Our Campaign of Market Garden

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Sounds like XXX Corps is almost being successful!

[MartinKnight1333]

Our Market Garden campaign continued with the Battle for the Road Bridge at Nijmegen.  We had five players in this very large game.  To fit the table and number of players, we scaled the game so that one company in the game represented one battalion in the campaign.

The British brief stated that at 1600 hours on 19 September, 2nd Guards Armored Battalion (The Grenadier Guards), along with 129th (Wessex) Brigade and supported by engineers, would storm the Road Bridge over the Waal River at Nijmegen.  After establishing a bridgehead in the town of Lent on the north side of the river, this force was to continue moving north for another six kilometers, until linking up with 1st Airborne Division at Elst.  Two regiments of SP artillery were in support. The German brief provided a rear area security battalion, the 10th SS recon battalion, and the 9th SS panzer grenadier battalion to defend the bridge and the north bank of the river.  The Germans had been holding this position for three days and would be well dug in.  Two battalions of artillery were on call for support.
Special Terrain Effects:

The Road Bridge was very high above the river and the land below it, and that affected how teams on top of the bridge could be seen by teams below.  Teams under the bridge or within 4" of it could not see the top at all (and exerted no zone of control onto the bridge).  Teams 4-16" from the bridge could only see teams that were in the lane on that side of the bridge.  Teams 16-24" from the bridge could see teams on that side of the bridge as well as teams in the center lane of the bridge.  Teams beyond 24" from the bridge could see any teams on the bridge.  And vice-versa for teams looking down from the bridge.  Also, the sides of the bridge provided cover from incoming direct fire, and ranging-in indirect fire onto the bridge was more difficult.

The ramp coming down from the Road Bridge was very high with very steep sides.  Thus the sides of the ramp were impassible to vehicles -- the ramp could only be exited at the bottom, when it reached ground level.  The high railway embankment is similarly impassible.

The river could be crossed using the engineers' small boats (totaling 26 historically), depicted with five boat models.  Each of the three larger boat models by definition carried a platoon, and the two smaller boat models marked the two ends of the line of boats as they crossed the water.  After reaching the far shore, the infantry would disembark the next turn between the two end boats.  Boat models could move 8 inches on land (carried) and/or on water (paddled).  Boats also drifted one inch downstream for every two inches of movement on the water.

Boats could be shot at by small arms and artillery.  Unsaved small arms hits would be marked with dice placed next to the boats.  Any artillery hits on a boat would hit three infantry teams, and any unsaved hits would be similarly marked with dice.  Upon disembarking, each platoon removed the number of lost teams corresponding to the dice next to their boat.  For every ten teams lost while in the boats, one large boat model would be lost (thus unavailable for future crossings).  Empty boats could move to the south shore with their inherent crews and pick up additional platoons.

The jumping off point for the boat crossing could be any area of the table on the south side of the river that offered concealment from the north side, or from anywhere along the table edge south of the river.  The boats would be carried from the JOP to the river, and then paddled once in the water.  Land and water movement of boats could be combined in a single turn, up to the 8" total allowance.  The British commanders had to secretly designate the location of the JOP after seeing the German set up, and also determine on which turn the crossing would begin.

Objectives:  To win, the British must capture the Road Bridge and cross the river, and then establish a secure bridgehead north of the river, with both tanks and infantry incorporated into the bridgehead.  If possible, the combined British force is to then press on to the north to link up with 1st Airborne at Elst.  Full darkness is at 1940 hours, so there are only 11 game turns to accomplish this.  The German objective is to stop the British.  For both sides, killing the enemy is also desirable, but one's own casualties are less of a consideration -- this is a win at all costs mission.

German Deployment:  The Germans emplaced both of their Security platoons and their three SS PzGd. platoons, along with their HMG nests and 20mm AA nests, in trenches along the top of the dike to guard against a river crossing, with a few teams in each platoon dug in behind the dike.  These platoons stretched nearly the length of the river, with a few small gaps between them.  The Germans cleverly placed two HMG nests under the Road Bridge and one HMG nest under the Rail Bridge where they would be invulnerable to indirect fire.  One SS 75mm PaK40 was placed in the bunker by the dike with a view of the eastern side of the Road Bridge, and the second PaK40 was held in ambush.  The SS Pioneer platoon and the Panzerschrek team were deployed at the bottom end of the ramp, with some teams dug in and others in the nearby houses of the town.  The Security company's PaK38 was placed behind the chicane on the ramp, their mortar platoon was deployed in and behind the Hof van Holland fortification, and their 88 was dug in on top of the rail embankment where it could hit the bridge at long range.  The two PzGd. platoons in the SS recon company were on the road at the rear of the table in their vehicles so they could rapidly deploy.  The tanks and armored cars were off table in delayed reserve and could enter on any roads from the German baseline.  The Germans placed one FO in the church tower, one FO in the bunker on the rail embankment, and the mortar FO on top of the rail embankment.

