CMPzC Operation "Bloody Christmas" (Ortona '43)

[ChappyCanuck]

Commanders:   unfortunately I have decided to fold the remnants of B Coy into D Coy to bolster it. We have lost B Coy commander anyway (Grunt_GI has retired) so this makes sense on several levels.  Snake_eye - you now have a rejuvenated D Coy.  For consolidation I still want you in your original assigned area. However, I still need B Coy's area on the map covered as well.  If you cannot physically occupy that B Coy crossroads because your resources are stretched, then at least be able to bring it under observation and fire.

[kohlenklau]

Page 235 in "Ortona" says that the real RCR got down to such a folding in!  

Note: I will have some 25% of the wounded soldiers return from medical treatment in the following turn(s).

I will tell you how many you get back from each nominal Coy and you can allocate them back to the Coys as you see fit.

I am looking in "Ortona" for any note about replacements. Don't see any mention yet!

 

 

[ChappyCanuck]

Yes but under extreme conditions - folding two companies and a platoon from another company to barely get 50 men!  Now that defines casualties...yikes

Replacements were few and far between until Ortona was taken. However, we still have a full division out there somewhere

 

[Stonecutter]

"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.

[Stonecutter]

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. 

[ChappyCanuck]

Yay Colonel Chappy!  lol

[Stonecutter]

Yay Colonel Chappy!  lol

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 :-) 

Edited November 9, 2015 by Stonecutter

[kohlenklau]

San Leonardo has fallen to our gallant Canadian forces!

...a full report on both friendly and enemy casualties will be provided once the S-2 reports in later today.

 

[ChappyCanuck]

I see the 2nd Canadian Mattress Battalion has arrived!!!

[Stonecutter]

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!

[kohlenklau]

All allied players may go read your axis opponent's AAR here!

http://community.battlefront.com/topic/121252-pzc-ortona-43-german-san-leonardo-arr/

[kohlenklau]

[A Canadian Cat]

So, does this mean the campaign is over? Pardon my confusion i thought I was following this closely but it feels like there eas more work to do yet.

[Stonecutter]

So, does this mean the campaign is over? Pardon my confusion i thought I was following this closely but it feels like there eas more work to do yet.

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. 

[kohlenklau]

@IanL    Operation is not over! This was only the end of Turns 2B/3A....  the "San Leonardo Slugfest"....  exactly like Stonecutter said.

I await the results of Chappy's PBEM with mjkerner for the lancing of the boil in San Donato and then I will create a new Op Map to show where you all are as Turn 3B/4A starts.

FYI I contemplate going to the end of Turn 6 before the Maple Leaf flag flaps over the smoking ruins of Ortona....

 

 

 

[A Canadian Cat]

OK good. We probably should not be reading the German AAR yet then.

[ChappyCanuck]

Congratulations to the RCR Battle Group for successfully investing San Leonardo!  This was an important battle and we were able to seize a key piece of terrain/transportation hub as well as expanding our bridgehead from the Moro River.  The German leadership in particular has been dealt a severe blow. Additionally, they have lost 5 x ATGs and 4 x panzers as well. Good stuff!

With any operation/battle, there are lessons learned.  Stonecutter (Frank) and I assembled this list from what we witnessed during the last battle:

1.  Enemy artillery - bunching up and failure to anticipate enemy pre-planned bombardment areas caused us to suffer many casualties from two companies. We have to be more vigilant of areas like important crossroads, small villages, etc, (especially at the beginning of a battle) where the enemy may target for indirect fire. In the initial minutes, we lost a company commander and suffered lots of infantry casualties at a major crossroads leading from the Moro River. Moreover, bunching up was a problem.  We are moving on very large maps in this campaign - there is no reason why we cannot spread out and minimize losses to indirect fire.

2  Armoured Cars are not Tanks - we lost a significant portion of our armoured cars to enemy tanks and ATGs early on. Some losses to these vehicles are expected in their scouting role, but they shouldn't be expected to slug it out with the aforementioned - for they will lose. We could have used these vehicles to suppress/destroy the HMGs that were firing long range to harass our advance. More importantly, they are the perfect vehicles for pursuit operations, and during this critical time of the battle we had none.

