Today, friends Pete and Eddie helped play-test my US 2nd Infantry Division scenario, designed around an action fought near the hamlet of Haute Hameau, south of the Omaha beachhead.
Pete, who ran the Americans, had two infantry companies, reinforced by a platoon of Shermans, and was charged with pushing down the road towards Haute Hameau, to secure the area there, before pushing on to Bas Hameau as the day's final objective.
He begins deploying his troops on the map's north corner above Haute Hameau -
Eddie, the German CO sits on the south side of the battle area. His units, elements of Schnelle Abteilung 517, are emplaced behind the northern hamlet, and concentrated mostly in woods near Bas Hameau (that area seen in the picture below, to the west). No German units are visible to the American attack, and will only be revealed when scouted out, or as their fire commences –
Pete advanced towards Haute Hameau, expecting to receive fire off the start line. Little did he know, that the Germans did not occupy the town, and only had an outpost near the buildings to the SE -
Getting somewhat disorganized as the two American companies pushed through the hamlet, while overcoming the German OP position, and also spoiling an SP AT ambush that was waiting well south of the area, Pete was ready to push on to his next objective, and across the open ground towards Bas Hameau. It was here that Eddie had positioned his unit's two AT Guns -
The firefight raged across the fields, Shermans taking hits, and the AT guns in return. The German SP guns maneuvering on the flanks to add in their combined fire -
In the exchange, the light German SPs were also taken out, and the American attack would resume pushing westwards, only then to come up against the main German strongpoint near Bas Hameau.
At this point, the American Bn. CO halted the attack, as the first phase of the action had been achieved successfully, and the GIs were ordered to consolidate in position before the attack might resume…….on the next day, 11 June, 1944.
In the meantime, the elements of Schnelle Abteilung 517 would withdraw out of the area overnight, to establish a hasty line of defense further south near Littry (and possibly provide a future scenario for these two forces to engage in…..in the future).
's first experience with 1:4800 scale naval models.
