John Popiden and Alan Hayes refight the bulge.	The Sinigaglio boys, Frank & Vinnie, do the family feud thing.

While most of us are fighting a different type of "bulge" problem, WBC remains the place for grognards to meet and vie over the AH classic Battle of the Bulge, 1981 edition. A few classic style war games are hanging with the newer games, as they provide an easy sojourn into some tense competition.
 
Open Swiss Phase
 
A total of 27 games were played in the preliminary rounds by 20 different participants, allowing Battle of the Bulge 1981 to crack the Century threshold for the eighth consecutive doncon. Contributing to this success is the flexible format pioneered by El Lingle that allows grognards looking for tournament games to play after they have been eliminated elsewhere.
 
Of the 27 games played in the preliminary rounds, only ten were won by the Germans. In the SE playoffs the Germans won two of three for an overall tournament total of Germans 12 - Americans 18. The eight-turn tournament scenario developed by Randy Heller has been playing right near 50-50 for 18 years. The results since Bruno took over for our late friend John Grant in 2003 are now Germans 99 and Americans 95. Making it to the Final Four was perennial hard luck runner-up Forest Pafenberg (48 points), 2006 champ Bill Morse (44 points), frequent semi-finalist John Clarke (40 points) and last, but not least, two time champ Phil Evans (38 points) who has been kidnapped and taken to France by a beautiful French partisan.
 
Single Elimination Phase
 
In the first semi-final, Forest Pafenberg's Germans attacked long time friend Phil Evans 'unfriendly Amis. It was obvious that Paffy has missed his weekly game sessions with Phil as evidenced by the smile on his face as he and Phil argued throughout the game and even though Phil's moves stifled Paffy's advances all over the board. The German attacks on 16AM did not fare well. The 395th , 393rd  and 12th Infantry were tied up in Engaged battles, while the 422nd inf, 112th inf and 9CCA were eliminated by exchanges. Normally, the elimination of 112th Inf and 9CCA plus the engaging of the 12th Infantry would spell disaster for the Americans; however, many lousy rolls by Paffy in the other attacks allowed units to shift from the center to the south to bolster the southern defense. The US fell back slowly, limiting surrounds, while suffering few exchanges. On 17PM the Allies built the fort in Bastogne and placed three units within - it was never in danger of falling. Forts were also built in Malmedy, Vielsalm, Houfallize and Trois Ponts. Only Malmedy fell and that on 19AM. The total US losses were only 14 units. It was a tough game for Paffy, but not as bad as the Final in 2003, when Paffy rolled zero kills of the Amis on the 16AM turn - a one time event in 802 chances of occurrence.
 
In the other semi-final, Bill Morse's Germans attacked John Clarke. The Americans were totally disrupted on 16AM with a spectacular opening by Bill. The 395th infantry was engaged and seven units were eliminated by various means. As a result, John's 16AM American line was too thin and too many units were placed in sacrificial positions to plug holes. On 16PM another five American units were eliminated and John could not stop free German movement to the west on the German 17AM turn, even with Allied air interdiction. John thus surrendered and Bill Morse moved into the Final versus Monsieur Evans.
 
The Championship: Phil Evans' Germans vs Bill Morse's Americans.
 
The German 16AM attacks trapped three units in the north and eliminated four more in the north and center. In the south the 110th Infantry was exchanged, but the other three units in the south escaped. Overall, the US barely formed an acceptable line. On 16PM, the Allies again barely formed a line.
 
On 17AM and 17PM major breakthroughs by the Germans are averted in the north, but the American dead pile grows rapidly. The American player maintains a stubborn defense in the north, but a strong German artillery concentration in the center allows the Germans to take Bastogne on 18PM.
 
On 19AM the Krauts capture an Ourthe River bridgehead and Eupen giving them five victory points - one more than needed for a German win. Congratulations are in order for Phil Evans who first won a doncon Bulge 81 championship in 1994 - 15 years ago. This plaque is his third in Bulge '81 - we hope to see him win a few more - even if he is French.

John Clarke and Pat Mirk keep the Grognards room humming. The classic hex games of yesteryear are still played all week at WBC.	Phil Evans (left), our transplanted Virginian-turned-Frenchman, hops the pond to top John Morse for his third Bulge title.