Please pay attention ! The thick Normandy hedgerows rules require full inspection... These rules are quite different than the normal hedgerows rules. So we have spent some time before the game to agree on the interpretation of LOS rules. Basically, when a unit is behind a hedgerow hexside, you have to be adjacent to be allowed to fire on it. From farther away, you may still spot the unit and use indirect fire. Major Bingham is directing 2 US infantry companies to attack the town of St Laurent (2 hexes) and a German strongpoint (entrenchment) where one reduced HMG is the sole occupant. The US force thus concentrates on the strongpoint, reaches the adjacent hexes and then goes into assault while two platoons run towards St Laurent. But... the German HMG is commanded by a 10/1/2 leader ; they get first fire from the entrenchment and the assaulters - if they survive - are two columns down because of the entrench and two downs again for the hedgerow they just crossed. It took me something like 8 turns to eliminate that &:^@à HMG ! Meanwhile the other US platoons did eliminate the Grenadier guard of St Laurent and the remaining 50mm AT gun was broken. But... the AT gun rallied with a dice roll = 2 and succeeded in driving the US infantry away. Despite more desperate assaults on St Laurent, the 50mm AT gun resisted until the end. The result of the scenario is a draw (only 1 objective reached by the US and too many step losses for the US) although the Battle Game does begin well for the US. Indeed, to win the Battle Game, the German player MUST keep control of the same strongpoint at the end of the second scenario. This won't be easy for him.

Author	goosebrown
Method	Solo
Victor	Germany
Play Date	2022-07-08
Language	English
Scenario	IN44004

So this was my first experience with hedgerows, much like the 1st of the 116th just off the beach at Omaha.

Coming cautiously through the bocage, Major Bingham sent two one company west through the hedgerows paralleling the road into town and took the second company and the support platoons to eliminate the WN59 trench.

Realizing that the Amis were coming and that visibility was really non-existent, the German commander bet the farm on holding the one town hex with the best view of the probable advance of the Americans. It was a pretty good bet.

The American drive on WN59 ended in a two turn assault that fairly heavily demoralized the Americans before the reduced HMG unit gave up the ghost. The support company realized it could not deploy in time to effect the outcome there and continued on to bypass the WN and hit the town from the right flank.

The remaining company attacked the town and got into a position for an assault, but time ran out and the stout german resistance held the Americans off.

Learning how to deal with Bocage. Man this stuff slows one down.

This is the first of the Omaha beach battle game scenarios. The objectives for this scenario are to control the village of St. Laurent and to eliminate the German Entrenchment which needs to be placed in hex 0908. This is a very pro-American scenario. The Americans have a total of 8 combat units to only 3 for the German. The American also has off board artillery. So the German has to defend the village or the entrenchment. My opponent tried to defend both and was defeated in detail. The American’s attacked the village first and then moved on the entrenchment. While the village attack was in progress the American’s had the 81mm and off board artillery pound the entrenchment. This kept the unit in the hex tied up until the America force could advance on it. In the end this was a major American victory.

El aleman despliega la HMG con un Capt 9(1-0) en el pueblo al lado de la pieza de 50mm. Un Lt 8 (0-0) junto la seccion de granaderos se despliegan en la colina al norte del pueblo.

Todas las unidades de infanteria americana entran por el norte de la colina donde estan los alemanes junto con un Maj 8 (0-1), Lt 10(1-1), Lt 9 (1-1), mientras que el mortero y la HMG entran por el norte a traves de la carretera.

En el turno 2 (1230) las unidades de INF americanas se encuentran en disposicion de asaltar a los granaderos de la colina, previamente estos han abierto con fuego de oportunidad sin ningun efecto. Tras un par de turno donde han conseguido clavar a la mayoria de secciones de INF en la colina, los granaderos han perdido un paso y estan desmoralizados, 3 turnos mas tarde ha sido eliminado y el Lt tambien ha caido. Sin nada que les impida el avance hasta el pueblo han avanzado todas las secciones de infanteria para asaltar el pueblo con la unica perdida de 2 pasos de INF.

Las unidades que han avanzado por la carretera no han tenido mucho problema para acabar (al asalto) con la HMG reducida.

Los americanos obtienen los dos objetivos con la perdida de 2 pasos (steps), mientras que las perdidas alemanas suman 7 pasos y un lider.

Un escenario dificil para los alemanes.

The Germans didn't have much to work with to defend St. Laurent, so I was expecting the US forces to mop up the resistance and occupy St. Laurent without significant problems. When the dust settled, the US held one hex of St. Laurent while the other was still being contested so the US did not control the town. The US lost 2 infantry platoons, while the Germans lost a HMG platoon and their most senior leader, Captain Lang, in the assault in the town during the final turn. Not the result that I expected but the rolling of the die was with Germany for sure.

Author	treadasaurusrex (Germany)
Method	VASSAL
Victor	Germany
Participants	Tubac52
Play Date	2022-10-16
Language	Español
Scenario	IN44004

Sure wish that I knew why the PG "introductory" games like Invasion 1944, and The Kokoda Campaign must be the scenes of such miserable, difficult to maneuver-in, terrain. It would be much better to start players getting used to playing this fiddly, but interesting, game system, by making a scenario set along the lines of: An Army at Dawn, or "*1940: Fall of France," to be the introductory games.

Nevertheless, one the new & fearless PG-HQ players wanted to jump into Vassal shared play and try this rather awful "training" scenario. I played the defending German side and he played the attacking American force in this 4-session training exercise. We used the American spotter planes, consolidation, excess initiative, FOW and smoke optional rules in this play-through.

Wisely, this encounter began with a cautious US movement-to-contact through the bocage, One infantry company proceeded west through the hedgerows paralleling the road into St. Laurent, while the other and the support platoons deployed against the WN59 entrenchment.

As others have reported, the German Commander bet the farm on holding a single town hex with the best viewscape of then advancing American columns. As it turned out, this was the winning ticket.

The American attack on the WN59 strongpoint ended in a hotly-contested, 3-turn close assault before the HMG section was eliminated. The second infantry company bypassed the strongpoint and went on to repeatedly close assault the town's hard-fighting garrison. By the end of play, this attack had failed and excessive US demoralizations and step losses resulted in a clear German victory.

Author	Blackcloud6
Method	Solo
Victor	Germany
Play Date	2023-02-28
Language	English
Scenario	IN44004

I'm currently playing the 1st Campaign Game in ASL's Drop Zone: St.-Mere-Eglise. The afternoon scenario of this CG covers the same action as this PG scenario, so I thought it would be interesting to play out the PG version. I can tell you, my ASL Americans made better progress against these stout Georgian defenders than their PG counterparts.

The Germans sent two platoons forward on the southern hill with a leader to delay the Americans. They did their mission with one platoon getting shot up. After forcing the Americans to deploy, the delay force fell back and set up a subsequent delay position, which repeated its successful delay.

The US close on the town and tried to high the right flank and center. The right flank attack made some progress, but the center got broken up and then tried to maneuver around to the left.

Every attempt to close on to the town was met by murderous fie and each attack was broken up. The US reinforcements came in late and one more attack was planned after regrouping. It too met the same fire and was repulsed. The US lost this one badly.

An interesting and quick play scenario that shows to problems of trying to coordinate an attack in the bocage county.

Not very interesting scenario. It was interesting from the point of view that it gave me some experience in moving the counters with the Vassel set up on the computer. Getting my feet wet(er) with that rather vexing happenstance.