Tactical Battle Series: Airborne Operations

The Tactical Battle Series is a set of scenarios played out on a single map utilizing the same objectives for each side for each scenario. The set contains the following installments: Airborne Operations, Armor Operations, Line Operations and finally Combined Operations. The scenario design is for the Allies to have a 3:1 superiority over the Axis forces with each mission lasting 48 hours.

On Day 2 of each scenario the Axis will receive a full complement of their starting force (another regiment if they started with a regiment, etc.) There are multiple reinforcement lists for the Axis side so that these additional forces will arrive at one of three possible entry points: far north, far west or far south. These three points will be randomly selected by the game engine.

The Victory Points are spread out over three primary objectives: Deelen Airfield (50 split 75%/25% between Occupation and Completion), Checkpoint North (25 split the same) and Checkpoint West (25 split the same).

The map is a cropped version of the stock Arnhem map and the .cop and .cop.cache files must be installed in the map folder of your game directory. The map is situated so that the entire map is visible within the game at the third zoom level.

The scenario file can be placed anywhere in your Scenarios directory, however in the screen shot below I have it saved to the Tactical Battle Series directory by simply adding that folder to the Scenarios folder.

The weather for the scenarios is a snow pattern with snow ground conditions, a minimum temperature of -5C (23F) and a maximum temperature of 1C (33.8F) with sunrise at 08:39 and sunset at 16:48. These conditions will greatly impact the air availability for each side, with the possibility that all sorties may wind up as canceled due to inclement conditions.

Airborne Operations




D01 09:00 The initial order provided to the first wave: Alpha Company from each para battalion is detached and sent to the outer reaches of the map to serve as early warning against the three possible entry points for Axis reinforcements. The remainder of each battalion is sent on probes against the three objectives, while the 1st Battalion 327th Glider Infantry Regiment is put in reserve south of the airfield.

Once the entry point is known later on Day 2, I intend to commit the bulk of the 327th Glider Infantry Regiment held in reserve to counter the German reinforcements.


D01 12:01 When the bulk of the regiments arrive, they are issued attack orders against the three objectives, while the remainder of the 327th is moved up to their reserve staging area south of the airfield. When the division HQ element arrives at 13:00, they will be moved behind the reserve element.


D01 15:00


D01 21:00


D02 03:00


D02 09:00


D02 09:06 The Axis reinforcements are detected in the west by the early warning infantry company. I reattached 1st Battalion to the 327th Glider Infantry Regiment held in reserve south of the airfield and send them on an attack to blunt the Germans trying to flood the battlefield with fresh troops.


D02 15:00 Alpha Company 501st Battalion has done an excellent job in holding up the Axis reinforcements and has allowed the 327th to reach their forming-up point for the assault on the Germans. At this point I reattach all early warning companies to their Bn HQ’s.


D02 21:00


D03 03:00 With the primary objective of Deelen Airfield in some doubt, I peel off two battalions of infantry and order them to attack. 3rd Battalion 501st and 2nd Battalion 506th are the closest so they get the call to race to the objective and save the day for the 101st Airborne Division.


D03 06:00 A pitched battle ensues for the airfield and a Decisive Victory outcome is questionable at this point. With such a superior force, I misplayed my hand here and should have reinforced the regiment holding the airstrip from the outset.

After-action Report


Nah, it was never in doubt.

Review Final Situation


The scenario can be downloaded from the Missions and Scenarios page of this website: it is located in the Command Operations Series section. It can be also downloaded directly from here.

5 comments:

  1. The scenario file has been updated as of this evening due to an oversight on my part. In wanting this series to be a “light mod” (all the player has to do is download one map and four total scenarios), I am utilizing the stock force lists that shipped with the game. As such, the 101st Airborne Division has the 705th Tank Destroyer Battalion in it (they supported the 101st in the Bastogne scenarios) and was inadvertently missed in the original upload (this has since been corrected removing these tank destroyers from the glider deployment :)).

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  2. These are excellent little scenarios, Tim :) I'd advise to put the word out on the Matrix forums as well.

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  3. Link : http://sdrv.ms/1mU30cx is broken !
    Someone may help me ?

    Thanks

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    Replies
    1. Thank you for alerting me to this. The link has been updated. The file contains two scenarios: Airborne Operations and Armor Operations. The scenarios were created in and intended for Command Operations 1 (I do not know if they would work or not with Command Operations 2 as I have not tested that).

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