Highway to the Reich Nijmegen Historical Campaign

The Nijmegen campaign is one of three historical campaigns (Arnhem, Eindhoven, and Nijmegen) that are part of the scenario list for the original Highway to the Reich by Panther Games. The scenarios also include some coup de main campaigns and a number of smaller and what-if scenarios. Arnhem and Eindhoven clock in at nine days and nine hours where Nijmegen is approximately half that at four days and ten hours of total scenario time.

These three historical campaigns 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 1 [as Conquest of the Aegean focused on a different theater altogether]). The missions feature various elements of the Allies 30 Corps fighting against the Axis 1st Fallschirmjäger Army and 2nd SS Panzer Corps.

The following after-action report is one of three that I hope to complete while playing out the original historical campaigns from Highway to the Reich.

New Scenario Options

Realistic Orders Delay, Historical Weather and Reinforcement Schedules, and Normal Supply.

Battle Map and Terrain Considerations

The starting force is the airborne element already landed on the map (7,198 personnel, a 1,724 anti-personnel firepower rating, a 3,704 anti-armor firepower rating, and a 285 bombardment rating). It is split into two sections on either side of the MAAS-WAAL Canal with the 504th Parachute Regiment to the east and the remainder of the 82nd main drop to the right.

There are several potential crossing points for the follow-on armor units to traverse, however the optimal route is along Hell’s Highway which puts the three primed bridges at Grave (4 Victory Points), Nederasselt (15 VP), and Honinghutje (9 VP) at the top of the priority list. Losing any of these bridges will significantly alter the employment of armor units in mid to late game.

From this point forward combat power values will be abbreviated (armored fighting vehicles=AFV, etc.)

Objectives

There are a total of 17 objectives plus the obligatory Destroy the Enemy (25 VP). All objectives except for one are active from the start to the completion of the scenario. Only the Reet objective (10 VP) has a delayed beginning at D3 13:00.

These objectives serve a purpose in guiding the player in developing a strategy, however not all of them are necessary to achieve a Decisive Victory outcome as several can be completely ignored through the course of the scenario.

Initial Orders

E Company 2nd Battalion 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (165P/39AP/98AA) which dropped far to the west as a single unit is ordered to defend with a northwest facing along a minor road to provide reconnaissance for any forces coming from that direction. With single units such as these it is not necessary to set frontage or depth as they are determined by the game engine.

3rd Battalion 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (582P/140AP/135AA/25B) are augmented by A Company 307th Airborne Engineering Battalion and ordered to attack the Nederasselt Highway Bridge Objective (15 VP) with a forming up point approximately 2km to the east just beyond the line of sight area of the enemy units.

• Formation – Line
• Aggro – Max
• ROF – Rapid
• Losses – Max
• Frontage – 1,000m
• Depth – 600m
• Secure Crossing

Normally I would employ the 2nd Bn here as it is closer to the objective, however in this effort they experienced a rather bad parachute drop and are reduced in strength from a normal complement of 580 personnel down to 418 and are thus relegated to a less important role.

2nd Battalion 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (418P/103AP/94AA/25B) are ordered to attack the Overasselt Road Bridge Objective (4 VP). I am not specifying a forming up point here as the Bn is so close to the objective (the AI commander can determine an appropriate FUP if any is needed). Secure Crossing is not checked as the crossing point is not primed with explosives.

• Formation – Line
• Aggro – Max
• ROF – Rapid
• Losses – Max
• Frontage – 600m
• Depth – 300m

1st Battalion 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment (582P/141AP/136AA/25B) are ordered to attack the Heumen Road Bridge Objective (4 VP) with a forming up point approximately 1km to the west just beyond the line of sight area of the enemy units.

• Formation – Line
• Aggro – Max
• ROF – Rapid
• Losses – Max
• Frontage – 600m
• Depth – 300m
• Secure Crossing

504^th Parachute Infantry Regiment HQ (345P/42AP/66AA) are ordered to defend in-situ at their present location (I prefer to work backward to the highest command unit). The intention is that once 2^nd Bn secures their objective, the HQ unit will be brought forward to defend it so as to allow the combat forces to be reallocated to another task that I have planned.

