1800 hrs. Feb. 03/43 Raining

Earlier today Oberst. Kroona, commanding officer of the II Battalion of the 145 Regiment, was told to report to Berlin on urgent business. We can only hope it's to receive his Oak Leaves. He has been a very brave and excellent leader. All the men look up to him and will gladly do what he asks of them.

The last several days have been very hectic since orders came down from HQ that we must prepare for a push to dislodge the British before they succeed in entrenching themselves in their present position. Field Marshal Kesselring believed that no Allied reserves are facing us. The initiative has turned back to us and we will not let it go until the Tommies are swimming in the Mediterranean. Oberst Kroona and 1, Major Brien, second in command, have been analyzing intelligence information gathered through patrols behind enemy lines or intercepted communications. Oberst Kroona, an expert in infiltration, was given the task of preparing and leading the assault on the British sector called the thumb. This protruding and vulnerable position has three British battalions individually set up in their defensive areas and well dug-in. The units have been identified as the I Bn Duke of Wellington's, I Bn King's Shropshire Light Infantry and the 2 Bn Sherwood Foresters. The Sherwood Foresters form the base of the thumb, and this is were the decisive blow will fall.

We must be careful since the British have good morale, average firepower and excellent artillery support. Also available for support are various AT guns, mortar units, and possible Vickers MG units. Before his departure Oberst Kroona mentioned to be mindful of the British willingness to call down fast fire barrages even on top of their position. What we have on our side is the infiltration move, night, and weather. Our grenadiers are average morale but have good fire power. We will have two battalions and two companies of another battalion attacking the Sherwood Foresters position in a two-pronged attack. A 5 minute prep artillery barrage will signal the beginning of the assault, and during the attack our artillery batteries will continue to support us.

2200 hrs. Still raining

All is ready for the assault which will sever the thumb at its base, destroying the Sherwoods and isolating the other battalions. The prep artillery barrage will fall around a cluster of rough terrain in the southwesterly corner. Several platoon units have been identified defending in this area. This will be the main area of concentration. The main body of the I and 11 Battalions of the 145 Regiment will be coming through at that point, and any resistance must be eliminated.

The plan is to infiltrate the units around the southwestern corner and south of the Sherwood Foresters' box., close assaulting any survivors with mortar and small arms and charging the British mortar units said to be in the gully. One company will move from the east and apply pressure from that direction. They will offer fire support as well as artillery spotting if needed. When the time is right they will also assault any units still willing to fight. We must, as the infiltrating units, engage the enemy with such force that the confusion from smoke, artillery, and suppressive small arms fire will enable the remainder of our grenadiers to move in without any great losses to finish the Tommies before they can mount any counterattack.

Oberst Kroona had decided that in order to have maximum fire support from the mortar units, he would use companies 1-I-145, 6-II-725 and 7-II-145. These units would control spotting for their respective mortars and also be able to call down artillery support when needed. The starting position for the I45 is within 3 hexes of 13.09. 1-I-145 is in hex 14.09 and the mortars are in hex 11.07. All mortars are in Fire Mode; all other units are in Move Mode. The II-145 is located within 2 hexes of 14.07, the 120mm mortars are in hex 13.07, and the 81mm mortars are in hex 13.08. The 7-II-145 is set up in hex 14.07. Once again all mortars are in Fire Mode and all other units are in Move Mode. The two companies, 6th and 7th, from the 725 are set up in 45.14 and 46.12 respectively. All are in Move Mode except the mortar units. The supporting heavy weapons are in Move Mode all along the tertiary road in the general area of hex 12.05.

2215 hrs. more rain

In order for the infiltration units to be in position before the prep artillery barrage, they are moving out now. The 1-I-145 has plans to move to hex 24.07 with one Zug (platoon) in Fire Mode and the other two in Move Mode ready to close assault units in either hexes 25.09 or 26.08. The 7-II-145, my old unit and the one that I will accompany in the assault, will move to hex 29.08. We are tasked with the destruction of the mortar units in the gully (hex 30.09); two units are in Move Mode and one is in Fire Mode. The decision for one remaining in Fire Mode was to help call down artillery barrage or offer crossfire support if necessary. The 6-II-725 will move to hex 35.07, with one unit in Move Mode and two units in Fire Mode in hex 35.08.

2300 hrs. 3 Feb/43.

