D-Day to the Ruhr[A] Briefing Document


Allies

Advanced Landing Grounds
Allied Airborne 
Allied Restrictions
Amphibious Assault Units
Anchorage Locations
Army Commanders
Badlands Terrain/Foot Movement
Carpet Bombing
Critical Supply Point
Follow Up Units
Forward Depots
Goumiers
Marseilles
Mulberries
Rail Lines
Rail Repair
Rhine River
Supply Dynamics/Major Ports
Supply Radius changes
Supply State Restrictions
U-Boat Bases
UnHistorical Option
US Replacement Shortage
V-1 and V-2 Sites
Winter Weather

German

Coastal Defense Groups
Parachute Operations
Replacements
Retreat
Supply
Supply Points
West Wall


Victory Conditions

Designer's Notes



Allies

Advanced Landing Grounds
	These are temporary airfields constructed by the Allies as they advanced. They were named by number as they were built. Bases used by the Americans were given an 'A' designation up to 99, and a 'Y' designation after that. Other Allied bases were given a 'B' designation. The heavier bomber units did not typically use these bases, therefore in the scenario only fighter or fighter bomber units may use them [no Heavy Bomber units may base at Airfields with the A, B or Y designation]. Some of the bases were used solely by the Transport Command or as emergency landing or evacuation bases. These are not depicted on the map. The German player should not use any of these bases. To prevent map clutter, some of the airbases have been combined [i.e., Airfield 'A-2' at hex 65,121 represents A-1, A-2, A-3 and A-4].  
	Permanent airfields that were used by both the Germans and the Allies are identified by name (where possible). Permanent airfields [those not designated as A, B or Y] may be used by any planes of either side. 


Allied Airborne
	Allied Airborne/Parachute capable units have their own limited number of Replacement Squads. They will not rebuild quickly and will not reconstitute. Each Airborne/Parachute capable unit that is eliminated/lost in combat will cost the Allies 100 Victory Points. Airborne units have the 'squad' symbol so they will not break down. 
	 Each Formation that is dropped may target one hex and the six adjacent hexes only. For example, if you drop the '3rd Para/6th AB Div' on hex 75,124, then the '5th Para/6th AB Div' and '6th Airlanding/6th AB Div' must also drop either on hex 75,124 or one of the six hexes adjacent to it. This rule is in effect for the entire scenario.
	Air Transport Capacity is available on turns 2 and 3 in order to make the initial D-Day drops. On turn 4 the Air Transport Capacity will drop to zero. Historically the Allies planned Operation Wild Oats, a paradrop of the British 1st Airborne division in the area south of Caen. For various reasons this never happened, but it was possible, therefore in the scenario the 1st Airborne Division will become available on turn 8 and enough Air Transport Capacity will be available to drop it. This Air Transport Capacity will be available until storms cancel the operation permanently.
	Starting July 1st, the Allies have the opportunity for three more parachute operations. These are activated by Theater Option. The first Theater Option will appear on turn 27, the other two will follow consecutively when the previous Option is chosen, with a seventeen turn delay in between. So if you choose the first option on turn 27, the next will appear on turn 44. 
	When you choose a Theater Option for a Parachute Operation, Air Transport Capacity will become available seven turns later. Air Transport Capacity will last for three days, reducing each day. After the third Option has run its course, the Allies will recieve no more Air Transport Capacity. [Note that there will usually be a small amount of Air Transport available in order to shuttle the AA units from airfield to airfield]. 
	Each Theater Option chosen for an Airborne Operation will reduce the Allies overall Supply Level by 5 for the three turns that Air Transport Capacity is available. 


Allied Restrictions - 'it is not to be expected that the player will react calmly and objectively to the restrictions imposed by logistic difficulties' - Logistical Support of the Armies, Volume II - US Army Center Of Military History. 
	Prior to the Allied Breakout from the Lodgement Area, they rarely advanced more than 5 kilometers (1 hex) in one day. Its not neccessary to go into the reasons why as volumes have been written on the subject.
	In playtesting this scenario it was found to be easy to find a gap and exploit it. This would result in completely unhistorical situations where the Allies would breakout within the first 4-5 days of the scenario. It was therefore necessary to implement a restriction to the Allied rate of advance. This is accomplished by giving Allied units limited transport assets and no replacements for these items until after a major port is captured. This results in initially low Allied Movement Allowances, and in some cases units will be reduced to a movement rate of 1 hex after some movement or combat. Seven days after a Major Port is captured (and every seven days after that for eighteen occurrences). the Allies will receive Transport Assets in the Replacement pool which will automatically go to units and eventually improve Movement Allowances to normal levels.
	In practice, this doesn't have the effect of reducing the Allied force to a robotic advance. There will still be opportunites to exploit initial gaps in the German line (as there were historically). But when part of the your force has a movement allowance of 1, it tends to restrict major exploitations and causes the player to plan a little more. This more reflects the historical situation. 
	(The bocage in Normandy was only one cause for the slow rate of advance. So if the player chooses to land at other areas, they would still be faced with supply difficulties, command and control issues, and tactical inferiority to the Germans). See also 'Supply State Restrictions' below. 