B Battery 80th Airborne AT Battalion (40P/7AP/65) are ordered to defend along the main highway outside of the village of Mook with a southeast facing. Their four 6pdr AT guns will play a significant role in delaying any German advance through this corridor.

A Company 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment (165P/39AP/98AA) are detached from 1st Bn and are ordered to take up a defensive blocking position further southeast at Oostberg just off of the main road. This allows them to provide early warning to any significant threat developing in that area.

1st Battalion 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment (420P/105AP/96AA/25B) are ordered to attack the Mook Rail Bridge Objective (8 VP) with a forming up point approximately 1km to the northeast of the objective just beyond the line of sight area of the enemy unit.

• Formation – Line
• Aggro – Max
• ROF – Rapid
• Losses – Max
• Frontage – 600m
• Depth – 300m
• Secure Crossing

3rd Battalion 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment (585P/143AP/138AA/25B) are augmented by B Company 307th Airborne Engineering Battalion and ordered to move to a forming up point at Jonker Bosh. The intention is to use them to attack and secure the vital crossing point at Honinghutje Highway Bridge Objective (9 VP).

• Formation – Road Column
• Route – Quickest
• Aggro – Min
• ROF – Normal
• Losses – Min

2nd Battalion 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment (585P/143AP/138AA/25B) are ordered to take up a defensive blocking position with an easterly facing between the villages of Groesbeek and Nicoline. This is a vital point in the defensive front facing the Reichs Wald.

• Formation – Line
• Aggro – Max
• ROF – Normal
• Losses – Max
• Frontage – 1,000m
• Depth – 600m

505^th Parachute Infantry Regiment HQ (310P/36AP/18AA) are ordered to defend at Popenberg with a southeast facing.

1st Battalion 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment (585P/143AP/138AA/25B) are ordered to move to a forming up point at St. Anna. The intention is to use them to attack and secure the Somerchem Objective (7 VP).

• Formation – Road Column
• Route – Quickest
• Aggro – Min
• ROF – Normal
• Losses – Min

2nd Battalion 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment (585P/143AP/138AA/25B) are ordered to move to a forming up point at the Barracks. The intention is to use them to attack and harass the Nijmegen CBD Objective (38 VP).

• Formation – Road Column
• Route – Quickest
• Aggro – Min
• ROF – Normal
• Losses – Min

3rd Battalion 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment (585P/143AP/138AA/25B) are ordered to take up a defensive position facing southeast along a minor road just off of the main highway leading into Nijmegen. This blocking move is a critical element in delaying the Axis effort to counter-attack the overall operation.

• Formation – Line
• Aggro – Max
• ROF – Normal
• Losses – Max
• Frontage – 1,000m
• Depth – 600m

376th Parachute Light Artillery Battalion (371P/95AP/175AA/60B) are to move to a clearing near Kluis to setup a fire base. Their 12 M1A1 75mm Pack Howitzers will play a significant role in the attack on the Nijmegen bridges by 2/508 Bn. The outer blue range ring signifies the current maximum bombardment distance of the artillery. Moving it to the west will allow it to have coverage over all of the primed crossing points on the canal.

• Formation – Road Column
• Route – Shortest
• Aggro – Min
• ROF – Normal
• Losses – Min

508^th Parachute Infantry Regiment HQ (492P/72AP/122AA) are ordered to defend at their current position at DZ T with a southeast facing. I am leaving C/507 Engineers attached to this HQ group to bolster their defensive capabilities.

In keeping with my approach of working backwards to the highest on map unit, I order the remaining 82nd Airborne Division HQ (reduced to only 100 total personnel at the moment due to the multitude of detachments detailed above) to defend along a minor track just behind DZ N with a southeast facing. Once the organic base arrives on the battlefield, I will reattach it to the superior unit and allow the AI commander to deploy it.

Enemy Forces

After issuing orders to all of my units the map is cleared of friendly AI to reveal the available current intelligence filter results for the Axis forces which are comprised of 5,165P/1,707AP/2,410AA. My slight numerical advantage in personnel will need to use the element of surprise to secure their objectives for the following armor forces.

As General Browning says in A Bridge Too Far: "We shall seize the bridges - it's all a question of bridges - with thunderclap surprise, and hold them until they can be secured".