British Deployment and Plans:  The British deployed one mortar platoon on the road embankment and one on the bridge embankment.  Two HMG platoons deployed in the buildings along the Nijmegen waterfront.  From these locations, the mortars and HMGs could provide fire support for the river crossing, which was planned to jump off from behind the waterfront on Turn 2, in the central sector of the table.  One infantry company waited off table to form the first wave of the crossing, and a second company waited to the left of the first company to form the second wave when the boats returned, further downstream.  The crossing of the bridge was to be led by the three WASP flame carriers of the engineers; their immediate task was to eliminate the Flak nest and the ATG at the other end of the bridge.  Close behind the WASPs would come two tank platoons, followed by the motor platoon, then two more tank platoons.  The third infantry company waited behind the armored column to cross the bridge on foot once it was captured, with their HMG carriers and towed ATGs at the rear of the column waiting to move forward and secure the bridgehead.  The British FOs occupied the tower of the Belvedere and the high tower of St. Stephen's Church, while the FO Shermans waited at the rear of the column to cross the bridge.  Everything was thus in place for a set piece attack in the center.


After Action Report:  The first British turn only consisted of conducting a preliminary bombardment with all guns, on preregistered targets along the dike on both sides of the bridge.  This bombardment killed a few teams and pinned the defenders.  On the German turn, all their platoons unpinned (there was one fewer team in the Security platoon!), and awaited the coming onslaught.

On Turn 2, the bombardment continued as the British attack began.  The WASPs led the armored column across the bridge as a smoke screen landed across the far end of the bridge and over a portion of the dike on either side.  (Smoke screens in the game stretch in a line for 16 inches.  Smoke screens provide cover, and units cannot see more the six inches through smoke.  Each artillery and mortar battery may fire one smoke bombardment per game.)  The smoke screen across the bridge provided some protection for the boats, which came running out of the streets of the city, across the quay, and into the water.  More crucially for the boats, the repeated bombardment left the Germans with more dead along the dike, and two pinned platoons at the point of the crossing.  The German fire at the boats was thus diminished, and thanks to some good saving rolls, the British only lost one team.

Turn 3 saw the WASPs roll through the renewed smokescreen and engage the Flak nest and the PaK38 with their flamethrowers.  The nest succumbed immediately, but the ATG saved the flame hit!  The gun crew then unpinned and in the German turn knocked out one WASP.  This was a serious check to the British plan, because the 2-inch "zone of control" of the gun blocked the passage through the chicane -- nothing could pass through until the gun was eliminated.  Meanwhile, the boats reached the far side of the river.  The smoke screen was extended to cover the dike in front of the boats, which only lost two more passenger teams to German fire.

Turn 4 saw continued British frustration on the bridge.  The remaining two WASPs hit the ATG three more times, and it again made every save (and saves against flame hits require two successful rolls -- the odds of saving four flame hits are less than 4%!).  The ATG in turn KO'd another WASP.  The river assault was going somewhat better.  A Company disembarked and First Platoon successfully assaulted the SS platoon to its left, gaining a foothold in the enemy trench.  Second Platoon passed through a gap between the SS and a Security platoon, and occupied some houses near the dike, and part of the trench.  Third Platoon's assault was repulsed by the defensive fire of the pinned Security platoon, along with the fire of the two HMG nests under the bridge.  Third Platoon was pinned and had to fall back to the water's edge.  The boats started making the return trip across the river to pick up B Company.  On this turn, the smokescreens lifted, and the German 88 on the rail embankment to the west and the Pak40 in the bunker to the east started firing on the bridge.  Fortunately for the British, it took these two powerful guns a few turns to find the range, and no tanks were hit.  German artillery was better aimed, and destroyed a halftrack of the motor platoon on the bridge with all of its passengers.  The Germans got their first unit from reserve and chose to bring in the SdKfz 222 platoon on the far right end of the dike road.

