Frost s Perimeter. By Mike Haught

Transcription

1 Frost s Perimeter By Mike Haught The primary objective of the 1 st Airborne Division in Operation Market Garden was to capture the Arnhem Road Bridge over the Rhine intact. Brigadier Gerald Lathbury s 1 st Parachute Brigade, reinforced with engineers and anti-tank guns, spearheaded the assault. Since the brigade s drop zone was over 6 miles (10km) from the objective, the 1 st Airborne Reconnaissance Squadron was sent ahead of Lathbury s troops with its armed jeeps to make a coup de main dash to the bridge and hold it until relieved. The three parachute battalions would then march to Arnhem via three separate routes, code-named Leopard, Lion and Tiger. Lieutenant Colonel John Frost s 2 nd Battalion left their assembly point in Heelsum and headed toward Arnhem along the southern Lion Route at 1530 hours on D-Day (17 September 1944). Frost had orders to secure a railway bridge and a pontoon bridge on their way to Arnhem. Frost hoped to use these secondary bridges to send a company to the south side of the Rhine and attack the Arnhem road bridge from the south while the main force attacked from the north. Frost s 2 nd Battalion did not encounter any significant resistance on the southern route to Arnhem until it reached the railway bridge. However, the Germans demolished the railroad bridge just as the paras reached it. They had also removed the middle section of the pontoon bridge making it equally useless so Frost and his battalion pressed on. German resistance steadily increased as they entered the city, but Frost s troops either overcame it or bypassed it using alleys, side streets, and gardens. Reaching the Bridge The lead company reached the Arnhem Road Bridge at 2000 hours and deployed into nearby houses to form a defensive position. The 1 st Parachute Brigade Headquarters had followed the 2 nd Parachute Battalion into Arnhem and arrived at the bridge 45 minutes later. However, Brigadier Lathbury had stayed with the 3 rd Battalion to urge them through the German resistance along Lion Route. The 2 nd Battalion made three attempts to force its way across Arnhem Bridge under the cover of darkness but a German armoured car on the south end and a pillbox near the northern end prevented the bridge s complete capture. A flame-thrower team eventually knocked out the pillbox, but the battalion could not capture the southern end of the bridge as the Germans began to reinforce. By dawn on 18 September, Frost had established a perimeter around the northern end of the bridge with about 740 men from the 2 nd Battalion and the 1 st Brigade Headquarters. The First German Attacks The Germans soon launched probing attacks on Frost s perimeter. At 0600 hours SS-Kampfgruppe Brinkmann, initially a small collection of reconnaissance platoons from 10. SS-Panzerdivision, launched an assault from the northeast against Frost s perimeter. However, the uncoordinated infantry and armour attacks were easily beaten back. Then, at 0900 hours 22 vehicles from SS-Kampfgruppe Graebner charged across the bridge from the southern end. At

