Bld & Hnur Hitlerjugend in Nrmandy Putt The Little Black Devils Thursday June 8 th 1944 Scenari written by Richard de Ferrars and Paddy Green Histrical Overview The 3 rd Canadian Infantry Divisin had led the assault n Jun Beach. The Ryal Winnipeg Rifles (The Little Black Devils ) were ne f the assault battalins in the 7 th Canadian Infantry Brigade. Their missin had been t land n Mike Red Beach and then t secure the area west f Curseulles - strngpint WN 31 and the village f Graye-sur-Mer. The results f the bmbardment in their zne had been indifferent. Their supprting DD tanks and ther armur were delayed n the run-in and the assault by the lead cmpanies (B and D) went in unsupprted. B Cmpany landed in frnt f the intact strngpint and started t take a steady stream f casualties. After several lng minutes, vital armur supprt started t arrive and gradually B Cmpany cleared the strngpint in bitter hand-t-hand fighting. They paid a high price with casualties f 75%. D Cmpany had landed west f the strngpint and, evading the wrst f its fire, rapidly cleared the beach and the minefields t reach Graye-sur-Mer. By H+4, the battalin had reached Objective YEW. The afternn saw intense fighting at the village f Banville HQ f the II Batallin 726 Grenadiers and by the end f D-day, the Divisin had penetrated 5 miles inland t their secnd bjective line ELM. Overnight, replacements arrived and these jined the battered remnants f B Cmpany. This brught the Cmpany back clse t full strength, but few f the riginal Officers and NCO s remained. On D+1, the advance inland cntinued and The Ryal Winnipeg Rifles (RWR) led the advance. Oppsitin was light mainly remnants f Richter s 716 Infantry Divisin. By midday, the RWR had secured Putt-en-Bessin, a scattered village sitting between the Caen-Bayeux rad (Objective OAK) and the Caen-Bayeux railway. T their east, the villages f Bretteville and Nrrey were sn ccupied by the Regina Rifles. Immediately t their west, the village f Bruay remained empty the British 69 th Infantry Brigade was still advancing frm Gld Beach and was 2 miles shrt f this bjective. Their right flank remained pen. On the afternn f D+1, the first German cunterattacks hit the Allied landings - a few miles t the east, the Nrth Nva Sctia Highlanders were caught up in bitter fighting with the 12SS arund Authie and Burn. The Little Black Devils culd see German trp mvements suth f the railway and arund Le Mesnil-Patry. They knew that the attacks n their psitins wuld start sn. During the early mrning hurs f June 8 th, the battalins f Mhnke s 26 th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment cmpleted their assembly in the area between Cristt and Le Mesnil-Patry clsing the gap between the Meyer s 25 th Regiment (nrth & west f Caen) and the Divisin s Recnnaissance Battalin (arund Audrieu & Cristt). The Divisinal cmmander, Fritz Witt, had rdered Mhnke t attack and clear the villages f Nrrey, Bretteville, Putt and Bruay. In the early hurs f June 8 th, the 1 st Battalin munted a strng attack twards Nrrey and the railway. This attack was beaten ff by accurate Canadian artillery fire and by the stubbrn defence f Stu Tubb s men in Nrrey. As dawn brke n June 8 th, the attentin swung half a mile t the west as Siebken s 2 nd Battalin mved ut f Le Mesnil-Patry t crss the pen fields that lead t Putt. Artillery and mrtar fire swept the Winnipeg s psitins in and arund Putt. Equally heavy Canadian artillery fire hit the Panzergrenadiers as they clsed in n Putt. The situatin in the Winnipeg s psitin was made increasingly difficult as snipers started t appear within the village remnants frm the 716 th Infantry Divisin. Gradually the Canadians gave way. A, B and C cmpanies were cut ff, surrunded and started t run ut f ammunitin. Eventually they were frced t pull ut but few men made it back t the psitins f D cmpany, east f the village r Brigade HQ at Secqueville. As he watched the situatin deterirate, Brigadier Harry Fster had set abut rganising a cunter attack. At arund 20:00 he launched the Canadian Scttish Regiment int a cunter-attack, backed by tanks frm the First Hussars and a trrent f artillery. Siebken s exhausted men gave way, and by 23:00, the village was back in Canadian hands. In the aftermath f this battle, mre than 50 Canadian POW s, including Majr Hustn, were executed by varius units f the 12SS. Scenari Design This scenari is unusual in that armur is absent. Bth sides have quite pwerful artillery and will have t use this t gd effect t vercme the absence f armur supprt. The scenari fcuses n the assault by Siebken s men rather than the Canadian cunter-attack later in the day. The German player has plenty f time (15 turns) t gradually frce the Winnipeg s ut f their psitins, but can he survive the Allied artillery?
