Unfortunately, you are correct. The last 3 times I've traveled to Europe (from the US), I've tried getting "normal" award tickets (without the BA fuel surcharge) to no avail, and I'm a HUGE planner ... I search for tickets at 5 AM 330 days out ... nope! Never a first class award available without using BA aircraft. I've simply accepted that my trips to Europe will cost me $1000+ per ticket, and try to tell myself that it's still a cheap ticket to fly on a 787-9 in first and enjoy a few hours in the Concorde Room in London during the inevitable layover.
It's frustrating, but it's the world of FF miles ... they are getting harder and harder to use, and cost more and more to redeem.