2 first the paras thought the armoured cars were the advanced guard of the British 30 Corps, but as the German markings became clear, they quickly prepared for the fight to come. Quietly, they waited until the last possible moment before unleashing anti-tank guns, PIAT anti-tank projectors and smallarms fire. Most of Graebner s assault force was completely destroyed and those few that made it through went on to join SS-Kampfgruppe Spindler. At 1800 hours the Germans launched a third attempt to capture the bridge. Kampfgruppe Knaust was hastily formed out of several training and recuperation units and immediately sent to counterattack the British eastern perimeter. Unlike the previous attacks, Knaust had a couple of platoons of old training Panzers at his disposal. The tank and infantry assault pushed into Frost s perimeter from the east and made some headway into the defences before being overwhelmed by PIAT projectors, 6 pdr anti-tank guns, and rifle fire. West Arnhem Meanwhile, as Frost and his men held their ground at Arnhem Bridge, the men of the 1st and 3rd Parachute Battalions overcame the initial German resistance west of Oosterbeek and had pushed their way into the western reaches of Arnhem before encountering heavy resistance. The two battalions had unfortunately run headlong into the newly formed blocking line of SS-Kampfgruppe Spindler. The 1 st and 3 rd Parachute Battalions managed to force their way to within a mile of Frost s perimeter but heavy casualties and strengthening German resistance prevented them from breaking through to the bridge. On 19 September the 2 nd Battalion of the South Staffordshire Regiment and the 11 th Parachute Battalion tried to break through to Frost and his men but were again met by very heavy resistance from SS KG Spindler. The Germans were reinforced by ten StuG G assault guns from the 280 th Assault Gun Brigade. The presence of armour gave Spindler a decisive advantage as the vehicles set about reducing buildings containing paratroopers to rubble. With their cover gone, the paratroopers were forced to withdraw to better positions all the while harassed by the elite SS troops. Furthermore, the Germans called up several heavy anti-aircraft guns and placed them on the southern bank of the Rhine to shell the British. Four British battalions were repulsed with heavy casualties. Only about 500 men returned to the new British defensive position forming at Oosterbeek. From this point on, Frost and his men were on their own. Arnhem Frost s Perimeter SS-Kampfgruppe Brinkmann SS-Hauptsturmführer Heinrich Brinkmann Sep 20: Frost and other wounded Paras are evacuated by Germans. Elements of 10. Frundsberg SS-Panzerdivision Sep 18-21: Elements of 10. SS Pz Div contain British in the west. HQ and Support Coys, Glider Pilots, and parts of No. 2 Pln, 9 Field Coy, RE Sep : Last of the British paras attempt to break out. No. 4 Pln, B Coy No. 1 Pln, Nos. 5 and part of 6 Pln B Coy, B Coy HQ 6-pdr, No. 2 Gun, C Troop 1 Pln, A Coy and MG Pln No. 3 Pln, 250 Com. Lt. Coy Part of Mortar Platoon 2 Bn HQ 1 AL Anti-tank Battery HQ, No. 2 Pln, Field Coy, RE A Coy HQ, B Troop, RE Bde HQ and German Prisoners 2 nd Para Battalion L.t Col John Frost 6-pdr, No. 4 Gun, B Troop Bde Def Pln and 1 AL Lt Rgt., RA Observer 6-pdr, No. 2 Gun, B Troop No. 6 Pln, B Coy, No. 2 Pln, A Coy Sep hrs: KGs Brinkmann and Hummel stopped on the bridge embankment by Royal Engineers. No. 3 Pln, A Coy 6-pdr, No. 3 Gun, B Troop A Troop, 1 Para Sqn, RE, C Coy HQ and No. 9 Pln, 3 Bn. Ad-hoc formation of Divisional Plns Sep 18: KG Knaust drives into British perimeter and turned back by heavy fire. HQ Troop, 1 Para Sqn, RE. Part of Bde HQ Defence Pln Kampfgruppe Knaust Sep 18, 0900 hrs: Graebner makes his ill-fated charge across Arnhem Bridge. No. 8 Pln, C Coy, 3 Battalion 9. Hohenstaufen SS-Aufklärungsabteilung SS-Hauptsturmführer Viktor Graebner Sep 19: KG Mielke, part of KG Knaust, strikes toward the bridge and pushes perimeter back.

