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T03 – German

End of Turn:
Axis Objectives 321, Loss Penalty 34, Victory Level 199

German commanders use artillery to mask tactical movements and inflict a few casualties on the Allies. Land attacks are few as the German disengage from the advance of XXX Corps.
The German command also seems to have a standing order to knock down bridges as they fall back. Bridges that Allies have not attacked are being shown as destroyed.


82nd Airborne.
Germans converge on the 82nd with the largest unit concentration on the North side of the Rhine. The 10th SS Panzer division, with support from Kampfgruppe Knaust, coordinated an attack on the 505th paratroop regiment. The 505th takes heavy casualties but are able to hold their position against the armored attack.
It looks as though the 82nd HQ unit deployed in Rees is able to ferry supplies across the Rhine in support of the units on the North side.

101st Airborne.
Three regiments of the German 180th Depot Division take up defensive positions on the North and West flanks of the 101st. No attacks are attempted but they do have good cover for blocking.

1st AB Red Devils.
The German 107th disengages from the Brits leaving only a single infantry battalion in contact. German commanders conceal their movements so the Brits have only an estimate of enemy positions and strength. For the moment the corridor through the 1st AB is open to XXX Corps.

XII Corps.
The 719th and 346th divisions withdraw from the XII Corps front leaving a couple of depleted regiments to slow a British advance.

XXX Corps.
All Kampfgruppe units pull back from XXX Corps. The Germans are probably withdrawing in the hopes of establishing a defensive line further North. XXX Corps has no visible opposition in their march North to the airborne corridor.

VIII Corps.
The remnants of the 176th division are doomed. VIII Corps will soon destroy them and the supply depot at Roermond. There is nothing available to stop the VIII Corps until they reach the vicinity of the American 101st.


T03 German Attack 12

T04 – Allies

End of Turn:
Allied Objectives 103, Loss Penalty 15, Victory Level -188

The weather cleared and airlift increased to 700. All remaining airborne units, except for a single Polish battalion, were dropped.


82nd Airborne.
Glider troops fought off a pair of weak AA and AT companies, otherwise the division dug in to defend the river crossing. Even though the HQ parked on the damaged Rees bridge is able to distribute supply to units on both sides of the Rhine, orders are for units to conserve ammo by minimizing offensive action.

101st Airborne and Polish Brigade.
Good weather allows insertion of the remaining 101st units. This includes 501st Para Rgt, several 327th glider battalions, division artillery and HQ (Taylor). All units are in the state of reorganization.
While most of the 101st prepares to advance northward the Polish Brigade drops into position for surrounding and cutting off the German 1223rd Rgt, 180th Depot Division. The heavy weapons battalion from the 1st AB helps to pin the German by moving into a blocking position along the river.
No offensive actions are taken during this turn.

1st AB Red Devils.
With the arrival of XXX and VIII Corps the German 107th fades away and is no longer a threat. The only known opposition is a lone battalion from the 189th Pz Brigade deployed on the West side. The Red Devils expand the corridor and make way for XXX Corps.
Airborne Corps Commander Browning deploys within the safety of the 1st AB’s perimeter, assumes direct command and credit for everything that has gone according to plan.

XII Corps.
The Corps is facing almost no opposition. Command is now considering changing their orders for a more active role.

XXX Corps.
All German units facing XXX Corps have either been eliminated or retreated North toward Eindhoven. Mechanized units lead by reconnaissance battalions have moved deep into 1st AB’s area of responsibility and will soon contact the 101st. So far German resistance has been surprisingly light and the concern is that a trap is being set.

VIII Corps.
German 176th division has been eliminated and the supply depot at Roermond destroyed. The Corps’ next task is to move North and clear both sides of the Maas River. They will occupy positions currently held by the 1st AB and release those regiments to redeploy on the West flank.

Air Force
Air units performed bridge attacks before switching over to combat support. The turn ended with orders for interdiction.

T04 Allies Part 2

T04 – German

End of Turn:
Axis Objectives 314, Loss Penalty 37, Victory Level 184

Germans conduct about as many artillery attacks as they do land attacks. Mostly the bombardments are ineffective.
Attacks by land forces are concentrated against the 82nd and 101st landing zones. Some of the attacks cause substantial casualties, push Allied units back and are of concern to Campaign Commander General Browning. There is almost no German activity in front of the 1st AB and three British Corps.



