Operation Grenade: The Battle for the Rhineland 23 Feb. – 5 Mar. ’45

About this board game

Operation Grenade: The Battle for the Rhineland 23 Feb. – 5 Mar. ’45 is a two-player simulation of the U.S. Ninth Army’s February 1945 offensive in the Rhineland area of Germany, with an approximate playing time of 240 minutes.

The U.S. player earns victory points by occupying German towns and bridges on the Rhine River. The total number of points gained determines the level of victory for both players, making the struggle for key locations central to the game’s outcome.

Operation Grenade uses the standard rules of the Victory in the West game system alongside exclusive rules created for this specific operation. Together, these materials present the February 23 to March 5, 1945 campaign as a focused two-player historical simulation.

The game includes:

• A 22″ × 34″ mapsheet
• Standard Victory in the West system rules
• Exclusive rules for Operation Grenade
• 245 half-inch counters

First published in issue #84 of Strategy & Tactics magazine in 1981, the game reflects the magazine-based wargaming format of its original release. Its publication history continued with a republication in issue #133 of Command Magazine Japan in 2017.

For two players, Operation Grenade offers a detailed tabletop treatment of a specific World War II offensive. Its victory-point system ties control of towns and Rhine bridges directly to the final result, while the dedicated mapsheet, counters, and operation-specific rules support the game’s historical focus.