Breakout Normandy on Vassal - End D+3

So Steve M and I continue our second game of BKN with Steve, this time playing the Allies.

The German defences at Omaha looking decidedly shaky at the close of D+1

My Previous Post - BKN, Game Two left the game delicately balanced with a solid German defence on the flanks of the Allied beachhead on D+1 but with the centre looking decidedly fragile for the Germans, with the British 50th Division having broken through to Villers Bocage and the defenders of Omaha  pushed back off the beach and left spent and disrupted with little hope of succour other than to blow bridges and delay the likely US advance.

The other area of concern for the Germans at the close of D+1 was the British 50th Division in Villers Bocage with Panzer Lehr forced to deploy early, leaving their tanks disrupted in Caumont (lower left) after suffering under Allied air attacks on the advance

So as indicated in my first post, the game was an an interesting position for the start of D+2 with the Germans needing to delay as much as possible to allow reserves in the centre to close up without getting dealt with in detail by Allied spearhead units and their massive preponderance in naval, artillery and air assets.

The situation map at the close of June 8th, D+2 with German units on the flanks of the Allied landings pressing the US and British airborne troops hard and with the defences on Sword Beach still holding out, but with Caen under pressure after 3rd Canadian Infantry Division attacked into the city. The US 29th and 2nd Infantry Divisions have cleared Grandcamp and captured Isigny as they push to link up with Utah Beach.

June the 8th D+2 was a long day for the Germans, under clear skies as they pressed the Allied flanks as hard as they dared, but suffering around Omaha as the US 2nd and 29th Infantry Divisions pushed on to link up with Utah Beach in Carentan and with the Canadians able to force their way into Caen

D+2 on the US beaches with the 2nd and 29th ID in Isigny and the German 30th Brigade rushed into Catz to blow the bridge and delay any advance on Carentan as the Cherbourg garrison push down on Utah from the north and west.

Steve, playing the Allies, was finding the pleasure and the pain of BKN with lots of things to do, but never quite sure how much time was left in the day to do it, and so as the day threatened to end and following naval and artillery barrages, the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division forced its way into Caen.

The city of Caen at the end of June 8th D+2, and its northern outskirts erupts in battle as the Canadians push into the city from Juno Beach, whilst 6th Airborne in Merville digs in under heavy German artillery attacks with no supply possible from Sword with the German defences still resisting two days after D-Day

British 6th Airborne Division were having a torrid time holding out in Merville under strong German artillery barrage and no reinforcements from Sword Beach for two days

June 9th was forecast as overcast and rainy which would keep the Allied fly-boys on the ground and give a chance for the German defences to regroup after a difficult two previous days.

The US Sector at the end of June 9th D+3, with Pont l'Abbe retaken by German troops from 82nd Airborne, but with Catz taken by the US 29th ID and with the 2nd ID in and around St Lo.  

Despite the change in weather the Allied reinforcements keep on coming and despite Pont l'Abbe falling to the advance of the Cherbourg garrison following up its artillery barrage with an assualt by two Coastal Divisions to clear out 82nd Airborne, the US troops kept up the pressure from Omaha taking Catz and moving into St Lo, leaving the German defences in both areas in tatters.

June 9th, D+3 and the British 6th Airborne are finally forced out of Merville, but in reply, the 51st Highland Division storms its way through Bayeux and into Balleroy forcing the German defenders to blow bridges along their advance to try and slow any further advance, whilst Lehr look to contain Villers Bocage.

Similar to the US sector, the British/Candian sector saw 6th Airborne finally ejected from Merville but in response the 51st HD drove through to Balleroy with infantry and armour leaving the Allies with 5VP contesting both Caen and St Lo with three days of the week still to play - Oh dear how sad, never mind.

The German defences are under extreme pressure at the end of D+3, June 9th with US troops contesting St Lo and British and Canadian troops contesting Caen and occupying Balleroy and Villers Bocage. With three days to play and 5VP secured it looks bleak for any German come back.

So things are looking extremely tough for the Germans to resist an Allied win in the first week, but it's not over till its over and the final post in this series will show how our game finished up.