Cobra´s Bite

 (The battlefield. The road amongst St. Lo and Periers. The mission played was a Breakthrough, with the germans defending the road)

"On the morning of 26 July, the U.S. 2nd Armored Division and the veteran 1st Infantry Division joined the attack as planned."  (From Wikipedia)




(The U.S. forces. A Tank Company from the 2nd "Hell on Wheels" and an Infantry Company from the "Big Red One")

 (The German forces. A Grenadierkompanie from the 275. Infanteriedivision and a Gepanzerte Panzergrenadier Lehr Kompanie)

(The Shermans exploit their Sperhead Deployment; they will ignore the minefields to attack through the Panzer Lehr positions. The Big Red One will keep busy the Grenadierkompanie)

 (And one U.S. Rifle Platoon ends by assault the resistance of one of the Panzergrenadier Platoons)

(The Grille H are no rival for the Shermans)

"Anything moves, shoot the s**t out of it"
Cullen Bohannon. Hell on Wheels Season 2 Episode 4.

 (Mortar fire to finish the HMG nest)

 (M-10 Tank-Hunters doing their job)

In a man to man fight, the winner is he who has one more round in his magazine. 
Erwin Rommel, Infanterie greift an (1937), translated as Infantry Attacks (1979); edited by Lee Allen, p.60

 (The reserves of the Tank Company catch the Grenadier Platoon moving at the double towards the Objectives)

"You will not proffit off others people´s missery"
Lily Bell. Hell on Wheels Season 2 Episode " 

(The air support failed all its attempts to hit the german artillery guns)

• It is rather interesting how you get used to death. I have had to go to inspect the troops in which case you run a very good chance — or I should say a reasonable chance — of being bombed or shot at from the air, and shelled or shot at from the ground.
  I had the same experience every day which is for the first half-hour the palms of my hands sweat and I feel depressed. Then, if one hits near you, it seems to break the spell and you don't notice them anymore. Going back in the evening over the same ground and at a time when the shelling and bombing are usually heavier, you become so used to it you never think about it.
  • Letter to Frederick Ayers (5 May 1943), published in The Patton Papers 1940-1945 (1996) edited by Martin Blumenson, p. 243

(German reserves arrive)

Leadership is intangible, and therefore no weapon ever designed can replace it.
Omar N. Bradley

 (And the Grenadier launch their attack)

(The Grenadier in the flank stop the Tank Assault)

Bravery is the capacity to perform properly even when scared half to death.
Omar N. Bradley

 (In the other flank, the Panzer Lehr is taking the worst in the Tanks fight)

"The Sergeant: Killing insane people is not good for public relations.
Griff: Killing sane people is okay?
The Sergeant: That's right."
(From Big Red One Movie)

 (The remaining reserves of the U.S. take the Objectives)

In spite of intense efforts, the moment has drawn near when this front, already so heavily strained, will break. I consider it my duty to bring these conclusions to your notice...my Fuhrer."
 Günther von Kluge" July 1944. Quoted in "Why the Allies Won" - Page 170 - by R. J. Overy - History - 1995



(Another Tank assault win by the grenadiers, this time against the M-10. Two platoons U.S. troops lost, and the reserves control the objectives in turn 6)

Hell on Wheels strikes too!

This time Siro with an Armored Rifle Company of the 2nd Armored Division faced Carlos with a Fallsmirchjäger Fortified Kompanie.

The Mission played was a Strategic Withdrawal. Siro has two Armored Rifle Platoons, an Armored AA Platoon, a 3 Shermans Platoon, a 3 Scotts Platoon, a 57mm Anti-tank Guns Platoon and a 2 M-18 Platoon.

Carlos played with 2 Fallschirmjäger Platoons and a Fallschirm Assault Gun Platoon, plus three HMG nests and 5 minefields. Carlos protected the Flanks with the minefields, but the main attack came from the center.

The HMG nests were blown up by the Shermans guns and, getting closer and closer to the objectives, an endless succession of assaults begun, with the Fallschirmjägers getting the brunt.

Another stunning victory for the Allies! 6-1 for the U.S. troops

Screaming Eagles strike again!

