We played Scenario 5 from the US Campaign in Kampfgruppe Normandy last night...
This pitches a large American force of three platoons plus support, against a single German platoon in heavy bocage country. The US forces must try to take three objectives - a large farm complex, the land to the east of the hill and hill 192 itself. the Germans are further hampered by requiring 5+ for all radio tests due to heavy enemy shelling having cut most of their telephone lines.
Heavily outnumbered, its a grim situation for the Germans, and myself and Gary taking them were unsure what we would be able to do. It certainly had an ominous feel to the start of the game as more and more US troops were deployed. However the US players, seeing the walls of bocage infront of them felt just as apprehensive. This gave a good sense of the difficulties facing both sides in the Normandy campaign and would prove to be a very interesting game.
The US advance started slowly (poor dice rolls for activations) and they suffered a few casualties from MG fire but little else. Unable to see much they used the first few turns to advance and get into positions while the Germans hunkered down and waiting the onslaught. The US seemed to be splitting into three groups, each consisting of a platoon. One headed for the German held farm, another headed up the centre and the last moved up tp the farm near their own lines.
While the US right flank engaged the German troops in the farm with ineffective mortar fire, they then tried to outflank the farm by moving in the centre. The lead infantry squad walked straight into a German minefield and took heavy losses crossing it. The call then went out for the engineers to move up and try to clear it. This bogged down the centre along with the right flank. On the US left, an OP team in the farm brought down a battery of 4 105's onto the hill, killing the German OP team... This looked bad for the Germans.
With a bit of luck, one of the German RTPs was the farm... and by chance the Germans got the radio test! In came a salvo from a Nebelwerfer battery, and scored two direct hits... Which turned out to be on both US OP Teams! Both were killed and an air of gloom descended on the US. Once more they tried to suppress the farm defenders and again failed. With poor activation rolls they could do few actions, and even the engineers failed their tests to clear the minefield.
Once more, hunkered down, the Germans waited.
With a lack of success the US now got a high number of activations and with a tank in support attacked the farm. By pure luck the Germans held on and cut down the attackers with MG fire, pinning them down as they crossed the field. Even the fire from the Sherman couldnt help. In the German turn, the defenders unleashed a torrent of fire that cut down US soldiers in droves and a gallant grenadier despatched the Sherman with a Panzerfaust through the front to cheers from the farm defenders. As losses mounted, the US decided to send troops from the centre over the field to attack the farm from the flank... They crossed through the bocage into open ground... and then all hell broke loose.
They had crossed infront of the German 'Bocage Fortress' position, with two HMGs and a 20mm flak dug in and on covering fire. The resultant blaze of fire killed all of the US squad, with not a single survivor. Once again the US losses mounted and things looked far harder as they tried to negotiate the closed in fields and poor lines of sight, with every hedge seeming to hold yet another nasty surprise. For a while, panic took hold and the US forces blundered around without direction.
Once more the Germans held their positions and continued to pour fire on enemy targets. The troops in the farm, despite being ordered to pull back, decided they could hold out, and virtually destroyed the remains of the US platoon facing them. US wounded streamed to the rear... Then the US got themselves together. They disengaged from the right and centre and saw the virtually unoppsed and covered route up the German right flank. As all their troops headed in this direction, along with their remaining tanks, an American P47 swooped over the battlefield.
Surely this would be the end of the Germans.
The Thunderbolt dived onto the hill, unleasing all eight rockets at the Germans. As the dust cleared, remarkably no-one had been hit. As the Thunderbolt peeled away up into the air, 20mm cannons rounds streaked after it, and as one penetrated the engine, and several others slammed into the plane, it broke up over the battlefield. The US troops who had cheered so loudly as their air support arrived, now watched in horror as it broke up and feel to the ground. But the US flank advanced continued, and under cover of bocgae, the Germans had to abandone their positions a form a second defence line around the hill. As they did so, US artillery caught one of the Stugs and it burst into flames.
Finally, with their troops in position, the US launched their final attack. Led by the Shermans the attacked moved forward. But on the hill, the RSO Pak40 was keeping a carful watch...
At maximum range, it loosed off a single AP round. It struck the Sherman in the turret front, passing clean through the armour and igniting the ammunition in a spectacular explosion. With this final disaster, and heavy casualties, the US forces withdrew, leaving a dominant, and now emboldened German force holding the battlefield!
As the battle ends, the German commander congratulates his PaK team...
This was a great scenario that recreated all the problems of Bocage fighting and the numerical superiority of the Allies. With alot of luck, and poor US luck, the Germans had a well thought out defensive plan and layout. The US on the other hand suffered from a lack of activations and a clear plan. By the time they decided to push the unopposed flank, it was too late...
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