Written by: Cymrusaint
Category: Western Front
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On the 17th September 1944 thousands of British and American paratroops fell from the skies over the Netherlands. Their objective was to secure a series of bridges over the main rivers of the German-occupied Netherlands, and allow a rapid advance by armoured units into northern Germany. The operation was called "Market Garden".

 

  American German
Division 1

101st Airbourne

9 Squad Bases
- 24 Regular Infantry
- 6 Elite Infantry
- 2 Officer
- 1 Mortar Crew
- 1 Machine Gun Crew

1x Medic
1x AntiTank
2x Engineer

Eindhoven Garrison

8 Squad Bases
- 18 Regular Infantry
- 4 Elite Infantry
- 2 Officer
- 2 Mortar Crew
- 2 Machine Gun Crew
2 Panzer IV Tank

1x Engineer

Division 2

82nd Airbourne

9 Squad Bases
- 24 Regular Infantry
- 6 Elite Infantry
- 2 Officer
- 1 Mortar Crew
- 1 Machine Gun Crew

1x Medic
1x AntiTank
2x Engineer

Nijmegen Garrison

8 Squad Bases
- 18 Regular Infantry
- 4 Elite Infantry
- 2 Officer
- 2 Mortar Crew
- 2 Machine Gun Crew
2 Panzer IV Tank

1x Engineer

Additional Forces

British 1st Airbourne
Bases - 12
Regular Infantry - 30
Elite Infantry - 8
Officer - 2
Mortar Crew - 2
Machine Gun Crew - 2

1x Flamethrower
1x Medic
2x AntiTank
2x Engineer

XXX Corps
Bases - 14
Regular Infantry - 36
Elite Infantry - 8
Officer - 4
Mortar Crew - 2
Machine Gun Crew - 2
Sherman - 6
M10 Tank Destroyer - 2
Churchill - 4
GMC CCKW 353 - 5
Bedford Truck - 4
Bren Carrier - 4
Half-Track - 4

Only the Airbourne forces benefit from the "004 Double Time" card.

Additional Forces at Eindhoven
1 Flak 36 AT
2 Panzer IV

Additional Forces at Nijmegen
1 Panther
1 Flak 36 AT

Arnhem Garrison
Bases - 9
Regular Infantry - 22
Elite Infantry - 4
Officer - 2
Motar Crew - 2
Machine Gun Crew - 2

1x Engineer

Half - Track - 2
Jagdpanzer - 1
Flak 38 AT - 1

Strategy Decks American Air Support 1
Artillery 1
Artillery 2
Starting Strategy Cards 3 2
Operations Cards 004 Double Time
008 Lay Smoke
017 Camoflauge
007 Lay Razor Wire
Deployment Zone
  • XXX Corps set up on the roads on tiles 5B or 5B. All squads must set up in the trucks or half-tracks.
  • 101st Airbourne lands on tiles 6A, 2A or 9B.
  • 82nd Airbourne lands on tiles 8A, 4A or 4A.
  • 1st Airbourne lands on tiles 6A, 4A or 6A.
  • Eindhoven Garrison set up on tiles 6A, 2A, 9B, 5A,3A, 1A.
  • Nijmegen Garrison set up on tiles 8A, 4A, 4A, 9A, 3A, 3A, 2B.
  • Arnhem Garrison set up on tiles 11A, 1A, 11A, 6A, 4A, 6A, 8B,10A, 11B.
Starting Initiative Initiative Token  
Objective The Allies must capture and hold all 3 bridges (Bailey bridges count) and move two tanks onto the objective marker in Arnhem town centre to win a major victory. To win a minor victory the Allies must be in control of Eindhoven and Nijmegen bridges and have 5 XXX Corps tanks on the Arnhem bridge tile at the end of turn 12. If the Germans can prevent the Allies from achieving any of the above, they win a major victory. If Arnhem bridge is destroyed, they will only achieve a minor victory.
Rounds 12
Actions per turn 6 6
Reinforcements

Turn 3 - Allies
2 gliders land around Nijmegen bridge (same area as the 82nd landing positions). Each glider contains 1 M1 57mm AT Gun and 1 regular infantry squad.
2 gliders land around Arnhem bridge. Each glider contains a Qf 6-pounder AT Gun and 1 regular infantry squad.

