Groesbeek, September 1944

 Another game in my series of Market Garden battles, this time the 82nd Airborne on Groesbeek Heights on 18th September 1944. The 82nd had two LZs around the heights and dropped without incident on the 17th, and various columns set off to Grave, Nijmegen and several other bridges. The Reichswald was quite close by and Allied intelligence was concerned abut the possibility of counterattacks from the forest, some intelligence estimates even suggested that IInd SS Panzer Corps was located there, refitting from tank depots at Kleves. The heights were also the planed location of 1st Allied Airborne Army HQ.

This resulted in a relatively strong garrison being left on the heights, to the detriment of the attack on Nijmegen, which was only assaulted by a single company on the 17th, and although the bridge at Grave was captured intact, the attack on Nijmegen failed.

The scenario is converted from the ever useful Command Decision 'Market Garden' scenario book.

Battlefield from the south. Nijmegen is off to the northwest, Grave to the southwest and the Reichswald to the east. There is a bridge across the canal in the south. The road over the bridge leads north across the heights via Mook,  Groesbeek and then to Kranenburg in the north and on to Nijmegen.

The heights are held by 1/505th in extended order, the RHQ is back in the village. The heavy weapons have been distributed among the rifle platoons. One of the LZs is just below the heights, marked with a glider.

In the north, Kranenburg is held by two companies of 1/508th. There is another LZ to the west.

Leading elements of Korps Feldt lurking on the edge of the Reichswald. This formation was thrown together from various fortress and training units from 406th Fortress Div and Wehrkreis VI under the notional command of Korps Feldt, but operationally the tactical HQ was run by Oberst Rasch. The first wave was four battalions, two of trainee NCOs and the others being border guards and replacement units.  The Korps lacked any services such as signals, engineers or anti tank weapons, infantry heavy weapons were in short supply and no artillery was available on the 18th although a battalion of captured Russian howitzers would arrive on the 19th.

The US were supported by two batteries of 75mm Pack Howitzers. I don't have any 15mm models of those, so my US 105s will have to do. I also made up a Field Hospital so James Caan can drive his wounded Captain there later and threaten the surgeon (if you've not seen A Bridge Too Far, don't ask).

Various reinforcements due to arrive. Three more battalions for Korps Feldt, plus some light armoured vehicles. The US have a weak engineer battalion and the missing three companies of their two para rifle battalions, hurriedly recalled. Overall the US are outnumbered 3:1 in combat companies.

View from the Reichswald. I'm sure this will be easy Hans!

Russell took the Germans in the north. Their NCO battalion lurked in the forest while the Border Guards marched bravely forward, then fell back in disorder as they came under long range mortar fire.

Simon took the south, and his NCOs also sidled through the forest, while the Ersatz battalion marched singing down the road.

The NCOs pushed forwards while Russells Border Guards reorganised.

Under a hail of 75mm artillery fire, Simons NCOs fell back again. Pete brought on the second wave which consisted of such elite troops as a Luftwaffe Fortress Battalion and the infamous 'Stomach and Ear' Battalion - troops who were deaf or needed special diets. Oberst Rasch drove on to oversee proceedings, and John moved the US RHQ forwards for better artillery observation.

Russell and Simon advanced their forward units. Russells trainee NCOs ran into a wall of small arms, machine gun, mortar and artillery fire and were throughly pinned down in the fields in front of the heights. Simons replacements thought it would be a good idea to spread out at this point. 

The forest was a bit jammed with Germans in various states of disarray. Petes battalions made their way around the disordered NCO battalion. Obsert Rasch moved across to encourage them.

Great excitement in the north. KG von Furstenburg appeared with another infantry battalion and a platoon each of armoured cars and SP Flak. This was the combat debut of my Forged in Battle Sdkfz 221. Or 'Lt Grubers Little Tank', as it was immediately named.

Down near Mook, Simons Ersatz boys came under artillery fire and were pinned down.

But KG von Furstenburg pressed on to Kranenburg. US fire thinned their ranks but they shrugged it off.

Simons NCOs rallied and Petes two battalions pressed forwards. The German attack in the centre was suddenly looking serious.

They approached the LZ.

KG von Furstenburg scored some hits on the defenders of Kranenburg, but the follow up assault fell apart in disorder. The SP Flak went to join the Luftwaffe Fortress battalion.

In the south the Germans overran the LZ and suddenly Mook was looking quite threatened. Oberst Rasch moved up a bit closer. Mook was now strongly garrisoned by the 307th Para Engineer battalion and two of the missing companies of 1/508th.

In the north though, the defenders of Kranenberg were in a sorry state, reduced to one weak company as the Germans and their armour closed in.

Faced with overwhelming numbers of Germans, the defenders of Mook decided the only sensible course of action was an immediate counterattack! A volley of fire thinned the German ranks.

And the US paras tore them apart in close assault. Veteran US paras vs half trained replacements, it wasn't much of a contest. This also put the paras rather close to Oberst Rasch. He bravely engaged them with his Luger before hopping in his staff car and driving away.

The Stomach and Ear battalion didn't fancy getting close assaulted by the paras, so also decided attack is the best form of defence and piled up the hill into the US Regimental HQ. A bloody melee resulted, but the defending para company was overwhelmed. The HQ team hung on grimly.

Up in the north the Germans poured fire into Kranenburg from their infantry and armour, clearing away the last of the defenders.

The US Regimental HQ finally succumbed to the German assault, the wounded CO was evacuated by James Caan to the aid station in the rear.

The Border Guards battalion occupied Kranenburg, and Lt Gruber piled down the road to overrun the other LZ with his armoured cars.

The NCO battalion which had been pinned in the fields finally sorted itself out, and despite being at half strength, joined in the charge up the hill.

The US paras where overwhelmed, but not before they'd inflicted enough losses to disorganise the Germans who halted to reorg on the objective.

Meanwhile near Mook, the US lined up to continue their counterattack and called in artillery fire on the LZ which suppressed the defenders. The Para Engineers assaulted the Stomach and Ear battalion, while the Paras went for the LZ behind an artillery barrage.

With minimal losses both German units were wiped out and the LZ recaptured. A few survivors retreated to the Regimental HQ, which was hastily reinforced by the Luftwaffe Fortress battalion. The Germans had been massively handicapped by being disorganised and attacked in the flank.

In the north however, the Germans managed to defeat the US counterattack off the hill, albeit with heavy losses, and held onto Kranenburg.

The Germans now held the majority of objectives so were declared the winners, but were somewhat chastened by their massive losses in the final few turns, having been reduced to three battalions from their initial seven. Historically the Heights were fought over for days, and the Germans eventually slugged their way to Mook.

I was very pleased with the way the fire heavy defence worked with the US artillery spreading disorder through the German ranks. The Germans played the hand they had been dealt well, and kept pressing on despite all the setbacks. I think the US might have been better conducting a mobile defence based around local counterattacks with their immeasurably superior troops rather than allowing the Germans to mass fires against their static positions, but it is always easy to be Captain Hindsight. 

I haven't got many of these scenarios left to play now, but there are a couple and I might revisit some of the ones we played with other rulesets, the Arnhem drop in particular. Having picked up 'Dropzone', I may even design a couple based around those. We will see.