Scenario 37 Medal of Honor
Scott B
MEDAL OF HONOR
SCENARIO 37, G.I: ANVIL OF VICTORY
AFTER ACTION REPORT
HISTORICAL OVERVIEW
Nijmegen, Holland, September 21, 1944.
The Allies had taken the Nijmegen bridge the day prior, and crossed over. Today the Germans counterattack, to either destroy the bridge or inflict at least ten casualties while losing only half as many of their own. Historically, private Towle single handedly broke up the attack, including driving off two Panthers and destroying a half-track with his bazooka. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions, after which scenario thirty-seven is titled.
As Monty pushed his forces to Arnehm, the Germans knew they didn’t have to blow the bridge. Their delay at Nijmegen had been enough.
RESOURCES
“Medal of Honor”. G.I.: ANVIL OF VICTORY. Baltimore MD; the Avalon Hill Game Company, 1982. https://storage.googleapis.com/archivesqlt/DAO00037A.pdf
Nixon, Mark C. “Anvil of My Eye: GIs in the Maelstrom”. The Avalon Hill General. Baltimore, MF: Monarch Printing. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxBhV3GHa1N8Wlp6RUQtcnlMcWs/view?resourcekey=0-XvEma4hp_RJfSQIPAHL_rg
Google Maps coordinates. 51.864251, 5.858517
Wikipedia. Operation Market Garden.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Market_Garden#Nijmegen_3
Lange, Katie. U.S. Department of Defense. “Medal of Honor Monday: Army Pvt. John R Towle”.
Oousterhout - Private Towle Congressional Medal of Honor. Erenow.net. Retrieved March 22, 2023
https://erenow.net/ww/nijmegen-us-82nd-airborne-division-1944/12.php
VICTORY CONDITIONS AND RULES
The Germans must destroy one bridge span or eliminate twice as many US squads (at least ten) as they lose on their own.
The US sets up first. No squad may setup in a hex-row, or adjacent to any hex-row, already containing a friendly squad on that board. German moves first.
ERRATA
The second edition of the scenario card replaced board four with board six for play balance. We are using the second edition card.
INITIAL PLACEMENT
German Comments
The 9-2 and 2 MMGs make up a kill stack. The troops are together in the light cover of vehicles and hedges, in contact with US squads and MGs. This position allows for either fire or movement. Infantry under armor receive +1 protection and may not be returned to hexes moved through for defensive fire.
US Comments
Don’t use the first edition scenario card from the physical game. It is a significant difference for the US setup requirements found on the second edition card in the Tourny files. The setup instructions force dispersion of the US forces. US mission: force the Germans to take the slow route through the center of the battle area. Key element of my setup: Try to defend the road. That is the fastest way to the bridge, so the US needs to have enough FP against road targets, not necessarily to destroy a Panther, but to force any mounted assault units carrying a demo charge to dismount far from the bridge.
GAME TURN ONE
German Comments
The German must decide to fire or move. Nine turns is not much time when the bridge is five turns away on foot and two turns are needed for demolition. On-the-other-hand, walking into a handful of 6 and 8 firepower shots with a -1 or better modifiers probably won’t get very far. So they shoot to loosen up the resistance.
The German fire combats are lucky, breaking and eliminating the nearest US positions. By their next Movement Phase, the Germans will have a path clear of the closest positions.
US Comments
The strong German Turn 1 forced an immediate regret that I did not follow my gut and set up more of a defense-in-depth with the Hero, Pvt Towle, getting a chance to do what he did in history. He didn’t live long enough to live up to his famed exploits. On the US turn, I fired up the MGs and started consolidating a line of defense. Both my flanks got shot up good.
GAME TURN TWO
German Comments
The Germans must decide how to exploit their initial success. Option 1 is to play it safe and move the infantry up under the armor for cover. It protects the infantry but the US leader will rally in the next turn or two. Option 2 is high risk for high reward and secures the south flank (by river). The armor must outrun the infantry support to eliminate the broken US squads and leader for failure to rout. This leaves both the infantry and armor unprotected and the armor subject to close combat. The German takes the riskier option, because time is short and they must advance to the bridge without delay.
US Comments
I thought the US paratroopers had excellent morale. Well..unfortunately they didn’t show it in this battle. Failed MCs and PAAMCs kept the US from rebounding and counterattacking. The Close Combat attempt vs the Panther never happened because the 2 x US squads couldn’t pass a PAAMC for either Def Fire immobilization attempt or Close Combat vs Panther. Some effective fires from squads and long-range MGs helped slow the German advance. The move by the German armor was aggressive and fun.
GAME TURNS THREE TO FIVE
German Comments
The thin red line is the kill zone of the US defenses, subject to fire from both HMGs, MMGs and infantry in the tree line. The Germans must pass it to get out of the open and into the woods.
