Arnhem Day 1 - A Battle Academy AAR

Today I’ll be fighting the third battle in the new Market Garden campaign for Slitherine‘s Battle Academy.  Detailing the historically unsuccessful Allied attempt to seize key bridges behind German lines, this is the first campaign to feature unit carryover between missions. 

This mission is based upon the British Airborne’s initial attempts to seize the bridge at Arnhem.  Dropping outside the city, they rush troops through the streets to capture the bridge.  Time is of the essence.

Looking at the briefing map, I can see that my forces will be initially deployed to the south of the bridge, with their right flank anchored on the river bank.  I have to capture all 7 Victory Points to win, which means I’ll have to be pretty aggressive in my tactics.  Luckily I have the perfect forces for this approach in the form of the British Para‘s, some of the most formidable assault infantry in Battle Academy.

As the game starts, my forces are split into three groups, each containing a combination of Airborne scouts, Airborne Squads, Airborne Bren guns, Airborne PIATS (the British portable anti tank weapon) or an Airborne flamethrower.  The bridge itself is raised up above the town.  I assume this is where the Germans will have concentrated the bulk of their strength.  This raised ground complicates things, as my units will not be able to spot enemy defenses on the higher level until they open fire.  My plan is to send the squad nearest the river straight up the road on a wide hook around the back of the hill, while the other two groups make a direct assault through the town.

I can’t see any German troops at the moment.  Urban combat is especially testing for the attacker, as hidden defenders can wait for troops to expose themselves in open streets before opening fire at point blank range.  I shall have to use my scout’s ability to see an extra tile into cover to discover the defenders and avoid these ambushes.

Turn 1

My scouts soon discover a hiding enemy.  Volksgrenadiers, poor grade German troops, are crouched in house covering the street.  They are poorly trained with low morale, but can still be deadly even to an elite unit blundering out into the street.  I line up an assault group in the houses opposite, ready to unleash overwhelming firepower at the Volksgrenadiers next turn.  However, as I move in another scout squad, they are ambushed and pinned in the open.  Looking at the possible angles, I can deduce that the fire probably came from the corner house to the north. 

My group of units moving up the riverbank spots a sandbag position up ahead.  Knowing this undoubtedly means enemy defenders, they duck inside the houses to continue their advance and take up positions to open fire next turn.

Turn 2

The Bren and one of the Para squads open fire on the Volksgrenadiers at almost point-blank range.Taken by surprise, they retreat in confusion.  I rush the scouts across the road into contact with the fleeing Volksgrenadiers, and in the wooded gardens behind the house, they swiftly dispatch them.  Other troops lay down covering fire on the corner house to keep the enemy’s head down.  The German infantry inside the house must be doughty Wehrmacht veterans as they stand up to the onslaught well, taking out one of the flamethrowers as they try to close with them for an assault.  But then their luck runs out and they succumb to the surviving flamer’s blast of fire

The troops on the river bank open fire at the sandbag position hoping to suppress any enemy inside.

Turn 3

As my scouts move through the gardens, they stumble across a detachment of Waffen SS.  The surprise must have been mutual, as both the SS‘s and scouts’ shots fly wide.  Fortunately I have units in support and the fire from the Bren and other Para squads suppress the Germans.  I push most of my troops forward, leaving only a  few units to form a guard for the rear and left flank.

As the squads by the river work their way forward under covering fire, they reveal a German MG34 squad.  Now that they can be accurately targeted, the German machine gunners are quickly suppressed by a fusillade of Sten and Bren gun fire.

Meanwhile reinforcements appear, after a hard yomp from the landing grounds.  I immediately move them up to support my initial forces.

Turn 4

The stunned Waffen SS, still reeling from the suppressive firepower directed at them, are all killed in a swift assault by the British Para squad.  However, the Para’s are themselves ambushed at point blank range by a covering MG34 in the neighboring house.  Another para group attempts to rush the machine guns, but they too suffer heavily.  I move my Bren team out to the flank to get a shot, but they come under fire from a hidden enemy and are pinned out in the open.  It feels like this part of the plan is starting to unravel.

The MG34 by the river is rushed by a para squad and wiped out.  The first victory point has been captured and the way opens for my troops to continue their flanking maneuver along the river bank.

I order the PIAT to take out the German lorry overlooking the small park square in case it reveals my troop movements.  However, the PIATS first shot is detected, despite the discrete nature of its unique firing mechanism, and a squad of Waffen SS spots them from their hiding place across the street. These elite troops have obviously been put here to cover the approach across the square. Unsupported by nearby infantry, the PIAT is in trouble if the SS go on the offensive.

Turn 5

Things really start to get difficult.  A German halftrack and Puma Armoured car arrive, obviously summoned from the outskirts of the city by the sound of fighting.  Both are impervious to gunfire, and either have to stray within range of my PIATs or be assaulted at close range.  With their high road speed they can reach almost anywhere on the map in a single turn, so I have to take care that my units are not left in exposed positions even if they do seem to be way behind the firing line.

The para squad in the gardens takes out the MG34 then ducks back into the trees to avoid the spray of machine gun fire from the halftrack.  Yet as I move another squad up into support, they are spotted by a MG42 heavy machine gun on the raised road and take casualties.

