The Frisby brothers squared off in the final for the fourth consecutive year.  Robert won as the Germans in 2000, and Bradford won as the Germans in 2001 and 2002.  This year Robert prevailed as the Germans. Is anyone seeing a trend?

The Allies invaded the Netherlands, destroying the Rotterdam fort on a 4-1 with a +2 DRM.  They also seized Amsterdam and attacked the dyke hex on second impulse.  The Germans began sending reinforcements to the area, and reoccupied Rotterdam with air support.

On June II the Allies seized Nice with a Ranger landing and air lifted a paratroop division to defend the city.  They also dropped paratroops east of the dyke hex to speed the advance on Groningen.  The Germans lacked the strength to attack Nice, but they launched several counterattacks in an effort to contain the Allied forces in the Netherlands.

On June III the Allies took Cannes and moved three infantry divisions into southern France to hold Cannes and Nice.  The Allies would hold these two cities for the duration, although German forces prevented them from taking additional cities in the area.

For the next several turns fierce battles raged near Rotterdam and Groningen as the Allies sought to expand their beachhead, and the Germans counterattacked to push them back.  Several Allied 4-1 and 5-1 attacks on German panzers in the Netherlands failed to yield DEs.  As a result, nearly all of the German armor survived to slow the Allied advance and launch a number of successful
counter attacks.  The Allies tried to take Bremen with a daring paratroop assault, but due to unlucky die rolls all of the paratroops were destroyed in the landings or in the battle with the Bremen Volkssturm.

On July I a storm slowed the Allied advance, as more German troops converged on the Netherlands.  By July III the Allies held Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Cannes, and Nice, and needed only two more cities to win.  With no more paratroop or Ranger landings available, and only Groningen within reach, the Allies conceded.

In the semi-final round, Robert Frisby played against Bill Riggs. Frisby's Allies invaded the 7th Army district and took Cherbourg on June I.  The Allies gradually expanded their beachhead and eventually took every city in the district other than Brest.

In the Quarter-final round, Robert Frisby played against Chris Godfrey. Godfrey's Allies invaded the 7th Army district and took Brest on June II and Lorient on June IV.  The Germans formed a line that prevented the Allies from taking St. Malo or Rennes, and a paratroop and Ranger assault on Caen failed to hold the city due to German counterattacks.

In the first round, Robert Frisby played against Jim Tracy. Tracy's Allies invaded the 1st Army district and took La Rochelle on June II.  The Allies took Bordeaux but were unable to destroy the fort in A16, which had been reinforced with German Panzer units.  The Allies eventually took six cities, but were unable to hold them against German counterattacks.

This year the Germans won the majority of the games, even with the rule modifications designed to even the play balance. Next year it may be desirable to further modify the rules to achieve better play balance.