82nd Airborne.
Armored German units concentrate for attacks against the 82nd North of Rees. 10th SSPz (10th Pz, 21st and 22nd PzGren) is supported by Kampfgruppe Knaust in a divisional strength attack on the 82nd/505th Para Rgt. The paratroopers put up a good fight but are forced to withdraw after taking heavy losses. The 505th joins up with the 508th and 410th Glider heavy weapons battalion where they establish a defense the panzers cannot break.

101st Airborne, Polish Brigade
On the northern flank the German 180th Depot/1221st Rgt makes a weak attack against the 501st Rgt. The Americans had managed to organize prior to the assault and are able to repel the 1221st with minimal casualties. After the fight, the 1221st withdraws to a location out of sight from the paratroopers. This move leaves the 180th HQ in an unsupported position.
Elements of the German 84th Div (1051st Rgt, 84th Recon) and 1st Para Army (406th, 100th, 101st and 105th Bns) from the East flank fall upon two positions of the Polish Brigade. The Allies suspected that German formations were deployed to the East and now they have aggressively engaged the Allies. The Polish Brigade takes a series of four assaults. One attack (9) forces a battalion to retreat to the safety of 101st units. The second series of three attacks inflicts very heavy Polish casualties, breaks battalions and forces the Pols to retreat South to join a 1st AB heavy weapons battalion. As a fighting formation the Polish Brigade never had time to organize after landing and is now incapable of offensive action.

1st AB Red Devils, XII Corps, XXX Corps, VIII Corps
Some German troop movements are detected in the rear areas beyond the Allied ability to perform reconnaissance but otherwise, there are no aggressive actions against the Allies.

T05 – Allies

End of Turn:
Allied Objectives 110, Loss Penalty 20, Victory Level -175

The Maas River has become the divider between XXX and VIII Corps. Each as discreet campaign tasks which eventually will coalesce for the assault on Arnhem.
Allied airpower attempted a German airfield attack which goes badly. The cost in Allied aircraft is almost twice the German losses.


82nd Airborne.
The division digs in to consolidate their defense and conserves supply by refraining from offensive action. The most important move is placement of the 508th Rgt in Rees to defend the Rhine crossing. This deployment is designed to defend against the 10th SS Pz which has armored and mechanized units on the outskirts of Rees.

101st Airborne and Polish Brigade
Glider and Polish infantry, which were decimated by the last German attacks, found a bit of safety with the 502nd Rgt. In turn, the 502nd decided to counterattack the 180th Depot Division’s 1223rd Rgt deployed on the Maas River. The attack is poorly planned and results in very heavy paratrooper casualties. The German regiment is able to hold its position.
The Polish Brigade has taken sever casualties and needs reorganization and refit. The commander plans to move the brigade away from the front to a location where this can be safely accomplished.
XXX Corps is at the Maas River crossing and should be into 101st territory next turn.

1st AB Red Devils.
With XXX and VIII Corps quickly moving Norh through the 1st AB area, the Red Devils turn their attention westward. The German 84th Division and 1st Para Army have left their HQs exposed on the 1st AB’s front. 1st Para/1, 1st Para/2 and heavy weapons battalions took the opportunity to conduct a coordinated attack. The HQs retreat with heavy losses.
1st Landing Party Heavy Weapons Battalion performed a second weaker attack on the 1st Para Army HQ but the results are disappointing. The German HQs survive and will be able to fall back to safer positions.
XXX Corps armor, recon and mechanized units are fully into the 1st AB corridor. Passage through the 1st AB will take several turns.

XII Corps.
A Combat Command and composed of 2nd Irish (Armored), three Northumbrian infantry brigades and a Corps artillery battalion have been removed from XXX Corps and reassigned to XII Corps. 5th GD Armored HQ leads the command. Their first task is to assault a composite force composed of elements from Kampfgruppes Walter and Erdman. German fallschirmjäger and panzer grenadier infantry put up a defense, but the Brits have superior firepower and drive off the panzer grenadiers inflicting substantial casualties.
Units located in the Corps’ center and left have very little opposition confronting them. At this time the flank appears to be secure. Movement behind the German line is being detected, but no offensive action occurs.

