Recently, I was lucky enough to be able to obtain a set of terrain boards, a lovely set which are a number of years old, made very solidly out of wood. I will need to build some purpose built storage for them!
So, it was only right to set some scenery and terrain up on it and have a game! I used the Lebisey Woods scenario from the 'Rapid Fire Normandy Battlegames' book, albeit I had to tweak things somewhat. I have no chateau for example, so used a church instead, whilst the walled woods became woods in the area of the stone walls to the top of the terrain boards in the picture. Finally, marshland became the river with a bridge over it and the whole map was 'mirrored'....apart from that it was spot on!
I use Rapid Fire Reloaded rules, with a few tweaks - I keep the Suppression rules from RF2 as I feel artillery is a bit underpowered in reloaded, and have introduced some house rules to help HE have an affect on AFVs - not to destroy, but to disrupt. I also keep the Grenades rule from RF2, and I don't base my figures as RFR suggests so I tweak casualties and firing groups just a little bit.
Dating from 7th July 1944, elements of 3rd British Infantry Division attempted to dislodge elements of 21st Panzer from Lebisey Woods and chateau. Historically they weren't successful, would this be any different?
1st Battalion of 125th Pz Grenadier Regt were set up along the walled woods, with a company dug in to the left of the map overseeing the anti tank ditch and woods. They were supported by 2 MMGs, Panzerfausts, a Panzershreck unit, and a couple of SPW P107 AFVs, one with a 20mm AA gun and another mounted with a 37mm AT gun. Their HQ in the church controlled an off-table Lorraine SP 150mm artillery piece.
The British began a tentative advance, led by the 1st Battalion, Suffolk Regt. Mortars set up in the wooded clearing on the hill to the lower left of the board, whilst their companies took on a broad front, 2 companies (A and C) moving up to the left of the board with the carrier platoon to take control of the farmhouse, 2 (B and D) moving up the road to the right supported by the AT gun and MMG carrier.
The first few turns were slow and relatively quiet, with some artillery fire from the 150mm falling on part of the farmhouse once occupied by the carrier platoon, but otherwise the Germans held their fire, not wanting to reveal their positions until the British were in a reasonable range of their small arms.
Things began to heat up from Turn 5. Firstly, the 1 Battalion, the East Lancashire Regiment entered up the road to the left of the board, with their 3" and 4.2" mortars setting up in the wooded clearing. An M10 and an Achilles also moved up in support, the M10 to the left and the Achilles up the bridge and road to the right, along with an OP from the 7th Field Regt controlling a battery of Priest self-propelled guns off board.
The following turn, 2nd Battalion 125th Pz Grenadier Regt moved in to the town of Lebisey (top left of board) whilst a tank company of 22nd Panzer Regt comprising of 2 Pz IVs and a Somua tank came on to the board on the road from the top right. 2/125 began taking positions in the Lebisey buildings, a company joining 1/125 HQ in the church. They were also accompanied by 2 more SPW P107s, one another AA gun and the second armed with a Pak 40 AT gun. Their HQ controlled an off-table Somua multi-mortar carrier.
Battle was soon joined on the right, as the Panzers engaged the Achilles, with the SPW P107 37mm also moving up in support. The Achilles, and deployed 6pdr, began a fire fight but the Achilles was soon taken out by the weight of fire from the German tanks, whilst the 6pdr crew also took casualties but was still in the fight.
On the British left, the M10 engaged the two newly arrived SPW P107s, slightly damaged by the Pak40 but managing to take both of the vehicles out, their early war standard of armour being no match for the later war AT guns. However, moving forward with a company of Suffolks in support, they soon ran into the German company dug in, whilst the central German company in the walled wood were able to ambush the M10 with a Panzerfaust, destroying the British AFV.
The British left flank further stalled as the Lancashires moving up the road were targeted by the off-table German artillery, causing a couple of casualties but resulting in them becoming suppressed for a number of turns as the artillery rained down on them - causing little damage, but keeping their heads down!
The following turn saw the remainder of the British come on the table via the town and bridge to the lower right. This was a company of Staffordshire Yeomanry Shermans - including a Firefly - as well as another OP controlling more off-table Priests, and 2nd Battalion East Yorkshire Regt. A company of these rode on the leading Shermans, with the rest following on foot. Their mortar set up in the town, and the 6pdr followed the tanks up the road.
Soon, the tanks were engaging one another in a vicious firefight. The Panzers managed to damage the Firefly, but the combined Sherman firepower, supported by the 6 pdr, soon destroyed both the Pz IVs. The Somua fought on bravely but was soon damaged, causing it lose heart and rout from the table.
