Friday, January 27, 2012

Return to Combat Commander

Situation Report
St. Jean De Daye, France July 8, 1944
July 7th saw a brief battle in which German forces were forcibliy evicted from their hilltop defenses near the Vire Rivert. The small American force that won the day - elements of the 743d Tank Battalion, including an immobilized M4 Sherman - was then tasked to hold the hills until reinforcements could arrive to relieve them. Sergeant White ordered his infantry to dig in atop the dominant hill as Sgt. Beuhler prepped his shaken tank crew.
It is now just before dawn, July 8, and the dim morning glow is punctuated by a flare igniting over Hill 104. The expected German counterattack has arrived; the US reinforcements have not.

I chose the Allied forces for this match up. Nearly all the weaponry at my disposal was attached to the immobilized tank, which I placed in a valley. Sgt White and his infantry awaited the assault on the hilltop. Reinforcements would come, but slowly with no leaders and terrain covered in wire and mines. Robert's German forces began their advance. A small group coming through the hedges trying to advance to position to take out the tank crew and the remainder of his troops advancing through the cover of buildings to determine their attack plan on the hill. Luck favored the attackers early as the German machine called in air strike after air strike. Fortunately the well armored Sherman kept the troops from any real harm and a fire in one building soon spread to the other, forcing the Germans out of their safe location. The group advancing on the tank made a sneak attack, hoping to best the tank crew and their Sgt in hand-to-hand combat, but the Allied fighters were too good (a stray round from the German artillery finished off any hope of forcing the Americans from their tank). The German command then focused their effort on the group on the hill. Taking advantage of the hedgerows for cover, the Germans began a series of fire attacks at the foxholed group that slowly took their toll. Unfortunately for the Germans, the got desperate and forced and ill-advised rush up the hill to try and take out the American squads. The group was repelled and finished off as time ran out for the Germans.

2 comments:

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Things of No Interest said...

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