THE BULGE - Battle for Antwerp
(Lothlorien / Argus Press Software Group)


COMPUTER WAR GAMES

A wargame is history brought alive. It places you in command of
forces at a moment when different decisions could radically
change the path of history. It allows you to try out the different
options available to the commanders of the time, and find out how
history could have been altered. A wargame is not a simple game. In
order to accurately show the choices of the commanders it must copy
as much of the real situation as it can. The balance between
simulating history and stimulating the players has always been the most
difficult part of the wargame.
	On a computer, much of this conflict disappears. The
computer can handle the complex mathematics and the record-
keeping needed in a wargame. It leaves the players free to make
decisions on the strategies and tactics needed to win. It also gives a
greater feel for the problems facing the commanders historically. A
traditional wargame sometimes puts you in the position of a god
rather than a Field Marshall: you can see all the forces in the battle,
know exactly their strengths and weaknesses; and you can take as long
as you want to decide what to do. The computer brings back the "fog
of war": it can present you with incomplete or even wrong information;
and it can force you to make your decisions fast!
	Finally, a computer can give you the one thing that a war-
game cannot: someone to play the game against you. Computers can
now be taught how to play each side in a wargame so well that you
won't be able to tell the difference from a real opponent - except, of
course, that the computer will make fewer mistakes!
	We hope that you will enjoy this computer wargame, and
that it will bring alive the history of the period for you. War is Man's
most violent way of reacting to his neighbours, but sometimes the
people involved see no alternative. Perhaps with this game you will
see why.


THE BULGE

At the start of 1944 most of Europe between the Pyrenees and the
Carpathians was controlled by a single power: Nazi Germany.
	But Soviet Russia was thrusting forward on a wide front in
Eastern Europe; an Allied army was pushing slowly Northward in
Italy; and the greatest seaborne invasion ever to be attempted was
being prepared in Britain.
	On 6th June 1944 the Allied armies struck Southward
across the Channel and gained a foothold in Normandy. The
Germans hesitated: Hitler was convinced that the main attack would
come at Calais, and he held back forces from Normandy. The Allies
poured troops into the beachhead, then broke out of Normandy into
Brittany, and South into Central France. On 15th August the Allies
made the second invasion that Hitler had feared. But they did not
land in Calais, they came ashore in the South of France.
	Through August and September the Allies pushed forward
against the retreating Germans. Paris was retaken without struggle,
and a new French army took its place in the front line against
Germany. The Allied forces in Southern France were held up more
by fuel problems than by serious defence. On 21st September the two
Allied invasion forces met in Lorraine, and sealed the Germans back
into Germany.
	The Allied commanders were sure that the Germans were
defeated. On 17th September Field Marshall Montgomery launched
an ambitious invasion of German-occupied Netherlands. The task
was to seize all the bridges between the British frontline and the
Rhine - cross the Rhine and Germany is open. The tanks rolled, the
paratroops landed. But the bridge at Arnhem proved to be "a bridge
too far"; and the British were held at the Rhine. But other battles went
well for the Allies: Antwerp fell on 9th November, although the
defence was fierce; and the American 3rd Army continued to press
Eastwards in Lorraine and Alsace. It appeared that Germany was
defeated, and the Allies could take time choosing where to attack next.
	Hitler had other ideas. On 16th December he launched the
offensive that he called Wacht Am Rhein, but which history knows as
the Battle of the Bulge. His objective was well-chosen: attack between
the British and American armies and divide them; then strike North-
West to capture Antwerp. Antwerp was the main Allied supply port,
and without it all supplies would have to come through Cherbourg,
a hundred miles to the West. The site of the break-out was well-
chosen: the attack was to be made through the Ardennes against a
light US screening force. In 1940 the French had said that tanks could
not pass through the Ardennes and they had done so. In 1944 the
Allied commanders made the same error.
	By the end of the first day the US forces facing the attack
had been brushed aside. The Germans had pushed through the
rough country immediately in front of them into a more open terrain;
and they had crossed the first major river barrier, the Ourthe. The
Allies did not react until nightfall. By then it was obvious that this was
a major offensive, and large forces would be needed to oppose it.
Nonetheless only one division was detached from the North to help,
and one division from the South (despite General Patton's loud
protestations).
	The extra divisions could only slow the Germans. They
pushed forward throughout the 17th and 18th, although the
offensive in the North began to meet organised and effective defence,
and began to slow down. Allied Headquarters ordered Patton's Third
Army to prepare to move Northwards against the now-forming Bulge,
while the only Allied reserves (the 82nd and the 101st Airborne) were
put in to blunt the tip of the thrust. The British were ordered to stand
by on the Meuse in case the Germans got that far.
	At St Vith the Americans began a spirited defence against
heavy odds, while part of the 101st Airborne moved into Bastogne to
hold up the German advance against that town. The Germans
surrounded Bastogne but could not take it, and they were forced to
divert their troops around the town to continue the advance. When
the German commander called on the Americans in Bastogne to
surrender, Brigadier General MacAuliffe responded with the famous
message "Nuts!". On the 22nd the Germans took St Vith and pressed
on towards Liege and Namur. But the schedule was slipping, and
ammunition and fuel were in short supply.
	On 25th December the spearhead of the German attack
reached Rochefort. Here they were held by the 2nd Armoured
division and defeated. In the South, Patton was ready to launch his
Third Army against the flank of The Bulge. The German offensive
in The Bulge was over, and from that time it was the Allies who
advanced. On 3rd January Bastogne was relieved, and by 28th
January the Germans had been driven back to their start line. The
Allied offensive was delayed by about six weeks. There were some
60,000 Allied and 120,000 German casualties.
	Could the Germans have won? The plan was sound
although ambitious, but the will and fighting power of the
Americans was greater than the Germans had believed. And the
weather, while it had kept the Allied air forces grounded, was not
conducive to a fast advance. Finally, the terrain must not be forgotten:
the plan was to break out of the rough country of the Ardennes as soon
as possible. As the schedule of the advance slipped so defensive
advantages of trees and hills began to count against the Germans.
Perhaps the last word should be given to General Sepp Dietrich,
leader of the German advance:

