The Arnhem Ambush.

[Harry Faversham]

This month's Wargames Soldiers & Strategy magazine has a good scenario to game the ambush of 1st Airborne Div's Recce Squadron at Wolfheze. The Squadron's C Troop had been tasked with making a dash to Arnhem Bridge straight from the drop and landing zones. Unfortunately they ran into a hastily constructed blocking line, made by Waffen SS troops on exercise that Sunday afternoon. The lead two jeeps being machine gunned from the nearby railway line to their flank and high ground to their front.
The scenario has an excellent map and a breakdown of the troops needed for each side.* I'm going to have a go at this one and write an AAR of how things turn out. The action being a particular interest of mine, after walking the ground, and subsequently talking to some of the participants at one of the Airborne Recce Veteran Association's reunions.

*only query I have is with the author's (a bloke called Nick Skinner) suggested order of battle, he states that the Germans 'do not have Panzerfausts'. As one who's cogitated on this very thing for many a moon I'd be most interested where he gets that one from?

[CapnJim]

I wondered that, too.  But with open vehicles like Jeeps, P-Fausts seem a bit overkill to me, even if they did have them.  The fatherland's MG42s seem to have been well up to the task anyways....

[Harry Faversham]

The interest in whether the Germans had, or had not got Panzerfausts with them, on the Sunday afternoon came about for the following reason. When Major Gough got lumbered with the coup-de-main caper, he wasn't overly impressed and requested a couple of Tetrarch light tanks from 6th A/B Div's Recce Squadron. This request was refused and he was told to go with what he had...
might have been a game changer having a couple of tanks leading the charge?

[CapnJim]

That would have made things a bit more interesting, wouldn't it?  You could always "What if?" the scenario, both with the Tetrarchs and Panzerfausts...

[Vanth]

The interest in whether the Germans had, or had not got Panzerfausts with them, on the Sunday afternoon came about for the following reason. When Major Gough got lumbered with the coup-de-main caper, he wasn't overly impressed and requested a couple of Tetrarch light tanks from 6th A/B Div's Recce Squadron. This request was refused and he was told to go with what he had...
might have been a game changer having a couple of tanks leading the charge?

Did they still have Tetrarchs at that point? From what I knew 6th A/B Recce had retired them and had been fitted with Cromwells after the first few days of Normandy, months before...

[Harry Faversham]

If memory serves there were a few Tetrarchs still kicking about well into 1946. I'll consult the oracle to see if any made it across the Rhine.

[Poiter50]

Given that they were to be air delivered, Tetrarchs could have been made available. After they were withdrawn in Normandy, they would have been sent into reserve, just in case. Locusts wouldn't be available until early 45.

If memory serves there were a few Tetrarchs still kicking about well into 1946. I'll consult the oracle to see if any made it across the Rhine.

[Harry Faversham]

They must have been available for Major Gough to specifically request them? He protested against the coup-de-main braynwave right to the point of 'get on with it or we'll find someone else who will'.
His argument was his men were highly trained reconnoiters, who were given no time (who was with Market-Garden!?) to train for their new task. Further requests to get, at least double yoked Vickers K Guns on the C Troops jeeps were also denied.
I'm toying with CapnJim's suggestion of playing the scenario twice over the Crimbo hols, with and without the little tanks trundling about.

[CapnJim]

I'm toying with CapnJim's suggestion of playing the scenario twice over the Crimbo hols, with and without the little tanks trundling about.

If you do that, it'd be interesting to see how that goes...