On Turn 5, the British dismounted the remaining teams in the motor platoon, and assaulted the die-hard ATG, finally eliminating it and opening the passage through the chicane.  On the dike, the British infantry continued to expand their enclave, mopping up light opposition in the houses, assaulting and eliminating the Security platoon from the landward side, and pushing down the trench line to the west.  The British had no intention of attacking toward the west, but wanted to get all their teams into hard cover, as German artillery had started to fall on them.  In the German turn, the Germans avenged the fallen gun crew on the bridge by dropping artillery on the dismounted motor platoon, killing half the remaining teams.  The 88 and the 75 continued to miss the massed tank target on the bridge.  To contain the British infantry at the river, the Germans dismounted and brought forward a PzGd. platoon from the recon company, and the SdKfz 222 armored cars sped along the dike road to engage the British left.  The Germans also began to pull the two PzGd. platoons back from the dike on their left, starting the long walk through the orchards to the town.  Both of these platoons had been weakened by the earlier bombardments, and they would suffer more casualties as they got closer to the action.  (The German Security platoon on the far west end of the dike apparently thought they were much safer on that side of the railway embankment, and never joined the battle.)  Lastly, the Germans brought their PzIVs in from reserve and they took up positions in the town, anticipating a move by British tanks down the ramp.

That move did not immediately happen, because the British commander on the bridge spent Turn 6 reorganizing, pulling back the last WASP and the motor platoon survivors and pushing Shermans up to the chicane and both sides of the bridge.  Recognizing that infantry would be required to take the town, the column commander ordered C Company to start crossing the bridge.  Tank fire knocked out the PaK40 bunker, and the 88 was brought under mortar fire but was not knocked out for several turns.  The British infantry on the river also had a slow turn as they brought massed artillery fire onto the newly arrived panzer grenadiers to their front.  This fire rapidly reduced this exposed platoon.  Meanwhile the second wave of infantry had started across the river, shot at by the German HMG nests that were still under the bridges, as well as German artillery, and losing four teams in the crossing.  The German 88 finally started scoring hits on the tanks on the bridge.  The last reserve of two 8-Rads entered the table on top of the rail line, which was an odd place for them to be.  The other German actions continued.

Turn 7 saw the first British push down the ramp.  A smoke screen blocked German fire, and four Shermans assaulted two dug in pioneer teams at the end of the ramp.  One Sherman was bailed by PF fire but the other three carried the position.  In the German turn, the Pak40 in ambush was revealed in the orchard to the east of the ramp, and one PzIV charged through the smoke to get a flank shot on a Sherman.  Only one Sherman at the base of the ramp was bailed, much to the Germans' frustration, but an assault by the rallied SS pioneers pushed back the two operational Shermans and the two bailed tanks were lost.  The pioneers then reoccupied the two houses that controlled the ramp exit.  More British tanks on the bridge were lost to the 88.  There was little progress by the British infantry at the river, as the halftrack mounted panzer grenadiers had moved forward to face them.

Turn 8 saw a fusillade of Sherman fire that resulted in the PzIV platoon being eliminated along with the PaK40 that had ambushed.  Two more Shermans on the bridge were lost to the 88.  C Company and two Sherman HQS tanks moved forward to prepare for the next assault on the town.  A and B Companies exchanged fire with the Germans to their front, and the direct route to the town was uncovered.  British artillery engaged targets of opportunity in and near the town, and German artillery failed to range in on the looming threat on the ramp.

On Turn 9 two C Company platoons moved into assault positions, but a blunder then occurred.  Due to mis-coordination between the two British commanders, the planned smoke bombardment did not arrive.  Thus C Company would have to assault the town without any cover.  The first platoon attempted it, and was riddled by accurate German defensive fire and pinned down.  The second platoon then thought better of it, and did not attack.  This left both platoons massed in the open and a prime target for every German in range.  Both German artillery batteries ranged in, and many small arms hits were attained, and the "poor bloody infantry" were removed by the handful.  The only small ray of sunshine for the British this turn was seeing the 88 finally knocked out by the mortars.  Meanwhile, both the British and Germans were starting to move troops from the fighting by the river to get closer to the fighting in the town.

