GENERAL SITUATION

The 3rd Corps, under General Patton, has broken out of Normandy and is expanding south and west, and east and north. Resistance has been weak and most German troops encountered have either surrendered or been overrun. Some rear guards have put up serious resistance but were overwhelmed. The American forces continue advancing north-east towards the river Seine.

The above is the basis for the "Touring France 1944" games I ran at Drums Along the Maumee in Toledo this year. I have put the actual MISSION, SITUATION, AT START information from the game near the end of this "short" article.

The rules I use for World War II tactical games are "Home Grown WRG 1925-1950." They combine Wargames Research Group (WRG) English 1973 WW2 rules, their 1975 WRG Modern 1950-1975 rules, and the WRG 1993 WW2 rules, with our own additions. They play like the WW2 1973 set with alternate movement, spotting, and other changes, such as doubling the 1973 set's movement, and adding in double fire for non-moving units, plus some other changes. Fairly basic to a player -- how fast can I move, will I shoot first, what can I see, and what can I kill or can kill me? It also uses written map orders and a percent roll to change orders, as in Spear Head (but for a tactical not operational game). My set is dated 1985.

US forces consisted of a HQ with a Forward Air Controller and a Forward Observer (105mm), plus two towed 57mm Anti-tank guns; a Sherman tank company with 16 Sherman (75) and 1 Sherman (105) plus four M18 Gun Motor Carriages; a Recon section with 5 M5A1 light tanks, 2 M8 armored cars, and 5 jeeps with HMG; two infantry companies in trucks, one towed 4 gun 105mm artillery battery; an AA section with 2 Quad 50cal AAHMG half-tracks; and an engineer platoon. This made up an under strength Battalion task force.

German forces consisted of an armored HQ with 1 Panther and 3 AA guns (Sdz 7/2, 2 Flak 38t SP); a Panther Company with 4 Panthers; a Pz IV company with 5 Mark IV/H tanks; an armored grenadier company with 3 251/21, 1 251/17, and 2 251/2 (triple AA, single AA, mortar half-tracks), an Infantry Plt HQ and 3 infantry squads; a reconnaissance group of a Plt HQ, 4 Recon Teams, 1 LMG Team, 1 Bazooka Team, 1 tank hunter team, a SGIII/G assault gun; and 8 light cars (Volkswagen KW and SW); and a reconnaissance group of 1 250/9 HQ half-track (these have 20mm/LMG open turrets from 234/1 armored car on a light armored half-track), 2 more 250/9, 4 251/1 with a Plt HQ and 3 infantry squads, a bazooka team and a tank hunter team, plus one 251/22 half-track with a 75mm Pak 40 anti-tank gun. This was a German under strength Battalion task force.

The Game

Both games went about the same, with the second game showing better results for the U.S. player. Like in Spear Head, you must deploy your units depending on the terrain, your combat abilities, and your mission. Reconnaissance is ESSENTIAL.

The two German players showed pretty good knowledge of tactical warfare. They based their defenses on having the German reconnaissance groups set up an ambush on both Road A1 and A4 in the wooded areas in F1, and in F and E 4&5. The tank hunters laid their one minefield on the roads, then deployed to cover the minefields. The SGIII provided back-up to its group, and the 251/22 to the other group. Both groups placed their transport close to their forces and ready to head north. The Germans placed the Panzer IV/H on the hill in A1, and in the town in B4. BOTH games!!!

The U.S. players both attacked the same way, down the roads. See my conclusions on why this was done below. Both U.S. forces used their M8/Jeep sections on the wood road A4, and their M5A1 tanks on the more open roads -- although the second game the U.S. players mixed its M18 into the forces. The first group kept them back. In both games the reconnaissance group conducted their mission by moving as rapidly down the roads as they could. In one game they were bunched up because they hit the mines, were destroyed, and partially blocked the road, stopping the armor behind them in front of the German ambush. In the other game, they missed the mines to be ambushed by covering German forces and the following forces ran into the mines and ambush. In both games, on both roads, the German Recon teams kicked butt, using their bazooka team, tank hunter team, and Recon teams to kill the U.S. forces on the roads. Light M5A1 tanks, M8 armored cars, and Shermans were destroyed. The German Recon teams fired off all of their Panzerfaust 60, and then ran through the woods to their transports and pulled out. In the second game they had NO losses.

In both games, the U.S. players tried to change orders and get their tanks off the wooded road and deploy them to the left. In the first game, the Germans moved their Mark IV/H off the hill and down to the buildings in D1. They lost one tank. In the second game, the U.S. player received several P-47 strikes armed with 500 pound bombs. The P-47 tried but only one skip bomb (out of 8 dropped) hit a German vehicle, and knocked out an AA vehicle on the outskirts of the town in B4. The American players needed a 4+ on a D6 to change orders, and a 5+ on a D6 to get air support. In game one, they couldn't roll a D6 higher than a 3. In the first game the U.S. players remained stuck south of row E (see map) for most of the battle. Only at the end did they get their forces moving.