Amphibious Assault Units
	Some divisions underwent special training in preparation for the beach assaults. These units have the Marine unit capability of attacking from deep water hexes at full strength instead of the normal 0.7 combat multiplier. The following units have this special capability:
	US 1st Inf Div
	US 4th Inf Div
	US 28th Inf Div
	US 29th Inf Div
	Br 3rd Inf Div
	Br 50th Inf Div
	Can 3rd Inf Div


Anchorage Locations
	These are indicated on the map by the round, blue anchor symbol. They represent beach landing areas for the Allies. They are all Excluded on turn 1, and all become available to be assaulted on turn 2. Once friendly they provide limited supply, the amount varies by assault zone according to the following:
	Calais = 35%
	Le Havre = 30%
	Normandy = 30%
	West Coast of Normandy = 25%
	Brittany = 20%
	Quiberon Bay = 10%


Army Commanders
	Each of the Allied Armies has a 'Commander' unit. Some will arrive near the beginning of the scenario, some arrive later. These units provide a supply boost to adjacent cooperative units. They are made up of transport assets and contribute to the Transport Asset Sharing value, so moving them will reduce supply on the turn they are moved.
	There are a total of six of these units: US 1st Army - Bradley (later Hodges), US 3rd Army - Patton, US 9th Army - Simpson, US 7th Army - Patch, Br 2nd Army - Dempsey, and Can 1st Army - Crerar.
		

Badlands Terrain/Foot Movement
	There are some hexes on Walcherin and Beveland Islands and in the Breskins Area (134,79) that contain Badlands Terrain, into which Motorized and Mixed Movement units can not enter or attack. There are some Foot Movement units in the scenario. These can move and attack into Badlands Hexes and include American Engineer and Combat Engineer units, the British 1st and 4th Special Service Brigades (SSB), and the British 52nd Highland Division (which was a light division trained in mountain and airlanding operations]. Note that at the beginning of the scenario most Infantry units are Foot Movement only, but once Transport Assets begin arriving (see 'Allied Restrictions' above), these units will become Motorized or Mixed Movement units. 


Carpet Bombing
Historically, some thought was given as early as mid-June for the use of the Allies Strategic Air Forces against German ground defenses in order to break the deadlock in Normandy. On July 7th the concept was put into practice for Operation Charnwood in the Caen area. Results were disappointing but with lessons learned 'carpet bombing' was used with better effects on July 18th for Operation Goodwood and again on July 25th for Operation Cobra. In the scenario the Allies will receive a Theater Option on July 1st to 'Activate 1st Carpet Bombing'. If chosen, the Allies will receive additional air units on the following turn. These units can be used as the player wishes. If the 1st Option is chosen a 2nd will become available six turns later. Neither option will expire. If chosen, each option will give the Germans a 10% replacement bonus for two turns (representing the break given to their industry and transportation while the Allied Strategic Air assets are being used against tactical targets). 

Due to the success of the Heavy Bombers in assisting ground combat operations, they were used by the Allies thru the rest of the campaign. Therefore, in the scenario a few Heavy Bomber units will arrive 2 turns after the second carpet bombing mission and will remain in play. 


Critical Supply Point - "Operation OVERBOARD" - 'the number of divisions required to capture the number of ports required to maintain those divisions is always greater than the number of divisions those ports can maintain'.

