Stonecutter

I also am having the mission 2 problem of my computer crashing after the first minute. I've tried it several times with various combinations including having absolutely ZERO artillery called in to start or even timed for arrival but still the same result - crash and burn. Like ChappyCanuck, I am Canadian and would love to play this campaign.

Minna sighed with relief as he watched the 25 pounders drop on the Pak40's. After a few minutes, both guns were destroyed and he radioed this information to the battlegroup so that the advance could resume. For much of this battle he had felt almost useless as the Kittyhawks he had called in had had limited impact on the enemy and had even made the mistake of strafing one of the allied Shermans well away from the fighting. He tried to suppress a rising sense of rage at the lack of artillery support that had been provided for this battle. The mortars had proven useless as they simply lacked the range to extend much beyond the start line and the restriction of 25 pounder ammo and available guns had meant he had been unable to provide any suppressing fire or smoke for the infantry. He knew the infantry had paid a heavy price for the paucity of support in blood as they had continually had to close with fresh enemy. He laughed ruefully as he thought of the "intelligence" briefing that had spoken of the supply shortage the Germans were experiencing. There had been no shortage of German artillery in this battle and his enemy counterparts had used the nebelwerfers and 81mm mortars with ruthless efficiency throughout the long advance to Cider Crossroads, inflicting horrendous casualties on both the RCR and Hasty P's. He would have a lot to add to the divisional artillery briefing tomorrow and none of it would reflect favourably on the planners or staff. There was no doubt that the infantry would have to take a pause and reorganize with whatever troops were left and Minna was dead set that the next time they went forward into battle, the guns would be properly prepared. Major Stonecutter allowed his gunner and assistant driver to liberally spray the woods with MG fire while the tanks of Lieutenant Bertrand and Two Troop lent intimate support to the clearing of the woods. Having crossed nearly two miles of open, muddy terrain under the observation and fire of the Paks and panzers, Major Stonecutter was surprised that he had managed to arrive with half a dozen tanks at OBJ Morning Glory. The superior range, accuracy and lethality of the long barrelled enemy guns over the Sherman's short 75 had been amply demonstrated by the panzer and anti-tank gun crews during this battle. Despite these advantages, Stonecutter felt some grim satisfaction in the knowledge that his squadron had also drawn more than its fair share of blood in knocking out a company's worth of tanks and numerous Paks, not to mention the grenadiers they were mowing down in concert with the RCR. With a half dozen Shermans merely bogged in the mud and a number of the knocked out ones recoverable, he was certain the squadron could be back up to strength within a couple days. In the interim, he would have to make do with what resources he had. The battle was at a critical juncture and it was now time to try and exploit to prevent the enemy withdrawal. Quickly issuing orders to Bertrand to cut off the left flank by driving north of Morning Glory, he raced his own tank and that of his operations sergeant toward the hard pressed C Company which was still under the fire of nebelwerfers. He could see the open fields north of the gully where the Hasty P's were fighting hand to hand against german infantry. If they could join up with C Company, the enemy would be cut off and trapped in a pocket with little choice but to surrender or be slaughtered. While he had no love for the Germans, he hoped they would opt to surrender as fighting would entail more friendly casualties and they had suffered more than enough already. Urging greater speed to his driver as they raced toward C Company, he glimpsed the flash of a the main gun of one of the last panzers engaging some Royals as they sprinted for cover. "Load armour piercing. Gunner be ready to engage once we get to the buildings ahead. Driver, slow crawl and hard left then stop at the next bend in the road." "Loaded" Through the wreckage and smoke, Stonecutter identified the MkIV as his driver brought their tank to a halt and slewed the turret into alignment as he shouted orders. "700, tank at corner of building, on" "On" "Fire" "Firing now, target." "Loaded" "Firing now, target" Stonecutter felt a sickening feeling in his