3 A Heroic Defence Back in Arnhem, Frost s paratroopers faced increasing pressure along their perimeter but had given up very little ground. The Germans quickly learned that direct assaults were too costly and instead resorted to artillery barrages and direct fire with tank guns to blast and burn the paras out of their buildings. By the evening of 19 September, the paratroopers were running short of food and water, casualties were steadily mounting, and ammunition was running low for all weapons. At 2000 hours the Germans launched another assault, this time with Kampfgruppe Hummel, a battlegroup backed by Tiger I E heavy tanks. Only two of Hummel s 14 Tigers arrived to support the assault, the others having broken down on the journey to the battle. Nevertheless, they attacked from the north, charging along the main road embankment. The attack pushed forward some way before being stopped by Royal Engineers and the perimeter s last 6 pdr anti-tank gun. The two tanks withdrew and prepared for a much more concerted effort the following day. The Germans assumed that the paratroopers would be low on ammunition and their morale even lower, so a final assault was planned for 20 September. All of the Kampfgruppe units operating against the perimeter were called upon to make a final drive against the paras. The first attacks began in the morning and the Germans quickly found that they were only half correct about the state of their fearless enemy. Kampfgruppe Knaust renewed its attack against the east perimeter, assaulting with Panzergrenadiers and tanks. They met with some success, but they were having trouble closing on the bridge where the British A Company was firmly entrenched. At one point the Germans attempted to trick the paratroopers by using an ambulance filled with storm troopers. Not fooled, the paras opened up on the vehicle killing all of its occupants. One paratrooper wryly remarked, suppose they ll send a hearse next. and high number of casualties eventually took their toll on the defenders and the perimeter started to collapse. To make matters worse, Frost was wounded by shrapnel that afternoon and was forced to relinquish his command. The End By late afternoon on 20 September the British held an area only one fifth of their original position and could no longer prevent the Germans from using the Arnhem Bridge. The last resistance ended about 0500 hours on the morning of 21 September. Of the 740 men of Frost s force, 81 men were killed or died of their wounds. A few managed to evade capture but the majority, Frost included, would spend the rest of the war in captivity. However, they held the north end of Arnhem Bridge for three days and nine hours, preventing significant German reinforcements from reaching Nijmegen that could have halted the Allied advance. They held on in Arnhem to fire their last bullet, securing themselves an honoured place in history. Frost s Perimeter Mini Campaign One of the things I definitely wanted to include in A Bridge Too Far was a linked mini campaign that followed the story of Frost s 2 nd Parachute Battalion in Arnhem. Since this was a critical moment in the Market Garden saga, I wanted to make sure that it was highlighted in the Bridge Too Far intelligence handbook. Frost s perimeter lends itself to wargaming perfectly. Not only are there helpful records of the units involved, but Frost also kept detailed maps as to where they were stationed. For a wargamer, the result is a mini-campaign just waiting to be built and played! Over the next few pages, I d like to talk about the scenarios included in A Bridge Too Far and talk about the history as well as the scenarios themselves to introduce everyone to this exciting new mini campaign. Kampfgruppen Hummel, Brinkmann and Knaust put a tremendous amount of pressure on the British paratroopers. The shortage of ammo

4 Building the Campaign I wanted the campaign to give players the sense of the battle. British players have an initial advantage when they begin the game, with lots of platoons of paras at their disposal to hold the fort down. Meanwhile, the German player has to collect his force and keep the pressure on the British, hoping to reduce them before the final assault is made at the end of the campaign. Both players will have to manage their resources and prepare for the next assault. The battle was fought over five days, with four major battles. I chose to begin the campaign just as the first major attack was launched. I had considered starting it earlier, but when Frost arrived at the bridge, he was largely unopposed. I decided to start the campaign where the real action started, during the assault of SS-Kampfgruppe Brinkmann. Immediately following Brinkmann is the famous charge over the bridge by Viktor Graebner, as seen in the movie, A Bridge Too Far. After a brief pause in the fighting the campaign crashes into its third battle with Frost s battalion versus Kampfgruppe Knaust. Then the last assaults are made in the final scenario, including Kampfgruppe Hummel as well as renewed attacks from Brinkmann and Knaust. The Forces The forces were relatively easy to assemble, thanks to the records kept on the perimeter force. I tried to include each and every British platoon on the table. However, I left most of B Company out as they were busy skirmishing in the west. Otherwise, the major units are all present. The German forces are representative of the troops present in the assaults that were launched. The quality of troops varies greatly, as the Kampgruppen in Arnhem were constructed, from a mixture of Waffen-SS,Heer and training units. During the campaign, the British player has to make do with the force they have been given. They have to be careful not to incur too many losses during the scenarios. Once a platoon has been knocked out, the British player cannot bring it back in subsequent scenarios, so it becomes very important to withdraw badly mauled platoons before they are destroyed. The German player, on the other hand, has access to reinforcements from outside the city, making sure their forces keep operating at full strength. The Map The project was not without its challenges. One of the most difficult aspects was to determine the scale of the campaign map. A 1/100 th scale map of Arnhem would have been ideal, covering the entire area and giving players the most detailed experience possible. However, when I started mapping out the board, I realized that a 4 /120cm x 4 /120cm table only covered the immediate buildings surrounding the bridge, leaving out the embankment beyond. A scale map of Arnhem was going to be gigantic and impractical for your average gamer to setup. So, we decided to scale the map down a bit to include Frost s HQ in the north western corner as well as the C Company s positions in the south eastern corner. Special Rules The campaign uses several special rules in order to capture the flavour of the battle. The most important for the British are the Sight in the Guns! and Adjust the Lines special rules. The Sight in the Guns! special rule allows players to use the line of sight from the command team of an anti-tank gun platoon instead of the gun itself. This means that a 6 pdr can hit a target that it can t see, simulating the tactic used by the British to inflict terrible losses on the initial German assaults. Adjust the Lines allows the British player to re-deploy a platoon anywhere within the perimeter. This will help them reinforce the line against incoming assaults, as Frost did in Arnhem. For the final scenario the German player may use the Arnhem in Ruins special rule, which allows them to reduce up to five buildings to rubble, making sure that the British cannot use them to their advantage. These special rules, and a few others, give each player in the scenarios historical advantages to capitalise on in order to recreate the epic fight for Arnhem Bridge.

