map Graphics: Redmond A. Simonsen (1st & 2nd edition), Mark Simonitch (3rd edition)
Counter Graphics: David McElhannon (3rd edition)


GAME SCALE:
3.2 kilometer hexes, 12 hour turns, Battalions, Regiments, Brigades and Corps Artillery Groups.


MINI-REVIEW:
While I have to admit that my favorite game on the Battle of the Bulge is Wacht am Rhein (a battalion level treatment), an email game-mastered campaign of Battles for the Ardennes (BFTA) was a lot of fun. BFTA has the depth needed to simulate this important offensive without overburdening the player with a thousand counters or complex rules. Any game smaller in scope will not give the gamer a feel for the importance of road nets and the need to control them in battle. My personal experience living (hex B0923, St. Vith map, see errata)and working (hex B0722) in the Ardennes area has spoiled my desire for smaller games on the Battle of the Bulge. The game system in BFTA is straight forward with only a couple of surprises. Supply is an issue to the German player and his units will randomly run out fo supply according to a chart. After the first four days there is a 33% chance of no effects, a 33% chance of one mechanized division running out of supply and a 33% chance of TWO mechanized divisions running out of supply. Later in the game there is only 17% of no effects and an additional 17% chance of two units begin out of supply. Another problem is the road net in the Ardennes. The roads wind through the rough terrain and are raised above the surrounding ground or have deep ditches on both sides. I know, I've been in a ditch there (I wasn't driving :-). Look at the box cover and you will see a tank off the road. There are four maps in BFTA that have individual scenarios. Three come from 1944 and one from 1940. Two campaigns games are included, the first German advance in 1940 which is a great solitaire game but no fun for a live French player. The 1944 campaign is the real game here with a nice feel of the problems associated with an offensive in the area that is defended against. In 1940 the Germans march right through playing tag with cavalry units. BFTA, while botched by Decision Games when they re-developed it is still a great game. BFTA and The Gamers' Ardennes are the only games readily available on this campaign until Command Magazine rectifies that this summer (1996).


SEQUENCE OF PLAY:

	German Player-Turn
		Supply Phase
		Air Phase
		Building Phase
		Battery Phase
		March Adjustment Phase
		Movement Phase
		Combat Phase
		Bridge Phase 

	Allied Player-Turn
		Supply Phase
		Air Phase
		Building Phase
		Battery Phase
		March Adjustment Phase
		Movement Phase
		Combat Phase
		Bridge Phase 

COUNTER LIST:
In case you need to replace a counter.

