Croix-le-Bocage - with Battlegroup Beyond the Beaches - D-Day to Berlin series game 2

Following D-Day, game 2 in our series would be using the 'Beyond the Beaches' book and lists, and given it is Normandy, then we decided to make it a proper bocage fight. This would involve combining our hedgerow collections to make a single board that had anything like the density of hedges required. We rolled a random Attack/Defence scenario, with the Germans on the defensive, and got Break Out. So, the Americans would be attacking to get off the far table edge against a thinly held section of the line (at least to start with). 

For forces, at 800 pts, both had gone with infantry divisions. The attacking US infantry force was (roughly), 2 infantry platoons, an M10 battery, and support from a recce jeep team, FHQ and comms team, forward air observer, off-table 155mm guns on call and 81mm mortars too, with an aerial artillery observer in a Piper Club buzzing around above. Few others bits taken too, being counter-battery fire missions (2) and and timed P-51 air strike and a 2nd priority request for more guns. 

The Germans holding the line had a grenadier platoon and ost platoon, with some teams in 37mm and 50mm AT guns, light mortars and an extra MG, 1 StuG and a StuH-42, with recce from a sniper, 222 armoured car, defences were light: a bocage fortress, a road block, some foxholes, but screened by 3 PRTPs and 4 on-board guns (or arriving on board guns) in an 81mm and 120mm mortar team, a 75mm infantry gun and 150mm sIG, all had loader teams if they could, and a 2nd priority request for more guns. They use those PRTPs, which were all placed along the central lane, left, right and centre. The east-west lane was going to be the line of contact, and hellish!

We rolled for random table edges and the US got to pick, then deployed, set the timed strikes and PRTPs etc, ammo'd up the few armoured vehicles and were ready to go. 

Croix-le-bocage, all small fields except for a single white barn, and a central orchard. A lane ran across the line of advance, roughly in the centre. The US must push to it, then beyond, and try to get off the far table edge.

US advances, left right and centre. Main push on the right, left is a diversion/distraction.

First platoon began by moving up on the right, supported by an M10 and with the recce jeep team team calling in mortar fire on the lane, beyond the crossroads were the road block barred the way (behind it was placed a Pak-38), and mortaring managed to KO this gun, and free the lane for use (until reinforcements arrived). Not much combat to start with, some mortaring and the P-51 dropped its bombs to cause a single pin.

More US infantry arrived and 2nd platoon moved up in the centre and on the left, 2 M10s behind. The Piper Cub was kept back, as yet, there weren’t that many Germans to open fire on. The mortars did the work instead. It wasn’t until turn 3 or 4 that the action kicked off… by which time a few German reserves had arrived and rushed to man their positions behind the hedgerows. The StuH-42 arrived at the road block and opened fire down the lane, where the M10 command gun ‘Ace in the Hole’ was lurking, and a long range exchange of fire resulted in zero hits.

As the US infantry filtered forwards and got to the lane, then the real action started. Suddenly, 81mm and 120mm mortar bombs rained down around the crossroads (an obvious PRTP) and more accurate infantry gun fire smashed into the lane by the orchard. Much pinning and first losses. Time to respond, the Piper Cub buzzed on and called in the ‘long tom’ fire, hammering the hedgerows to the right (US), and getting some pinning. The other StuG had moved up here and the M10 and it exchanged fire, only for the StuG to become immobilised as it shed a track slewing right to line up a shot… handy breakdown counter. It was stuck in position, but the M10 couldn’t get it (one hit glanced off). A bazooka team was moving up to try to help out.

At the crossroads, the shriek of nebelwerfer rockets could be heard. The priority request had called up 280mm rockets and they slammed into the crossroad’s PRTP, hard, much pinning, 2 rifle squads wiped out. The counter-battery fire mission failed to do its job! Hanging round on the lane was very unhealthy, so I had to try to push on, except German MGs awaited on ambush fire. The US tried to get them pinned down with BAR teams and M1 rifle fire… with limited success. German firepower was winning the hedgerow to hedgerow firefight on the right. To add to this, they pulled an air attack counter and a Bf-109 arrived, dropping its bombs as well. The Luftwaffe - what!