gut as the first round shattered off the panzer's glacis and the second ricocheted without penetrating. He knew instinctively that the enemy crew was likely stunned and injured by internal spalling but the failure of the Sherman's gun to achieve penetration at this range was not only frustrating but extremely dangerous. Allowing his gunner and loader to continue, he continued to watch until the fifth round finally penetrated and knocked out the MarkIV just as it was attempting to reverse. The entire process had taken nearly a minute - an eternity in battle as Stonecutter knew only too well. The new Firefly tanks with their 17 lber guns could not arrive soon enough. While there might be some limitations, the ability to meet the Germans on more even terms with regard to firepower would assuredly more than make up for whatever problems the Firefly might have. "Target stop. Gunner, coax, crew in open, fire when ready." The rattle of the coaxial MG continued for several bursts, dropping the panzer's crew to the ground as they tried to flee. His gunner triumphantly announced their latest victory over the intercom. "Sir, that makes four today! One more and we're aces again in a single day!" There were already seven stripes painted on his tank's main gun so Stonecutter felt some of the same satisfaction as his gunner and crew. They were a close knit group now and he hoped to bring them through the war alive and together. "Good work everyone but keep alert, this isn't over yet. Driver advance to the next corner, co-driver, gunner, fire at anything that comes out of the trees by the top of the gully" As his co-driver and gunner spotted and engaged several Germans fleeing the Hasty P's, Stonecutter received a thumbs up from his Ops Sergeant 200m north of him. While his Sergeant's tank began firing at grenadiers trying to escape the gully, Stonecutter watched Bertrand's troop take out the last panzer at point blank range before engaging other enemy infantry that was attempting to withdrawal from around OBJ Morning Glory. Every enemy soldier that surrendered now or was prevented from retreating would be one less they would have to blast out of a building in the village ahead, or perhaps, in the urban sprawl of the final objective of Ortona itself. C Company under nebelwerfer fire shortly after occupying the area. As a gunner, Lieutenant Minna knows that the enemy must have a target reference point close by as the artillery was brought to bear without any spotting rounds and less than 10 minutes after C Company had arrived. Bertrand and Two Troop push north of OBJ Morning Glory to cut off retreating enemy. The firing of the 37mm from a half track at his Charlie tank allows Bertrand to spot and engage the enemy armour. Even the Sherman's gun proves deadly as the half track explodes after the 75mm steel shot blasts through the engine and into the ammunition. At less than 200 meters range, the MkIV fills his gunner's optical sight and Bertrand gives his gunner a cheer as he manages to knock out the panzer while the Sherman is still moving. With no enemy armour or guns left to impede them, the Shermans of Two Troop close the loop north of OBJ Morning Glory. They mercilessly scythe down any enemy that attempt to flee rather than surrender. Lead elements of 5 platoon, B Company, Hasty P's seize the edge of OBJ Orange Blossom. With the objective taken, B Company finishes clearing the gully by conducting a right flanking as the AC's and immobilized Sherman provide intimate support and suppressing fire from higher ground in front of the enemy infantry. Major Stonecutter races to the aid of C Company which has been hammered by artillery and is under fire from the MkIV north east of their position. Following another unsuccessful attack from a Kittyhawk, Stonecutter engages the panzer after spotting its muzzle flash through the intervening trees. He curses the lowest cost bidder that made his ammunition and tank gun as the first shot shatters and three more are stopped by the MkIV's relatively thin armour. Just as the panzer is reversing out of danger, the fifth shot is able to penetrate as it hits a weakened part of the glacis that has already been damaged by the previous hits. The crew bails out but is quickly killed by several bursts of coaxial MG fire from Stonecutter's gunner. Providing close support, the hull and coaxial MGs of Stonecutter's sherman quickly eliminate the enemy trying to flee the Hasty P's and the fighting in the gully. The loop is closed on the enemy in the gully and woods as another sherman advances with Major Stonecutter and cuts off any avenue of retreat.