"All I had to do was cross a river, capture Brussels, and then go on to
take the port of Antwerp. The snow was waist deep and there wasn't room
to deploy four tanks abreast, let alone six armoured divisions. It didn't
get light until eight and was dark again at four, and all this at Christmas
time."


Position of American forces and the planned German advance
[see BULGEMAP.GIF]


THE GERMAN ARMIES
Ardennes December 1944

                                 Army Group B
                               (General Model)
                                       |
              +------------------------+------------------------+
              |                        |                        |
     VI SS Panzer Armee          V Panzer Armee             VII Armee
     (General Dietrich)       (General Manteuffel)   (General Brandenberger)

     272nd Volksgrenadier     18th Volksgrenadier          V Paratruppen
     326th Volksgrenadier     62nd Volksgrenadier      352nd Volksgrenadier
     277th Volksgrenadier    116th Panzer              276th Volksgrenadier
      12th Volksgrenadier    506th Volksgrenadier      212th Volksgrenadier
       XII SS Panzer            II Panzer
         I SS Panzer          26th Volksgrenadier
       III Paratruppen      Panzer Lehr
        II SS Panzer
        IX SS Panzer


THE ALLIES
American troops facing the German assault, 16th December 1944

              US 1st Army                             US 3rd Army
           (General Hodges)                        (General Patton)
                   |                                       |
         +-------------------+                   +-------------------+
         |                   |                   |                   |
    US 5th Corps        US 8th Corps        US 3rd Corps       US 12th Corps

    78th Division      106th Division        9th Armd.Div.     10th Armd.Div.
     9th Division       28th Division                           4th Division
     2nd Division
    99th Division


Later reinforcements

US 1st Army:
1st Division, 30th Division, 3rd Armoured Division, 7th Armoured Division,
84th Division, 2nd Armoured Division.
US 3rd Army:
4th Armoured Division, 28th Division, 9th Armoured Division
Reserves:
101st Airborne Division, 82nd Airborne Division.
British forces allocated:
29th Armoured Brigade, 6th Airborne Division.


The planned German breakout
[see BULGEMAP.GIF]


PLAYING THE GAME

The aim of the game is to gain control of the road to Antwerp.
Explore the scrolling screen - you'll find it in the top left-
you are now about 60 kilometres from Antwerp. The game is
real-time when played against the computer (and all movements are
real-time in the two player game). Use the 'pause' button to work out
your moves if necessary - it gives you time to think. You have a global
map to see the overall state of affairs and a detailed battle map. You can
move your units around the battlefield using the joystick and/or
keyboard.
	Note the state of the weather, the terrain, the ammunition
and fuel levels, morale and the weapons involved - all influence the
value of any one move.


Movement
The following factors influence the speed of movement:
a) Armour moves faster than infantry.
b) Allied armour moves faster than German armour.
c) Mechanised infantry (German) moves as armour but fights as
   infantry.
d) Artillery moves as infantry (to simulate limbering/unlimbering etc.)
e) Speed of movement of armour is greatly reduced when moving
   through forests, hills and crossing rivers.
f) Allied aircraft disrupt supply lines and reduce German
   movement allowance.
g) If the fuel depot at Spar is not captured by December 22 all
   German units move and fight at half strength until it is
   captured. (If destroyed by the Allies, Germans will continue at
   half strength.)
	Remember all the units keep moving as you give your
orders - it's real time. Keep your eyes on the intelligence reports, they
might be vital.


Engaging Enemy Units
All movement commands to your forces are either given by joystick or
keyboard (redefinable). Remember, units cannot be directly accessed
in the global map and movement orders can be given to units which
will take most of the game to execute if left unaltered.
	Move your cursor sight over a selected unit or town. When it is
correctly positioned the sight will change colour.
a) Green to black if over an Allied unit.
b) Green to yellow if over a German unit.
c) Green to red if over a town.
Then press Fire Button (or Space Bar)
a) If you are over an enemy unit it will print the name and
   strength of the unit.
b) If over a town it will state the name of the town and by whom
   it is controlled and its points value.
c) If over your own unit it will state its name and strength and
current status (stationary, advancing, engaged etc.).

