Operation Overlord Game 1 - Caen

COMMUNIQUE NO. 142

English parachute forces believed to be moving around Caen from the south west. Contact with friendly forces holding the Rue de Caligrry near St. Manvieu-Norrey has been lost.

Move forces from Panzer-Grenadier-Regiment 192 to area. Seek out any enemy forces and insure the free passage of German forces on the Rue de Caligrry road and nearby rail line. 

 

Strength and composition of enemy forces unknown. Sturmgeschütz from Sturmgeschütz-Abteilung 200 will be allocated to deal with enemy strong-points.

 

Matt and I were able to get in a FOW game for Operation Overlord this week. I brought my trusty 21. Panzer Division and Matt, his 6th Airborne. We played a game around Caen at 1200points. The mission was hold the line and I was the attacker.

21. Panzer Division Panzergrenadiers.

6th Airborne Parachute Company.

Matt had 3 Para platoons, 4 medium mortars, 4 6pders and three Tetrach light tanks.
My force consisted of 2 panzergren platoons, 4 S307(f) Reihenwerfer half tracks, a self propelled infantry gun platoon, two R-Vielfachwerfer and 4 105mm 39H assault guns.

The board with a view from the British short table edge.

Objective 1

Objective 2

Matt was defending so he placed the 6pders in ambush with the mortars and a para platoon on the board. I focused on the village side of the river, and pushed all my forces down the main road.

A mass of armor... slow, unreliable, lightly armored, but still armor.

The mortars view.

Mobile war to the max.

Forward!

Six Pounders spring their ambush.

Hiding in the churchyard.

The Six pounders nab two 105mm 39H's.

The column moves to take out the AT guns.

They knock out all but one of the guns.

The Schlepper's move around to deal with the guns.

The last 6pder bails two 105mm 39H's and the mortars bail a mortar track.

The 105's then run and take the German HQ with them.

The second panzergren platoon mounted assaults the mortars.

The Schleppers knock out the last AT gun.

The assault grinds down the mortars.

The first grenadier platoon moves to take out the last mortars.

At this point I missed a few pictures, but the first panzer grenadier platoon assaulted the British CiC in the building by the objective. He kills one attacker with defensive fire, the Germans get no hits, the para team counterattacks and kills a team and ther grenadiers break off.

The second grenadier platoon sets up to attack the Para CiC.

The Schleppers handle the CiC and the entire building he was in.

The assault wipes out the las mortar teams.

Matt received no reserves on turn three, and none on turn four.

The game ends with the 21. Division in control of the railway and crossroads.

At the start of the British turn 5 with only one platoon on the board and two destroyed the Paras promptly rolled a 1 for company morale and ran.  In the end it was a 5-2 to the Germans. The Six pounders took out the 105mm 39H's which are absolute death against infantry. The Para platoon holding the second objective was pinned in place by a constant barrage from the Vielfachwerfer's and would have needed to cross a lot of open terrain to get at the other objective. 

In hindsight the six pounder ambush was probably a little early and the lack of reserves for two turns sealed the deal for the 6th Airborne.