Although it is little consolation, the British and American half tracks offer the same level of non-protection :-) I long ago ceased using them as offensive vehicles and they are restricted solely to the role of battlefield taxi. The one saving grace for both the Hanomag and Allied half tracks is that they do offer some protection against artillery. The irony is that the open top bren/universal carriers actually provide good protection versus small arms fire and protect their passengers quite well. Not sure why it is modeled that way but as long as you realize their limitations, they can be useful but there are definitely times when walking is going to be a lot safer!!

"Sir, the Germans are withdrawing, look over there." Captain Minna glanced toward where his radio operator was pointing and immediately picked up the telltale exhaust smoke and vehicle movement. Raising his binoculars to getter a better view, he watched a group of panzergrenadiers board a half track that quickly started heading north along the main road. A couple hundred meters closer, two panzer III's stood watch, carefully protecting the withdrawing infantry. Several minutes later, the closest panzer began reversing north toward a new position. As soon as it was set, its gun still pointed toward Delta Company, the second panzer began its own rearward move, leap frogging the first enemy tank. Minna watched the carefully orchestrated withdrawal with grudging respect and regret. A withdrawal under contact was a difficult tactical manoeuvre and the Germans were executing it flawlessly. The complete absence of allied armour certainly made the task easier. The enemy had pushed Delta Company to the limit and Minna wondered at their sudden decision to pull back just when they were at the point of decisively breaking the Canadian defence. He suspected the recent Kittyhawk sorties and destruction of two panzers by the six pounder ATGs may have contributed to the uncharacteristic caution. In any event, he was only too happy on a personal level to rue the reasons why. The close call with a MkIV and grenadiers coming within 200 meters of him made Minna give a quick prayer of thanks to whoever or whatever was making the enemy withdraw. Pondering the enemy actions for a few moments, Minna tried to think of the situation from the enemy commander's perspective. The Germans invariably counterattacked very aggressively and would only stop with good reason. If a counterattack wasn't intended to succeed, then it must be buying time by trying to throw the RCR Battlegroup off balance. Searching the ground in the distance, Minna's suspicions were confirmed. Further north of OBJ Morning Glory, half tracks loaded with grenadiers and more panzers were making their way into the objective. With the buildings, woods and walls of the estate, it certainly made a strong, defensive position. Examining the ground between his location and OBJ Morning Glory, Minna also noted that a lot of the scrub, trees and even some buildings had been razed to clear the lines of sight. The battlegroup would have to cover over half a mile in open terrain to reach the objective and over terrain that was muddy and very obviously under direct enemy observation and fire. Minna checked his watch and saw that it was still a few minutes before C Company was due to arrive - time enough, he hoped, to adapt the original plan to this new information. "Niner, this is Golf Two Zero, over." "Niner, send over." "Golf Two Zero, SITREP. Enemy attack has ceased, I repeat, enemy attack has ceased. Remaining enemy forces consisting of platoon of Mark IIIs and platoon plus of grenadiers in half tracks are withdrawing north to area grid three-four-one eight-seven-two. Additional enemy forces consisting of platoon Mark IVs, platoon Mark IIIs and platoon of mechanized infantry are entering same area from the north. Ground east and west of main road has been cleared of obstruction approximately 800 metres south. Enemy appears to be occupying a defensive position in current location. Panzers are moving into built up area and adopting firing positions oriented south behind stone walls. Maintaining observation, over." "Golf Two Zero, this is Niner, acknowledged. Maintain observation and report any further enemy actions, out." The rumble of the ground from behind Minna heralded the arrival of C Company and A Squadron reinforcements. Switching to their radio frequency, he listened in while continuing to seek out enemy positions and began to develop a fire plan to support the