As the day drew late on Turn 10, the British had no choice but to try again, this time with the smokescreen and the support of the last WASP, but with only half of the original assault troops.  The assault was a success, and the few remaining SS pioneers were eliminated, save for one last HMG.  One tiny British platoon consolidated into the two key houses as the Germans fell back.  However, in the German turn, the panzer grenadiers from the recon company that had moved toward the town during the previous turn were able to assault and retake the houses.

On the final turn, in the gathering darkness, one platoon from A Company and one platoon from B Company finally reached the edge of the town and prepared to assault.  British prep fire was accurate, killing some of the few remaining German teams, and a "Golden BB" rifle shot took out the last German HMG.  Everything was set for a belated British victory at the end of the day.  Then another mis-coordination occurred.  The last three teams of the Guards Motor Platoon in the armored column launched the first assault from the ramp, losing one team on the way in, and damn them, they won!  The Germans were forced to pull back from the two critical houses.  However, that left nobody for the full-sized infantry platoons of A and B Companies to assault, and they were thus unable to make a consolidation move after combat to occupy the objective houses in strength.  (One could just about hear the Wessex soldiers grumbling about the Guards hogging all the glory, and resentfully saying, "Well then let them have it!")  This enabled the last of the hard-core SS recon grenadiers to rally one more time and then smash the last two teams of the motor platoon, retaking the houses at the end of the final turn!

Aftermath:  With the ramp exit still in German control, the British could not fulfill their victory condition of linking up their tanks and infantry on the northern side of the bridge, and thus the game ended with a very hard fought, somewhat lucky, and by-the-slimmest-of-margins German victory! At first light the next day, the British tanks would be able to recross the bridge and get off the ramp.  The British tanks and infantry, along with any reinforcements, then could continue advancing to the north, to eventually link up with the British paras on "The Island" (the land between the Waal and Rijn Rivers).  The success of the next day's fight will depend on what reinforcements each side can commit to the battle, and I don't know what other forces they have, so we will have to see!

[Steve J]

Great AAR of what sounds like a cracking game .

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

That sounds awesome

[MartinKnight1333]

Next battles;
1. XXX Corps joining up with 1st Airborne.
2. 85th ID attacking 101st near Schindel and Veghel to cut the highway.

once XXX Cross a unit into Arnhem campaign ends.

[toxicpixie]

Dear those dastardly Germans and their loaded saving roll dice! Will it have just bought them enough time?!

[Poggle]

Excellent AAR!  Looking forward to more.

[MartinKnight1333]

Martin -- Four of us played the scenario on Friday.  Here is the report.
The XXX Corps reach Elst.

Objectives:  The brief called for XXX Corps' spearhead to form up and push north from its bridgehead across the Waal River at Nijmegen.  The objective was to link up as quickly as possible with the 1st Airborne Division at the town of Elst, on "The Island" (the flat polder land between the Waal and the Neder Rijn Rivers).  Opposing XXX Corps was a motorized force of panzer grenadiers from the 10th SS Division.  Thus in the game, the British were tasked with capturing at least one north-south road that would lead to Elst.  The Germans were ordered to hold all the roads to halt or delay the British advance.  H-Hour was set for 1000, and the British line of departure was the south edge of the table.

Forces:

Having taken about 40% casualties crossing the Waal, and down to 30% ammunition levels for its artillery, the XXX Corps force for the game was a Guards armored squadron with 14 Sherman tanks, and four infantry companies from the Wessex Division with a total of eleven infantry platoons, supported by carrier patrols, WASPs, HMGs, 3" and 4.2" mortars, one 6-pdr AT platoon and one 25-pdr battery.  All rated Confident Veteran.

Defending were three companies of SS panzer grenadiers with nine platoons, supported by ten HMGs, three Pak40 AT guns, one French 75 gun, two 8-rad ACs that had survived the last game, three StuG III assault guns, one 8.0 cm. mortar battery, and one 10.5 cm artillery battery.  All the German infantry platoons had limited panzerfausts and each company had one panzerschreck.  All rated Fearless Veteran.

Given the shortage of players for the game, we shortened the planned table by three feet, and deleted one platoon of SS infantry, which was assumed to be defending the deleted portion of the table.  We also limited the British to three possible routes of advance vice the four that were planned.

