TCP Attack AAR, against Pillar

[jtcm]

[1000 point US attack. Axis major victory]

From the diary of Capt. Gable:

11/2/44 Ordered by Bttn to seize village called [illegible] on strategic crossroads under hill. Given I Company + one recon plt with three scout cars + M10, Sherm 105, Sherm, mortar support. No clear idea what to expect.

We went in at 700, using hill to screen jumping-off position. Three scouting parties sent out, one over the crest of hill, severely mortared and destroyed, one party left, one party right, each with a plt as reinforcement. After 10 min. contact with enemy screen made, much stronger than expected. On right, A plt, then B plt fed foward: both mauled by skilful mortar fire during manoeuver, and firefight with enemy plt in wood. Bought M 10 forward in support, knocked out support gun. Attempt to reduce plt in wood, by combination mortar fire and speculative MG fire, followed by infantry assault by remnants two plts. They were cut down by infy fire

On left, contact made with enemy advance screen, but soon driven off by .50 fire from scout car, also mortar fire from 60 mm park. Moved up support elements, personally supervising advance; also pushed infy plt + remnants scout squad; scout car destroyed enemy gun; armored support also advanced.

One enemy plt destroyed, second enemy plt detected further back. Long range tank fire to try to flush them out into 81 mm barrage. Ineffectual: when attrited plt pushed forward, met with strong resistance. As armor moved forward, knocked out by hitherto unnoticed AT gun. Withdrawal on this flank.

Attempt to manoeuver support elements, remnants infy on right, in order to engage enemy reserve plt [prob command elements with close protection plt] (also taken under 81 mm fire) ultimately unsuccessful. Sgt Arabian in the M-10 seems to have cracked, and drove his TD forward in the old cavalry spirit, shooting at the enemy reserve plt with his M2. He survived fire by an infantry gun and a Panzerschreck.

After that the fighting died down. I asked Battn for reinforcements reply negative. Withdrew at 930 unmolested prob. enemy as rattled as I was.

A Co no longer combat capable, 50 men killed and 100 wounded. One plt destroyed, two plts gutted. Also Bttn recon plt knocked out.

Memo: get new socks, cigarettes. Lt Hardy down with the GIs. Thank Molly for bullet-stopping properties copy "Little Women".

[jtcm]

Dear Tom,

Today we had a pretty tough day Golly you can say that again It was a lot harder than sophomore year at college. The Capt ordered me forward to attack these sneaky Krauts so on we went and they were in this wood so I deployed my platoon like they taught me to and we were doing pretty good since they fell back, but all of a sudden these big mortar shells started falling all around us out of nowhere. After that we waited awhile, then the Captain told me to keep moving so we pushed foward but the enemy was pretty strongly entrenched in this wood, and when B platoon came up with Bill Cox they got it pretty hot too from those darned mortars, we tried to close in with the enemy after a bit of mortar fire of our own, but they were too strong and we were cut to ribbons, I hid with the Sargeant while the enemy fell back, then we slipped back to find some guys from the recon plt they were pretty unhappy too Don't worry, I am fine.

Your cousin

[JasonC]

Excellent AAR. I can smell it.

The obvious thing done wrong was pressing prematurely on the right without preparing the target with the tanks. The American force had to depend on the firepower of its armor. In the event, the bulk of the infantry was used to attack in a place where the armor had done little to prepare the way. Leaving the armor attack, when delivered on the other side, insufficiently supported to succeed.

I suspect it was better tank going on the left, with more infantry cover - woods - on the right. You might think that makes the split sensible, but it doesn't. The force itself is built around the tanks. That being so, the main effort should have been made where they could maneuver and get at the enemy. Which from the AAR sounds like the left.

The bulk of the infantry should have gone with them, to exploit their suppression of forward targets. The principle involved is mass - concentrate on the point of main effort with enough of all arms to achieve real combined arms effects.

The mortar fire support - light only, against dug in defenders not great - should have been used on that side too, especially when the defenders disappeared from the forward positions hit by the tanks. The right should have been limited to scouting and at most one platoon firing from cover, and not trying to assault. When tough resistence was encountered there, it should have been avoided rather than attacked.

Hindsight I know. But learning from them is how one improves.

[jtcm]

thanks Jason. I hoped that by attacing on both sides I could pin down any efforts at shifting reserves. In the event, both his flanks proved strong enough to defeat the split attacks on their own. On my left, if the infy had gone far enough they would have screened for the ATG; but they could go far only if the the tanks pulled up to support; I moved them too fast, carelessly, in my haste to break those entrenched German VG squads-- crack, crack, clean flank shots-- in the gap between some woods !