Another set of reinforcements arrive.  With the battle on the left flank hanging in the balance, I move these troops forward in support, although their pace is slowed by the fear of being caught out on the roads by a roaming armoured car.  I also turn my flanking troops in towards the main bridge.

Turn 6

The Puma advances, looking to cut off the Paratroopers fighting in the gardens.  Perhaps over confident in its armour and heavy gun, the crew forgets their vulnerability in urban combat, especially when facing troops of the calibre of the Paras.  The Puma cannot see the Para squad I positioned to guard the left flank as it drives along the narrow street.  Breaking cover, the squad hurl their Gammon grenades, bags of plastic explosive set with an impact fuse that are capable of taking out any armoured vehicle.  The Puma explodes and shudders to a halt.  But before there is any time for congratulations, a burst of suppressive fire from the halftrack kills two of the Para squad.

The Waffen SS squad overlooking the Park area is battered by fire from the PIAT and the Bren.  They grimly hold on for a while, trading shots with the surrounding Paras before breaking and making a run out of the rear of the building, where they are cut down by Sten gun fire from the waiting Para scouts.

Turn 7

My last set of reinforcements arrives in the form of two airborne recce jeeps.  Each armed with a ferociously fast firing Vickers K gun, they provide valuable firepower.  More importantly perhaps, one carries a mortar squad.  Their long range, indirect fire will be crucial for taking on the dug in Germans around the bridge.

My squads form up for the assault on the first line of houses on the raised bridge.  The MG42 in the sandbags and the halftrack on the left flank cover the approach, making the open road a death trap.

Turn 8

With the MG42 covering them, the Halftrack grinds forward cautiously, looking to take the offensive and drive the enemy back from the bridge.  The paras have scrambled up into the roof space, and, unseen, drop a Gammon grenade down into the open topped troop compartment.  The halftrack is blown apart.

While one of the jeeps drives forward to deposit the Mortars in amongst the Park trees, the other drives at breakneck speeds through the streets, finally screeching to a halt in front of the MG42’s sandbag position and spraying it with suppressive fire.  All the Para squads in the facing buildings open up at the same time, hopefully stunning the MG42 into inaction.  But as the first unit charges up the slope and into the house, they are spotted by an MG34 squad in the bunker across the highway and all killed.

Seeing the weight of resistance on the bridge, I resume my flanking manoeuvre along the river bank, passing troops under the bridge span.

Turn 9

A Puma arrives on the main bridge concourse and immediately engages the Bren gun squad.  The 50mm shells smash through the walls, killing one man and suppressing the other.  My recce jeeps are frighteningly vulnerable to the Puma’s gun and so they retreat out of sight.

A para squad launches a near suicidal frontal assault up the slope at the MG42 sandbag position.  They reach the guns just as the crews recover.  Leaping into the gun pit, they take out the crew in a short but brutal hand to hand combat.

Another halftrack is approaching from the south, looking to cover the Puma from any infantry assaults.  I stealthily move my squads through the houses towards ambush positions.  But as I move my left flanking squad forward, they are attacked by a supporting Waffen SS squad pinned by a hail of MP40 fire.  

The troops moving up the riverbank capture a Victory Point.  They start to turn inwards, cautiously approaching the bridge defences from the other side.

Turn 10

Sensing an easy kill, the SS squad charges my beleaguered Paras.  Guns blazing, they launch an assault.  Their overconfidence proves fatal.  The paras stubbornly repel the assault, killing over half the attackers.  The survivors are then mown down as they retreat.

German infantry following up with the Puma kill the remaining Bren gunner, while the Puma moves forward to take a more commanding position on the crossroads.  I can’t launch any attack on the bridge from this side until the Puma is taken out, so I bring up my PIAT launcher to take a shot next turn.

Meanwhile, the mortar starts bombarding the main bunker covering the bridge, and my riverbank flanking force start to prepare themselves.  Once they have regrouped, they can launch their pincer attack against the bridge.

Turn 11

The PIAT scores a direct hit on the Puma and the shaped charge warhead easily penetrates the armour.  The halftrack moves forward but runs directly into the covering para squad who destroy it with a ferocious close assault.  With both armoured vehicles destroyed, my troops push across the road and mass ready for the charge across the forbidding open space of the roadway.  Despite the attempts of the mortar to suppress the defenses, this could prove a bloody affair. 

One of the recce jeeps drives forward to join the force on the far side of the bridge.  As the squads move up, a burst of fire rings out.  Foolishly, I push forward a Para squad to see where the shots came from.  They spot the German infantry squad concealed in the small bridge tower, but are too exposed on the open slope and are all killed.  Their comrades open fire with every available weapon and quickly suppress the German infantry, but their presence is a constant threat to my flanking force.  The hedges surrounding the top of the bank prevent me from launching a direct assault against them, while they can see any squad that moves across the exposed junction.  I’ll have to drive them out with firepower alone.