attack on OBJ Morning Glory. "All stations Tango, this is Tango One, warning order. Higher reports enemy defence consisting of grenadier company and panzer company occupying hasty defence in area grid three-four-one eight-seven-two. Likely mission, advance to contact and destroy. Tango One-Three intimate support India Three, Tango One-Four intimate support India Four. All other Tango calls signs in reserve. Current location is zeroed in by enemy artillery, all stations move to form up points five hundred metres north of current location, Tango One-Four left, Tango One-Three right, remainder as per SOP. Ground is extremely muddy, all Tango calls signs move with care. Orders to follow in figures one-five, Tango One out." Major Stonecutter acknowledged the four thumbs up from his troop leaders and ordered his driver to carefully make his way toward Stirling Castle. The heavy concentration of friendly vehicles and troops in the assembly area would certainly bring the usual swift German reaction and he was determined to get his troops away before the stonking began. While the infantry of Charlie Company sorted themselves out into the bren carriers, his squadron's tanks all began moving away. With any luck, the movement of his squadron would draw the enemy's attention away from the vulnerable infantry. Keeping a close eye on the distant enemy position, Major Stonecutter almost missed the drone of aircraft engines overhead. The engine noise seemed odd for the Kittyhawks he knew were supporting the battlegroup and he glanced skyward. Stunned almost to disbelief, he saw a Messerschmitt 109 with its distinctive crosses swoop down, strafing and dropping a bomb toward the rear of the assembly area. Until now, Stonecutter had only seen one enemy aircraft as the Luftwaffe had restricted their activities to night raids. The overwhelming allied air power generally meant a quick death for any German aircraft bold enough to fly in daylight - or at least that is what the fighter types like to brag! As the 109 performed a high gee turn and headed for home, he almost laughed at the bravado of the allied pilots. Listening to the Battalion net, he heard the FOO, Captain Minna, sending in the enemy aircraft report. Ironically, the 109 had actually done them a favour. Its single attack would draw every allied fighter around for the next few days as the pilots sought to add an air victory to their tally. The presence of more air power would boost his own troops morale and decrease that of the enemy. That Captain Minna would be able to press gang the fighters into doing a few more ground attack missions was merely an added bonus, as was the ability to now immediately silence the air cowboys the next time they started boasting! Grenadiers run to mount up in a half track while a Mk III covers their withdrawal. Minna's close call with a Mk IV only minutes earlier leave him too thankful to question the good fortune of the enemy opting to pull back just when they were about to tear into a nearly defenceless Delta Company. In the distance, Captain Minna observes the arrival of a reinforcing platoon of grenadiers and a Mk IV panzer into OBJ Morning Glory. After determining the ground south of the objective has been cleared, he sends a SITREP to the battlegroup HQ to warn them of the additional preparations. It looks like OBJ Morning Glory will be well defended and a swift hasty attack is unlikely to succeed. Taking advantage of the lull in fighting, a crew of a six pounder decides to deny the Germans the ability to recover their vehicles if they resume the attack. The number 2 loads a 57mm armour piercing shot into the breech. Just over 100 metres away, the first half track is hit. The flash of the metal penetrator ripping into the lower hull causes the gunner to cheer with savage glee. At first, it appears nothing vital was hit and the crew prepares another round. However, the commander orders the second half track to be targeted when he spots smoke beginning to rise out of the turret compartment. The smoke turns to flame and quickly reaches something critical. The rear half of the vehicle is blown apart in a spontaneous explosion of all the remaining 37mm ammunition and fuel. The six pounder crew are knocked over as they are hit by the ensuing blast wave. Major Stonecutter quickly orders A Squadron to disperse and prepare for a hasty attack. The tanks steadily make their way across the thick, muddy field. The Canadians are caught by surprise when a ME 109 attacks the Vancouver assembly area.