However, they could not get past it. Each attack was broken up by US fire combats. Both Panthers malfunctioned their guns and the squads lost inherent smoke. The offensive power was greatly diminished and the squads disorganized with the precious DCs out of place or abandoned.
To attempt bridge demolition, they must arrive there by turn seven for time to place and detonate the charges (133.7) and this is unlikely at best. Alternatively, they may attempt to eliminate ten US squads (currently four are KIA), but that may prove difficult without the firepower of the Panthers. Maybe the opportunity to win has passed.
US Comments
US defense was based on long range MG fires and squads in the center just trying to slow the German advance. Withdrawing to trade space for time seemed to help. Is like in Saving Private Ryan- fall back toward the bridge area when my forces in the center had had enough.Just trying to hold on and try to win the battle.
GAME TURNS SIX TO SEVEN
German Comments
The remaining German units lack offensive punch; too far from the bridge, too many casualties to meet the 2:1 elimination ratio and still under the shadow of the US HMG. They are finished.
US Comments
A common theme in the GIAV battles fought so far is the US HMG destroying the German halftracks. The halftrack must be careful in its moves. Once the battle became a bare-knuckle test of survival, I was determined not to let German units (infantry or Panthers) cut off any remaining good order US squads. There were multiple scattered broken US squads that my sole field leader could not get to, so I considered them eliminated for victory consideration and the US just tried to focus on keeping the remaining good order leader and unit alive and unbroken. Hence the withdrawal tactics.
AFTERMATH
German Comments
Seldom does such a strong beginning decay into such a tragedy by game end. The initial Fire Combats had cleared the US southern flank (by the river) of opposition, and the German armor advanced to hold the ground. By turn three, almost half of the US OB was either broken or eliminated, a magnificent success. Unfortunately, that was the high water mark of the German effort.
Mistakes were made. The advancing armor outran its infantry, leaving them unprotected moving through the wheatfield and at the thin red line. The armor was now out of position to provide fire support against the line. Indeed, the infantry would not cross it until turn five after sustaining casualties of approximately forty percent of their OB.
Compounding this error, infantry was sent to occupy the former US positions (south by river), about three squads and a leader. They contributed nothing to the battle for the thin redline, where their presence could have been decisive. Instead they were cut to pieces by the US HMG while trying to hold a piece of land already behind the front.
The Germans had lost sight of the schwerpunkt.
Fate also proved fickle by providing the first German Fire Combats with astoundingly lucky dice. However, she soon soured and by turn four both Panthers’ main guns malfunctioned and the squads lost inherent smoke. Not damning by themselves but certainly contributing to the overall difficulty of the situation.
This is a hard one for the Germans. A competent US opponent can hold the line with his favorable terrain and then retreat back slowly, running down the clock, as the US did. I think play balance might well be served adding two turns for a total of eleven.
US Comments
I had to fight my natural instinct to aggressively counterattack and focus on accomplishing the mission. By denying the fastest route to the bridge, and doing a fighting withdrawal that was covered by long range MG fire, the US paratroopers can delay the better-equipped and hard fighting SS units enough to help make Market Garden a success in the Nijmegen area.
The US bazookas never got into any realistic anti-armor situations. A BAZ vs the front of a Panther is not a winning shot. Also- the German FT never lit its flame in anger and everytime the Germans tried to place a DC, the placing unit broke. US didn’t get smoke grenades until the battle was over. So not a good battle for special weapon use.
Some notes about rules:
a. I took the opportunity to try field promotions when the situation arose, and it failed miserably, by rolling 6,6 for the elimination of the unit! The very next rally attempt was another DR of 6,6 for a casualty reduction..this when the eliminated squad and HS were crucial to the victory condition calculations
b. One of the Panthers had NbW92, so we worked out the rules and dice roll modifiers for the sequencing of attack
c. We worked through the process of Def Fire vs infantry moving to mounted assault hex and then that infantry mounting a vehicle in the same MPh. GIAV rules do not clearly define defensive fire sequencing, TEM, etc.
d. We created a bridge demolition backward-planning sequence for when a mounted assault infantry unit with demo charge is tasked with blowing up a bridge.
e. Multiple uses of the blind hex calculation based on distance and elevations. Was pretty smooth.
f. Cowering result when attacking with 1FP. A US attacking unit rolled a 1,1, which is usually a great result! Unless you are firing with 1FP, then it is a cower and a “No Effect” result since there is no FP column to the left of 1FP! That was frustrating.
g. Wounded leader possibility occurred, but never came about per failed DM check.
h. We were able to exercise the updated close combat rules. Nothing too onerous or difficult.