Terrain:  The table as played was 11 X 5 feet, with the long axis running east-west.  The terrain was determined by the G.S.G.S. map of the area, and informed by accounts of the historical battle on this ground.  The table was covered by flat polder fields and many orchards, which were bounded and crossed by numerous wet ditches (not depicted on the table).  In the southwestern corner of the table were the outskirts of the town of Oosterhout (the remainder of this town was the part of the table that was deleted).  In the center of the table was the small village of Ressen.  On the eastern side of the table was the town of Bemmel.  All three built-up areas had large churches, the towers of which were the only good observation points.  A rail line running north-south ran past the western side of Ressen.  The main north-south road from Nijmegen to Elst ran to the west of the rail line, and was designed Rte. 1 in the game.  Rte. 2 was a north-south secondary road running through Ressen.  Rte. 3 was two north-south roads that ran past and through Bemmel.  (Rte. 4 would have run through Oosterhout but was not in play.)  One east-west road linked these roads and the three towns.  The rail line and all of the roads were on 6-10 foot high embankments.  These embankments were not modeled on the table, but their effect was to block ground-level lines of sight across the rail line and the roads.  Due to the boggy ground and ditches, vehicles could only move via the roads.  Infantry that moved half or less of its movement allowance were assumed to be using the ditches as hard cover.

German Deployment:  The German main line of defense ran in an arc along the west-east road from Ooosterhout, though Ressen, to Bemmel, taking advantage of the cover provided by the orchards, ditches, embankments and buildings.  The Germans deployed one company with two platoons and two HMGs to hold the area from Oosterhout to the main road (Rte 1), with a FO in the church tower and a mortar battery to the rear.  The second company deployed one platoon and two 8-rad ACs between the main road and the railway, and two platoons in Ressen, with four HMGs attached to the platoons.  The church tower in Ressen held a second FO.  The third company had one somewhat isolated platoon in the wide space between Ressen and Bemmel, and two platoons in Bemmel, with four HMGs attached to the platoons.  Hidden in ambush were two PaK40s covering Rte. 1, one PaK40 and the French 75 in Ressen covering Rte. 2, and three StuG IIIs behind the church in Ressen. 

British Deployment and Plan:  Before seeing the German set up, the British commanders had to commit their forces to the three possible routes of advance.  This was because of the lack of east-west roads in the British forming up area.  The British decided to commit A Company with two platoons and a HMG platoon, supported by a Sherman platoon to Rte. 1.  As the role of this force was to pin the German defenders on this side of the table, the British delayed its entry until such time as the German defenders were observed to be moving away.  The main British efforts would be along Rtes. 2 and 3.  B Company with three platoons, HMG platoon, carrier patrol and 3" mortar battery would advance along Rte. 2 to capture Ressen and the road beyond.  One Sherman platoon, the two HQS Shermans, and the three WASPs were committed to Rte. 2 to support this attack.  C Company would push two platoons, an HMG platoon and a carrier patrol between Ressen and Bemmel to maneuver as required, and its third platoon with another carrier patrol and supported by a 3" mortar battery would advance on Bemmel and initially contain the German forces there.  D Company with three platoons, HMG carrier platoon, and ATG platoon would be held in reserve to enter behind C Company and complete the capture of Rte. 3.  One Sherman platoon was also commited to Rte. 3.  All tanks would be held off table until the German antitank assets were located.  The 4.2" mortar battery and 25-pdr battery were in general support.

Battle Report:

At H-Hour, the British put their plan into motion, with the infantry of B and C companies entering the table.  The three carrier patrols moved at full speed -- two patrols along the two roads that converged at Ressen, and one patrol toward Bemmel.  Their task was to try to unmask any hidden German AT guns and StuGs along those routes.  The Germans responded with an artillery barrage that knocked out one carrier and pinned a platoon in C Company.  Otherwise, the Germans stayed gone to ground in their positions.

The advance of the British infantry continued a bit more slowly as they neared the German positions, taking advantage of the ditches for hard cover.  The carriers pushed deeper into the German lines, which provoked a major reaction.  The German StuG commander moved his three StuGs from their hidden position behind the Ressen church to the intersection in order to fire down the road at a carrier patrol.  The carriers were swiftly eliminated, but this left the StuGs in an exposed position.  The British in their turn brought on a tank platoon led by two Fireflies.  Their fire down the road killed one StuG and bailed another.  Very unfortunately for the StuG commander, the bailed StuG failed to remount (rolled a 1), which left him stuck at the intersection.  The operational StuG fired on the British and bailed a Firefly.  British return fire was ineffective, but the two Sherman 75s successfully laid smoke to block the next German shots.  The bailed StuG failed to remount again!  The operational StuG moved forward through the smoke to take one shot that missed.  The smoke then lifted and the fire of the Fireflies killed the two StuGs.  The only mobile German AT unit had been destroyed!

