Print

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

[Sheb]

Guderian

[Fishbreath]

I'm very sorry to report that I've run into a critical issue with my saved game—the game crashes when I try to progress past about 0200, Day 3.

Where does that leave us? Well, not in the best of places, I'll freely admit. Whatever happens, I'll have to ditch the current update. It's possible that the combination of conditions causing the crash snuck into my save file after 0000, so next weekend, I'm going to try going back to midnight and running through the save game again from there. If I miss the crash, I'll have an update for you then. If not, well, I guess that brings this chapter of Breaking Fortress Holland to a close.

Do not despair, though. A third chapter remains. Breaking Fortress Holland will continue, with or without a satisfactory result to this scenario, in roughly August of this year, with the final, and biggest, scenario in Tukker's pack.

In longer-term wargame-related plans, expect something big (I would go so far as to say epic) in December.

[Fishbreath]

The previous post makes me a liar: December's major wargaming thing is delayed for a year, and Breaking Fortress Holland Part III did not start in August. That said, it's finally here.



This map depicts the whole invasion of the Netherlands. Our path runs along the northern branch of the large, branched arrow, the fourth large arrow up from the bottom: note Mill, Den Bosch, and Waalwijk, all objectives we've hit and bypassed. This scenario centers around the final land push toward Rotterdam. Follow the smaller, northern branch from the end of the large arrow, and you come to our area of operations.



Our objective is to secure two crucial sets of bridges. The Moerdijk bridges, at the south center of the map, are our main objective, worth 52 victory points, more than the rest of the map put together. A secondary objective, at the north edge of the map, is the Dordrecht bridge toward Rotterdam. In effect and in execution, this is Operation Market Garden writ small. Fallschirmj�äger will parachute in at the Moerdijk and Dordrecht bridges, and along the Moerdijk-Dordrecht highway.


This is a reconnaissance photograph, taken of the Moerdijk bridges shortly after the parachute landings. The white dots in the fields to the south of the bridges (at the top of the picture) and to the northeast of the bridges (bottom left) are German parachutes.


This is the Moerdijk rail bridge, from one side of the Hollands Diep. It's about 1.5 kilometers long.

This scenario begins on the morning of May 10th, which is at the very start of the invasion of the Netherlands: our forces are just crossing the border to begin the attack on Mill. They'll turn up between 48 and 72 hours into this four-day scenario, which covers the whole of the time from the start of the invasion to just before the Dutch surrender on May 14th. Further reinforcements will arrive from Rotterdam, where more paratroopers and air-landing infantry attack, at the same time as our paras are touching down.

Mechanically, we'll be conducting this scenario in the mostly same manner as the first two: I'll present three options, and you'll pick from them. In what is primarily an aesthetic change, Guderian will be replaced by Kurt Student, Luftwaffe general and commander of the Fallschirmjäger. Since it's a longer scenario, we'll be making decisions together every 24 hours, instead of every 8 hours. Since we have nothing on the field, and since the initial starting position isn't very interesting, the choice will be simple today. I'll be playing in the middle of the week and posting the first report and next scenario next weekend.

In the first day, the only troops on the field will be two battalions of paratroopers, and two companies of air-landing infantry. The paras land either near the Moerdijk bridges, or at the midpoint of the Moerdijk-Dordrecht highway, at Tweede Tol. The two companies of infantry arrive from the north, just northwest of the Dordrecht bridges. With that in mind, here are the options:

von Rundstedt - divide the paratroopers between Moerdijk and Dordrecht, to guarantee that our forces from Rotterdam will be able to enter the fight.
Paulus - maintain a reserve of paratroopers at Tweede Tol, to reinforce Dordrecht or Moerdijk as necessary, to provide flexibility in the face of enemy reinforcements.
Student - send nearly all of the paratrooper force to Moerdijk, leaving as small a force as possible to capture the Dordrecht bridges. Holding the door open for reinforcements is our main task.

[Knave]

Oooo I do love reading about Command Ops! Glad you're picking this up once more.

I think I'll vote for the safe best of Paulus

[GentlemanRaptor]

Paulus.

[Fishbreath]

Thanks to Bay12 for being the only voters so far. Paulus is up 2-0-0. If you want to vote, get it in today or tomorrow morning--I'm playing the next scenario tomorrow evening.