XXX Corps.
The Corps is moving at flank speed to reach the 82nd bridgehead. From North to South is 32 Guards, 5th Guards (-), 50th Northumbrian (-), 43rd Wessex and XXX Corps support which is composed mostly of artillery units.

VIII Corps.
The Corps is advancing northward along both sides of the Maas River. They are searching for stragglers and formations which threaten the eastern flank. They will soon be in the 101st area and moving to make the hookup with the 82nd.

Air Force
Allied aircraft performed a bridge attack, airfield attack and then switch to interdiction. After the airfield attack, half of the squadrons required a rest period which makes squadrons available for interdiction less than full strength.
The allied air commander mistakenly ordered squadrons to make bombardment/ground attacks instead of pure airfield attacks. Unknown how much difference the mistake in orders made, but it is known that the 109’s and 190’s can win even when they are outnumbered.
Allied casualties: 28 lost, 63 damaged (Typhoon, Lightning, Thunderbolt, Mustang and Spitfire)
Axis casualties: 7 lost, 30 damaged (ME-109, FW-190)

T05 Allies Part 2

T05 – German

End of Turn:
Axis Objectives 299, Loss Penalty 44, Victory Level 148

German troop movements concentrate on moving up to engage the Allies (against airborne formations) and pulling back to alternate positions (against XII Corps). Artillery attacks were conducted but no ground attacks attempted.



82nd Airborne.
Panzer, mechanized and grenadier units of the 10th SS Panzer Division are joined by Kampfgruppe Knaust to for a perimeter around the 82nd Airborne bridgehead. No attacks were made this turn, possibly because most of the units have 60% or less supply. Their supply situation may be a result of the Allied bridge busting activity.

101st Airborne and 1st AB Red Devils.
Mixed German formations composed of units from the 84th Division, 180th Depot Division, Independent Panzer Brigade and 1st Para Army are forming a front against the Allied paratroopers. Their combined strength poses a real threat to cut the Allied route of advance.

XII Corps.
Unseen by the Allies, the 59th Division, 346th Division, 719th Division and remains of the three Kampfgruppes have pulled back and formed a defensive line roughly 10 Kilometers North of XII Corps. They appear to be ordered to dig in and wait for the Brits to arrive.

XXX Corps.
The Corps is observed by German G2 passing behind the 1st AB screen and headed North. Armored and mobile units are in the lead with artillery and infantry trailing.

VIII Corps.
A single battalion orphaned from the 176th Division has been located by the Brits. The battalion’s orders are to delay the enemy as long as possible, then withdraw to the East.

T06 – Allies

End of Turn:
Allied Objectives 145, Loss Penalty 18, Victory Level -95 (Marginal Defeat)

A pair of enemy pockets are eliminated, but otherwise, this turn consists of tactical movements to engage the enemy and advance toward the objective.



82nd Airborne.
The division is supplied and entrenched in good positions. Units stay put, dig in and defend the bridgehead from both sides of the river. They know that XXX Corps is approaching and with them, engineering units will be able to repair the Rees bridge.

101st Airborne.
The troopers keep the road open as XXX Corps starts to move through. There are a few units from the 180th Depot Division and Independent Panzer Brigade in the area, but not enough to be a threat.
There are still a couple of units from the Polish Brigade deployed within the 101st perimeter. After they reorganize and refit, their commander will establish a rally point and form the units back into a fighting force.

1st AB Red Devils.
The division, with support from XXX Corps, overran the Independent Panzer Brigade’s 2/107th Battalion. The panzers were probably out, or at least very low, on supply which made them easy to neutralize.

XII Corps.
XII Corps and attached XXX Corps units received orders to advance and engage the enemy. Units moved about 10 to 15 Kilometers before locating elements of Kampfgruppe Walter and the 719th Division. Since the Brits were about at the end of their movement allowance the order was given to halt and dig in; assaults will be conducted next turn.

XXX Corps.
A couple of units remained behind to assist 1st AB in an operation while the bulk of the Corps continued to move toward the Rhine. Their route takes them a bit to the East of the 82nd where they find an undamaged bridge crossing the Rhine at Xanten. The Germans seem to have left the bridge undefended. Crossing operations are planned for the morning.

