Schijndel

v1.1

22/9/44

On the evening of 21st September Colonel Johnston of the 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment learned that German troops were massing in the vicinity of the small Dutch town of Schijndel. Rather than awaiting their arrival at Hell's Highway the Colonel decided on a policy of aggressive defence: he aimed to attack the Germans with a pincer movement.

The northern part of the pincer started fine, 1/501PIR taking Schijndel without opposition whilst the Germans were asleep. 3/501PIR wasn't so lucky meeting steady, if uncoordinated, resistance: they hadn't made Schijndel by the morning of the 22nd

The Germans were not standing still. Kampfgruppe Huber was the western side of a concentric attack on Veghel (a couple of kilometres to the East of Schijndel). In the early morning they were moving east, mostly to the south of Schijndel. However some unlucky Germans tried to take the route though Schijndel and were ambushed by the Americans. Huber was disconcerted to find the Paratroopers on his northern flank. The eastwards advance could not continue until the threat had been removed. To this end The German battalions turned north.

The scenario depicts KG Huber's early morning attack on 1/501. The German objective is to take the town before the arrival of 3/501PIR makes it impossible

Map and Order of Battle

Deployment

1/501 PIR is deployed in Schijndel. each company and the HQ are deployed as indicated on the map. They may be deployed within 6" of the indicated BUA. The MMG's may be attached to any of the line companies as the controlling player desires. The Mortar can be deployed anywhere to the north of Schijndel

I & III Bttn KG Huber are deployed as shown on the map within the deployment zone delineated by the pink dotted lines. Stab, Stab Kompanie and Panzerjäger can be deployed in either zone, players choice. The panzerjäger and SdKfz-10/4 can start the game attached and subordinate to either battalion of the German players so wish.

Terrain

The table is 4ft x 4ft if playing 1"=50m. North is towards the top of the page

The big grey squares are 4"x4" BUA, the smaller 2"x2" BUA; the smaller can hold but a single stand. The larger BUA represent few stone buildings and a bunch of outhouses, gardens and vegetable plots. The central area is regarded as stone, +3 cover, the periphery is considered +1 cover. The smaller BUA's represent farms and are +3 cover.

Schijndel church is a vantage point. Any stand occupying the centre of the BUA can see over (but not shoot over) all intervening terrain (mist permitting). There is a 3" dead zone behind any terrain that breaks LOS

The red lines are roads

The black dotted line is a railway

The open terrain is fields. These are soft. All tracked vehicles are half speed, wheeled vehicles are quarter speed. Many of these are without hedges, but some are bordered by hedges and tree lines. There should be many lengths of hedge breaking up the open areas, up to 8" long. Hedges should not be within 6" of each other. There should be broken hedges along the roads too

The green dotted lines are "compulsory" hedges.

All hedges break LOS and give +1 cover

Special Rules

The game starts at 7:00am and concludes with the 9:30am or 10:00am turn (5 or 6 turns). The game finish end at the end of turn 5 unless the German player exits at least two stands off the table at point X, in which case it will end turn 6 (These two stands are assumed to delay 3/501 by a turn).

The morning is misty, limiting visibility to 6". Before turn 4 roll d6 to see if the mist lifts - it lifts on a 6. Before turn 5 it lifts on a 4-6. On turn 6 it lifts on anything but a 1. Visibility once the mist lifts is 60"

Note this scenario will not work with the official CDTOB US para ratings. The scenario assumes that the US Paras are ROF1 with 7/5/3/1 to hit (i.e. same as regular infantry)

Victory Conditions

The victory locations are the centres of the four large BUA's in Schijndel. The side that controls the most locations at the end of the came wins. To control a location one side must have a stand within that is in good morale or at worst pinned.