Tel el Eisa AAR

Tel el Eisa AAR February 2015

After a couple of Panzer Korps (PK) battles in North West Europe, I moved a thousand miles south (and two years back in time) for a Western  Desert encounter. Although I have started collecting figures and models for this theatre, I have not built up a big force, and many of the figures in this battle were substitutes wearing khaki or grey instead of desert sand.  This battle was fought solo, using the PK rules, and 6mm figures, almost all GHQ, on 1” square steel bases. I used the ground scale recommended for the smaller models – 1” in the rules translated to 1cm for all purposes. The table was three feet by five. In practice it was only about two feet wide where all the fighting took place, with the Mediterranean Sea intruding from the north, and a rim of salt marsh. 

The battle of Tel el Eisa was part of First El Alamein; it took place after the first German attacks had run their course, and a fresh Australian Division (9^th), supported by 1^st South African Division, was tasked with taking two hills (Tel el Eisa and Tel el Makh Khad) which were occupied by Italian troops. Historically the Commonwealth troops chased off or captured many Italians, and then held the objectives against a German counterattack.

Scenario Map

The main defensive unit was the Italian 60^th (Sabratha) Division, with two regiments (4 rifle battalions), all with Reservist morale, plus a single Bersaglieri battalion. They were supported by a motorised regiment from the 102^nd Trento division – these were Regulars. There were also two 75mm artillery regiments. To the south west, off the map, was a German Kampfgruppe, with five motorised infantry battalions, an armoured car unit and another artillery regiment. These would arrive some time after 10am under the normal PK reinforcement rules, which allow an increasing arrival chance in each successive Day Segment.

Italian front line initial positions - looking north towards the Med

Initial Italian deployment - looking west.

Initial Italian deployment - from the south-west

The 9^th Australian Division had three Veteran infantry battalions, 32^nd Royal Tank Regimant with Valentines, 25pdr Howitzer support and 9^th Cavalry Regt, with two Bren Carrier companies and a Crusader II company. In PZ a battalion takes its statistics from the majority of its core companies, so this one was effectively a carrier battalion. The Australians would be attacking on the right of the UK line, the north, near the coast. The 1^st SA Division would be arriving to their left, but they were also counted as reinforcements, and would have to dice for arrival. The South Africans would bring three more infantry battalions, a Recon regiment with Humber A/Cs, and more 25pdrs.

For the first time in my PK battles, both sides had significant air forces. The Commonwealth could deploy two squadrons each of Hurricanes, Kittyhawks and Bostons, while the Axis had Bf-109G and MC 202 fighter squadrons, plus two Stuka squadrons. The air battle is quite detailed. At the start of each day segment, each side commits fighters to CAP, and also allocates ground attack planes to one of the turns in the upcoming segment. If both sides commit fighters then these battle it out, and the victor will be able to attempt to intercept enemy planes if they execute ground attacks in the coming turns. It’s quite hard to remember who is ready, who is rearming and who is arriving on which turn, so I made myself a player aid with boxes to keep track of it all.

The off-board airfield play aids

Day Segment 06:00 – 08:00. Initiative British. Visibility 18”. 3 turns. This first Day Segment represented the half-light of dawn – visibility was reduced to 18” and there was no air activity. The 9^th Division moved forward with the Valentines of the RTR on the right (north) flank, the three infantry battalions next, and the carrier regiment (9^th Cavalry) to the south. The British artillery had good intelligence about the Italian positions, and was able to bombard them, though with a -1 to their die roll. 

The British had decided to try to break through initially to the north, where the Bersaglieri  were positioned between Tel el Eisa and the marshes. Although they were regulars, the Bersaglieri were not as well entrenched (medium cover, while the other Italian infantry were in hard cover). In the first two turns the British off board artillery hit the Italians, but the damage was minor, 1-2 DMs which were quickly removed. In these turns the advancing Australians were outside visibility range, but in the third turn the Valentines were in sight of the Bersaglieri – they fired, with no effect on the target, but the tanks found themselves low on ammo. This means that they will fire at reduced effect until a supply column can reach them.

08:00 - the Australians advance

08:00 - Australians advance - view from the south

Day Segment 08:00 – 10:00. Initiative Axis. Visibility unlimited. 1 turn. With the weaker Italian general winning the initiative, and rolling low, there was only going to be one turn in this Day Segment. The South Africans could have arrived, needing a 40% chance, but rolled higher than that. Several squadrons turned up on each side. The MC 202s took on the Kittyhawks, and after a number of rounds the Italians prevailed, with the British fighters retiring with 11 Air Damage Markers. However the Bostons then drove off the Italian fighters, also with considerable damage.

