The Battle1400-1405 hrsThe sound of Sherman radial engines and troops moving out fills the air. It is time to meet the German counterattack and prevent them from taking Hill 262.
Two Sherman IIIs get kicked into gear and race off toward Boisjos Manor to fortify the defensive positions there.
They arrive unmolested and take up positions behind the manor.
B Co, the pincer force, and its armor support begin moving out to their positions in the woods and fields to the North (I moved the tanks along the road to where the fence ends instead of busting through the fence for one reason alone; surprise. Unfortunately, one of the drawbacks the game has is that it doesn't hide terrain damage, like broken fences or hedges, to your opponent. Had I moved the tanks through the fence, Luke would have had a pretty good idea armor, or some type of vehicle, was in that area).
While B Co is moving towards its assigned objective, the Germans commence an artillery barrage that, while heavy, falls on empty land just to the west of the Knoll. I definitely do not mind watching the Germans waste their artillery.
B Co arrives at the forest and begins to move into it.
It is here I take my first casualty (not the first casualty of the battle, however). The sniper in the sniper team attached to B Co takes a stray piece of shrapnel from an exploding artillery shell that landed approximately 150 yards away. Thankfully the sniper is only seriously wounded and not dead. Medics are working to stabilize him and should be able to move him out of the area.
One of the Sherman IIIs attached to B Co moves into position at the edge of the woods, while the Firefly takes up an overwatch position on a slight rise just to the west of the woods.
At Vimoutiers Road, A Co begins to take up positions within the objective zone.
The two Sherman IIIs assigned to Vimoutiers Road finally arrive, much to the joy of A Co.
Meanwhile, we make our first contact with the enemy on our far right flank. It is here where the first blood in the battle is drawn, and I am happy to report it is the Poles who make the first kill. The sniper team observing the fields and orchards on the right flank catch sight of a German darting between the trees. It is just a glimpse, but puts the sniper team, led by Grykiel, on alert.
Several tense moments go by. The team suddenly spots another German moving through the trees, and the sniper slowly squeezes the trigger until the rifle report shatters the quiet. The round hits home, and it is one less German we have worry about.
Immediately after the first kill, another German, who appeared to be the officer of a mortar team, shows himself directly in front of Grykiel's team. The sniper quickly dispatches him as well.
The Germans are alerted to the sniper team's presence, and they begin to return fire. MG42 rounds tear into the bocage concealing the team. Grykiel gives the order to move to another position along the bocage. Once the team reaches its new position, two more Germans are spotted and cross the sniper's field of view. In quick succession, the sniper takes them down in a cold, methodical fashion.
MG42 and rifle fire again rips through the air, this time making contact with the sniper and incapacitating him. Grykiel is pinned and unable to help his bleeding teammate.
Hearing the sound of their comrades coming under fire, two scout teams and a Vickers gun, who were at forward positions watching the center portion of the right flank, move to help.
They get out just in time. Mortar fire begins hitting their previous positions, forcing the remaining scout team to move further forward.
Situation at 1405 hrs:
The scouts have taken up positions well forward of the main defensive positions. They have good views of the terrain in front of them, and should be able to warn HQ early enough as to where the Germans are moving. The only contact with the enemy I have right now is on the far right flank. I've been able to ascertain a couple squads worth of troops moving through that area. In my analysis of the map, I failed to notice the slight hill the Germans are currently attacking overlooks the Vimoutiers Road objective zone. Had I realized that, I would have put several more of my troops there to give the German's a harder time. Instead, I'm having to move around a couple teams to meet their advance.
Unfortunately, the only two casualties I sustained were both of my snipers. Talk about bad luck.
