Attack at Le Haut Perrier - Part Two AAR

If you enjoyed reading the history behind that Welsh/Scots Guards attack at Le Haut Perrier in August 1944 as part of Operation Grouse, you might be interested in checking out the AAR on the Devon Wargames Group of our play through of this very entertaining scenario.

Devon Wargames Group - Attack on Le Haut Perrier

Operation GROUSE August 1944 - Attack at Le Haut Perrier

1st Welsh Guards - pictured during the earlier Goodwood operation in July 1944

This coming weekend I have had to come up with a game at short notice for our monthly meeting at the Devon Wargames Group and after really enjoying getting out the WWII collection and revisiting IABSM v3 last month fighting the Arnhem themed Baskeyfield VC scenario.

Baskeyfield VC - I Aint Been Shot Mum

This month I decided to have a bit more armour out on the table and not having used my Churchill tanks from the 6th Guards Tank Brigade, settled on a scenario from "Cymru Am Byth", translated as "Wales Forever", scenario book by Richard Clarke covering the wartime exploits of the Welsh Guards with sixteen scenarios and a mini campaign.

After Normandy, the Guards Armoured Division split up into battle groups of infantry and tanks from the different Guard regiments and my Dad, with the 55th Field Regiment RA, spent most of his time attached to the Welsh battle group, so I have an interest in the exploits of the Taffs.

So the scenario selected was "Let's Get at the Bastards", Scenario Twelve from the book

To set the scene for the weekend game, I thought it might be interesting to summarise events prior to our little battle. The map below shows the front line in Normandy on the July 25th 1944 with American forces established on a line from Lessoy to St Lo and ready to take advantage of the German positions which, due to their perceived threat of an Allied breakthrough around Caen, saw 80% of German armour positioned on the Anglo/Canadian front close to that city.

Operation Cobra, the US offensive, when it came, was the longed for break through and saw the town of Avranches and the route into Brittany and central France firmly in American control by the July 31st, heralding the beginning of the end for German forces in France.

To help pin down any attempts by the Germans to move troops to their western flank the British launched a complimentary offensive on the 30th of July, Operation Bluecoat, designed to take control of the vital road junction at Vire and the high ground of Mount Pincon, with both objectives falling to allied troops on August 6th.

In their desperation to restore their line and halt the rapid progress of the Americans, German commanders launched Operation Luttich, the Mortain counter-offensive the next day, looking to break through to the western coast and cut off American spearhead units. With ULTRA warning American commanders of the planned attack and with few German armoured reserves left or, for that matter, in any fit state to launch an offensive, the counter-attack was over by August 13th with barely any effect on the Americans progress.

Thus the scene was set for the launching of the British offensive, Operation Grouse designed to precipitate a collapse of those German forces still contesting the allied advance and which would see the British 3rd Infantry Division and Guards Armoured Division, drive in the 'full of fight' remnants of 9th SS Hohenstauffen Division, as pressure was brought to bear on the rapidly collapsing German front line.

One of these attacks led to the fight for control of the little cluster of farm buildings on top of hill 242 overlooking Chenedolle at Le Haut Perrier and is the subject of the chosen scenario.

What makes this scenario have added appeal is the inclusion of three troops of 3rd Scots Guards Churchill tanks that supported the 3rd Company 1st Welsh Guards on the day of the attack. A unit I built a few years ago with this game in mind, but that have never been on the table in anger.

Churchill tanks of the 6th Guards Tank Brigade, pictured during Operation Bluecoat

The Guardsmen find themselves tasked with taking on a battle-group from 9th SS Panzer Division determined to resist to the utmost and force the Tommies to pay a heavy price for any ground taken

The map for Scenario 12 showing the German set up positions with the British entering the table from the north edge

So the "battle-box" is all loaded up with the impedimenta of tabletop warfare  and as you can see the forces are mustered. In addition I have pulled together revised IABSM V3 scenario briefings with the updated force stats all put on one sheet for the respective sides to refer to.

JJ's Battle-Box

I am really looking forward to seeing these "bad-boys" on the table, although they will be facing a stern test that will see how thick the armour is on a Churchill Infantry Tank

Scots and Welsh Guards ready to go

As I said, a stern test awaits the Guards.

SS Heavy Armour

So if you are keen to see how this one plays out, I will of course be posting a game report on the Devon Wargames Group Blog, and looking to try out something new that I saw on another site, namely using the Aviary app on the IPad as an alternative to blinds.

I Ain't Been Shot Mum at Devon Wargames Group

German armour taking a battering in yesterday's game

If it's the second Saturday in the month you will generally find me having a good time at the monthly meeting of the Devon Wargames Group.

Yesterday I staged the scenario that appeared in the Too Fat Lardies Xmas Special 2007 that covered the VC winning action of Lance Sergeant John Baskeyfield, Anti-Tank Gun Commander with the 2nd Staffordshire Battalion, 1st British Airborne Division.

