Fenn Captures His First Breakout Tournament!

This year the Breakout: Normandy Tournament had 22 participants, close to what we have been averaging over the last few years

In the Championship Game, Jim Eliason, a two time previous winner, had the Germans, versus Scott Fenn, who had never won before, as the Allies.

The 6th of June started out right for Scott: Merville fell on the first DR for his first VP. The Allies naval and air bombardments flipped all but one Omaha unit. During the landings, the Brits cleared all of their beaches with just a few disrupted units and ultimately cleared Bretteville, thereby threatening Tilly and Villars. On the US side, however, while the Omaha attack caused 7 CP’s, all 3 regiments of the 4th division at Utah ended up as d1. Overall, it was a pretty good day for the Allies.

On the 7th, Scott’s British naval guns flipped all 4 fresh units in Caen. Jim responded by sending one regiment of the 12SS Scott, in what could have been a decisive move, declared a double impulse into Caen and had a 22-7 attack: with 15 possible German CP’s there, an even DR would have cleared it. Unfortunately for Scott, he rolled down three, and Caen was saved for now. In response, Jim began sending his Panzer Lehr and 12SS units into Caen and surrounding Areas on the Eastern side of the board and was largely successful in these attempts. Scott’s response was to execute the usual “triple play” at Omaha and thereby immediately regain the Advantage for the Allies. Jim responded by blowing the A31/A33 causeway on his first try. The day ended on impulse 9, with the Allies taking Trevieres and A32 as well as taking Utah Beach with an attack by the 90th division.

The 8th began with a bombardment of Isigny and subsequent Allied assault that cleared that area of 3 units and thereby gaining an additional impulse. It was not clear if Jim had noticed it, but Scott certainly did: St. Lo was now manned by just one d2 unit. Scott attacked, failed, flipped the Advantage, but failed again. It was another great chance by the Allies to place an almost certain lock on the game but fail. But other good things were to happen for the Allies with the board now looking like a sea of red from the numerous d2 crosses on Jim’s Germans. The Brits overran Tilly for another VP. The 4th division and 90th cleared St. Mere Eglise for yet another. And slashing through Balleroy, more Brits contested Caumont, yet another VP area.

On the 9th Carentan was finally contested after being delayed by the failed D-Day assault and, certainly, opportunities elsewhere. Scott made a 16-8 assault on Caumont, but once again a possible game breaking roll eluded him. Later the Allies contested Foret, another VP area, and finally took Bayeux for 2 more VP’s. Jim, surveying the board and being a veteran of many prior Breakout games, could probably see that his outlook was very bleak indeed, and surrendered at this point. Scott was the new champion and a first time one at that.