“After two days’ rest in Hengelo, the Battalion moved via Oldenzaal, back into Germany at Nordhorn,

where it was learned that the Division was to take part in an armoured thrust to Bremen. At this point
the Battalion “married up” with a great variety of supporting arms in order to enable all types of oppo-
sition to be overcome.”

It is tempting when discussing combined arms

warfare, to consider that the kampfgruppe of the
German army was the ultimate embodiment of
European theatre continuously from 1939
onwards, the British experience of war was far
more theatre specific. By the end of the campaign
this concept, often overlooking the methodologies in North Africa, British forces in that theatre were
of other nations who also sought to develop and veterans with well-establish doctrines but their
in some cases achieved coherent doctrines which experience was peculiar to that rather unique
were built upon their own experiences. environment. Veterans of the desert deploying
to Normandy on or after D-Day were faced with
For the Germans, the assembly of ad hoc a very different type of warfare and the learning
battlegroups was often the result of shortages of experience began again. Old lessons had to be un-
manpower. Compact fighting formations were learned and new ideas considered and tried.
pared off from parent battalions and, combined
with support from other units, formed into neat In particular, new ideas on the use of combined
little formations allocated specific tasks. This arms, where tanks and infantry worked together in
method would leave the parent formations a much more tactically co-operative manner, were
often only slightly reduced in fighting capability, recognised as being essential in the close terrain
effectively creating a neat all-arms force for a of Normandy.
mission almost as a ‘bonus’ force.
When British forces landed in June of 1944, an
For the British Army, the concept of combined Armoured Division had two distinct and separate
arms and its development was a far more strategic, Brigades, the Armoured Brigade and the Infantry
planned objective which would see changes to Brigade. By the time of Bluecoat in August 1944
Divisional structures allowing large formations to this had changes to see two homogenous Brigades,
fight more efficiently due to a better meshing of all each with two armoured Regiments and two
arms into a formal but flexible structure. Infantry battalions. At tactical level, co-operation
between infantry and armoured units extended
Unlike the German Army which fought in the down to troop-platoon level where platoons of

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infantry would have their own attached troop The quote at the head of this article is taken
of tanks and train to fight together as a team, from the official history of the 5th Battalion, the
providing mutual support. Wiltshire Regiment and is indicative of the new
tactics and equipment that was becoming standard
What was more, the British army was continuously in the British Army at the start of 1945 in readiness
seeking feedback from junior leaders to discover for what would be the last great ‘Swan” of the war
what tactics were working and which were not. once the Rhine was crossed.
Monty himself was keen to allow ideas to “bubble
up” from below, allowing the high command to be As the battalion advanced into Germany in April
influenced by the practical experience of the men 1945, its order of march was described as follows:
doing the fighting.
“B” Company in Kangaroos
Alongside changes in tactics, the British sought One troops of tanks
to provide new equipment to improve their One section of carriers
performance. In the early stages of the war, the Forward Observation Observer for field artillery
lightly armoured half-tracks had proved their One assault section of Pioneers (for mines, booby
effectiveness, not only as transport vehicles but, traps, etc)”
in the case of the SdKfz 251, as a combat vehicle
which would deliver the panzer grenadiers directly Advanced Battalion H.Q.
onto enemy positions. As the war progressed and Commanding Officer’s “O” Group with A, C and D
the calibre of tank and anti-tank guns increased, Company Commanders
these vehicles became more limited in their Detachment of 12th/60th Kings Royal Rifle Corps
functions, reverting largely to being transport. Tank Squadron less two Troops of 4th/7th Dragoon
Guards
In Normandy, the Allied forces similarly found 4.2” mortar platoon of 8th Middlesex
that the M5 halftracks were not sufficiently 3” mortar platoon of 8th Middlesex
armoured to protect their passengers and sought Carrier platoon less three sections
an alternative which would provide greater Royal Engineer reconnaissance party (for bridging,
protection. In July 1944 Lieutenant General Guy road blocks etc.)
Simmonds, commanding the Canadian II Corps,
authorised some 72 M7 Priest Self-Propelled A Company in Kangaroos
Guns to be converted as troop carriers capable One troop of tanks
of holding a whole infantry section. These were One section of anti-tank guns
successfully used during Operation Totalize at the
beginning of August. All remaining supporting arms, i.e. anti-tank guns,
mortars etc.
The obvious advantage of allowing infantry a fully C Company in troop carrying vehicles
tracked, well-armoured transport vehicle was clear D Company in troop carrying vehciles
and several models of tanks were no converted
for this role. The Canadian Ram tank, based on Read Battalion H.Q.
a variant of the M3 Grant hull with a 6 pounder One section of carriers.
gun mounted in the turret had never been used
in combat as the M4 Sherman was considered to For an infantry battalion, we can see that this is a
be superior in almost all respects. These vehicles very well balanced al-arms force ready to take on
now had their turrets removed and bench seating almost all eventualities other than over-whelming
added before being shipped to Europe. Early odds. An unlikely occurrence at that sage of the
model Shermans were adapted in Italy and some war.
Stuarts and even Churchills were adapted, but by
far the most numerous were the Ram Kangaroos Indeed, the battalion diary gives us a clear image
with the early models fielding a 0.50 Browning, of how opposition would simply be brushed aside .
later models a 0.30 machine gun.
“Opposition was soon encountered in the shape

