Arnhem Crunch Time

This after action report ties in to my release of an original Highway to the Reich scenario, Arnhem: Crunch Time. That mission was a fictional battle between two armored divisions to wrest control of four strategic locations along the main road leading north out of Arnhem.

The original scenario in HTTR featured the 1st Panzer Division vs. 7th Armored Division. In Command Ops: Battles from the Bulge expansion pack Highway to the Reich, there is no existing 7th AD estab. Instead of trying to create one (which is being my range of experience at the moment), I chose the 6th Armored Division from Patton’s 3rd Army instead.

Arnhem, Netherlands: This scenario is a fictitious engagement between the Axis 1st FJ Army represented by the 1st SS Panzer Division “LAH” consisting of 13,384 men, 417 armored fighting vehicles and 335 field guns, and the Allies 3rd Army represented by the 6th Armored Division consisting of 8,829 men, 888 armored fighting vehicles and 77 field guns.

The battlefield is just north of Arnhem, surrounding the Deelen Airfield. Both sides have the same objectives: Four strategic locations worth 20 victory points each, all awarded upon completion of the scenario. Each side also has a “Destroy the enemy” objective that builds up as the battle commences and caps at 40 victory points.

D01 08:00: My orders are as follows:

CCA.6 (2,079 men, 226 armored fighting vehicles and nine field guns) is ordered to the Deelensche Start objective by way of a move command with attacks selected and rest set to minimum.
CCR.6 (2,564 men, 300 armored fighting vehicles and nine field guns) is ordered to the Deelen Village objective by way of a move command with attacks selected and rest set to minimum.
CCB.6 (2,077 men, 226 armored fighting vehicles and nine field guns) is ordered to the Imbosch objective by way of a move command with attacks selected and rest set to minimum.
6th Armored Division HQ Element (249 men and one armored fighting vehicle) is ordered to defend at the Velperberg objective with rest set to minimum.

D01 12:00: Imbosch and Velperberg are taken without a fight (other than bombardment from afar), whereas the hornet’s nest is definitely developing at the Deelen Village objective.

D02 00:00: CCA.6 and CCR.6 are taking a serious beating at the airfield.

D02 12:00: CCA.6 appears to be making some headway towards the Deelensche Start objective as they are facing a far lighter contingent of Axis forces than CCR.6 is up against at the Deelen Village objective.

D03 00:00: Night descends on the battlefield as there is no rest for the forces engaged in the titanic struggle to seize the objectives.

D03 06:00: The Deelen Village objective has been overrun by some 5,000 Germans. I order CCR.6 who is now down to just 741 men, 63 armored fighting vehicles and one field gun to withdraw back towards the Deelensche Start objective currently being contested by CCA.6.

D03 12:00: It appears that the AI Axis commander is only concentrating his forces on the western most objectives, having completely ignored Imbosch and Velperberg (for me as the scenario creator this is somewhat a curiosity as I have verified that each objective counts as 20 victory points awarded upon completion).

After Action Report

Review Final Situation Screen

Other thoughts: I enjoyed putting this scenario together and if you download and play it, I hope you enjoy it as well.