[Ghazkull]

Student!

[Sheb]

Van Rundstedt

[EuchreJack]

Student!

College Student!

[Fishbreath]

And we're off. I'll be playing in 25-hour increments, which neatly meshes with the four-week timeframe for this AAR.

After some late voting at Bay12, here are the totals:
Paulus - 2
Student - 2
von Rundstedt - 1

My usual tiebreaker, parvusimperator, picked Paulus, so we'll play it safe, dedicating appropriate forces to Moerdijk and Dordrecht, and attempting to retain a reserve as we are able.

Day 1

0430 - The rest of today's paratroopers have landed: I and II Battalions of the 1st Fallschirmjager Regiment, along with a mortar platoon. 2nd Company will serve as our reserve. 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th Companies landed around the Moerdijk bridges, and 3rd Company will move up to secure the near end of the Dordrecht crossing.

Important to note is the currently-unbridged crossing at Wieldrecht. Although I don't think the Dutch have any bridging units yet, letting them in that way would be catastrophic.



0600 - The defense at the south end of the Moerdijk bridges may have some trouble going forward. There are several companies of infantry, as best as our defenders can see, and although the Dutch aren't equipped or trained anything near the German standard, enough numbers will eventually tell.

Up north at Dordrecht, 3rd Company has beaten off attacks from two enemy companies. On the highway between Tweede Tol and Moerdijk, regimental HQ has encountered some enemies on the way to take command of 5th and 6th Companies, stationed at the north end of the bridges. As an HQ unit, it lacks the oomph to work against that kind of opposition, so 5th and 6th Companies will have to move north to support it.



0830 - Over the past two and a half hours, Dordrecht has been fairly quiet, but Moerdijk has seen quite a bit of fighting. II Battalion HQ and its attached units fought off a determined Dutch counterattack on the south bridgehead, while 5th and 6th Companies push toward regimental HQ. 5th Company obliterated a Dutch unit. It'll surrender or disband soon.



1100 - After reorganizing, the Dutch throw themselves at the south bridgehead again. This attack makes more headway, but the paratroopers are holding strong. Since the attacks on 3rd Company at Dordrecht have calmed down, I may move I Battalion HQ and its attached mortar company south to provide fire support to the Moerdijk units.



North of the bridge, 5th and 6th Company bog down after making good progress in the last hour or two. With a little bit of breathing time, they'll be able to make progress again.

It looks like the Dutch have a bridging unit, although for some reason it's hanging out over there on the far bank, instead of heading for the crossing point at Wieldrecht.



1215 - Another hour of brutal fighting sees 5th and 6th Companies link up with the regimental HQ. They've trapped a Dutch infantry company against the river (or is it a canal?), and will probably proceed to beat the stuffing out of it.



1345 - Literally nothing has changed in the past hour and a half, except my reserve at Tweede Tol is now my reserve guarding the Wieldrecht crossing.

1430 - Spoke rather too soon. The Dutch managed to push the paras at the south bridgehead away from the road bridge. As my units reorganize and prepare for an attack to retake the bridgehead, the Dutch sneak a few reinforcements past me.



There's also bad news on the logistics front. A Dutch unit attacked my base at Tweede Tol, and you'll recall that my guard company is now guarding the Wieldrecht crossing. That leaves a mortar platoon, the regimental supply base, and a battalion headquarters against two hundred infantry. My troops, backline though they may be, acquitted themselves well, but as men from the base tried to pick up supplies from the airdrop point, they took heavy casualties. As paratroopers, this force was already operating with limited logistical capacity--whatever guys can carry in packs--but now it's undermanned, too.

1630 - Here's the situation as it stands. I get reinforcements in an hour and a half, arriving from Rotterdam. (They were dropped in gliders this morning, at about the same time as we were.) Incoming are two infantry companies, not paratroopers, but still well-equipped and well-trained, and the regimental artillery battery. Though it's only four guns, the regimental artillery will provide some much-needed additional firepower to help even the odds.



The regimental artillery has some curious equipment. If you're familiar with military organization in the 20th century, the term 'mountain infantry' will ring a bell for you. For the rest of you, mountain infantry is a sort of light infantry equipped for terrain where motor vehicles are a nonstarter. One of the things you typically found in 20th-century mountain infantry units was the pack howitzer: a small artillery piece which could be broken down into small, man- or mule-portable pieces. A perfect fit for the modern, circa-1940 paratrooper. (Although the Germans did design an actual air-dropped infantry support gun/light howitzer, it wasn't in service for this part of the war.)