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 of mines and road blocks. Enemy were reported with a section and, shouting loudly in German,
in the village of Flechum on the left flank of the advised the Germans to give up, saying they
advance and ”B” Company were dispatched would be well looked after. He returned a short
to deal with them, but they withdrew before time later with a further 23 prisoners. A few
the Company reached the village. One jeep more straggled in during the night.
was blown up on a mine and Captain Tarrant
seriously wounded. Meanwhile the advance Their sister battalion, the 7th Battalion Somerset
continued until again mines and road blocks Light Infantry, paint a similar picture.
barred the way. The road blocks were of
concrete and particularly solid, and were Resistance took the form of small groups
moreover covered by rifle fire and bazookas. armed with spandaus, and intense fire from
But in a few minutes “A” Company by-passed Nebelwerfer which appeared to be working on
the obstacles and crushed the opposition. Four a pre-arranged plan to coincide with the speed
enemy were killed and three wounded. They of our advance. Certainly they were very well
belonged to a German Training Battalion.” handled, and it is probable that they were being
fired by the instructors of the Nebelwerfer
The collapse of the Third Reich saw some of the School which is known to have existed north of
most pointless fighting of any war as, despite it Bremen.
being utterly clear that they had lost, the Nazi Party
heirachy insisted on a fight to the most bitterest of Through all of the reports studied, the uncertainty
ends and there were sufficient dedicated followers of the reaction of German troops encountered was
of their creed to ensure that this did occur. a source of stress for the British forces advancing
towards Bremen and the north German ports. The
Information on fighting in the final month of 5th Wiltshires report below shows how one minute
the war is had to come by. German units were a small patrol could be taking the surrender of
dissolving and records were being abandoned dozens if not hundreds of men, whereas an hour
and lost, whereas on the British side the fatigue later they could be blown to pieces.
of six years of war seems to have affected diarists.
Information is scant, comments are brief even Lieutenant Blackman, with one section, entered
when it is clear that tough fighting was occurring. the main gates. A German soldier standing in
There is a real sense of futility as men were simply a doorway immediately put up his hands and
waiting for the war to end and trying not to be the came out, to be followed by ninety-seven more,
last man killed. all anxious to surrender.

The diary of the 4th Battalion Somerset Light Eight more prisoners were taken by “C”
Infantry reported that Company from a house which clearly had
been used as a headquarters. So ready were
Suicide Spandau and panzerfaust teams had these men to give themselves up that they had
an unpleasant habit of coming to life as the already made a dump of their weapons for
advanced progressed and D Company, the handing over.
Vangaurd Company, ran into considerable
opposition in the village of Sindern, where the Meanwhile civilians were informing the leading
leading tank was knocked out. This trouble was men of C” Company that all the German troops
cleared up by D Company with tank support, ahead were waiting to give themselves up.
and the advance continued until about 1900 Whether this knowledge was deliberately given
hrs., when we ran into more opposition outside to lead the Company into a trap or whether the
the town of Varssveld. civilians genuinely believed it cannot be said,
but the fact remains that as 13 Platoon, led
While consolidating in the town, B Company by Lieutenant Blackman, were approaching
reported that the Germans were digging in a cross-roads only a few hundred yards from
forward of their positions. Lt. Pusey, the 2nd- the Park, they suddenly met machine gun fire
in-Command of A Company, went forward from houses on both sides of the road and from

