Bolt Action - Game Report 30

6 Jun 1944 Utah Beach – Moving Inland

Introduction

The nice people at Entoyment made some free tables available on the weekend of 8th and 9th of June to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the D Day Landings. I decided to take up their kind offer and set up a Bolt Action game with Roger. He agreed to bring along his US forces and I brought a German force. The Bolt Action mission we rolled for was “Sectors” which seemed to be very appropriate for the anniversary.

Situation

It is the 6th June 1944 and there is considerable confusion in the German High Command. On the Cotentin Peninsula this confusion is exacerbated by the number of US paratroopers that are widely spread over the countryside, hampering the ability of the Germans to respond to the invasion. However, a scratch force from 91st Infantry Division under Leutnant Hoffman has been assembled with orders to counterattack the US forces trying to move inland from the beaches.

Enemy Forces

Detailed strength of the forces were unknown, but the indications from reports early in the day were that there were US infantry landing on the beaches on the east face of the Peninsula.

Friendly Forces

1058th Gren Regt managed to scrape together a weak infantry platoon supported by a half track used for training and a PzIV used by the 100th Panzer Replacement and Training Battalion.

Mission

Leutnant Hoffman is to secure the village of POUPPEVILLE in order to block the US from advancing to relieve their paratroopers.

Post Mission Report

Lt Hoffman brought his Infantry on to the left of the road, with the objective of moving through the woods and fields. While the Tank and halftrack loaded with grenadiers was sent down the road to seize and hold the village.

Attacking the village was likely to be a challenge given the proximity of it to the US landing beaches. The US forces were able to call in fire support from off shore which disrupted the German’s advance. For their part the Commander of the 1058th Gren Regt as able to provide a small amount of artillery to cover the advance. The Germans noted the secondary explosions from the destruction of a US artillery piece caught in the open deploying under the preparatory bombardment.

The halftrack made it to the village and dismounted its section, but by this stage the building was already occupied by the US.

While the Germans were preparing to attack the building, a US infantry section outflanked them and destroyed them. While a US bazooka team approached silently and destroyed the half-track.

The US reinforcements arrived in the shape of a mortar carrying half track which was readily destroyed by a sharp piece of firing by the PZIV.

On the left one of Hoffman’s sections made it as far forward as a wood to threaten the US position.

Despite taking casualties they managed to ambush and destroy a US infantry section that had dismounted from a DUKW.

While Hoffman launched his own personal counterattack, his other section in the woods to his left was devastated by the effects of mortar fire and started to withdraw without orders.

Hoffman and his operator perished under a deluge of fire from a US flamethrower. Without his leadership both sections now started to withdraw precipitously in the face of aggressive fire from the US.

It was left to the single PZIV to bring fire to bear and to try and prevent the US advance.

Outcome

A very successful win for the US forces.