3.  6 lber Superiority - ATGs - confirmed that the six pounder is a great ATG. Mobile, accurate, lethal and quick to set up. Moving it forward in bounds is a good method of getting the most out of them. 

4.  Targeting Paks with Arty - A point light/harass target method is preferred and more productive when engaging enemy ATGs. Area fire against a single ATG is both wasteful and inefficient. The use of multiple missions with multiple observers provides a means of essentially taking enemy ATGs out of the game - Odin indicated that his Pak40s were suppressed for ~15 minutes from the incessant shelling so even if they were not knocked out they were unable to influence the battle once under continuous fire.

 

5.  FOOs - FOOs - the loss of the B Coy FOO could have had a much greater impact if only heavy arty was available. More care needs to be taken to preserve FOOs so they can do their job later as they are better observers and can bring fire to bear more accurately and quickly. Also, FOOs should not be "hidden" when conducting a fire mission.

 

6.  Onboard Mortars - the onboard 81mm mortars were fantastic and are quick to respond to any observer. These mortars should always be grouped with the Mortar HQ from the start, and seek an appropriate protected spot to provide fire support. This did not happen for us until later in the battle. Also, every vehicle should be stripped of all mortar ammo or co-located to maximize the number of rounds available. We were still recovering 81mm mortar ammo at battle's end - this is not ideal.  For the 2" mortars, a similar approach should be used to strip the ammo and mortars from carriers as soon as possible. While it doesn't have much firepower, the 2" is ideal for providing smoke since it does so precisely and in a single turn.

 

7.  Aggression in the Pursuit - most CM players are cautious, and rightly so. But there are moments in a battle, such as this one, when the enemy has decided to withdraw/retreat. It is at this point when caution must be thrown to the wind and maximum aggression becomes the rule. Once we did this towards the end of the battle, we eliminated many enemy HQs and sub-units that would have otherwise escaped. Especially with pre-panzerschreck German infantry, this is a sound tactic.

 

Many thanks to Stonecutter for not only doing an AAR, but doing a very interesting and informative one!

 

Again, well done commanders.....and now we must wait, re-supply, and attend to our casualties.

 

Pro Patria!

 

[kohlenklau]

Go ahead and read Odin's AAR and think of it like information from interrogated PW's or eyewitness reports or CNN...?  

It doesn't contain much info on the Operational level that will spoil the fun!

[ChappyCanuck]

After inspecting the German dead, and interrogating prisoners, we have learned the following:

Our opponents:    65th Grenadier DIvision and 190 PG Rgt of the 90th PG Division, as well as a Panzer Platoon of the 90th PG Division.

During the last battle we eliminated the following HQs:

1 x PG Company HQ Unit.

3 x PG or rifle Platoon HQ Units.

2 x AT Platoon HQ's.

1 x MG Pl HQ.

1 x FOO team.

1 x MG Section HQ.

1 x Panzer Pl HQ

[kohlenklau]

The latest Op Map. It is 1200 local. A Coy of the Hasty P's has taken San Donato. The RCR Battle Group has taken San Leonardo. An axis counterattack is expected from the forces in the red box. Then at 1300 a renewed push forward will commence as per Chappy's field orders.

Edited November 16, 2015 by kohlenklau

[kohlenklau]

The Battle is READY! I will let you guys take a look and see if you have any issues. LET ME KNOW IN A FEW DAYS.

Link  https://www.dropbox.com/s/riv78r75ssmemoi/Check Me Out.ema?dl=0

Do NOT do a set up yet. Just look it over.

Conditions: Overcast, cold, muddy and light wind from the west. Local time is 1200.

Password is as before. PM me if you have forgotten it.

At 1205-1210 the heavy mortars should be set-up. D Coy is on the line with an FO in craters and some foxholes.

