BATTLE FOR THE BRIDGEHEAD BEYOND OMAHA Campaign Scenarios for Rules of Engagement the 29th Infantry division and Us rangers beyond Omaha beach june 6th - 8th, 1944
BATTLE FOR THE BRIDGEHEAD BEYOND OMAHA by Stuart McCorquodale Graphic Design: Stuart McCorquodale, Mark Wheatley contents U.S. Section Introduction 4 Scenario Rules 4 German Section Introduction 28 Scenario Rules 28 Rudder s Rangers Campaign Ranger Roadblock 8 To the Pointe 10 Night Sortie 12 Assault in the Night 14 Blue and Gray Advance from Easy 16 L Ormel Farm 18 Vierville Perimeter 20 Vierville Counterattack 22 Relief Force 24 Rudder s Rangers Campaign Ranger Roadblock 30 To the Pointe 32 Night Sortie 34 Assault in the Night 36 Blue and Gray Advance from Easy 38 L Ormel Farm 40 Vierville Perimeter 42 Vierville Counterattack 44 Relief Force 46 Low Grade German Platoon OoB 50 Campaign Tracker 57 www.greatescapegames.co.uk 2 Copyright Great Escape Games 2008. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form.
BATTLE FOR THE BRIDGEHEAD BEYOND OMAHA D-Day, the 6th of June, had seen the largest seaborne invasion in the history of warfare. The Allies had won a foothold on the enemy held French coast and the Battle for Normandy was about to begin. The reaction in Britain, Canada and the U.S.A. was one of exhilaration. Operation Overlord, so complex and ambitious, was apparently a success and the gamble had paid off. By the end of the day the Allies had landed one hundred and fifty-five thousand troops at five beaches on a fifty-mile front, secured on the flanks by paratroops at the Orne Bridgehead and the Cotentin Peninsula. From this toehold, forces were already moving inland, probing enemy strength and making preparations for the inevitable German counterattacks. The most dramatic moment of D-Day was the massed beach assaults against Hitler s Atlantikwall. Preceding this huge armada was the vanguard of the invasion force, the paratroopers of US 101st and 82nd and the British/Canadian 6th Airborne Divisions. These airborne forces, around twenty-four thousand men in nearly two thousand aircraft, were charged with the most daring objectives of D-Day. These key targets were essential to securing the flanks of the invasion force and defending the landing area from German counterattacks. In the east, the British and Canadian paratroops of the 6th Airborne Division were charged with the seizure of key bridges over the Orne and Caen canals, destroying links over the Dives and eliminating the dangerous Merville Battery. With the capture of high ground the paratroopers would be able to dig-in and prevent a strategic breakthrough during the expected counterattack. US paratroopers were tasked with the capture of Ste.-Mère-Église and the destruction of key bridges, protecting the Utah bridgehead. Following the successful landings on Sword, Gold and Juno beaches, the British Second Army was to press inland and occupy a bridgehead about 6 miles inland running from the strategic heights east of the Orne river along the Caen-Bayeaux road. The US First Army was to advance from Utah and Omaha to take the important town of Carentan and ensure the security of the western beaches. Both armies were to link up and take ground where possible to facilitate the landing of more troops and absorb enemy counterattacks. At the Omaha beachhead, the US 1st and 29th Divisions had borne the brunt of Allied assault casualties. Despite the carnage, the German defences only managed to last hours before they were fatally breached. Now, US troops fanned inland, seeking to destroy any resistance, link with British forces to the west and US forces to the east and repel any enemy counterattacks. The situation at Omaha was shaky but not the catastrophe that had been feared. The beach defences were eliminated, the enemy was hard pressed and piecemeal and US forces were growing in strength and organisation all the time. The threat from the British from Gold Beach placed the flank of the enemy at great risk, sapping their resources. The 29th Infantry Division, the Blue and Grays, led by its 116th Regiment, was the first Allied unit to hit the beaches on June 6th. It took horrendous casualties on Omaha but, beyond the beachhead, German resistance was stubborn and the battle continued ferociously. Having failed to repel the invasion on D-Day itself, the German High Command continued its strategy of static defence and confining the Allies to the beaches. Success in this task would open the way for an armoured counterattack on the initial landing areas. Hitler himself also decreed that no ground should be yielded. Fortunately for the Germans, the restrictive bocage terrain of the Norman countryside greatly favoured the defender. Warning! Although not vital, the scenarios are more enjoyable if the players are not completely aware of their opponent s brief. A referee is not required as each side s scenario briefing contains details of their objectives and information pertinent to their force. Players should expect to be a little bit in thr dark when playing these scenarios and should be prepared for the occassional surprise! Just follow your orders, do your job and everything will turn out fine! 3
