Brian and I are beginning a Normandy campaign. We're going to slowly integrate the rest of the CVFOW club, but decided the only proper way to kick it off was with a good ol' fashioned beach assault.
US 3rd RANGER BATTALION
3 Full Strength Companies, each with 2 Ranger Platoons and a mortar battery
Full Strength Combat engineers
Armored Artillery Battery w/ 3 Priests
Tank Platoon with 3 Shermans
352nd INFANTERIE DIVISION FESTUNGKOMPANIE
HQ + 2 mortars + sniper
2 Grenadier platoons
HMG Platoon
3x Stug G
DEFENSES
2 8.8cm Bunkers
1 HMG bunker
1 minefield
Plus the standard trenches/barbed wire for the deployed platoons
The Germans deploy the HMG platoon and one grenadier platoon. The Rangers' first wave consists of two full ranger companies.
The Armada opens fire, pummeling the beach as countless planes with black and white stripes darken the skies.
The German HMGs lose one stand to the bombardment.
The Grenadiers lose one stand.
Seconds after the shelling stops, the Germans peer over their trenches to see the first of the higgins boats slamming into the beach as GIs pour out. "Rangers lead the way!"
Move move move!
Some of the boats are delayed in the chop. 2 mortar batteries and 2 ranger platoons hit the beach.
All of the German defenders open fire, but both the HMG platoon and the mortars fail to unpin, so the volume of fire is significantly reduced.
The left most Ranger mortars suffer casualties.
The Rangers double time up the beach (being able to double through diffcult ground is the best!) and take cover behind the seawall.
Rangers continue clawing their way up the beach
More ranger mortars set up in the surf.
Waves after waves of rangers continue to pour out of landing craft, weathering the surprisingly light defensive fire.
Mortars drop a smoke barrage to keep the HMG bunker at bay.
casualties are overall rather light
The rangers prepare to climb over the wall.
Boats keep unloading, as the first of the ranger platoons pushes into the hinterland.
On the right flank, the rangers take up positions against the seawall.
Rangers knock out the remaining HMG in a close assault.
As the priests commence firing from their landing craft, ranger mortars blanket the defenders in smoke.
The defenders pour everything they can into the rangers, but the seawall offers ample protection. Still, with heavy casualties, one of the Ranger platoons is pulled off the line ready to be recycled.
The forward most rangers now have a wide open hole into the German lines.
The Shermans come ashore. One immediately bogs down in the soft sand.
The second wave of Rangers prepares to assault the 8.8 bunker to ensure the survival of the freshly arrived armor.
The rangers on the right flank still can't muster the strength to assault the defenders interlaced with bunkers.
The Priests open fire, knocking out a mortar.
On the left flank, the 8.8 bunker is knocked out and Rangers sweep inland.
Smoke covers the Rangers on the right, who keep their heads down.
The first of the rangers kill the German CO and claim the rear objective.
The German defenders, frustrated, charge out of their trenches and assault the rangers!
But they underestimate the Rangers' ferocity. The Grenadiers are decimated. The rangers are left with a handful of teams, but fearlessly push the attack.
The one remaining mortar fires on the rangers that have completely breached the left, doing minimal damage.
The priests come ashore to direct fire on the two remaining bunkers.
The green machine keeps coming. Engineers move up to the mine field.
The second wave of Rangers hook right and double times it towards the forward objective.
As the first ranger platoon double times into the woods containing the rear objective and prepares to dig in.
On the right flank, the battered rangers assault the 8.8 bunker. Direct fire from the priests and shermans pins both bunkers down.
The 8.8 bunker is knocked out.
Despite incoming mortar fire, the rangers are now swarming towards the forward objective with nothing but the 2iC, an HMG bunker, and a mortar to stop them.
With no reserves arriving, Brian calls the game at this point. 5 turns played and both objectives captured, giving the US a 6-1.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Brian *really* shouldn't have invested so heavily in 8.8s. He could've had 4 fully enclosed HMG bunkers for the same price, or a boat load of tank turrets and tobruk bunkers.
With this battle, the iron wall of Festung Europa has been breached and the campaign for Europe can begin!
