With our recent Chain of Command fight reinvigorating us, we’re starting our first Chain of Command campaign!

The Campaign

We are using the 5 Platoon: Breaking Through to Frost at Arnhem campaign from WSS 74. It is a short campaign, only 4 maps to fight over, but as it is our first campaign we’re happy with the scale.

The campaign starts with Operation Market Garden underway. 3 Para has landed around Arnhem and are rushing to support Frost at the bridge. Hauptsturmfuhrer Krafft, commanding an understrength training battalion, correctly guessed the operations objective. Though only having a small force he divided it along the two major roads to Arnhem. Our fight will replay 5 Platoon’s (with 4 Platoon in support) run down the Utrecthseweg and will cover only a few hours of fighting against a nameless SS Platoon.

The Forces

Lucius will be bringing his British Paras onto the table. You can see his work here:

Ready for Battle: British Airborne
Ready for Battle: British Airborne Jumping Off Points

I will be fielding the Germans, but as I do not have SS Panzer Grenadiers, I am using my Fallschirmjagers. The platoon construct is as laid out in the scenario (so I will no longer have 2 MGs per section).

Work in Process – Fallschirmjager

The Battles

The battles are:

Game 1: The Fight around Hill Oek
Game 2: Probe at the Crossroads
Game 3: Attack on the Bilderberg Hotel
Game 4: The Crossroads at Koude Herberg Inn
German victory in Game 3 meant no Game 4

The British must win every battle. If they do, they win the campaign. Should they falter, they fail.

Scenario

As I’ll be writing up the AARs, this scenario will be written out from the defender’s perspective. Lucius will add his Platoon and section leaders in the coming days.

Situation

Heavy Allied airborne activity in the region continues. The air drops seem to be concentrated around key river crossings along our Main Supply Route. Intelligence suggests Allied armoured formations are advancing to the bridges and crossroads held by airborne forces and could be aiming to link these isolated forces and cross into Germany.

Elements of British Para units have entered Arnhem and more British Paratroops have been seen in the surrounding area. Hauptsturmfuhrer Krafft is convinced that the bridge at Arnhem is the target.

Friendly Forces

Elements of two companies of SS Panzergrenadier Ausbildungsund-Ersatz Battalion 16 are in the area but no formed units are available for support. A friendly platoon-sized force is advancing down the Amsterdamseweg (seweg means road) to prevent the Paras from taking that route to the bridge at Arnhem. Section-sized units and individual armoured vehicles may be available for support upon request. Once the enemy force is found, additional assets may be available for a local counter attack.

Enemy Forces

The nature of attacks in this area suggest that the air drops were scattered. Platoon-sized formations of elite British forces from 3 Para have been sighted. We expect them to be advancing down the Utrechtseweg. No enemy armour has been spotted in our area.

Mission

1 platoon, will find and fix the enemy and prevent their passage down the Utrechtseweg.

Execution

Phase 1. 1 platoon, with attached recce units will attempt to locate British forces in the vicinity of (IVO) Hill Oek.

Phase 2. Once enemy forces are found, defensive operations will begin IVO Bilderberg Hotel along the Utrechtseweg Road.

Phase 3. Counter attack with available armour assets.

Service Support

Limited. 16 Battalion’s support company is spread thin. They will push ammo and rations every evening to avoid enemy harassment from the air.

Command & Sigs (our leaders as per At the Sharp End campaign rules)

1 Platoon is commanded by Oberscharfuhrer Karl Staufen, a tall, thin 19 year old from the south who joined the Hitlerjugend before being assigned to the battalion.

1st Squad is commanded by Unterscharfuhrer Muller, a 32 year old office clerk in Berlin before the war who is still rather portly despite his time in uniform.

2nd Squad is commanded by Unterscharfuhrer Becker, a 26 year old stocky farm boy from Bavaria who mostly keeps to himself.

3rd Squad is commanded by Unterscharfuhrer Fischer, a 26 year old lumbering giant of a man. He was a gamekeeper from a large estate in Bavaria. He’s even hunted boar with Reichsmarschall Göring who was impressed by his physical prowess.

British Leaders

5 Platoon, B Company, 3 Para

5 Plt is commanded by 25 year old Lieutenant Jimmy
Cleminson, a strapping six foot Irishman coming from a long standing military
tradition joined the family regiment before volunteering for the airborne to
lead the best of the best.

At 36, the Plt Sergeant, Colour Sergeant Frazer McGraw, a
farmer from the Highlands of Scotland, is the oldest in the platoon. At 5’7 he
may be on the smaller side but is respectfully feared by his men and should be
feared by the enemy.

1 Section is commanded by Sergeant Glenn Finlay, a 24 year
old office clerk from Glasgow. Though one would never guess from his solid six
foot stature he has a head for figures and paperwork.

2 Section is commanded by 32 year old Sergeant Edward Smith,
average looking chap who owns a sheep farm with his wife, 3 kids, and 4 dogs on
the Isle of Wight.

3 Section commander is 23 year old Welshman Sergeant Ewen
Jones, a man of the earth, he grew up on his parent’s farm and while his boots
are shined, there’s still hints of the Welsh mud on them.