	As more units are released for deployment to France, the supply net will be unable to maintain all formations. A warning message will appear in the news string when this is about to happen. When this warning message appears, the release of further units will eventually cause Allied supply to reach a critical point. Once the critical point is triggered, the player will only be able to supply one Army Group (thru Theater Options) while the other two will be placed into Garrison Mode. This reflects the historical situation once Third Army arrived on the continent and SHAEF was unable to supply all of 21st Army Group and 12th Army Group at the same time, causing many units to cease offensive operations. In the scenario, when  approximately 28 or more divisions are ashore, a warning will appear in a news string and by the selection of one or more formations the critical supply state will be triggered. Initially only the 12th Army Group will be available for orders. The 21st Army Group and 6th Army Group (if in play) will go into Garrison Mode. This situation will last for 14 turns, after which Theater Options will appear that allow the player to pick which Army Group will then be supplied. These Theater Options will be available every 14 turns. If the 6th Army Group is not yet in play, the player need only select the 12th or 21st Army Group (even though the option for the 6th will be available). The other Army Group (or two Army Groups if the 6th is in play) will go into Garrison Mode for the following 14 turns. This setup causes the player to make similar decisions to those that SHAEF was forced to make as the campaign progressed. Note that there are events in place that will override any Garrison orders for 6th Army Group until turn 105. Therefore, the 6th won't go into Garrison Mode until turn 106 or later. 
	Approximately 25 days after Antwerp is fully operational (not just captured, but when it becomes fully operational as noted by the news string 'Antwerp port capacity reaches maximum'), these Theater Options will stop appearing and all formations will be available for orders.
	The three Army Groups are color coded - 21st Army Group contains all British and Canadian units (brown main color) along with Polish and Czech units (red main color). US 12th AG units have the dark green main color. US 6th AG has a light green main color, but also includes most French units (blue main color). Note that a few units originally with the 12th Army Group were historically transferred to the 6th Army Group shortly after its  arrival. Therefore, in the scenario there will be a few units that initially operate with 12th AG but will have the unit color of the 6th AG. Similarly, the French 2nd Armored Division (2e Div Blindee with dark green main color) is considered part of the US 12th AG (its commander did not want to fight with the French units in 6th AG). Just remember that the Theater Options follow the color codes, so no matter where a unit is or what it is doing it will go into Garrison Mode if its Army Group goes into Garrison Mode. 
	Units in the SHAEF formation and the 1st AB Corp and XVIII AB Corp formations will never go into garrison mode as they are considered strategic reserves. The Airborne Corps contain the US 13th, 17th, 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions, the British 1st and 6th Airborne Divisions, and the Polish Parachute Brigade. 
	Picking more than one of the three AG Theater Options that appear every 14 turns has no benefit (only one will trigger).
	To recap, once you have released approximately 28 divisions for deployment to France, you will be warned of the approaching Critical Supply Point. The release of further units will eventually trigger the Critical Supply Point and all of 21st Army Group will go into Garrison Mode. Fourteen turns later, Theater Options will be available for the choice of which Army Group to keep in Garrison Mode, and which to not.


Follow Up Units
	Historically, many units were located in England and were sent to France based on need and the ability to supply them. Some units were also located in other areas and were sent to England or France directly (from Iceland, the US or Italy).
	In the scenario, most Follow Up Units are located off map and as the scenario progresses Theater Options will become available to release them. When released, units will appear as reinforcements in Southern England. Therefore, the player is in charge of when to release units so that they can be deployed to France. See 'Supply Dynamics' below for more important information. The player makes the decision when to send units to France and does not have to adhere to any particular schedule. Here is a reference list of when units historically arrived in France.

	US 2nd ID	7 June
	BR 7th AD	7 June
	BR 51st ID	7 June
	US 90th ID	9 June
	US 2nd AD	9 June
	US 9th ID	10 June
	US 30th ID	11 June
	BR 49th ID	12 June
	US 79th ID	1214 June
	BR 11th AD	13 June
	BR 15th ID	14 June
	US 83rd ID	18 June
	US 3rd AD	24 June
	BR 43rd ID	24 June
	Br Gds AD	26 June
	BR 59th ID	26 June
	BR 53rd ID	28 June
	US 8th ID	4 July
	US 35th ID	57 July
	Can 2nd ID	7 July
	US 5th ID	9 July
	US 4th AD	11 July
	US 6th AD	19 July
	US 28th ID	22 July
	US 5th AD	24 July
	Can 4th AD	28 July
	FR 2nd AD	29 July
	Pol 1st AD	1 August
	US 80th ID	5 August
	US 7th AD	14 August
	Czech ABd	t86 and t301
	US 26th ID	7 Sept 1944
	US 104th ID	7 September
	US 94th ID	8 September
	US 95th ID	15 September
	US 10th AD	23 September
	US 9th AD	late in September 1944, t116
	BR 52nd ID	t119
	US 102nd ID	23 September, trained until October
	US 99th ID	3 November
	US 84th ID	14 November
	US 12th AD	11 November [part of 6th Army Group]
	US 78th ID	22 November
	US 87th ID	28 November
	US 106th ID	6 December
	US 75th ID	13 December
	US 11th AD	17 December
	Can 5th AD	arrives on turn 211. current arrival is good.
	US 66th ID	24 December
	US 8th AD	5 January
	US 76th ID	12 January
	US 69th ID	24 January
	US 13th AD	29 January
	US 14th AD	landed at Marseille in southern France, on 29 October 1944
	BR 5th ID	from Italy, t270
	US 97th ID	2 March
	US 86th ID	4 March
	US 89th ID	21 January, trained until March
	US 71st ID	6 February, trained until March
	US 20th AD	18 February, trained until March [part of 6th Army Group]

Forward Depots
	I'm still experimenting with these units to try and get something realistic out of them. They arrive once a 'breakout' has been achieved. They can move only one hex per turn and cannot move by rail. There is one each for the 21st AG, 12th AG and 6th AG. They are Supply Units that boost supply for any units within the supply radius of them, and give a larger boost for adjacent units. They are not cumulative, so having the units bunched together is to no benefit. They are better used by spreading them out across the front. The supply boosts are based on percentages, so having them in a location of low supply will have a lesser effect. They are not meant to be the answer to the Allies supply woes, rather they are meant to represent when roads, rails, airfields and supply dumps have been repaired and established to the forward areas of the advance. If these units are destroyed they give benefit to the Germans and penalize the Allies. They will reconstitute. 
	If the Germans capture a Depot Unit (by destroying it) the Allies are penalized -25 supply for 14 turns and the Germans gain +10 supply for 7 turns. 