Map & Terrain Level 0 Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 (crest) Orchard Cleared Wd Tall Crps Lw Hedge High Hedge Bcage Hedge Lw Wall High Wall Railway Cutting Embankment Unpaved Rad Paved Rad Level 0 BUS Level 1 BUS Level 2 BUS (Twer) Streets Shallw Stream Marsh Bcage cuntry lay further t the west. This part f Nrmandy was pen fields f wheat and turnip, dtted with farms, villages and rchards. The Caen-Bayeux railway, with its cuttings, embankments and bridges, psed an additinal bstacle, particularly t armur. The playing area is 6 x 5 and nrth is at the tp edge f the map. All buildings are stne. Within villages, the level 2T BUS represent the church twers. Buildings marked 1C represent large Chateau buildings and mvement between the secnd levels is allwed. The railway embankment is a high embankment. The railway cutting is a wide gully Units in the cutting claim +1 n all imprved psitin rlls At the start f the scenari, all BUS in Putt are cnsidered t be under Canadian cntrl. Thereafter, a BUS is cntrlled by the last player t have ccupied it with a nn-panicked unit. The five BUS marked with x r 2T indicate thse that the player must cntrl at the end f the specified turns t gain VP s.
Canadian Player Briefing Mre enemy had infiltrated int the twn arund ur psitins and there was direct enemy machine gun, mrtar and artillery fire n ur LMG psts and individuals in slit trenches. It was nw impssible t get ammunitin t the cmpanies, even with a Bren carrier. Ryal Winnipeg Rifles, War Diary, June 8 th 1944 Situatin Lt Cl. Meldram, 07:00 June 8 th 1944, Putt-en-Bessin. Yesterday, the 7 th Canadian Infantry Brigade pushed inland steadily frm the invasin beaches and by the middle f the day, the lead battalins had reached the villages f Nrrey, Bretteville (Regina Rifles) and Putt (Ryal Winnipeg Rifles). The third battalin, the Canadian Scttish Regiment, remained 2 miles t the nrth in Secqueville-en-Bessin as the Brigade reserve. On the afternn f the 7th, a large cunterattack a cuple f miles t the east at Authie annunced the arrival f Rmmel s Panzers the 12SS (Hitlerjugund) Panzer Divisin. This left ne f the battalins f 9 th Brigade (The Nrth Nva Sctia Highlanders) badly mauled and means that the Canadian 7 th Infantry Brigade is nw hlding a cnspicuusly frward psitin in the Allied line. During the night 7 th 8 th June, the Regina Rifles at Nrrey repulsed a strng infantry prbe. As the day dawns, acrss the lw valley, yu can see trps mvements arund Le Mesnil-Patry. Yu knw that a further assault n 7 th Brigade s psitin is imminent and it is prbably cming yur way. Yur battalin reached Putt early yesterday afternn. After a difficult day n D-day, yu have had the pprtunity t rerganise and bring in sme replacements. Althugh yur rifle cmpanies are nearly back t full strength, B Cmpany in particular has suffered badly and has a large prprtin f replacements. Yu have had ample time t prepare fr defence, but this is nt an ideal defensive psitin. The village itself is strung ut and neither flank is secure. T the east, the Regina Rifles reprt strng infiltratins twards the railway arund Cardnville Farm and German frces may already have crssed the railway. T the west, yu have sent patrls int Bruay, hping t make cntact with British frces f 69 th Brigade. Hwever, they have fund nly German armured cars, prbably als frm the 12 th SS Panzer Divisin. They are maintaining a thin screening line, helping t prtect yur west flank. Missin Althugh the psitin is nt ideal, yu must hld Putt. If yu get pushed back here, the Regina Rifles in Bretteville and Nrrey will becme even mre islated. In additin, the RWR s psitin represents the link between the Canadian frces frm Jun Beach and the British frces frm Gld Beach. If this link is brken, then it will give the Germans the pprtunity t drive a wedge between the British and Canadian frces. Put simply, yu must hld Putt. Deplyment Units f the RWR may deply anywhere nrth f the railway. They may deply suth f the railway under any ne f the fllwing cnditins: That they are within 5 f a Bruay BUS That they are within 10 f a Putt BUS Canadian infantry may start in basic imprved psitins (slit trenches & imprved hard cver.) and Canadian vehicles may start in hull-dwn psitins. Nte that MG s may nt use grazing fire whilst munted n vehicles. If dismunted, units must be emplaced, r in imprved psitin t use grazing fire. Please see belw fr ntes regarding defending Bruay. Ntes & Special Rules The duratin f the scenari is 15 turns. The German player mves first. Artillery Canadian ff-bard artillery was psitined at Bray and riginates frm the nrtheast crner f the map. All ff and n-bard elements may fire up t 2 smke missins. The Canadian may deply either 2 FOO s in jeeps r 1 FOO in a Sherman OP. Replacement f FOO casualties applies (see Artillery Tutrial, British Artillery Optins ). If yu are unfrtunate enugh t lse bth FOO s at the same time, nly ne replacement may be rlled fr at any time. The secnd replacement may be rlled fr nce the first has arrived.