1830 - Reinforcements arrived half an hour ago. They are the 7th Company of the 16th Infantry Regiment, and the 1st Company of the 22nd Pioneers. They'll support 3/1 Fallschirmjagers for a quick push to spring the artillery, and eventually percolate south to free the paras' 2nd Company at Wieldrecht, and fill in at the Moerdijk bridges.

At the Moerdijk bridges, 5th and 6th Companies have eliminated another Dutch infantry company, and are moving south to secure the bridgeheads proper.



1945 - The infantry push in the southwest of Dordrecht has succeeded in opening a path for the artillery, so I put in the move order. At the Moerdijk bridges, the situation remains unchanged. The southern bridgehead is still heavily contested, but 7th and 8th Companies are extracting a very heavy price from the Germans, and have succeeded in stymieing further reinforcements. At the north end of the bridges, 5th and 6th Companies are grinding down another Dutch infantry company.



2300 - The situation has stabilized somewhat, and the fighting is cooling off as we head into the first night. 5th and 6th Companies have nearly secured the northern Moerdijk bridgehead, while the southern bridgehead is looking a little healthier, though still heavily contested.

Up north, there have been some changes. The artillery has almost reached our little base at Tweede Tol, along with 2nd Company, which is in the process of beating up on a Dutch company. I'm taking a bit of a gamble here, unplugging the Wieldrecht gap, but the pioneers from Dordrecht will be taking up the banner shortly. 7th Company/16th Infantry Regiment will be heading south to help secure the northern bridgehead at Moerdijk. Right now, they're both pinned, so 3rd Company/1st FJR will swing around the left flank and counter-pin the Dutch.



2340 - Finally in position, the artillery opens fire for the first time, supporting the northern half of the Moerdijk force.

0140 - Fighting into the night, the paras at Moerdijk are making good progress. II Battalion HQ, at the south end, have pushed the Dutch back from the road bridge, and at the north end, regimental HQ and its two companies will soon be solidly in control of the north end of the road bridge.

0240 - Having fought for nearly 24 hours, 5th and 6th Companies take a well-deserved rest. They'll be back in the action in the early morning, probably. The northern edge isn't quite secure yet.



0500 - We've reached the end of Day 1. In the north, the situation is mainly unchanged: 7/16 IR just broke free and is now marching south, 3/1 FJR is covering the Dordrecht bridge, and 1/22 Pioneers is holding Wieldrecht. The troops at Moerdijk are getting tired, but hold a fairly strong position on both sides of the bridges.



Today, we get a pretty big chunk of reinforcement: a full battalion of paratroopers, III Battalion/1 FJR, from Rotterdam, arriving at 0600; a paratrooper company, dropped near Moerdijk at 0600; and an infantry battalion, from Rotterdam, arriving at 1300. Our next reinforcements won't arrive until early morning on Day 4, so we have a good 36 hours or so to last with what we get today.

At the end of today, the window also opens for the arrival of French forces on the field, potentially from the north, west, and south. I'm not sure exactly where, north of the area of operations, the French might arrive from. I will note that there's a bridge, not marked with an objective, in the north-northeast part of Dordrecht which is still in good repair and which leads away to the north, away from Rotterdam. I wonder if they might punch through there?

Anyway, that's our first day. Here are the plans for Day 2.

Paulus - We must exercise caution in the face of potential French intervention. Devote a company or two to holding the northeast Dordrecht bridge. Use the remainder of the reinforcements to take over at Moerdijk and Dordrecht. The first wave will rotate out and serve as our reserve.

Student - Only the main route matters. The reinforcements should bypass enemy resistance at Dordrecht as much as possible, then wipe out the enemy at Moerdijk.

von Rundstedt - Only the main route matters. Use the reinforcements to eliminate resistance in Dordrecht, then to add weight to the Moerdijk position.

[EuchreJack]

Not sure exactly what we're suppose to be doing here, but Paulus makes sense.

[Fishbreath]

Basically, the aim is to hold the Moerdijk and Dordrecht bridges until Day 4, when the land-based attack arrives from the east. (The last two scenarios covered the land attack.)