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On the British Left, the poor Lancashires were still suppressed from artillery fire, but now the German infantry had revealed their positions on their right and centre, the full weight of British artillery and mortars was soon brought down up on them. Within a few turns, both companies had been destroyed.
So, at the start of turn 11, the situation was as such: On the British left, the Lancashires were stuck, and with no armoured support the attack towards the town had faltered. Nevertheless, the German positions to their front had been destroyed by devastating artillery fire.
The remnants of A Company of the Suffolks had taken refuge in a nearby cornfield after the M10 had been destroyed, whilst C Company had occupied the farmhouse unseen by the Germans along with the carrier platoon and one of the Priest battery OPs. Two further companies of Suffolks had taken positions in the hedgerows to the right of the farmhouse, one having retreated after the Achilles was destroyed.
They had since been joined by a company of the East Yorkshires, the others coming up the road on foot behind, and the Staffordshire Yeomanry were intact and had seen off the 22nd Panzer Regt tanks.
From the German position, the 1/125 had lost two entire companies, and the only AFVs still at their disposal were the 37mm and an AA vehicle which was as yet undetected in the walled woods alongside the remaining 1/125 company who were still hidden. 2/125 were intact in the Lebisey town.
At this point, the British, seeing the bulk of the known German forces destroyed or driven off, signalled for the Suffolks to continue their advance towards the objective. A Company - or what was left of it - moved through the cornfield, whilst C company and the carrier platoon left the protection of the farmhouse. B Company piled over the hedgerow and headed towards the wood.....
...where the remaining German company were waiting, supported by an MMG and the aforementioned AA gun. The German HQs in the church also radioed to change target for their artillery. As such, C Company was hit with suddenly very accurate and damaging artillery fire, whilst B Company came under heavy fire from the units in the wood. Both companies were destroyed.
The German infantry however, had revealed their positions finally which enabled a huge fire mission to be brought down upon it, this time whilst simultaneously being assaulted by the MMG carriers and one of the Staffordshire Yeomanry's Shermans. They, too were soon destroyed, whilst the SPW P107 AA gun was damaged by the Yorkshire's 6 pdr and then destroyed by mortar fire as it withdrew. The 37mm was also damaged as it withdrew behind the wood.
Nevertheless, the Germans were not finished with their tricks yet. The commander had been moving his remaining Panzerfaust and Panzershreck units into the woods to counter the British armour, and a Panzerschreck suddenly poked its head over the wall and took a shot at the Sherman. The fire was ineffective however, and one of the team was gunned down by machine gun fire.
The German artillery shifting its targets had provided some respite for the beleaguered Lancashires, who were able to further advance toward the town, whilst the British armour began to swing around to the right on to the road to Lebisey, engaging the 37mm which had taken up position there. D Company of the Suffolks moved up too, with the East Yorkshiremen behind. Amazingly, both 1/125 and the Suffolks had passed their morale checks.
The German deployment of what we would now term MANPATs into the woods was still to cause the British some further trouble. Another Panzershreck team managed to attack one of the Shermans, damaging it and causing the crew to take stock for a turn, although the unfortunate Panzershreck team were soon taken out by machine guns. Likewise, a brave German with a Panzerfaust sought to attack the Firefly but the British AFVs had paused to allow the infantry to catch up, meaning it was able to spot the German on Ambush fire and use its VMG to neutralise the threat before the Panzerfaust could be fired.
As the British advanced on the town, both from the right with the AFVs and remaining Suffolks/Yorkshires, and the Lancashires coming up the road to the left, they began to notice German infantry within the buildings, and an artillery duel began. The German mortar and 150mm managed to destroy one of the Shermans, but the combined British force of mortars and Priests, with tanks, 2" mortars and PIATs added to the mix, supported by small arms fire where possible, soon began to overwhelm the German defenders.
The Church and one of the village buildings were reduced to rubble and the defenders inside became casualties, including a whole company of 2/125 soldiers and the CO of 1/125.
At this point, the game was called. 1/125 had been destroyed almost to a man, and 2/125 had sustained 50% casualties. The Germans began to stream up the road away from Lebisey leaving the British to achieve what they had failed to do in June 1944 - could this have helped open the road to Caen?
In the end it was the British artillery which had made the difference, and waiting to attack in force rather than in piecemeal battalions.
The final positions at the end of the game:
Now I am able to set games up in my man cave, I may try and write some more solo AARs. When I was younger I always loved the battle reports in White Dwarf with the maps of each turn, so I may even try and reproduce something like that, who knows!
