The German Guard Tower at Son

[Paul Nettle]

In Scenario 3 of the Market Garden campaign book, a German ‘Guard Tower’ is shown on the south side of the canal.

Does anyone know what this looked like? I have searched for many pictures of the canal at Son but I have yet to see any with a Guard Tower in it.

[Nigel Heather]

Is this it, from this wiki page

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Deadstick

Also attached

Cheers,

Nigel

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   EAB4C754-94B6-42BC-9FE8-2E56559483D7.jpeg
   

[Paul Nettle]

Thanks for the picture. It might have been like the Normandy one, but I am certain from the pictures I have seen there was no guard tower in the position shown in the book. If fact, whilst very important in the game, as the German MMG in there can shoot over the canal, in reality the south side was the side the Germans expected the advance from – hence all other defences are on the north side.

[Nigel Heather]

Sorry, my error, my eyes read Market Garden but for sone reason, my brain said Pegasus Bridge.

I agree with you, looks like towers on the north side (the town) but nothing on the south side.

Cheers,

Nigel

• This reply was modified 5 years, 3 months ago by Nigel Heather.

[Alan Hamilton]

I have been at the site and no mention was made of a “guard tower” nor have read of one in the accounts by the Guards Armoured Division. So I think it may be a bit of “Wargamer’s Licence” to include it. There are sites of prepared gun positions so perhaps one of these is the “guard tower” – in German a watch tower is “Wachturm” and guard tower “Überwachungsturm”

Some pictures here Photos of Son Bridge

[Paul Nettle]

Thanks for your reply Alan. Having seen maps of the area in 1944 the 88s were 200 yeards away from the bridge – about 10 feet (3 metres) of table in 1/56 scale. And the town is also 200 yeards from the bridge, with only a few housed on the north bank of the canal, so the whole scenario is very compressed. However, having built a 1/50 scale Wilhelmenia canal 2 feet by 6 feet, the canal is also much wider there than shown on the map.

However, as the bridge at Son was also where the Panzer brigade attacked, I think I can do some good games with the Son bridge.

[Alan Hamilton]

Paul, from memory, swing bridges like the one at Son are relatively common in the Netherlands and also across Europe. The abundance of canals and waterways in the area, particularly on the routes taken by the Canadians and British across the Netherlands allow all sorts of scenarios – attack, hasty attack, defence, reconnaissance in force, demolition guard, parachute raid, Resistance attacks, rearguard, delaying action, supply column/VIP ambush etc etc. Not only that the bridge can be used in 1940, 1914 and in a “what if” Cold War Gone Hot game.

I am impressed that you have made a model of the canal an very useful piece of terrain.

[Paul Nettle]

Thanks Alan

The biggest pproblem I had was with the gloss varnish. I used the Army Painter Quickshade, and found the same problem with two tins. When you get towards the bottom, it goes matt rather than gloss. A third tin sorted that, but the water, after three layers of gloss, is a little more bumpoy than I would like!

But thank you for the scenario ideas. I have commissioned Blotz to make some country-style Dutch houses, and they should make the scenario a bit more realistic.

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