5 Scenario 1: Brinkmann s Assault Reports of British paratroopers in Arnhem reached the 9. SS- Panzerdivision early in the morning on 18 September. The division had temporary command of the Brinkmann s 10. SS-Panzerdivision battlegroup, comprised mostly of reconnaissance troops. He was quickly dispatched to scout out the area and see what sort of strength was present at the bridge, if there even was any there. SS-Kampfgruppe Brinkmann was formed to conduct the mission. They made first contact at 0600 hours on 18 September, far sooner than they had expected. They had run into the 1 st Parachute Squadron, Royal Engineers as well as some of the divisional and brigade HQ defence platoons. Brinkmann s force had a limited number of half-tracks and armoured cars to use against the British paratroopers in Arnhem. The SS troops slipped between the buildings tossing demolition packs into buildings containing British paratroopers. The British resisted, making life miserable for the assaulting troops. Often they would toss the demolition packs back out the window where they would explode among the would-be attackers. Brinkmann managed to get close enough to the bridge to send a half-track to the underpass where they ran head-long into anti-tank fire from the 6 pdr anti-tank gun from Number 4 Gun, B Troop. The half-track was knocked out, but Frost quickly redeployed his guns to make sure no more incursions such as this were made. Arnhem Bridge SS-Kampfgruppe Brinkmann launched his assault from the north east. His objectives were to test the British strength around the bridge. British Perimeter Frost HQ The British proved too difficult to dislodge for the small Kampfgruppe, but the Germans still managed to make a little headway toward the bridge, losing a few half-tracks along the way. The idea behind this scenario is that the German player isn t trying to overrun the British, they are trying to make a dent in the British lines as well as trying to reach objectives near the the bridge. Breaking through and reaching the objectives will not only earn victory points to add to the campaign tally, it will also increase the German deployment area in the final scenario. N British Paratroopers ambush SS-Kampfgruppe Brinkmanns forward elements.

6 SS-Kampfgruppe Brinkmann was the first German unit involved in a major action against Lieutenant Colonel John Frost s 2 nd Parachute Battalion at Arnhem Bridge. Meanwhile, the British player, needs to keep the perimeter intact, preventing the German forces from getting too close to the bridge. If they can keep the Germans pinned in the corner of the map, they ll be better off to deal with future threats to the perimeter in that area. This was a harder battle than any I had fought in Russia. It was constant, close range, hand-to-hand fighting. The English were everywhere. The streets for the most part were narrow, sometimes not more than 15 feet wide, and we fired at each other from only yards away. We fought to gain inches, cleaning out one room after another. It was absolute hell! - Alfred Ringsdorf, SS-Kampfgruppe Brinkmann Lieutenant Colonel John Frost On the afternoon of 17 September 1944, Frost s 2 nd Battalion landed on its assigned drop zone about six miles from the Arnhem Bridge. The battalion formed up and set off for the bridge, reaching it by 2000 hours. Immediately, Frost ordered a company to clear the bridge of Germans, and establish a defensive perimeter to hold the northern end of the bridge until help arrived. Frost and the defenders spent the evening fending off German probes into their perimeter. Frost busily kept his perimeter in top condition, keeping guns in top order and redeploying his platoons to shore up gaps in the line. The constant fighting between September dwindled Frost s supplies of food and ammunition, and the wounded began to overwhelm the limited medical services. On Wednesday (20 September), Frost was wounded by shrapnel and relinquished command to Major Freddie Gough, commander of the 1 st Airborne Reconnaissance Squadron. Slowly the paras were driven out of their positions, casualties mounted and supplies exhausted. During a short truce on Wednesday evening, Frost and his wounded were evacuated by the Germans for care and became prisoners of war. Frost helps sight in a 6 pdr anti-tank gun. Frost is a warrior in the Flames Of War book, A Bridge Too Far. In these scenarios, his special rules allow British players to keep their destroyed anti-tank guns in operation by ordering a nearby infantry team to man the gun. He also helps keep platoons highly motivated, by improving their already excellent morale.

