Did you think I would leave MMP's Grand Tactical Series behind so quickly? Think again -- I just had to play through one of the intermediate scenarios. And if I can find the time again soon, I'll get through the second intermediate scenario this month as well.
A word to the wise, anyone interested in the Market Garden games of GTS who does not have a lot of excess table space should seriously consider the Devil's Cauldron over Where Eagles Dare. Many of the scenarios for TDC are single map scenarios whereas most if but one or two from WED are multi-map scenarios, some of the easier ones even covering three maps.
This is another single map scenario and it centers on the British 1st Airborne Division's race to secure the Arnhem bridges during Operation Market Garden. The main forces in this scenario are from the division's 1st Parachute Brigade fighting against reinforcing units of the 9th SS Panzer Division Hohenstaufen.
As a disclaimer, I will say that I was in error in my use of the Column markers in this game. I neglected to observe the rule that states only one unit may be in column at a hex at a time and I consistently had stacks of 3-4 in column for the duration of the game. Rest assured -- I'll get that one right in the next game.
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| The German Defenders |
Here's the map at the start of the scenario. The replay value of this scenario is particularly high. Placement of anti-aircraft units and Event? markers is completely random -- meaning no one scenario is likely to play out like any other. Off-map to the east from this photo is the British drop zone for the start of this scenario. The British paras have to race West against the clock to try and secure their objectives.
By some magical stroke of luck. All sticks of the 1st Para Brigade landed unharmed by the German anti-aircraft units. There were no mishaps on the drop and added to the British luck was a lack of German airpower in this scenario to boot.
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| The 1st Parachute Brigade arrives |
Where everything has to go right to win this scenario, the British were off to a great start. To meet the objectives on time, the British banked on a divide and conquer solution. If they stick together the entire game, there's no way to get to the bridges in time. With German blocking forces in Wolfheze, the para brigade's 3rd battalion and the supporting artillery were assigned to secure the drop zone and prevent the German battalion at Wolfheze from delaying the British advance into Oosterbeek. The 1st and 2nd battalions of the 1st Para Brigade along with supporting reconnaissance, mortars, and AT meanwhile were ordered to make for Arnhem with all possible speed by way of Oosterbeek.
The tricky part would be waiting for the gliders to descend. While the Paras dropped safely into the drop zones, the gliders circled overhead. Luckily, most of the gliders arrived on time. Only the 2nd unit of artillery failed to arrive according to the attack's timetable.
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| Lt. Col. Thompson and the 3rd Battalion, 1st Para Brigade advance on Wolfheze |
So far, everything was going according to plan. Taking the initiative, the 3rd battalion, 1st Para Brigade made for Wolfheze. Taken by surprise, and thanks to accurate mortar fire, the first German company (the 9th) was shortly overwhelmed and the companies, covered by the nearby artillery, moved into assault positions. Lacking dispatch points or formation chits to activate KG Krafft, all the Germans could do was fall back and hope to keep the 3rd battalion at bay by successfully beating back their assault attempts. One company from KG Krafft, the 4th, however was nearer the Renkum-Oosterbeek road and moved to block the line of advance for the 1st and 2nd battalions, 1st Para Brigade.
The 1st and 2nd battalions hightailed it onto the Renkum-Oosterbeek road. They encountered the first Event? marker and uncovered a "No Event" at the crossroads, charging ahead before any of KG Krafft's men could obstruct their path of advance. All of the smooth going wasn't to be, though. Before the 2nd battalion could pass through the crossroads, the British attack ran up against its first set back.
The 1st battalion made it to Oosterbeek before KG Krafft's 4th Company could intercept them, but the supporting engineers and mortar company were not so lucky. A lucky direct command chit activation for the Germans following the Hohenstaufen division's activation allowed the Germans to get in range and then open fire. By a stroke of luck for the Germans, the Paratrooper mortars lost a step and became suppressed on the main road. And just like that, the route of advance for the 1st and 2nd battalions was closed, and the elements of the 2nd battalion cut off from the 1st.
