September 1st, 1939... War had come to Europe again, and the Polish Army was fighting for survival as the Germans unveiled a new form of warfare...blitzkrieg.   In the so-called "Polish Corridor", the German 20th Motorized Infantry Division was surging eastward toward  the vital crossroads at Chojnice.  The Polish 9th Infantry Division had fought the vanguard to a standstill, but casualties were mounting and ammunition was low.  The famed Uhlans of the "Pomorska" Cavalry Brigade were ordered to extricate their countrymen.  Little did they realize that German armor was also nearing the scene.

April 9th, 1940... Now it was Norway's turn.  The capture of the Norwegian King Haakon would be a coup of the first order, and plans were instituted to take him at his capital.  But German plans were torn asunder by the torpedoes that ripped the Bluecher.  In desperation, the German air attaché to the embassy in Oslo rushed to Fornebu, commandeering two companies of German paratroopers landing there.  Loaded aboard buses, they set out to capture the King - who was fleeing to the Norwegian Army headquarters at Hamar.  But, along the way, the Germans ran headlong into a rag-tag band of heroes who were determined that they would not pass.

May 10th, 1940... Operation Niwi was an audacious German plan to land several hundred men of the SS Regiment "Deutschland" by light plane to seize vital crossroads deep in the Ardennes.  One group, coming to ground near the village of Witry, moved forward through the deep woods. Would boldness and cunning be enough to overcome the Belgian "Chasseurs d'Ardennais charged with denying the roads of the region to the enemy?  Or would the elite Belgian troops, adept at operating in the forests of their homeland, give the SS a bloody nose?

April 9th, 1941... Caught unprepared by the invasion of 49 enemy divisions, the Yugoslavian army was trying desperately to mobilize.  But in this country of divided loyalties and poor communications, confusion and despair were endemic.   On the third day of the Balkan blitzkrieg, leading elements of the 8th Panzer Division descended on Alibunara - mobilization center for several Yugoslavian formations.  Never short of courage, the 5th Yugoslavian Cavalry Regiment launched a desperate charge to divert the German iron fist.

This is THE LAST HURRAH - the sixth ASL module.   The eight scenarios contained herein focus on historical situations involving the early German blitzkriegs of World War II and the many nationalities that fought against the invaders.  Paratroopers, armor, air power, audacity and courage were the tools with which Germany planned to overrun the neutral nations of Europe.  and in less than two years, in actions as far apart as Norway and Crete, the German military accomplished all they had set out to do.  For the most part, the invaded neutrals (Poland, Norway, Belgium, the Netherlands, Yugoslavia and Greece) were defended by hastily-mobilized reservists stiffened by a few elite units.  The actions depicted in THE LAST HURRAH will challenge veteran ASL players to match the tenacity, audacity and victories on both sides in eight scenarios, recreating the German march of conquest.  Experience - as only ASL can let you - the desperate fighting of these first days of World War II.  Whether commanding German armor, Polish cavalry, Greek infantry, Belgian Chasseurs, Norwegian reservists or Luftwaffe paratroopers, if you're an ASL grognard, you're bound to find something pleasing in the wide spectrum of scenarios included in THE LAST HURRAH.   There is even a scenario pitting those age-old foes, the Poles and the Russians!

THE LAST HURRAH contains eight scenarios, one countersheet of Allied Minor infantry and support weapons - and two boards: 11, with revised artwork; and 33, which features open terrain and a large grainfield.  ASL, BEYOND VALOR and YANKS (for two scenarios) are needed to play these scenarios.

Contents: 

• Boards 3, 11, 33
• Scenarios 43-50
• 1 Counter Sheet

Time Scale:    2 minutes per Game Turn
Unit Scale:    5 to 10 men, plus individual leaders, vehicles, guns
Map Scale    40 meters per hex
Players:    2 (also suitable for solitaire or team play)
Playing Time:    Varies with scenario played; on average, three hours
Complexity:    High
Solitaire Suitability:    Low