The Battle for Hamel Vallee - an AAR

[Brindlewolf]

Utube AAR or it didn't happen.Looking forward to reading more on this battle,

quality stuff.Good luck

[sburke]

Thought about youtube, but honestly I don't know that I want to try getting in to producing videos. What we are likely to do instead is put the entire game (or at least critical turns) up on dropbox so folks can actually see the entire thing. There are some turns where the level of action is so intense that it was almost hard to go to the planning phase of the turn.

[dieseltaylor]

Very impressive. Execellent map and foundation of the battle. And thoughtfully demonstrated by the jpgs. I look forward to the future instalments.

It should be possible by Dropbox for you to give players the battle turns so that at some future date all can experience the action first hand. Might be a nice gift to the community to see the way it can play. ; )

I am hopefully sitting in a ringside seat for a WeBoB final about to kick off. Strictly not to comment just become a war film watcher!! : )

[Broadsword56]

Here's a bit about the initial US plan, which I guess it's safe to share now:

My analysis was:

1. Mission:

Dictated by the operational boardgame situation. An "intensive attack" by the US force, meaning major HQ staff involvement and maximum commitment of resources and effort.

The objective is the standard 280m x 280m terrain area, representing the defending battalion's boardgame hex. It's not a town, a crossroads, or anything of clear military value. So why would anyone want this particular piece of Normandy real estate, and why now? About 24 hours ago, this was a soft spot/gap in the German line -- an open door to HILL 122 and the campaign objective of SAINT-LO. The Americans advanced the 1/320th Infantry, but the Germans countered in time, moving the 518/GR 916 into a blocking position overnight.

Capturing, clearing and holding an area that large is a massive task, even for a battalion-plus force. It could take more than one battle to get there.

2. Enemy:

The German force is outnumbered roughly 3:1. They lack stamina (Two of their companies are unfit, 1 is weakened).

Motivation is poor because they were bombarded all the previous night by the entire 35th Divarty and are "disrupted" in the boardgame. That also threw their command and control into disorder, giving them -2 leadership for this battle. Veteran experience. Ammo supply adequate.

Worth noting are significant AT assets (PAKs and some 88s), and armor (StuGs and Marders in company strength). They have considerable 105mm artillery (12 guns) available offmap and a fair number of TRPs.

All German units can be assumed to start in foxholes, since they had time to dig in overnight. No fortifications, except for some sandbags for the AT positions.

Due to aerial recon and support from Division staff for this intensive attack, the Americans have 40% pre-battle intel.

3. Troops Available:

3/320th Infantry plus attachments: M5 Stuart company, M4 Sherman company, Engineer platoon.

Massive offmap artillery and "full" ammo supply: 12 x 105mm guns.

Onmap, the US battalion also has its 81mm mortar platoon.

Experience level is Green, but due to the extensively prepared and well-briefed plan for this attack, the US has +2 leadership. Motivation level is normal. Fatigue level: 2 rifle companies weakened, 1 rifle company fit.

4. Terrain

a. The HOTEL AU HEUP horse farm atop HILL 108 gives the US the ability to put supporting fire across the highway into the wheatfields complex and cover the top crossroads, as well as the dirt road from it leading W into the German positions.

b. The map has a mix of dense bocage and relatively open, larger fields that offer good fields of fire and maneuvering room for tanks.

c. The central area of the German line, between the two crossroads, is ideal defensive terrain -- thick with hedgerows and orchards.

d. But the field pattern in that area is more open in the N-S direction. So, any attack from the E will have better chances if it can be supported by enfilading fire from open N sides of the fields.

Below, an image showing the lanes for supporting fires from the hilltop farm (A) and then enfilading into the German hedgerow positions (:

e. A small, square orchard at the N end of the map would make a good base for launching armored attacks SSW through the wheatfields, where they could support infantry making a frontal attack on the central German line from the E.

5. Time

4 hours for the battle. Loads of time.

The US plan:

I didn't want to let the Germans stall this attack and slowly wear my forces down, hedgerow by hedgerow. With all this armor and firepower, plus the numerical advantage, I felt it was time to try a lightning blow and overwhelm the German defense at some critical spot. Because the Germans are easily fatigued, they would have trouble shifting troops around quickly. So a rapidly exploited breakthrough could win the day. Speed could also keep the Germans off-balance, so they couldn't organize a counterattack or mortaring each freshly captured position.