Following the hard fought victory at San Leonardo, the newly minted Captain Minna had been assigned to Delta Coy, RCR as they pushed forward in pursuit of the retreating German forces. The mud, mined roads and miserable weather made it nearly impossible to fully exploit the gains of the previous day. With their typical efficiency, the mixed force of panzer grenadiers and fallschirmjagers had blown craters in the road, created obstacles and done everything possible to make life difficult for the Canadians. Notwithstanding these challenges, Delta Coy had advanced to the top of the river valley and now looked out over gently rolling terrain leading to the Cider Crossroads. Scanning the area with his binoculars, Minna made careful note of potential enemy routes of advance and began mentally planning potential fire missions. He watched the rather haphazard arrival of the battalion anti-tank platoon and their six pounders while Delta spread out over several areas and started digging in. The squawk of the radio grabbed his attention as the Delta company commander summoned him to orders at his new location. Minna looked nervously at the house where the Major had established his HQ. Located at the top of the rise near several buildings, he instinctively knew it would be a reference point for his enemy counterparts to shell. As he approached the area, he felt his insides tighten when he spotted the distinctive shell holes of what he strongly suspected were ranging rounds. Less than half an hour later, Minna and his remaining observer team members made their way to a rather non-descript clump of trees several hundred meters north of Delta Coy HQ. The speed of the German counter attack had come as a surprise as it caught several of the ATGs in the process of deploying with predictably fatal results for the gun crews. The two Shermans had been quickly picked off by the superior gun and optics of the Mk IVs from a range of over one mile. A cautious advance of infantry and armour had been supported by German artillery, the latter of which carefully targeted the surviving anti-tank guns. Minna's instincts had been confirmed when a corps level mission of heavy guns had nearly taking out himself and the rest of Delta HQ - he had barely managed to make his escape when the shells started falling. Grabbing a section of Delta company survivors as close protection, he had pushed forward to where he could better observe and aid in the battle. While German armour and machine guns were superior to those possessed by the soldiers in the RCR battle group, Minna was keenly aware that those same soldiers were looking to him to exploit the allied advantage in artillery and air power to make up for these deficiencies. Spotting several panzers and a couple half tracks assembling along the road to Casa Berardi, he plotted the grid on his map while his radio operator tuned the radio to the air frequency. For once, Minna was pleasantly surprised that the radio worked and quickly tapped into the close air support network. "Kitty lead this is Golf Two Zero, target, over" "Golf Two Zero, this is Kitty Seven in the rank, send target over." "Kitty Seven this is Golf Two Zero Target. Golf November Three-Four-Six Eight-Fife-Four. Panzers in woods along road, 700 yards north-east of Stirlin Castle. Destroy, over" "Kitty Seven, roger, rolling in" Minna watched as the Kittyhawk flew by at well over 4000 feet in altitude, a distance from which he would be unlikely able to spot an entire village let alone a group of panzers. Cursing to himself and at the pilot, he figured there was little hope of help this time. Most pilots were unenthusiastic about ground attack missions as they were far more dangerous and less glamorous than air-to-air combat but with the complete absence of the Luftwaffe, they were the only reason for air power in this battle. "Golf Two Zero, this is Kitty Seven, no target observed, heading to stables." Shaking his fist in frustration, Minna continued to watch as several German vehicles closed in on Stirlin Castle, threatening the small group of RCR scouts occupying the area. Despite the complete failure of the last mission, Minna observed that the Germans were moving more tentatively with the knowledge that Allied fighter bombers were nearby and ready to strike. Activating the radio, he toggled the switch. "Kitty lead, this is Golf Two Zero, target over." "Golf Two Zero, this is Kitty Niner in the rank, send target over" Pulling the pin on a smoke grenade, Minna tossed it ahead and let it billow for half a minute before continuing. "Kitty Niner this is Golf Two Zero Target. Golf November Three-Four-Four Eight-Four-Seven. Panzer and half track in open, 700 yards north east of purple smoke, 200 yards west of Stirlin Castle, destroy over." "Kitty Niner, I have the smoke, rolling in - Tally Ho." "Kitty Niner, bombs away, rolling out, explosion seen." Minna watched the dark object fall from the Kittyhawk to land just beside the halftrack with a massive blast that rocked the vehicle. "Kitty Niner, rolling in, going with guns." At tree top level, the Kittyhawk screamed over the battlefield and unleashed a hail of 0.50 slugs into a previously disabled panzer but caught a number of stunned panzer grenadiers that were still recovering from the initial bomb attack. "Kitty Niner, heading to stables." Minna knew that the purple smoke was a clear indication of his presence and that the Germans would soon react. Far more quickly than he would have liked, he heard the sounds of an approaching MkIV and then spotted it along with a number of grenadiers jogging along heading in his direction. Waving to Sergeant Picard, the commander of one of the six pounders dug in several hundred yards south of him and his men, Minna pointed to where the panzer was coming from and observed the thumbs up from Picard through his binoculars. As the panzer crested the rise, one of the new crews just west of Picard opened up and missed high in their haste, having obviously forgotten to adjust their sights to short range. The MkIV responded almost immediately, destroying the gun in a single shot. The sound of the tank engine drew ever closer and Minna and his men began to engage the accompanying grenadiers. Just as the panzer spotted them and was traversing its turret, the bark of a six pounder interrupted the movement and hammered the side of the tank with devastating impact resulting in an almost instantaneous detonation. The flame, shrapnel and blast ripped into the grenadiers and they quickly retreated away from the flaming wreck. The destruction of the half track and willingness of the allied pilots to strafe at low level was forcing the Germans to slow their advance even further. Minna's mind raced as he thought how to exploit this gift of time. Spotting a collection of enemy vehicles in the same area where Kitty Seven had failed miserably, Minna again radioed the waiting fighters and prayed that he could help stave off the German advance until more reinforcements arrived. A 500 pound bomb from the Kittyhawk drops almost on top of the German halftrack. The ensuing blast destroys the half track and stuns nearby grenadiers who are soon cut down by the multiple 0.50 from the Kittyhawks carpeting the area. The tell tale purple smoke draws the attention of a short barrel MkIV and accompanying grenadiers. Minna can see the panzer heading directly at him and hopes that Sergeant Picard is ready to engage before it arrives. The new crew takes cover after its gun is destroyed while Picard makes no mistake and his first shot penetrates the right turret of the MkIV. The steel penetrator immediately causes a cook off of ammunition and fuel inside the panzer, immolating the crew. The shock of the blast wounds some nearby grenadiers and the remainder beat a hasty retreat.

