D+25567: Citizen Soldiers in France

Yesterday marked the 70th anniversary of Operation Overlord, the Invasion of Normandy on 6 June 1944. It seemed proper to mark the historic event with a Flames Of War battle report featuring the Big Red One on Omaha Beach.

This battle also marks the first in my series of Citizen Soldier games. After several months of preparation, I was ready to hit the beach and I chose 6 June 2014 as the launch date for my article series.

WN60

Wiederstandneste Omaha Points (CV) HQ 45 add 1x Panzerschreck team 25 Omaha Wiederstandnest (WN60) with 1x R-35 turret 75 with 2x 8cm Mortar Tobruk nests 80 add 2x 8cm Mortar Tobruk nests 80 add 7.5cm FK nest 85 add 2cm Flak38 nest 75 add 1x Goliath Demo carrier 30 includes 10x Barbed wire includes 5x Trench lines includes 5x MG teams Omaha Wiederstandnest (WN61) with 5cm PaK38 Pillbox 115 with 5cm KwK Nest 60 add 1x HMG Tobruk nest 75 add 2x HMG Pillbox 170 add APX turret 95 add 1x Goliath Demo carrier 30 includes 10x Barbed wire includes 5x Trench lines includes 5x MG teams Static Rocket Launcher Battery with 3x 28cm sWG41 Nests 90 Static Rocket Launcher Battery with 3x 28cm sWG41 Nests 90 Normandy Minefields 5x Minefields 250 Normandy Barbed Wire 2x Barbed Wire Entanglements 20 Total Points 1490

I was pleased to kick things off with a game against my brother Andrew. We don't get in enough games these days, so I was happy to be able to slot this one in. The obvious mission to play was Hit the Beach, found in the Normandy Battles supplement or on the Flames Of War website here... We wanted a big game, so set the Germans at 1500 points. The mission then gives the Allies an additional 25% more points, so I had 1875. Andrew's Festungskompanie As a long-time fortifications user, Andrew was keen on the prospect of defending Omaha Beach with the 352. Infanteriedivision. Using history as a template, Andrew formed two Wiederstandeneste (WN), WN60 and WN61, both situated on Omaha Beach. WN60 was forified with mortars, a flak nest, an 7.5cm Feldkannon nest, and an R-35 turret bunker. This he placed on my right flank, slightly back from the beach, but still in a position to support WN61. WN61 was placed forward slightly to cover the actual beach landing. Armed with more pillboxes, than the other strongpoint, this was able to absorb a lot more punishment. It was only vulnerable in the rear, however Andrew had that area locked down with WN60. Andrew then had five additional minefields and two stretches of barbed wire which he used to link the two Wiederstandneste together. He had belts of wire and mines all over the place! Finally, his troops were further reinforced with six 28cm sWG41 static rocket launchers. These were deployed wisely on the high ground overlooking the beach.

WN61

Mike's Assault Company I wanted to field something fairly typical of the Big Red One's Normandy landings. I wanted everything to go in on foot via landing craft, with the exception of the DD tanks that were to swim ashore under their own power. To that end, I stocked up on Boat Sections and Support Boat Sections. I also took a Ranger platoon to help keep the assault moving forward and a dismounted I&R platoon in case the German infantry tried to go to ground (dismounted also meant I could recycle them as needed). The M7s were loaded into an LCM as a floating battery to support the Destroyer Naval Gunfire Support. I chose the destroyer because I knew that there was not a lot that NGFS could actually destroy out of a Wiederstandneste, so I chose to save some points and go with the lighter option.

Assault Company Points HQ 15 Boat Section 165 Boat Section 165 Boat Section 165 Boat Section 165 Support Boat Platoon (2x Sections) 210 Support Boat Platoon (1x Section) 105 I&R Platoon (Dismounted) 85 Ranger Platoon 165 DD Tank Platoon (5x M4 DD) 315 Armored Field Artillery Battery (3x M7 Priest) 170 Destroyer NGFS 150 Total Points 1875

My first assault wave hits the beach!

I put my M7 Priests in an LCM as a floating battery 

While not a destroyer, this was my NGFS marker, a scratch-built Jutland veteran.

