Market Garden: Battle in the Woods turns 1 - 6

 Turn 1

156th Para battalion quickly moves up to the hedgerow scanning for any signs of the enemy.

The CO and FAO begins to take up position.

The two 6pdrs are towed along the road behind the infantry advance.

Continued -

The 10th Para battalion moves into the woods either side of the track moving towards the pumping station.

The 2 German armoured cars advance to investigate movement ahead but so far fail to spot anything.

To the south the other recce vehicle, an Sdkfz 250 halftrack does likewise.

Turn 2

A company of 10th Paras makes good progress in the woods to the north of the pumping station before stumbling into a German infantry platoon. The Germans use opportunity fire to inflict losses on a Para platoon. Two of the Para platoons pour fire towards the German unit successfully suppressing it also with heavy casualties.

German units in the pumping station and dug in nearby see one of the Para platoons moving through the woods. Firing in their direction they succeed in suppressing the Paras.

I should add here that some German units had initially been placed inside modelled trenches which was a little adventurous! Those trenches have been replaced with markers indicating dug in rather than entrenched.  

To the west of the pumping station, the remaining companies of the 10th Para straddle the road as they move through the woods.

Two companies of the 156th Paras have angled their advance towards the woods on the south side of the battlefield reducing the risk of getting caught in the open.

Turn 3

As 10th Para moves through the woods approaching the pumping station, the German FAO spots the movement from the upper floor of the hotel. He successfully calls in a strike from the off table 88mm causing casualties among several units and suppressing one platoon.

The company of 10th Para moving through the woods to the north of the pumping station successfully knocks out a German platoon. It does not go all the way for the Paras however, when another German unit dug in near the pumping station sees the Paras and opens fire suppressing a platoon and inflicting casualties.

In the top right corner the German armoured car suffers damage from a piat and is suppressed.

A furious firefight breaks out between German troops occupying the pumping station and dug in nearby and units of the 10th Paras who have now reached the edge of the wood. Casualties are sustained by both sides and the dug in German platoon becomes suppressed.

Turn 4

A command blunder results in 2 10th Para platoons rushing out of the woods to the north of the pumping station startling Germans dug in nearby. The German platoon uses opportunity fire but fails to score any hits.

A 6pdr AT gun deploys and pumps two shells into an armoured car knocking it out before it became a target of sustained German mortar fire in return. This is the aftermath with the 6pdr having fallen back suppressed. 

An SS 75mm AT gun along with SS and regular infantry collectively pour fire from their hidden positions in and around the hotel into 2 Para platoons that had advanced out of the woods near the pumping station destroying both British units.

To the south, advance units of the 156th Para battalion exchange fire with German units in an adjacent wood. Casualties were sustained on both sides with neither getting an upper hand.

The 156th Paras are now almost entirely within the wood. A piat unit stumbles across the German Sdkfz 250 half track and promptly destroys it. All 3 recce vehicles are now out of action.

Turn 5

One of the 10th Para platoons that had inadvertently moved out of the woods to the north of the pumping station rushes the nearby German unit. Despite taking casualties and suffering suppression, the paras succeed in destroying the Germans.

The second 6pdr deploys intending to fire on the German 75mm but fails to activate further.

In the woods to the north of the pumping station, a company of 10th Para begin sweeping east parallel to the track.

In the pumping station itself a German platoon is determined to hold out and delay the 10th Paras. They take casualties from heavy fire and offer little in return, but they still hold on.

All is not well in and around the hotel for the Germans. The 75mm is suppressed by a 3" mortar fire. An SS unit in the woods is forced back suppressed by rifle fire and the FAO fails to call in a artillery strike. German command rolls are appalling this turn leaving them floundering.

Paras of the 156th Regiment pour fire into the woods opposite knocking out 2 of the 3 German units including their MMG. Minor casualties are suffered in return and sensing the slackening of German firepower, units are sent out to probe the area held by the enemy.

Turn 6

A close assault was ordered by the 156th Para on the last remaining German unit holding the woods to the east of their position. The lead British platoon came under heavy fire as it charged across the open ground losing heavy casualties. It fought well almost destroying the German platoon but the latter hung on tenaciously neutralising the Para platoon.

A second Para platoon was ordered to attack which had no difficulty finishing off the battered German unit. Most of the remaining units of the 156th Para moved out to occupy the German position.

A British 6pdr AT gun damaged the German 20mm halftrack but failed to knock it out. A combination of German fire pouring out from the hotel and its grounds including the halftrack with 2 successful barrages from off-table artillery took a heavy toll on the 10th Para. The 6pdr was destroyed along with 2 other units and the HQ unit. 

The last German platoon holding the pumping station was finally destroyed but failed command rolls stalled the British advance. The exception being the single company advancing along the track which had reassembled ready to move towards the Koepel.