THE BATTLE FOR VILLIERS FOSSARD

THE BATTLE FOR VILLIERS FOSSARD

No posts of late, due to the demands of book production, which is happily now complete. This frees me up to do some gaming – hurrah!

On Saturday 9^th March, I’ll be running a demo-game of Battlegroup Overlord at the Portcullis games store in Bolton. On Sunday 10^th, I’ll be running another demo-game of BGO at the WMMS show in Wolverhampton, close to the PSC sales stand. Do come and say hello. To keep interest up, these two games are going to be linked (along with a planned third to follow), into a mini-campaign – ‘the Battle for Villiers Fossard’. This is mainly a chance for me to get some good use for my US and Fallschirmjager collections.

Villiers Fossard is a small hamlet north of St Lo, in the heart of the bocage country, and it was defended by elements of 3^rd Fallschirmjager Division during the American drive to capture St Lo in July, 1944. My mini-campaign will recreate the heavy fighting for the village on July 11th, with the US 29th Infantry Division attacking in force against the embattled, dug-in, defenders.

The first battle (at Bolton) will be for the morning’s fighting, to clear the twin farms at Hameau Baudet and Le Mont, just north of the village itself. Capturing these two strongpoints will allow for the afternoon attack (the second game at WMMS) over le Jouenne stream (little more than a big drainage ditch really, but enough to stop armour) into the buildings of Villiers Fossard itself. Once over the stream, and with the village captured, the third battle (to follow in a week or so) will be to halt a strong counter-attack against the village from the west, led by more Fallschirmjager, that evening. Whichever side wins the most games, by the biggest margin of BR, will be the overall victor.

I’ll write up full AAR for all three games to post here, but if you’re in the Bolton area, or at WMMS on Sunday, do come along and see how the battles are taking shape.More will follow soon...