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 ahead. Bremen and populated that with eight battlefields,
five of them on the approach to the city and the
The enemy was certainly dying hard, though final three see the crossing of the Wesser and the
with ever-increasing speed. In those last few battle for the city itself. However, for both sides
days of the war he had introduced a new there will be challenges.
“devilish contraption” which consisted of a
sea-mine with a vibration fuse buried beneath Playing the Campaign
the road. The 5th Dorsets had encountered This campaign uses a somewhat abbreviated
one of these mines on entering Tarmsteadt. version of the campaign system in At the Sharp End
A “Kangaroo” carrying a complete section of in that the Germans have issued a no retreat order
men was blown to smithereens and a crater which is being rigidly enforced by the “Chain Dogs”
produced in the road, some 80 feet in diameter. of the Feldgendarmerie. As a result, the German
player has a limited list of forces and engineering
The Road to Bremen Campaign options which he must allocate to some or all of

T he advance on Bremen is an interesting phase the eight maps. Those troops will fight in those
of the war which can present the gamer with locations to the bitter end. Any troops falling
an interesting and very different campaign. For back due to a collapsed Force Morale will disperse
someone starting out with their first campaign, rather than fall back to fight again. As a result,
this could be an opportunity to play a very simple this campaign is very simple for a newcomer as he
campaign with, for the Germans at least, pretty will place his forces and fight each action in turn.
much no paperwork at all. However, if they can successfully delay the British,
they will gain additional support options which
The following campaign has been developed to they can then allocate to their defences.
try to replicate the conditions experienced by
multiple battalions in the final Swan up to Bremen For the British, we will be using the rules in At The
and Hamburg and could just as well be used for a Sharp End as normal, with their force being based
US force heading into southern Germany. The map on the advanced guard of the 5th Wiltshires in
below shows that we have taken a single route to this campaign. The British objective is keep the

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pressure on the Germans by advancing as rapidly The Core Support List is as follows
as possible. Delays will result in a hardening of the
German defences, so speed is of the essence. List One
Medical Orderly
Timescale Engineer Mine Clearance Team, 3 men
Each campaign turn is half a day, with all fighting
taking place during the day. The initiative is always Engineer Wire Cutting Team, 3 men
with the British; if they lose a battle then they will Engineer Demolition Team, 3 men
still be the attacker in the next turn. Adjutant
List Three
British Briefing Universal Carrier Team with Junior Leader
With the war in Europe nearly over. With the Rhine List Four
crossed our forces are driving hard far the North
Engineer Section with Junior Leader
German coast to seize the naval bases and what
remains of the enemy’s economy in those areas. Ram Kangaroo
List Five
You command the advanced guard of a British Two Universal Carriers, 3 crew each, with one
infantry battalion. Your job is to race to Bremen, Junior Leader
brushing aside any resistance but also keeping the List Six
momentum. The longer you take, the more likely
M4 Sherman with Junior Leader
it is that enemy defences will ‘go firm’ and more of
our lads will be killed. List Seven
Sherman Firefly with Junior Leader
The forces available to the British will always be
taken from their core force list and support list Main Column Support Options
for the first time they attack each of the eight
battlefields. This represents the troops with the List Two
battalion advanced Guard trying to push their way PIAT Team with two men
through the enemy.
2” mortar Team with two men
If the British are halted by enemy action and need Pre-Game Barrage
to fight again on a battlefield, they may then List Four
also select supports from the main column list to Forward Observer with 3” mortar battery
reflect the force they can and did call upon if they List Five
ran into tougher than expected resistance.
6 Pounder anti-tank gun with five crew and
Junior Leader
The British Core Force is as follows:

British Force Limitations

Platoon Headquarters The total force available to the British player is three
Lieutenant, Senior Leader, Sten Gun platoons which may be rotated into action as the
Sergeant, Senior Leader, Sten Gun player chooses. He may, for example, attack with
2” mortar with two crew 1 Platoon for two games and then use 2 Platoon
PIAT with two crew for the next action. There is no time penalty for
changing which platoon fights.
Sections One to Three
The British player may has a total of eight
Corporal, Junior Leader, Sten Gun
Shermans and two Sherman Fireflys available for
Bren Team Rifle Team the campaign. There are a total of six Universal
Bren with three crew Six riflemen carriers available. Armoured vehicles which are
abandoned but not destroyed, for example where
their crew abandoned them, may be reused in

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subsequent games.