Goumiers
	Moroccan Goumiers were soldiers who served in auxiliary units attached to the French Army. These were organized into regimental groups known as Groupement de Tabors Marocains (G.T.M.). They were valued as light mountain troops that could 'penetrate the most vertical terrain in fighting order with a minimum of logistical requirements'. They fought in Africa, Italy and in southern France. When the fighting in southern France ended, they guarded the Italian Alpine area until moving to assist in the Belfort Gap area in late October 1944. They subsequently fought in the Vosges Mountains, thru the Siegfried Line and the Black Forest, then into southeast Germany. They are represented in the scenario by the 1st, 2nd and 3rd GTM's of the Goumiers formation, are considered part of the French Army, and arrive at the south map edge starting on turn 140. 


Marseilles
	Historically, General Devers 6th Army Group landed in southern France on August 15, 1944. Devers made a rapid advance up the Rhone River valley with his US 7th and French 1st Armies. Devers' main base of supply was Marseilles, a port with a large capacity (ultimately supplying 1/3 of the Allies overall supply requirements). On September 10th, Devers force met up with Patton's units in the Vosgue region.
	In the scenario, Devers' units will begin arriving at the southern map edge at the beginning of September (around turn 90). Devers rail lines will begin at 10% supply capacity, increasing to 20% around the end of September, and will reach their maximum of 80% in mid-October. 


Mulberries
	were artificial port facilities manufactured by the Allies. They consisted of different sections of concrete caissons protected by artificial breakwaters. They were simply known as 'Mulberry A' and Mulbery B'. 'A' was to be placed at Omaha Beach in support of US forces, and 'B' was to be placed at Gold Beach in support of British/Canadian forces.
	In the scenario, the two Mulberries arrive on June 8th and are used to bridge the gaps in sea supply roads. This will increase the supplies flowing to the beaches and will also increase Allied replacements. On June 19th, a large storm will temporarily make both Mulberries unusable. Storm damage to Mulberry A  will render it useless for the remainder of the scenario. Mulberry B will resume functioning on June 22nd. Note that historically the Mulberries were permanent once placed, but in the scenario they can be moved to represent Allied concentration of supplies to a certain area.
	Do not repair the broken sea supply roads. 


Rail Lines and the Red Ball Express
	Initially, Rail Lines serve no purpose and the Allied player has no ability to repair rails [see 'Rail Repair' below]. As the scenario progresses, Rail Lines will gain importance based on several events:
	24 turns after a 'breakout' occurs, the 'Red Ball Express' will begin operations. Historically, this was the Allied effort to use every available truck to ferry supplies to the front. In the scenario, the Allies will now have a Rail Transport Capability. This will help in shuttling units to different areas while conserving their Supply and Readiness values.
	At the beginning of September (around turn 90) the US 6th Army Group will arrive at the southern map edge. This will bring the rail links to Marseille and other Mediteranean ports into play. Two rail lines with 10% Supply Capability will become available at the southern map edge. These will increase to 20% at the end of September, and to 80% in mid October. 
	When Antwerp becomes operational, a 100% Supply Point will be placed there. This will provide maximum supply capability to the rail net. Cherbourg and LeHavre will get an 80% supply point once operational, Brest will get a 70% supply point once operational. Note that only one of the latter three will recieve a supply point, depending on which is captured first. 
	Rail Transport Capacity -	0 at start
					80 when a Major Port is captured [enough to move one Rail Repair unit]
					8000 when the Red Ball Express begins operating
					13000 when Antwerp port capacity reaches maximum 


Rail Repair
	The initial Allied Rail Repair rate is zero. Twelve turns after a Major Port is captured Rail Repair will begin at 1 possible hex per turn. This will increase by 1 every six turns until Rail Repairs reach a rate of 6 possible per turn.
	As the scenario progresses, the Allies will receive Rail Repair units. These units can move by rail or sea only, and function by embarking them and moving them to an area where you wish to concentrate repairs. The repairs will occur automatically at the beginning of each turn.
	There are a total of three Rail Repair units that become available during the scenario. These are the 1st and 2nd MRS (Military Railway Service) and the '21st AG RR' units. The '1st MRS' unit will appear south of Dijon at 150,178 in mid-September. The '2nd MRS' will arrive at Weymouth (47,92) when a Major Port is captured. The '21st AG RR' unit will arrive any time from July 1st (turn 27) at LeHavre (if friendly controlled). Note that it is possible that a Rail Repair unit could be in play at a time when no Rail Repair is possible.
	After Antwerp becomes operational, Rail Repair will gradually increase from 6 to 15 per turn.


