D+3, 9th June 1944
Stretching his arms and beginning to enjoy the morning sunshine, Lieutenant Carter's attention was suddenly seized by a
jeep sending a cloud of dust up from the road verge as it sped around the
halted tank column towards him, two men aboard, one of whom was almost
certainly an officer. He corrected his helmet slightly and stepped forward as
the vehicle pulled sharply nearby. A young man, who couldn't be more than
eighteen, was sitting stiffly in the driving seat, his face betraying the
nervous attention to duty of the junior-ranked assigned to the most powerful of
the senior. Slouching in the passenger seat, the stub of a dead cigar between
his teeth was an older man, a general, his face familiar to every man of the
fighting 29th.
"Son, you need
to get your men moving," General Cota stated, his tone firm and
undeniable. "I don't care what orders have come down to you from Colonel
Goode's office. The 29th are taking the initiative again."
"Sir, yes
sir", snapped the Lieutenant, smiling, moving back to cascade that order
to his men. Thank God there was someone in command who knew what needed doing
and was doing his part.
General Cota wryly
smiled as well, tossing away the dead stub of his cigar, patting his pockets in
search of a new one. He sat back in the passenger seat of the jeep, hunting in
another pocket for a lighter, and waved the driver forward further along the
column to encourage other units.
"Run me up that
road, son."
Colonel Goode's call for a halt at La Cambe has been
overridden by personal order of General Cota. The US immediately seize the
initiative and attack during Turn 3.
Just over a mile to
the west, the Germans, retreating from La Cambe towards Isigny, had halted
overnight at the hamlet of Arthenay, where they planned to fight a delaying
action against the advancing Americans. They had had little sleep. The radio
operator was frantically trying to make contact with HQ, but the lines were
still down. On the western horizon the orange-red glow of Isigny burning
persisted, as it had through the night. But there was a glimmer of hope; they
had made intermittent contact with a self-propelled gun battery to the
north-west, well-positioned to support their position.
Moving
back after darkness fell at La Cambe had been essential, but Unterfeldwebel Lund was all too aware of
the effect this had had on his men. Sullen, stern faces everywhere; but the
NCOs were doing their best to bolster morale, keeping soldiers busy and even
cracking the occasional joke, despite their lack of sleep. Here, at Arthenay,
they would halt and attempt once again to slow the relentless American advance.
A small farmstead, the woods and hedges at Arthernay seemed a reasonable
defensive position, especially if they could get the support of those Marders
to the north-west.
 |
| German infantry defend the hedge line at the edge of the orchard |
The Germans are defending with a denuded force
following the US victory at La Cambe. Their basic force finds itself nine men
short, with six dead and three wounded, returning next game. The one man they
were missing after turn 1 has now returned to duty. The Germans select two
snipers and an MG42 on tripod mount as support. They begin the game with 8
Force Morale points.
The Americans are supported with two Shermans with
Junior Leaders, a forward oberver with 81mm mortar batters, additional BARs for
all rifle teams, and a medic. They begin the game with 10 Force Morale points.
By the time the
first of his men had taken up positions, there were already signs of the
American advance. Movement within an orchard, partly concealed by a hedge line,
betrayed the presence of enemy scouts. Lund snapped the order for his men to
move faster and they took up positions swiftly.
Turn 1, Phases 1-5
US deploy Forward Observer, Squad 1
and Sergeant.in the front corner of the orchard and along the hedge line. With
three consecutive turns the Germans deploy Squad 1 in the house 1 with Junior
Leader, Squad 2 on left hand flank at small hedge line, a sniper in the front
left hand building, Squad 3 at the front of the small orchard, their MMG team
in the front left hand house and the Senior Leader in the front right hand
building. The US deploy Squad 2 in the orchard and call for support fire from
mortars.
The
simple option would have been to stay in position, holding as long as possible,
hoping to wear the enemy down. But that would not work today, Lund knew. Morale
was low, and the enemy determined and numerous. A static defence wasn't going
to hold for long, and he would simply lose more men if they sat still. Their
only hope was to take the fight to the enemy, and Germans were strong in
counterattack.
Obergefrieter Schmidt
was given his order. "You four and you three with the machine gun", he
shouted, pointing, "With me, now". He scrambling forward with his
men, leading them to the opposite hedge, to draw the enemy towards them.
Half-crawling, the soldiers worked their way across the muddy field to the
opposite hedge line, as American mortar fire opened up on the German lines,
hitting the house with a shower of roof tiles, a second shell landing nearby as
the squad took cover in a field ditch alongside the hedge. As the noise of the
shells subsided, they could make out the unmistakable sound of tanks moving
along the road towards them.
 |
| German troops advance to take up forward positions |
Turn 1, Phases 6-10
The Germans send a four-man rifle team around the
small hedge moving tactically towards the Americans. The US mortar barrage is on target and causes 1 point of shock to
each of the sniper, MG team in left hand house and the rifle team in right hand
house. The US then deploy the first Sherman. The German rifle team advance
tactically with their LMG team and Junior Leader and reach the hedge line.