Warning! - u.s. section Scenarios in this book are presented so that individual players may be given secret briefings. The U.S. section is presented from page 4 to 27. Although not vital, the scenarios are more enjoyable if the players are not completely aware of their opponent s brief. Note that forces may well be unbalanced and victory conditions may be different. It is up to the players to judge the situation and determine whether their troops can win the day or whether it is better to cut their losses! Introduction Battle for the Bridgehead Beyond Omaha is the first in a series of campaign systems designed for Rules of Engagement. Although they are based on historical events, the scenarios and campaigns are not necessarily re-fights of actual engagements using the actual forces. A certain amount of fiddling is necessary for maximum playability but the games are faithful to the real life events. Scenarios cover the first hours and days of the Allied attacks on Festung Europa. Although presented in a specific context, the scenarios can be easily adapted by players to suit any set of opponents and can be played as stand-alone games. Each campaign is designed to accommodate 4 players, 2 German and 2 Allied, but the sub-campaigns play very well on their own between just 2 players. Scenario Rules The scenarios are presented in a similar way as in the Rules of Engagement rulebook. Maps are presented following each briefing (each are 180cm x 120 cm or 6 x 4 ). However, scenario briefings are separated for each player so that forces available, special rules and victory conditions (both which may be different!) may be kept hidden from an opponent. This will add to the fog of war as players will not be certain what objective(s) the enemy has to achieve! Although similar to the scenarios in the RoE rulebook, the ones in the campaign are quite different and players are advised to read their briefings thoroughly. For example, the reserves rule from the RoE rulebook is used but it is usually modified as indicated in each scenario. Beyond Omaha is divided into two sub-campaigns: Rudder s Rangers and Blue and Gray. Rudder s Rangers largely follows events after the heroic assault of 2nd Ranger Battalion on Pointe du Hoc and the capture of the bluff. Blue and Gray follows elements of the 29th US Infantry Division (the Blue and Gray Division) as they struggle to achieve their objectives after the beach assault and link up with the Rangers at Pointe du Hoc. The results of all of the games contribute to determining who wins the campaign. The term win must be taken advisedly; a minor German victory will not win the war but may result in simply lengthening the time it took for German forces to collapse in Normandy! In the scenarios forces are often fixed and give the player little choice or flexibility. This is intentional; sometimes you just have to complete the task with the tools you re given. You will need a copy of the Rules of Engagement rulebook to play and the scenarios are restricted to certain forces you can t really substitute regular German infantry for crack SS troops in these games! The Allies are represented by US Infantry and Rangers. If you do not have these forces, British/Canadian infantry (for US infantry; British infantry should lose 3 men in each force to even it up) and commandos/paratroopers (for rangers) are a reasonable substitute. The Germans have to make do with largely regular infantry and ad-hoc formations. Players may wish to take advantage of an umpire who will brief the players on each game, adding an element of the Fog of War to battles. An umpire is not essential, however, and the campaigns are perfectly playable without one. In the briefing for each scenario, forces are detailed for each player. These forces are fixed as written and are drawn from the RoE rulebook Orders of Battle. Troops may not be given any upgrades or extra equipment/skills unless explicitly indicated but will be able to use an amount of Requisition Points as indicated. For example, the optional machine gun in a German Grenadier Platoon Command may only be available if the Order of Battle section of the Scenario Briefing allows. In addition, each side may have variable additional forces available. The type and quality of these forces may be influenced by using Asset Points (see below) to add or subtract from the dice roll scored to change the result. Players simply roll for what forces are available and alter the roll by expending a number of AP s on a one to one basis. Asset Points: Each scenario has victory conditions detailed within but also has an Asset Points system that is attached to ongoing campaign play. These Asset Points are gained by achieving specified objectives and victory conditions within the scenario. AP s may be spent in the next game to enable a player to field improved forces in subsequent games. This provision may also encourage a losing player to cut his losses in a battle to deny the enemy a windfall in AP s. AP s are not collected in such a way as to have a reserve to spend in a decisive final battle! For example, in game 1, the US player scores 7 AP s and decides to spend none of them on his Additional Assets roll for turn 2. In turn 2 he scores 4 AP s. He only has those 4 AP s to influence his Additional Assets roll for turn 3; he doesn t add the 7 AP s gained from turn 1. The 7 AP s are stored for counting up the final result (see Winning the Campaign below). This does reward players for winning previous games but does not allow them to stack up AP s and get the best Additional Assets for critical games. It also adds a bit of attrition the campaign. Players that seek to treat their Additional Assets as sacrificial units will lose points for determining who the campaign winner is. 4