7 Scenario 2: Graebner s Assault This scenario re-enacts SS-Kampfgruppe Graebner charged the famous charge by across the bridge from the south, Viktor Grabner and his not expecting to encounter nothing 9. SS-Panzeraufklärungs but a small British holding force... Abteilung (10 th Armoured Reconnaissance Battalion). He assembled his force and launched his assault at 0900 hours, hoping to catch the British by suprise. Every one who has seen the movie A Bridge Too Far remembers the iconic scene of the German halftracks making a mad dash through the massed firepower at the northern end of the bridge. British paratroopers spot a convoy on the bridge and quickly realize it is not 30 Corps arriving, but rather the Germans. They get their PIAT anti-tank projectors ready and machine-guns are sited in on the bridge. Graebner, mounted in his vehicle, proudly leads the charge. Suddenly, all hell breaks loose as bullets and PIAT bombs smash into the German column. Chaos abounds as the paratroopers capitalise on their ambush, cutting down anything that moved. Within minutes the battle is over and all that remains of the column are piles of wreckage, billowing smoke and flame. Though the result was accurate, the movie does not show its viewers the real culprits behind the carnage. Two 6 pdr anti-tank guns were carefully sited to cover the bridge. After Brinkmann s attack in the east, Frost had some time to reorganise his perimeter. He sited the anti-tank guns to maximise their impact. Number 2 Gun, from C Troop was dug in between two buildings adjacent to the bridge. Before Graebner s assault, the gun s commander had stationed himself in one of the nearby buildings and ordered the gun to fire a couple of solid shots into the side of the bridge, creating a small v cut. Arnhem Bridge N V Cut No. 2 Gun, C Troop British Perimeter No. 2 Gun, C Troop Frost HQ No. 2 Gun, B Troop When Graebner s vehicles charged across the bridge, the commander ordered the gun to fire, even though the crew couldn t see the target. The shot would slam into the side of the German vehicle as it passed by the v cut. Another 6 pdr was sited on the embankment looking down the road towarad the bridge. It also inflicted terrible losses on Graebner s column. These two guns were responsible for the majority of Graebner s losses on the bridge. Graebner s recon force race s enmass across Arnhem Bridge.

8 Graebner s forces quickly lose all cohesion as the Paratroopers open fire from the buildings adjacent to the bridge. This battle is going to be a difficult scenario for the Germans. Obviously, the goal of the Germans should be to get across the bridge as quickly as possible. The Germans are restricted to remaining on the bridge with little to no cover from the 6 pdr anti-tank guns firing into their ranks. However, if they can get off the opposite map edge, they are rewarded with lots of victory points. The British need to prevent the German incursion from succeeding in order to make sure the German victory points are kept to a minimum. Not only are the 6 pdr anti-tank guns going to help with that goal, the Royal Engineers have put down a small minefield across the bridge to knock out light vehicles. The battle will surely be bloody, but if the Germans can get off the opposite table, they will add a very respectable number of victory points to their tally. Sighted in on the damaged section of the bridge, Number 2 gun claims the first of many victims. The Mystery of Graebner s Humber Historical accounts vary as to whether Graebner rode in a Humber IV or a Humber scout car. What everyone agrees upon is that it was a captured Humber vehicle. So, in A Bridge Too Far, you can field him in either the scout car or the Humber IV. It is unlikely the vehicle would have been repainted in German colours, so it would have remained British SCC15 Olive Drab (Russian Uniform 924). Clear identification markings were especially important on captured vehicles, so several prominent Balkenkreuz decals were added by Jeremy during painting. Graebner in Humber scout car Above: Graebner s vehicles. Graebner in Humber VI

