The Eindhoven scenario is one of three historical campaigns (Arnhem, Eindhoven, and Nijmegen) that form the backbone of the Operation Market Garden representation in the Airborne Assault engine at that time (preceded by Red Devils Over Arnhem and succeeded by the HTTR expansion pack for Command Operations). The missions feature various elements of the Allies 30 Corps fighting against the Axis 1st Fallschirmjäger Army and 2nd SS Panzer Corps.
Please refer to the previous entry covering Day Five action for detailed information about how the battle progressed to this point. Note: all links used in this post are to actual articles containing additional information about the subject matter referenced and are not any form of automated link advertising.
Day Five Analysis
I am currently in control of all 16 location objectives.
The total force strength is 13,844 personnel, 330 armored fighting vehicles, 234 gun units, a 3,814 anti-personnel firepower rating, a 7,416 anti-armor firepower rating, a 1,330 Armor rating, and a 795 bombardment rating.
The scheduled reinforcements are 26.7 artillery, the Grenadier Guards Group, and the Coldstream Guards Group with varying arrival times.
I currently have three artillery batteries under my direct Fire Control: 377th (12 X 75mm/out of ammo), 321st (12 X 75mm/30% ammo), and 907th (12 X 105mm/50% ammo). All batteries are on call with “Rest After Bombard” deselected so as to allow the various AI commanders use of these assets.
If the scenario were to end right now, I would have killed 3,972 Axis personnel, 71 armored fighting vehicles, and 220 gun units (seven destroyed by fire and eight by surrender).
Allied losses would be 1,497 personnel, 16 armored fighting vehicles, and 32 gun units. While there have been a couple of units that have disbanded and merged with others, I have not yet lost any units to either the Fire or Surrender classification.
From this point forward combat power values will be abbreviated (armored fighting vehicles=AFV, etc.)
New Orders
The 1st Battalion 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment which is defending at the Veghel Canal Rail Bridge Objective (7 VP) on the left flank is down to 244 personnel (from a starting force of 564, or 43% of its original strength). While I had intended to pull them when they reached 50%, the timing is not optimal with my other deployments on-going and the available reinforcements scheduled, so they are left in place for the time being.
A Company 326th Airborne Engineering Battalion was orphaned when the 1st Bridge Platoon 30th Corps and the 2nd Bridge Platoon 30th Corps both disbanded back on day four and five respectively, so I issue a simple Defend order with in-situ selected so they do not attempt to redeploy from their current dug-in position.
Combat Action
The 26th Battery 7th Medium Artillery Regiment (377P/3AFV/8G/99AP/14AA/4A/147B) arrives in Eindhoven and is ordered to setup a fire base in an orchard to the west of the original airborne landing zone south of St. Oedenrode.
Their 8 X 5.5 inch medium guns have a massive 12km coverage area; however there is also a 3km minimum range dead zone that has to be taken into account. In order to best service the most important and contested objectives, I had to find a relatively safe place for them to deploy and still be able to cover the battlefield effectively.
At 02:00 I receive a report that C Battery 27th
Light Anti-aircraft Regiment that was defending the approaches east of
Eindhoven has surrendered. This is the first unit lost to the Germans in the
scenario and their removal from the battlefield reduces my early warning capability
in the sector.
The Veghel Canal Rail Bridge has changed hands several times, and now some companies that are part of the 327th Glider Infantry Regiment are starting to wither under the constant assault of the Germans. However this may not persist in such a massive concentration of force as I am detecting some of the units moving back to the west (most likely to find a different route).
The containment area setup on the opposite side of the canal has aided in the depressed bowl like terrain feature that I trapped the Axis forces in being littered with 25 crosses indicating unit destruction, surrender, or disbandment (the majority of the indicators are for destruction of the unit).
2nd Battalion 501st Parachute Infantry
Regiment which has been relatively untouched while defending the Veghel River
Highway Bridge Objective (14 VP) has come under sustained assault from the east
but is holding in their long entrenched positions. The yellow frontage and depth bounding box indicator is not a new order, it was selected to show the current order in the image.
K Troop 102nd AT Regiment (four Achilles Tank Destroyers) has been knocked off of their position in the center of the screen to the east and is now down to just one remaining tank destroyer. Once they are eliminated this will put the 6th Durham Light Infantry Battalion front and center in the defense of the critical Eindhoven Objective (17 VP).