Attack plan image:

The main effort was a two-company attack on the center (K on my left, I on my right, #2 on the attack plan image), between the two crossroads. Each company had an engineer section and a Stuart tank platoon assigned (some Rhino-equipped).

To give this frontal attack a better chance of breaking through, I preplanned a British-style rolling barrage: All 4 guns of a 105mm battery on medium fire, medium duration, in a series of linear steps that would "lift" every 3 minutes to the next hedgerow or several hundred meters. 81 mm mortars added some smoke to the first "step" to help the first wave get a bit of cover.

The other important aspect to the plan was a preliminary stage: A diversionary probing attack on the N orchard and wheatfield complex, aimed at drawing German forces and attention away from the center (#1 on the attack plan image).

If the probe managed to advance, it would then try to reach positions along the road S of the wheatfields where they could threaten to enfilade the German hedgerows in the center (the "B" dotted lines on the fire plan image). The forces for the probe were L Company (minus 1 platoon that was in battalion reserve) and 1 Stuart tank platoon, with a platoon of Sherman tanks in overwatch from the HOTEL AU HEUP hilltop (The "A" dotted lines on the fire lanes image).

In reserve was a platoon of L Company, plus the remaining Sherman platoon and its company HQ tanks. This last armor was my reserve, which would stay all the way to the rear on the E mapedge and remain hidden. This was my force to deal with the German armor; I wanted my infantry and/or light tanks to locate the main German armor first -- then I'd maneuver this armored reserve to try and catch the Stugs and Marders from the rear or flank. If the German armor didn't remain passive, but tried to come out and counterattack, then my armored reserve would be launched to neutralize it.

That was the original battle plan. In the next installment, we'll see how that plan survived first contact with the enemy...

[sburke]

I am expecting Broadsword's review will actually provide more intel than I have so I'll be avoiding this thread until we are ready to really go into the battle. As it is we are at the 1 hour mark and the Americans have kicked off another attack. Actually two, one straight into the center crossroads again and another towards my right flank. For the moment the right flank is primarily a heavy artillery barrage while the units are forming up, but one of my snipers has already taken out a TC at a pretty good clip. This is the same sniper discussed in another thread that help stamp out an American recon unit.

[poesel]

Broadsword & sburke; thanks for making this AAR!

One proposal: why don't you split this AAR in two threads - one for each side so you can avoid to read the others intel?

Btw, wasn't there another AAR which did exactly that but IIRC it didn't finish?

[sburke]

That's a thought. We wanted to be more interactive, but are beginning to think this may go on a bit. I'll broach the idea, but y'all gotta promise not to comment in either of our threads about what goes on in the other.

[sburke]

We decided to wait until the battle ended as we wanted to focus on it while it was still going rather than the AAR. Just wrapped up tonight so here goes. And no we aren't going to tell you the end of the story first. We will finish this AAR, that is a promise. The two of us have enjoyed this battle way too much and this forum is in serious need of more fun and less quibbling over features. We would hope this would lead to more AARs and who knows, maybe even an AAR section. I am sure the noobs would appreciate it and I would love to have something to read at work while I am goofing off. I have already taken, cropped and marked up most of my screenshots and there are lots and lots of them.

For me the first phase of the battle is probably the most interesting. The struggle for intel between the attacker trying to ascertain where your primary defensive line is and the defender trying to screen it can be very intense and have a major impact on the flow of the battle. For the defender it can also mean throwing the attacker's plans into disarray forcing them to make decisions on the fly, get reactive and hopefully lead to poor choices caused by acting on too little info. As an additional benefit, if you are dealing with a fairly complicated battle plan with important timetables, it can unhinge your opponent and deprive them of some of their best weapons. We often complain about scenarios where the time given is too short. I think this battle is very demonstrative of the importance of a schedule decided by folks further up the chain of command and what happens when the grunts on the line can't meet the phase objectives on time.

