Operation Micro-Garden

ACWBill · Post by **ACWBill** » Wed Nov 05, 2008 11:16 pm

Ladies and Gentlemen, the South Florida Miniatures Gamers (SMG) announce Operation Market-Garden in micro scale. Played out over three different venues and boasting a full year of development, you can't miss this one! Join us and drive X-X-X Corps through occupied Holland as the British attempt to roll over the "Airborne Carpet" and relieve 1st Airborne before the Germans destroy the tough Red Devils. So its Whoa Mohammed and Curahee. No detail is left out and no compromise has been made. SMG wants this to be the gaming experience of a lifetime; "A tale which you will tell your Grandchildren...and mightily bored they'll be."

I have posted some pics of just one of the venues (Arnhem and vicinity) as background for the SMG website so that you may enjoy some advanced pics from one of the playtest sessions. If you happend to be in South Florida on 11/11-16 please drop me a line if you would like to participate. A full AAR will be posted some time after the event.

ACWBill@aol.com
http://www.soflgamers.org

for some pics and more detailed information.

6milPhil · Post by **6milPhil** » Fri Dec 05, 2008 6:21 am

Good luck with this one... sounds like a cracking game.

I did visit the website, but there's no pictures!

cheers,

Gompel · Post by **Gompel** » Sat Dec 06, 2008 1:15 am

Ok, you got my attention

Maybe you've already found what I am looking for so I will just ask: have you found any detailed maps of this operation? I found topographic maps of around 1930, but I can't find any maps or plans of the actual roads they took (together with an overview of where the different troops went and where the battles occured). Have you by any chance found such maps? I would be thankfull for any links/info.

baineblade · Post by **baineblade** » Sat Dec 06, 2008 1:47 am

Gompel wrote:Ok, you got my attention
Maybe you've already found what I am looking for so I will just ask: have you found any detailed maps of this operation? I found topographic maps of around 1930, but I can't find any maps or plans of the actual roads they took (together with an overview of where the different troops went and where the battles occured). Have you by any chance found such maps? I would be thankfull for any links/info.

It's not that hard to find information like that actually. I have two rather large atlas' containing tactical overlay maps of both the European and Pacific fronts. They're a bit old given, but they're not that hard to find. Just look for "U.S. Army in World War II ATLAS The European/Pacific Theater." And you'll find layouts of allied and axis forces. Plus there are hundreds more sources out there dude.

Gompel · Post by **Gompel** » Sat Dec 06, 2008 4:34 pm

Thank you for your help baineblade. I am new to this kind of historical stuff, so I might not know where to look. I have found some general maps, but not really detailed ones (most of them are just with general direction arrows):
http://www.dean.usma.edu/history/web03/ ... 0map66.jpg
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... e_Plan.png
I'm not sure whether they are on the internet, but I would like to have more detailed maps, so I can see which roads were taken and where the enemy contacts and fights took place. I know for example from heard stories that just across the Belgium border into Holland (the first hours of Market Garden) there were some German PaK guns firing at the tanks comming over the mainroad to Eindhoven and giving the allied forces their first delay. I have no idea where this exactely happened, but I would like to know.
And of course there are many more interesting contacts I have never heard of.
I would really appreciate if you could point me to some links of maps and stories.

SSgtBuck · Post by **SSgtBuck** » Sun Dec 07, 2008 4:46 pm

I am probably stating the obvious here, but you should REALLY start with Cornelius Ryan's book "A Bridge Too Far" It is pretty much the ulltimate source of information on Market Garden. If it is stories you are looking for that is the place to go, plus some pretty good maps on the action around Nijmegen and Arnhem. Use the comprehensive bibiliography to find other sources and you might find the maps you are looking for there. Searching a brick and mortar library might be your best bet here

Thomaso827 · Post by **Thomaso827** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 1:08 am

Another thought is to take a board game such as Hell's Higway as an overall campaign map. While board games are somewhat skewed to make terrain fit the hex grid, the general layout is good, and would certainly give you a picture of the road network you have to overcome and where the towns are along the way. Most of the games I'm aware of would be out of print now, but always available on Ebay. That with the West Point Atlas of WW2 should give you lots of detail, then fill in the blanks with the info from Ryan's Bridge To Far as was mentioned. Another book I had was The Devil's Birthday, but I'm afraid the author's name escapes me now. Similar in scope to A Bridge Too Far.

Tom Oxley

SSgtBuck · Post by **SSgtBuck** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 5:42 am

The Devil's Birthday was by Geoffrey Powell. Its on my bookshelf right next to A Bridge Too Far

Gompel · Post by **Gompel** » Tue Dec 09, 2008 12:32 pm

Thanks again, the obvious is not always the obvious. Although I have seen the movie of course, I've never read A bridge to far. Just bought a second hand copy.
In these times of the internet I forgot to look for books. So thanks for reminding

ACWBill · Post by **ACWBill** » Tue Jan 13, 2009 8:19 pm

Here are a few shots of some of the different venues in progress. I will be compiling a full AAR after some of the other club members get me their pics. Until then, here are a few pics to enjoy.

Around Joe's Bridge - Thirty Corps Breakout with some Typhoon assistance.

101st Captures both ends of the bridges around Eindhoven

Thirty Corps around Aalst

Falschirmjagers about to ambush Thirty Corps while moving through the Dutch Countryside towards Eindhoven

Germans on Arnhem Bridge on the 19th - temporarily as it turned out.

Stug Brigade 280 and their infantry de-training at Arnhem later in the campaign.

More to come.

Mk 1 · Post by **Mk 1** » Wed Jan 14, 2009 5:43 am

Holy Panzers, Batman, that's a LOT of tanks!

Great looking stuff, Bill. Wow. And wow again. The terrain is magnificent, the models are magnificent, the attention to research is magnificent, and the sheer scale of it all....

Looking forward to the full AARs!

ACWBill · Post by **ACWBill** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 3:04 am

OK - A little play on words. However, that said, my friends tell me my micro armor collection is out of control. I have no arguement. It continues to grow. Isn't that what its all about?

MTB · Post by **MTB** » Thu Jan 15, 2009 9:44 pm

"Out-of-Control"....what an understatement. As Bill's friend for close to 40 years....his micro-armor collection is a pandemic...a plague......lol.

MTB

pushbike · Post by **pushbike** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 3:45 am

MMM Gorgeous work ACWBill.
Love the big pictures.
Good range of buildings, just about every manufacturer represented.
Where did you find the trains.

Top stuff!

Chris,

ACWBill · Post by **ACWBill** » Fri Jan 16, 2009 4:08 am

Thanks Chris, the trains are old Leva stuff which unfortunately, can no longer be had. They are the best trains for micro I ever encountered and I bought a bunch of the stuff all at once at Historicon a few years back. In fact, they sat around unpainted for about 3 yrs before I finally got to them. In classic gamer form, I had forgotten about them and found them again when on a reorganization binge last year. They are all resin and paint up very well. If you ever see any, snatch them up as you are unlikely to see them again. That is of course, unless GHQ makes them!