I recently played 2 scenarios of the "Long Shot". Got creamed in a team game with EA off and as Allies. Managed a Major Victory as the Allies with EA on and by not attacking Arnhem. After both games I checked the scenario OB against the OBs of September 44, and it is my best guess that the Allies were possibly half strength, and that would include XXX Corps and all of the para units, British, Polish and American.
I removed all of the Allied units from the Map and OB and replaced them with a full strength XXX Corps and full strength para units. OB West stayed the same and in their original positions. All of the Axis reinforcements also stayed the same. I also upgraded the Allied air to 40 and the Allied smoke to 60. Also provide the Polish paras with rafts. The map stayed the same. Lastly I changed the date to Sunday, September 17, 1944.
Forget most of what you saw in the movie B2F, there were actually 3 British Corps attacking simultaneously, XXX Corps in the middle, 8th British Corps on the right flank and the 12th British Corps on the left flank. In this scenario, and with both XXX Corps and the paras being half strength, you have to divert 1/4 of the XXX Corps armor just to beat of the hordes of axis units attacking south of Nijmegen. To capture Arnhem may be a lost cause using the original OB, but with the full strength OBs. it may now be possible but will still be a blood bath. I think is is essential to have XXX Corps full strength not only for historical reasons but to actually show how congested and slow moving it was to get up the single road and how it could cause a log jam.
If anyone is interested in the files send email to
[email protected] and I will send them in a zip. Just label the email header "LS" for Long Shot
Cheers
Joe