Combat Action

D01 14:01 - Gliders deliver the reinforcements and complete the day one airborne drop. There are three AAA units and two AT units that are deployed in a defensive ring around DZ N and T as follows:

• D Battery 80th Airborne AT Battalion defends at Horst
• A Battery 80th Airborne AAA Battalion defends just below Groesbeek
• E Battery 80th Airborne AT Battalion defends just above Kruishoeve
• B Battery 80th Airborne AAA Battalion defends just below Knapheide
• C Battery 80th Airborne AAA Battalion defends further southwest from Knapheide

These units are comprised of four 6pdr AT guns per anti-tank unit and 12 M2 50 cal HMG machineguns per AAA unit. All units have a clear line of sight to the Reichs Wald and the track network that the enemy is likely to traverse.

D01 18:01 – The Nederasselt Highway Bridge (15 VP) and Mook Rail Bridge (8) objectives have been achieved by the allocated forces. The Nederasselt Highway Bridge has already been unprimed because that force was augmented with an engineer unit.

In the north the 3/505, 1/508 and 2/508 battalions have progressed satisfactorily to their forming up points and should be well rested for the assault to be ordered at midnight.

D01 21:00 – The second phase of the assault plan is put into play by issuing the following orders:

• 2/504 attacks the Grave Highway Bridge Objective (4VP)
• 504th HQ relives the 2/504 at the Overasselt Road Bridge Objective (4 VP)
• 1/504 attacks the Blankenberg Road Bridge Objective (4 VP)
• C Coy 1/504 is detached and left at the Heumen Road Bridge Objective (4 VP)
• 3/505 (with supporting engineers) attacks the Honinghutje Highway Bridge Objective (9 VP)
• 1/508 attacks the Somerchem Objective (7 VP)
• 2/508 attacks the Nijmegen CBD Objective (38 VP)

The 3/505’s attack on the Honinghutje Highway Bridge will be supported with artillery from the 376th under my direct control. All attacking units have the following settings:

• Formation – Line
• Aggro – Max
• ROF – Rapid
• Losses – Max
• Frontage – 600m or 1,000m (depending on force size)
• Depth – 300m
• Secure Crossing (where required)

The hope is that so many simultaneous attacks will further confuse the AI commanders and disrupt their ability to effectively counter-attack any one specific assault.

D02 00:00 – At midnight the artillery fire missions continue on suspected enemy locations as the 3/505 closes in on the objective to secure the crossing point.

D02 00:50 – Just under an hour later both the Honinghutje Highway Bridge (9 VP) and the Honinghutje Rail Bridge (4 VP) objectives have been achieved by the 3/505 who are working to unprime the crossing points. A light flak platoon has been revealed and will be bombarded by artillery in order to suppress them.

D02 06:00 – The all-important road bridge has been secured however the rail bridge was blown by enemy forces thus deactivating that objective and taking its 4 VP out of the mix. Overall I am pleased that the road bridge has been secured as it (along with the Nederasselt Highway Bridge secured earlier by 3/504) are vital to a speedy approach by the armor forces coming later in the scenario.

D02 07:15 – 2/504 has achieved the Grave Highway Bridge Objective (4 VP) and unprimed the crossing. There were a number of ways I could have approached taking this bridge, such as reassigning the engineer unit attached to 3/504 or going entirely with 3rd Bn for the assault as they have 700+ personnel (with the attached engineer company) compared to the weaker 2nd Bn which only has 411 personnel.

If the bridge had been blown, it would only have been a minor issue as the armor units could take the unprimed crossing further south at Escharen and then make their way through Grave to cross over at Nederasselt. Had the Axis forces primed both the Grave and Escharen crossing points this could have been a more complicated consideration.

At this point I notice that the 504th HQ unit has not moved to replace the 2/504 at the Overasselt Road Bridge Objective (4 VP) that was vacated earlier. This is because of a mistake that I made: I simply drug their defend box down to the objective not realizing I had it originally set to in-situ, so the units never actually moved with the new order.

I issued a new defend order at Overasselt to resolve this error.

