Battlefront Repository Posted August 2, 2012 Share Posted August 2, 2012 June 9th, 19441030 HoursLa Fiere Causeway between Sainte Mere Eglise and AmfrevilleGerman 91st Luftlandevs.American 401st Glider Infantry Regiment / E, F, and G Companies W/Tank Support Made by: M1 GarandSTEAM: Mike Snyder | ARPFor both Allied and Axis H2H More... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erwin Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 I have the version from some days ago. Is this an upgrade? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M1 Garand Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 I have the version from some days ago. Is this an upgrade? Nope this is a new scenario. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erwin Posted August 3, 2012 Share Posted August 3, 2012 Ah June 6... June 9... file looked the same to me. Thanks... 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Badger73 Posted October 8, 2012 Share Posted October 8, 2012 La Fiere Causeway (June 9th) CM BfN Base Game scenario submitted 2-August-2012 file author: Mike Snyder (M1 Garand) - June 9th, 1944 1030 Hours - Duration = 1 hour 20 minutes - 2nd Bn 401st Glider Infantry Regiment (who would become the 3rd battalion of the 325th Regiment of the 82nd Airborne) vs. 91st Luflande Kampfgruppe - Americans are attacking from La Fiere across the causeway to dislodge defending German forces at Cauquigny and Amfreville. Gameplay report - played once as USA and once as GER on WARRIOR setting. A nicely done scenario. Exceptional map with a large number of units. NOTE. I am always grateful for the hard work which serious gamers put into creating scenarios for the rest of us to play. It takes a lot of time and effort, usually done as a labor of love. This scenario is a credit to its designer. Thank you. ================================================== ====================== This scenario picks up the rest of the story begun at La Fiere Causeway on the 6th of June 1944. Much happened during those three days. The American opportunity to secure this objective on June 6th failed to materialize in the confusion of missed dropzones, mis-oriented commanders, and lack of radio communications. The Germans have firmly established themselves in Cauquigny. The US 4th Infantry Division cannot exit Utah beach because the Merderet River was fully flooded and crossable only at this 500-yard causeway. American army Companies G, E, and F 401st GIR must frontally assault well prepared German 91st LL defensive positions. 1) Deployment & Initial moves: This is a large battle. Both sides will find 62 elements in their deployment zones. The US player commands four glider infantry companies; three infantry, one heavy weapons, plus the leadership and FO sections of the battalion. The USA also fields two full medium tank platoons, one at the start and another on its way. The German player commands two infantry companies plus machine gun and mortar sections. Both sides know the US axis of attack. Each has to figure out how to deal with it. This scenario provides more than enough time for each side to perform their missions. As a big battle, it will take several hours for solitary play. ##################### <<< SPOILERS FOLLOW >>> ##################### 2) Conduct of operations. 2a) As US Player: The US player takes enemy fire immediately upon set-up. The Germans have line of sight across the entire river on each side of the causeway. Cover and concealment matters from the beginning. It is suicidal for the US infantry to attack immediately. Success for them is counter-intuitive. Initial set-up is disjointed. Make the time to organize infantry unit C2 by grouping sections into platoons, and platoons into companies before you start play. The heavy machine guns of the weapons platoon, not the tank platoon, are your best base of suppressive fire. Deploy everyone as already in contact and ready to assault. Given that this area has been contested for the past three (3) days, expect that German Artillery is well registered everywhere that matters to you. The Germans will have multiple TRPs all along the entire causeway from La Fiere to Cauquigny. So, as any squad sergeant will tell you, "Smoke 'em if you got 'em". In this case, the US should target a line along the river's edge firing artillery smoke and block their view across the river towards you. Once that smoke screen gets established, move out quickly. German machine guns won't as effectively hit what they can't see. You'll need to bypass the incoming German artillery quickly by swinging into open areas briefly. Here's where you go counter-intuitive. Use the road to conceal and advance US infantry. Swing the first tank platoon off road to the right (north) through breaks in the lining hedgerows and leap-frog advance by alternating sections. Given that the US player has no engineers to create breaches in the hedgerow, accept the fact that the Cauquigny side of the causeway will be mined, targeted, and covered by anti-tank fires. The end of the causeway will become a deathtrap for tanks and the avenue of advance for the infantry. Take