About this same time, the PaK40 and the French 75 in Ressen were located.  The PaK40 was brought under indirect fire.

Meanwhile, the isolated German platoon between Ressen and Bemmel pulled back behind the embankment of the east-west road to avoid British fire.  This opened a gap in the German line that the British infantry raced to exploit.  One platoon of C Company angled toward Ressen and overran the French 75.  This platoon then joined the fight for Ressen.  The second platoon of C Company and the HMG platoon continued to put pressure on the withdrawing German platoon, which continued to slowly fall back through the open fields to the German baseline, using the ditches for cover. 

On Rte. 3, the carrier patrol had bypassed Bemmel and reached the far end of the table without revealing any AT guns, so the British Shermans on Rte. 3 were given orders to advance on Bemmel.  British mortar fire ranged in on the two German platoons in Bemmel, who decided to vacate the forward part of the town.  This rearward movement slowly continued until both platoons reached the German baseline near where Rte. 3 exited the table.  The third platoon of C Company, followed by the Shermans and D Company, pressed after the Germans as they fell back.

In Ressen, the PaK40 finally succumbed, which gave the green light to the Shermans and the WASPs to advance in close support of the infantry.  The Germans defending Ressen church held out a long while, with artillery and mortar fire having little effect on them, and they even killed a Sherman with a panzerfaust.  However, B Company eventually captured the church after its first assault failed.

At the main road, one German platoon crossed the rail line to form a new defensive position along Rte. 2 behind Ressen, while the other two platoons and the two PaK40s remained in place, holding Rte. 1.  With Rte. 1 still being well defended, British command kept A Company and its supporting platoon of Shermans off the table for the remainder of the game, and this area of the table saw no action.

In the end game, the British consolidated their hold on Ressen, while bringing their Shermans, WASPs and additional infantry forward to imminently attack the Germans along Rte. 2 behind the village.  Behind Bemmel, the isolated platoon in the fields was destroyed by 4.2" mortar barrages, while the other two platoons were under fire from infantry, HMGs, Shermans, and a 25-pdr barrage.  The German commanders could see that it was just a matter of time before their last blocking forces were eliminated.  Thus we called the game after four hours of play, deeming it a British victory!

Aftermath:  We played 12 turns, which equate to four hours of campaign time, and we estimated that it would take three more game turns to eliminate the last German defenders along Rtes. 2 and 3, which would equate to another hour of campaign time.  From the German baseline, the nearest buildings of Elst are about 1500 yards away (45 inches at the scale of our table).  Moving at full game speed, it would take about an hour for the leading tanks to move from the game table to Elst.  Thus, with the battle starting at 1000 hours, the leading elements of XXX Corps would make contact with 1st Airborne Division at 1600 hours, with the remainder of the force following close behind, in strength.  The main road to Elst was still in German hands, but those defenders were isolated, and two secondary routes to Elst were opened.  This seems like a significant Allied victory in the campaign.

Losses on both sides were relatively light.  The limited fields of fire, the general lack of artillery, and the abundance of hard cover limited infantry casualties.  The Germans lost about three infantry platoons in the game along with three StuGs, one PaK40, one French 75, and a few HMGs.  They would have lost three more infantry platoons in the continuation (had they stayed to fight).  The British lost just under three infantry platoons, three carrier patrols, and one Sherman 75 tank.

So that was that.  Our next WW2 game is in two weeks.  What is next for us?

Cheers, Tony

[Steve J]

Another great AAR Tony .

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Fab report, well done XXX Corps

[toxicpixie]

What they said, well executed assault on hard targets there, and without the benefit of much supporting indirect fires!

[MartinKnight1333]

Yesterday's big game was a fitting end to a great campaign.  The British smashed through the German defenses and broke out of Arnhem.  Here is the battle report.

According to the brief, XXX Corps had reached Arnhem in force, crossing to the north side of the river and joining with the remaining 1st Airborne Division troops.  This combined force was ordered to push out of the battered bridgehead and break out of Arnhem to the ENE.  The German defenders, consisting of three SS infantry battalions supported by a company of King Tiger tanks, were ordered to stop any breakout.