Dem Krauts is tuff

[JasonC]

Tanks have to move forward cautiously, yes. A good rule of thumb for attackers (since you know hidden guns are likely) is not to advance if you already have targets you can see, until you have shot those up thoroughly. There are exceptions of course. But normally you want LOS to something, but not more risks if you've got that.

It can take some time for tank fire to suppress infantry in good cover. But they will, if you give them enough time. Not a minute or two, three to five minutes. The idea is to keep portions of the fight as lopsided as possible. If you can hurt him and right now he can't hurt you, don't change - hurt him.

When you do have to advance again, infantry always needs to go first. The armor is too valuable. (Occasionally a cheap light piece of light armor, fine - M-20 or MMG carrier or what not). You can still get bagged by a gun your infantry didn't see, of course. The real hard part is trying to guess where those will be. Often you only find out the hard way, by losing something. That's true for all of us.

[jtcm]

thanks for the advice-- it gives a different complexion to the might-have-beens !

Yes, I should have kept the tanks back, blasting away-- after enemy pulled back, at some storied buildings where enemy sniper was hiding; and moved carefully.

I always hesitate: go fast and hope that speed will protect ? hunt and trust in firepower ? Send tanks singly so that the other can stay in reserve and hopefully watch out ? Send them together to mass fire if trouble occurs ? I thought i was doing that, and lost both tanks, in the space of perhaps 15 seconds of good shooting by a fresh 75 mm team-- I knew then that I wouldn't crack the German line

[Gen. Sosaboski]

Don't feel bad. Two of my friends work as a tag team against me in CM hotseat games. The victories for me started out as lopsided as no friendly casualties to their entire force annhiliated or captured.

Today, however, they finally proved their mettle. 400 point Axis probe, October 1944. I used 1 Gebirgsjager platoon, 1 Wehrmacht pioneer platoon, 1 Pz IVG, 1 Puma, and a 75mm FO. All units were regular except for the Puma which was vet.

Map was town, moderate tree cover, large hills (Strange, huh?) However, it would prove to be a tough nut to crack.

Turns out I was up against a vet Canadian Inf. Platoon, regular Vickers MG, vet 6 pdr. AT gun, regular M4A1, and a regular Wasp.

My two armor pieces were knocked out in two minutes by the AT gun (very nicely placed...) Eventually, I gained control of the town, but with heavy losses (50%+). Neither platoon in my opinion would be combat capable after the fight, with the pioneer platoon losing its HQ, and one squad in total casualties. The GB platoon lost 1 1/2 squads. My 75mm arty was ineffectual in such heavy cover (heavy buildings).

The damn Wasp did very well, flaming four buildings and causing much of the Pioneer platoon to panic or run into enemy fire, before one pioneer squad KO'd it with a faust.

They also launched a fierce counterattack with infantry just as I was gaining a toehold on the town. This caused me at least a three minute delay, and, I would estimate, at least 1/3 of my casualties. Two GB squads were lost during this time alone.

In short, they learned well. I believe the final casualty tally was 46 of my infantry (13 KIA), 49 of his (15 KIA), 2 vehicles (for each of us), 1 mortar (his 2"), 3 captured (some infantry survivors of his). I had around 35 men OK, he had around 9, I believe (all fled).

However, once again, they learned. We'll see what happens when they attack against me on such a map, now that they have learned to defend...

Good luck!

[jtcm]

Thanks, Adam, for your comments. Very skillful, and bloody job. The constant layering of defence was a nightmare, a real grind. Without heavy arty, such hard going. On my right, I went in rather hap hazardly, and paid for it: oh the cruelty of that 120 mm barrage !

In the centre, my scouts stopped to enjoy the view. I was hoping something would appear, and was preparing to do some recon by fire with the scout car, but the sky fell in on that poor squad. At least they soaked up some of that precious 120 mm, which could have messed up the attack on the left...

On the left: i'll now know to keep up the speculative fires a little longer. I saw various places where there could be something nasty. and peppered them with some .50 fire, but obviously should have done that with concentrated fire from support weapons. Also some smoke would have done wonders. Good to know that the 60 mm and 81 mm was annoying on that side.

All in all, a solid lesson in tactics-- in other words, a good thrashing. Thanks for the game, and the kind words.

j