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Click on Image to Enlarge
Kampfgruppe Carius.
Carius’ Puma and infantry are continuing
to advance along the northermost path. It is extremely slow going
since the infantry must force their way through extremely heavy
forest whilst still carefully checking the route ahead for
ambushes.
They are less than halfway along the road but
if their caution results in it being cleared for little loss then
it will have been well worth it.
Carius’ own Stug III has done well again.
I spotted a Sherman nestled close to the buildings in the centre
of the suspected enemy positions and engaged it. No hits have
been obtained by either side as of yet but I have confidence in
the ability of my crews. Things are going far better than
expected. In case things don’t work out though, I have
ordered my crew to move the Panther slightly southwards off the
road so that it will be able to engage the Sherman Carius is
reporting. Unfortunately, at present, the same house which
thankfully obscured me from view during my duel with the Sherman
last turn now obscures the enemy tank from my view.
Kampfgruppe Eberbach:
Kampfgruppe Eberbach performs like a well-oiled
machine and hurls itself bodily into the clearing. (The charge of
Panzergrenadiergruppe Eberbach across the field over this and the
next minutes is a sight to behold. The sheer volume of fire and
the effect this has on the Americans has to be seen to be
believed.)
The first three SPW 251/1s burst from the
forest path just in front of their infantry (thanks to the pause
order through which I had ordered them to wait 30 seconds before
advancing so as to allow my infantry to reach the forest edge).
They scatter at fast speed so as not to block the forest path if
knocked out and as their infantry advance from the forest slow
and begin pounding an enemy machinegun position with fire.
As the machinegunners seek cover my infantry
burst forth and begin pouring fire in. Seconds later the StuG
IIIs main cannon joins in and the American position is engulfed
in a shellburst. The air is literally alive with tracers and some
4 heavy machineguns and two squads of infantry are targeting the
unfortunate machinegun team.
After only 20 seconds or so of this treatment
the single survivor surrenders to my advancing forces.
Click on Image to Enlarge
This shot was taken at the end of the
action phase. You can see my first three SPW 251/1s, the Stug
IIIG and some of my infantry advancing across the open terrain.
You can also see my last SPW 251/1, which is carrying a mounted
infantry squad as previously discussed, letting rip with its
heavy machinegun into the forests on the far side of the clearing.
So far I’ve suffered only one man lost.
The machinegun managed to get off one burst before being
smothered by friendly fire and claimed one of my Panzergrenadiers.
Kampfgruppe von Kelly:
As my Panther moves rumbles slowly forward to
clear the main round my gunner lets another round loose. Another
miss damnit. The Americans may not be the best tankers in the
world. But if our fourth shell is a miss, I will start placing
bets on the American hitting us with his next shell.
I can feel the trickle of sweat down the back
of my neck despite the cold. I haven’t exerted myself, what
I feel now is the feeling of fear. I raise my binoculars and
examine the American tank more closely.
Click on Image to Enlarge
As the American tank is so far away and so
obscured I do not even have a clue as to its type. It could be a
Stuart or a Sherman or perhaps something entirely different. All
I know is that if it is shooting at me, its imagines can destroy
me and thus I feel it must be a Sherman 75 or better.
One thing surprises me though as I look at the
tank. It is retreating. Certainly it is stopping to shoot back at
me but it is definitely pulling back.
Click on Image to Enlarge
It is of no consequence though as I can see
that my gunner’s fourth shell is flying true. No matter that
the enemy has taken up a new, better firing position. The shell
flies true and yet another small flash announces the death of
another enemy. The above picture captures my shell in flight mere
instants before it plunges into the heart of the enemy tank,
destroying it and its crew. I do not see anyone bailing out of
this wreck.
Click on Image to Enlarge
One of my SPW 251/1s has bogged down in the
deep snow behind me. Curse it all. I needed that SPW 251/1 for
troop transport. Well, without transport the infantry in that
half-track is almost useless to me so I scream at the NCO in
charge to doubletime down the forest path and out towards the
centre of the American line. I’d prefer to obtain even a
little reconnaissance of the southern flank before I rush my
entire SPW 251/1 force down it and behind the small, protecting
hills there. Once he has scouted sufficiently the half-track
which has just positioned my OP forward of my Panther’s
position can rush forward and pick him up (as well as performing
a valuable anti-tank ambush tripwire function). While I do not
like risking a valuable SPW 251/1 or squad of infantry I’d
rather lose them than another of my valuable tanks.
With only two tanks still capable of movement I
need to guard them at almost all costs. Even though I can see
only 5 enemy tanks, and have knocked out two of those, I cannot
believe that the Americans have been able to spare only 5 tanks
for this important location. I believe that I can expect either
an unspotted force to pop up momentarily or strong reinforcements
to appear. On reflection the withdrawal of the enemy tank I just
destroyed was purely a tactical move to a hull-down position and
I dismiss all thought that it may have heralded a general
breakdown in enemy morale.
Kampfgruppe Student:
Very little else has happened on this front. It
is now obvious that the enemy is preparing a major assault from
the direction of the river. He has started dropping mortar rounds
all over my advance positions and has killed 4 men with a
combination of mortar, machinegun and rifle fire….
Shells are impacting in the centre of the town.
But despite some close calls, my redeploying MG42s and
Fallschirmjaeger platoon are almost to their new deployments. I
hope that the artillery strike I called in is successful as the
enemy is certainly not short of supporting fire and I could use a
little to even the odds.
Click on Image to Enlarge
I am trying to think of a stratagem by which I
can draw his southern assault force in. I begin to fear this is
merely a holding attack. If he can hold one of my platoons in
this location whilst his main force launches a frontal assault he
will have greatly eased his main assault’s progress. I very
much wish to use my flamethrower to thin his ranks. I believe I
will stage a withdrawal in panic to lure him in. Grazing fire
from my MG 42 and my newly redeployed Fallschirmjaeger infantry
squad will cover the other two squads as they drop back. When the
enemy advances on my position my flamethrower will ambush him and
should be able to claim 1 to 2 enemy squads (it is an awesome
weapon in action. Quite frightening also.) whereupon I will order
a charge by my Fallschirmjaeger platoon and mop up the survivors.
With my flank secured I will redeploy this platoon to strengthen
my riverside defences.
It may not work but at the very least acting
aggressively and decisively and risking death in the face of
danger in pursuit of a winning stratagem is better than being
pinned by a holding attack so that the main assault can flank and
annihilate me at its leisure.
L’audacite. Toujours l’audacite.
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