All casualties are dealt with using the At the Sharp

End Campaign rules, so the British player will have
to track casualties for all three of his core platoons
as well as the number of AFVs he has lost.

Selecting Support Options

The British player starts each battle with 12
points plus a further 1D6 points of support for
the first time they fight at each location. On any
subsequent actions at any location they may add a
further 1D6 of supports.
Map Three is open country where the main road
to Bremen crosses a significant river. This bridge is
The scenarios are all very simple Attack & Defend
intact and has not been destroyed. The buildings
games, using Scenario Three. The Allies always
are as per previous structures. All ground is damp
use the left-hand table edge to place their Patrol
and may cause AFVs to bog in.
Markers at the start of the game. The Germans
are up to 18” in from the right-hand edge.

The Maps are as follows:

Map One shows a small village set among fields

and orchards. The houses are shown with red
roofs and are brick and offer hard cover. The grey
roofs are outbuildings and offer only light cover.
The fields are wet and poor going with a risk of
AFVs bogging down. The gardens are enclosed
with small walls and fences which provide soft
cover. The trees are light orchards.
Map Four is open farmland with an area of
woodland at the German end of the table. Here
only the ploughed field is damp with risk of AFVs
bogging down.

Map Two shows a small farm set aside from the

main road. All of the roads on this table are raised
above low-lying farm land and any ground off
the roads is damp and AVFs may bog in. Infantry
movement is not hampered. As above, red
roofs signify brick structures, grey roofs wooden Map Five represents a sprawling hamlet. As above,
structures like a barn. Hedges offer light cover only the ploughed fields are damp. Buildings are
and break line of sight unless troops are lining as described above.
them.

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 residential areas largely reduced to rubble.

Map Six shows the twin bridges across the Wesser,

one for the railway the other for road traffic. Only German Briefing
the ploughed field represents damp ground. Other With the enemy across the Rhine, the very heart
buildings are as described above. of the Reich is threatened by our foe. However,
the Fuhrer has promised us victory if we fight on.
News reports speak daily of arguments between
the Allies and the Soviets and rumours suggest that
the Americans and British will soon be joining with
us to defend Europe from Bolshevism. Whatever
the truth, you fight on.

As commander of the South Western sector

of Bremen’s defences, you have limited forces
available to you with which to stop the British
advance. You cannot fight everywhere. You must
study the map of the terrain and decide where
Map Seven is an industrial sector of Bremen. you will defend and where you will place your
These factory buildings should have been heavily defences.
damaged by the British bombing campaign. The
light grey areas represent the open yards which Your force is made up as follows:
should be surrounded by light fencing which Two Platoons of Heer
breaks line of sight where it is intact. About 50% of Two Platoons of Fallschirmjäger
this should have been destroyed by the bombing. A weak platoon of Volksturm
A Hitlerjugend Flak 36 Team
A Hitlerjugend Tank Killer Team
Two Pak 40 anti-tank guns with crew

Additionally, the Todt Organisation informs you

that with civilian volunteers and Prisoners of War
they can dig you one Anti-Tank Ditch, Place six
areas of minefields and six areas of wire.

The Kriegsmarine have informed you that they can

provide you with two improvised mines which will
guarantee to block the road temporarily.
Map Eight is a representation of the city. Use what You must allocate the two Heer Platoons and
buildings you have to represent a bomb-damaged two Fallschirmjäger platoons to four separate
city. The grey areas are the roads, the red areas battlefields of your choice. You can now elect to

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use the Volksturm Platoon as a separate platoon Panzerfaust Dump
or whether to treat them as two support squads. One of these may be placed on any one table. Any
If acting as a platoon, they must be allocated to a troops fighting on that table will have an unlimited
fifth map. supply of Panzerfausts.

