Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Fishbreath]

Mill: Day 1, 1200-2000

1200
It's noon, and I take care of some business first. I send the new bridging company, the pioneer company that came with it, and one of the pioneer company from the bridging operation at Cuijk to Gennep to build a new crossing point.



It can't come too soon. Gennep is still a mess, traffic-wise.

At Haps, I plan my attack on Mill. An important aspect of attacking well is finding a covered position where the attacking force can form up. I played around some with the area line-of-sight tool.



The Command Ops engine works in units of 100-meter grid squares, and the red square is the square from which I'm checking visibility. It's on the southeast edge of Mill. As I expected, because Holland is very flat, the town of St. Hubert screens me from view from Mill. I give the orders, sending II/456 and I/481 to Mill, and III/456 to support Peel-Raam 2.

1245


At the Peel-Raam 2 objective, III/481 is very heavily outnumbered.

1310


Between Gennep and Cuijk, I/454 cleans up some more defenders. The unit under fire here is shortly obliterated, and in half an hour or so, the battalion is on the march toward Cuijk proper.

1330


Peel-Raam 2 is heavily pressed. Unfortunately, the artillery is too far back to fire in support. I'll have to move it up to support.

I/454 is almost done at Cuijk. I have a number of motorized pioneer companies in the backfield, which will serve nicely as security—they're fast enough to move between Gennep and Cuijk relatively quickly, and strong enough to beat back attacks by whatever the Dutch have left between the Maas and the canal.

1400


Our last wave of reinforcements arrives. II/454 has been waiting for III/454 to arrive, and now the 454th Regiment HQ will be leading them both to Haps. I/454 will be joining them soon.



A long line of units heads from Gennep to Haps. Once I/454 has advanced to Cuijk, it'll be on the way to Haps, too.

1430


In the west, I/476 receives orders to move from Haps to support the Peel-Raam 2 objective. I/476 is a reinforced battalion; it has its usual complement of three infantry companies, plus two pioneer companies.

1450


III/481 is ever more heavily pressed. We get an airstrike, which immediately goes to support that valiant battalion.

1500
III/456 begins its attack on Peel-Raam 2, and the other two battalions start pushing toward Mill, making good progress to the outskirts of the town.

1530
The artillery arrives at Haps, and immediately begins to fire in support of the defense at Peel-Raam 2 and the attack at Mill.

1600
I/454 is officially en-route from Cuijk to Haps.

1650


Not a lot of note happens for the next hour and a half. The Mill attack runs into determined resistance, and isn't able to push across the canaal yet.

1715
Five hours late, the 481st Regiment HQ arrives at Haps. I send it on toward St. Hubert. If we have to regroup, we can organize I/481 and II/456 into an ad-hoc regiment under the 481st HQ.

1800


The attack at Mill has bogged down, but the extra battalion at Peel-Raam 2 has helped to push the Dutch back a little. I/476 is on the way, and with its extra weight, will be able to push down the road toward the exit.

1820
The bridging detail at Gennep finishes its work. Since it's a moderately large formation (two pioneer companies at 200 men each, two bridging companies at 60 men each), I assign it to guard the bridges at Gennep, freeing II/481 to head toward Haps.

The Dutch still have three or four companies of infantry behind the front lines, but I doubt they're in very good supply at this point, and the little security forces I have left ought to be able to hold them off.

It's becoming clear that Mill will need more men to achieve a significant breakthrough.

1900


The eastern portion of the map is full of reinforcements streaming forward to Haps. The current security detail at Cuijk is the 254th Infanterie-Division headquarters with two pioneer companies. At the Gennep crossing, there's the 256th Infanterie-Division headquarters, along with two pioneer companies and two bridging companies.

1945


Sneaking in one last order before the deadline, I notice the situation at Peel-Raam 2 has improved somewhat. I/476 is advancing implacably, so I order III/456 to make a flanking attack into the defenders at Mill.

2000


In the west, all five battalions are committed—two attacking Mill, two securing Peel-Raam 2 and pushing southwest, and one flanking at Mill.



In the east, reinforcements are assembling. At Haps is the entire 454th Infanterie Regiment, with three battalions and all supporting elements, along with two-thirds of the 476th Infanterie Regiment (I/476 is at Peel-Raam 2.) II/481 is marching to Haps, but won't be there for a few hours more, and it isn't worth the waiting.

Here are your options:
Guderian - Move the 476th Infanterie to Mill, joining the attack on the southern flank of the town to seal it off. Under cover of darkness, march the 454th Infanterie in its entirety through the gap between Mill and Peel-Raam 2, then northwest to the northern exit point, hoping to dodge the defenders entirely.

von Rundstedt - Move the 476th Infanterie to Mill, joining the attack on the town. Move the 454th Infanterie south toward Peel-Raam 2, then flank the town, eliminate the defenders, and march on the northern exit.

Paulus - Move the 476th Infanterie to Peel-Raam 2, pushing southwest with I/476. At the same time, move the 454th Infanterie to Mill. While they begin an attack, withdraw the current force, turn it into a provisional regiment, and sneak through the gap between Peel-Raam 2 and Mill.