D02 12:00 – The 504th HQ unit has taken the objective at Overasselt. Up north at the Nijmegen CBD Objective (38 VP) the 2/504 Bn is surrounded by Axis forces. The battalion currently has 565 personnel at this point and the “All” intelligence filter indicates that they are encircled by 2,236 German forces.

Shifting to the “Recent” filter this number drops to 1,250 and finally at “Current” there are no intelligence sightings of sufficient age to be reported on the map.

I take this opportunity to adjust the battalion to a northeast facing with the following settings:

• Formation – Line
• Aggro – Med
• ROF – Normal
• Losses – Med
• Frontage – 1,000m
• Depth – 300m

Hopefully this will put it in a better defensive posture to repel (or delay) the enemy crossing over the bridge.

The 1/505 Bn is also adjusted at the Mook Rail Bridge Objective (8 VP) to face in line formation to the southeast to better position itself against the enemy forces expected to come up along the highway.

At the Nederasselt Highway Bridge Objective (15 VP) several units are detached from the 3/504 Bn and ordered to take up specific facings at the edge of the objective perimeter line in order to provide earlier warning to any enemy activity (the remaining units of the HQ are ordered to defend in-situ).

D02 14:30 – Three units of artillery and one unit of anti-tank guns arrive by glider and are distributed as follows:

• F Battery 80th Airborne AT Battalion defends just below Oostberg
• 319th Glider Field Artillery Battalion (75mm X12) is reattached to its organic superior unit
• 320th Glider Field Artillery Battalion (M3 105mm X12) is ordered to a clearing to the northwest
• 456th Parachute Light Artillery Battalion (75mm X12) is ordered to a clearing to the northwest

These reinforcements are the final contingent of the airborne forces to arrive during this scenario. The remaining reinforcements will be the British armor units coming from the south.

D02 18:00 – To support the 2/508 Bn defending at the Nijmegen CBD Objective (38 VP), I detach B and C companies from the 1/508 Bn defending at the Somerchem Objective (7 VP) and move them forward to backfill either flank of the defensive line footprint of the 2/508 Bn. Once the two companies are in place I will group them with the other units and issue a defend in-situ order to formally link them with that force.

D03 00:00 – B and C companies arrive and are grouped with the 2/508 Bn as described above. Although I am using in-situ I also redefine the facing, frontage, and depth in the hopes that my intent will be known to the AI commander (probably overkill on my part).

D03 03:45 – The 319^th Glider Field Artillery Battalion that was reattached to its superior (the 82^nd Airborne Division HQ unit) is sitting exposed at DZ N. I detach it and order them to defend in a clearing near the other artillery units which should also bring the guns within range of Nijmegen.

D03 08:00 – The first of the armor units arrive on map as B Squadron 2nd Household Cavalry (83P/30AFV/36AP/126AA/71A) and is ordered to move to the currently inactive Reet Objective (10 VP) located 7km north of Nijmegen with the following settings:

• Formation – Road Column
• Route – Avoidance
• Aggro – Min
• ROF – Normal
• Losses – Min

The intent here is to use this reconnaissance asset to reveal the situation along Hell’s Highway, not only through the critical Honinghutje Highway Bridge area but also further north on the other side of the river where I currently have no forces.

D03 09:30 – The Grenadier Guards Group (1,734P/114AFV/46G/695AP/972AA/554A/94B) arrive below Reek and is ordered to move to a forming-up point just above the Sports Park with the following settings:

• Formation – Road Column
• Route – Quickest
• Aggro – Min
• ROF – Normal
• Losses – Min

The intent here is to get them into position as quickly as possible so as to issue a specific attack order to coincide with other reinforcements due later.

D03 10:30 – The Guards Armored Division HQ element (1,787P/44AFV/46G/395AP/459AA/140A/281B) arrive and is ordered to take up a defensive position at the Honinghutje Highway Bridge Objective (9 VP). Once in position, this will allow me to use the 3/505 Bn currently defending there to secure the Hatert Road Bridge Objective (4 VP) slightly to the south of their current position.

D03 11:07 – The 30 Corps HQ element (2,878P/24AFV/76G/637AP/1,073AA/34A/295B) arrive and is ordered to take up a defensive position 2km behind the Guards Armored Division assigned to defend at the Honinghutje Highway Bridge.

