9am (Turn 1)
Oberstleutnant Starke stands overlooking the small Villa of Isolla Bella, 1st Kompanie Schaeffer stands ready to begin their assault supported by mortars on the hill.
Oberfeldwebel of the 26th Panzerdivision gets his cadre of big cats purring as his watch ticks nine am.
Engels, commander of 3rd kompanie hears the roar of the heavy panzers and motions to his men. The fortifications of the Americans are over four hundred meters ahead. Smoke falls, covering Isolla Bella and the German Advance Begins.
The American Lines of 3rd Battlion, 3rd Infantry Division have been alerted. They hear the engines from enemy panzers and can see movement. They brace for the assault as Smoke falls over the small villa.
Shermans wait in reserve, along side Mortars ready to respond to threats and counter attack if necessary.
Assigned Artillery Assets for the German Offensive, three le.FH-18s, three nebelwerfers, and one hummel supported by wespes from the 26th.Panzer.Artillerie.2Abt.
A threat Appears! Feldwebel Busch of the 26th Panzerdivision left ahead of the main assault and executed a perfect Flank attack. American Recce in a panic, fail to raise the FAO. Its okay, the American Veterans know what to do! LIEUTENANT! The Americans promptly call down smoke.
Americans call down Artillery on the Fallschirmjager’s 3rd kompanie, inflicting heavy casualties.
It also catches Altmann’s kitties but only one seems concerned and becomes stunned.
9:30am (Turn 2)
Scheduled Smoke is dropped across the entire American front, wrapping everything in swirling grey cloud. Oberstleutnant orders all formations forward. Altmann gets his tanks in gear, but he lags behind to ensure that he stays in communication with all of his formation.
Recovered, Engels orders his kompanie forward. MG42s set up within some bushes.
Schaeffer readies his kompanie to attack the farm. No word from his Recce Obergefreiter Wald. Farm appears to be safe to enter.
Americans are lost in smoke. Only the Mortars are not caught within it but no one in command can see anything. Unfortunately, the Shermans are too nervous to move, so they stay put. They were needed though to deal with the threat of the Panzer IVs and StuGs.
10am (turn 3)
Oberfeldwebel Holds his cats back, pops his top to watch as the scheduled artillery barrage coordinated by Starke begins to fall. All three Nebelwerfers, the two Wespes, and the Hummel all begin firing on designated targets at 10 o’clock sharp!
Americans call in a Mustang to ground attack Atlmann’s Panzers but is driven off by heavy AA fire. Atlmann radios his thanks to the unteroffizer Veil.
Smoke has cleared from the artillery strikes. Atlmann finds his targets and knocks out an enemy sherman. All his tanks open up down the road.
Between the shelling and the Panzer fire the Sherman Platoon is in a state of panic. They can not get off the road.
Wald has found the American Lines, the Farm is indeed Clear. Schaeffer continues his advance and moves in.
The following occurred without pictures:
With no clear shots on the remaining Shermans, Atlmann takes aim at the entrenched Americans and blows an enemy heavy Machine gun out of the second story window of a building. The story behind this, the American HMG team had withered an awesome display of firepower. It survived the artillery strike, had mortars dropped on it, and took sporadic MG42 fire. It took a Tiger and two Panthers shelling its position to finally lay the team low.
The Americans launch an assault from their trenches to try and deal with the Panzer IVs and manage to knock one out before being driven back by tracks and machine gun fire.
All forces continue to advance as le.FH-18s and Mortars add their weight against the American’s left flank.
10:30am - Aftermath
Major Bishop confirmed what he was up against. His left was being rolled by enemy tanks. Heavy fire had decimated his right flank and Lt. Erics was severely wounded and being taken to the rear.
The sight of the Panthers and Tiger tank had thrown his Sherman commander into a panic.
The most troublesome development was the fact that Jerry had stalled his attack against his reduced position. Realizing what that meant he ordered every command to lay down as much smoke as possible and withdraw, ASAP! Anything too heavy to carry was to be left behind.
As Major Bishop followed behind the withdrawing Shermans, Isolla Bella was engulfed in another firestorm of artillery. Germans had taken the junction.
9:30am (Turn 2)
10am (turn 3)
The following occurred without pictures:
With no clear shots on the remaining Shermans, Atlmann takes aim at the entrenched Americans and blows an enemy heavy Machine gun out of the second story window of a building. The story behind this, the American HMG team had withered an awesome display of firepower. It survived the artillery strike, had mortars dropped on it, and took sporadic MG42 fire. It took a Tiger and two Panthers shelling its position to finally lay the team low.
The Americans launch an assault from their trenches to try and deal with the Panzer IVs and manage to knock one out before being driven back by tracks and machine gun fire.
All forces continue to advance as le.FH-18s and Mortars add their weight against the American’s left flank.
10:30am - Aftermath
Major Bishop confirmed what he was up against. His left was being rolled by enemy tanks. Heavy fire had decimated his right flank and Lt. Erics was severely wounded and being taken to the rear.
The sight of the Panthers and Tiger tank had thrown his Sherman commander into a panic.
The most troublesome development was the fact that Jerry had stalled his attack against his reduced position. Realizing what that meant he ordered every command to lay down as much smoke as possible and withdraw, ASAP! Anything too heavy to carry was to be left behind.
As Major Bishop followed behind the withdrawing Shermans, Isolla Bella was engulfed in another firestorm of artillery. Germans had taken the junction.