9 Scenario 3: KNAUST s Assault The third and final German assault that took place on 18 September, was a major assault conducted by Kampfgruppe Knaust. Kampfgruppe Knaust launched the first real assault to wipe out the British completely, using Panzergrenadiers and tanks. Major Hans-Peter Knaust, an invalid with a wooden leg (courtesy of the Eastern Front), was the 38-yearold commander of the Panzergrenadier Training and Replacement Battalion Bocholt. He began planning his assault on the British early in the morning of 18 September, before Brinkmann s attack. No. 3 Platoon, C Coy After the failure of the reconnaissance battalions to make any headway, Knaust knew he was up against a much larger foe than previously reported. He decided to await reinforcements before attempting his assault. By mid-afternoon, he received eight Panzer III and IV tanks used for training purposes from Kampfgruppe Mielke. This allowed Knaust to launch a combined assault on the British paras at 1800 hours. Knaust s initial assault was brazenly bold, forcing his Panzers up the road in full view of two British 6 pdr anti-tank guns. The attack was led by two Panzer IV tanks which were not surprisingly knocked out in rapid succession by 6 pdr and PIAT fire. The supporting infantry was withdrawn and a new more cautious plan was tried further south. KG Mielke Panzers Arnhem Bridge No. 3 Gun, B Troop British Perimeter Frost HQ The second assault used more cover and cautious and methodical movement in order to clear the British Number 3 Platoon, C Company from the buildings to the south east of the perimeter. The Germans began to hit a more strengthened defence as it drew closer to the bridge so Knaust s attack was halted to reorganise and reinforce. The Germans managed to push the paratroopers closer to the bridge, though they failed to reach the objective. Frost s perimeter had held up to the assault, and over the next few nights he was able to restore some lost ground though small counter attacks. N Knaust s forces fight their way into the perimeter supported by Panzer IV s from Panzerkompanie Mielke.

10 British troops and 6 pdr s take a heavy toll on the attacking German forces. Panzerkompanie Mielke Panzerkompanie Mielke, or Tank Company Mielke, was formed as tank training unit commanded by Lieutenant Mielke. It primarily trained crews on driving and tactical maneuvering. They were equipped with two Panzer IV H tanks and six Panzer III G and L tanks. The company, stationed in Germany when Market Garden was launched, entrained and arrived in Arnhem in the evening of 18 September. This gave the Germans their first serious armoured support as the rest of SS tanks had been deployed south of the Rhine in small Kampfgruppen supporting the German troops defending Hell s Highway. In this scenario the Germans get to launch their first real combined arms assault. Artillery, tanks and Panzergrenadiers are available for the attack. The German force uses the organisations and vehicle statistics from Fortress Europe, as they are a training unit, it is no surprise that they are rated Confident Trained. This should be no problem as the German player has plenty of cover and lots of troops to get the job done. Furthermore, if Brinkmann s Assault was able to get close to the bridge and eliminate a British platoon or two, it would make life easier for Knaust as he charges in. The British have to hold the line against tanks and infantry coming in from the east. They have a few para platoons to defend in the immediate area, and the British player always has the option to bulk up the area with extra PIAT teams from the Company HQ platoon. The scenario uses the Sight in the Guns special rule, so the British player needs to make sure that their 6 pdrs are readily available to defend against the German assault. Additionally, Frost has the option to use Adjust the Lines in order to redeploy a platoon, so the British player can move in some reinforcements. The battle will be fierce and like in Brinkmann s Assault, a German victory will give the Germans an expanded deployment area in the final scenario. So it is imperative that both players fight to win in order to have an advantage in the final game. A Panzer III M systematically destroys the buildings forcing the paratroopers into the open.

