We started our Normandy campaign tonight using Battlegroup Overlord to refight part of the push by the 29th Infantry Division on
St. Lo during the summer of 1944. For this campaign, forces are selected from the US and German Infantry Division lists. The first game was an attempt by a US comnand to seize the village of La Haye Besat from elements of Kampfgruppe Müller, part of the battered 352. Infanterie Division, in order to secure a low ridge that overlooks the national road running to
St. Lo. This would use the defence line scenario, and the German forces have to spend a percentage of their points on defences. This would mean that in the first campaign game the German defence would be outnumbered over 2 to 1 in men and have to face enemy supporting armour with none of their own. The US battle rating was also nearly double that of the Germans.
By luck, a good roll saw a heavy German defence start the game, obviously ready and waiting for the enemy. However things got off to a bad start when the first salvo of US 105mm rounds from their artillery knocked out one of the two German
MG bunkers with a direct hit... but as the initial US forces moved forward one unit blundered into the first of the German minefields in one of the fields. Unknown to the US players, two of the three fields contained mines, and the third field between the other two was a pre-registered target point for the German mortars. As the attack began, the US focus became on of getting their troops up to the protection of the low railway embankment and to try and neutralise the German Pak43 dug in among the orchard trees. As more US troops arrived and their shells fell upon the German
AT gun... followed by fire from
HMG teams. Then as the first Sherman arrived, a shell landed among the German gunners. Their reaction however was to pass their morale with a 'Call of Duty' result and promptly put a round through the first Sherman with their first shot. But now the remaining US tanks arrived, and more rounds targetted the poor Pak43 crew, but by pure luck, each casualty that they took saw each morale test passed with a 'Call of Duty' result! After a turn of US firing, and only two crewmen left standing by the gun, two more US tanks were burning, and another had been immobilised!
Indeed all supporting US armour was neutralised by the single dug in gun, despite the attentions of shells, bullets and bombs from a passing P47 Thunderbolt. With their tanks burning the US infantry finally made a mass assault, but the frontal attack hit the second German minefield and soon came under mortar fire as it crossed the field registered for fire. But men got closer and although they took heavy caualties they managed eventually to make progress and casualties mounted among the German defenders as small numbers of reinforcements tried to make their way into the fight. Both poured fire into each other, the US trying to pin units down with Area Fire while other troops pushed forward. The Germans fired all they could to try and slow the enemy down but numbers began to tell. But as the US pushed forwards they ran into the second German
MG bunker, and with no support, ghis cut threw two US squads as they tried to push into the village... as a further added insult, the M8 Greyhound that raced up to help them, hit a mine and was blown sky high! With both sides bloodied and battered it now came down to who would get lucky first. Sadly for the US, it wasn't them.
The Germans had kept back a flak halftrack for most of the battle and it had spent its time seeing off the roving P47. Now it raced up the road into town and brought its 37mm flak to bear on the US units surging across the fields and who had by now captured the first objective in the village. Its fire, with that of another German
MG team, caused losses that finally put the US forces over their Battle Rating, and they withdrew from the engagement. But it turned out the Germans only had a single point of their Battle Rating remaining, and so a very bloody, but rather inconclusive affair. For the campaign, this would count as a German victory, but only 1 campaign point was earned. So little advantage after the first game, but the Pak43 crew are now upgraded to Veterans if fielded in future Kampfgruppen after three kills and countless 'Call of Duty' tests... the US on the other hand need some new tanks.
