Market Garden German transport

Hi all,

Given the fluid nature of the German response to the Market Garden operation, is there a consensus on whether the German player could use ad hoc transport, such as the Opel Blitz bus listed in FotR, to transport his ground pounder infantry. The bus is available to FotR battlegroups for 6 points. There are various accounts of German troops commandeering civilian transport, at gunpoint if necessary, so it seems at least plausible.

Cheers, Andy

Very plausible, anything that rolls would be fair game. Of course, most had long de-bussed before reaching the battle, but if you can commandeer a fire engine, you can commandeer a local bus.

Using a bus in a Market Garden game would be absolutly ok.


THE BRITISH ARMY IN NORTH-WEST EUROPE 1944-1945. IWM (B 10173) IWM Non Commercial License
A column of lorries passes wrecked German vehicles on the bridge at Nijmegen, 21 September 1944.

Warwick wrote:Very  plausible, anything that rolls would be fair game. Of course, most had long de-bussed before reaching the battle, but if you can commandeer a fire engine, you can commandeer a local bus.

I coulda sworn I read something somewhere about Fire Engines being commandeered (also, apparently there's a Bin lorry in among the mess Graebner left on the bridge in some of the after-battle photos?) but haven't been able to find where I read it.

Wonder what Dutch Fire Engines of the period looked like, and if anyone makes anything close...

According to this list the rubbish truck was used by Brinkmann not Graebner.

www.defendingarnhem.com/vehicledatabase.htm

In one of the Battleground Europe books there is an account of troops arriving in what must have been heavy trucks or buses in game terms. I'll dig out the reference later.

Thanks all. Good to know it's both permitted and there is good historical precedent to use the Opel Blitz bus. My attempts to Google a Dutch pre-war fire engine have so far failed miserably, but that and a rubbish truck would make great looking transports on table. Presumably the fire engine would carry a squad, while the rubbish truck maybe a couple of squads?

Cheers, Andy

Don't forget Steam Engines and Tractors...

I have some of them to tow guns for my WW1 British Middle East force. They are slow, but faster than pulling them by hand or hooking up a trace of horses.

Cheers, Andy