Turn 4 - Allies
The Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade
Bases - 5
6 Regular Infantry
4 Elite Infantry
2 Officer
2 Mortar Crew
2 Machine Gun Crew
Specialisations - 1 Flamethrower, 1 AntiTank

The weather in England is very unpredictable roll a D6 to see if the brigade arrive:
Turn 4 - 5+
Turn 5 - 4+
Turn 6 onwards - 3+

Turn 3 - Germans
Enter on any red hex - 4 Regular Infantry Squads
1 Panther
1 StuG
Enter on any yellow hex - 4 Regular Infantry Squads
2 Panzer IV
Enter on any blue hex - 3 Regular Infantry Squads
1 Tiger I

 

Special Rules

At set up, the Allied player sets up his XXX Corps units first. The German player then sets up his units. Finally the Allied player sets up his Airbourne forces using the special rules below.

  • Airbourne forces: Paratroops - To land each squad of paratroops choose the hex you wish them to land in then using the drift rule, on page 43 of the Tide of Iron rule book, work out where the squad actually lands. The drift number is 4. Squads landing in any hex other than a clear or hill hex may suffer casualties, roll 2 attack dice (obviously the cover is not taken into consideration). If a squad lands in a river hex, roll for casualties, as above, and place the survivors in any adjacent hex.
  • Airbourne forces: Gliders - Use the same rule as above for paratroops, but the drift number is 3. The number on the distance dice is halved, to a minimum of 1.
    If the glider lands on any hex other than a clear hex it is destroyed along with its cargo.
  • Blowing up bridges - The Germans have set charges on all the bridges. Near each bridge is a building with an objective marker on it, these buildings contain the detonators. To be able to blow up a bridge the German player must have a squad in the objective building nearest the bridge to be blown up. Field Marshall Walther Model wants the bridges defended, he will not be happy if they are destroyed. If the player chooses to blow up a bridge he will need to spend command points to make an attempt. It costs 5 command points, this is taken from unused command points first, if the player doesn't have enough he can take the remainder from his initiative card.
    Many things can go wrong when trying to blow up a bridge during a battle, so the German player must roll a dice to see if he is successful:- If the Allies have not yet reached the bridge the bridge is destroyed on a roll of 4+.
    If an Allied unit has crossed the bridge, it doesn't have to be on the bridge at the time of the attempt, the bridge is destroyed on a roll of 5+. If an engineer has disabled the charges (as per clearing mines), the German player cannot blow the bridge.
    If an Allied squad has entered the building containing the detonator, they will have destroyed it, and the German player cannot blow up the bridge.
  • The Bailey Bridge - Two Bedford trucks should be designated as carrying Bailey bridgeing equipment. These trucks can't carry squads, the player should mark the trucks with "transport tokens" the same as those carrying squads.
    To bridge a river (it doesn't have to be where the original bridge was), move the truck onto the river hex.
    The next turn fatigue the truck, stating that it is building a bridge.
    When removing the fatigue token, remove the truck also.The following turn the bridge is built, and units can cross it as normal.
    If the player wishes to remove the bridge, place the truck back on the hex and fatigue it. The following turn the bridge is removed, place the truck on the side of the river you want it. It is now free to go and build another bridge.
  • Movement on Roads - The roads are narrow, if any vehicles are heavily damaged, or destroyed (leave them on the board), any vehicles entering their hex are assumed to have to leave the road to get past them. Any vehicles leaving the road can only move 3/4 rounded down, of their movement allowance.
    This applies even if they only go off road for 1 hex.
    Tanks can push any other vehicle off the road at a cost of 1/2 their movement allowance. Destroyed vehicles can then be removed from the board. Heavily damaged vehicles can continue to fire as normal from their new position.
    This rule does not stop you placing 2 vehicles in the same hex. It is assumed they will be one behind the other on the road. Only vehicles entering from another hex are subject to the above rule.
    Don't use this rule when a vehicle moves through a hex containing undamaged or lightly damaged vehicles, it is assumed that these would be able to pull over to allow the other vehicle to get past.
  • Concealed Squads - Slightly different from the usual rules. Don't place the squad on the board, place only the concealed marker (use the ones with numbers), all 8 can be used, but no more than 4 for each garrison. Place the squad in a convenient place off the board with the corresponding "transport" marker. This way, the enemy will know there are units in the area, but will not know what they are.
    See rules for how squads are revealed.
    Also, any vehicle can start the battle concealed if it is in a wooded hex, but will become revealed if it moves, fires or any of the normal rules apply.
Terrain Features
  • The ground around Highway 69 was in places to soft to support tactical vehicle movement and there were numerous dykes and drainage ditches. All vehicles travelling on clear ground move at 3/4 speed (rounded down).
  • Destructible buildings

 

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