Operation Market Garden, The Dreijenseweg and the Third Lift - New Year Game at Chez Bob.

Last Sunday, I joined friends over at Chez Bob's new wargames lair to enjoy a game of Panzer Grenadier Deluxe by Dave Brown, recreating events of Tuesday the 19th of September 1944 which would see a major turning point in the Battle for Arnhem fought around the Oosterbeek railway crossing.

The game scenario was based on the setup and orders of battle from the Fire & Fury Battlefront site and the scenario entitled Market Garden Dreijenseweg written by Richard de Ferrars, Andy Parkes, Paddy Green and Mark Davies, with a link to the  excellent scenario page attached to the map of our battle below.

Bob had been organising the game in the weeks leading up to Xmas, sending out orders of battle to players, gathering in figure collections from those of us with suitable German and Airborne forces and then after receiving the set up plans from the various player commanders, laying out the table ready to play on our arrival, following of course the obligatory morning brew, because as the late Stephen Ambrose knew, us Brits do like to get the kettle on before and after battle, as there is absolutely no rush. 

https://www.fireandfury.com/scenarios.shtml#NWEurope2

For our game I assumed the role of Brigadier John “Shan” Hackett, commanding 4th Parachute Brigade, which together with attached brigade troops, engineers, anti-tank, glider pilots and the elite 21st Parachute Company had under command three battalions, 10th Parachute Infantry, 156 Parachute Infantry and the 6th King's Own Scottish Borderers better known as the 'Kosbies'. 

Brigadier John “Shan” Hackett
the senior British commander, commanding 
4th Parachute Brigade

The table all set up ready to go. Looking from Wolfheze right of picture next to the railway line towards Oosterbeek, with LZ-L centre table.

German opposition would be under the overall command of SS-Lt.-Col. Walter Harzer, Chas, who would be coordinating the attack of three SS Kampfgruppe, KG's Krafft, Allworden and Spidler and the Ersatz and Luftwaffe troops of KG Bruhns, initially defending against the push by my spearhead battalions towards Arnhem in support of Lt Col John Frost's men around the Arnhem bridge, but as their strength grows likely forcing a change in British plans.

SS-Lt.-Col. Walter Harzer,
senior German commander, commanding
three SS Kampfgruppe and a Luftwaffe Ersatz KG

For a more detailed order of battle and indeed the briefings for both side you can download the scenario in the link above.

The approaches to Arnhem end of the table with Oosterbeek to the left and the crossroads and Pumping Station to the right

Like many WWII wargamers I have a fairly good knowledge of the battle around Arnhem and the sequence of events that followed the British airborne landings, but having the opportunity to command Hackett's brigade, I wanted to try and get a feel for some of the confusing state of affairs that confronted him and his management of this battle.

10th Parachute Battalion in the woods opposite the crossroads and Pumping Station, opposed by German SS troops of KG Allworden

So I deliberately refrained from refreshing my memory with a more thorough understanding of the events and instead fought the battle on the table as events presented themselves, trying to foresee likely issues around a perimeter that would inevitably have to be created but to pursue my orders, as laid out in italics from the briefing, which meant my two forward battalions needed to press on towards Arnhem.

That would see Nathan as Lt.-Col. Sir Richard des Voeux commanding 156 Para Battalion, pushing into the outskirts of Oosterbeek whilst Steve M. assuming the role of  Lt.-Col. Ken Smyth, commanding 10th Para, pushing towards the Pumping Station and nearby crossroads, taking the former in the early stages of the battle.

10 Para Orders: secure the area around the pump station and crossroads at the end of the Dreijenseweg and then to attack in support of 156 Para Two companies “up” with reserve company released when one company is “established” north of the Amsterdamseweg (established typically means 5 stands including a company commander).

156 Para Orders: secure the woodland east of the Dreijenseweg and then to attack towards the Amsterdamseweg Two companies “up” with reserve company released when one company is “established” east of the Dreijenseweg (established typically means 5 stands including a company commander).

Meanwhile I also had to be able to defend the Landing Zone and keep a reserve in hand to deal with any unforeseen challenges and so I distributed by brigade engineers, anti-tank guns and glider pilots in support of the 6th KOSB's under Ian, assuming the role of Lt.-Col. Robert Payton-Reid.

