Once again the spiritual guide of Cardiff Wargames Club, Mike B, but's on his monthly big
FOW Game. As ever big participation, and lots of carnage and burning vehicles.
So it's D+1 and the British are ashore, Scattered Platoons of 6th Airborne are moving onto other objectives and the 1st major British Armour units are pushing out. With Pegasus Bridge secure, the British are looking to secure the secondary crossings including a Vital Rail bridge on the second day and push onto Caen by the end the end of the day. A major Kampfgruppe of the 21st Panzer Division is planning on using this Rail bridge as a jumping off point to drive a wedge between the forward elements and the Beaches.
21st Panzer moving at speed through the French Country side, to secure the Bridge.
The British Para's land and assault one of the key bunkers and destroy the French Assault Guns the Germans had screening the Rail Bridge. The aim is a coup
de main to bottle up the 21st Panzer and hopefully capture the Rail Bridge.
The Forward British Platoons race south to hook up with the Para's who have captured the Bunker and hit an OST Company that is dug in. The second rate German units pressed into service with the fatherland rapidly break and are cut down. Before the British Armour races onwards.
Another British Company races along the newly secured road, towards the captured bunker.
The rest of the regiment follows hot on it's heals, with the 2nd Battalion swinging around to attack from the West, with Centaurs and Shermans. Seeing the Bridge in the distance they can see the Bunker has been captured but the massed reinforcements of the 21st Panzer are heading for the Bridge.
The 21sst Panzer Kampfgruppe Reach the Bridge and force their Infantry company across to secure it, and the Panzer IV's begin to follow, when *BOOM* the crack of a 17pounder whoomp's between the girders of the bridge. An extremely clever British NCO has positioned a pair of 17 pounder guns in an excellent firing position covering the Rail Bridge and the German Armour takes Murderous fire in it's flank and the shots pass straight through the German armour.
At the pontoon Bridge south of the Rail Bridge, a British Para Platoon has dropped out of position and in attempt to hook up with the British Formations has crossed the Pontoon Bridge and assaulted the German positions from the Rear and takes the Bunkers and Pill boxes easily. They attempt to dig as Panzer Grenadier Formation pours across the Bridge to try and retake the Command Bunker where the main Para-force landed.
The last isolated German Position Dig's in and Holds out, watching the Para's Engaging the relief force sent to help them, and they watch in trepidation as the rest of the British Armoured Regiment swings towards their position. The German Artillery continues to fire, until Shermans knock them out at range. Allied air support, continues to harass the German forces and makes life extremely difficult.
Did the 21st Panzer Break though? Did the British manage to stop the German Heavy Armour crossing? Did the 17 pounders stall the 21st panzer completely?
Well let's just "Gott mit uns" and he most certainly was....
The Para 17 pounders and 6 pounders were wiped out, by the Kampfgruppe who got across the bridge, despite losing Panzer IV's. The Heavy Tigers got across and set to work on the Para's in the bunker. The German unit to the south was battered but somehow managed to hold despite losing all the artillery and well over 50% of their strength. The Northern OST Group was well and truly annhilated. The Germans managed to get hold 2 objectives, but the British Armour withdrew to superior positions and ring fenced the German breakthrough.
So in this scenario the German's won a slim victory. But looking at the situation and the amount of British Armour still on the board, it was likely this victory would have been short-lived as the continuous reinforcements from the Beaches would have stretched the already taxed Germans and they would have had to pull back.
