Briefing
A Bridge too far Version: 2.2 developed with Marc Custer 1. Briefing On September 10 1944 Field Marshal Montgomery proposed an ambitious plan that involved a massive combined airborne and armored assault to get across the Rhine river and strike at the industrial center of Germany in the Ruhr valley. The plan encompassed the dropping of three airborne divisions plus an airborne brigade and the breakout of a full armored corps. The airborne divisions would secure the highway and bridges between the current frontline and the city of Arnhem. The armored corps would roll up the highway and over the bridges into the heart of industrial Germany. General Browning, overall commander of the airborne units, made the astute observation that they might be going "A Bridge Too Far". 2. Unit Colours German Wehrmacht: Grey German SS: Black on grey American: Green British: Tan Polish: White Dutch: Green on Tan 3. Map name legend On-map airfields are marked with an "A": Deelen 23,7 + 24,7 B82 22,40 B78 12,82 The 2 latter airstrips were constructed during the campaign and are available between turns 21-33. Destroyable bridges are marked with a )(. ][ = Major bridges that can only be destroyed by an Engineer/Pionier unit (TOAW treats parallell road/river/canal-hexes as bridges, these are not to be destroyed). DZ = Dropping zone LZ = Landing zone and supply dropping/supply point zone SDP = Supply dropping point 4. "River" transports Both sides have a small amount of seatransports available for using the ferries or crossing a river in small assault boats, as units from 82nd AB did historically. Also the Germans may use this to transfer units. There are cable-ferry units available from turn 2-5 wich must be present to facilitate river-crossings, when they are destroyed no crossing is allowed at the corresponding place.. A few places have ports with no ferries, these are marked <->. These are places that may be crossed by the Allies in assault boats. 5. House rules airborne Turn-1: all para-units must drop on the labeled on-map DZs and all glider-units must land on on-map LZs. Units may drop on the DZs/LZs until stacking limit is reached, they must then drop on any adjacent hex. All DZs/LZs must have at least 1 battalion landing on them. NB: The British Glider Pilot regiment must land on the first turn (they flew the gliders...) Later turns: glider units must land on LZs, but para-units may drop at either DZs or LZs. Units must drop on one of their parent division's DZs/LZs except for the Polish Bde units wich may drop on any chosen division's DZs/LZs. 6. A note on Allied airborne supply There are supply units for all airborne formations wich will appear on the proper DZ/LZ locations. These locations also have supply points wich will be removed if the corresponding supply units are destroyed. 7. Allied Theater Options After the occupation of any of the 3 on-map airfields, 1-3 Theater Options are available for releasing the 52 Lowland airlanding division. One of these TOs may be used to land the division at the corresponding airfield 1 turn after the 878 US Aviation Engineer unit (arriving about turn-20) has cleared the airstrip. This will trigger later supply-drops at the same airfield. Deelen airfield need not be cleared beforehand and may be used the turn after occupation. There's a Theater Option available from turn-21 that when activated will transfer 131 Queens Bde (2 tank/3 inf batt) to XXX Corps. It will arrive on hex 9,119 and the cost is 200 VPs. There's a Theater Option available from turn-11 that when activated will transfer most of 4 Arm Bde (2 tank batt) to XXX Corps. It will arrive on hex 30,119 and the cost is 100 VPs.This is in response to the arrival of the German 107 Pz Bde. The German player has theater options to release elements of the 7 FJ Division which in turn will release various units of the British 3 Inf Div. When the Allies are within 10 hexes of Weert (49/95) a TO will be activated to release FJR Hübner. This in turn will release the Br 185 Bde, 76 FA Bn and C/3 RAC. When the Allies are within 10 hexes of Deurne (47/72) a TO will be activated to release FJR Grossmehl. This in turn will release the Br 9 Bde, 33 FA and B/3 RAC. On turn 12 the FJR Menzel will be available. This in turn will release the Br 8 Bde, 7 FA and A/3 RAC. When any of these FJ Regiments are released the FJR Laytved-Hardegg will also be released. When the Allies have captured Weert (49/95) a TO will be available for the release of the Br 3 Infantry Division HQ and support units. The will release the HQ of the 7 FJ Div, PzJg Bn Grünwald, divisional artillery and the HQ and II Bn of Ersatz und Ausbilding Regiment Greve. On about turn-19 the Germans have airtransports available to airlift the 9 Lehrer Pionier into Deelen airfield if friendly. The units may not be paradropped. 8. Supply There are lots of supply units available to both sides. Some are static depots, some are movable and a number of Allied supply units are dropped by air. The supply units' truck sharing ability in the game mechanics basically determines the overall supply situation for both sides. Therefore the force supply stock levels are low. 9. Destroyed Units Due to the short timespan of the scenario all units except combat HQs (regiment/brigade) are not reconstituted. In addition there are victory point penalties (15-45 VPs) for destroyed higher command HQs (division/corps/army/army group) and also the various supply bases. HQs and supply bases may not be disbanded. 10. Historical Allied airborne drop locations LZ-101 19,71 101 AB HQ units + 327 Glider DZ-A 20,62 501 Para DZ-A1 20,59 501 Para DZ-B 17,70 506 Para DZ-C 18,72 502 Para LZ-82 44,35 82 AB HQ units + 325 Glider DZ-E 29,43 504 Para DZ-O 34,38 504 Para DZ-N 44,37 505 Para DZ-T 46,33 508 Para LZ-Z 23,16 1 AB HQ units + Glider Pilots LZ-S 23,14 1 Airlanding + Glider Pilots DZ-X 21,16 1 Para DZ-Y 19,14 4 Para LZ-L 29,15 Polish gliders DZ-K 35,18 Polish airborne (planned) DZ-Pol 30,17 Polish airborne (dropped) Original XXX Corps time schedule: Eindhoven Sep 17th 1715 hours Veghel Sep 17th 2400 hours Grave Sep 18th 1200 hours Nijmegen Sep 18th 1800 hours Arnhem Sep 19th 1500 hours 11. Sources A Bridge Too Far (Ryan 1974) World War II Airborne Warfare Tactics (Rottman 2006) It Never Snows In September (Kershaw 1990) Arnhem 1944 Operation Market Garden (Badsey 1993) The Devil's Birthday (Powell 1984) Arnhem - The Battle Remembered (Jackson 1994) Arnhem - A Tragedy Of Errors (Harclerode 1994) Arnhem (Harvey 2001) Arnhem: Defeat and Glory (DeLillio 2002) Battlefront: Operation Market Garden (Public Record Office) Royal Air Force 1939-45 Vol.III (D.Richards/G.Saunders 1974) The Messerschmitt Me262 Combat Diary (J.Foreman/S.E.Harvey 1990) Panzertruppen vol II (T.L.Jentz 1996) German army handbook (J.Lucas 1998) The Armed Forces of WWII (A.Mollo 1981) Market Garden (Panzer Campaigns HPS Simulations 2003) Highway To The Reich (Panther Games 2004 Erik Nygaard*