Now that I've got a few turns under my belt, I'll put together a quick update for tomorrow. Just collecting enough screen shots and building a storyline to relate the action.

Coming late to the party as I was so focused on our Bloody Christmas campaign I wasn't even cruising this topic at all! That being the case, the entire AAR served as a great Sunday morning treat Loads of action, compelling narrative and an ample supply of heroes (and the occasional donkey). It's neat to see the tactical plan laid out at the start and compare it to how closely it follows the actual battle. With those Jagmonsters, it was no surprise some desperation measures were required and that the battle plan had to experience some alterations. Looking forward to the next installment and watching the flyboys disgrace themselves again by being late and off target!

Greg just uploaded 005 so the even numbered files will be the ones to watch.

Combat Team Stonecutter stands ready to resume offensive operations! This should be really cool as the current day HQ for the Hasty P's is a quick drive down the road from where I live. Time to read up on the regimental history.

Since we are still a long way from Ortona, there is lots more fighting to do in this campaign! IIRC, there is a suspected German counterattack coming (with Pz IVs and IIIs) and then the capture of Casa Berardi is the next step toward Ortona. This was merely the end of the San Leonardo Slugfest battle.

Thanks for the AAR from your perspective Odin, it is neat to see the battle from the other side. You definitely put together a great defence with limited resources that gave us some very scary moments early on and even in the end your troops were still fighting to buy time for their comrades to escape. Those darn Pak40's were definitely your MVPs. Perfectly located and used to great effect throughout the battle. Well done!

Now you know why the Canadians persevered in spite of the mud, weather and a very tough enemy - they had plenty of motivation to keep them going to victory!

That actually was the command carrier with Chappy in it! The enemy in the woods was bit of a surprise but 40-50 rounds later from the Thompson and problem solved :-)

Colonel Chappy takes matters into his own hands with his trusty Thompson. The view from San Leornardo looking toward Casa Berardi. A couple hundred meters away in the low ground, B Company is going into its assembly area. The whistle of corps artillery passing overhead forewarns Larouche and he and his men dive for cover. The massive round is joined by several others as the Germans call a final defensive fire in an attempt to catch the Canadians moving through the village itself. The massive crater is evident and for once, mud actually helps the infantry as it forces the round to explode deep in the mire, draining most of the energy and shrapnel. Dolan picks off several stubborn German defenders with his bren gun. As the tank approaches, the enemy loses their nerve and surrenders before it engages them.