Terrain:  The terrain on the 11 X 5 foot table was based on contemporary maps and aerial photographs.  The Neder Rijn River ran just off the southern edge of the table, and the Ijssel Rijn River ran along most of the eastern edge.  The western end of the table depicted the destroyed area of the city around the northern ramp of the Arnhem Road Bridge.  The middle of the table held the rail yard and the more intact sections of the city.  The eastern half of the table was mostly open polder land crossed by a main road on a dike and several secondary roads, with a factory complex near the river.  About 12 inches in from the northern edge of the table, a high railway embankment ran from the western to the eastern edges.  The five underpasses under the railway were the Objectives -- the capture of any one of these would enable the British to break out of the city into the open country beyond.

(Note:  The railway embankment was shown on the table with a cork underlay beneath the tracks, and the dike road was shown with low hedges along the road.  Both of these features blocked ground level line of sight across them.  Vehicles could only move on roads or on the open portions of city blocks.)

German Forces:  The defending German forces were described as three battalions of SS infantry with a Tiger company and three battalions of off-board artillery in support.  Running the game at 1/3 scale (so a platoon on the table represented three platoons in the campaign), this provided three SS infantry companies with a total of 9 platoons, 12 HMGs, 3 PaK40 ATGs, 8.0 cm mortar battery, 6 King Tigers, one 15.0 cm battery, and two 10.5 cm batteries.  The infantry had panzerfausts and three panzerschreck teams.  All were rated Fearless Veteran.

British Forces:  The attacking British forces were described as three battalions of Para infantry at half strength, one Guards armored regiment at half strength, one infantry brigade at half strength, plus one more Guards armored regiment at full strength, and one more infantry brigade at full strength, with off board artillery support (still limited by ammunition shortages).  In the game, at 1/3 scale, this massive force was represented by two Para companies with 6 platoons and one assault platoon (and no other support), six Infantry companies with 18 platoons, HMGs and 3" mortar support, one half-sized Armored company with 10 mixed Shermans, one full Armored company with 16 mixed Shermans, two 25-pdr batteries and one 5.5" battery.  The paras were rated Fearless Veteran and the others were rated as Confident Veteran.
German Deployment:  The Germans placed six infantry platoons, the mortar battery and two Pak40 ATGs in the urban ruins around the British bridgehead to defend Objectives One and Two.  Two more platoons were dug into the polder fields behind the railway embankment to defend Objectives Three and Four.  One platoon and one PaK40 were in the factory complex near the dike road, defending the route to Objective Five.  The six King Tigers were placed in pairs outside of town along the eastern edge of the city, in positions where they could fire down the streets or move to defend the dike road across the polder.

British Deployment and Plan:  The British concentrated all six of the para platoons to the NNW of the bridge.  Their task was to assault and turn the German right flank, then continue to advance along the railway to capture Objective One.  Nine platoons of regular infantry deployed to the ENE of the bridge.  Their task was to move through the undefended rail yard to turn the German left flank, while keeping pressure on the German center to eventually threaten Objective One and Objective Two.  Nine more infantry platoons were in reserve near the bridge, to be used as a breakthrough force where needed.  The half-company of Shermans was in the lead on the road beneath the bridge, tasked with moving into the town to support the infantry attacks.  The full company of Shermans was on the road behind them, tasked with moving out of the city along the dike road to the east to threaten Objective Five, with the expectation that they would draw the King Tigers away from the city.  The tower of St. Eusebius church provided the British FO with an excellent vantage point.

Battle Report:  On Turn 1, British artillery and mortars started to soften up the German defenders near Objective One.  This bombardment would continue with varying force throughout the game.  The British paras launched a series of close assaults, which swiftly cleared one block and, most importantly, captured the large, damaged house on the German right flank.  The leading British infantry moved into the undefended rail yard.  The Shermans started rolling, but their movement was slowed by debris on the road.  In their turn, the Germans answered with their artillery and mortars and held their ground.  Critically, they did not shift any troops to reinforce their threatened right flank.
On Turn 2, the leading paras bounded over the rail line into the undefended row houses on the German baseline.  The Germans responded to this clear threat to their right by pivoting their right hand platoon to occupy the last row house in the block.  This provided a small but solid core of resistance that temporarily stopped the paras' turning movement.
On Turn 3, the British infantry launched an assault out of the rail yard into the ruins across the street.  With the support of a smoke bombardment, the British closed with the SS defenders, but then lost the melee and were thrown back.  However, this was only a temporary set back, and the British cleared the block of ruins on the following turn, and also moved into some of the undefended row houses to the north of the rail yard.  This prompted the Germans to shift a platoon to occupy the other houses in that block, which halted the British advance in that sector.  The German defenses in the city were now stretched very thin.