Initial Cmpany Strengths B and D Cmpanies are nt at full-strength reflecting casualties n the D-day assault and subsequent replacements. They d nt qualify fr n casualty maneuvre rll mdifiers. Due t the high number f replacements in B Cmpany, it has a discipline rating f experienced as ppsed t veteran. Maintaining Ammunitin Supply The Canadian frward psitins prved vulnerable t getting cut-ff and running lw n ammunitin. In this scenari, the German player has the pprtunity t interfere with the re-supply f the frward elements. The tw rad junctins that are marked with red circles represent the main pints f cmmunicatin with the rear areas. If, at the end f the Canadian player Clse Cmbat Phase, the German player has trp stands n ne f these rad junctins, then all Canadian ME s drp a discipline rating fr the fllwing turn. If, at the end f the Canadian player Clse Cmbat Phase, the German player has trp stands n bth f these rad junctins, then all Canadian ME s drp tw discipline ratings fr the fllwing turn. If the Canadian player frees up ne, r bth junctins, then the effect is amended apprpriately frm the start f the fllwing player turn (Canadian r German). Organisatin f Canadian ME s Obviusly, the fur Rifle Cmpanies are each treated as ne ME. Carrier Platn frm Supprt Cmpany is treated as a separate ME. The rest f Supprt Cmpany (Engineer, Mrtar and ATG platns) are initially designated as part f Battalin HQ ME, alng with FOO s and the Camern Highlanders Vickers Platn. Any HQ unit may be attached t anther ME as lng as this takes place befre the start f the scenari. Drp that Church Twer Church twers made bvius artillery bservatin psts and were frequently targeted by the enemy. Any IDF template that cvers a twer structure shuld have a chance f bring that twer dwn. Rll ne d10 and add the T,G,sV IDF rating (with cncentratin and thickening mdifiers if applicable) Mdify by 1 fr each f the BUS aim pints nt under the IDF template If the result is greater than 10 then the twer lses a level and becmes a 1T structure and a ½ strip f rubble is placed (randmly) int the adjacent street. The street is then treated as a defile. Defending Bruay The Canadian player has the ptin f deciding whether r nt t defend Bruay. Bruay is cnsidered defended at the start f the game if there are at least 6 infantry stands and ne AT gun within 5 f any f the Bruay BUS (nrth and suth f the railway). During the curse f the game, Bruay remains defended if there are at least 4 infantry stands and / r gun stands within 5 f any f the Bruay BUS (gd rder, suppressed r disrdered). Whilst Bruay remains defended, the units frm III/26 Batailln n the German Orbat must remain within the triangle frmed by the west bard edge, the railway line t the cutting bridge, and the paved rad running back suth-west t the bard edge. On every player turn that the German player has any unit n the street sectin in the centre f Bruay, the Canadian player must declare whether Bruay is defended. If Bruay is nt defended, the units frm III/26 Batailln may deply and fire withut restrictin. Hwever, units frm II/26 may nt act as bservers fr indirect fire fr the 251/9 s. Definitin f Armur Fr Maneuvre Check purpses, a Bren Carrier nly cunts as armur if it has an embarked MG and a Sherman OP tank nly cunts as armur if the FOO is embarked.