D03 14:40 – The Coldstream Guards Group (1,326P/124AFV/38G/626AP/1,003AA/570A/38B) arrive and is ordered to move to a forming-up point at Hees with the following settings:

• Formation – Road Column
• Route – Quickest
• Aggro – Min
• ROF – Normal
• Losses – Min

The intent here is to get them into position as quickly as possible so as to group them with the Grenadier Guards Group in order to execute a complex attack on Nijmegen.

D03 19:00 – The Coldstream Guards Group have made it to their FUP and are grouped with the Grenadier Guards Group and ordered to perform a complex attack on Nijmegen with the following settings:

• Formation – Successive Lines
• Aggro – Max
• ROF – Normal
• Losses – Max
• Frontage – 1,500m
• Depth – 600m

This creates a combined attacking force of 3,021 personnel, 238 armored fighting vehicles, 82 gun units, an anti-personnel firepower rating of 1,312, an AA rating of 1,958, and an armor rating of 1,124.

At the same time I order the 3/505 Bn to secure the Hatert Road Bridge Objective (4 VP).

D04 00:00 – The attack on Nijmegen is well underway with the objective having been achieved at 23:44. Honinghutje was lost at 23:48 and is worth 9 VP compared to the 4 for Hatert which the 3/505 Bn secured a bit earlier, so if it does not fall back to me soon I will leave a token infantry company at the lesser objective and move the remainder of 3rd Bn back to the higher objective.

"We shall seize the victory points - it's all a question of victory points - with thunderclap surprise, and hold them until they can be counted at the end of the scenario".

D04 02:51 – The Welsh Guards Group (1,208P/120AFV/36G/586AP/948AA/650A/38B) arrive and is ordered to attack an area between the North Bank Highway Bridge Objective (20 VP) and the Lent Objective (9 VP) with a forming up point at Somerchem on the opposite side of the river. Only the aggression and losses settings are tweaked (to maximum). This will allow the AI commander broad flexibility in resolving the assault across the bridge.

The 8^th Armored Brigade (1,720P/124AFV/28G/623AP/677AA/521A/169B) arrive and is ordered to attack an area between Lent and the Fort van Holland Objective (8 VP) with a forming up point at Somerchem on the opposite side of the river. Only the aggression and losses settings are tweaked (to maximum).

D04 08:00 – The 13/18 Hussars (495P/110AFV/4G/398AP/496AA/502A) arrive and is ordered to perform a probe on the left flank of the attack on Nijmegen in an effort to relieve some of the pressure on the forces there who have lost the objective.

D04 10:34 – Nottinghamshire Yeomanry (487P/107AFV/4G/381AP/472AA/473A) arrive and is ordered to move to the Sports Park area with the following settings:

• Formation – Road Column
• Route – Quickest
• Aggro – Min
• ROF – Normal
• Losses – Min

The intent here is to hold them in reserve until the attacks across the bridges have some success (unless they are needed elsewhere).

D04 12:00 – In the north the 2^nd Welsh Guards Battalion have successfully crossed the rail bridge and are on the opposite side of the river advancing towards the North Bank Highway Bridge Objective (20 VP).

At the same time in the south a contingent of Axis forces numbering approximately 250 are pushing towards a weak point in the defensive line, the 505^th HQ and base units that are dug in at Popenberg. The Germans however are suffering losses due to artillery fire and from the entrenched paratroopers.

D04 18:00 – The push across the river by the Welsh Guards Group and the 8^th Armored Brigade has been a smashing success with all of the objectives on that side secured for the moment.

D05 00:00 – The North Bank Highway Bridge Objective (20 VP) was lost at 21:23 the previous night and has not reverted back by midnight, so I order the 2nd Welsh Guards Battalion to perform a probe southeast towards the riverbank which will bring them more into the objective perimeter than they currently are.

This detaches them from their organic superior unit, the Welsh Guards Group HQ element so I order that force to defend in-situ so that they do not lose any of their entrenchment value by having to orientate their force to compensate for the loss of the detached Bn.

