Command Ops: "Arnhem: By The Shortest Way" - New Scenario In Development

The 1st Polish Independent Parachute Brigade standard.  The unit motto is "By The Shortest Way."
What if the 1st Polish independent parachute brigade had made their scheduled jump on the 19th, south of the Arnhem highway bridge instead of jumping two days later?  Did the fog in England change the course of this battle?  Or was the deck stacked against 1st Airborne with or without the Poles timely arrival?

It's an interesting question and one I hope to explore with the latest scenario I am developing.  At the time, Colonel Frost and 2nd battalion were still in control of the bridge. The drive to the bridge by the 1st and 3rd battalions hadn't completely bogged down and the LZs to the west of Oosterbeek were in 1st Airborne's hands.


The Poles however did not hit their drop zone on time.  They were dropped two days later west of their original LZ near the village of Driel.  By then the bridge had fallen to the Germans, the Oosterbeek pocket had formed and 1st Airborne was fighting for survival.

Initial scenario thoughts:

- Will again focus on a short window of time (less than 2 days total).  From the moment of their drop on the 19th until the evening of the 20th.

- Map will most likely be larger with additional Allied objectives in Elden and at the Hartenstein hotel north of the river (the latter will be a secure task as this becomes the HQ for 1st Airborne).

- With the addition of the Polish brigade the OOB will be almost the same as the Lion Route with updated numbers to reflect casualties from the fighting on the 18th (Frost will have half the men by this point).

- The Lonsdale Force will be a part of the OOB for the British.

More to follow...

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