Turn 12

I make a concerted effort to suppress the defenders around the bridge.  The German infantry squad in the bridge tower absorbs a lot of Sten and Bren gunfire, but is routed after a stray mortar round intended for the bunker lands nearby and shatters their resolve.  The recce jeep drives up the slope and pours machine fire into the concrete bunker, its high fire rate giving it a massive suppression effect.

Judging the defenders are sufficiently weakened, my scouts start their way across the exposed expanse of concrete.  Yet another MG42 opens up, this time from a sandbag position on the far left of the raised bridge area.  Two of the scouts go down and the third is left alone in the road.

Turn 13

Sometimes a whole battle can turn on one unit.  The single surviving scout, with an aggression and bravery that would do the Parachute Corps proud, charges forward alone.  He storms the concrete bunker and kills the machine gun crew inside.  More importantly, he reveals the trap into which I nearly fell.  Hiding in the house behind the MG42 position is a Panzershreck anti-tank team.  They were waiting for me to use my recce jeeps to advance and blast the MG42 out of its position, where upon their 88mm warheads would have turned my precious vehicles into wrecks.  Without these jeeps, I will not be able to transport my static units such as mortars, heavy machine guns and anti tank guns.  While this may not be important in this battle, my surviving force will be carried over into the missions where I try and hold the bridge against the German armoured attacks, for which the Jeeps may prove crucial.

The Panzershreck and MG42 are out of mortar range.  I move the jeep back out of range to transport the mortars closer to their target.

Behind the bridge, another ambush has been avoided.  Scouts detect a MG34 machine gun team crouched in a corner house to the rear of the bunkers and Panzershrek.  They are undoubtedly waiting for any attempt to attack the bridge position from the rear.  As soon as my attack breaks cover and reaches the exposed road and slopes, they’ll open fire.

Turn 14

I make another effort to suppress the defenders.  My left flank paras move up and avenge my Bren gun team by wiping out the German infantry squad covering the road to the left.

After pouring more fire into the MG42 sandbags, I try and run my flamethrower across the roadway, but weighed down by the heavy tanks, they present an easy target.  The German gunners are alert and the flamethrowers don’t make it halfway across before they are killed.

Other troops are more successful.  The paras and scouts manage to suppress the MG34 hiding in the house across the road while the Jeep’s long range fire suppresses the Panzershreck.

Turn 15

The MG34 is taken out by another ferocious charge.  Thanks to the scout hiding out in the bunker, I can see that the Panzershreck has not yet recovered from the effects of the jeeps suppressive fire.  The Jeep takes advantage of this and closes the distance.  At short range, the effect of 1200 rpm is devastating and the Panzershreck team is riddled with bullets.

The now redeployed mortar opens fire on the mg42 and scores a direct hit.  Although I haven’t revealed the unit properly, close inspection shows a body thrown out of the sandbag pit.  I take a gamble that the surviving machine gunner has been hit hard, and launch my assault. 

The MG42 gunner must be brave or mad.  The last survivor of the bridge’s defenders he keeps firing as three squads of battle crazed Paras rush to towards him.  Even when they reach him and launch close assaults, he fights back.  He must be picking up the grenades and throwing them back to survive such a concentrated barrage.

Turn 16

The machine gunners luck finally runs and he is dispatched by yet another assault.  A halftrack rushes up the ramp.  Unable to see my units until it crests the hill, the halftrack is suddenly confronted by several units at point blank range.  Reeling from several grenade attacks, it veers off to the side and plunges down the hill, where it is summarily dispatched by the PIAT launcher concealed in the house overlooking the road. Finally my troops can push on and capture the key buildings at the top of the bridge ramp.  With resistance quashed on the bridge, I set up a defensive perimeter to repel the inevitable counterattack, while pushing on to secure the last victory points.

Turn 17

As a Para squad ventures out from cover to steal one of the last victory points, it’s fired at by a German infantry squad concealed in the park land beyond the bridge ramp.  Not wanting to get involved in a prolonged firefight in which the German rifles would have an advantage over the Paras’ Sten guns, I bring up both recce jeeps and hose down the enemy squad.  Caught out in the open, none escape.

Turn 18

The German attack begins. Waffen SS and Infantry move up through the park land towards the bridge.  Meanwhile, more SS and Volksgrenadiers try to infiltrate through the houses.  Fire from the jeeps routs the two units in the park, and the Volksgrenadiers are routed by fire from the Para squad.  The SS run directly into a Para squad and are wiped out before they can reply.

Turn 19

There is a final flurry of violence in the last turn.  A German halftrack roars down from the north, coming from the riverbank.  It’s intercepted and destroyed by the Para scouts over-watching that junction.  However, they in turn are wiped out by SS troops moving up through the houses.  This final resistance is snuffed out with a counter charge by A Para squad, backed by fire from the Bren gun across the street.

Summary

The mission end finds the British Para’s in total control of the North end of Arnhem Bridge.  Casualties have been comparatively light, and I have preserved my PIATs and Jeeps, which I know are the key to survival in the next missions.  The loss of the flamethrower is unfortunate, as it’s a powerful weapon in defense, especially at the short ranges found in urban combat.  I also seem to have lost a disproportionate number of my Bren guns, which may be a more serious loss.  The Para’s are lacking in long range accuracy, something which the Brens excelled at.