Brigade HQ

General Brigade elements – unrestricted use (anti-tank guns, RASC etc) Glider Pilot Squadron – may allocated to any Battalion or held in reserve Engineer Squadron– may allocated to any Battalion or held in reserve 21st Independent Company – 1 platoon on LZ-L, rest remain south of railway KOSB.

Orders: protect LZ-L but some elements can be used for attacking: - up to two Parachute companies - all support elements (including Reconnaissance Troop) 

To keep my hand in in the battle I took command of the 21st Parachute Company under Major B. Wilson  to support Nathan's men in their battle to clear Oosterbeek.

D Company 6th KOSB's under Major G. Sheriff, were held in reserve on the edge of LZ-L near Oosterbeek

6th KOSB's Recon Platoon at Johannahoeve Farm on the edge of LZ-L

The scenario is nicely setup to recreate this battle with the inevitable shift from the offensive to the defensive as 4th Parachute Brigade were forced to attempt to pull off the most difficult military manoeuvre, namely to fall back in the face of the enemy.

As mentioned  I knew that this was likely to occur, but because I deliberately did not revise this battle, I did not know exactly when, which for me gave that insight that I feel wargaming can deliver that pouring over the historical accounts cannot.

Change in Orders

About half-way through the game time (game turn 8-12 approx), the British player should be told the following:

“There has been a major reverse suffered by the forces in the town. Details are sketchy but there have been heavy losses and strong German forces, including armour, will be attacking imminently, in strength, from Arnhem. You are to halt offensive action with immediate effect. Preserving anti-tank guns and transport are high priority. Brigade units, 10 Para and 156 Para are to move as quickly as possible to the south of the railway KOSB are to remain in position to protect LZ-L; the third lift is expected within the next 30 minutes”

So there I was managing my battle, checking the progress of my forward battalions and noting the increasing pressure from KG Krafft battering the forward platoons of the KOSB's lining the woods and hedges along the Amsterdamseweg, 10 Para gaining control of the Pumping Station and 156 Para flamethrowing their way into the outskirts of Oosterbeek with a growing awareness that forward progress was slowing and a noticeable increase in German troops moving up to the Dreijenseweg 

X’ Troop 2nd Air Landing Antitank Battery with their airborne 17-pounders covering LZ-L

German mortar and artillery fire was starting to make an ever increasing impact on the battlefield only made worse by British 3-inch mortar and off-table 75mm howitzer fire from 1st Airlanding Light Regiment Royal Artillery falling short and badly disrupting both 10th and 156 Para as they faced increasing counter attacks, 'Oh dear, how sad, never mind'.

KOSB 6-pounders and a Pathfinder platoon from the 21st Independent Parachute Company on LZ-L

The experience was reflecting the real life battle as I had read from numerous accounts and a sense of impending doom as overly positive reports of likely German resistance in the area was proving to be completely and utterly wrong.

Inevitably I received the briefing, reflecting orders from Division that Frost and his men were being overwhelmed on the bridge and that the Germans were now turning to focus their efforts to crush the division and that we were to fall back around HQ on the other side of the railway line.

I duly briefed my subordinates instructing Steve M (10 Para) to immediately start to fall back on to the LZ and find suitable crossings over the railway, with Nathan (156 Para) to similarly fall back but to cover the withdrawal of 10 Para, leaving 21st Independent Para holding firm in Oosterbeek to resist any attempt to follow by KG Bruhns.

 

Forward platoons and 6-pounders of 6 KOSB dug-in in the woods lining the Amsterdamseweg

Meanwhile with the KOSB's already falling back I briefed Ian about the need for him to hold at all cost and to be prepared for a last man last bullet scenario to enable 10 and 156 Para to pull back and that I was releasing and sending my reserve units, namely the glider pilots and D Company KOSB to bolster his position.

A Jagd-Panther standing in for a Jagd-Panzer IV of KG Allworden on the crossroads near the Pumping Station is opposed by 10 Para.

My brigades ranks were thinning with each turn, but the quality of my troops shone out as they took their toll on a German force that was now pressing much harder than previously, obviously responding to new orders themselves.

The fighting I was particularly involved in was the battle to hold the outskirts of Oosterbeek with 21st Independent as Nathan started to pull 156 Para back, and the elite 21st showed their metal as they resisted a hand-to-hand assault on their positions sending the Luftwaffe troops reeling back from their stronghold.