Rhine River
	As the Rhine River was a major obstacle, most of its hexes are combined with Flooded Marsh or Badlands terrain. This will restrict most movement across the river to hexes that contain bridges. 


Supply Dynamics
	When the Allies were preparing for Overlord, logistics were a main concern. How to keep all units in supply from supply bases located across the English Channel was a logistical nightmare. While many feats of ingenuity were accomplished, the main goal was the capture of major port facilities. Until a major port was in operation, the Allies would be at a logistic disadvantage to the Germans (this disadvantage was somewhat offset by the Allied bombing and interdiction campaigns). The Germans of course knew this and did their best to destroy anything of use to the Allies.
	For this scenario, historic port capacities, port repair rates, and unit supply consumption were reviewed and used as the basis for the Allied Supply Model. It may seem complicated but its actually very simple. The Allies have a basic Force Supply Stockpile Level as in any other scenario. Each Formation that is sent to France will lower this level. Each port that is captured and repaired will raise the Supply Level. (Note that the initial assault units will land in France at no reduction to the Supply Level). Therefore, the complex part of the Supply Dynamic is to juggle the number of units ashore with the number of repaired ports and their capacity. This is the exact situation that the Allies were faced with as the campaign progressed. Once ashore they could only support about 25 divisions, once Cherbourg was operating they could raise this total to 35, once they linked with the rail net to Marseille they could support 54 divisions (including 6th Army Group which arrives from southern France), and once they got Antwerp repaired their worries were over. 
	Each formation released will cause a reduction in the overall supply level according to the following schedule :
		US Armor Division -4
		US Infantry Division -2
		British/Canadian Armor Division -3
		British/Canadian Infantry Division -1
		French Armor Division -3
		Czech Arm Bde -2
	Historically, the Allies planned to break out from Normandy into the Brittany penninsula in order to capture Brest and other ports located there. These plans were changed when the Allies realised that the Germans were not only determined to hold these port areas, but also to destroy the facilities. Additionally, the German collapse in late July and early August convinced the Allies to put maximum effort into the advance toward Germany while concentrating on the repair of the one major port they controlled at Cherbourg. 
	In the scenario there are Major Ports and Minor Ports. Minor Ports are indicated on the map by a Red Star. When captured by the Allies, most will increase the Allied Overall Supply Level by 1-4 points 10 days after capture. Ghent (136,86) will add 17. Note that as Ghent is connected by canal to the Schelde, it will not begin operating until the Schelde is cleared (see Antwerp below). As Antwerp had repair priority, Ghent won't become active until 3 weeks after Antwerp begins receiving supplies. Rouen (95,120) was historically operated by the Allies, but due to problems associated with having events for clearing the Seine River and eliminating any coast batteries within range, Rouen is not represented as a port in the scenario. Its place is taken by the four minor ports north and northeast of LeHavre.
	There are four Major Ports - Antwerp, Brest, Cherbourg and LeHavre. For Brest, Cherbourg and LeHavre, thirty days after capture they will become operational and their capacity will increase over the following thirty days. Approximately sixty days after capture, a supply point will be placed at the location (80% for Cherbourg and LeHavre, 70% for Brest). Note that to follow historical accuracy, these rules will apply only to the first of the three to be captured (after the first major port capture, capture of the other two major ports will result in no benefit to the Allies). 
	Antwerp is also a major port but is separate from the above situation. Twenty days after the Schelde Estuary is cleared, Antwerp will become operational and a 100% Supply Point will be placed there. Supply benefits will also increase over time. In order to clear the Schelde Estuary, the Allied player must eliminate all Coast Artillery units on Walcheren Island (136,76), both units of Marine Artillery Abteilung (MAA) 203 at and adjacent to Breskens (134,79) and the Coast Artillery unit in Antwerp (1./201, 146,83). Once these 9 units are eliminated, Mine Clearing Operations will be performed by the game engine. Mine clearing takes approximately 20 turns and once completed Antwerp will begin providing supply. 
	Therefore, in the scenario the Allied player must get ashore and get a firm beach head while capturing any minor ports in the immediate area, then secure a major port, then get Antwerp (or link with 6th AG which arrives at the southerm map edge near Switzerland around turn 90). At the same time the player must only bring ashore enough units to get each phase accomplished, otherwise he will be faced with a Supply Level that is too low to support offensive operations (see Supply State Restrictions). (Note that the player could go for Antwerp first, but resistance there is very heavy and the number of assault units needed is considered to exceed available shipping. Therefore, there are no assault beaches in the area, the closest being near Calais. Also note that the ports in the Pas de Calais area are too small to support a primary invasion, the closest sizeable ports being Antwerp and LeHavre).
	Its worth repeating, the major consideration for Allied supply is that the rail net will not operate at full capacity until a link is made with Antwerp. Until this condition is met, the Allies will be operating at less than 100% supply capability. The Allied Supply Level increases thru the repair of Minor Ports, repairing one of either Brest, Cherbourg or LeHavre, and ultimately in the repair of Antwerp. 