VIII Corps.
3rd Battalion of the German 176th Division attempted to enter the battle Near Venlo and the Maas River. Corps units immediately engaged the Germans and eliminated the entire battalion. With the enemy gone the Corps is free to continue the march North. The plan is to cross the Rhine at Xanten following XXX Corps.

Air Force
Tactical air units are ordered on Combat Support during engagements then switch to interdiction. By this stage of the battle there are few bridges worth the effort to attack.

T06 – German

End of Turn:
Axis Objectives 259, Loss Penalty 46, Victory Level 65 (Draw)

The German command takes a defensive posture and relies only on artillery strikes to slow the Allied advance.



82nd Airborne
Movement of SS panzer units from the East side of Rees to the West (closer to Arnhem) is covered by artillery attacks. The redeployment seems to be successful as two panzer battalions are now observed on the West side. Mechanized and recon units of the 10th SS Panzer move to positions out of sight of the Allies.

101st Airborne
German troops are mostly inactive on this front. They seem to be unaware of XXX Corps units moving through the 101st perimeter toward Xanten.

1st AB Red Devils, Polish Brigade, XII Corps, XXX Corps, VIII Corps
German forces have pulled back from engagement on these fronts. There have been a few ineffective artillery strikes, but nothing significant or damaging.

T07 – Allies

End of Turn:
Allied Objectives 187, Loss Penalty 6, Victory Level -25 (Draw)

Allied forces were primarily focused on strategic movements and movements to engagement. Combat was not a priority during this turn.



82nd Airborne
On the North side of the Rhine the division is still facing Kampfgruppe Knaust and armored elements of the 10th SS Panzer Division. The paratroopers fortified their positions and refrained from taking offensive actions as XXX Corps begins to cross the Rhine.
South of the Rhine units from the 10th SS Panzer and the Home Defense Division are observed facing the 82nd but do not appear to be taking any aggressive action. Eventually the 82nd will need to take the initiative and attack these positions on the way to secure Nijmegen.
The bridge at Rees has been repair in time for XXX Corps to begin crossing.

101st Airborne
The division has secured most of the German fortifications between their Landing Zone and the 82nd to the North. There is very little opposition facing them so it is anticipated that they will make the main thrust to capture Nijmegen.

1st AB Red Devils, Polish Brigade
The division is in a position where command will need to make a strategic decision on their most effective use. If they turn to the North, they’ll be able to assault Nijmegen from the South side. As an alternative the division can move westward and cut off the Eindhoven defenders from the rear. Neither Nijmegen nor Eindhoven are critical to the operation, so the question becomes which strategy does the most damage to the Wehrmacht.
The Polish Brigade is rapidly reforming and should soon be in battle ready condition. The Polish command will be attached to the 1st AB and operate as an independent brigade.

XII Corps
53rd Welsh, 15th Scotts and attached XXX Corps units move past the Albert Canal and into enemy territory. The 53rd Welsh are only able to locate a lone enemy artillery unit which is bombarded with every tube available. German losses are light but look much worse when described as a percentage (6%).
XXX Corps units move through Eindhoven unopposed and meet resistance North of Eindhoven. At this point XXX Corps has reach the limit of its movement and must delay an assault. German units are identified as a mixture of units from Kampfgruppes Walter and Erdman. Only a couple of the units are still organized as regiments while all units appear to be well below their authorized manning level.
A number of larger units can be seen to the West of Eindhoven, but their strength and deployment are unknown. It will be the task of the Welsh and Scotts divisions to engage these formations and neutralize them.

XXX Corps
The Corps is strung out from the 82nd Landing Zone down to the Red Devil’s Landing Zone. That’s a distance of about 30 Kilometers. It will be a few turns before XXX Corps can throw its full weight over the Rhine.
Lead elements composed of reconnaissance units crossed the Rhine at Xanten. The mechanized infantry uncovered a pair of weak German Home Defense Division companies and destroyed them against the banks of the Rhine.

VIII Corps
A couple of small units have been stationed along the eastern border to guard against German infiltrators. The bulk of the Corps resumes advancing with the intent of crossing the Rhine at Xanten. No German units were encountered in the past 12 hours.

Air Force
Air squadrons received orders for their usual mix of interdiction and air superiority. There was no combat support ordered for this turn.