From the
cover of the hedge the German squad watched the Sherman approach ahead of them,
pursued by a jogging platoon of fresh-faced GIs. There were certain to be
others in the column, following behind. Mortar shells flew overhead, exploding
around the houses and the positions they had moved from only moments before,
their sound interspersed with the screams of the injured and the shouts of NCOs
trying to encourage their men to hold. Smoke from the mortar barrage obscured
the landscape all around the houses, and then, suddenly, the barrage ceased.
In the
comparative silence, the German officers tried to establish control, sending a
Panzershreck team forward as more tanks and men appeared as the enemy column
continued its relentless approach. In
support, American infantry on its flanks moved forward, leaving the cover of
the hedgerows and moving cautiously across the open fields towards Arthenay,
while a supporting squad provides support, waiting in the hedgerow, their
weapons trained on the German positions.
 |
| US troops, supported by tanks, advance |
Turn 1, Phases 11-13; Turn 2, Phases
1-2; Turn 3, Phases 1-3; Turn 4, Phases 1-2
US Sherman advances along road, while the US 3rd Squad deploys along the right hand hedge. The mortar barrage
continues, delivering 1 point of shock to the MG teams in both houses and
killing the Junior Leader in the right hand house. The German Senior Leader
removes 1 point of shock from all the teams in the right hand house. Squad 2 MG
team reaches the hedge. The Germans use a CoC dice to end end the turn, hoping
to stop the mortar barrage, but the US use one of their own CoC dice to
maintain it. The barrage is moved 6” towards their own lines to improve the
smoke screen, causing 1 point of shock to the MG team, and 1 point of shock and
1 kill on the rifle team in the left hand house, and 1 point of shock on the MG
team in right hand house. The Sherman advances. The Germans remove 1 point of
shock from each team in the right hand house, and spend another CoC dice to end
turn. This time the US mortar barrage ceases, and when requested again it
becomes unavailable for the rest of the game. A second Sherman in deployed, as
is the Panzerschrek team.
From the
upper storey of the house, Lund could just make out the enemy troops moving in
and around one of the farm buildings on the opposite side of the field. The
radio operator beside him was attempting to make contact with the artillery
battery to the north as he scanned the horizon. Seeing an opportunity, he gave
the order to open fire. Gunfire burst through the air, smashing through the
windows of the opposite building. In response, the Americans behind the hedge
fired back at the German positions, killing the man standing adjacent to the
radio operator, sending him tumbling backward into the furniture in the centre
of the room. The enemy fire intensified, supported by the forward tank, and a
shell burst through the wall, exploding, throwing Lund to the floor.
Deafened
and bruised, as Lund came round, he became aware of the men lying dead and
wounded beside him. Obergefreiter Steiger, a young, enthusiastic man liked by
his men, was one of them. Another life wasted by this terrible war. The gunfire
continued, peppering the room, but the radio operator was excited, alert,
shouting co-ordinates to someone on the other end of the line. In moments, a
shell, fired from a distant gun, whistled through the air and below, at the
front of the column, the lead Sherman exploded with a direct hit. A momentary
success, but the mood was clear, and in the ensuing firefight he saw another of
his NCOs fall. Too many Germans lay dead or injured; they had failed to hold
the enemy back or delay their advance, and the defences of Arthenay would soon
be overrun by the enemy. Lund did not have to issue the order as his men fell
back in disarray and the relentless American advance across this corner of
Normandy continued.
Turn 4, Phases 3-8; Turn 5, Phase 1;
Turn 6, Phases 1-7
German and US forces exchange fire over multiple
phases, the Germans taking the majority of shock and kills and using command
points to remove shock as a priority. American firepower is more intensive and
more effective, helped by their having three successive phases. The Germans use
a CoC die to shoot with the off-table Marders at the lead Sherman, knocking it
out, and spend their final CoC die to end the turn, healing one of their
injured Junior Leaders. Opening Turn 5, US Squad 1 shoots at German Squad 2
killing 3 and causing 1 point of shock and wound to Junior Leader. The German
Squad 2 runs away. German Force Morale is reduced to 3. The Americans use a CoC
die to end the turn, and German Force Morale is reduced to 1. With little to
lose, the Germans continue shooting, but shock inflicted is easily removed by
the US Leaders. US shooting wounds one of the German Junior Leaders in due
course and German force morale is reduced to 0 and the game ends.
Campaign Movement at the end of Game
3
Again the Germans have suffered a loss, this time
with 11 casualties, one of whom is Obergefreiter Steiger, who on a roll of 6 is
not replaced. This means that when Lund's men next take the field they will be
denuded by 10 mean and 1 Junior Leader dead plus 3 wounded. All others retired
safely. With the German CO still out of radio contact, his opinion remains
unknown. The attitude of the men moves from -1 to -4, which will affect future
force morale, and Lund's own outlook remains Worried.
The 29th's successful breakthrough at Arthenay
improves Colonel Goode's outlook to Worried.