If you want to see how the battle turned out and the history behind it then just follow the link to the post on the club blog
http://devonwargames.blogspot.co.uk/2016/02/baskeyfield-vc-i-aint-been-shot-mum.html

I don't play IABSM regularly since I shifted my attention away from WWII and on to Napoleonics just over two years ago. However with a large collection of late war NW Europe collection of 15mm WWII troops, it is a rule set I keep coming back to.

I like and have played several games of Chain of Command, but I think the next level up scale of IABSM appeals to me more and I really enjoy the card driven aspect of its play that always has the knack of generating those very special moments of high drama that make a game live long in the memory.

I was also pleasantly surprised how quickly we all picked up the mechanics of the game as it rolled along seamlessly with seemingly little effort and great attention to the tactics needed and only the occasional glance at the rule book to clarify a situation; this very much in line with the Lardy ethos of playing the period and not the rules.

To keep the reference checking to a minimum I gathered all the scenario relevant information for both sides onto one piece of paper each that told the players everything they needed about the scenario, its objectives and the forces involved with their various equipment and weapon stats.

This idea seemed to work rather well and by adding a picture of the various counters to my counter box lid I found it a lot easier to pick the appropriate marker as the game went along

The scenario is a real gem and one well worth playing if you are that way inclined. More information can be found on the DWG blog post.

Preparation for Pouppeville - Devon Wargames Group

This weekend was the October gathering at the Devon Wargames Group and I put on an "I Aint Been Shot Mum" game recreating the fight for Pouppeville on Exit 1 from Utah beach on D Day.

After Napoleonics, my first love, WWII, particularly late war western Europe, is a close second and my family have suffered to allow me the time to take several trips and journeys wandering around the key battle sights of this period with summer holidays to Normandy being a highlight of those trips.

We spent two summer holidays in 2008 and 2011 staying at a lovely holiday let in the pretty village of Fauville just outside of St Mere Eglise and was the base camp for several forays around the beaches and landing areas trying to find and identify locations from battle scenarios and pictures taken at the time

Memorial erected close to Brecourt Manor in memory of the men lost from Easy Company 506th PIR

Trips to battlefields really inspire and inform my wargaming and push me on to play games that capture the feel and the look of the place and period I am seeking to portray. Thus when I was thinking about putting on a game this month my mind was drawn back to playing another one of those hard fought little battles that made up the complete struggle to get control of the landing area in and round Utah beach on D Day.

These were some of the ideas and places considered for my game

BRECOURT MANOR

The edge of the field at Brecourt Manor where the gun positions were attacked by Easy Company as portrayed in the TV series "Band of Brothers"

The gateway into Brecourt Manor

I have still to game Brecourt Manor. I think I will save this one for a nice little project to build some 28mm models and terrain.

LA FIERE

German modified French tanks litter the causeway at La Fiere

La Fiere Bridge over the River Meredet

Remains of the foxhole used by General Gavin at La Fiere

I have played the attack on the bridge at La Fiere a few times and this is always a tough nut for the Germans to crack but makes a good looking game and I will play this again using IABSM3.

NEUVILLE EN PLAIN

Lt Turner B Turnbull

http://www.ww2-airborne.us/picpage/505_turnbull.htm

The farm building at the centre of Turnbull's position where he placed the 57mm AT gun and bazooka team

Turnbull's resolute defence of Neuville, north of St Mere Eglise is a fascinating and great little scenario to play and I recorded our last go back in 2012.

http://devonwargames.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/i-aint-been-shot-mum-v3-neuville-au.html

Whilst flicking through the photo archive I found some great before and after pictures with a 12 year old Will in 2008 standing in for the warriors from another century.

ST MARCOUF

TURQUEVILLE

ST MARIE DU MONT

In the end I settled on a battle that took place at Pouppeville just down the road from, and one that happened around the time this picture was taken in, St Marie du Mont.

Thus concludes my trip through the inspiration to play Poupeville. If you would like to see how the game played then follow the link to the Devon Wargames Group where I go through the scenario and some of the changes I made together with an AAR on our game.

http://devonwargames.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/d-day-pouppeville-utah-beach-exit.html

Next up the 2/54e Ligne

Operation Charnwood Campaign - IABSM

I think "I Aint Been Shot Mum" from the Too Fat Lardies are a brilliant set of WWII Company level rules.

I have pulled together a campaign game as a Cyberboard module to make running the mini campaign a whole lot more easier. Operation Charnwood is featured in the Christmas 2011 Special Magazine available from the Too Fat Lardies website.

I have put a link up on my resources section for the module. Just download the three files and stick them in a folder marked Charnwood and select the gamebox in Cyberboard. All the maps, counters and briefings are included.

In addition you can follow my links to the Cyberboard site if you haven't used this brilliant tool. Its great for boardgames but is also excellent for wargamers who want to run campaigns.



Cyberboard screen shot