Hit the Beach!
aka The Plan versus Nature
The plan was simple: punch through WN60 and overrun the objective as quickly as possible. That meant stacking my troops on my right, which I did accordingly. The current was running left, and after some navigation problems, most of my troops ended up landing in front of WN61 instead! The DD-tanks ran into a bit of trouble early on, with two getting delayed for a turn, one arriving on the far left, and the last two getting swamped and sunk on the swim in. Luckily, the preliminary bombardment of the beach had knocked out a large number of MG teams from each Wiederstandneste.

The DD-tanks were a bit of a handful. Two delayed, two swamped and sunk, leaving only one to paddle ashore in the first wave! 

The first wave is ashore!

The first wave of infantry was ashore and pushing inland under the raking fire of WN61's machine-gun pillboxes. The sections' mortars were a huge help as they began to knock out nests and enemy infantry to lighten the return fire. Still, the Rangers were wiped out by focused machine-gun fire and Andrew unleashed some of his rockets, which all but wiped out a boat section and knocked out the one Sherman-DD that had made it ashore with the first wave.

The Germans open fire!

Launchers at the ready!

A rocket barrages rip through the Rangers, a boat section, and a DD Sherman.

Struggling Ashore
I had to make a decision about changing my objectives. With most of my troops on the left, I decided to target WN61 instead. The second wave arrived and delivered some more Rangers and another Boat Section (then the landing craft promptly got stuck in the surf for 5 turns!). The delayed Sherman DDs arrived as well and help push on the advance.

Small US gains are matched with intense German firepower.

More rockets!

The German return fire was again stiff, eliminating another boat section and seriously reducing the newly arrived Rangers. More rockets slammed into the beach zone, further causing casualties in the boat sections. The anti-tank pill boxes engaged the Shermans, but were unable to knock them out.

Critical Mass
After several turns I had managed to creep up to about 6" beyond the seawall, however those troops were now under fire from both of Andrew's Wiederstandneste. More troops arrived and now all four boat sections (some understrength) and a few support boat sections were in position to start a big push into WN61.

Not much to show for seven turns of fighting!

Uh oh, more rockets...

The third Ranger platoon now took up the lead and formed a spear point to cover the boat sections, while the Destroyer NGFS, Priests, and Sherman-DD tanks eliminated the last of the infantry and nests covering the objective. With only three pillboxes remaining, the way was open, I just needed to get past all of the bunkers and rocket fire. The boat sections then blew up a strip of barbed wire and prepared for the final assault. Meanwhile, other sections kept WN60 underfire to make sure the main effort was covered.

A deadly 5cm KwK bunker is finally silenced by a Sherman DD tank.

WN60 is relieved of it's nests by Sherman and 60mm mortar fire.

The Big Push
The mission ends on turn 13 and I need to be holding an objective, so when we rolled into turn 9 with little more than 10" of gained ground, I knew the time was now or never. I needed to get into the center of WN61 as quickly as possible.

The Ranger platoon was once again a shadow of its former self with three teams, but I elected to keep them on the table to help try and clear some wire. Under normal circumstances, I'd be happy just to try and run through the wire on a successful skill check (3+ for my Big Red One boat sections), but Andrew had two belts of wire, and in some places a third belt of mines. So I needed to lessen the odds a bit and remove some of the wire.

The Big Push

The Rangers and an understrength Support Boat Section went to work and removed two pieces of wire, leaving only a single belt of wire remaining. I sent in a boat section, which managed to mostly get across the wire. Now, with the two Machine-gun Pillboxes flanked I launched an assault on one of them after prepping the target with a flame-thrower. Pinned, the machine-gun pillbox destroyed a rifle team before itself being demolished. I then fell back toward the objective into the German trenches.

"We're in! Who's got the flag?"

I now needed to just hold my gains for the German turn, which wasn't easy as the platoon holding the objective was well below half-strength and only barely managed to stay on the table with the help of my Company Commander!

WN61's last pillboxes try and knock out the US invaders.

That platoon of troops was the target for everything remaining in Andrew's arsenal. The anti-tank pillbox took a break from its fruitless battle with Shermans and fired at the boat section, the last of Andrew's static rocket launchers were fired at them, and even Panzerschreck and turret bunker fire was brought to bear. A rifle team was destroyed, but the platoon held and passed their last morale check.

The US flag was finally raised on WN61 and the hard-fought battle was won. According to the mission's victory conditions it was a minor US victory for taking and holding the objective Andrew placed in WN61. It was a tough battle!

 4-3 US victory

Thanks to Andrew for a fun, exciting game and for helping me kick of this article series!