A bridge Too Far movie question

Did the british ever use M21 hafltracks?

Tankluver

I read it as it was units that had volunteerd or at least that how I understood it. Did the parachute units defending on the border wear heer uniforms with fallschirmjager helmets? Thanks for the info

OK, I pulled out my copy of Airborne Carpet from the old Ballantine series. From this source, the unit immediately in front of XXX Corps was Kampfgruppe Walther. It was composed of two battalions of the 6th Parachute Regiment, two battalions from the 9th and 10th SS Infantry divisions (not he same as were at Arnhem) and the 6th Penal Battalion. The road itself was the border between the SS and Falschirmjager units.

Yes, the Monte Casino defenders Falschirmjager would work for that. So would the Luftwaffe field division troops. And yes while the Army itself was a jumble, at lower echelons (say battalion and below) troops would be of the same type.

Thank you so monte cassino defenders would work then? But was it like the luftwaffe field divisions that were put into this army along with heer and some SS units.

Any Falschirmjager units involved would be wearing their distinctive uniforms as well the helmets. Heer units would have The variations that were becoming common at that point in the war. Remember it was late summer and the weather was still good. Although the Army was title 1st Parachute army, it was mainly composed of non airborne units. The commander was the famous general, Kurt Student. (it was actually he and not Bittrich who saw the Allied Airborne armada and made the comment about, 'just once to have such power in his hands').

I once read that a Hetzer had stopped the advance along Hell's Highway for a time. The ground on both sides of the road was too soft for the Allied armor to deploy. This was in an article back in the 1970's in the old Strategy and Tactics magazine for their Hell's Highway game. S&T was known for good research, especially with Jim Dunnigan at the helm. I might still have the magazine hidden away.

I read it as it was units that had volunteerd or at least that how I understood it. Did the parachute units defending on the border wear heer uniforms with fallschirmjager helmets? Thanks for the info

I had not read of the 9th and 10th being involved on the border fighting. Mind you they were over 60 miles from that area and were in their location to refit for whatever combat was coming next. One of the two was actually in the process of turning over its' vehicles to the other before getting replacement vehicles itself.

All that aside, some of the newer figure sets from Tamiya or Dragon would be best as regular Heer troops in late war  uniforms, ankle boots with gaiters.

I also read men of the 9th and 10th SS actually went and volunteered with the frontline defence?

But would be some good kits from dragon and tamiya for this, in figure wise I meen?

9th and 10th SS Panzer were in the Arnhem/Oosterbeek/Nijmegen area for the battle. The front lines were defended by the 1st Parachute Army which was a hodge podge of units that had escaped from France and then put back in to the line after evacuating out of Belgium via the Scheldt Estuary area.

Thank you this is alot of help, What would make good figure kits for this, of German soldiers defending from a tree line? Any specific kit number, I read that the 9th 10th SS and even parachute units defended the road

I cant say for certain what was and was not there at the front line first encountered by XXX Corps. However, I do know that the terrain was very restrictive for armor movement thus keeping tanks and other AFVs road bound. Otherwise XXX Corps could have advanced on a broader front and not been held up as easily as they were. The terrain was very sodden and soft, causing most vehicles to sink. Thats why the roads were often built on embankments for a firmer base. Knock out the lead vehicles to block the road, no bypass by tanks is possible, and the advance is held up, again and again. So I would say that it would not be too likely for tanks or assault guns to be there. However, a SP at gun such as a Marder would be a possible choice.

The Germans didnt have armor along hells highway assisting in the denfence? I remember in the movie a tank in the wooded area, its hard to see. But that mite as well not be acurate, anyways what do you think would look good for this dio?

Perhaps a knocked out PAK and the StuG passing? The PAK having been KO'd earlier as XXX Corps passed thru. Most of the armored counterattacks along "Hells Highway" that I have read about came in the area where the 101st was supposed to secure as there was a better road network and more frontage for the Germans to attack. much of the terrain south was not conducive for armor as it was too soft for tanks to operate on. One reason for the single road route-it could not be bypassed as in most other terrain.

Try this link for an account of the battle

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/battle_arnhem_01.shtml

So my first plan is im going to use a pak 38 a pak 40 and a stug. The stug is getting ready to break out of cover as if to split the road like how the Germans did when they counter attacked and began blocking the road. How does this plan sound?

I just found it on google books and its the whole book. SO I found what I was looking for in the book and it confirms the movie and my diorama plans.

Tankluver

Ive been wanting to but I the local library always seems to not have a copy.

Most libraries can get books that they don't have through inter-library loan.  So, if they don't have one on hand, have one of the librarians get on ILL and find you one.  It really is a great book...

The Brits did not use the M2/M3 series half tracks. They used the M5/M9 half tracks which had several differences between the types. They also used some Priest Kangaroo APCs

As far as the book goes, check out any secondhand book stores near you. The book can usually be found for a good price and it is certainly one worth owning and reading again and again.

Ive been wanting to but I the local library always seems to not have a copy.

Why not read the book?  It's better than the movie.

For the british column dio that I was gonna build as a counter part, i was wondering if the new dragon M3halftrack would work as a British halftrack, then i was gonna add 2 firefly shermans and infantry getting out of the halftrack.

Yes, most likely they could still be found. Considering the situation the Western Front was in at the time whatever that could be used would be.

would pak 38 still be used at this time?

It all depends what phase of the fihgt you care to depict. Most of the houses along the route were clumpe din small villages or towns and cities. A PAK 40 in the treeline would be a good starting point with maybe a nearbye MG position for support against infantry.

How about an 88 or a pak 40 kinda dug in at an angle next to a house. On the other side is trees so it has soe cover, then the road with maybe on the other side infantry dug in defending.

PAKs of the same type would be best, but again, even if you want to depict three of them, they will not be lined up hub to hub, they will be spaced at least 50M to 100M apart depending upon terrain to insure one hit will not take out two gun crews. The 88 (FLAK type) is less likely to be used in front line AT role due to its higher silhouette and lower battlefield mobility, not to mention its main need to be used as a AAA piece. Only in restricted terrain will you see guns closer together, and in that case you most likely need fewer to cover the width of frontage anyways.

I was actualley thinking of maybe a two peice diorama, it is still forming in my head, I was thinking of something like a tree with an 88mm gun and 2  paks or maybe just three paks. Wat do you guys think. But anyways I was just brainstorming.

Yes, the movie stayed pretty close to the facts of the battle. As a diorama that scene may be difficult to pull off except perhaps in 1/72. The distance of the treeline from the road and tactical spacing of AFVs mean it would be quite large. There are lots of good books to read on the battles in Market Garden. I can say I have read at least a dozen or so and there are many more I still have yet to touch.