The battle has begun. The prep-bombardment is whistling overhead. The rockets have missed the intended mark and are exploding harmlessly far to the northeast. The 150mm guns are more effective and we can see a good fire drop in hex 25.09. There the damage is from a die roll of 54: 2 step losses but the morale is good. Hex 26.08 receives hits for being in the gray area; a die roll of 62 inflicts one step loss and a roll of 64 on the morale table suppresses the unit. The next artillery barrage hits hex 25.10 with a good artillery fire, but no units are in it. The gray area hexes that do receive some damage include 25.09, where a roll of 44 calls for only a morale check and the die roll result from that is 53, suppressing the units. Hex 26.10 also gets hit. The die roll is 53 resulting in a one step loss. The morale roll 43 gives no effect. The last barrage is in hex 26.09 with a bad artillery fire. Once again no units are in the target hex but there are three gray area hexes. Hex 26.10 rolls a 21, no effect. Hex 25.09 rolls a 35, no effect and hex 26.08 rolls a 31, no effect!

The barrage has lifted and we are on the move. The 7-II-145 Fire Mode unit, which I'm with, calls for an Illum in hex 28.14, rolls a 2, scattered. New hex from a roll of 4 (direction), and 2 (distance), is hex 28.12. Great! The whole S.F. box is lit up. [Ed. note: Actually, Illum rounds do not scatter; see TCS 3.1 rule 17.7c. In this situation it makes no difference.]

Next, as originally planned, I call for battery artillery fast fire from the 450 Regt into hexes 26.10, 27.11 and 27.08. All three artillery batteries can only get a bad shot result. I-450 battery fell in hex 27.08, a die roll of 65 on the Area Fire Table column 5 gives a one dice x 1/2 result. A 4 is rolled and 2 steps are lost. Morale roll is 15, No Effect. Next gray area hex 26.08, a die roll of 51 on the Area Fire Table column 2 gives a morale check, which the British unit passes. 2-450 battery had no losses from results on its target hex 27.11.

However hex 26.10 (gray area) had better results. One step loss and units suppressed. The 3-450 battery fire on the target hex 26.10 inflicted I step loss, but the Tommies were really rattled and attempted to SYR out of their position. They ran into other barrage hexes and were destroyed. The 3-450 battery's gray area hex 27.11 had No Effect from its fire. It was decided to fire a battery fire into hex 31.11 with 1-1-3 battery. It was a good shoot! The British unit lost three steps and was suppressed. I quickly noted we were in sight of the enemy in hex 27.08. I call down some smoke for hexes 28.08 and 28.07 with our 81 mortars. Both tries are successful with rolls on the Mortar & Infantry Gun Smoke Scatter Table.

Once the LOS from hex 27.08 was blocked, one Zug from 7-II145 moved to hex 30.08, drawing Overwatch Fire from 2 x 3" British mortar. The loss was minimal at one step but the unit was Paralyzed. The next Move Mode 7-11-145 unit followed the same route and was attacked by one 3" British mortar. This time the British were not successful in doing any damage and the grenadiers moved into the mortar pit and destroyed all the tubes.

The first assault from the 1-I-145 Move Mode unit was on British units in hex 25.09. The grenadiers from one unit were able to move into the position without any losses. The British in the next sequence were Paralyzed and eliminated when the Germans were left in good fighting order. The Fire Mode unit and all three 81 mortars from the 4I-145 fired SFA into hex 26.09. The British unit survived any ill effects and no further action was taken in this sector.

The 7-II-145 Fire Mode unit called for another Illum in hex 32.12 to prepare for possible fire support for the assault from the right. The remaining mortars from 8-11-145 were called in to make a strike in hex 33.08. The British unit suffered a one step loss but passed morale. The 6-II-725 fired SFA into hex 33.08 with two Fire Mode units and its 81 mm mortar. The British unit did not suffer any effects and all action in this sector stopped.

As a final action the Fire Mode unit from 7-II-145 called for artillery smoke in hexes 28. 10 and 33.08. Both smoke missions were successfully laid. The smoking of the area was the signal for the main German force to proceed in the direction of the Sherwood Foresters at top speed.

The main objectives were to inflict the greatest possible losses on the British and suppress or screen their LOS so that the deadly artillery barrage could not be used on the main German body coming in to eliminate the position.

At the end of the German turn the British losses shows that four AT guns, three mortars, one Bren carrier, 2 platoons, and eight other steps were lost. Three units remained suppressed, one was under a good artillery barrage marker and the area was covered by smoke restricting the British LOS drastically. The Germans on the other hand show only one step loss but one unit is paralyzed and one suppressed.

Overall I think the execution of the operation was successful knowing that the main German force will need roughly two turns to get into position for the final phase of destroying the Sherwood Foresters, thereby cutting off the thumb.

More Solution to Tactical Problem #5

Introduction
The Kroona Plan: The II Battalion 145 Regiment Battle Diary
Lee's Comments