Monday 12 March 2018

A Piece of Market Garden in 54mm

Last Saturday I christened my recent 54mm WW2 collection with a game using the skirmish rules called "Nuts!". The scenario was based on the link up between the British armoured column of XXX Corps and the Polish Paratroopers in Driel. The Poles and the British tanks started at opposite ends of the 3 meter table. In between the German player had noted hidden units on a map that were not revealed until they were spotted. That's what the British reconnaissance unit of two Daimler scout cars, a Bren gun carrier and two jeeps were supposed to detect. Unfortunately, the recon unit ran straight into heavy German resistance on the first move and soon ceased being a viable unit. A little further into the German defenses, a Pak 40 anti tank gun and a panzer revealed themselves from behind woods and a hedge and soon one of the British Sherman tanks "brewed up". Meanwhile, on the Polish side of the table, the Polish Paras advanced cautiously and made contact with two German infantry units hidden in a drainage ditch. The Poles boldly advanced through an open field and, with luck on their side won the rifle and grenade contest and forced both German units to retreat. A single Daimler scout car had survived the initial German ambush  and it rushed toward the Poles only to be disabled by a lucky shot from a German armored car which had
emerged from hiding. The Poles set up their anti tank gun and blasted the panzer tank which had destroyed a British half track and stopped all progress on its side of the elevated road. After that we called the game in favor of the Allies, but the Germans had taken quite toll, wiping out the recon unit, a Sherman and a half track before retiring. The Nuts! rules are designed for one man one figure combat and the size of the game stretched the rules to their limit. I am now looking for more of a company scale set of rules, but still using single figures.











6 comments:

  1. Great looking troops and vehicles, nice pics!

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  2. Great looking game with some classic figures.

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  3. Fantastic looking game, Nick.Figures are great and the vehicles and scenery too. Working on my side on a rule for WWII and hoping to test the coming months.
    Keep up the great work!

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  4. This subject is my first love where it comes to toy soldiering. I tried to get into the hordes of British, Polish and Americans casted for A Bridge Too Far, once. My first serious diorama was a Shepert Paine leaflet from a Wirbelwind AA armored vehicle, situated in Arnhem, Sept. '44. Several metal Brit para's still survive in my men cave (Rose, Hornet, Verlinden and others). Favorite character in the above mentioned movie alway was and will be Edward Fox as Brian Horrocks, commander of the XXX Corps. In the Oosterbeek cauldron the Borderers are my heroes alongside the sergeants (Horsa) glider pilots. Great show Nick.

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  5. Marcel, I first became aware of Operation Market Garden in the early 1970's during a two week cycling tour of the Netherlands. I did not know about the battle, but I was impressed with all the monuments around Arnhem. When I got back to my art college in London, I found out that several of the fathers of my fellow students had taken part in Market Garden. One of my tutors lost his father in the battle. That same year Cornelius Ryan's book came out and I was hooked! I recently got the Bolt Action Campaign book on Market Garden and I look forward to playing many of the scenarios.

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