[BishopX]

Guderian

[Fishbreath]

Voting closes at midnight EST.

[Hanzoku]

von Rundstedt, let's take out the major centers of resistance before we drive onward.

[GentlemanRaptor]

Von Rundstedt.

[Fishbreath]

Voting results:

Guderian - 1 here, 2 from blog
von Rundstedt - 2 here.

Seal and bypass it is! I'll play the next eight hours tonight.

[Fishbreath]

Melee at Mill: Day 1, 2000-Day 2, 0400

2000


Guderian's plan goes into effect. 476th Regiment HQ, II Battalion, and III Battalion will be lining up northwest of the woods across the river from Mill. III/456, at Peel-Raam 2, will be attacking up between the woods and the river.

454 Regiment will march south of the woods where I/476 is right now, and then march through the gap.

2045


Although the attack at Mill has obviously been stalled for a little while, the commander on the scene now agrees, and the units involved prepare to fall back toward the staging area at St. Hubert.

2130
II/481, now moving from its positions at the Gennep crossing, is marching to St. Hubert to aid in the attack there.

2200


It's fully dark now, and the flanking units are getting on the way. At Cuijk, the security units have pushed back a Dutch probe. II/481 is on the march.



At Mill, III/456 is in position to begin its attack.

2230


I/476, having pushed the Dutch off of the Peel-Raam 2 objective, now moves to defend the southern flank of our push past the Dutch lines.



The 481st Regiment HQ, using both battalions at St. Hubert and the incoming II/481, plans a new attack on Mill, as the 454th Regiment gets under way.

2330


The attack toward Mill from the southwest is doing well, assaulting a Dutch position in the fortifications and driving the Dutch infantry off of it quickly. Over the next half-hour, they'll kill or capture fifty men.

0000


In this image, both elements of the flanking force are well on their way. In a few minutes, they should be crossing the Peel-Raam line.

0140


To my admitted surprise, this is working rather well.

0300
I jinxed it. As I and II Battalions of the 454th Regiment receive their orders to move off the map, the column grinds to a stop spread out between the Peel-Raam line and the exit, while the leading elements of I Battalion run into a huge base formation: seven hundred men between us and the exit.

0330
As a consolation prize, elements of the 476th Regiment come across the Dutch artillery which has been pounding us all along, and engage it in close combat.

If, at the beginning of the scenario, III/481 had gone east instead of south, we would have come across it early in the fight, but we probably wouldn't have gained and held the Peel-Raam 2 objective to make the gap we're currently pouring through.

0400


The situation as it stands, with eight hours to go. The 454th Regiment has a little bit of opposition in its way. The new, ad-hoc 481st Regiment has an attack planned through Mill and up to the positions currently being attacked by II and III Battalions, 476th Regiment west of Mill, but is currently not engaged.

Here are your options to carry us through the end of the scenario.

Guderian - Cancel the 481st Regiment's attack, and march them through the gap behind the 454th Regiment toward the exit northwest of Graspeel.
von Rundstedt - Let the 481st Regiment's attack free elements of the 476th and 456th Regiments, which will then proceed to the exit.
Paulus - Let the 481st Regiment's attack distract the Dutch, while withdrawing the I/476 toward Graspeel and the exit, exiting it along with the 454th Regiment.

[Fishbreath]

It's already been Christmas for a little while in Holland, so Merry Christmas here, too.

Voting currently stands at one for Guderian from the blog. I'm hoping to play tomorrow night, so get those preferences in.

[Fishbreath]

The Endgame

0415


Guderian's plan wins with one vote (to zero to zero), so the 481st Regiment cancels its attack along the Mill axis and receives its orders to exit the map at the northern exit point.

0455
The leading elements of I/454 have exited the map, but the rest are taking a nap, maddeningly near the exit point. (They've been working hard for thirty-six hours, though, so I'm content to give them a pass for a few hours. They'll get off in time.)

0600


II/454 had orders to move exit the map, attacking as necessary, and so they're providing security for our move off the map, attacking an infantry gun battery. III/454 moves past them.

You'll notice the 481st Regiment's HQ is highlighted, and its route is showing on the map. Unfortunately, the 481st's staff planned the the move before the morning brought more of the enemy into view, and chose rather a poor route. It'll take them longer to replan the whole move from the starting point than it will for them to bypass enemy positions, so I'll leave it be.

0700


III/454 is well on its way off the map, one of its companies having exited already. The other two are still on the way. II/454 attacks the headquarters unit southwest of the track our troops are leaving along, which has been firing on us repeatedly.

Earlier in the day, I gave orders to one of the pioneer companies attached to I/476, holding the south flank of our penetration, to head for the exit point. It's currently underneath the counter for the 454th Regiment HQ, also well on its way.

0845


III/454 has exited the map altogether now. The other pioneer company attached to I/476 receives its orders to exit.

II/454 engages the enemy east of Trent, and they're rapidly overwhelming the HQ unit there. The leading elements of the 481st Regiment engage a headquarters west of Langenboom. Airstrikes and artillery support both assaults.