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| The Renkum-Oosterbeek road is closed |
While the 1st and 2nd battalions scrambled to dislodge Krafft's marauding company. Lt. Col. Thompson and 3rd battalion moved to take Wolfheze. Under cover of supporting artillery fire, 3rd battalion closed with Kafft's defending infantry. In the process, however, the British uncovered the first event, a tank scare. As the attacking paras leapfrogged through the trees under fire, the pressures of assault and disoriented by their lack of familiarity with the ground around Wolfheze, an uncharacteristic panic spread through the ranks as the cry of enemy tanks just over the raised tracks spread like wildfire.
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| Rearguard action at Wolfheze |
The tank scare forced the paras out of column (again -- a big wo-oah mistake from me having multiple units in column in the same hex) and worse prevented any attempt at moving quickly out of Wolfheze. With that, 3rd battalion was down and out for the count. Not to be deterred, Thompson took matters into his own hands and led the way with the pathfinders of the 21st independent parachute company. With their support, Thompson and the 3rd battalion overran the last defenders in Wolfheze. All that remained were the mortars under Krafft, holding their ground in the woods SW of the village, and the last of Krafft's infantry at the crossroads between the 1st and 2nd battalions of the 1st Para Brigade.
If the hiccup caused by the inopportune panic running through the ranks of 3rd battalion and the delay caused by Krafft's infantry weren't enough, efforts by independent company commanders to push their men forward backfired. Several mortar and engineer companies, lagging behind the columns of 2nd battalion, crack under the pressure of being force marched and halted, earning a smattering of suppression markers.
To deal with Krafft, 1st battalion charged ahead into Oosterbeek, leaving 2nd battalion to clear the way. 2nd battalion moved into hasty assault positions and managed to dislodge Krafft's infantry from the crossroads. Krafft's panzergrenadiers were forced into the woods from their hold on the buildings at the crossroads, but despite their cohesion hits they stayed combat ready. Unable to press the attack further without significant delay, the lead assault elements of the 2nd battalion held the line and the rest of the companies ran the gauntlet of fire from the panzergrenadiers, north, towards a new path of advance. Luckily, despite occasional cohesion hits, the advance proceeded undeterred by the German opportunity fire.
Elsewhere on the field, the brigade's recon units overtook the advance the 1st and 2nd battalions and charged into Arnhem, 3rd battalion regrouped, artillery gliders circled overhead, and 1st battalion moved out of Oosterbeek towards the Arnhem outskirts.
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| A surprise encounter! |
Exiting Oosterbeek, 1st battalion ran into the Hohenstaufen division's SS panzer-jaeger abteilung no. 9 on the way to reinforcing KG Krafft. It was a major surprise to the 1st Brigade's paras, especially as they encountered the German tank destroyers head-on, in column, and with their AT guns undeployed.
With little option but to rely on a little dash and élan, the 1st battalion charged the German armor head on after laying down suppressing fire. Unsurprisingly, the German tankers were just as unprepared for a head-on fight as the paras, and it showed when unsupported by infantry. Opening fire with their automatic weapons and piats, the British somehow managed to outright suppress the German tankers. Then, while one company charged up the middle, the others worked around the tank destroyers' flanks and quickly annihilated the German armor. And just like that, despite the hiccups along the wat, the 1st battalion was still relatively on schedule. Clambering over the burning tank hulls, the company commanders urged the red devils onward, continuing a succession of successful forced march rolls.
The best the Germans could do at this stage was consolidate. As 2nd battalion skirted the crossroads on the way to Oosterbeek and raced to link up with 1st battalion, Krafft's infantry withdrew down toward the Neder Rijn to regroup and Krafft's mortars mounted their transports and raced south away from Lt. Col. Thompson's forces & 3rd battalion. Still held up at the railroad by Wolfheze, Thompson and 3rd battalion took an alternate route north through open ground.
As evening approached, the paras of 1st and 2nd battalions raced through the streets for the rally point north of the road bridge and the church. The remnants of KG Krafft and heavy AA effectively prevented any easy assault of the railroad bridge. If the British were to win the scenario, they'd need to take the road bridge.
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| Red devils prepare for assault |
Just as German reinforcements began to arrive, the British triggered two events. First, one of the companies from 2nd battalion ran into SS-Pz A. A. 9. The Paras went for broke and tried to assault the mechanized formation and wipe it out in one blow, but they failed on the first attempt. Under the cover of sunset, the newly discovered German mech units retreated to the pontoon bridge and dug in.