In the bombardment phase the Italian 75mm howitzers caused 2DM to the Australian 3/26 battalion, and a Stuka squadron added 1DM, with the subsequent morale check adding one more. The British 25pdrs hit the Bersaglieri for 3DM, and three fighter/bomber squadrons caused 5DM. The result was panic and the Italian troops fled their trenches. Apart from this there was little action – the Italian infantry were mostly not yet spotted in their dug-in positions, and the advancing Australians were still out of range for the infantry.

10:00 - the South Africans arrive

 Day Segment 10:00 – 12:00. Initiative British. 2 turns. The South Africans were now on a 45% chance to arrive, and this time they succeeded. The German Kampfgruppe had its first opportunity to arrive, a 40% chance, and they got lucky straight away – so both sides had their reinforcements available. In the air both sides committed CAP squadrons – the British were Kittyhawks, the Germans were Bf -109Gs. Rather surprisingly the Kittyhawks got the initiative and drove off the German fighters. In the first turn the British artillery hit the Bersaglieri, now out in the open, and caused further panic. Fire was exchanged between the entrenched Italian infantry and the approaching Australians, to relatively little effect. The biggest impact, in fact, was when the Italian 1/86^th rolled poorly on their fire dice, indicating potential ammo problems, and then rolled a six, leaving them out of ammo entirely. This was a big problem because in this scenario the Axis forces have no supply column.

The German reinforcements arrive

German reinforcements - KG Keihl covers the flanks of Tel el Makh Khad

In the second turn a Stuka squadron arrived, and in another surprise result, they drove off the Kittyhawks flying CAP. They then bombed the 7^th/8^th Artillery, causing 2DM. In the bombardment phase the 1/86^th were hit twice, and both times rolled a 1 on their cover die (a D10 because of the heavy entrenchments.). This left them with 6DM, and a morale roll forced them to fall back. In the firing phase the Bren Carriers of 9^th Cavalry hit them again, causing a further 3DM and they now panicked. The rest of the Italian infantry were keeping up fire on the advancing Australian infantry, who were now starting to accumulate a few DMs, but for now their morale held firm. The German Kampfgruppe had arrived from the south west, but they rolled 1 on their Decision Die on both turns, so progress was slow.

11:00 - Stukas attack the 25pdrs of the 7th/8th Artillery

Situation at noon, looking west

Day Segment 12:00 – 14:00. Initiative Axis. 2 turns. The CAP fight saw the MC 202 squadron, still with 7 ADM from the earlier engagement, take on a fresh Hurricane squadron, and the Italians were quickly sent packing. The Hurricanes then drove off a Stuka squadron in the first turn, while Allied Bostons put 2 DMs on the unlucky 1/86^th. Artillery then added another DM, and with three DMs in one phase the infantry had to take a morale check, leading to a further panic. As Reservists they are only allowed to recover from panic twice, so this was their last chance – the next one would be permanent. The British supply column reached 32^nd RTR close to Tel el Eisa and they were back to full ammo. However the 1/85^th, occupying the hill, fired at the tanks, who rolled a 1, losing them 5DM in total (including the morale test) and killing a Decorated Leader. Just to the south the Italian 2/85^th also had success, hitting 3/26^th Battalion for 3DM and causing panic.

Situation after noon from the east

After noon - from the south west, as the Germans advance

After noon - Tel el Eisa and the front line

In the second turn Hurricanes struck the 1/86^th, and they panicked – so their battle was over and they headed for the rear. However the German artillery was now in action, and their first shots struck three Australian battalions crowded close together, forcing morale checks on two of them. To the south the German armoured cars had reach the east end of Tel el Makh Khad and fired on the Humbers of 3^rd Recon, suppressing them. Things were looking relatively good for the Axis, but then 32^nd RTR attacked 1/85^th on Tel el Eisa; the Italians rolled a 1 on their cover die and then panicked, leaving their trenches, so suddenly one of the main objectives was open to be captured.