Supply Radius changes
	at start	= 8
	at the Breakout = 2
	October weather = 1
	Weather clears	= 2
	Antwerp at full capacity = 15


Supply State Restrictions (Outlined at hex 60,56). Beginning on Turn 3:
	Allied units in a Red Supply State may not Move or Attack.
	Allied units in an Orange or Yellow Supply State may Move, but may not Attack.
	Allied units in a Light Green or Green Supply State may Move and Attack.
	(Note that the Health indicator lights that govern these rules are an accumulation of Supply, Readiness and Equipment levels. For example, a unit could have a high supply level, but low readiness and/or equipment levels which would cause it to show a level lower than green. Therefore, it is not strictly the unit supply level that governs these rules).
	These Restrictions begin on Turn 3 and last for the duration of the scenario, and apply to Allied units only.
	Restrictions are imposed at the beginning of each round.
	Restrictions are for ground units only (Air and Naval units are exempt). 
	Retreat Before Combat (RBC) results are considered Movement. 
	Units may use Tactical or Local Reserve orders regardless of their Supply State. 


U-Boat Bases
	German Submarine Bases are represented at Lorient (27,157) and Saint-Nazaire (42,166). The Americans will receive one Heavy Bomber unit for capturing each of these locations.


UnHistorical Option
	With regards to the 'Allied Restrictions' above, the player can eliminate these restrictions by choosing the 'UnHistorical Option' Theater Option on turn 1. Choosing this option would suggest that the Allies were much better prepared and more boldly led than historically. (I have yet to figure out an offsetting effect, perhaps the scenario should end 60 days earlier ?)


US Replacement Shortage
	The Us experienced Infantry Replacement shortages as the war progressed. Non-combat units were pirated for replacements and some units were converted to infantry (such as the US 474th Anti-Aircraft, which was converted to the 474th Infantry Regiment). The player isn't involved in these issues and need not be concerned with them. 
	Worth mentioning is the solution that was developed for the US 6th Army Group. In October and November its frontage was expanding and several divisions that were forming in the States were allocated to it once they were ready. The need to rest and refit the 6th AG units that were in the line was so acute that it was decided to ship some infantry regiments from the States before their Divisions were ready. The idea was that a new regiment could replace a regiment in a worn out division. The worn out regiment would withdraw for some R&R while the new regiment took over a defensive area and continued to train while awaiting the artillery, engineer and other components of its parent division to form and arrive. A good theory, but in practise when these units began arriving in December, the 6th AG's frontage was expanding to such an extent that the new units were put into the line without releiving others. Initially placed in quiet defensive zones, these units were eventually drawn into combat, most notably during the Germans 'Nordwind' offensive.
	The affected units in the scenario are the US 42nd, 63rd and 70th Infantry Divisions. These arrive at the southern map edge and begin arriving in December. They are initially under strength and will fill up over time. They have lower proficiencies and unlike other US RCT's, they will never have any attached units included in their TO&E (no tank, tank destroyer or AAAW battalions). This last point is slightly unhistorical because these units did have some battalions attached for short periods, but all of those battalions are already included in other RCT's. 

V-1 and V-2 Sites
	V-1 Sites are represented at Saint-Omer (113,92). When the Allies capture this location the British will receive one Heavy Bomber unit. V-2 Sites are represented at Gaasterland just north of Lemmer at hex 167,47. When the Allies capture this location the British will receive one Heavy Bomber unit. 

Winter Weather 
	Winter Weather effects represent the Allied reduction in combat supply delivery due to inclement weather that hampered port and beach operations, the required forward movement of substantial tonnages of heavy clothing and winterization equipment, the need to build up bridging equipment for the expected river crossing operations, and the accomplishment of vehicle repair which had already been long delayed. 
	In the scenario the Allies will suffer a -12 to their overall Supply Level from October 1 [?] to November 15 [?]. The Supply Radius will be reduced to zero. 
	United States battle casualties in October had come to 31,600. This number rose to 62,400 in November when the Allies launched major offensives. Nonbattle casualties, which had totaled 28,400 in October, suddenly reflected a high incidence of trench foot and rose to 56,300 in November. Total US casualties for the month thus exceeded 118,000 men. Nonbattle casualties would remain at or over battle casualty levels for the remainder of the war. 
	In the scenario the Allies will suffer 1% Pestilence starting in November. This effect will last thru the end of the scenario.