"Tango one-one, set 400. Tango one-one charlie, next bound 200, edge of vineyard, left side of road" Montgomery issued arcs to his gunner and then carefully peered through his binos at the edge of the vineyard through the smoke of the battle. The only saving grace of the heavy rains was that the incessant dust of the dry season was gone. In its place, the viscous mud grabbed at man and machine, hindering movement and clinging tenaciously. Rooster tails peeled off the tracks of his charlie tank as it drove down the narrow trail, skidding and sliding to a stop just off the road where the vineyard ended. Without waiting for his charlie's response, he immediately got his tank in motion. "Driver, max speed to crossroads 400 meters to our front." "Coax, 300, infantry by edge of road, on!" "On." "Fire" "Firing now, target, firing now, target." "Next target left, fire,....next target left, add 200, fire,...target stop. HE, 600, infantry at corner of woods, on" "HE loaded" "On!" "Fire,...fire,...target stop." Riding in a carrier, Larouche used hand signals to direct the other vehicles in his company, guiding them around San Leonardo to an assembly area a couple hundred meters north east so as to avoid any further delay and to cut off the main road out of the town. Two squads from Quinn's platoon had dismounted from their vehicles and were securing the assembly area. The firing of their bren guns and sharp crack of mortars quickly followed as they began engaging several German squads that were trying to flee the village. To the east, the sounds of Montgomery's tanks could be heard as they leapfrogged forward, the constant rattle of machine gun fire occasionally joined by the boom of the main gun. While the rest of his vehicles made their way up the trail, Larouche identified the copse along the road to Casa Berardi that Colonel Chappy had assigned to B Coy as their next defensive position to stave off the inevitable German counter attack. Looking west, he spotted his CO's command carrier as it neared a small patch of trees north of San Leonardo. A burst of fire from the woods indicated it was still occupied but the carrier continued forward and Larouche could see Chappy himself firing his Thompson from the carrier, pouring a couple magazines of the heavy 0.45 slugs into the trees until the remaining enemy threw their hands up in surrender. While he was admiring the Colonel's gunnery, an ominous whistle triggered his reactions. "Take cover B Company, incoming!!" Despite the protection of his carrier and being prone inside of it, Larouche was tossed about by the massive shock and concussion as the round exploded just on the outskirts of San Leonardo. Daring to raise his head, he could easily see a massive, still smoking crater, nearly 200 meters away. For once, the cursed mud had actually helped him and his men, allowing the round to dig deep before exploding so that the shrapnel was directed upwards rather than outwards. Not wanting to tempt fate any further, he soon had his men moving up to their position. Cautiously approaching the area, he was about to issue orders to halt and dismount when bren gun fire erupted from the lead carrier. He watched as Dolan, calm as ever, used several quick burst from his bren gun to pick off several grenadiers that were trying to defend the position. With tanks rolling by on either side, the enemy quickly surrendered and Larouche sent Quinn's platoon to secure the POWs and the position while he led the remaining carriers to join in the hunt for the last of the German defenders of San Leonardo. Montgomery and the rest of Combat Team Stonecutter pursue the enemy relentlessly. Those that do not surrender immediately are not given a second chance. After watching several of their comrades get cut down by machine gun and tank fire, these grenadiers have had enough and wisely surrender rather than suffering the same fate. Major Stonecutter and his squadron HQ tanks finally reach the top of the crest and establish a cut off position to prevent any more enemy from escaping. Casa Berardi is evident in the distance but for the Germans seen here, the race is lost as they cannot hope to outrun the Shermans and any movement across the open ground results in death as they are easily detected and engaged by A Squadron tanks. Several scout carriers race to the second road to Casa Berardi as A Squadron and Combat Team Stonecutter close the loop from both ends. In the foreground, the tanks shoot and move in short bounds while In the distance the first of two half tracks from the combat team have neatly cut off the direct route to Casa Berardi. Some exhausted grenadiers foolishly try to flee and are scythed down by 0.30 coaxial MG fire from Montgomery's gunner. Half track from Combat Team Stonecutter, having raced around the roads to the east of San Leonardo, cut off the last hope of retreat for any remaining enemy. A gunner mans the 0.50 and prepares to engage any visible enemy.