1940

FRENCH ARTILLERY INFANTRY ARMOR 8-4-*/*-4-1 5-3/3-3 7-5/4-5 2 Army 148/102(d) 18d/1DLM (de) X 3-3/1-3 7-4/4-4 3-2-*/*-2-2 152/14 2/2DCR(d) II 153/14 1/1DCR(d) XI 154/14 XLI 66/18 (g) 6-4/3-4 125/18(g) 5/3DCR(d) CAVALRY 19/22(g) 4-4 62/22(g) 5-5/3/5 1/1DLC(d) 119/22(g) 3/1DCR(d) 2/2DLC(d) 4/2DCR(d) 4/4DLC(d) 2-3/1-3 8/4DCR(d) 5/5DLC(d) 208/53(g) 239/53(g) 5-4/4-3 1-4 329/53(g) 6/4DCR(d) 1 Cav(d) 205/55(g) 3 Spahi(d) 213/55(g) 4-5/2-5 295/55(g) 4c/1DLM(eg) N AFRICAN 237/61(g) 67/3 ARMOR 248/611(g) 68/3 2-5 265/61(g) 69/3 14Z/5(e) 120/71(g) 7/3DCR 215/71(g) 8/5 INFANTRY 363/71(g) 39/5 5-3/3-3 42c/1029(d) 129/5 6m/5(e) 52c/102(d) 12/9 71/9 4-3/2-3 179/9 23a/4(e) 12Z/3(e) 3-5/3-5 18Z/1(e) 4d/1DLM(ed) 22a/1(e) 3-5/2-5 3-3/2-3 bdd/1DLM(ed) 13z/4 9m/3 2-5/1-5 10z/3 5/1DLC(d) 15a/1 3/2DLC(d) 3c/4DCR(b) BELGIAN 14/4DLC(d) INFANTRY MECH 15/5DLC(d) 2-3/1-3 1-6 77/18(g) 4/2 1ca/1CA 5/2 2ca/1CA 1-5 6/2 3ca/1CA 3(b) 22/8 2L/1C 4(b) 23/8 1g/1C 7(b) 24/8 3cy/1C 1L/2C 1-3 2cc/2C 1ca/2CA 4cy/2C 2ca/2CA 3ca/2CA ARTILLERY 8-2-* Namur GERMAN ARTILLERY INFANTRY INFANTRY 10-5-*/*-5-2 5-3/3-3 5-3/3-3 4 Army 8/3 10/4 12 Army 29/3 52/4 Kleist 30/3 103/4 Res 14/5 18/6 56/5 37/6 MOUNTAIN 75/5 58/6 7-4/4-4 28/8 36/9 98/1(e) 38/8 57/9 99/1(e) 84/8 116/9 100/1(e) 27/12 60/16 48/12 64/16 ARMOR 89/12 79/16 8-8/4-8 3/21 9/23(e) 25/7(e) 24/21 67/23 45/21 67/23 7-6/4-6 31/24 13/25 1/1 102/24 35/25 2/1 532/24 119/25 3/2(e) 40/27 7/28 4/2(e) 63/27 49/28 11/6 91/27 83/28 10/8 4/32 104/33 94/32 110/33 6-6/3-6 96/32 115/33 7/10 70/36 179/57 8/10 87/36 199/57 118/36 217/57 5-6/3-6 164/62 173/87(e) 15/5 183/62 185/87(e) 190/62 187/87(e) 4-6/2-6 31/5 4-3/2-3 3-3/2-3 451/251 467/267 MECH (HT) 459/251 487/267 9-6/5-6 471/251 2/2(e) 463/263 2-3/1-3 483/263 306/211 8-6/4-6 485/263 317/211 GD(e) 497/267 365/211 6-6/3-6 MECH (truck) MECH(truck) 3/1 5-6/3-6 4-6/2-6 4/6 13/5 14/5 5/2M 69/10 5-8/3-8 25/2M 86/10 7-7(e) 66/13M 6/7(e) 93/13M 15/29M 71/29M

