Near Elst in The Netherlands, 23 September 1944
Historical Situation
During Operation Market Garden, XXX Corps drive made it as far as Elst in it's drive to Arnhem. This battle represent the battle along the "Island" highway between Lent and Arnhem, where the Guards Armored Division was stopped by Kampfgruppe Knaust[3] at Elst on September 22nd. Kampfgruppe Knaust had been deployed against the 1st Airborne at the northern end of the Arnhem road bridge and was made up of 4 infantry companies and a mix of Panzer III and IV tanks. When the bridge had been cleared of British paratroopers the Kampfgruppe was sent south to join the blocking line at Elst. Having lost three Panzers and an unknown number of casulties the Kampfgruppe was reinforced with Panter and Tiger tanks and possibly some additional infantry.
Map/Terrain
Key features are:
- 4 x 4 Table
- Elevated road from one end of the table to the other side
Map made with AutoREALM
Pre-game Preparation
- None
British Player (Attacking)
Objective
Clear the road of German units.
Forces Available
Elements of the 32nd Guards Brigade
Reinforced Company
1 HMG
1 PIAT (assign to a platoon)
1 2-inch Mortar
1 FO (3-inch Mortar OT)
4 Platoons
3 Rifle Squads
1 Sherman I
2 Sherman IIA
1 M10 Achilles
Morale: Regular
Deployment
Deploys first between the south edge of the board and line A-A.
Reinforcements
None.
German Player (Defending)
Objective
Maintain the roadblock along the highway and disrupt the Allied advance.
Forces Available
1 Reduced Strength Company
2 HMG
1 FO (81mm Mortar OT)
2 Platoons
2 Rifle Squads (1 with Panzerfausts)
1 StuG IV
1 Panzer IV
Morale: Regular
Deployment
Deploys second, north of line A-A.
Reinforcements
None.
Victory Conditions
Terrain (A) and Casualty (AD) objectives.
The British get victory points as follows:
- +1 for each German Rifle squad, CC, or HMG killed
- +2 for each German Vehicle killed
- -1 for each British Rifle squad, CC or HMG killed
- -2 for each British Vehicle killed
- -1 for each German stand with LOS to the road
| Result | VPs |
|---|---|
| Major British Victory: | ≥ 3 |
| Minor British Victory: | 1 to 2 |
| Draw: | 0 |
| Minor German Victory: | -1 to -2 |
| Major German Victory: | ≤ -3 |
Scenario Special Rules
The elevated dike road consists of two contour lines which block LOS crossing both. An exception is the two-story buildings which can see across the dike to the other side. Units on top of the dike road can see over fields and hedges as if they were on a hill but do not get any cover unless they are able to get into a hull down position. The contours also act like a linear obstacle except where a dirt road crosses the dike.
Notes
The scenario was played on March 14, 2009.
I gave the Brits a seperate PIAT team to give them an additional stand. In contrast, the Germans have a regular rifle squad with additional AT capability.
The following vehicles are used in the scenario. Players are free to substitute a Panzer III and StuG III in place of the Mk IVs. You could also substitute a Sherman Firefly for 2 Shermans.
| Name | ARM | ACC | PEN | HE/EFF | Smoke | MG | HD | Spd | CC | Notes | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sherman I | 4/2 | +0 | +0 | 4/2 | - | 4 | Y | 2 | +3 | 13.5 | |
| Sherman IIA | 4/2 | +0 | +1 | 4/2 | - | 4 | Y | 2 | +3 | 13.5 | |
| M10 Achilles | 3/1 | +0 | +1 | 4/2 | - | 4 | N | 2 | +2 | 12.0 | |
| StuG IV | 4/2 | +0 | +1 | 4/2 | - | 4 | N | 2 | +2 | 13.0 | |
| Panzer IV F2 | 3/2 | +0 | +0 | 4/2 | - | 4 | Y | 2 | +3 | 12.5 |