Wesel – Operation Varsity, March 1945
A little bit of a different game tonight. We used the new Battlegroup Market-Garden book, with the chit set from Battlegroup Fall of the Reich to play out a battle from Operation Varsity. A full company from 194th Glider Infantry Regiment are tasked with capturing a bridge over a canal and pushing on into the outskirts of Wesel. German defenders are light – a single platoon of Volksgrenadiers with some support weapons and a single gun which had withdraw into their lines after their battery had been attacked by airborne troops.
Although heavily outnumbered the German defence had a major choke point in which to funnel and destroy the US forces and with the ruined house beside the bridge fortified, it would be a hard nut to crack. Initial events saw the US troops hunker down and concentrate on bringing all their troops on table before venturing to assault over the bridge. An early dissapointment for the Germans was the lost of their MG nest along the canal to enemy sniper fire, and the Germans had to content themselves with direct fire from the 105mm gun and some rather ineffective mortar fire.
Once the US attack started things took on a faster pace. With the US troops trying to rush the bridge, while other troops laid down suppressing fire, it went well initially but a second sMG42 took its toll and was joined by the single 20mm Flak in cutting down attackers. The US didn't give up and kept pushing forwards despite heavy casualties among the lead platoon. After some very close range fire the remaining German defenders in thé fortified house fell back to the next building, under cover from German reinforcements in the shape of two StuGs.
The US kept pushing over the bridge and other units kept up fire support over the canal from their left flank, but the attack began to bog down as the MG fire and flak gun took their toll on US units racing over the bridge. It was touch and go, and US units finally made it into the fortified house and even got their AT gun battery up to engage the StuGs. Sadly for them the return fire from the StuH42 killed the crew of one of the guns and more German fire pinned the US assault down.
The US made the decision to go for broke and by this time had built up a good stack of chits… Once more men surged over and the German defenders fell back again heading into Wesel. More US troops were cut down from the German MG fire, but troops were across. German losses were also heavy and it was now looking like it could go either way…
Then it happened that the Germans luck ran out…
First one unit, then another failed to get a.bead on their targets. Then the StuGs missed and nothing was done to the attackers. This allowed the US troops to go on the attack with one last push as no troops were pinned down and very few German units were on ambush fire. It was to be a shell from the US supporting artillery battery that finally broke the Germans. It landed a salvo right in the defenders who had just pulled back and killed the remains of a battered rifle team and the subsequent chit broke the German morale and they pulled back deeper into Wesel…
It was a US victory, but at heavy cost. 32 casualties had been taken in the assault over the bridge and around the fortified house, and would have likely been more had not a solitary survivor from a BAR team remained and kept up suppressing fire for the entire assault helping to pin down two German MG teams repeatedly as others charged past over the bridge – A definite MOH candidate.
