NATO, WAPA and the indefensibility of LandJut in NGP and D85

[Narwan]

The west germans employed different levels of defense against WP invasion. At the lowest level there was local defense. These consisted of security and reservist combat forces (independent platoons and cie's) and 'wallmeistergruppen'. The forces were to detect and delay. By employing them at key locations the WP wouldn't be able to move through an area unhindered and undetected (as they can in the game). While not able to withstand determined attacks by larger WP formations these units could block and even defeat advance parties and recon units and functioned as an early warning regarding enemy advances. The wallmeistergruppen had les of a combat role than the other units at this level had. Their job was to create all sorts of obstacles (including explosives, mines and boobytraps) both before and after a WP advance. They were supposed to pull back into the countryside when faced with a large WP force and reappear when these had left to harrass the supply lines. The other security forces in the region had similar instructions when falling back was not a viable option. Throughout the different defense regions supply points (in bunkers) had been created in remote area's for these local forces to fall back on for resupply, recuperation and communication. They could (and in some cases would) be joined by regular (and even special) forces for 'behind the lines' operations against enemy LOC's. The OB I posted above shows how extensive these formations were.

The second level of defense were 'local' defenses of a more determined nature. These consisted of independent local HS cie's and batt's and also the independent jäger and heavy recon batt's of each bundeswehr division and (some) of the motorised battallions in the HS regiments and brigades. These usually had some degree of heavy weapons support (arty, AT, etc).
Their job was to stop advances and hold off recon in force actions and hasty attacks. WP doctrine called for the advance elements on a divisional axis of advance to conduct hasty attacks against any opposition to see if they could overcome it easily; these would be of a heavily reinforced line cie in size. A cie of jägers or HS with limited support should (in theory) be able to withstand and defeat such an initial attack. By the time the rest of the attacking battallion would form up for a determined attack the defenders would either fall back to a new position or be reinforced.
MTW cie's from the pnzgren battallions of bundeswehr formations could also be used for this (their 9 milans per cie packing a very heavy punch against attacks).

That's where the next level of defense comes in. These are the mobile manouvre elements of the HS (brigades and regiments), bundeswehr and NATO allies. These would be employed against these main enemy advances and preferably in mobile (counterattacking) or ambush operations.

It's not my intention to lecture and my apologies if these appears as such but my point is that the brigades of the bundeswehr are just one part of a much more complicated defensive system. Their role was basically offensive; counterattacking the enemy and exploiting weak flanks and not 'static' defense.
Again, the assumption in NATO was that there would be enough time to call up and deploy the necessary defenses. And from my earlier post it's obvious I agree with that assumption. So in my view for a 'realistic' representation some way would need to be found to incorporate these other defenses. Adding units would be one way but there can be other ways to depict the local delayers.'

Narwan