- Date: 12.06.2024
- Attacker Axis Player: Wolfgang
- Allied Player: Erich
- Scenario: The Hill
- Result: VPs = 4:0 (Axis vs. Allies)
- Axis Losses: 30 pts
- Allied Losses:36 pts
- Screenshot of Map:
- Brief Summary of Action:
In the early morning of 17th July 1943, the first rays of sunshine warmed the southern flank of the hill on the edge of the small village on Sicily. The night before, Erich’s units, a platoon of the 505th PIR, had jumped off the northern flank and taken up positions in the woods. Their mission was to hold the hill against enemy attacks and thus delay the advance of the Hermann Göring Division.
The advance party of the HG Div under Wolfgang’s command took up position on the outskirts of the village early in the morning to throw the enemy off the hill. A platoon of motorised infantry reinforced by the rifle squads of an anti-tank unit were available for this purpose. Due to the difficult terrain and the danger of enemy fire as they approached, Wolfgang decided to dispense with the lorries.
Enemy positions on the hill could be reconnoitred through reconnaissance operations carried out in advance. The plan of attack envisaged a focal point formation starting from the northern hill at the edge of the village across the open area to the wooded apron of the hill. Lighter forces were to advance along the southern edge of the village towards the southern flank of the hill to tie up enemy forces.
The heavy MG42 could be positioned in a level 2 building as a support weapon.
The advance began punctually according to the attack plan. The German attackers moved in groups towards the enemy positions. The Airborne Rifles began to dig in.
The first casualties came from the fire of Erich’s cal.30 MMG, which was located on the top of the hill. But shortly afterwards, the heavy MG 42 from the top floor of a house returned fire on Erich’s MG squad, destroying it with targeted fire.
The German centre of gravity moved inexorably towards the open area in front of the edge of the forest as the group of Airborne soldiers dug in there opened fire. The very first exchange of fire shaved off an entire group of rifles.
Erich reacted to my centre of gravity by moving a unit further north on the southern flank.
Already decimated, the German infantrymen worked their way towards the well dug-in Airborne Rifles and surrounded them on three sides. A US bazooka team tried to support the flank with fire from the hill.
The heavy machine gun fired incessantly at the hill. But without much effect.
The German troops were repeatedly unable to capitalise on their numerical superiority. Erich’s infantry fought tenaciously for every centimetre of ground.
But the turning point came in the 5th platoon. Fierce hand-to-hand fighting broke out. One of the German rifle groups was able to overpower and destroy the bazooka team in close combat on the hill, despite support from the neighbouring airborne comrades. In the aftermath, the first Airborne unit had to surrender to the two storming Rifles squads. The door to the hill was open.
But the next Airborne Rifle unit swept a whole group of Rifles off the hill with a fire attack.
Erich’s defences were still holding to some extent and this Airborne infantry was deadly effective and tough.
On the southern edge of the hill, Erich tried to stop my tank hunters from reaching the objective and led a counterattack that destroyed this squad.
The Germans used a short time to bring up the rest of the troops and prepare for the final assault on the hill.
The heavy machine gun at the edge of the village harvested another unit and so now had to concentrate on securing the two northern objective fields. Victory for the Germans was almost certain.
The luck of the dice swayed back and forth… now my Germans were able to paralyse the last unit of Erichs in front of the hill with a lucky result – a suppression symbol… the ensuing close combat eliminated the penultimate unit of Erichs….Now the second objective was also in German hands.
The attack momentum was unstoppable. The last Airborne unit was still able to fend off a melee of German Rifles when it was ploughed apart by enemy fire from a rifle squad. At the end of turn 9, Erich had to write off all his units as total losses.
I would like to thank my friend Erich for this match.