Fighting in the streets of Oosterbeek between 156 Para and KG Bruhns, with para flamethrowers going to work. 

However the tracks leading along the railway line were now full of reserve and forward elements making their way back along the edge of the LZ towards Wolfheze, which is when the Luftwaffe decided to bring in extra support in the form of a strafing FW-190, 'Oh dear, how sad, never mind'.

It was really interesting and fun managing the change of stance from attack to defence to withdrawal combined with a big table like this, where individual battles were taking place around the LZ that were forcing changes to the plan as circumstances demanded. 

Smoke on the cross roads left of picture indicates the battle hotting-up as 10 Para take out a Jagd-Panzer IV.

That said, the battle was playing out in such a way that the Germans pressing in from the Dreijenseweg, were finding the two Para battalions forcing a grinding battle of attrition on them as they attempted to follow up their gradual withdrawal, whereas the controlled fall back was looking somewhat imperilled as the positions of the 6th KOSB's looked more and more precarious as KG Krafft forced a more hasty pull back than was preferred, and I had severe doubts that the LZ would be held as we ended our game.

The pressure builds on the 6th KOSB's north of LZ-L as KG Krafft advance across the fields, extreme right and advance into the woods lining the Amsterdamseweg.

Finally a comment about the rules Panzer Grenadier Deluxe which did the job for this big game, but I think we all felt that they are not quite what was required with some interesting quirks  that perhaps show the thinking that has led Dave Brown to develop, in my opinion, a better set for these type of big games, in O-Group which we play a lot of in the club and have enjoyed the games they produce.

Either way this was a great game to start off the New Year and a worthy subject given that we have recently commemorated the eightieth anniversary of the battle.

The battle in and around Oosterbeek as 4th Parachute Brigade comply with new orders to fall back and form a perimeter around Divisional HQ.

My thanks to Bob our host and gamemiester and to Steve L, Steve M, Si, Ian, Vince, Nathan and Chas for all the banter and creating the fun day we enjoyed.

I'm off to club this weekend so with Bob's game and that I reckon the new Wargaming Year of 2025 is well underway.

Next up, I'll be taking a close look at the 'fighting' Enterprise Class of 28-gun frigates, the smallest class of Post-Ship in the Royal Navy and a class of ships that were built for the Falkland's Crisis, well not that one but the one in 1770, long before Argentina came on the scene.

More anon

JJ

All at Sea - East Indiamen, Merchantmen, Frigates & Brigs (New Builds and Collections for Friends)

A Fleet of Indiamen at Sea - Nicholas Pocock

 

As mentioned in my Year End Review post, I intended to start 2025 by looking at some work I was doing before the Xmas break pulling together some collections of age of sail ships for friends and first up is a selection of four merchant ships, the East Indiamen and merchants from Warlord Games, part of Jack and Charlies collection.

Jack & Charlie's flotilla of merchantmen, two Indiamen and the two merchantmen from Warlord Games 

The use of merchantmen on the wargames table adds another strand to naval wargaming, particularly in the age of sail, before the advent of modern techniques of ship to ship communication, and further reading about the subject is always worthwhile before bringing your models to the table.

JJ's Wargames - Convoys, Roger Knight

One such tome would be Roger Knight's 'Convoys', a book I reviewed in 2023, and one that contains a wealth of information about the issues and challenges faced by merchantmen of this era and those of the warships tasked with escorting them around the globe.

https://www.wargamevault.com/product/499498/Two-If-By-Sea

Another interesting addition to ideas about running convoy actions on the tabletop and using Kiss Me, Hardy (KMH) and To Covet Glory (TCG) particularly for such games is Chris Stoesen's latest publication, 'Two If By Sea', who also authored TCG.

British convoy of 63 ships under attack by a Spanish squadron of 38 warships under Admiral Luis Córdova that saw just 8 ships escape.

In it Chris offers a structure for setting up convoy actions based on the Spanish interception of a British convoy on August 9th, 1780, and extending his ideas for developing convoy actions on the North American and West Indies stations during the AWI.

The ideas presented in his game structure would be easily transferable to later periods such as the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic ones that I tend to focus on here on the blog and facilitating the use of such models shown here.