I Coy 3/508 Bn has broken and is being routed which exposes the main highway on the left flank of 3 Bn’s defensive blocking position, thus threatening the primary Nijmegen objective further north. I order Nottinghamshire Yeomanry that was being held in reserve at the Sports Park to take up a defensive position at a major road fork near Ubbergen to compensate for the faltering block by the 3/508 Bn.

I Coy disbanded earlier and some of the objectives have been shifting hands, however I am confident of the plan and make no adjustments at the moment. The formidable Irish unit is due within the next six hours and will either be moved north toward a simulated exit or used to shore up the North Bank Highway Bridge Objective to secure its 20 VP.

D05 09:29 – The Irish Guards Group (1,260P/124AFV/38G/616AP/995AA/570A/38B) arrive and are ordered to move north to cross the river and take up a defensive position at the Fort van Holland Objective (8 VP).

D05 09:29 – The Irish Guards Group (1,260P/124AFV/38G/616AP/995AA/570A/38B) arrive and are ordered to move north to cross the river and take up a defensive position at the Fort van Holland Objective (8 VP).

D05 12:30 – The 8th Armored Brigade that was tasked with attacking the area between the Lent and the Fort van Holland objectives has vacated that space (which is why I plugged the Irish Guards Group there) and is moving back across the rail bridge due to the extreme amount of fatigue suffered in trying to maintain the attack (which still shows as an active order for them).

Given the amount of time left in the scenario I suspect they are effectively out of action at this point.

D05 18:00 – The Weurt Road Bridge Objective (3 VP) is bugged (it has been since the game was released and was never fixed by the developer) and is impossible to achieve so I completely ignore it when playing this scenario. That taken into consideration with the Honinghutje Rail Bridge (4 VP) having been blown earlier back on day two means that I have achieved and currently hold all objectives on the map. 

The Destroy the Enemy objective has been maxed out for some time.

After-action Report

The scenario ends and I achieve a Decisive Victory outcome with the appropriate accolades from Field Marshall Sir Bernard Montgomery. It is interesting to note that although I had a few units disband and merge with others, I suffered no units destroyed by either fire or surrender.

The Axis didn’t have it so lucky with the Germans losing 7,463 personnel with 18 units destroyed by fire and 13 that surrendered. While not the highest body count I have achieved in playing this scenario over the years, it still is a successful mission nonetheless.

Review Final Situation

Some interesting observations by the numbers:

• 3rd Battalion 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment with just 194 soldiers remaining was defending along the highway at Wyler against 2,205 Axis units
• Two German regiments totaling 2,031 personnel slipped through between the 2/505 and 508th HQ defending on either side of Kamp near the DZ
• Although the 3/508 Bn did a valiant job defending the northern approach to Nijmegen, 1,575 Axis units slipped in behind them along the highway and in front of Nottinghamshire Yeomanry
• At the North Bank Highway Bridge there were a total of 1,253 Germans coming down the road threatening that high value objective (20 VP)
• Although the 8th Armored Brigade withdrew due to high fatigue, the 4/7 Royal Dragoon Guards recovered enough to fight back and assist in retaking the Fort van Holland Objective (8 VP)

Although we did have one bridge blown, it was ultimately inconsequential as the others still allowed for the preferred path along Hell’s Highway.

Post Mortem

This is one of the scenarios that did make it into the HTTR expansion pack for Command Operations, however the interesting thing with this original HTTR scenario is that the Airborne Assault Engine at that time did not have Exit Objectives, so there is no requirement to move the British armor units off map – they can be used to clobber the Axis forces.

For anyone who owns Command Operations Battles from the Bulge and the expansion pack Highway to the Reich, Matrix games makes the original HTTR game available as a free download in the Members Club area under the COHTTR link. Given that Panther Games is officially leaving Matrix Games at the end of this month, anyone who has not taken advantage of this freebie should grab it now just in case it goes away (with Panther).

I have recently reinstalled the game and find it runs perfectly in Windows 7 without the need for any compatibility wizard tweaking. The screen resolution can be adjusted to full screen by changing the Quick Start icon properties target from "C:\Matrix Games\Highway to the Reich\HTTR.exe" to "C:\Matrix Games\Highway to the Reich\HTTR.exe" -resolution 1920x1080 (or wherever you installed it to and to what resolution you want). It looks great full screen at 1920X1080 without any aspect ratio issues.