German

Coastal Defense Groups
	The Coastal Defense Zones were occupied by various organisations - Ksten Verteidigung Abschnitt (KVA's) for divisional sectors, Ksten Verteidigungs Gruppen (KvGr's) for regimental sectors, Stutzpunktgruppe (StG's) for battalion sectors, Stutzpunkt (StP) company sized strongpoints, and platoon sized Wiederstandnest (Wn) resistence points. These positions were enhanced by Marine-Artillerie-Abteilungs (MAA's) and Heeres Ksten Artillery Abteilungs (HKAA). All of the German occupied coast areas portrayed on the map were garrisoned by at least mg posts and pak guns. Including all of them in the scenario would load the map with 1-1 units and would be of no benefit. Therefore, only those units of significance are included. At the time of research, as no one clear source of what weapons were located where was found, several sources were used, and in some cases unit composition is based on probability. Due to the scale of map and units, some have been combined (for example, on Aldernay in the Channel Islands there could have been about 15 units, but some of these were combined in order to agree with stacking limits). 
	By June 1944 the Allies had a good idea as to what guns were located where, and their capabilites. Therefore, a visual reference for coast defense guns can be found at hexes 60,62 and 59,63 and there is also a reference in Footnotes #3 and #4 below.


Parachute Operations
	The Germans have no Parachute/Airborne capacity.


Replacements
	The German Replacement Level will be reduced by 5-10% if the Allies capture locations in the Ruhr Industrial Region (locations marked by asterisks around their placenames in the vicinity of 184,82). The Saar Industrial Region is represented by *Kaiserslautern* (196,124). Its loss will reduce the German Replacement Level by 5%. 


Retreat
	As the Allies advance from the beachhead they will eventually trigger events relating to the 'breakout'. There will be a news event stating 'Germans retreat to the Siegfried Line'. At this point many German units disband and new units will arrive as reinforcements. These new units arrive as understrength cadres and their ability to rebuild will be influenced by the amount of equipment the previously disbanded units contribute to the replacement pool (remember, units that are surrounded at the time they are disbanded lose all equipment). Therefore, if the German player gets trapped in a 'Falaise Pocket' it will take longer for the new units to rebuild. 


Supply
	The German Force Supply Stockpile Level will be decreased if the Allies capture locations in the Ruhr Industrial Region (locations marked by aterisks around their placenames in the vicinity of 184,82). The Saar Industrial Region is represented by *Kaiserslautern* (196,124). Its loss will reduce the German Supply Level. The Leipzig Industrial region (represented by hex 263,83) will reduce the German Supply Level by 3 if captured by the Allies. The German player can increase their supply level by capturing any of the Allied Forward Depot units. 

Supply Points
	Germany has 100% Supply Points at east edge rail hexes, 75% Supply Points at east edge road hexes, a 40% Supply Point at Kiel, and 25% Supply Points at Ruhr Industrial Region Dense Urban locations. The Port Fortresses of St. Nazaire, Lorient, Brest, Cherbourg and Le Havre have 25% Supply Points. The Breskens area [around 134,79] and Walcheren Island have several 10-25% Supply Points. Additionally, many Coast Battery and Fort locations have 5-15% Supply Points. 


West Wall
	The West Wall along the German border was largely out of date and in need of rejuvenation. Much of it had been pirated to bolster the Atlantic Wall. Once the Allies had broken out of the Normandy lodgement area, the Germans began to improve the West Wall positions. They also embarked on an extensive program of building defensive lines between the West Wall and the Rhine, and in the Vosges Mountain region. Known as the West Stellung (West Position), it consisted mostly of earthworks and was garrisoned by local militia and police units. The positions were provided with machine guns, captured field artillery, and German Pak guns (some from Panther and JagPanther tanks). In some cases the area to the east of the Rhine was also improved with these Stellungs.
	In the scenario the positions will appear as fixed units that will gain strength over time. They begin appearing shortly after the Allies breakout from their beach head. 



Victory Conditions
	Allies: Cross the Rhine and capture the Ruhr Industrial area.

	Germany: Hold the Allies at the Rhine. Protect the Ruhr area at all costs - without its industry and production Germany is doomed.

The Ruhr Industrial Area is marked by a black border [the center is roughly at 185,78]. The level of Allied Victory is determined by the date by which the Allies have captured all Urban and Dense Urban hexes inside this area, according to the following schedule:
Feb = Overwhelming
March = Significant
April = Marginal
May  = Draw

Each Urban and Dense Urban hex inside the Ruhr area has an Event Variable Value of 1 for the Allies. When the total reaches 20 the scenario will end [the total can be seen at the bottom of page 1 in the Situation Briefing]. Note that the Event Engine Variable number is also used to monitor the clearing of the Schelde River. The EEV is reset to zero after the Schelde is cleared. 



Designer's Notes

US Independant Battalions
	The US had enough Independant Tank, Tank Destroyer and Anti-Aircraft battalions to provide all divisions with one each of these powerful units. While this was not the practice early in the war in North Africa and Sicily, lessons learned in those areas ensured that cooperation and attachment would grow as the war progressed. Although not fully integrated by the time of D-Day, experiences gained in the Hedgerows guaranteed that most US divisions would operate until the end of the war with Independant Battalions attached. 
	In the scenario these units are not represented on map. They are instead already included in most units. Infantry Units that contain Attachments are indicated by the 'Heavy Weapons' icon (a thick bar on the left of the icon). In some cases the equipment will grow and/or upgrade as the scenario progresses. 