Once they arrive, we send them through to Rotterdam, off the northwest corner of the map past Dordrecht.

[EuchreJack]

Basically, the aim is to hold the Moerdijk and Dordrecht bridges until Day 4, when the land-based attack arrives from the east. (The last two scenarios covered the land attack.)

Once they arrive, we send them through to Rotterdam, off the northwest corner of the map past Dordrecht.

If the goal is to hold both, why would anyone vote to only hold one? 

[Fishbreath]

Moerdijk is the center of action right now. Crushing the enemy there frees up forces to use elsewhere later.

Although, I should note that I've never guaranteed that all three plans are good plans.

[Fishbreath]

It's 5:00 a.m. on Day 2. Let's have a look at the historical context before we dive in to today's play.

The arrival of III Bn, 1st Fallschirmjäger Regiment (it'll be here in an hour) turns out to have been one of the key decisions. I have to digress for a moment to talk about geography: our action takes place primarily on the island of Dordrecht, bounded by four waterways: to the south, the Hollands Diep, the  to the west, the Dordtsche Kil, to the east, the Nieuwe Merwede, and to the north, the Oude Maas. The south end of the Moerdijk crossing is on the European mainland, and our forces are arriving over the roads from the invasion points I mentioned in the prior post. To the northwest, across the Dordrecht bridge, is the island of Ysselmonde (WW2-era spelling). Bridges from Ysselmonde cross to Rotterdam. At this point in time, German forces control the important crossings from Dordrecht to Ysselmonde, and from Ysselmonde to Rotterdam.

The Hollands Diep, being in excess of a kilometer across, was the major chokepoint; the Germans likely would not have been able to bridge it easily. By contrast, the crossing at Dordrecht, across the Oude Maas, would have yielded much more easily to combat engineering.

Kurt Student, the commander on the field, faced stiffer-than-expected resistance. His paratroopers on the island of Dordrecht were under intense pressure, while his men in Rotterdam, though engaged, had reserves to hold out. III Battalion, 1st Fallschirmjäger Regiment, was uncommitted on Ysselmonde, and difficulties in holding Moerdijk led Student to call it across the Dordrecht bridge to reinforce the paras' position.

On the land route in, German forces have captured Mill, and are beginning to engage Dutch forces at the Zuid-Williamsvaart, the canal which runs through Den Bosch.

The results of the vote were Paulus 1, and nil for the others, so we'll continue to play cautiously, moving II Battalion HQ and its paras and other attached forces out of the line once III Battalion arrives to take over the defense at the south end of the Moerdijk crossing.

0530 - The situation remains fairly static: German forces are holding out against the Dutch counterattack at Moerdijk, and our poor garrison company at the Dordrecth bridge is getting beaten up on. Reinforcements arrive in half an hour, which ought to change things.

0600 - The 1st Ersatz-Battalion, a company-sized unit containing replacements and reinforcements for the 1st Fallschirmjäger Regiment, arrives near Moerdijk, and is ordered to attack the Dutch company pressuring the bridgehead. 6th Company joins in, having had a few hours of rest.



At Dordrecht, III Battalion arrives. I order them to form up and attack across the bridge.



0715 - This proves to have been a good idea: there are Dutch defenders north of the bridge.



0800 - As you may recall, I sent 7th Company, 16th Infanterie-Regiment down to Moerdijk to join in the defense of the Moerdijk crossing. They arrive north of the bridges, and join the two paratrooper companies in beating up on the Dutch infantry company. Once that engagement is decided, 7/16th IR and the ersatz battalion will cross the eastern Moerdijk bridge and join the defense.

0930 - At the Dordrecht crossing, III Battalion is making good progress toward the crossing, eliminating a mortar platoon and inflicting heavy casualties on an infantry company.

1000 - The Dutch company at the north end of the Moerdijk bridges finally surrenders.

1100 - The two reinforcing companies for the south end of the Moerdijk bridgehead are crossing the bridge now, while at Dordrecht, III Battalion's combat companies have made the crossing. The support companies are on the move now.

1300 - Our second reinforcing battalion arrives: Gruppe de Boer, comprising two infantry companies, an infantry gun battery, and supporting units. They'll attack the Dutch units still north of Dordrecht, before crossing, taking over guard duties at Dordrecht, and clearing out the Dutch from the part of the city due south of the bridge.