You will know far more about what was going on at any phase of this battle than I did. One thing I found in reviewing screenshots is how much I get caught up in the individual firefights and how hard it was to step back and keep a good perspective on overall enemy intentions. The fight on my far left flank would keep me occupied for quite a bit and if in fact it was primarily a diversion (I wrote this before reading Broadsword's battle plan. I only came to the conclusion that it might be a diversion when the Shermans were not committed and the weight of the attack shifted towards the crossroads), I think it worked pretty well. It would probably have worked even better except for the fact that my lateral movement capability was so limited. I didn't have a choice, 1st Company was going to have to defend itself with whatever help would come from the rear. 2nd and 3rd Companies were incapable of shifting. What I did have in my favor were the TRPs. My artillery defense plan was pretty simple. Conserve ammo and stick to the plan for my artillery's role, not the needs of any individual unit.

The plan? I had 3 main objectives all focused around disrupting the attackers timing and reducing the capability of their units for offensive action. I never used anything other than harassing fire. While not as destructive, it did allow me to use my limited assets over a longer period of time.

1. I had a couple TRPs placed in likely forming up areas. By this I do not mean set up zones. I expect they were even further back. What I am referring to is where I expected the enemy would move units to out of LOS of my forces while their recon probed my defenses. The idea here was to pin the units, increase their suppression and cause them to be more brittle once they jumped off.

2. Cutting off forward units from support and covering fire. Once I have identified the thrust of an attack, the artillery can prevent the enemy from reinforcing and if necessary allow me to break contact. I needed to be sure withdrawal was a part of my battle plan as I absolutely knew I would be doing quite a bit and these guys are slow.

3. The kill zone. Hwy 91 was from the start a line I intended to start causing a lot of casualties. My OPs would open the recon battle prior hopefully getting the enemy thinking the hwy was actually my main defense. They would be forced to deploy and prep fire the area. Once they made the assault into the hwy they would be sitting right on my TRPs. I then had several more on the fields further into my defense meaning I could keep the enemy under fire as they tried to move forward. By the time they got through this zone I hoped to have their situation so deteriorated that my beat up battalion would be able to make a stand.

What I would consider phase one, the recon battle would last approx 16 minutes though it took me a little bit longer to recognize it. The point that I realized it had likely transitioned to phase two and that I believed I had won the recon battle was when artillery started raining down behind my forward units. With few exceptions that artillery mostly resulted in tearing up fields. Meanwhile the forward units were now bunching up in on the hwy. The enemy's main thrust had been identified and was in the kill zone.

Mord your portraits show up later, I started the AAR and screenshots before you uploaded those. And thanks again, they are truly outstanding.

Edited September 17, 2017 by sburke

[sburke]

The first indications of the attack direction was a preparatory artillery barrage as well as tank and MG fire on Nell's position

at the 1st Company OP. Though pinned and scared witless, Nell was unharmed. I do not know if the enemy had spotted the foxholes, it

seems probable - poor placement on my part. However the protection given was sufficient to allow Nell to survive and even to begin my

forward defence.

Nell under fire from American units up by the Hotel

Though a lot of fire is coming off the hill, the foxholes are paying off

The first sign of US units

1st Platoon 1st Company units were taking fire, but unscathed. I could however see rather quickly that my main enemy was not going to be

casualties, but suppressive effects. This unit is brittle and if the enemy got in close, my men were going to break, no question. The American

advantages at the squad level would tear my units apart if allowed.

Though no units had been spotted by the center crossroads the artillery prep included areas around the bloody orchard. I wasn't sure if

this was for screening or a wider attack.

[sburke]

By turn 4 Nell had recovered and spotted an American assault force moving towards his position.

The artillery fire plan was coming into effect and harrassment fire was falling on suspected forming up positions near the hotel.

The forward OPs were also paying dividends. LOS deep into the enemy rear from positions along the hwy was as it turned out quite good.

This would make a significant contribution towards allowing me to focus on where the enemy was as opposed to worrying about where

they weren't. Again the battle for intel can have really significant implications particularly in large scale engagements.

This view is deep behind the center crossroads.

5 minutes into the battle and the first American recon is spotted near the center crossroads.

Meanwhile 1st pltn 1st Co units shift position to orient towards the American attack. B team from 3rd squad moves to assist Nell in delaying the Americans.

[sburke]

The recon battle is going into full swing now. Though not the first American casualty, this was the first my men actually saw (hearing screams w/o actually seeing anyone is quite unsettling. The harassing fire was definitely finding targets).