On Turns 4 and 5, combined assaults by the British paras and infantry cleared one more block of ruins in the center, with the half-company of Shermans in the city providing supporting fires.  The full company of Shermans reached the dike road, and attracted the attention of four King Tigers.  Two of these Tigers would later move to block the British armored thrust along the dike road.  Only a well-timed smoke screen limited British tank losses.  The other two Tigers took long range shots at the Shermans in town, killing three, and then slowly moved into the city but arrived too late to make a difference at the objectives there.
On Turn 6 the British attack on the German right flank regained its impetus.  The para assault platoon had come forward with its flamethrower, and pinned the German platoon holding the row house behind the rail line.  The first British assault was annihilated by a German counterassault, but a fresh British platoon continued the assault, and wiped out the Germans in turn.  Only one more block of buildings stood between the British and Objective One.  The Germans were left with very little with which to hold this last redoubt.
Turns 7 and 8 saw the British artillery finishing off the last of the German defenders in front of Objective One, and British paras and infantry moving to occupy the now vacant ruins.  Meanwhile the paras assaulted with overwhelming force and took the last block of buildings behind Objective One.  The Germans had nothing that could counterattack to contest the objective.  The game was over!

Conclusion:  What an epic game!  This scenario pitted three German players, with a force valued at about 6000 points (in old FOW money) against five British players with a force valued at about 9000 points, although it was impossible for the British to use all of their strength in the very crowded battle area.  It took about 1.5 hours to set up the terrain, .5 hours to deploy the troops, 3.5 hours to play, and .5 hours to pack up.  After all this, the beer and the food tasted very good at the bar!
Analysis:  Possibly the only way for the Germans to win this battle was to mass everything they had around the bridgehead to keep the British contained in as small a space as possible.  The German commanders erred by initially placing three of their infantry platoons to defend Objectives Three, Four, and Five -- which were very far from the bridgehead.  Two King Tigers would have sufficed to block the entrance to the dike road and thus would have kept the British armor bottled up and far away from these distant objectives.  The absence of those three platoons compromised the German defense in the city.  Six platoons were not strong enough to hold the necessary frontage in the ruins, and the British turned both flanks on Turn 1.  Once the bridgehead was unsealed, the British could flow around the German flanks to outnumber and successfully assault the two ends of the German line, while their other troops and artillery wore down the German center.  By the end of Turn 8 (less than three hours of campaign time), the German defense in the city had been crushed, with the British in firm control of Objective 1.

In contrast, the British plan was much better.  It focused on the nearest objective (Objective One) with the best assault troops and most of the artillery, but if the Tigers had come into the city, the British could have made the armored move to the east their main thrust.  British tactics were excellent.  They used massed converging fires to suppress the frontline German defenders, then assaulted using the terrain to limit defensive fire.  The British also opportunistically seized undefended portions of the city, forcing the Germans to stretch even thinner to counter the threats from these sectors.  The British attack was relentless, accepting equal casualties in order to eliminate the less numerous German defenders, and willing to sacrifice Shermans to draw the King Tigers away from the city.
Casualties were nearly equal between the two sides.  The British lost 33 para teams and 20 infantry teams, along with 7 Shermans.  The Germans lost 40 infantry teams, 5 HMGs, 2 PaK40s, and two FOs.  Proportionally, this was 20% of the British para and infantry strength and 27% of their tank strength, vs. 50% of the German infantry strength.  The remaining British infantry would have been able to mop up the last few German defenders in the city, forcing the Tigers to withdraw.

P.S. -- The really bad thing about this counterfactual British victory in the campaign is that Montgomery will now be made a Duke and will be considered the third Great British Commander, along with Marlborough and Wellington!  That is a bit much for us Yanks to take!
Cheers and Good Health!  Tony

[Steve J]

Another great AAR and a fitting way to end the campaign.

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Amazingly detailed report. Thank you, sounds awesome.
Monty has just shortened the war, honest!

Monty for PM! 

[Lord Kermit of Birkenhead]

Monty for PM! 

NEVER !!!!!