In the second game the U.S. forces DID roll the needed 4+ to change orders, and received two flights of planes as discussed above. The tanks swung between the marsh and the dense woods east of the river and moved north. They reached C3 when they realized they were on the wrong side of the river and would still have to try and cross the bridge in front of the German held town. At this point they halted the attack.

In both games, the Recon Groups successfully halted the U.S. attacks which were concentrated on the wooded road. The German tanks only fired a few shots. The German players deployed and played extremely well. In the second game, the U.S. players matched those in the first game, but combined with better dice, actually threatened the Germans. In addition, they realized that their deployment would prevent them from taking the bridge without regrouping and halted their attack to do that.

Conclusion

1. U.S. forces did not have enough artillery or air. However, neither U.S. group appeared to have a good idea of how to use what they had. The FO and FAC were not in position at all in the first game -- I think one or both died in the ambushes -- and were with the group in the woods in the second. "No can see, no can call in air or guns."

2. U.S. forces needed another infantry company and another tank company. This would represent a reinforced advance guard for the Division (a battalion +). Poor deployment of forces -- reconnaissance units and the infantry companies -- hurt the U.S. forces in both games. For example, the U.S. Recon units could have split and moved one group fast, then the other, moving alternately by bounds and staying in sight of each other. Always make contact with the smallest force possible and someone in position to see what happened. The infantry from one infantry company and the engineers could have been loaded on the AFV in the front of the column which would have greatly lessened the effect of the German infantry. On the other hand, the U.S. player did recognize that the center of the table was German tank country, not Sherman tank country. The added U.S. forces would have provided enough armor to attempt an attack -- in this case up the west side of the table. The artillery and mortars could smoke the German Panthers while the Shermans and M18 attacked the Mark IV/H. You can also use M4 Shermans in platoon strength as artillery.

3. Give the U..S forces more time or start farther north on the table. They had 10 turns to get off the table and the only way to fill that condition was to move on the roads. Hence, they attempted to come down the roads. Need to change that to 15 or 20 turns.

4. The German mission was too easy. This could be changed to require them to conduct a local counter attack. This is done by requiring the Germans to move at least one platoon south to destroy the bridge in H2/3, or hold the woods and road at F1 in order to mine the road. Adding two 251/7 engineer half-tracks for this mission should do it, and moving the German defense line up to row D. Or simply require the Germans to KO the enemy forces enough to halt the attack (morale).

The games went relatively well. I believe most of the players had a very good time -- the Germans definitely were feeling pretty cocky. U.S. Group One definitely needs to practice rolling D6!

U.S. Forces

SITUATION

35th Infantry Division (-) is advancing on the west flank of CCA 4th Armored Division which has reached ORLEANS. It is advancing northeast in Regimental Combat Teams less all but one artillery battalion (the 161st)of the Artillery Regiment and supply units which have been unable to keep up. Your unit is an advance guard for the 137th Regimental Combat Team (137 RCT). This is a combined arms group leading the forward infantry battalion of the 137 RCT. The Division is advancing north of ORLEANS east towards the Seine and the cities of FONTAINEBLEAU and MONTEREAU.

MISSION

137th RCT advance guard. Your Task Force is to move north as rapidly as possible, overrunning light resistance and bypassing heavy resistance, while providing the RCT information of enemy contacts, road, and bridge conditions. You have 10 turns to have your unit move a company off the far table edge.

AT START

You may deploy your unit on any road coming out of the west table edge. Your lead vehicles may be up to 24" (600 meters) from the west table edge. You may deploy the Recon group or light tank platoon on any other road not taken by your main force, which must all come on one road. Your unit will arrive in order. Please mark your OB for the order in which units arrive, i.e., the column of march.

German Forces

SITUATION

7th Panzer Division is located near CORBEIL southeast of PARIS. A Battle Group (KG) has been detached southwest to assist in the withdrawal of VII Army across the Seine River. This unit has moved south to block the main approach to FONTAINEBLEAU.

MISSION

The KG is to delay the approach by American forces preventing enemy units from advancing north. The KG is to conduct a delaying action inflicting the maximum casualties on any U.S. force encountered while taking minimum losses.

AT START

The German forces consist of two groups of units. The first is Recon elements from the KG (identified in the list below - there are 2), the second the tank and grenadier units w/support units.

RECON units begin the game on the table no closer then 7 feet from the German north table edge (assumes a 10 foot table) or 3 feet from the west table edge. (same thing) Indicate the location of these two units on the map.

The battle group starts the game no closer then 4 feet from the German (north) table edge.