It was fitting it would be a TC. American tank crews would suffer grevious losses in this battle. TCs were particularly vulnerable. In a larger battle with so many distractions and the need to also provide supporting fire armor becomes exceedingly vulnerable. Forget about whether you should be using hunt or slow etc When lead is flying everywhere, dust is clouding your view and your armor has a specific task to suppress potential enemy positions life is going to get dangerous.

My fwd positions pay off on both the right flank and the center as American units are either pinned and unable to move forward without additional support or simply outright ambushed and eliminated.

Some idea of how complicated the terrain is on this battlefield is evident here. The American recon crests a small rise on hill 108. They are now completely cut off from supporting fire and at close range to 1st squad 3rd platoon in ambush position. To the left outside your field of view is a minefield. I had very few mines, but figured there was simply no way the Americans could pass up that location for a recon position. In retrospect this might have appeared to be an obvious location for an ambush, but only if you go down to eyeball level and review a very very large map. I placed the unit and even at that time was not expecting anything like this sequence and the events that follow.

Tomorrow- The Recon Ambush

[sburke]

On my left, my picket line is continuing to hold up the allied advance. They don't seem to be causing many casualties, but they are hindering

the timetable and forcing my opponent to deploy heavier units to get the attack going.

My 3rd platoon OP would play a really pivotal role in the battle that only became clear in retrospect. Part of what I really enjoy about CMBN

is I am always curious as to the impact of individuals on events. The 1:1 modelling of CMBN means I can see some of that. Later in this battle

you will see a pretty incredible firefight and what I really enjoyed about it was watching the behavior of individual members of my squad.

They are not simply an amorphous unit. One guy can throw up his arms and surrender and the guy next to him put up a tough fight.

In this particular case it is early in the battle and my units have not started to deteriorate from combat.

Having completed the decimation of one recon unit, the team becomes aware of another recon unit attempting to close.

1st platoon units continue to try to suppress the left flank attack giving me time to re orient

Meanwhile armored support is on the way. For the units on hwy 91 it is quite close, but for my left flank they have a bit further to go.

[sburke]

Recon ambush - This is one of those moments where I am just so impressed with the TAC AI. First my team pops up catching

the GIs by surprise hitting one.

They then pull a PF. Maybe a bit of overkill, but I want this ambush to be swift and effective and this unit to get out of here.

They exceeded my expectations.

Hey, watch where you point that thing! You'd think the backblast might have bothered the guys on the left.

As a last bit of icing on the cake the squad leader tosses a grenade.

This ambush was essentially sprung by only 2 members of the team. The others would join in at the end, but by then it was time to

consider getting out of dodge. Gotta love that Lansder, nails one guy with his Kar98, then calmly looses a PF. Okay, job over what's next?

The hand grenade seemed to be more of an attempt to make sure any other units kept their heads down so these guys could withdrawal.

Edited September 17, 2017 by sburke

[Boche]

Very nice, hooked already

[sburke]

Meanwhile 1st platoon continues to struggle as enemy armor moves up to get the attack going, however help is on the way.

1st platoon suffers the first German casualty. Due to incoming fire they will be unable to administer buddy aid and

will eventually have to just leave this guy behind.

Notice I got my portraits sorted out Mord. In case it doesn't show from my Sig, I have a particular affinity for 352nd ID.

Crack SS units with lots of uber toys.. meh. Give me the average Landser underdog desperately struggling to hold off their

foe with dwindling resources. These guys are the unsung heroes.

[sburke]

1st Squad 3rd platoon successfully breaks contact leaving the enemy guessing as to what to expect and definitely wanting to

blast it's former position. This for me is a perfect example of the role of your screen. Hit the enemy recon and force them to

expend time and ammo on a position that is now vacant. This was mostly luck, but you'll find luck falling more often your way if you

at least have a clear, simple and hopefully effective plan.

They have retreated off hwy 91 and taken up position with the rest of the platoon.

Meanwhile 1st platoon has recieved some badly needed help. The Stuart may be a light tank, but can dish out a lot of firepower

against infantry targets. My Infantry needs relief from this threat badly and it has just arrived.