At 17:16 the Grenadier Guards Group (1,453P/138AFV/38G/664AP/1,016AA/615A/94B) arrives at Zeeland in the far top right of the map* and is assigned several tasks to address critical needs on the battlefield.
C Squadron 2nd Household Cavalry (83P/30AFV/36AP/126AA/71A) is ordered to move to the Helmond area of the map to act as a scout for German reinforcements coming from that sector.
The 2nd Grenadier Guards Battalion [Armor] (350P/74AFV/8G/285AP/424AA/335A) are ordered to form a defensive line near the Veghel River Rail Bridge facing northeast while the 1st Grenadier Guards Battalion [Infantry] (504P/15AFV/18G/201AP/307AA/116A/38B) are ordered to attack into a group of Germans near the Veghel River Highway Bridge facing southwest to relieve the pressure on 2/501st Bn which has been under persistent attack for some time (E Company is at approximately 20% strength with only 39 men remaining and will soon route).
The remaining HQ element
(516P/19AFV/12G/143AP/170AA/93A/56B) is ordered to Defend at the Hulstheuvel Highway
Bridge Objective (the inset image) which will free 2nd Battalion 327th
Glider Infantry Regiment (451P/9G/147AP/484AA/24B) to move into Veghel and take
up a defensive blocking position facing southeast to protect the right flank.
At 18:58 the Coldstream Guards Group (1,376P/138AFV/38G/647AP/999AA/615A/94B) arrives at Zeeland in the far top right of the map* and is also assigned several tasks to address critical needs on the battlefield.
D Squadron 2nd Household Cavalry (83P/30AFV/36AP/126AA/71A) is ordered to move to the Hertogenbosch area of the map to act as a scout for German reinforcements coming from that sector.
The 1st Coldstream Guards Battalion [Armor] (325P/74AFV/8G/280AP/419AA/335A) is ordered to move to the Koevering Objective (7 VP).
- Formation – Road Column
- Route – Avoidance
- Aggro – Min
- Losses – Min
They will be held there in reserve to support either the St. Oedenrode or Veghel objectives depending on the threats that develop with the continued Axis reinforcements.
The 5th Coldstream Guards Battalion [Infantry] (460P/15AFV/18G/194AP/300AA/116A/38B) is ordered to move to the Son Highway Bridge Objective (17 VP).
- Formation – Road Column
- Route – Avoidance
- Aggro – Min
- Losses – Min
They will be held there in reserve to immediately bolster the defense at Son as well as put them within 9km of Eindhoven should things get horribly difficult further south.
Once both 1st and 5th Battalions arrive at their destinations they will be given specific Defend orders (or re-tasked) depending on the situation at that time.
The remaining HQ element (508P/19AFV/12G/138AP/165AA/93A/56B) is ordered to Defend at the Uden Objective (the inset image) which will free 1st Battalion 327th Glider Infantry Regiment (444P/10G/144AP/481AA/22B) to move into Veghel and take up a defensive blocking position facing northwest to protect the left flank.
* When this scenario was produced for the HTTR expansion pack to Command Operations, this force appeared much earlier in the battle and spawned (in all reinforcement schedules) down in the Eindhoven area.
While other elements of 30th Corps such as the Guards Armored Division and the 43rd Infantry Division are abstracted (not actually in this scenario but mentioned in the briefing as assumed to have transited the corridor), the Grenadier Guards Group and the Coldstream Guards Group are both included and will be used as a fighting force.
The two cavalry squadrons were sent out as scouts to observe
likely approaches due to the additional artillery assets on map and the
sizeable coverage ranges that many of those batteries have. Spotting a force
moving openly along a road should allow for the implementation of several
barrages against the formations to disrupt an advance and cause maximum damage
while they are out in the open.
At 22:30 there is a lot of movement going on along the battlefield. The inset image in the northwest is a German Light Flak Company detected by D/2HC as they are executing their movement to the Hertogenbosch area. The inset image in the southeast is a group of Axis Paratrooper units detected by C/2HC who were on their way to the Helmond area (and have since arrived). My only artillery asset within range to this sighting was unfortunately out of ammunition.
The Coldstream Guards Group HQ element has arrived at Uden and the Grenadier Guards Group HQ element has arrived at Hulstheuvel. 1/327th Bn has vacated Uden and is on their way to the left flank of the Veghel sector, 2/327th Bn is already in Veghel and moving towards Leest on the right flank, 5CO Bn (Infantry) has cleared Veghel and are moving south on their way to Son, and finally 1CO Bn (Armor) have arrived in Koevering.
To be continued…
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