your time. Advance tanks slowly, section by section, but keep them out of panzerfaust range. As the tanks approach Cauquigny, German positions will unmask and the tanks become your best anti-machinegun platform to take out the enemy. Infantry should advance in companies by platoons concealed along each side of the causeway. They will become the units that suppress German AT and seize the objectives. When smokes clear and the FO's can identify where the Germans have dug in, call for point or area fires and sit tight the 3-5 minutes it takes before your rounds drop on target. Tanks should continue crawling carefully forward off-road where the ground is solid enough for them to advance. When the second tank platoon appears, use them to reinforce the first as needed on the north, or carefully advance along the causeway to support the infantry taking fires from the south. Don't forget that the Cauquigny bottle-neck is where tanks will die. German artillery will continue pounding the causeway until all rounds complete. As the American, you have to figure out when to hang back and when to leap forward. The bocage mostly shields you from direct observation and small arms fire but German mortars are well dialed in. Gut check and move on. Take 30-40 minutes to cross the causeway and secure a piece of it. Then redeploy your weapons platoon and sections forward to support securing the next objectives. Continue using tanks as infantry support platforms. This is not the place for blitzkreig! The tanks have plenty of ammo to suppress the Germans. Use it copiously so that the enemy is pinned while your own infantry advance to engage them. Play things out and secure your objectives. 2b) As German Player: The German player will find the American tank platoon deployed in line north of the causeway to fire upon your infantry, while the American infantry make their run to cross the causeway. The Germans have line of sight across the entire river on each side of the causeway. Cover and concealment matters from the beginning. You have multiple TRPs for a two-mortar section. I deployed my TRPs on the crossroads at La Fiere and along the causeway back to Caquigny. I laid my mines along the last stretch of causeway where the bocage still borders it just west of the Cauquigny crossroads. I decided to hold artillery fires until an FO could confirm American movements on the causeway. I organized the infantry by platoons, and platoons by companies. I deployed 1 Company east and south of the Cauquigny crossroads in hedgerows and fields. I did NOT place them in any of the buildings because they are vulnerable to American artillery spotting. I deployed 2 Company along the hedgerows east of the road in the fields east and north of Cauquigny particularly avoiding the church and cemetery because they too are vulnerable to American artillery spotting. All elements of both infantry companies are set to HIDE except for the platoon leaders because they have binoculars. I deployed the MG platoon in the hedges west of the road and set them to HIDE and wait for orders to open fire. The Weapons platoon leader and Mortar FO were positioned to observe as much as possible of the causeway and the open area north of it. One MG was deployed in the hedgerow south of the causeway with direct observation and fields of fire all the way to La Fiere Manior. Wait for the Americans to advance. The deployed tank platoon will stay put and look for Germans to shoot from a distance. The Germans can't hurt tanks west of the river, so stay hidden and ignore them. American artillery will paste Cauquiny and the church yard. Stay well back and hidden. At some point, American infantry will rush westward along the causeway. Estimate the rate of advance and call for a line of light mortar fire for medium duration between the TRPs in front of the advancing Americans with one tube. Call for another line of light mortar fire for medium duration between the TRPs bracketing the Merderet river bridge. As US squads flee from the road onto the outer causeway, unmask your MG's and rake with direct fire. Over time, unHIDE your 2 Company squads intermittently and let them fire obliquely west and south into the flanks of advancing infantry. During all this time, HIDE and protect all your German AT teams. After 15-20 minutes, the second American tank platoon will appear and advance through Le Fiere on the causeway to Cauquigny. You can't stop them. What you should have done by now is pin the American infantry with artillery and MG fires so that the tanks continue advancing unsupported. You Feldwebel FO might suggest, "Rauchen sie, wenn sie haben, Herr Leutnant." In his case, the German FO should target a TRP point along the causeway road in front of the tanks but within 100 meters of your positions and start firing a short burst of artillery smoke. Once that smoke screen gets established, move a couple AT teams quickly to positions in the hedgerows along the southern road edge no more than 100 meters east of the Cauquiny crossroads and HIDE them. HIDE any German machineguns shooting the length of the causeway. The tanks will advance