KG Keihl faces the advancing South Africans

Day Segment 14:00 – 16:00. Initiative British. 3 turns. In the air the battered Bf-109s were driven off by another Kittyhawk squadron. Bostons and one British artillery regiment attacked the 1/85^th, who had fallen back from Tel el Eisa, but did not force a morale check. Two more regiments bombarded the 2/86^th, who were still in their trenches on Tel el Makh Khad. They took 3DMs, plus two more from the morale check, but they held firm in cover. However to the north the RTR fired again at 1/85^th, now in the open, and panicked them, while 9^th Cavalry attacked 2/85^th and panicked them as well. Contagion now took over, as the effect of being close to panicking units made things ever worse. 1/85^th broke entirely, 2/85^th and the Bersaglieri both panicked again. In the next turn artillery fire broke the 2/85^th, and now the German reinforcements were battling forward through a stream of retreating allies.

The Valentines capture Tel el Eisa

The Australian infantry was still struggling forward; in the open under artillery bombardment, they had to keep stopping to recover disorder. A unit recovers an extra DM if it does not move in a turn, and it is important to avoid a steady build-up of disorder. The South Africans were also making slow progress against the southern hill, as the armoured cars of KG Kiehl were covering the lower slopes. However with the Italians to the north now broken, the carriers of 9^th Cavalry were moving against the flanks of the infantry on the hill (2/86^th). Then, in the last turn of the segment, two of the SA battalions hit KG Kiehl for 5DM and surprisingly the Elite unit panicked.

16:00 - South Africans close in on Tel el Makh Khad

The Australians consolidate on Tel el Eisa

Day Segment 16:00 – 18:00. Initiative British. 1 turn. A Hurricane squadron drove off the Italian MC 202 CAP, and then more Hurricanes attacked the Bersaglieri. They broke this unit, which in turn meant that the Italians force group was broken. Their intrinsic command level is only 35%, making them very fragile, so now all the Italian troops started to withdraw. The Valentines established themselves on Tel el Eisa, and as British artillery swept the German infantry struggling across the open ground in the valley, it was clear that the Germans had little hope of assaulting the hill.

The Italians in full flight

Day Segment 18:00 – 20:00. Visibility 18”. Initiative German. 2 turns. With twilight falling there was no air action. The British artillery concentrated on the most advanced German infantry battalion, 1/361, and caused it to panic, making it absolutely certain that Tel el Eisa would not be assaulted. On Tel el Makh Khad 2/86^th was retreating slowly, under pressure from the carriers and South African infantry moving forward after the departure of the armoured cars of KG Kiehl. In the final turn the carriers hit 2/86^th for 3DM and they panicked away, leaving the hill in British hands.

With the capture of both objective hills, and the breaking of the Italian force, this was a complete victory for the British. It was a little closer than it seems, though – both the Australian and South African infantry had real problems advancing in the open. The key units were the armour, especially the Valentines of the RTR. The Italians were also quite unlucky – several units in heavy entrenchments rolled a “1” on their D10 cover die, and once they had retreated out of cover they were very vulnerable. The many Reserve morale units also gave problems, being much more fragile, as well as less effective in firing.

Final positions - Tel el Eisa

Final positions - Tel el Makh Khad

This was another fun battle, and very different from the previous one in the North Western Europe theatre, with its close cover and limited lines of sight. Out in the open spaces of the desert, infantry are vulnerable, and the armoured units can make a crucial difference.

Operation Constellation 13th October 1944 - AAR

This battle was fought solo, using the Panzer Korps rules, and 6mm figures, almost all GHQ, on 1” square steel bases. I used the ground scale recommended for these small models – 1” in the rules translated to 1cm for all purposes. The table was three feet by five. As with my previous fight, Operation Epsom, this scenario is very suitable for solo play, as the Germans have limited options, starting entrenched and moving around very rarely, especially as the British have air superiority. I used a simple fog of war mechanism, playing cards representing the German battalions with some dummies. The potential sites for the Germans are pretty clear – numerous small woods and a few towns. I deployed the cards face down, and only revealed them if they took enough damage to require a panic test, or if there was a possibility they might wish to fire. Not exactly state-of-the-art AI, but quick and simple. 

For those unfamiliar with these rules, the day is divided into two-hour Day Segments within which there are a variable number of games turns. DMs are Disorder Markers, which are the measure of damage on battalions. Too many DMs and it may panic, and after, typically, three panics the formation will retreat off the field. Reserve morale units, of which the Germans had two, are only allowed two panics.