I built the Warlord merchantmen for my own collection back in 2021 and posted about those models in the link below, and those shown here are a similar variation on the theme.

JJ's Wargames - All at Sea, John Company's Indiamen

The East Indiamen models were a later addition to the range from Warlord and I have them in my too build stock but this was the first time I had built them, and I think they are an excellent addition to the Black Seas offerings, really capturing the look of the slab-sided 20+ gun merchantmen built by the East India Company in the late 18th early 19th century and often requisitioned by the Royal Navy in the early years of the French Revolutionary War for conversion into 64-gun third rates as a stop gap until better third rates became available

East Indiaman Pigot above converted to HMS Lancaster 64-guns

The box like cross section of an Indiaman compared to a purpose built warship of the period with its pronounced curved bilges is illustrated above and below in the hull cross sections of the East Indiaman Pigot above converted to HMS Lancaster 64-guns by her hold being turned into a lower gundeck, compared to the 50-gun HMS Renown part of the Isis class of fourth rates, built as a warship, if a rather small one.

The 50-gun HMS Renown part of the Isis class of fourth rates, shows off her pronounced curved bilges in this line drawing

The Warlord Indiaman model comes with a selection of holds amidships, some open and others closed, with the open ones showing off a hold full of goods and wares in transport.

In addition, in what would be the lower gun deck on a warship, space below the upper deck is given over to more hold-storage capacity with just the upper deck bristling with defensive armament, but it is easy to see why to the untrained eye an Indiaman might appear to be a small third or fourth rate warship, and that ruse was a useful one to maintain for these ships, particularly when considering the riches they often carried as well as very well off passengers, too and from India and the east.

 

The guns on an Indiaman were often lighter than those carried by a typical similarly sized warship of the period, usually 6 and 9 pounders, but with larger vessels, especially in time of war, up-gunned to 12 and 18-pounders but it would be wrong to imagine their inclusion was just for cosmetic appearances, as Indiamen were designed to be able to protect themselves from enemy naval raiders, privateers and pirates in the dangerous waters they sailed in.

That said these ships were crewed by civilian merchantmen, not naval crews subject to naval discipline, and with much smaller crews than a warship coupled with often indifferent training to handle their long guns in action, they could not be expected to fight like an equivalently sized man-of-war, but were more equipped to fend off smaller less disciplined foes such as pirates and privateers, in it for profit as their principle aim.

As well as armaments and crew, Indiamen were not constructed to be as robust as an equivalently sized man-of-war, with their ribs fewer and more spaced apart than those found on a warship, thus making them much more prone to internal damage when hit by heavy round shot.

A typical Indiaman of this era would be the Lord Nelson, launched in late 1799. She was an East Indiaman of 819 tons bm, commanded by Captain Robert Spottiswood, armed with 26 guns (20 long 18 and six long 12 pounders), and made five voyages, of which she completed four, before her capture on her second voyage by the French privateer Bellone, later seeing the Royal Navy recapture her within about two weeks.

French ship Bellone in action with Lord Nelson 9th July 1806 - Auguste Mayer

The Lord Nelson was on her return voyage when on the 14th  August 1803 she encountered the French three-masted privateer Bellone off Cape Clear, Ireland. 

Bellone versus Lord Nelson, off Cape Clear 9th July 1806 

The Bellone, of Saint Malo, had had some success privateering in the Indian Ocean towards the end of the French Revolutionary Wars and when the Napoleonic Wars commenced she took to the sea again under the command of her former captain, Jacques François Perroud, and this was her first cruise of the new wars when she encountered Lord Nelson.

The Bellone had 34 guns, including 24 long 8-pounder guns, and though she had more guns, her broadside was inferior to that of the Lord Nelson, but what made the difference was that Bellone had a crew of 260 men, versus the 102 men, exclusive of passengers, on Lord Nelson, despite Bellone also having on board some 56 prisoners from various previous captures.

In an engagement of one and a half hours the Lord Nelson was able to fend off one attempt at boarding, but succumbed to the second, that saw Lord Nelson lose five men killed and 31 wounded, with two of the dead being passengers.