[sburke]

We've had a few suggestions for shorter turns for example maybe a 30 second option. I understand the intent but I think it may

become an issue when 30 seconds is then decided to be too long and we want 15, then 10. No this wasn't to re open that discussion, it

was to set the scene for a great sequence 26 seconds of mayhem as an assault gun from 1st pltn gives some relief to my landser

and escalates the recon battle.

[sburke]

Still trying to help their buddy, this scene was heart wrenching. You could almost hear the classic movie scene of them attempting to stop the bleeding all the time knowing their buddy was slipping away while enemy fire continued to impact all around them.

Broadsword and I both have fairly vivid imaginations trying to attach stories to the scenes. It isn't hard with this game.

Meanwhile the enemy is blasting hell out of 1st Squad 3rd platoon's old position. This was probably one of my best moments in the

whole battle where my plans actually worked better than expected. Usually when I try to do something like this some errant

mortar rounds hits em first.

[sburke]

Just so folks don't think that tank crews are the only ones who know how to use a pistol. Here an AT guy knows he needs to keep the

Shreck for the tanks that are approaching. No problem, he's got a pistol.

Bang, take that squad leader. Anyone carrying a thompson is fair game.

Time for an overview. You can see some of the TRPs and how deep I was prepared for the Americans to push. So far my attention is largely

focused on my left flank though the increasing level of activity towards the center crossroads is very evident. I still was not sure

where the main effort would come from but I had seen no movement at all on my right flank and had good OP locations so I was getting more

and more certain that the left side of the battlefield was going to be the focus. Note the armor around the hotel. These were Shermans

providing direct fire support. I would eventually have to deal with this threat as well. 2nd Platoon was out on a limb and would become more

and more exposed with heavy suppressive fire being a constant.

[sburke]

The pressure on my left flank continues to grow with an entire tank platoon noted and 1st platoon's defense beginning to fold. Note at least

one team is beginning to break under the strain of sustained mg and cannon fire.

[sburke]

A big moment for German armor as the StuG units continue to deter US armor from providing much needed support to the poor GIs.

On the left flank Stager despite losing his loader to a mortar round accounts for his third Stuart

[sburke]

While in the center crossroads Schwimmer puts the Americans on notice that crossing Hwy 91 was going to require a concerted effort.

I like this sequence as the the effect on how a turn plays out is very dynamic. As the StuG rolls up, the only enemy evident is an infantry

unit which it proceeds to hammer.

The immediate result (besides the infantry casualties) is a dust screen in front of my now stationary StuG.

As the dust clears, it reveals American armor attempting to force it's way into the orchard.

2 Stuarts would fall to this StuG as the American Light tank company continues to take the brunt of the casualties.

[sburke]

The PJ units continue to maul American armor as 2 more Stuarts fall victim.

Schwimmer hits a second Stuart moving behind the one he just killed.

Over on the left Stager also finds another target hopefully giving the Americans enough of a bloody nose to slow down and rethink

their plans here.

German luck which has been incredibly good so far finally runs out. An American artillery barrage hits some of my reserve forces.

One squad takes several direct large caliber hits and the foxholes are not enough.

[sburke]

Schwimmer finishes off the second Stuart and then figuring luck has been pushed too far, pulls back out of LOF.

Smoke columns mar the blue summer skies marking the damage done to US armor units.

[sburke]

At the time I was so focused on the battle being waged by my screen, I didn't register the import of the artillery barrage hitting rearward

of them that started this turn. For the most part it landed in open fields, however a squad of 3rd Company's reserve platoon was wiped

out in the storm. Until this point my total casualties amounted to about 4 men. I had destroyed 6 enemy armored vehicles and killed

or wounded an indeterminate amount of infantry.

More importantly what I would slowly realize as this artillery storm continued was the enemy timetable had been broken. The artillery

barrage was falling in an area where it could do me little damage and the enemy would have to continue their assault with no benefit

derived. My screen had accomplished 2 of their objectives, disguise my HKL or main line of resistance and disrupt the enemy tempo.

The last objective was in sight, slow the enemy in the kill zone established along hwy 91. As the barrage line would seem to indicate, the

primary thrust was directly between the boundaries defined by the crossroads and my kill zone on hwy 91 was directly athwart this path.

Though the battle on my left flank would continue, I suspected it would not be reinforced and 1st Company would be able to handle it.

It would need some additional reinforcements but those were available and I believed I had time to get them into position yet.