Briefing

A Bridge too far

Version: 2.2
developed with Marc Custer

1. Briefing

On September 10 1944 Field Marshal Montgomery proposed an ambitious plan that involved a massive combined airborne and armored assault to get across the Rhine river and strike at the industrial center of Germany in the Ruhr valley. The plan encompassed the dropping of three airborne divisions plus an airborne brigade and the breakout of a full armored corps. The airborne divisions would secure the highway and bridges between the current frontline and the city of Arnhem. The armored corps would roll up the highway and over the bridges into the heart of industrial Germany. General Browning, overall commander of the airborne units, made the astute observation that they might be going "A Bridge Too Far".

2. Unit Colours

German Wehrmacht: Grey
German SS: Black on grey
American: Green
British: Tan
Polish: White
Dutch: Green on Tan

3. Map name legend

On-map airfields are marked with an "A":
Deelen 23,7 + 24,7
B82 22,40
B78 12,82
The 2 latter airstrips were constructed during the campaign and are available between turns 21-33.

Destroyable bridges are marked with a )*(.
][ = Major bridges that can only be destroyed by an Engineer/Pionier unit
(TOAW treats parallell road/river/canal-hexes as bridges, these are not to be destroyed).
DZ = Dropping zone
LZ = Landing zone and supply dropping/supply point zone
SDP = Supply dropping point

4. "River" transports

Both sides have a small amount of seatransports available for using the ferries or crossing a river in small assault boats, as units from 82nd AB did historically. Also the Germans may use this to transfer units. There are cable-ferry units available from turn 2-5 wich must be present to facilitate river-crossings, when they are destroyed no crossing is allowed at the corresponding place.. A few places have ports with no ferries, these are marked <->. These are places that may be crossed by the Allies in assault boats.

5. House rules airborne

Turn-1: all para-units must drop on the labeled on-map DZs and all glider-units must land on on-map LZs. Units may drop on the DZs/LZs until stacking limit is reached, they must then drop on any adjacent hex. All DZs/LZs must have at least 1 battalion landing on them.
NB: The British Glider Pilot regiment must land on the first turn (they flew the gliders...)
Later turns: glider units must land on LZs, but para-units may drop at either DZs or LZs. Units must drop on one of their parent division's DZs/LZs except for the Polish Bde units wich may drop on any chosen division's DZs/LZs.

6. A note on Allied airborne supply

There are supply units for all airborne formations wich will appear on the proper DZ/LZ locations.
These locations also have supply points wich will be removed if the corresponding supply units are destroyed.