1445 - Phew. Busy few hours. Here's a big, updated situation picture.



A bunch of things are going on here. At the north, III Battalion has made it across the bridge altogether, and is now forming up to head south. Gruppe De Boer will soon have wrapped up the fight on the north side of the Dordrecht bridge, and will take up its position south of it.

At the north end of the Moerdijk crossing, another infantry company plays cat and mouse with us. I may have the two defending companies pack up and hit it, but I don't know if I want to leave the bridgeheads undefended going into the evening.

South of the Moerdijk crossing, II Battalion has been reinforced, doubling its combat strength (four companies instead of two). They're making solid progress now against the Dutch in Moerdijk itself, and I expect to have the objective back in a few hours.

Next, the bad news: the beating my regimental base took in the early hours of the campaign is starting to tell. They're down to about 30% strength, only 80 men. Both of our infantry gun batteries are currently out of ammunition, and my expectation is that they won't really play a major role in the rest of the scenario—with such limited supply-movement capacity, the priority has to go to the units in front-line combat.

1700 - A much-less-busy few hours. III Battalion has been taking forever to get moving, but they should finally be altogether on the march now. Gruppe De Boer is making its way across the bridge.

1845 - Our men at the south end of the Moerdijk crossing spot the first French unit: a motorized infantry company, which soon joins the attack. Fortunately, it proves to be less formidable than the French tanks in the last scenario.

2000 - Though Moerdijk is going well, the situation in Dordrecht is a little iffier. 3rd Company, 1st Fallschirmjäger Regiment, was on its way to check the ferry northeast of Moerdijk, at the top left corner of this picture, and encountered some resistance. I recall them to the bridgehead, in part to return fire against the Dutch at Zwijndrecht, who appear to have regrouped somewhat. (Not unexpected; I destroyed their HQ and their mortar support, but only heavily attritted their combat companies.)

Meanwhile, the two companies in the southern portion of Dordrecht run into three or possibly four Dutch companies. Reinforcements may be needed here later.



2200 - III Battalion finally arrives at Moerdijk. They'll cross the bridge, attack the Dutch to push them off of II Battalion, and take over the defense.

2230 - 3rd Company 1st Fallschirmjäger Regiment is moving to the Wieldrecht crossing, while 1st Company, 22nd Pioneers, which was previously holding the Wieldrecht crossing, is joining up with Gruppe De Boer. (The pioneers are better-equipped and better rested.)

Day 3

0315 - Conscious of the need to let my men rest in big, long scenarios like this one, it's been a little quieter. III Battalion is attacking the Dutch at Moerdijk. II Battalion needs only hold out a little longer, before they can collapse for some much-needed sleep.

0600 - The end of this section is upon us. At Moerdijk, III Battalion has taken over the defense. II Battalion is heading off to the east a few hundred meters to get some shuteye. They should be back in fighting condition in a few hours.



At Dordrecht, the situation seems a little more settled now: my three combat companies are attacking into Dordrecht from an odd angle, but it seems to be working well enough.



In the next segment, from 0600 D3 to 0700 D4, the following reinforcements will arrive:

D4, 0200: I Battalion, Aufklarungs-Regiment 9, motorized infantry
D4, 0600: Gruppe Apell, battalion-sized kampfgruppe of mixed motorized-infantry and tanks
D4, 0600: I Battalion, 33rd Panzer Regiment, tanks
D4, 0600: II Battalion, 11th Schützen Regiment, motorized infantry

Here are your options.
Paulus - It is critical to maintain a reserve, in case Dutch resistance should appear at any point. Use one of the reinforcement battalions to eliminate the Dutch defenders at Moerdijk. Use another to hold the road between Wagenberg and Moerdijk, the route our reinforcements will have to take. Send the other two through to Tweede Tol, where they can be committed on Day 4 to open a gap for forces bound for Ysselmonde and Rotterdam.

von Rundstedt - The elimination of effective resistance at both bridgeheads is more important. Divide the reinforcing battalions evenly between Moerdijk and Dordrecht, seeking out and destroying the enemy instead of passively holding positions.

Student - I agree with von Rundstedt, except Moerdijk is more important. Dedicate three battalions to Moerdijk, and one to Dordrecht.