Extra Assets: Most of the scenarios have an Extra Assets section which supplies the player with extra troops and/or vehicles. Roll the dice indicated and consult the table to determine what extra assets are available for the battle. Asset Points may be spent to adjust the score up or down as the player wishes. However, if the extra asset gained suffers sufficient losses, these AP s are spent and cannot be counted in the final tally and may have a bearing on the result of the campaign. Sufficient losses are defined as taking 50%+ casualties in the games or, if a vehicle, being immobilised, wrecked or destroyed (count a motorised squad s transport as the equivalent of 2 men). Winning the Campaign: At the end of a campaign remaining AP s are totalled together. If one player has 50% more AP s than his opponent at the end of the campaign, he scores a Decisive Victory. If one player has 20% more AP s than his opponent at the end of the campaign, he scores a Marginal Victory. Any other result is a draw and you ll have to argue over who has the moral victory! A table for tracking campaign AP s won is provided on page 57. Beyond Omaha The Beyond Omaha campaign follows the first hours and days of the 2nd and 5th Ranger Battalion s and 29th Infantry Division s combat experience during the invasion of Normandy. The five campaign turns are played one after the other with the results of games influencing the players chances in the following battle. The campaign turns are listed below and presented in order. The final campaign turn utilises just one scenario while the others use different ones. Turn 1: Ranger Roadblock Turn 2: To the Pointe Turn 3: Night Sortie Turn 4: Assault in the Night Turn 5: Relief Force Rudder s Rangers Blue and Gray Turn 1: Advance from Easy Turn 2: L Ormel Farm Turn 3: Vierville Perimeter Turn 4: Counterattack at Vierville Turn 5: Relief Force The final scenario, Relief Force, is the culmination of the campaign and is fought as a single game on a double-sized gaming table. 5
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Blue and Gray scenario locations Rudder s Rangers scenario locations 7
RUDDER S RANGERS Ranger Roadblock - US Briefing June 6th, 0800 hours: After scaling the heights at Pointe-du-Hoc and finding that their objective, the battery of six 155mm guns, was gone, Rangers from Companies D and E moved towards their next objective - securing a roadblock on the road between Grandcamp and Vierville. Small patrols of men advanced towards the position in order to establish a roadblock cutting the way to Omaha for enemy reinforcements and creating staging point to eliminate the German 155mm gun battery. Mission Brief A farm road connects the fortified area at the Pointe to the paved highway. Ruined farmhouses line the approach to the main road and your troops must sweep aside any resistance in order to secure the objective. Scenario Special Rules Random Operation Length Reserves Order of Battle Platoon Command (6 men) including Medic Ranger Squad (11 men) -.30 CAL replaced by two BAR s Ranger Squad (8 men) -.30 CAL replaced by BAR, Recon Ranger Squad (8 men) -.30 CAL replaced by BAR (in Reserve) Mortar Team (4 men) May spend up to 8 RP s on Additional Equipment (no extra BAR s) The Battlefield The battlefield is detailed on the accompanying map. The table should also include 6-8 craters, about 8cm in diameter. Although troops inside it can be hidden, the orchard by the house does not block line of sight. The communications trench (leading off the north edge) offers complete defilade (protection from enemy fire) from anywhere but the house and orchard nearest to it. How Long Does the Battle Last? 10 Turns each plus Random Operation Length. Victory Conditions and Asset Points Demoralised troops are not counted for the victory conditions below. US Decisive Victory: US player has twice as many models as the German player within 20cm of the objective (see adjacent map). US player scores 6 Asset Points. US Marginal Victory: US player has at least as many models as the German player within 20cm of the objective. US player scores 2 Asset Points. German Marginal Victory: German player has at least as many models as the US player within 20cm of the objective. German player scores 2 Asset Points. German Decisive Victory: German player has twice as many models than the US player within 20cm of the objective. German player scores 5 Asset Points. Any other result is a draw and both sides receive 1 Asset Point. Additional Asset Points are won according to the schedule below: Deployment The US player enters the table from his Deployment Zone (DZ on the map) edges on the first turn. At least one unit must enter each Deployment Zone and the Reserves may enter from the edge of either. Who Gets the First Turn? The US player US player has at least 3 models in the large house in German Deployment Zone A: 1 AP US player captures any enemy troops: 1 AP US player inflicts 50%+ casualties on German force: 1 AP, or, US player inflicts 66%+ casualties on German force: 2 AP s All farm buildings cleared of Germans: 1 AP 8
SOUTH OBJECTIVE German positions reported along farm lane to crossroads MINES WIRE US DZ B US DZ A 9