1015


An hour and a half later, II/454 and II/481 have defeated their associated headquarters. The 481st Regiment replans its move, bending further south from the remaining Dutch unit to the north.

1115


All of the 454th Regiment except its headquarters has exited the map, and we're very close to finishing the objective. Whether or not we do will hinge on how quickly the front of the 481st Regiment can cover the last two kilometers.

1130


The 5th Company of the 481st Regiment double-times it off the map, finishing off the objective.

1200


The scenario ends with a minor victory, which will give us minor advantages starting the next scenario. Our troops made a good account for themselves, exacting a casualty ratio of about 6.5 to 1.



The final situation reveals that the Dutch have a reasonably hefty force able to contest the Cuijk bridge. I figure the follow-up elements will take care of them, given that they're likely in poor supply.

---

That's Melee at Mill. I'm gratified to report that following your directions bought me my best-ever result in this scenario. I had a look at the starting positions of the next one, and man, is it going to be tricky. Not only is the map eight kilometers longer (a full thirty across), we have a very small force on the map to start, slower reinforcements, stiffer opposition, and the first French units to contend with.

Look for it to start sometime in mid-January. I'll let you know when.

[Ghazkull]

Would we have lost the Scenario if we had stayed a while longer to kill the remaining dutch?

[Hanzoku]

I'm not the author, but I'm guessing so, since there were way too many Dutch units still active at the end, and I'm thinking the high point 'defeat the enemy' objective only activates if they're all wiped out.

[Fishbreath]

"Defeat the enemy" is progressive, just like exit objectives are—you get points proportional to how much of the objective you've completed.

If we'd used the 481st Infanterie Regiment to attack Mill, and then retreated some of the units currently holding Mill to send them to the exits, we likely would have done no worse in terms of exiting. We would have freed a battalion or two from Mill that way.

That said, this way was certainly more theatrical.

[Fishbreath]

Stay tuned: in six hours or so, we're back for part II.

[Fishbreath]

Welcome back to Breaking Fortress Holland, wherein we take on the role of the Germans in 1940, during the invasion of the Netherlands. Last time, we achieved good success at Mill, breaking through the first Dutch defensive line.

Now, we find ourselves facing off against the Dutch again, across a different canal: the Zuid Willemsvaart, running through the town of 's-Hertogenbosch. (It means 'the Duke's forest'. I'll adopt the Dutch colloquialism and call it Den Bosch—the forest.) You'll have to wait a few days for the deeper historical context, as I'm running short on time, but to tide you over, here is scenario author tukker's synopsis:

The French Arrive

On May 10, 1940, the German 254 and 256 Divisions had broken through the Dutch defenses of the Peel-Raam Line. In the afternoon of the first day of the war in the west, 9 Panzer Division crossed the river Maas and started moving west, with the SS Regiment 'Deutschland' in its wake. Their goal was the great bridge across the Hollands Diep at Moerdijk, where they would link up with the Fallschirmjäger of 7 Flieger Division. After their defeat at Mill, the Dutch have reacted quickly, and sent part of their III to positions behind the Zuid Willemsvaart canal, reaching their destinations in the early afternoon of May 11. At the same time, reconnaissance forces of the French 1 Light Mechanized Division are moving north after crossing the Dutch-Belgian border.

It is now the late afternoon of May 11, and the stage is set for an armoured clash between the German and French forces in Brabant.

It is indeed the case that most of my force this time is mechanized. Reinforcements for the first eight hours include an armored kampfgruppe, an armored regiment, and the SS Regiment of motorized infantry. That's good, because the map is now 30 kilometers across, and we don't have much more time to cross it than before:


Presented in anamorphic widescreen for your viewing pleasure

At the numbers 1 and 2 are two of our main objectives: heavy road bridges in Den Bosch itself, which will get us across the canal and into the backfield. You'll notice, though, that the objective markers (the squares) are overtop of red circular markers. Circular markers are crossing points; the red indicates that they're primed to explode. If we don't secure the bridges with enough force, the Dutch can easily blow them and force us to detour south. Numbers 3 through 5 indicate auxiliary bridges.

The aim here is to cross the entire map (again), and get to the exit points at numbers 6 and 7, which will take us to Moerdijk and the final scenario.

We have one day and about eighteen hours: it's currently Day 1 at 1730, and the clock runs out at Day 3, 1200.



Here's what we start with: a single cavalry reconnaissance regiment (the motorized kind, not the horse kind), which will have to do for the entire first two hours of the scenario (after which point armored forces begin to arrive, along the arrows from the first map).

How should we proceed?

Guderian - Marshal the cavalry regiment in the center and attack Den Bosch directly, to gain the initiative.
von Rundstedt - Marshal the cavalry regiment in the center and hold it in reserve, to aid in delivering a decisive attack once reinforcements arrive.
Paulus - Marshal the cavalry regiment to the south, then make a diversionary attack to draw Dutch attention away from Den Bosch. When reinforcements arrive, attack Den Bosch.

[Hanzoku]

Paulus - going straight down the center with reinforcements hours behind is foolish. Better to attempt a feint while our arriving forces punch through the center.