Map of the engagement from Legacy of Defiance

Operation Constellation took place in October 1944, after the failure of Market Garden, as the British attempted to reduce the Maas salient. This scenario, by David Bush, is taken from the Panzer Korps book Legacy of Defiance, a collection of scenarios for Commonwealth forces. It covers the second day of Constellation, October 13^th, when British forces were tasked with crossing the river Loobeek and driving on the town of Venray to the south. There are three bridges over the river, but the Germans have wired these with explosives, and the terrain south of the river is dotted with woodland ideal to conceal dug-in defenders.

To win the British needed to have at least three battalions over the river in good order, and at least one intact bridge under their uncontested control. For a major victory they needed to take Venray, about two miles further on. The British had three brigades of the 3^rd Infantry Division, each with three infantry battalions. The 8^th and 9^th Brigades also each had a Guards tank regiment (Churchills) and a regiment of 25pdrs. The 185^th Brigade had a scout car Recce regiment, and two artillery regiments – one of 25pdrs and one 5.5” howitzers. They also had four squadrons of ground attack aircraft – two of Typhoons and two of B-26 Marauders.

Venray looking south towards the River Loobeek

 

The battlefield from the west

 To stop them the Germans had a small brigade from the 107^th Panzers – one Panther battalion and one Panzergrenadier battalion. The Panzer Korps rules impose a command penalty on very small forces, so to balance this the HQ unit (the Panthers) had five decorated leaders assigned. The other German force was Kampfgruppe Walther, a real mixed bag. They had three Parachute battalions (one Veteran), an SS battalion and two units with reserve morale – a Luftwaffe battalion and a rear echelon Alarmen battalion.

It being October, the battle started with the 0800 Day Turn. Prior to this the British had one round of pre-game bombardment from all their artillery. This inflicted an insignificant 2DM on one blind, but another in a central wood took 6DM. This would have triggered a Panic test, but on turning the card it proved to be a dummy.

Day Segment 08:00 – 10:00. Initiative British. Visibility 30”. 3 turns. The British moved forward with the 9^th Brigade on the right (western) flank, 8^th Brigade in the centre and 185^th on the left, where the woods approached closest to the river, leaving the shortest distance to cover in the open – the 185^th had no tank support. All the British bombardment concentrated on the small wood between the roads in the centre, but again this proved to have only dummy occupants. The Germans decided there was no point delaying and triggered the demolition of the bridges – two were destroyed but the explosives failed for the one on the western edge of the board, leaving a route across. Infantry battalions could cross the river anywhere, but at a cost of significant disruption, while vehicles had to use a bridge. Apart from the surviving bridge, the 8^th and 9^th Brigades each had a Churchill bridging company, though these would take a full Day Segment to establish a crossing. As the British pushed forward there was little action at first – no Germans had been sighted. In the third turn an FO with the 185^th was able to shift artillery fire to the easternmost wood. This caused 5DM on the reservist Alarmen battalion entrenched there, but they passed their Panic test, a little unexpectedly.

10:00 - the British have reached the river and started to cross

10:00 - to the east the Alarmen battalion is under fire in the woods

Day Segment 10:00 – 12:00. Initiative British. Visibility 30”. 2 turns. In the first artillery bombardment two of the British regiments found themselves low on ammo. Both the German artillery units were called in by the Alarmen battalion to fire at the 2^nd Warwicks now in the open across the river. They took 5DM from the two attacks, and took a Panic test which they failed, falling back. After movement the Alarmen battalion fired at another of the 185^th Brigade’s units, the 2^nd Shropshires; they caused 3DM and a Panic test, and while they did not break, the Shropshires took 3 more DMs and had to fall back. Then, at the end of the turn, the Shropshires had to take another test, because of their proximity to a panicking unit and this time, encumbered by 6DM, they too panicked. This would not be the last example of the domino effect of panic among units under heavy fire in the open.

In the centre artillery fire has spread panic in the British ranks. The South Lancs have pulled back and stopped bridging

At this point I realised that I could not leave the blind cards entirely uninspected. Any unit can call in artillery fire at the start of a Day Segment, but to shift it in the middle requires a Forward Observer. The Germans only had one FO, who was with the HQ Battalion of KG Walther. After some discreet peeking under cards, it turned out that this hero had positioned his HQ at the very rear west corner of the map, well out of visibility range of any enemy. Moving the battalion forward would have been very foolish, with British Typhoons roaming looking for targets in the open.