B Coy folded into D Coy and became her 3rd platoon after the D Coy survivors consolidated down to 2 Platoons.

2 Shermans and 6 ATG's are in support. The remnants of 11 Troop/4PLDG are screening forward.

Kittyhawks are enroute. Arriving 1215-ish. 1315-ish and 1330-ish.

At 1300 you get the kitchen sink when C Coy arrives with a cast of thousands! A/3RR, more of 4PLDG and more arty/FO.

Sent you the engineers as well! <Several handy exit zones to send stuff away as you desire...>

C Coy will have carriers but maybe not all troops will have a seat! Sort it out at 1300....   Sorry.

Around 1315 B Coy of the Hasty P's arrives from the road "to San Donato" along with 2 troops of B/3RR, more of 4PLDG and more arty/FO.

 

 

 

Edited November 18, 2015 by kohlenklau

[A Canadian Cat]

Those seem like good take aways.  Just two comments...

4.  Targeting Paks with Arty - A point light/harass target method is preferred and more productive when engaging enemy ATGs. Area fire against a single ATG is both wasteful and inefficient.

 

I agree that artillery is the best way to take out an ATG but direct firing can still suppress the gun while you wait for the artillery barrage to begin.  So, if you cannot get cover from the gun sometimes inefficient direct fire is the only way to keep the crew from taking you out while you wait for the artillery to do its job.

 

 

5.  FOOs - ...o, FOOs should not be "hidden" when conducting a fire mission.

I totally agree that FOOs should not be hidden when they have work to do but if you have a 6 minute call time the defiantly can hide for the first three or four minutes.  FOOs are best behind an infantry screen in good cover where they do not have to hide.  But sometimes you need to bring them close to danger.  If I have to bring my FOOs too close for comfort I always move them up, make the call, then move them back to some better cover and hide them.  Then each turn I check the artillery status and when it is getting close I move them back to their OP so they are ready for when the rounds start arriving.

[ChappyCanuck]

@Stonecutter

@IanL

@snake_eye

@Kuderian

Gentlemen!  If you consult my original Commander's Intent (pg 5 of this forum for me) you will note that we have completed Phase 1 of 4. Phase 1 stated:

For Phase 1, during a preliminary artillery bombardment of the San Leonardo area, A and B Coys, complete with armour and engineer assets, will conduct an advance-to-contact to the Moro River, south of San Leonardo. After the infantry have crossed the fordable river, the engineers will attempt to complete three bridge crossings for the armour and follow on forces. A and B Coys will then seize San Leonardo. While this is transpiring, 4 PLDG will probe San Donato and take out the guns there, if possible.

We are currently commencing Phase 2:

For Phase 2, C and D Coys will pass through the lead companies and seize Casa Berardi.

D Coy (with B Coy folded in) is out front, holding the line in case of a German counter-attack. A Coy is resting in San Leonardo. C Coy is currently moving forward to move through D Coy and advance to Casa Berardi, in conjunction with Combat Team Stonecutter. 

Orders for Turn 3B/4A to follow......stay tuned

Edited November 18, 2015 by ChappyCanuck

[Kuderian]

Ok Chappy! 'Lessons learned' was very informative. It is always hard to balance an offensive posture with a defensive posture.

So A Coy is resting but which elements of 4PLDG, am I in command of @ChappyCanuck ?

And @kohlenklau who made the fantastic map (Blessed are the map makers..)?

Edited November 18, 2015 by Kuderian
grammar

[ChappyCanuck]

Ok Chappy! 'Lessons learned' was very informative. It is always hard to balance an offensive posture with a defensive posture.

So A Coy is resting but which elements of 4PLDG, am I in command of @ChappyCanuck ?

And @kohlenklau who made the fantastic map (Blessed are the map makers..)?

Hey Fred, you will be resting and recuperating with A Coy for the next phase.  I have only so much room, and you have fought the most battles of anyone so far. Ian has yet to command, and Greg/Frank have only had one battle. 4 PLDG will be split up as per my upcoming orders. Have a good rest and enjoy the show!