T07 – German

End of Turn:
Axis Objectives 232, Loss Penalty 61, Victory Level -10 (Draw)

German units appear to have evacuated Eindhoven and ordered a general withdraw to the areas around St. Hertogenbosch, Nijmegen and Arnhem. No ground attacks were performed by the ground forces and only a few weak harassing artillery attacks conducted. Allied command has limited knowledge of German deployments but expects that soon the main lines of defense will be encountered guarding the key cities.

T08 – Allies

End of Turn:
Allied Objectives 204, Loss Penalty 15, Victory Level 41 (Draw)



XXX Corps
Corps troops have crossed the Rhine in strength at Rees and Xanten. Resistance is nonexistent so the plan is to consolidate and push directly toward Arnhem.

VIII Corps
A few units have been deployed along the eastern edge of the battlefield to guard against infiltrators while the rest of the Corps crosses the Rhine at Xanten. Their deployment for the assault on Arnhem will be determined as the enemy defenses are identified.

82nd Airborne
With support provided by XXX Corps the paratroopers are able to surround and eliminate a battalion of infantry from Kampfgruppe Knaust. German resistance North of the Rhine seems to have pulled back toward Arnhem.
With XXX and VIII Corps units crossing the Rhine in strength, all 82nd units on the North side of the Rhine will be redeployed South of the Rhine. On the South side unis from the German Home Defense and 10th SS Panzer divisions are blocking the roads leading to Nijmegen and the extra firepower will help to open the roads.

101st Airborne
All German defenders have pulled away from the 101st leaving a seemingly open road to Nijmegen. Allied command expects the enemy is actually dug in 5 to 10 Kilometers back from the front line. A joint operation aimed at Nijmegen will be conducted with the 82nd after the 82nd is able to redeploy in full strength.

1st AB Red Devils, Polish Brigade
The division is stretched from the Maas River in the North to the southern junction with XII Corps. Except for a damaged battalion from the German Independent Panzer Brigade there is no opposition visible. For the moment the Red Devils are ordered to hold their ground and await orders.

XII Corps
Attached units advanced through Eindhoven and caught up with elements of Kampfgruppe Walter. Infantry of the 50th Northumbrian attacked the German defenses, inflicted significant casualties but were unable to push back the beaten up Fallschirmjäger regiment. Before time ran out the Brits were able to partially surround the German position and they expect to finish the job next turn.
The rest of XII Corps was unable to make contact but they were able to locate the airfield hosting two German fighter squadrons. Artillery from the 15th Scotts and XII Corps HQ bombarded the airfield and annihilated both squadrons, 44 total ME-109 and FW-190 aircraft.

Air Force
Air squadrons received orders for their usual mix of interdiction and air superiority. There was no combat support ordered for this turn.

T08 – German

End of Turn:
Axis Objectives 216, Loss Penalty 62, Victory Level -40 (Draw)

German formations can be seen making concentrations in the Arnhem, Nijmegen and St. Hertogenbosch areas. On the front lines German troops dig in and maintain a defensive posture. The only aggressive German action is artillery attacks against Allied airfields.



Arnhem/Nijmegen.
German command is developing defensive positions West of Arnhem and Nijmegen with a mix of SS and regular infantry units. The SS are probably from the 10th Pz and the regular infantry are composed mainly of Kampfgruppe Knaust units. The defenses do not appear to be well organized but that may be just due to an Allied lack of deployment intelligence.

St. Hertogenbosch.
The supply depot located in St. Hertogenbosch is obviously a German priority. Kampfgruppe Walter and a few units from the German 346th division are observed and more are expected to be hidden closer to St. Hertogenbosch. Movement was detected North of the depot however the location or intent of those units is unknown.

Airfield Attack.
As a surprise, German artillery conducted two airfield bombardments against Allied airfields which are supposed to be far out of range. This anomaly has been corrected by applying 50-kilometer distance hexes to the airfields, placing the airfields beyond artillery range but not interfering with Allied aircraft operations. As a result of the bombardments, the Allies have 73 aircraft out of action.

Is the "German Super Artillery" something Elmer is not able to handle? Elmer artillery sees the off-limits hexes as just that - a hex inside their range?

Cpl GAC wrote: Tue Jun 18, 2024 3:10 pm Is the "German Super Artillery" something Elmer is not able to handle? Elmer artillery sees the off-limits hexes as just that - a hex inside their range?