PO Organisation
	The Programmed Opponent required special attention with regards to Formation Organisation in order to optimize performance. Therefore the PO versions will have some different Formations and Units from the Human versions for both sides.
	For example, German Panzer Divisions for the Human Player are organised into Regimental sized Kamfgruppes. For the PO  the Panzer Divisions are organised into something between Company and Battalion sized units. This helps the PO to not overstack hexes and gives it more choices in covering areas. Unit designations are historical, but not all units are represented by designation. For example, you may have units designated as the 8th Company/I Battalion.1st SS PanzerGrenadier Regiment and the 11th Company/I Battalion.1SS PanzerGrenadier Regiment, but the 9th and 10th companies might not be designated as they are included in the 8th and 11th company units. 


Rail Repair
	A hex containing an intact rail line connected to a Supply Point is just as good as a Supply Point in TOAW. Therefore, the Rail Repair Rate does not represent the historical rate of rail repairs, but also represents the ability of the Allied Forces to move supply by trucks. The repair rate represents various influences on the Allied ability to provide supply to the front lines. These influences include:
	Damage to the road and rail net caused by Allied Bombing and German attempts to impede the Allied advance. In some areas the damage was extensive and it took time to make repairs.
	Although the Road Net in Northwest Europe was better than that found in Russia, there were still problems with the roads breaking up under the strain of heavy traffic, and areas of mud were experienced that made movement and repairs difficult. In some cases stretches of Jerry Cans were laid down in order to allow trucks to cross over them. This caused additional problems as this contributed to the shortage of Jerry Cans, which were direly needed at the front in order to allow the transfer of fuel from tankers to vehicles, and also caused additional wear and tear to vehicles (especially the tires).
	Port facilities had to be repaired, and the ability to move supplies out of the port areas was restricted by available rail lines, roads, trains and vehicles. Weather influenced the ability to offload supplies at the various port facilities, in some cases shutting down operations for several days at a time. 
	There was a shortage of locomotives due to Allied bombing and German demolitions. The Allies had planned on making use of captured locomotives, but 80-85% of those captured were found to be inoperable. Rolling stock presented similar problems. 


1055th PC&R
	This unit is the 1055th Port Construction and Repair Group. It appears at Rouen when friendly occupied. It was charged with rehabilitating the inland waterways of the Seine River. In the scenario it has a limited ability to repair bridges, and it can reach most rivers in order to convert them to friendly owned. This is something I like to do, but if the player isn't concerned with river conversion the unit can be left idle. This unit is not intended to be used behind German lines in order to destroy bridges. Therefore, its a good rule to follow that it must be surrounded by friendly hexes or unfriendly river hexes at all times. 




A few notes are located around hex 60,60:

Footnotes:
1. Historically, British Infantry Replacements could not keep up with casualty rates. Several units were disbanded in order to provide replacements for other units. The 50th and 59th Infantry Divisions were disbanded, the 70th Brigade of the 49th Infantry Division was disbanded and replaced by the Independant 56th Infantry Brigade, and the 27th Armoured Brigade was disbanded.  
	In the scenario, a unit (59th Disband) will arrive at hex 60,60 at the end of August. If the player disbands this unit, the British 59th Division will also disband. A unit that relates to the British Independant 56th Brigade (56th Transfer) will appear at the same time, which if disbanded will likewise disband the 70th Brigade of the British 49th Infantry Division and replace it with a new 56th Brigade unit. 

2. In November, the British 50th Infantry Division will be in the same situation as outlined for the units in footnote #1. 

3. Short Range Coast Artillery [Blue Icon]. German Units with this color scheme and unit icon can fire on Naval Units, Embarked Units, and units in anchorage hexes. These units have a range of 3-4 hexes. Note that their locations are not always visible due to the Fog of War, but their effective range limit is marked on the map. Losses may reduce a units effective range. 

4. Long Range Coast Artillery [Red icon]. German Units with this color scheme and unit icon can fire on Naval Units, Embarked Units, and units in anchorage hexes. These units have a range of 5-8 hexes. Note that their locations are not always visible due to the Fog of War, but their effective range limit is marked on the map. Losses may reduce a units effective range. 

5. (See Advanced Landing Grounds above). 

6. As more units are released for deployment to France, the supply net will be unable to maintain all formations. A warning message will appear in the news string when this is about to happen. When this warning message appears, the release of further units will eventually cause Allied supply to reach a critical point. Once this situation is triggered, the player will only be able to supply one Army Group (thru Theater Options) while the other two will be placed into Garrison Mode. See also the above sections on Allied Restrictions, Critical Supply Point and Supply Dynamics.


July 2018