Market Garden: Battle in the Woods turns 7 - Conclusion

 Turn 7

The 10th Para suffers a setback on their HQ replacement. The good news being that they retained their previous command value of 9 but they failed to activate meaning that it will be at least 2 more turns before they are able to resume command.  

The first casualty of their command problem is the second 6pdr AT gun. Having used their initiative to unlimber it gains no further activations and is promptly knocked out by the 75mm. 

Continued -

'C' company, that had been moving east through the woods adjacent to the track, seeing the relentless fire coming from the area around the hotel and acting on their own initiative turn to approach the German position from the north.

A platoon occupies the pumping station with an MMG and a Piat section digging in nearby to engage the hotel. More failed activations though prevents them from opening fire and the machine gun section suffers casualties and is suppressed by an SS platoon firing from the hotel.

Having done its job, the 75mm is ordered to limber up and fall back in defence of the Koebel.

The German FAO attempts and fails to call in another barrage from the off-table artillery. The units defending the hotel and now reinforced by an SS platoon repositioned from the nearby woods. The SS commander sees an opportunity to seriously hold up the advance of the 10th Para.

The 156th Para have no such command problems with the lead units advancing rapidly through the woods to threaten the Koepel.

The Germans are alarmed at seeing movement in the woods to the west and move more units onto the Koepel, while those that had been occupying the high ground move into the woods to their south.

Turn 8

The situation at the beginning of turn 8. 1 company from Bruhns is also defending the hotel with the SS contingent.

The 10th Para HQ successfully rolls for its new commander but will be the next turn before he can issue commands. This severely hampers the progress of the battalion although they did succeed in knocking out a German rifle platoon.

In return the Germans benefitted from highly successful command rolls allowing them to pour fire towards the British lines. This cost the Paras the loss of their MMG and Piat sections along with a suppressed rifle platoon.

The German FAO, having failed again to call in an artillery strike, left the hotel in a Kubelwagen and raced towards the farm to set up a new position. 

A German MMG along with a rifle platoon deployed at the edge of the wood to the south of the Koepel and immediately fired on ......

...the 156th Para platoons racing across the open ground towards them. One rifle platoon was destroyed and another suppressed. 

Bruhns relocates his HQ onto the Koepel pulling more units onto the high ground to defend at all costs. The company already dug in on the Koepel fire on British units who are firing from the edge of the woods opposite inflicting several casualties and knocking out a Piat section.

An overview looking from behind the British lines at the end of turn 8. The Germans have been cleared along the right side of the board with the 156th now threatening the Koepel (top right). On the left the SS continue to hold the hotel stalling the advance of 10th Para.

From behind the German position looking west with the Koepel on the left. Their right flank is now held by a single platoon in the woods and another in the farm. On the road in the woods to the east of the hotel, the towed 75mm AT gun and the 20mm halftrack are pulling back.

Turn 9

The lead units of 156th Para that had been momentarily been pinned down pour devastating return fire into the woods utterly destroying the German rifle platoon and MMG that had caused them discomfort! Quickly following up they surge into the woods towards the Koepel. 

German reinforcements move into the woods on the Koepel and engage the Para's in a firefight with both sides suffering casualties.

Most of the rest of 156th Para move up to support the lead elements.

The 3 German platoons dug in on the Koepel were shot to pieces by the Para's with just one surviving. 

The 75mm and 20mm equipped halftrack begin redeploying along the road intending to fire upon the 156th Para but command rolls failed them.

The news is not so good for the British and their endeavours to capture the hotel. 'C' company of the 10th Para engaged the hotel occupants in a firefight. They succeeded in destroying a German rifle platoon but they lost 2 in return with the surviving platoon falling back suppressed.

Almost in an act of desperation, the bren carrier accompanying the Para's CO, charges towards the hotel firing its bren as it does so but fails to score any hits. The 10th Para have lost another platoon in the woods to the west of the pumping station destroying any hope of capturing the hotel.

This has been a dramatic turn with both sides losing heavily. The Germans reached their breakpoint at the end of the British phase which they passed. By the end of the German phase the British also hit their breakpoint and will have to test the next turn.

Turn 10 

The Paras CO tests to establish if they are still in the fight having reached their breakpoint. Only a roll of '11' or '12' will be a failure but nevertheless, a holding of the breath was required as the roll was made. A pass!

Firing dies down to potshots between the pumping station and the hotel. The bren carrier thought better of it and roared at speed into cover. Neither side has the power to launch an assault and they are content to await the outcome of the fighting on the Koepel.

The British FAO successfully calls in a strike from the 2 off-able 75mm guns on the vehicles near the farm. The halftrack suffers a direct hit and is destroyed. Another hit was scored on the 75mm tow but was insufficient to cause any problems. 

The action on the Koepel becomes very intense. The 156th Paras initiative move took them close enough to open fire on the 2 German platoons who used opportunity fire to suppress one of the British platoons. In return the concentrated fire of several units of Paras suppressed both German platoons. The Paras HQ decided now was an ideal time to charge into close combat. His command roll failed!

The Paras CO is needed to step up and successfully activates the British units who duly charge into contact. The German platoon on the slopes is already in a poor shape and is easily overcome by the charging Paras.

The other German platoon is forced to fall back out of the woods onto the summit of the Koepel where it is close assaulted by 2 British platoons. In a short fight it too is destroyed.

Another German platoon had been shot to pieces on the Koepel prior to the close assaults and now Bruhns is the last German unit on the high ground. It is now the German phase requiring a break test. Now subject to a -4 on the dice roll it looked bleak for the Germans. And so it proved as the test failed. They could play through to the end of the turn but it was decided to end the game here as there was nothing they could realistically do to alter the outcome.

Bruhns was captured leaving the Koepel in the possession of the Paras.

Over in the farm, the German FAO and rifle platoon that had been occupying it, decided it was time to bus-up and depart.

So a British victory albeit a very close one. The 10th Para suffered badly from failed command rolls leaving them struggling to mount a co-ordinated attack on the hotel.

It could not have been more different for the 156th Para who benefitted from a string of activations allowing them to rapidly advance on the Koepel. 

The next scenario in the sequence is "The Charge of the Paras" covering their approach to Arnhem bridge. It could be some time before I am in a position to play this. Potentially a significant number of buildings and of course Arnhem bridge itself will need to be acquired.