in one at a time or in teams of two out of your smoke screen. Bide your time and unHIDE AT teams intermittently to take out the US tanks when you think best. You can choose to do that before they hit the mines you've planted or wait for the mines to take out the lead tanks while you brew up the remainder from sides and rear. Keep some AT teams in reserve in the hedgerows south of the causeway as well as hidden around the crossroads. As your panzerfausts take out tanks, you can unHIDE your MG's to take out abandoning crews and any advancing infantry. In quick time, your mortars will expend their ammo, the first platoon of American tanks will fail, and the lead elements of the American attack will faulter. Then the original US tank platoon will decide to abandon cross-river firing and try forcing the causeway themselves with whatever infantry support remains. Shift your 1 Company squads around the crossroads and move your 2 Company squads behind them to confront that challenge by infiltrating your AT teams along the concealed areas of bordering bocage. American efforts should finally peter out and end after an hour elapses. ################## <<< SPOILERS END >>> ################## Assessment: This scenario is more fun to play as the Americans and easier to win as the Germans. It is the first "battalion/kampfgruppe" CMx2 size game I've played. I was a little overwhelmed by the the number of sections to command. I found it easier to let the sections reform as squads and move the squads in platoon C2. Success comes from concealment and patience interspersed with moments of madness and speed. USA player has to constantly cycle through rock/paper/scissors approaches when attacking. When should tanks fire then move, then fire again? When should infantry advance while tanks hold back? When should infantry assault the enemy? When, where, and how long should artillery batter a particular area? GER player is the situation's stronger force and can defend in strength at any one place. GER player has to decide where to deploy what defense far enough back from likely (and deadly) USA artillery fires then move forward quickly enough to defend in strength where needed. Rate "5" for map design. Rate "3" for AI deployment of forces. Rate "5/4" for USA initial play / replay against AI. Rate "4/3" for GER initial play / replay against AI. My only complaint is with the scenario "briefing". The briefing lacks Op Order structure. It doesn't communicate situation information effectively to the player. Only the game map provides a player the mission objective information, but it does so satisfactorily. Recommendation: This is the scenario to play using Vein's Germans and Vein's 325th GIR US uniform mods along with Mord & DC's unit portrait mod! Parting shots. I really want to commend M1Garand for a very well researched historical scenario. He has done an excellent job of portraying and informing one about the D-Day battles at Le Fiere June 6th and 9th. My initial reaction as the American player for this battle was that the US OOBs were weird and mis-labelled. I had never heard of the 401st GIR and thought the lack of artillery and combat engineers downright odd. That was pretentious and mistaken of me. This scenario specifically provides the units historically present on both sides of the battle. For the historical player, this scenario is a faithful recreation of the combat situation. I really came to understand and appreciate the remarkable things accomplished by G/401 (L/325) GIR and the follow on ad-hoc force of the 507th PIR. See for yourself at the following URLs: http://www.historynet.com/world-war-ii-capturing-the-la-fiere-causeway.htm http://www.reba.net/images/UserFiles/File/news/Richard%20B%20Johnson.pdf A Gamer would want to tweak this for H2H or PBEM. An unhistorical but more playable OOB would give the USA more options for transiting the causeway. Modify the E, F, and G company forces by replacing some FO's and bazooka teams with satchel carrying Combat Engineers who could also clear the minefields. To make the GER side less omnipotent, remove several infantry squads but retain the AT teams and give more mortar ammunition or another mortar section. Good luck and good gaming! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hister Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Wow, such a great review - if only more people would be doing their reviews like you do! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Broadsword56 Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Now THAT'S feedback! Good job Badger. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sburke Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 funny thing is the primary beneficiary of this is not necessarily the designers (though they do appreciate it) but us Thanks Badger 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hister Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 I've just written my review of the CW First Clash made by George McEwan (George MC). 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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