There was constant engagement, as small groups waged their own little wars for a farmhouse or whatever. I think I'll stop there for a few observations.ġ) From jump off to railway bridge seizure, there was never a 'break' in the action. It is now 1700, two hours after the jump off of the assault. This breaks the resistance at the railway bridge. Later, 267 dead Germans are counted on the bridge. They are cut up badly from the fire of both the paratroopers and the support forces, including tanks, on the south side of the Waal. Men from H company reached the approaches of the north side of the railway bridge, and were engaged by Germans who had fallen back in small groups from the 15 foot embankment near the river.Īt this point, a German company gets caught moving across the bridge from south to north, apparently moving from Nijmegen to defend the northern approaches.
The situation was still chaotic and confused. Instead they set up support weapons and keep the occupants of the fort pinned down and neutralized so that the main assault can continue to the railway bridge.įirefights were still taking place all over the area. A team sets up a machine gun 50-60 yards from shore and fires at an entrenhced German position.Įventually, small seperate groups have moved to within assault distance of the fort. Then a few men move off to flush out a single sniper. So, the men continue their fight through the fields, orchards and farmhouses on the way to the fort. It's not the original objective, but it has to be neutralized to continue on to the bridges. So, as the men cross over the embankment, they realize that most of the fire is coming from the Fort Hof van Holland. I found a nice map in 'In Never Snows in September', but I havn't found an online map I can link here yet. I'm still looking for a map online of this battlefield. The two objective bridges could be seen to the right. Beyond that was the Fort Hof van Holland. The situation was confused and chaotic.Īhead now were open fields, orchards and a scattering of farmhouses and barns. Little semblance of unit cohesion remained.
#MEN AT WAR ASSAULT SQUAD 2 CANT ATTACK SERIES#
The attack had developed into a series of daring small unit actions of individuals from different squads and platoons.
All along the embankement the same thing happens as little groups charge over the embankment. But here, one Staff Sergeant charges over the dike, and yells 'After them!'. Here H and I companies were to reassemble. They charged singly and in small groups.Īs the men reached the embankment, they paused to catch their breath. Those who made it to the shore charged ahead towards the 15 foot high dike/embankment some 800 yards ahead. The boats jumped off and crossed the river. I'm not yet sure what KG Reinhold consisted of, and I'll have to come back to that. To KG Henke's left, or east is SS Kampfgruppe Reinhold, which is not involved in the immediate battle at the crossing. All in all, about 750 men, with some flak batteries in support. The 504th's 2nd Bn will support with fire across the river.ĭirectly across the river is some portion of Kampfgruppe Henke, a hodgepodge force consisting of three companies of the Ersatz Battalion 6, and company from the Hermann Goering Traning Regiment, and an NCO school posted as bridge security. of the 504PIR, 82nd Airborne, who will cross in 26 assault boats. The initial assault force is only two companies H and I 3rd Bn. Jump off time for the assault is 1500 hours. So, total distance to the objective is 1400-2000 yards. Another 800 yards of flat terrain beyond the dike is a concrete fort. The paratroopers must paddle the boats across the river, climb the bank, then cross 200 to 800 yards to a 15- to 20-foot-high dike. Tanks and artillery will provide covering fire Typhoons will rake the area with rockets for 30 minutes before the assault. One mile west of the railroad bridge at Nijmegen, paratroopers of the 82nd’s 504th Regiment prepare to cross the 400-yard-wide Waal River. My idea as we go is to compare this real, famous, battalion sized engagement to your average Combat Mission scenario.
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