The other unit I needed to find was the Panther battalion, the 107^th Panzer, because it has a much longer range than the infantry units. This turned out to be positioned in the town of Brabant, which was a stroke of genius by the AI. Visibility in this scenario is limited to 30”, because of hedges, vegetation and so on in the flat Dutch landscape, but this is extended to 36” for units in towns, who have the opportunity to use the houses as OPs. This meant that the Panthers could see (and fire) just across the Loobeek river, while the British on the other bank could not fire back.

The Ulsters cross the bridge, the Scots wade the river - both are taking fire

On the east side of the field the Nebelwerfers struck the 1^st Norfolks, who rolled a 1 on their cover die. This means bad things happen to them, they lose one attached company and a Decorated Leader, as well as taking DMs. Infantry in the open roll a D4 as their cover die, making a critical failure very likely. The Norfolks passed their panic test but had to fall back, adding 3DM. To the west the infantry of the 9^th Brigade were approaching the river; the 2^nd Royal Ulsters crossed the undamaged bridge, while the 1^st Scots Borderers prepared to cross the river the direct (and wet) way. An infantry unit can cross the river using its entire movement allowance, but it takes D4 DMs. These cause disorder as normal to the unit, but as they are not from incoming fire they don’t trigger a panic test. The wood on the bank where the Scots were crossing was empty, but the wood behind was now found to contain a Parachute Battalion “Hoffman” – they opened fire on the Scots, causing 3DM but no panic. In the centre the Panthers fired at long range at the East Yorks, causing 3DMs. The British unit had already accumulated 4DMs, and while they passed their Panic roll (just) they added a further 2DMs. The disorder was starting to build up.

Day Segment 12:00 – 14:00 Initiative British. Visibility 30”. Four turns. Time was pressing on past noon, but a good roll gave the British four turns in this Day Segment. However things did not start well – in the first artillery phase two of their units went low on ammo, while the Nebelwerfers struck the East Yorks and three other battalions in the crowded centre of the field. The East Yorks, with DMs building up, now panicked. Over to the West Para Hoffman fired on the Scots again, and this time they were panicked too. 

There was a little good news for the British. A Typhoon squadron attacked the 107^th Panzer battalion in Brabant, and eliminated an attached company and a decorated leader. Soon after the Alarmen unit in the woods suffered a similar fate from artillery bombardment. Both units were unlucky, rolling a 1 on their D10 cover dice. Losing their only decorated leader was a blow for the Alarmen battalion – reserve morale units recover DMs more slowly than Regulars. Every decorated leader knocks one DM off its unit each turn, so the Alarmen would now recover only 1 DM per turn, and that only if it remained stationery.

Another salvo from the Nebelwerfers in the crowded centre panicked the Grenadier Guards, and the subsequent tests also led to panic for the East Yorks and the South Lancs. The latter unit had been engaged in bridging the river with its Churchill engineering tanks, but they had to fall back – I decided that they would retain their bridging capability, but they would have to start all over again when they had recovered and returned to the river bank.

In the West the Ulsters had crossed the river and moved onto the flank of Hoffman in their wood. The German paras were facing the Scots to their front – if they had turned to face the Ulsters they would have had to abandon their entrenchments. The Ulsters now charged into close combat, passing a morale test to do so – the Germans could not fire back on the attack coming from outside their front arc. However in another wood behind the Ulsters’ flank Para “Paul” now revealed themselves, firing at the British troops in the open, causing 3DMs and in the subsequent test the Ulsters panicked and fell back, so the close combat never happened.

Further artillery attacks on the battered Alarmen battalion finally proved too much, and they panicked and fell back. Worried that this might lead to a collapse on that flank, the Germans started to move the Luftwaffe battalion (another reserve morale formation) out of Venray and forward in support. They were attacked by a Typhoon squadron, which took damage from a 20mm Flak company attached to the battalion, and the attack had no effect.

Day Segment 14:00 – 16:00 British initiative. Visibility 30”. Two turns. The British artillery was having little impact on the Germans entrenched in the woods, but the Germans concentrated their bombardment on the two battalions trying to make progress on the west side. The Ulsters panicked again, the Scots lost a decorated leader. On the east flank the 2^nd Royal Warks struggled across the river – they were disordered but with the Alarmen battalion having fallen back, they were protected by the woods. The Alarmen unit moved back into the wood, but the Warks fired first, putting enough DMs on the German unit to fragment them (6DM) meaning that they could not fire on the British struggling over the river. In the next move the Warks launched a charge – Alarmen, being fragmented, had to take a morale test and they panicked and ran. This meant that the British had a foothold over the river in a spot where the Germans could no longer observe them and so they could not call in artillery. Two other battalions of the 185^th Brigade began to move forward to cross. This was important, with no bridge yet in the centre (the South Lincolns were constructing one) and worse to the west, where another salvo from the Nebelwerfers panicked the Ulsters yet again; they had reached their limit and broke. As they were the HQ unit for the 9^th Brigade, that force missed a turn, and suffered a permanent Decision Die penalty.

