Friday 5 July 2013

Operation Overlord; Gold Beach Bat Rep #2

The Mission:  Beach Assault 
The Location:  Gold Beach

The Defenders:  Festungskompanie 726 (CT, 1200)
HQ/2IC with Knackers
3x Festungs Grenadier platoons
3 Marders
8.8cm Pill box
7.5cm Pill box
2 HMG Pillboxes and 1 Nest
Barbed wire across entire beach front.

The Attackers: Commando (Beaches with 50th. 1500)
HQ and 2 Piats
2x Commando Platoons
Machine Gun platoon
Mortar platoon
Lord Lovat
3 DD Shermans and 1 DD Firefly
2 AVRE 
4 Priests
Limited Air support

 In the early morning the Commandos approach the shore.  
 The defenders watch them waiting for the right moment to fire.
 AVREs begin their approach as overhead the Navy starts its preliminary bombardment.
 The Bombardment shakes up the defenders along the seawall killing several squads
 Smoke and debris cover the area and then finally the bombardment stops.  
 The Allies are coming in force.  Their Objectives being to seize the town and the V-1 site inland!

 And here they come!  A pair of DD Tanks make it to shore.  The others being delayed.
 The 7.5cm AT Pillbox opens fire knocking out a DD right away!
 The British roll forward sending their heavy hitter AVRE in to try and blast the Bunker.
 Typhoon dives on the beach defenders but fails to range in.
 Commandos with Lord Lovat and his faithfull bagpiper Bill Storm towards the seawall!


 German HMGs waste no time trying to stop the invaders.  However the Commandos are Veterans and manage to evade much of the intense fire!
 And then they bring their own Fire to the party.  Pinning a HMG pillbox making way for an assault.
 But it isnt enough and Lord Lovat is forced back into the seawall after taking heavy casualties.

Both AT pillboxes try to take out the AVRE but fail to find their mark.

 Priests make it a shore.  Breakthrough guns will tip the scale!
 A Priest gun line is formed, and the 2nd AVRE lumbers up the beach.  A stray PIAT streaks into the Beach front Cafe killing the German 2IC.
 This time the AVREs find their mark making quick work of the 7.5.
 By now its obvious where the main attack is landing so the Grens manning the furthest beach area start to relocate towards the town objective behind their comrades.
The V-1 is primed and warming up!
 The 8.8 finally makes a long range kill on an AVRE.
 The Firefly DD makes to shore and then promptly bogs down.
 Oh my....
 The German defenders with no AT can only hope to survive the withering fire from all the tanks long enough for reinforcements to arrive.
 And here they come!  Marders to the rescue double time down the road.
 The Grenadiers relocating make it closer to support the objective.
 The Commandos just keep coming ashore.  The 8.8 takes out the bogged firefly.
Confident that the Allies Limited Airpower wouldnt be able to get them so close to the Bocage, Marders Double time towards the Beach.  "Uhh Hans,  whats that approaching from behind us?"
Shermans use the main guns to take out a couple Gren squads in their trenches.
More Commandos supported by a Sherman move up towards the 8.8 bunker.

 Sierra's Typhoons strike again...   Mobile reserves wiped out just as fast as they arrived.
 The 3rd and last Grenadier platoon arrives from reserve and double times it towards the front.
 The pillboxes are racking up kills on the East beach approaches.
 Commandos start scaling the cliff in front of the 8.8
Not enough Commandos make it up the cliff  and the Platoon leader elects not to assault.
Commando Mortars hit beach!
The Allies keep up the Air pressure and zero in on the Reserve Gren platoon killing several squads.
The Commando mortars manage to smoke the 8.8 thus saving the AVRE and Shermans at long range down the beach, but dooming the one at close range to a fiery death.
The Platoon of Grenadiers from the East beach finally makes it to the objective and take up positions in the nearby houses.
 And Sierra's armor lead by the AVRE breaks through!  Shermans are having trouble getting off the beach.
 All forces make for the breakthrough
 The CO of the Festungskompanie 726 charges out of his trench with only a couple squads in support.
IN YOUR FACE!
Meanwhile the Typhoons have whittled down the reserves who are barely hanging on.

Commandos get more men up the cliff and Flame the remainder of the defenders in the house.
Shermans finally unbog.  This picture is a view from the window where the CO of the Festungs retreated to.  Uh oh is that a Breakthrough gun coming around the corner?....
Yep... Definetely a Breakthrough gun.
The German reserves manage to claw and scrape their battered bodies to the V-1 objective and dig in.

Commandos lead by the Shermans surge up the seawall and past the MG nests.
In a last ditch effort to reach the V-1 a Sherman gets bogged on a stone fence.
The platoon leader of one of the Commando platoons gets within striking distance but its too late and the V-1 soars off towards England!

This was a tuff battle.  The Beach fortifications really held the line.  As soon as they broke Sierra was able to get in close and mop up.  If she had broken the defence only one turn earlier she would have got that V-1 objective.

Air power was amazing in this mission.  Even with limited and rolling 1 die for several turns the Typhoons single handedly destroyed or crippled both reserve platoons.

The Result:  4-3 to to the Germans.

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