On the left, infantry had swung around, trying to avoid another PRTP and got to the lane, but one squad found themselves low on ammo, and 75mm infantry gun shells got others pinned. Pulling counters to unpin, the USAAF arrived, thanks to the forward air controller. A P-47 dived in, and it went after the 109 in a dogfight. The 109 then turned on the Piper Cub, chasing it, and pinning and damaging it. A three-way dog fighting had broken out!

Next turn, the P-47 scored a hit and damaged the 109, which failed its morale check and raced for home, freeing the skies for the USAAF. It then turned its rocket on the StuH-42 at the roadblock and immediately turned it into burning wreck with 3 rocket hits! This pilot was an ace!

More incoming IDF hammered along the length of the lane, and the US infantry casualties mounted. I couldn’t push on the right, too much MG fire was awaited, but as the US infantry was pinned down, a sneaking panzerschreck team crawled forwards and smashed the M10 with a hit. Argh! That flank’s advance had stalled out, then a squad broke and ran too. Could the US bazooka team do likewise to the StuG? No. It got spotted and hit and was lost too.

So, the right was a bust, but in the centre the push was on through the orchard, M10 close behind, hammering away with HE at the hedgerow ahead, at least pinning his MG team. The 155s critically failed to fire as comms gave out, and the P-47s last rockets missed the damned sIG-33 at the back of the table… which was a constant menace. One GI squad assaulted German ost troops in the white barn and wiped them out, but took heavy MG fire in return that saw them break. The counters had really mounted up. Back on the right, the Germans launched a mini-counter attack, grenadiers pushing up against feeble opposition, which did wipe out one squad in a close assault through the bocage than saw both sides loss their squads. The third M10, which had been working it way over there to help with the StuG since the StuHs destruction, suddenly found it had no infantry support and panzerfaust-wielding enemy infantry head. It reversed away sharpish.

The US had just run out of infantry. 1st platoon had been wiped out, bar about 4 scattered men. 2nd Platoon was at half strength and heavily pinned around the orchard. Unpinning resulted in breaking the US BR total. There would be no breakthrough at Croix-le-bocage today. The Germans had sent in enough troops to hold on… still with 14 BR left, so a solid win.

It was a well planned German defence, almost thwarted by a severe lack of troops to start with, but they scrambled into place just in time. The three PRTP along the lane meant I had to either sit under them and be pounded by mortars and infantry guns, or move up into the open fields and take waiting MG fire at close range. The M10s failed me (and so often do), scoring 0 kills. The 155s, my big hitters, had done OK, but had not scored enough direct hits to really hurt the Germans. Another day in hedgerow hell… and no ground gained.

So, after 2 games in the D-Day to Berlin series, its 2-0 Germany. Next time we’ll move on to the Westwall book, an Aachen urban assault game.

US POV, along the lane to the crossroads of death. Beyond it would be a roadblock, with an AT gun, then the StuH-42.

1st Platoon head out on the right, M10 in close support.

'Major, I think we took a wrong turn!'. FHQ, handily upgraded to Radio Comms Network. Comms team just behind.

2nd Platoon arrive in the centre.

P-51 bombs the bocage fortress position on far right (largely not in the fight). Easy counter...

Reach the line of contact by the crossoads  - incoming!

Resupply truck helps out an M10.

The battle on the right as 1st Platoon get pinned down, then wiped out.

Piper Cub circles over head and calls in 155 fire ahead of 1st platoon.

USAAF are having a day!

A shocker, a Bf-109s skims in, drops its bombs then turns it sights on the Piper Cub... only for the P-47 to get after it and send it running back to base, trailing smoke. 

'Ace in the Hole' trades fire with the StuH... miss, miss. The P-47 got it!

Attack through the orchard, better than being on that damn road.

Panzerschreck team scores direct hit. Sneaky gits!

The far left, trying to get around unseen, but there is a third PRTP, and the infantry gun has them covered too.