Bellone captures Lord Nelson, by Auguste Mayer

Perroud put on board a prize crew of 41 men under the command of Lieutenant Fougie and the two vessels sailed towards La Coruña, on the north coast of Spain, but not without much drama en-route however, when on the 20th August they encountered a British frigate that saw the two vessels separated, with the frigate pursuing the Bellone rather than the Lord Nelson.

Then on the 23rd August, the British privateer Thomas and John, of fourteen 6-pounder guns, engaged Lord Nelson for two hours before breaking off the engagement.

This the second of the two Indiamen has a covered hold and boats amidships

In the course of another day, a hired armed cutter of twelve 4-pounder guns shadowed Lord Nelson before, perhaps thinking better of tackling such a large adversary, sailing away.

HM Brig Seagull was a Diligent Class Brig of 317 tons bm and armed with sixteen 32-pounder carronades and two 6-pounder chase guns

HM Brig Seagull, was under the command of Captain Henry Burke, and had escorted a convoy from Plymouth to Cork and was on her way back when she encountered a Portuguese schooner that reported having met with a French privateer off Cape Clear. that saw Captain Burke immediately setting out to find her.

At around 1pm on the 26th August, he sighted a large vessel and immediately set out in pursuit, and after a chase of five hours Burke was able to bring his quarry to action in an engagement that lasted throughout the night. 

Daylight found Lord Nelson having expended all her cartridges in the fight and Lieutenant Fougie later informed Burke that on Seagull's next approach Lord Nelson would have struck her colours. However, Burke had to pull back to repair extensive damage to Seagull's mast and rigging, and two shot holes between wind and water.

While Seagull was undertaking her repairs Fougie's crew were able to prepare new cartridges and might have resumed the engagement when Seagull approached again, if it had not been for a British squadron under Sir Edward Pellew in the 80-gun HMS Tonnant coming into sight, with HMS Colossus 74-guns leading, that saw Seagull signal to the approaching vessels and as they came up, Fougie struck to Colossus.

In the fight Seagull had had two men killed and eight men wounded, one of whom died later, with French casualties unreported. The boats from Colossus boarded Lord Nelson where they found that five of her original crew had been serving the guns in the fight against Seagull, they protesting that they were Americans (not renegade Englishmen, and so free agents), but the prize crew put them in chains pending subsequent further investigation in Britain.

Pellew then gave Seagull the honour of escorting Lord Nelson back to Plymouth, where they arrived on the 14th September and where Seagull would undergo much necessary repairs and refitting. 

The larger merchantman from Warlord sporting her archaic lateen rigged mizzen

The East India company, with the agreement of Lloyd's Underwriters, agreed a salvage of one-sixth the value of Lord Nelson, and somewhat unfortunately for Seagull, the salvage value had not only to be shared with Colossus, but also with the other three ships-of-the-line in Pellew's squadron.

The East India Company rewarded Spottiswood with a valuable sword and a service of plate in recognition of his gallant defence of Lord Nelson.

The whole episode of the capture and recapture of Lord Nelson provides the narrative of Chapter 5 of Patrick O'Brian's novel Post Captain in his Aubrey–Maturin series with the addition of his fictional characters Captain Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin being among the passengers aboard Lord Nelson.

Alongside the two Indiamen I have put together the two merchantmen, also from the Warlord collection, one in British colours and the other flying the American merchant colours with American merchantmen often sailing in British escorted convoys when the two countries were not at war.

The smaller of the two merchantmen sporting American colours, perhaps because she is American or perhaps she is another nationality trying to evade being stopped by posing as a neutral.

The merchantmen serve as an ideal target to escort as well as for individual combat against marauding privateers, against who they could be quite capable of putting up a stiff fight.

So to go with the merchantmen I have also added in a mixed group of potential marauders and escorts in the shape of two French frigates and brigs, with two in early war 1794 colours, one Spanish corvette and a British brig.

Finally my old wargaming pal Ian, who is quite keen to mess around with Kiss Me, Hardy in glorious 1:700 scale, asked me if I would put together a small collection of ships so he could have a go, and so I also completed a mix of frigates and brigs over Xmas.

Thus we have an American super frigate and small brig, a British frigate and brig and a French frigate to get things started.

So 2025 is off up and running with these collections finished and ready for delivery and with focus turning to getting my wargames room refitted before thoughts can turn towards my Nile and Algeciras project.

More anon 

JJ