Franchi played a Gepanzerte Panzergrenadier Lehr Kompanie against Omar with a 101st parachute rifle company.

They played The Cauldron Mission. Franchi had two Gepanzerte Panzergrenadier Platoons (one on foot), one Grille H platoon, one Radio Control Tank Platoon (with StuG G), one Jagdpanzer IV Platoon, and one anti-tank 7.5 Pak40 gun Platoon.

Omar had two Parachute Rifle Platoons, a Priest Platoon, a M-10 Tank Hunter Platoon and air support.

After some turns of failed shoots from both sides, the reserves finally dictated the game. Franchi had bad luck with the arrival of his, and Omar arrived at time and destroyed three german platoons. Franchi had to roll a Company Moral Check and failed. Win for the Screaming Eagles! 6-1, without platoons lost.

Screaming Eagles Strike!

Another afternoon of FoW at Dominaria Shop. Salva (101st airborne) played against me (grenadierkompanie).

We played a Surrounded Mission with 805 points. Salva had 2 parachute rifle platoons, 1 81mm mortar platoon and a 3 Stuarts platoon. I had 3 grenadier platoons (one upgraded to pioneer with a supply wagon), an anti-tank 7.5cm Pak40 guns platoon and a 15cm guns artillery battery).

Salva only losses two Stuarts in his right side of the board under anti-tank gun fire, and destroyed all the guns of my artillery battery, which do nothing in the game. His mortars pinned down my central platoons every turn, until they fired smoke bombardment to cover the assault from his infantry platoon of the left side. They were withdrawed by defensive fire, but the smoke covered them well in my turn. The airborne dug in opposite my grenadier platoons and I decide to assault them, as they were pinned and I´ve overhelming numbers, being two of my platoon next to them.

But in my first assault he kills all my grenadiers, including the company C-in-C, and in the second assault I fail my counterattack roll. He took advantage of the two consolidation moves to be 10cm of one of the objectives, now undefended. I only trusted he failed then the platoon morale check, after throwing with success 4 motivation tests to counterattack in the assaults. But the luck was not at my side (I failed more than 80% of my skill tests to hit in the assaults), and... Salva wins! 6-1 for the U.S. airborne troops.

Tracked Demons

 (Boys from "Hell on wheels" 2nd armored division defended against a Panzerkomanie of 2nd SS-Division "Das Reich")

"First Panzerkompanie of 2nd SS Panzerregiment was the spearhead of german counterattack. Its Hauptmann Konrad approached to the prepared positions of the 2nd U.S. armored division  with the tanks of the Panzerkompanie grouped."

 (The game played was a No Retreat mission)

 (The U.S. general, Siro, put a platoon defending each objective)

 (Héctor, the SS general, deployed his panzer on a flank)

 (Salvation from heaven)

"But a Thunderbolt squadron became awful the situation for the Panzerkompanie"

 (The ambushed AT guns played a major role in the battle)

 (The SS Panzers were bent on destroying the guns)

"Adding to the Thunderbolts, an antitank gun platoon hidden in the woods did suffer more the Panzers, which stopped fatally to destroy them."

 (The U.S. reserves arrived to finish the job)

(The Thunderbolt caused a lot of casualtys, including the Panther Company Ace. Without him, the SS failed automatically their Company Morale Check)

"Hauptmann Konrad didn´t see the plane that finished his life. Without him, the 1st Panzerkompanie withdrew due to the casualties"

A bad day for paratroopers (Battle III)

(The third battle of the day for the 101st (this time with a glider rifle company) was against the Panzer Lehr, full of armoured vehicles)

 (The mission played was an encounter, and the U.S. awaited dugging in for their reserves)

 (The roll for reserves is crucial)

 (The Jagdpanzer IV face the Shermans)

(The Grille H played a major role in the battle, which, after five hours, ended in a 1-1 draw)

A bad day for paratroopers (Battle II)

 (Second battle of the day with the 101st were between Omar and Katlos with his Fallschirmjäger)

(They played The Cauldron scenario, with the U.S. paratroopers as defenders)

 (The U.S. infantry was surrounded by both flanks)

(The germans won 5-2)