Pegasus Bridge (Atlantikwall)

 is a mission in the singleplayer mode of Steel Division.

Briefing
"Oberst Rauch,

The British paratroopers holding the bridge at Bénouville are now isolated from the main beachhead. This is an opportunity to wipe them out, which we won't get again.

Your objectives are to attack and retake that bridge from them before they can be reinforced by commandos and more airborne troops coming in from Merville."

Map
Mission takes place on the Pegasus Bridge 2 vs 2/3 vs 3 map.

Details
"Our delaying action has given the 736. Grenadier-Regiment enough time to re-establish a line of defence inland, allowing our Kampfgruppe to regroup in reserve. But Major von Luck’s situation East of the Orne isn’t going as well.

His counter-attack has stalled, And he is finding himself under increasing pressure from incoming paratroopers. Oberst Oppeln’s movements have been heavily hampered by allied bombings and Resistance sabotage; only a handful of his Panzers have been able to reach their assembly area; the rest are still delayed South of Caen.

It befalls to us to remedy their absence. Our orders are to move East of the Orne and support Major von Luck’s renewed offensive. The objective remains the same: recapture the bridges at Bénouville!

British paratroopers are stubbornly defending every access to the Orne bridges. They are lightly equipped, although they have salvaged and turned against us one of our PaK-40s from the bridge’s garrison. Besides, any unit which managed to slip through our net this morning can be expected to have reinforced them. With each passing hour, the British are receiving reinforcements, Major von Luck’s men have even encountered some light airborne tanks.

Our own reconnaissance battalion has reinforced us, as well as some artillery elements, but reports indicate that British commandos have managed to take foot East of the Orne and are moving with some tank support towards the bridge to relieve the paratroopers.

Speed is of the essence here, Herr Major. The longer it takes to secure the bridge, the stronger the enemy resistance will become."

Available forces

 * Units lost in the previous mission will not be available

Secure the Orne bridges

 * Your primary objective in this mission, defended by a mixture of British paratroopers with the aid of some salvaged armor, most importantly a captured PaK 40 75mm gun. You have 30 minutes to accomplish this objective, by clearing the designated marker around the bridges of enemy units. The most important challenge are units that slipped through in the previous mission - if tanks managed this feat, you are in for quite the trouble, as Crocodiles and Shermans are potent weapons against anything you can muster.
 * The other side of the river is covered by AB Sniper units and heavy weapons against infantry. The best way to deal with them is to employ the principles of modern warfare: Identify their location, then bomb the shit out of the target area. The R.Vielfachwerfer and the Ju 87 D Light Bomber are perfect for this purpose. Keeping your infantry away from the riverside also works well.
 * The orchard just beyond the tree line is filled with enemy soldiers. The biggest challenge is clearing the forest walls of infantry and then charging into the bridges. Remember, all you need todo is capture the bridges themselves - clearing the designated area of all enemy units, including routed ones. When that's done, the mission ends.

Enemy reinforcement

 * The British are preparing reinforcements, which will start coming after 10 minutes from Merville (Phase B). Countering them is mostly undertaken by your AI ally, von Luck, but you need to watch out for Tetrarchs trying to run up against your forces.

Exploiting game systems

 * A cheap way to finish the mission is to exploit the game's systems, as explained here. Basically, SPW 222 armored cars are free as long as the units they transport survives the mission. Buy up the Aufklärer for their transports, add a command Panzer 35S(f), and a recon team and you can easily destroy the paratroopers around the bridge as long as you stay outside their PIAT range and use Ju 87s to suppress enemy mortars and the PaK 40 at the bridge.