Think you are correct; a target is a target as far as the PO is concerned. Also think that the PO attack was in retaliation for the Allied airfield attack.
Placing distance hexes on the airfields puts them out of range and solves the problem.

Regards

T09 – Allies

End of Turn:
Allied Objectives 221, Loss Penalty 15, Victory Level 72 (Draw)

XXX and VIII Corps have crossed the Rhine and begun the drive to Arnhem. Initial resistance is light and the Brits are able to quickly eliminate an enemy position. Supply on the North side of the Rhine has dropped to 7 and is expected to impact the Allied ability to press the attack.
Further to the South XII Corps is in solid contact with German forces and is attacking toward St. Hertogenbosch.
After the first round of attacks Allied forces fail the Proficiency Check and initiative is passed over to the German commander.



XXX Corps.
The Corps strikes westward through territory formerly occupied by the 82nd. Their first target is a mixed regimental sized formation from Kampfgruppe Knaust. 5th GDs enveloped the enemy while armored and mechanized infantry battalions made the assault and destroy the enemy. The attack was supported by a heavy artillery concentration of three battalions and two brigades.
The attack plan is for XXX Corps to move toward Arnhem by following the North bank of the Rhine, cross the IJssel River and drive directly into Arnhem. The Corps has bridging engineers ready to complete the operation.

VIII Corps.
The formation is still working to get across the Rhine and get organized. The plan is for VIII Corps to advance to the right of XXX Corps, cross the Ijssel River and assault Arnhem from the North side.

82nd Airborne.
The division completed deployment to the South side of the Rhine and performed a frontal assault on a mechanized battalion of Kampfgruppe Knaust. An artillery battalion from the German 84th Division supported the defense. Net casualties favors the defenders who elect to abandon their entrenchment. The 82nd did not advance into the vacated position.

101st Airborne, Polish Brigade
The 101st moved into the line South of the 82nd with the Polish Brigade taking up positions further to their left. The division made contact with elements of Kampfgruppe Knaust but lacked the movement necessary to mount an attack. From their position they should be able to help the 82nd flank the Germans blocking the road to Nijmegen.

1st AB Red Devils.
The division is still spread out over a front stretching from the Maas River to the XII Corps boundary. In the distances a mixed bag of German armored, grenadier and infantry units can be seen but their exact identity is undetermined, and they do not appear to be in a coherent defensive posture. A lone Red Devil glider battalion was able to push out and discovered that the road leading North toward Nijmegen is undefended. The Red Devils may be too lightly armed to take advantage of this route however, XII Corps advancing from the South should have more than enough firepower to assault Nijmegen.
Along the XII Corps boundary a single heavy weapons battalion was able to attack a grenadier battalion of the 107th Panzer inflicting moderate German casualties. 32nd GDs Headquarters and artillery attached to XII Corps supported the attack.

XII Corps.
The corps advanced North looking for a decisive engagement in front of St. Hertogenbosch. On the right flank attached XXX Corps units (5th GDs, 50th Northumbrian, 43rd Welsh) surround an enemy formation composed the remains of Kampfgruppe Walter and eliminate the entire group. This was one of two large formation of Germans known to be defending the approach to St. Hertogenbosch. The 719th Division is the other German formation entrenched before St. Hertogenbosch. Before much damage can be inflicted XII Corps runs out of movement and is only able to make a single feeble artillery attack. The main assault will have to wait until tomorrow.

Air Force
Tactical squadrons had orders for combat support but were unable to switch over to interdiction due to a failed proficiency check. The Allies would prefer to have conducted interdiction missions; however, this gives air power a chance to rest overnight.

T09 – Allies Part 2

T09 – German

End of Turn:
Axis Objectives 196, Loss Penalty 64, Victory Level -85 (Marginal Defeat)

Once again, the German commander refrains from initiating combat and opts for a purely defensive posture.



Arnhem.
Germans have pulled back almost all forces blocking XXX Corps to an area closer too Arnhem. 10th SS Panzer and Kampfgruppe Knaust were known to have units defending Arnhem, but their current disposition is unknown. Some enemy units have been observed moving toward Arnhem from the West and are suspected to be deployed within Arnhem.