The British start to cross the river as the Alarmen retreat from behind the wood

The Ulsters have panicked once too often and are now retreating, broken

 Day Segment 16:00 – 18:00 Initiative German. Visibility 30”. Four turns. The Lincolns with their Churchill bridgelayer had completed a temporary crossing in the centre, but this was by no means the end of the problems. The Nebelwerfers continued to pound the infantry of the 8^th Brigade – the South Lancs panicked again, interrupting their bridging work for the second time. As the Grenadier Guards crossed the new bridge in their Churchills, the Panthers in Brabant hit them at long range, destroying an attached Stuart recon company. Further artillery in the vicinity of the bridge then panicked the Lincolns, who fell back. Then Hoffman fired on the Scots Borderers, who had been pinned down half way across the river, and they too panicked. In the morale phase each of these battalions had to take another test, because of the proximity of a friendly panicking unit, and each failed again – inevitably, with the DMs piling up for both. This illustrates the way panic can spread and multiply among units under pressure. Even the Grenadier Guards had to fall back over the bridge again, although they did inflict damage on the Panthers (another critical cover fail).

The British start to occupy the woods to the east

To the east things were going better. The Warks pushed forward into the wood and found the Alarmen unit fragmented in the open on the other side. They fired and the Germans broke and, because of the closeness of the enemy, they surrendered. Happily the Warks had an attached Military Police company who were able to take charge of the prisoners, thus avoiding two turns of paralysis for the parent battalion – this is the first time in any of my games that the MPs have been able to have any effect. The other significant move was by the Churchills of the Coldstream Guards. Realising that there was not going to be a bridge in their part of the river (the South Lancs having fallen back again) they started to move across to the west flank and the bridge there, helped by a good Decision Die roll and the consequent free move.

The Grenadier Guards have crossed the bridge in the centre, while the Coldstreams head for the western crossing

As the clock ticked towards 18:00 the Scots and the Lincolns halted, back out of sight of the Germans, and began slowly to recover their order. But like the East Yorks of 9^th Brigade they would not be fit to participate in any further fighting today. Happily the Grenadier Guards recovered more quickly, and crossed the bridge again, this time surviving the fire from the Panthers and turning towards Para Hoffman. To the west the British infantry had occupied two woods, facing two German Battalions (Luftwaffe and 107^th PzGren) in woods opposite them. They traded fire, but neither side could make much impact on the other, in good cover in the woods.

A general view from the south at 18:00

Day Segment 18:00 – 20:00 Initiative German. Visibility 18” (Dusk). Two turns. The 185^th Brigade established themselves in the woods to the east, and the firefight continued; both the Shropshires and the Panzergrenadiers were fragmented (6DMs) at some point but neither side could press an advantage. To the west the Grenadier Guards, out of sight now of the Panthers, moved towards Para Hoffman in their wood, but the Churchills ran low on ammo, with no prospect of replenishment so far away from the supply column, which was busy rearming the various artillery units off the board. The Coldstream Guards crossed the intact bridge and advanced towards Hoffman from the other side, and things looked bleak for this unit, but full night was falling and firing ceased.

Finish - west

Finish - centre

Finish - east

Technically this was a British victory, as they had five units across the river (two Guards tank regiments and the three infantry battalions of 185^th Brigade), and two uncontested bridges. However it was not their finest hour, and certainly not a major victory – they never looked remotely like reaching Venray. Most of their units spent most of their time trapped in the open in the centre, unable to advance because of the river and under constant bombardment – the Nebelwerfers were particularly deadly with their large beaten zone and Fire Die bonuses. The flanks were much more promising, and the attacks there should have been pushed more quickly. On the German side, most of their units fired very little or not at all, with the artillery being the real threat. Who knows, if they had decided to garrison the forward woods on the banks of the river, they might have been able to hold the British for longer. However they would have been obvious targets for bombardment, even before zero hour – indeed a lot of munitions were wasted on those empty woods. Perhaps an option to explore in a replay.