Second, as the 1st Para Brigade's engineers approached on the railroads leading into Arnhem, making for the pontoon bridge, they triggered a second event. Operating independently from the 1st and 2nd battalions, the engineers took a wrong turn and found themselves on the banks of the Neder Rijn. Worse still, disoriented at the sound of battle farther in the city center, they turn west and come under fire of heavy AA emplacements. Under a crossfire from both sides of the river, the engineers take multiple cohesion hits and a suppressed marker to boot.
The red devils have blasted their way into Arnhem, but everything they need to secure the necessary victory points to win the scenario began to slip from their grasp at this point.
To make matters worse, as the sun set, the German reinforcements began to arrive in force. One of the benefits for the British to this point was that the Germans had failed to roll any new dispatch points, preventing the purchase of activation chits. (To those not familiar with the rules -- activation chits are required to take offensive actions. Since the Germans start the game with no activation chits, they can only defend their positions and cannot take back whatever they lose). With the arrival of their reinforcements, however, the German die-rolls finally resulted in some much-needed dispatch points. As the British 1st and 2nd battalions consolidated in the city center and prepared for assaults on the road bridge and the pontoon bridge, the Germans formed a ring around the city and prepared to either smoke out the British, house by house, or starve them out.
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| The final attack |
With nothing but the street lamps and gunfire to light their way, the paras of the 1st and 2nd battalion launched their final assaults. To ensure their flanks were defended, 1st battalion deployed rearguards to the east and the brigade's recon and AT units deployed in support as well.
With the German mechanized forces of SS-Pz A. A. 9 entrenched on the banks of the Neder Rijn, only two companies of 2nd battalion took up the task of dislodging them. The battle waxed and waned while the battle for the bridge farther south raged, but as night fell, the British paras of 2nd battalion retired unsuccessful. The Germans were suppressed and badly disorganized but in the darkness the British paras were unable to ensure their destruction.
The battle for the road bridge, however, proved more consequential. The paras of 1st battalion threw all caution to the wind and charged the flak emplacements guarding the approach to the bridge before the panzer pioneers of the Hohenstaufen division could reinforce them. The fighting was short and quick, and the hastily prepared assault successful. As the paras consolidated their positions, however, they realized the losses suffered in the initial charge were more serious than believed. Before the medium flak emplacement was removed -- the leading company suffered a step loss.
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| The final counterattack |
(At the time, I supposed that this was a worthwhile trade for the bridge).
As the final action of the game, the Germans, brandishing their one and only activation chit, sent two mechanized companies to take the bridge back. Their luck ran out very quickly. In the ensuing close combat, the British held fast to their positions on the bridge and the Germans took multiple hits with nothing to show for their efforts.
At that, the scenario came to an end and the tallying of points began.
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Scenario VP Tally
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| The pendulum swings back to the Germans ... |
With heavy flak and KG Krafft covering the rail bridge, I effectively wrote that VP source off. Until my engineers were lost, suppressed and bloodied as they entered Arnhem, I had considered the pontoon bridge a viable source of VPs. Once directed towards the river though, I knew that VP source was lost, leaving me with the road bridge. With the bridge secured, that was 7 VPs right there.
Next on the list, the British AT gun had made it into an Arnhem city hex: +1.
St. Eusebius Church observation point secured? -- Add one more VP.
And finally, add in 1 VP per two steps of infantry in Arnhem. With 15 steps in the city by nightfall, I was sitting pretty at: 7 + 1 + 1 + 7 = 16 VPs. I was praying the delay to 3rd battalion wouldn't screw me.
But it did.
For every step lost by the British, lose 1 VP. First, there were the losses to the mortars on the road to Oosterbeek after the firefight at the crossroads. Scratch one VP. And finally the losses at the road bridge. Trading a step loss for the Bridge, I not only lost an additional VP for having what would have been 16 steps of infantry in Arnhem, but the loss of a VP outright for the casualties suffered. At that, I was down to 14 VPs. Almost enough to ensure victory at Arnhem, but just out of reach for the Allies. With that, it's a definitive German victory, even if it means there's a lot of mopping up to do.
All in all a phenomenal scenario. Lots of replay potential here and a real conundrum for the British on how to win the scenario -- even when everything goes right. I'll revisit this one again for sure.
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