This scenario is a snapshot of the fighting between 69th Brigade and KG Meyer from 352nd Infanterie Division and focusses on the fighting around Bazanville and Crepon, on the approaches to Fresnay le Crotteur, where the advancing 7th Green Howards and A Squadron of the 4th/7th Dragoon Guards engaged German troops attempting to launch their own counter-attack. During the first few hours of D-Day it looked as though the Omaha assault had been stopped, and the chief concern of the 352d Division was with its right flank which was threatened by the British penetration near Meuvaines from troops pushing inland from Gold beach. To meet this, the LXXXIV Corps reserve, the reinforced 915th Regiment (Kampfgruppe Meyer) had been ordered to attack in the direction of Crépon. The 2nd Battalion of the 915th Regiment was split off from the force on its way toward Crépon and together with one antitank company (with twelve self-propelled 75-mm. antitank guns, likely Marders from 352 Panzerjager Abteilung) was attached to the 916th Regiment in the center of the division sector. The infantry reinforcements moved into the Colleville area in the early afternoon but reported that their counterattack had been stopped by firm enemy resistance and that they had suffered heavy losses. The rest of Kampfgruppe Meyer in the meantime had advanced toward the area Bazenville-Villiers-le-Sec whence it planned to attack to Crépon.
By the time it reached its assembly area at about 1730 it found that British units from 69th Brigade, part of 50th Division, were already in possession. The units on the right were able to withdraw to St. Gabriel where they were joined by the ten assault guns of the Kampfgruppe, StuG III Ausf G from the divisions Panzerjager Abteilung. But the infantry battalion under direct command of Oberst Meyer on the left brushed with British forces from the 7th Green Howards and A Squadron 4/7 Dragoons near Fresnay le Crotteur. Meyer was killed and the battalion lost contact with other German units for several hours, B Company of the 7th Green Howards recorded engaging and destroying an enemy Staff Car in their War Diary, killing its occupants in the process, this was probably Oberst Meyer. It seems clear that Meyer's forces made no concerted attack, but were destroyed in small defensive actions as they tried to meet the British advance piecemeal. The German assault guns scored the only success of the day in knocking out three A Squadron Sherman tanks (an event that was to filter down to other units, such as the Westminister Dragoons, as a counter-attack by '40 Tigers' during the late afternoon/early evening, the first case of ‘Tiger-Shock in the campaign when none were in the region). The Germans had four of their tanks lost, possibly to supporting Naval fire, but also likely from enemy armour and 6-Pounder Anti-Tank guns that had moved up with the Green Howards, it is interesting to note that the War Diary for the Green Howards records that the naval gunfire was a hazard to them,not just the Germans! Out of the entire Kampfgruppe only ninety men escaped. In the evening these remnants were attached to the 726th Regiment, which was ordered to establish a defensive line: Coulombs-St. Gabriel-the Seulles River west to Esquay-sur-Seulles-Hill 64 (west of Bazenville)-the Gronde River to Asnelles-sur-Mer.
To re-fight the game with Battlegroup Overlord is fairly straightforward. The system allows battles such as this to be refought and the differing morale and experience levels of the two sides to be brought out through their respective Battle Ratings. The Germans have been slightly penalised in this regard to reflect their rather disjointed attempt to attack the British and also suffer a further penalty should the Battlegroup commander be killed. Certainly in the actual engagement his death seems to have added to the failure of German attacks. We thus require only two requirements for this historical scenario. Firstly, all German infantry will be classed as ‘Inexperienced' to reflect their confusion and lack of direction at the time. This will reduce their Battle Rating when compared to their enemy. Secondly the German player must take two chits as normal for the loss of his Battlegroup Senior officer, but if either are not numbered chits, they must be replaced in the pot and redrawn. The second result stands regardless of what the chit is.
The game is set at ‘Platoon' level and each side rolls 2d6 for orders plus ‘Officers'. The battle is played as a ‘Meeting Engagement' with each side placing two objectives and 1d6+1 units starting on the table in their deployment zones. Reinforcements arrive at 1d6 per turn from their sides board edge.
British Forces - BR43Forward HQ (Major Bowly) - 3 figures with Jeep
Carrier Section
2 x Infantry Platoons (Elements of B Company, 7th Green Howards)
1 x 6-Pounder AT Gun with Loyd tow
Sherman Tank Troop from A Squadron (2 x Sherman M4A2 and 1 x Firefly)
1 x Sherman Crab
1 x Forward Artillery Observer
Off-table 3" Mortar Battery
1 x First Target Priority Artillery Request
German Forces - BR36Forward Headquarters (Oberst Meyer) - 3 figures with staff car
2 x Infantry Platoons
2 x MG42 HMG
1 x Marder III
2 x StuG III Ausf G
1 x 75mm Pak 40 A/T gun with tow
Our refight began with the British initially advancing No 1 Platoon on the right flank, to outflank the village, while the carrier section made a fast run into the village outskirts. Thus they did, but it turned out to be utterly ineffectual. In a very brief firefight the carrier section all soon became casualties as they engaged the lead German elements. Also by this time No 1 platoon was trading fire with two German MG42 teams, and the advance slowed.As the British tanks arrived, so did the German StuGs, and a remarkable shot saw the Firefly engage one StuG firing almost the length of the table to hit it. Sadly the round bounced off the front hull and went skyward. Not to be out done, one of the normal Shermans also got a hit on the StuG, but this too winged off the armour. This second round however obviously put the wind up the crew and the tank became Pinned.
The Firefly and the Crab engaged in a long and ineffective duel with the two StuGs, both sides hitting each other, but no armour being penetrated at the longer ranges.
With the arrival of No 2 platoon the British advanced on the left flank, and soon began to take losses from and occupied farmhouse near the Orchard. Mortar fire began to stonk the orchard but once again the advance halted as British infantry became pinned down in the fields. Both flanks now halted and a sustained firefight broke out, No 1 platoon losing its commander in the process and several men, but finally silencing the two enemy MGs and a rifle team. One of the StuGs now looked very vulnerable with no infantry support.On the other flank a short gun battle raged, helped for the British by a Low Ammo morale chit that saw one of the sustained fire MG42s run out of ammo and scurry off. With a Sherman now in support the advance began again and slowly picked their way over the fields and crossed the road into Fresnay. British casualties mounted but rifle fire and two HE rounds from the Sherman ended the farmhouse resistance.
The British right flank was helped by a lucky mortar scatter that ended up scoring two direct hits on the lonely StuG, although they did no damage, two 1s on the dice rolls saw the crew abandon the StuG due to their being no supporting infantry and already somewhat shaken up! The secon StuG finally managed to hit and pin the Crab, but a 17 pounder round put paid to his antics.As the British now pushed on both flanks the Germans hunkered down in the central buildings. An unfortunately useless round of German firing left only one British unit pinned and in their following turn they unleashed a storm of gunfire and mortar fire that eliminated two more infantry teams and finally put the Germans over their Battle Rating. The German troops fled the battlefield and Fresnay was in British hands.
Despite losses in the infantry the British had only just reached half their Battle Rating when the Germans had broken. Several low numbered chits, and special chits, had helped the British to a convincing win. Most surprised of all were the Sherman crews, who in newly painted tanks, not only survived but really helped to swing things in the favour of the British. Fun game to play 71 years after the real event and we both enjoyed, though had the German tanks hit anything it may have been a very different game!
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