Now allocate your support options to any of the Kriegsmarine Supermine

defended tables. These are as follows: The Kriegsmarine Supermine is buried naval
ordnance converted to be an anti-vehicle and
Volksturm Panzerschreck Team road damaging weapon. It MUST be placed on an
Hitlerjugend Flak 36 Team undefended table where, it is hoped it will delay
Hitlerjugend Tank Killer Team the British.
Pak 40 anti-tank guns with crew
Pak 40 anti-tank gun with crew The forces available to the Germans will be from
Six minefields the following lists They have no support choices in
Six wire positions a traditional sense, but if they delay the British for
One anti-tank ditch long enough they may gain additional forces.
Panzerfaust Dump
A Heer Platoon is as follows:
Volksturm Panzerschreck Team
Two men with a Panzerschreck. Platoon Headquarters
Feldwebel, Senior Leader, MP40
Hitlerjugend Flak Team
Five boys with a Junior Leader with one quad Panzerschreck with two crew
20mm Flak 38. This has no special rules.
Squads One to Three
Hitlerjugend Tank Killer Team Obergefreiter, Junior Leader, MP40
Three boys, each armed with two Panzerfausts. One Panzerfaust
One Junior Leader.
LMG Team Rifle Team
Pak 40 Anti-Tank Gun MG42 with three crew Five riflemen
Both guns have five crew and one Junior Leader
A Fallschirmjäger Platoon is as follows:
Minefields and Wire
These may be placed on any of the tables however Platoon Headquarters
they will be wasted if they are not defended by Leutnant, Senior Leader, MP40
troops. Up to four minefields and four sections of Feldwebel, Senior Leader, MP40
wire may be placed on any table with six of each
Panzerschreck with two crew
being the maximum for the campaign. These will
One sniper
not be placee.d on the defended table until after
the Patrol Phase.
Squads One to Three
Anti-Tank Ditch Obergefreiter, Junior Leader, MP40
An Anti-Tank ditch may be dug anywhere on one Two Panzerfausts
single map. However, how long it is will depend LMG Team LMG Team
on how long the civilians have to dig it. For each
MG42 with three crew MG42 with three crew
battle fought previously in the campaign, it will be
One rifleman One rifleman
2” in length. So, if the British encounter this on the
sixth battle, it will be 10” long (having had five turns
of work on it). An anti-tank ditch is impassable to
any vehicle. Men may treat it as had cover and will
exit it as though crossing a high obstacle. Entering
it is done without any delay.

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A Volksturm Platoon is as follows: Fatherland, others are keen to save their skin and
see out the war in a PoW camp. However, we will
Platoon Headquarters not know which is which until an action is about to
be fought.
Zügführer, Senior Leader, Stg44
When the British force reaches a table adjacent to
Squads One to Two a German position, the German platoon will roll
Gruppenführer, Junior Leader, Rifle on the following table to see whether it fights or
LMG Team Rifle Team surrenders and, equally importantly, whether it
delays the British.
MG42 with three crew five riflemen
One rifleman
Troops Fight Surrender
Heer 1-3 4+
German Reinforcements
The situation is chaotic in Germany at present and Fallschirmjäger 1-5 6
as a result it is likely that some troops will join the Volksturm 1-4 5+
German defences at some point.
If the troops fight, then the action goes to the
This will be determined by how long the German table and is fought as normal. That takes up the
player can hold out for and, significantly, how long whole turn. If the unit surrenders, then ALL of the
they can retain control of table 5; as long as this troops on that table surrender along with it. If the
is in German hands friendly troops can cross the number required to surrender is equalled, so 4 for
Wesser into Bremen. the Heer for example, then no action is fought,
but the British spend the whole turn policing the
On turn 5 and each turn there after, roll a D6, battlefield and organising their prisoners.
adding +1 if table 5 is still not occupied by the
British. On an adjusted roll of 5 or 6, the Germans If the number required to surrender is equalled, so
roll again on the table below. 5 or 6 for Heer and 6 for Volksturm, the Germans
are already waiting with stacked weapons and will
Roll Reinforcements march into captivity without any delay. The British
force will be able to treat that map as empty and
1 One squad of Volksturm
roll to see if they achieve a Swan move. See below.
2 One Hetzer with Junior Leader
3 One Panzer III N with Junior Leader German Force Morale
4 One Fallschirmjäger Squad To reflect the state of morale and also the state
5 One Pak 36 with Stielgranate, five crew of political indoctrination; a Heer Force Will
and Junior Leader roll for its Force Morale with a -1 on the dice. A
Fallschirmjäger platoon will roll as normal but may
6 One Volksturm Panzerschreck Team
choose not to take TWO Force Morale tests in a
game. A Volksturm force will roll as normal, with
Any reinforcements must be immediately allocated
no adjustments.
to one table.
German Victories
Umpire’s Notes Where the Germans win a game, what remains of
Ideally these notes will not be seen by the players. their force stays in place for the next game. Any
However, if one player is taking the overall roll of wire, anti-tank ditch or mines remain as well. Now
umpire, it should be the British player. use at the Sharp End to assess which of the dead
from that game return to action. Normal rules
Endkampf apply here.
No matter what the politicians are still broadcasting
from Berlin, everyone knows that the war is over. Kriegsmarine Supermine
Some men are prepared to die for Führer and These are simply large 500lb nautical mines set to