Nijmegen.
The roads leading into Nijmegen are defended by a mixture of units from multiple formations. Units from 9th SS Panzer, 1st Paratroop Army, 84th Infantry and Kampfgruppe Knaust have been identified in the defense. Even though the units are not deployed in cohesive formations, individually they still have formidable defensive capabilities.

St. Hertogenbosch.
The 719th, 346th and remains of Kampfgruppe Walter seem to have vanished into the countryside somewhere North of St. Hertogenbosch leaving the supply dump undefended. XII Corps was hoping to have a decisive battle but find that they will need to chase the Wehrmacht northward. There should also be some units from Kampfgruppe Erdman somewhere to the North, but they aren’t expected to be much of a fighting force.

T10 – Allies

End of Turn:
Allied Objectives 255, Loss Penalty 15, Victory Level 143 (Marginal Victory)

XXX Corps found that the supply situation on the North side of the Rhine is in the single digits. This will obviously impede the attack on Arnhem.
Assaults were initiated along the entire front from XXX Corps in the North to XII Corps in the South. Arnhem and Nijmegen are the points of convergence.


XXX Corps.
The advance westward contacted a composite German force of static defensive units (AA and AT) and a company from Kampfgruppe Knaust. A mechanized infantry battalion from the 3rd Irish supported by the Corps’ artillery led the attack and inflicted heavy casualties on the Germans. All enemy units are able to retreat.
A group led by recon units moved a bit further North on the approach to the IJssel River and Arnhem. No enemy units were observed in this area.

VIII Corps.
All units have crossed the Rhine and are forming on XXX Corps’ right flank. The commander plans to cross the IJssel River and support the assault on Arnhem.

82nd Airborne.
The 325th Glider and 504th Paratroopers coordinated an attack on Kampfgruppe Knaust’s grenadier battalion. The grenadiers put up a strong defense but were eventually forced to withdraw. Airborne troops outnumbered the grenadiers but did not have the heavy weapons necessary for complete victory. Allied tactical air units supported the attack and German fighters performed interceptions. Air losses were light.

101st Airborne and Polish Brigade.
327th Glider and 501st Paratroopers supported the 82nd assault. They maintained their positions after the attack.
The 327th Glider and Polish Brigade made a joint attack on two depleted regiments from the German 84th Division. The German 1062nd Regiment was shattered and forced to retreat, the 1051st Regiment retreated and only a weak recon unit was left defending the position. Net casualties are about even.

1st AB Red Devils.
The Red Devils attacked the same concentration of Germans as the 101st/Polish Bde (Attack #5), but from the South side. The Germans defend with 189th Bn of the Independent Panzer Brigade and 1063rd Regiment of the 84th Division. Their formation was enhanced by a company of panzers which the airborne were unable to destroy. Even with the panzers the German units are less than half strength and unable to hold their positions. Total Brit casualties are only a bit lower than German casualties.
On the far southern end of the line 1st AB units caught a lone motorized grenadier battalion from KG Walter. Attacks (Attack #2) from multiple sides cause heavy German casualties forcing the defenders to retreat. The German unit was left isolated and vulnerable.

XII Corps.
The Corps was finally able to engage the enemy in decisive actions and conducted multiple assaults (1, 7 and 8).
The 43rd Wessex Infantry Brigade performed a frontal assault (Attack #1) on three weak infantry companies from the Independent Panzer Brigade and Kampfgruppe Erdman. The attack didn’t produce many casualties, but the defenders were forced to withdraw.
XII Corps advanced to the outskirts of St. Hertogenbosch and found that the Germans have not abandoned the town. Instead, the defenders are using the local bocage to fortify their positions and defend the supply depot. Brits made a frontal attack (Attack #7) using the 53rd Welsh and 15th Scotts with support from the Corps’ artillery. German 719th Division’s 743rd Regiment defended and gave the Brits a bloody nose. British casualties are fairly heavy but the 743rd did fall back. The Scotts were able to take the position.
The final attack (Attack #8) was made directly into St. Hertogenbosch by the 53rd Welsh and 50th Northumbrian infantry against regiments from the 719th Division supported by combat engineers and mobile artillery. This time the Germans took the heavier casualties but were able to hold, keeping the supply depot in their possession.

Air Force
Tactical squadrons provided close air support while fighter units fought off interceptors. Tactical units were switched to interdiction missions at the conclusion of ground combat.

T10 – Allies Part 2