If your unit is advancing a white flashing cursor sight will show the
direction of advance as far as the edge of the screen; this white sight
will NOT scroll the map. To leave the Orders unchanged simply press
the Fire Button or Space a second time and the legend will disappear
allowing normal movement of the cursor sight.
	To change orders or give initial orders do NOT press Fire
Button/Space Bar a second time. Instead move the sight by the keys
or joystick in the direction you wish to move; a short beep indicates
everything is in order and the sight changes to green. You may now
move the sight and the unit as far as you wish (the map will scroll if
necessary). Press the Fire Button (or Space Bar) and a lower tone beep


Computer War Zone
[see BULGEMAP.GIF]


will be given. (Note the cursor will not release a unit until this lower
tone beep has been registered.) The legend is now removed from the
foot of the screen and you can access another unit.

Units next to each other on the map automatically engage. Casualties
are calculated by the respective strength of individual units, their
preset fighting values, and allowance for other units engaged in the
combat. Casualties are continually updated on the strength display,
and combat will continue until one unit is wiped out or its morale
threshold forces it to retreat. You can always give orders to move away
from the combat if the line is clear, but remember:

a) The fighting values of armoured units are greatly enhanced if
   they engage infantry on open ground.
b) Infantry units enhance their fighting values and reduce their
   casualties when fighting in a town (i.e. positioned on a "town
   square").
c) Armoured units reduce their fighting values when fighting in
   towns.
d) German artillery will give its support to a nearby unit by
   moving the movement cursor sight until it is positioned over
   the German unit it wishes to support, and then pressing the
   button. The greater the distance to the unit to be supported,
   the lower is the value of this support. If an artillery unit is
   directly engaged by an Allied unit it will fight at one-eighth its
   nominal strength (Note - there are no separate artillery units
   for the Allies; these have been absorbed in the strengths and
   calculations of the existing units).
e) The fighting efficiency of German SS Panzer units is greater
   than other Panzer units of similar strength to reflect the
   inclusion of some Tiger II tanks among these units.


Additional instructions for two player game Version

1. The game is not played in real time. Both parties have an
   unlimited time to input their orders (Germans first, then
   Allies).
2. When both sets of orders have been given, real-time begins for
   all unit movements. These can be followed on either the battle
   map or the global map.
3. In order to simulate surprise attack, the Allies do not have the
   chance to input initial orders.
4. We suggest that an agreed time period is used for the order
   phase for each player. Mind you, planning the campaign
   probably took the Germans some time.
5. The pause command does not work during the order phase.


SYMBOLS
[see BULGEMAP.GIF]


Keys and Commands

COMMAND                    CBM64          SPECTRUM

Switch to global map       F1             G
Switch back to battle map  F7             B
Switch to Option menu      Restore        CAPSHIFT/SPACE
for Save/Quit, etc.
Pause                      Horizontal     CAPSHIFT
                           Cursor
Restart                    Vertical       SYMBOLSHIFT
                           Cursor
Up                         Q              Q
Down                       A              A
Left                       O              O
Right                      P              P
Give orders                SPACEBAR       SPACE
End order phase            F3+F5 together E+M together
(2-player version)
Joystick controls          Port 2         Kempston/Cursor type
                           (fire button to give orders and move units)


VICTORY HINTS

The key to survival and victory is information. Without the
correct interpretation of the incoming data you'll not get
anywhere. So use the pause button to halt all the movement to
allow you to look around the maps. That will give you time to make
your decisions.
	Watch and examine all the maps. The global one is
especially useful in the two player version. Remember your cursor
sight will reappear on the scrolling battle map in the same area as on
the exit point from the global map. Pay attention to the messages
scrolled across the top of the screen and keep a brief checklist of  every
unit as it is destroyed.
	Try to give all the units long term movement objectives
rather than attempting to constantly update short term orders  -
strategy is the key; of course short term tactics are important but keep
to the objectives you set yourself.
	When starting the game, select the colours most suitable
for your TV - you can change the background and both armies'
colours. Then use the demonstration mode to get a feel for the game.
Study the maps and the terrain. Get to know the values of the towns.
Some of them, particularly in the North-West, are worth many more
points. Now examine your stationary units - you'll see the ones
without current orders will "flash" on the global map. Put the cursor
sight on the unit and go back to the battle map, direct to that unit.
Weigh up the pros and cons of different moves carefully. For instance,
armour moves slowly through forests and towns, but there are
generally more bridges in a town if you need to cross a river.
	The program has the facility to set your own criteria. Points
are awarded for each town held.
	Keep cool and keep your wits about you. Read up on the
way history turned out. Then try changing it!







Acknowledgements
Battle and combat design:               Ken Baker
Programming and screen design:          David Bolton and Colin Gordon
Game development masterminded by:       Lothlorien
Marketing:                              Argus Press Software Group
