Air Bridge to Victory: Operation Market-Garden, 1944

About this board game

Air Bridge to Victory: Operation Market-Garden, 1944 is a medium-complexity wargame for 2–4 players, with a listed playing time of 240 minutes. It covers the entire operation at battalion scale, using half-day turns and a map where each hex represents one mile.

The game brings maneuver combat, close assault, artillery bombardment, assault engineers, and air support together in a single combat-resolution system. Its initiative rules reflect the changing flow of the battle, while bridge-blowing and bridge-repair rules make crossings an important part of play.

• Introductory scenario: A shorter scenario designed to make the game easy to learn, playable in approximately 5–20 minutes.
• Tournament scenario: Focuses on the Battle for Arnhem and takes about 2–3 hours.
• Grand campaign: Covers the breakout of British XXX Corps and its attempt to relieve the 1st Airborne, with an estimated playing time of 4–10 hours.

Automatic victory conditions help ensure that each game can develop differently from the last. The system supports one to four players according to the published game description, while the listed BoardGameGeek player range is two to four.

Published in 1990, Air Bridge to Victory includes 300 die-cut counters, two mapsheets measuring 22×34 inches and 22×17 inches, a 16-page rule and scenario book, a ten-sided die, and a player aid card. The mapsheets contain the charts and tables; the box’s reference to four player aid cards is identified as a misprint.