Joe's Bridge

[Thomas87]

I still like playing HTTR and I have completed another mission. To show my appreciation to the makers - i post this AAR:

Joe's Bridge

Available forces:
Irish Guards Group (1757 men, 153 AFVs and 46 guns)
- HQ (59 men, 5 AFVs and 0 guns)
- Base (300 men, 0 AFVs and 0 guns)
- A Battery, 153rd Guards Artillery Regiment (180 men, 3 AFVs and 8 guns)
- I Troop, 21st Anti-Tank Regiment (35 men, 0 AFVs and 4 guns)
- A Squadron, 2nd Household Cavalry (138 men, 59 AFVs and 0 guns)
- 2nd Irish Guards Battalion (441 men, 73 AFVs and 12 guns)
- 3rd Irish Guards Battalion (606 men, 13 AFVs and 22 guns)

The MasterPlan:
When I first saw the map, I decided to use 2nd Bn (being the Armoured unit), supported by the Households, to capure Joe's Bridge in a coup de main. 3rd Bn would perform flanking operations near Lommel and try to capture the bridge there (which was the only one still intact, besides Joe's Bridge). The gunners from I Troop, 21st AT Regt, would, after the succesful capture of the bridge, guard the flank at Groote Barrier.

How it really went:
Like the plan, I sent the tanks from 2nd Bn up towards the bridge, while 2nd Household would attack the bridge from the east, at the Zinc Factory. However, 2nd Bn's attack got bogged down on the road, but the Household Cavalry saved the day by attacking the enemy's flank and thus forcing them to redirect their fire. That leaves 2nd Bn with a road clear all the way up to Joe's Bridge. Capturing the southern end, I ordered I Trp, 21st AT Regt, to guard against any attacks from the south and I ordered 2nd Bn, together with the Household Cavalry, over the bridge. That went fairly well and in no-time the bridge was mine. I then ordered the HQ, Base and Arty to deploy at the Zinc Factory, so no cut-off units could exist.
How did 3rd Bn fare through all this? Well, a bit disappointing. They succeeded in capturing Lommel, but the road to the north, leading up to the bridge, was a troublesome one and this option had to be abandoned. Shameful, I had to retreat the 3rd Irish Guards Battalion towards Lommel. Meanwhile, the Germans attacked my positions from the south in force. The only unit to stop them was I Troop, 21st AT Regt. Quickly, I ordered 3rd Bn to reinforce the AT gunners and also ordered the Household to back over the bridge to the south. Positions were held, and many Germans died while being only a stone throw away from the bridge. Then 3rd Bn arrived at the scene and drove the Germans wáy back. Before I knew it, it was D2 - 18:30 hours and I had won a Decisive Victory. Operation Market Garden could begin!

Losses:
272 men, 31 AFVs and 20 guns.

Unit of the Mission:I Trp, 21st AT Regt; because they held the line in front off hundreds of Germans.
Addition to Hall of Shame: Kampfgruppe Hoffman, because they couldn't capture the bridge since there were an astouding 35 men with 4 17pdr-guns in the way... [:'(]