There were so many good ones,it's hard to tell where to start. But start we must at WWII Market Garden -- 50 feet of tabletop battlefield covering all three of the major drops and actions. According to the blurb, the project started back in Fall 2001 with a madcap idea to do all of D-Day in 20mm (1/72), which was mutated into doing all of Market Garden.

Before the drop...the 50-foot long table with the small elbow stretches a long way.

From the Creators of Market Garden
by Sam Scott

It started on a drive home from FALL IN! 2001 in Gettysburg. Martin Baber and I (Sam Scott) were debriefing from our well-received Pont du Hoc game when he uttered those fateful words, "You know, I'd quite like to do a really big game."

Of course, he suggested D-Day initially - not one beach or anything. D-Day. All of it. The monumental scale of the project loomed insur­mountably in our imaginations, and the idea was quickly rejected.

A Bridge Too Far?

He then brought up Market Garden - not just Arnhem. Market and Garden. All of it. We thought about that for a while. At first, it seemed as daunting as D-Day, but a certain enthusiasm was begin­ning to build-something tantalizingly indistinct was glimmering in the murk of our minds. A really ... big ... game ... like Market and Garden ... in 20mm scale.

Voom! Brilliant light flooded our thoughts as the project revealed itself in all its glory. Ideas raced out of our mouths, tumbling and stumbling over one another as they fought for a voice. From that moment on, Marty and I were committed to a long slide into mad­ness. The rest of the five-hour drive back to our homes in White Plains, N.Y., flew by. Every five to 10 minutes, we would begin to laugh about the sheer absurdity of the project we had just signed our souls away to. Not that we had any choice at that point about whether or not to go forward with it - that was a done deal.

The first thing we did was hit the historical sources. For a battle this large, there was a lot of information. The more we learned, the more the project solidified into concrete ideas. For example, how many tables would we need? Um, fifty feet. Fifty feet! Yeah, and, um, it's all made of sculpted terrain boards that will include three major rivers, three canals, and two smaller rivers, encompass three major built-up areas and 11 villages.

What about figures? Oh, well, there's the British 1st Airborne Division arriving in three drops, including the Polish at the end. Then, there's the U.S. 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions dropping in a couple lifts as well.

And, of course, there's 30 Corps with the Guards Armored Division, plus all the attachments. Oh, yeah, and then there's the Germans. So, how many figures would we need? Well, lots. Say, a few thou­sand, along with several hundred vehicles.

Oh, and then there's the fleet of aircraft.

Well, nearly two years have past, and our time is running out. Fall In! 2003 will soon be here. Marty's been applying his considerable talents to the figures and terrain. We figured out that if we put all the vehicles he's gathered for 30 Corps and put them nose to tail, they'd stretch 45 feet. Wow!

I've been helping where I can with the buildings, vehicles, and painting the U.S. Airborne forces we need. I've also been organizing the game play and logistics of this mas­sive project. In spite of the challenges, it's all coming together. We've drafted a number of co-umpires, including a strong contin­gent from Battlegroup Boston. We've been getting great coopera­tion from HMGS East and the organizers of Fall In! 2003.

One of the most talked about vignettes of the show: The Panther under repair.

Attack

Mayhem. Chaos. Things that go boom! The attack pushes on. Note the burning buildings and wrecks. These guys really added the nifty touches that make this a watershed event in the history of wargaming conventions.

Comments

As the wargame progressed, I'd poke my nose in at various times to see what had occurred. Indeed, the more you looked, the more you found little items and touches to make this a wonderful event. Three cheers for these fellows who decided to turn a dream into a reality.

Below: The attack grinds on.

More Fall In 2003

Introduction
Wargames Area: Operation Market Garden
Wargames Area: Other Games
Re-enactor Area

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