Forwards the Guards 4 Evening Assault on Cagny
Background
By the evening of of June 18th it was becoming clear that the British had failed to break through anywhere. A determined German defence had held them. In Cagny the town was still in German hands. The Coldstream Guards where planning there attack when unexpectedly Grenadier Guards attacked across the fields from the south west.
Cagny was heavily damaged by the mornings heavy bomber attacks this has cratered the area and choked the roads with rubble. Most houses are damaged. The town is not held by the Germans in strength. So the British Motorised infantry dismounted and supported by tanks pushed forward. Major Von Luck had re-enforced the defenders with 21st Panzers reconnaissance battalion. The battle raged through the long summer evening and by nightfall the Grenadier Guards had cleared the town and the German defenders had fallen back toward Frenouville to the east.
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| Airphote of Cagny on 18th July 1944 after bombing. town and church bottom right. Guards attack from left |
Game
Attack Defence game
The defenders deploy all their forces in and around Cagy at the South of the map. The Grenadier Guards deploy 2 platoons of the Motorised infantry in the deployment area north of the town. As well as any reconnaissance elements which maybe deployed anywhere outside the German deployment area. The Grenadier Guards keep the Sherman tank squadron in reserve it may deploy after turn 5. The Grenadier guard take the first turn . The German player may place 1d6 unit on ambush fire before the game.
Place all Pre-registered targets and
British Forces
from Grenadier Guards Battle Group from 5 brigade Guards Armoured Division
628pts BR 45 Officers 3 Scouts 1
from 1 Grenadier Guard battalion
2 Motorised Infantry Platoons each with
1 Motorised Infantry platoon command 5 men with 2" mortar and PIAT in M5 half track
3 Motorised Infantry section 8 men with Bren gun and M5 half track
1 3" mortar teams in Bren carrier
from 2 Grenadier guards battalion
Sherman Tank Squadron
1 M4A4 Sherman HQ Tank
1 M4A4 Sherman Tanks
1 Sherman Firefly
1 Cromwell Mk V
FAO Team in Bren carrier
1 Motorcycle Dispatch Rider
Off table 4.2" Mortar battery
Pre-registered Target Point
1 timed airstrike from Typhoon IIb
add any Motorised Infantry units that survived scenario 2 add 3BR per half track
(for our campaign add one platoon)
German Forces
From 21st Reconnaissance Battalion, 21st Panzer Division and 16 Luftwaffe Artillerie Regiment
531 pts BR27 Officer 2 Scouts 2
1 Forward HQ Major Von Luck
1 Forward signal unit
Panzer Grenadier Platoon consisting of;
1 Platoon HQ 5 men with 1 panzerfaust
3 Panzer Grenadier Squad each with 5 men with MG42 and 1 panzerfaust
3 Medium machinegun teams each with 3 men with MG42 machine gun
1 combat medic
1 MG42 sMG with 3 crew and loader team of three men
1 50mm light mortar with 2 crew
1 Sdkfz 234/1 Armoured Car
1 Sdkfz 250/10 Recce command with 3 men
1 PaK 40 with 3 crew
1 81mm Mortar Team and loader team
off table 2 81mm mortars
Add any Pak 43 guns that survived scenario 1 and add 2BR per gun
(for our campaign added 2 88mm Flak 36 guns with Luftwaffe crews)
AAR: Evening Assault on Cagny
Setup & Deployment
We laid out the table to depict the flat, rather sparse terrain east of Caen where Operation Goodwood took place. The destroyed village streets—filled with rubble—occupied the top right of the table, flanked by surrounding orchards, a single long hedgerow, and a couple of small woods.
I played Major von Luck's German defenders holding Cagny, while my opponent commanded the Grenadier Guards. The German forces deployed first. I chose to place my main 88mm anti-tank guns along the hedgerow for clear lines of sight, with each gun supported by an infantry section and an MG42 team. The remainder of the infantry deployed in and around the outskirts of the village. Meanwhile, my support element—two armored cars from the reconnaissance company—lurked behind one of the woods as a mobile reserve.
Opening Engagements
The game got underway with the Grenadier Guards pushing down the main road toward Cagny in M5 Halftracks, deploying quickly to assault the infantry in the hedgerow. The British push started well, but my forward headquarters utilized Major von Luck's Tactical Coordination ability to unpin an MG42 team. The 88mm on the left of the line found itself out of ammunition. The team immediately laid down suppressive fire, pinning the British infantry assault in its tracks.
The British infantry then found themselves bracketed by mortar fire directed from the village; heavy casualties forced one section to flee the field while the remaining two scrambled for whatever cover they could find in the open grass. A Cromwell reconnaissance tank arrived along the hedgerow to support the attack with its main gun and machine guns, but the stubborn MG42 team lived a charmed life, resisting all efforts to flush them out.
Despite initial reinforcement delays, the Guards slowly whittled down the infantry defending the hedgerow and protecting the anti-tank positions. In response, our 88mm gun knocked out a Sherman tank, and mortar fire destroyed an M5 Halftrack, but the sheer weight of British fire gradually forced our front line back.
Artillery, Air Strikes, and the Turning Point
The British offensive was bolstered by timed artillery strikes and air support, primarily targeting the area around the village. The British artillery made excellent use of a harassing barrage, pinning down all but two of the German units. This forced me to spend a considerable amount of command effort unpinning units just to avoid an automatic loss from being unable to issue orders (Battlegroup's pinned loss condition).
This barrage was rapidly followed by an airstrike on the crossroads near the village. A Hawker Typhoon Mk.IB scored direct hits with two bombs, obliterating two machine gun teams.
Between the massive loss of Battle Rating (BR) caused by unpinning from the barrage the devastating airstrike, and the pinpoint bombing, my Kampfgruppe was left in a perilous state. I ordered the two armoured cars forward to provide covering fire, allowing the few surviving infantrymen to retreat from the hedgerow. However, a highly accurate 4.2-inch off-table mortar barrage—called in by a British artillery observer—bracketed the 88mm gun. The strike destroyed the gun and wiped out several crew members. The resulting BR loss broke the German force, forcing a rapid withdrawal toward our lines.
Post-Game Thoughts
After some initial frustration over their armored infantry's inability to punch through the front line, the British player used artillery and air power with historical accuracy to break our defense. It was a well-earned victory for the Guards.
If I were organizing the defense again, I would place fewer units on the front line and thicken the second line—perhaps placing an 88mm gun and more infantry further back. A single MG42 team almost single-handedly delayed the British advance until several Shermans and multiple infantry assaults finally cleared the road. Placing more infantry in a secondary defense line would have given the British far more trouble.
Overall, it was a great game. The British victory was decisive: they lost only 8 BR (though they drew two special counters), while the German force accumulated 32 BR loss, exceeding our overall Battle Rating limit by two.
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