Battle at Wyler, NW Europe, September 1944

This report details one of the initial battles that was fought during the BlitzkriegCommander Market Garden campaign. The battle sees a battalion of the 82nd US Airborne attempt to clear the village of Wyler, south-west of Nijmegen, of German troops occupying it. In the context of the campaign, this is actually a US consolidation of their lines as well as a German attempt to face the air assault that occurred around Nijmegen.

American Order of Battle

The US battlegroup is the 1st Battalion of the 508th Parachute Regiment.

	Command
		CO (Command Value 9)
		9 x Paratroop Platoons
		1 x Support Platoon (Mortar)
		3 x Support Platoons (MG)

The breakpoint of the battlegroup was 7.

German Order of Battle

The German battlegroup was as follows:

	Command
		CO (Command Value 9)
		9 x Infantry Platoons
		2 x Support Platoons (MG)
		1 x Support Platoon (Mortar)
		1 x Support Platoon (ATG, 50mm)
		1 x Support Platoon (AA, 20mm)

The German battlegroup also had a breakpoint of 7.

The three German infantry company's took position in and around the village of Wyler. One company, supported by an MG platoon, deployed in two fields south-west of the village, controlling the road access. A second company and an MG platoon took their positions on the banks of the stream running from east to west in front of the village. The Pak 50mm deployed at the entrance of the village while the Flak 20mm Vierling was positioned in the corner of a field next to a farm. The third company was kept in reserve in the village, along with the CO and the mortar platoon.

The US paratroopers deployed with a company protecting their left flank, another suppressing the German centre and the third operating a flanking movement on the right.

The Germans reacted by counter attacking the US left flank but were quickly repulsed with heavy casualties due to the concentrated fire of four paratroopers platoons, an MG platoon and the mortar platoon. In the centre, the German MG was quickly knocked out while the infantry retreated into the buildings bordering the south of the village. The US flanking move paid off and the flak unit was destroyed by a charge of two paratrooper platoons.

The Germans met the threat on their left flank by dispatching the reserve company that entered in hand-to-hand combat east of the village. Having gained momentum in the centre, the US paratroopers charged and repulsed the German infantry facing them.

On their left flank, the US paratroopers pursued the German infantry that had counter-attacked and managed to inflict further casualties.

Losing ground on their right and in the centre, the Germans tried to regroup and retreat, but reached breaking point on turn 5.

After The Battle

The US losses amounted to two paratrooper platoons and one MG platoon. The Germans lost two MG, four infantry platoons and one flak unit. The Germans failed to occupy the ground and were routed. The village fell to the US airborne troops.