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detonate when crossed by a number of vehicles. the British face.
The Germans have two of them which, they hope
will do some damage to the British and delay their British Losses
advance. These mines must be allocated to two British losses are tracked using the system in At the
undefended tables. Sharp End. However, if any two platoons fall below
eighteen men each, they may amalgamate them
When the British arrive at that table, roll a D6 to to form one fresh platoon. Any surplus men may
see what effect the mine has, if any. be allocated to the third platoon to bring them up
Roll Result to strength, but no platoon may be larger than the
original organisation.
1 Mine fails to detonate. No effect. The
table is treated as being empty.
Winning the Campaign
2 Mine detonated by local farmer. Treat
Victory conditions at this stage of the war are
table as empty
somewhat odd. In truth, the Germans cannot win,
3 Kangaroo destroyed with one whole the British cannot lose, but then that is our modern
section of infantry but road still passable. perspective. In fact, the British success should
Treat table as empty probably be judged by how many men they lose,
4 Sherman tank completely destroyed but but at the same time the military heirachy were
road still passable. Treat table as empty pushing hard to finish the war as soon as possible.
5 Kangaroo destroyed with one whole
section of infantry. Advance halts here For the British, they win a major victory if they can
6 Sherman tank completely destroyed. capture Table 8 in 7 turns or less. If the Germans
Advance halts here hold out until turns 8, it is a British victory but Turn
9 is a draw and Turn 10 a German minor victory.
Swanning
The Germans win a major victory if the British fail
Where the British advance into an empty table,
to take Bremen at all, just running out of steam or,
a table with a mine which fails to do sufficient
more to the point, men.
damage to halt the advance, or a table which
contains enemy troops who surrender in such
an organised manner that the table is treated as Conclusion
empty, the British may attempt to gain a Swan This is a smashing little campaign which puts
move. both sides under real pressure and introduces the
German player to the idea of force and resource
Roll a D6. On a roll of 4, 5 or 6 the British player allocation.
can continue his move to the next table in the
current turn. This represents them pushing on If the Germans are lucky, they have more platoons
with alacrity where conditions allowed. than the British and some very punchy support
options. If the British get lucky they can put the
For example, the British force approaches Table 1 Germans under real time pressure.
where a Heer force decides to surrender, rolling a
6. This indicates that the Heer force has already This simple means of creating a campaign can be
stacked their weapons and are drawn up ready to applied to almost any late war situation. If you have
march into captivity. This has the effect of treating the figures for the Eastern Front, why not apply the
the table as empty and the British can attempt to same process to the defence of any of the Eastern
Swan on to Table 2 in the same turn. German cities such as Stettin or Breslau, replacing
the British with tank riding Soviet infantry
If they succeed, any Germans defending Table 2
will roll to see if they stand and fight. Or if the
table is empty, the British may attempt to Swan
on to Table 3. The number of Swans which may
happen in a turn is only limited by the opposition

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