7. Allied Theater Options

After the occupation of any of the 3 on-map airfields, 1-3 Theater Options are available for releasing the 52 Lowland airlanding division. One of these TOs may be used to land the division at the corresponding airfield 1 turn after the 878 US Aviation Engineer unit (arriving about turn-20) has cleared the airstrip. This will trigger later supply-drops at the same airfield. Deelen airfield need not be cleared beforehand and may be used the turn after occupation.
There's a Theater Option available from turn-21 that when activated will transfer 131 Queens Bde (2 tank/3 inf batt) to XXX Corps. It will arrive on hex 9,119 and the cost is 200 VPs.
There's a Theater Option available from turn-11 that when activated will transfer most of 4 Arm Bde (2 tank batt) to XXX Corps. It will arrive on hex 30,119 and the cost is 100 VPs.This is in response to the arrival of the German 107 Pz Bde.
The German player has theater options to release elements of the 7 FJ Division which in turn will release various units of the British 3 Inf Div.
When the Allies are within 10 hexes of Weert (49/95) a TO will be activated to release FJR Hübner. This in turn will release the Br 185 Bde, 76 FA Bn and C/3 RAC.
When the Allies are within 10 hexes of Deurne (47/72) a TO will be activated to release FJR Grossmehl. This in turn will release the Br 9 Bde, 33 FA and B/3 RAC.
On turn 12 the FJR Menzel will be available. This in turn will release the Br 8 Bde, 7 FA and A/3 RAC.
When any of these FJ Regiments are released the FJR Laytved-Hardegg will also be released.
When the Allies have captured Weert (49/95) a TO will be available for the release of the Br 3 Infantry Division HQ and support units. The will release the HQ of the 7 FJ Div, PzJg Bn Grünwald, divisional artillery and the HQ and II Bn of Ersatz und Ausbilding Regiment Greve.
On about turn-19 the Germans have airtransports available to airlift the 9 Lehrer Pionier into Deelen airfield if friendly. The units may not be paradropped.

8. Supply

There are lots of supply units available to both sides. Some are static depots, some are movable and a number of Allied supply units are dropped by air. The supply units' truck sharing ability in the game mechanics basically determines the overall supply situation for both sides. Therefore the force supply stock levels are low.

9. Destroyed Units

Due to the short timespan of the scenario all units except combat HQs (regiment/brigade) are not reconstituted. In addition there are victory point penalties (15-45 VPs) for destroyed higher command HQs (division/corps/army/army group) and also the various supply bases. HQs and supply bases may not be disbanded.

10. Historical Allied airborne drop locations

LZ-101 19,71 101 AB HQ units + 327 Glider
DZ-A 20,62 501 Para
DZ-A1 20,59 501 Para
DZ-B 17,70 506 Para
DZ-C 18,72 502 Para

LZ-82 44,35 82 AB HQ units + 325 Glider
DZ-E 29,43 504 Para
DZ-O 34,38 504 Para
DZ-N 44,37 505 Para
DZ-T 46,33 508 Para

LZ-Z 23,16 1 AB HQ units + Glider Pilots
LZ-S 23,14 1 Airlanding + Glider Pilots
DZ-X 21,16 1 Para
DZ-Y 19,14 4 Para
LZ-L 29,15 Polish gliders
DZ-K 35,18 Polish airborne (planned)
DZ-Pol 30,17 Polish airborne (dropped)

Original XXX Corps time schedule:
Eindhoven Sep 17th 1715 hours
Veghel Sep 17th 2400 hours
Grave Sep 18th 1200 hours
Nijmegen Sep 18th 1800 hours
Arnhem Sep 19th 1500 hours

11. Sources

A Bridge Too Far (Ryan 1974)
World War II Airborne Warfare Tactics (Rottman 2006)
It Never Snows In September (Kershaw 1990)
Arnhem 1944 Operation Market Garden (Badsey 1993)
The Devil's Birthday (Powell 1984)
Arnhem - The Battle Remembered (Jackson 1994)
Arnhem - A Tragedy Of Errors (Harclerode 1994)
Arnhem (Harvey 2001)
Arnhem: Defeat and Glory (DeLillio 2002)
Battlefront: Operation Market Garden (Public Record Office)
Royal Air Force 1939-45 Vol.III (D.Richards/G.Saunders 1974)
The Messerschmitt Me262 Combat Diary (J.Foreman/S.E.Harvey 1990)
Panzertruppen vol II (T.L.Jentz 1996)
German army handbook (J.Lucas 1998)
The Armed Forces of WWII (A.Mollo 1981)
Market Garden (Panzer Campaigns HPS Simulations 2003)
Highway To The Reich (Panther Games 2004

Erik Nygaard