11 Scenario 4: Hummel s Assault Three major Kampfgruppen converged on Frost in the closing days of the battle, each with varying success against the British perimeter. The Germans received a massive boost to their forces on the evening of 19 September when KG Knaust Kampfgruppe Hummel arrived to add a pair of Tiger I E heavy tanks to the assault on Frost s perimeter. Of the unit s 14 tanks, only two managed to arrive in working condition. Rather than wait for the rest to trickle in, they were committed to an assault straight away that evening. The plan was to attack down the embankment with both Tigers, supported by some infantry from SS-Kampfgruppe Brinkmann. The two made a charge down the embankment, but soon ran into heavy 6 pdr fire. The Tigers also had the unfortunate luck to assault the Royal Engineers, which had fortified themselves in the buildings next to the embankment. The British engineers and anti-tank guns saw off the German heavy tanks, but Brinkmann s troops managed to gain some more ground in the north east. Over the next few days the Germans elected to halt their assaults and instead engulf the area surrounding the bridge in a massive artillery bombardment during the night of 19/20 September. On the following day, Hummel s Tigers were shifted south to join Kampfgruppe Knaust and a final, all-out attack was made on the British perimeter. N Arnhem Bridge Royal Engineers British Perimeter SS-KG Brinkmann No. 4 Gun, B Troop Frost HQ KG Hummel The Germans found the shattered ruins of Arnhem difficult to navigate, especially with the dozens of destroyed vehicles littering the streets. However, they made progress. Brinkmann s troops in the north were able to break through to the bridge and Knaust threatened the southern underpass. By midday, the British could no longer keep the Germans from using the bridge to move reinforcements south across the Rhine. Knaust was ordered to head south with Hummel to engage the British and Americans. The next day they began to attack the Polish paratroopers which had just arrived in Driel. Meanwhile, Brinkmann continued to put pressure on the British from the north. But, the 2 nd Parachute Battalion fought hard for every inch of ground they held. Frost was wounded by shrapnel and was forced to relinquish his command. The small group of embattled paratroopers were finally forced to surrender in the early morning of 21 September, having spent each and every round they had remaining. The British perimeter crumbles as more German soldiers arrive.

12 A Tiger 1 E from Kampfgruppe Hummel smashes through Frost s perimeter. The Troubled Journey of Kampfgruppe Hummel Hauptmann (Captian) Hans Hummel was recovering from wounds when he received command of a heavy tank company in July It was made up of 14 Tiger I E heavy tanks which were assembled from recovered wrecks. The Tigers were an assortment of old turrets, roadwheels, and commander s cupolas. Some had Zimmerit anti-magnetic mine paste, applied to the hull, but the majority did not, while still others still had old filter components still attached. Hummel was given orders to move out to Arnhem via rail in order to engage the British, however the railway was congested. The Tigers were forced to disembark and travel under their own power for 50 miles (80km). Only two of the 14 Tigers managed to get to Arnhem without breaking down. The rest were repaired, but weren t able to get back into the fight until after 21 September. Hummel went on to engage 30 Corps in Elst and the Polish paratroopers in Driel after the rest of his command caught up. Hummel lost seven tanks before being pulled off the line. The unit was later attached to 506. Schwere Panzer Abteilung (506 th Heavy Tank Battalion) as its fourth heavy Viscious street fighting occured as the German s overran the perimeter. For Further Reading... If you are interested in learning more about the operation, be sure to check out these books, movies and websites! Books: Frost, John. A Drop Too Many. Stackpole Books, Kershaw, Robert J.. It Never Snows in September: The German View of Market Garden. Ian Allen Publishing Ltd., McKee, Alexander. The Race for the Rhine Bridges Souvenir Press, Powell, Geoffrey. The Devil s Birthday: The Bridges to Arnhem Franklin Watts Publishing, This final scenario is meant to represent all of the remaining assaults on September, including Knaust, Hummel and Brinkmann. For the German player, hopefully they have managed to reduce the perimeter sufficiently to be able to capture the last objectives near Frost s headquarters. Hummel will put pressure on the north, while Brinkmann attacks from the east. Knaust will push from its position near the south of the bridge. Earlier successes in the campaign during Brinkmann and Knaust s assaults could have an impact here as deployment areas are moved forward to give the Germans a better jump off position. Arnhem has been shelled and the streets are littered with the shattered remains of buildings and destroyed vehicles. Key British strong points have been reduced by the artillery inferno and the perimeter will have to be seen to by the Paratrooper commander. Adjust the lines and prepare for action as this is it: the final battle! Movie: A Bridge Too Far (1977), The adaptation of Cornelius Ryan s book of the same name. Websites: Defending Arnhem - com/pegasus Archive - For the most valuable resource regarding Market Garden, be sure to check out: Margry, Karel (Ed). Operation Market Garden: Then and Now, Vols 1 & 2, Battle of Britain International Ltd, 2002.