1944

GERMAN RCKT ARTY INFANTRY ARMOR 5-2-*/*-1-1 5-3/3-3 12-5/6-5 18(d) 77/26V FG(d) 78/26V 5-1-*/*-1-1 316/212V 10-6/5-6 7(d) 320/212V 3/2(e) 7(d) 423/212V 33/9(e) 9(d) 15(d) 4-3/2-3 9-6/5-6 17(D) 36/9V 15/11 67/9V 4-1-*/*-1-2 116/9V 7-6/3-6 8(d) 27/12V(e) FB(ed) 19(d) 48/12V(e) 16/116 89/12V(e) ARTILLERY 293/18V 4-6/2-6 5-1-*/*-1-1 294/18V 130/Lehr(e) 402 295/18V 39/26V 3-6/2-6 4-1-*/*-1-2 164/62V(g) 115/15 401 183/62V(g) 902(d) 403 190/62V(g) 405 315/167V 3-5/2-5 766 331/167V 519(b) 339/167V 3-1-*/*-1-1 989/277V 2-6/1-6 408 990/277V 11(d) Res 991/277V 103/3 751/326V 244(d) ENGINEER 752/326V 741(b) (1)-5 753/326V 28(b) 694/340V 2-5 85(b) 695/340V 506(eb) 600(b) 696/340V 914/352V(g) RECON AIR LANDING 915/352V(g) 5-8/3-8 1-3 916/352V(g) 130/Lehr(ed) Niwi 1128/560V(g) 1129/560V(g) MECH SS ARMOR 1130/560V(g) 10-5/5-5 12-8/6-8 FB(ed) Peiper(e) 3-3/2-3 208/79V 7-5/4-5 11-6/6-6 212/79V 104/15 2/2(e) 226/79V 115/15 12/12(e) 352/246V 404/246V 6-5/3-5 9-6/5-6 689/246V 8/3 9/9 986/276V 29/3 987/276V 7-6/4-6 988/276V 5-5/3-5 10/10 2/2(e) 1-3 10/9(e) 5-7/3-7 44 MG(b) 11/9(e) 150(ed) 999(b) 110/11 111/11 5-5/3-5 LUFTWAFFE 60/116 501(eb) MECH 156/116 5-5/3-5 SS MECH 15/5(e) 4-5/2-5 7-5/4-5 901/Lehr(e) 1/1(e) PARA 902/Lehr(e) 2/1(e) 5-3/3-3 3/2(e) 13/5(e) SS MOUNTAIN 4/2(e) 8-3/4-3 19/9(e) 4-3/2-3 11/6 25/12(e) 5/3 12/6 26/12(e) 8/3 37/17 9/3 SS MECH ARTY 38/17 2-1-*/*-1-2 PARACHUTE 1(d) 6-5/3-5 1-3 20/9 Heydte(b) SS ENGINEER (1)-5 5-5/3-5 1(b) 21/10 2(b) 22/10 2-5/1-5 506/6(b) AMERICAN ARTILLERY INFANTRY ARMOR 8-4-*/*-4-2 7-3/4-3 9-6/5-6 18 16/1(e) A/2(e) 174 18/1(e) B/2(e) 183 26/1(e) A/3 187 B/3 188 6-3/3-3 190 9/2(e) 8-6/4-6 193 23/2(e) A/7 203 38/2(e) B/7 211 39/9(e) A/6 401 47/9(e) B/6 402 60/9(e) B/9 404 112/28 406 117/30 7-6/4-6 119/30 R/2(e) ENGINEER 120/30 R/3 (1)-3 317/80 A/4(e) 342 318/80 B/4(e) 354 319/80 A/10 366 333/84 B/10 392 334/84 A/11 1102 335/84 B/11 1107 1111 5-3/3-3 6-6/3-6 1128 8/4 R/6 1308 12/4 R/7 1313 22/4 R/9 2/5 R/11 RECON 10/5 4-7/2-7 11/5 5-6/3-6 2 507/17(p) R/4(e) 4 513/17(p) A/9 6 101/26 R/10 102 104/26 328/26 2-6 2-7 134/35 602(b) 18(b) 137/35 629(b) 32(b) 320/35 643(b) 289/75(g) 705(b) MECH 290/75(g) 737(b) 3-6/2-6 291/75(g) 740(b) 60(b) 325/82(e) 761(eb) 504/82(e) 818(b) MECH 505/82(e) 2-6 508/82(e) 1-6 329/83 759(b) INFANTRY 330/83 4-3/2-3 331/83 BRITISH 29 345/87(g) ARTILLERY 193/17(p) 346/87(g) 8-4-*/*-4-3 194.17(p) 347/87(g) 1 393/99(g) 2 3-3/2-3 394/99(g) 118 395/99(g) INFANTRY 327/101(e) 6-3/3-3 2-3/1-3 501/101(e) 129/43(d) I/109(b) 502/101(e) 130/43(d) II/109(b) 506/101(e) 214/43(d) III/109(b) 422/106(g) 69/50(d) I/110(b) 423/106(g) 151/50(d) II/110(b) 424/106(g) 231/50(d) III/110(b) 517(e) 152/51(d) 99 Nor(b) 153/51(d) BRITISH 154/51(d) 2-3 ARMOUR 71/53(d) 509(e) 12-6/6-6 158/53(d) 5Gds/Gds(d) 160/53(d) FRENCH 3-3/2-3 4-6/2-6 5-3/3-3 Lgr(d) 33(d) 3/6(ed) 34(d) 5/6(ed) AIRCRAFT GERMAN - 4 2-6/1-6 4-3/2-3 US - 4 FFY(b) 6/6(ed) BRITISH - 3 RT(b) Hus(b) MECH 12-6/6-6 GAME TURN 32Gds/Gds(d) MARCH/BRIDGE OUT - 49 OUT OF SUPPLY/ISOLATED - 11 BRIDGE - 13 IMPROVED POSITION - 20 DISPERSED - 5 Codes: (e) = Elite [rule 15.5] (g) = Green [rule 15.6] (b) = Battalion (d) = Brigade (p) = Parachute (US)
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