Canadian Order f Battle
German Player Briefing Our first target was the railway embankment. Heavy artillery and rifle fire greeted us frm the embankment. My platn had the sectr t the left f the rad and underpass. Kmpanie chief Schmlke received a flesh wund in his back that greatly bthered him. During the secnd stage, behind the embankment, we tk sme prisners. Since we had nw pushed ur way int the psitins, the artillery fire stpped. Oberscharfuhrer Dargel, III Platn, 6 Kmpanie Situatin Stubaf. Siebken, Cmmander II Batallin, Pz-Gren Regt 26, 07:00 June 8 th 1944, Le Mesnil-Patry. Since the summer f 1943, yu have been wrking hard t frge yur battalin frm the seasned NCO s and highly mtivated Hitler Yuth that presented t the training camp at Beverl, Belgium. They arrived with the enthusiasm f yuth that yu and yur fficers have transfrmed int the bedrck f pride in yur Divisin the 12SS (Hitlerjugund) Panzer Divisin. This Divisin was created t lead in the cunter-attack against the invasin f France wherever and whenever it came. That pprtunity has nw arrived. The first alerts started t arrive in the Divisinal area arund Liseux during the early hurs f June 6 th. The Panzergrenadier Regiment 26 had a mre difficult in deplyment than Kurt Meyer s Panzergrenadier Regiment 25 and yur men nly arrived in the frward area late in the day f June 7 th. The Divisinal cmmander, SS-Oberfuhrer Witt, has rdered immediate attacks against the Canadian trps that hld the line ahead f yu. Yu have heard abut the utstanding success that Panzer Meyer s men had yesterday afternn in thrwing back the Allies at Authie and Burn. But yu have als seen the pr results frm a hurried and unsupprted attack against Nrrey that tk place during the night by Stubaf. Krause s I Batallin f yur Regiment. Althugh yu d nt have the benefit f cver f darkness, and yu still d nt have the benefit f Stubaf. Max Wunche s Panthers, yu have succeeded in mving the artillery int psitin. T the west, the Divisin s Aufklarung s Abteilung has successfully slwed the prgress f the British frces arund Audrieu and elements frm Panzer Lehr are mving int psitin. The III Batallin has started t mve sme units int the area between Cristt and Bruay. Their cmmander, Stubaf. Olbeter, has prmised t bring sme pressure t bear n Bruay. T yur East, Panzer Meyer had pushed the Canadian lead elements back frm Carpiquet and is hlding the advance nrth-west f Caen. The deepest advance inland made by the Allied invaders lies directly ahead f the Panzergrenadier Regiment 26.. Missin SS-Oberfuhrer Witt has rdered the Regiment t clear the villages f Putt, Bretteville and Nrrey ahead f launching a crdinated attack with Panzer Lehr and 21 Panzer. Yur battalin is t take and hld Putt befre the Regiment renews its attack n Nrrey and Bretteville. Deplyment The initial deplyment area fr the main 12SS frce, arund Le Mesnil-Patry, is suth f the blue line n the map. The deplyment f the 716 Infantry Divisin and III/26 frces are explained belw Ntes & Special Rules The duratin f the scenari is 15 turns. The German player mves first. Artillery The German player may declare at the beginning f the game up t 3 pre-designated aim pints fr his artillery. These must be either rad junctins, bridges, twers r BUS edges that can be sptted frm the Le Mesnil-Patry church twer. German ff-bard artillery riginates frm the suth edge f the map All ff and n-bard elements may fire up t 2 smke missins. The 251/9 s frm III/26 may nt fire smke. If the ff-bard artillery fires as separate batteries, it may nt recmbine & fire again as a battalin
Drp that Church Twer Church twers made bvius artillery bservatin psts and were frequently targeted by the enemy. Any IDF template that cvers a twer structure shuld have a chance f bring that twer dwn. Rll ne d10 and add the T,G,sV IDF rating (with cncentratin and thickening mdifiers if applicable) Mdify by 1 fr each f the BUS aim pints nt under the IDF template If the result is greater than 10 then the twer lses a level and becmes a 1T structure and a ½ strip f rubble is placed (randmly) int the adjacent street. The street is then treated as a defile. 716 Infantry Divisin Remnants Snipers The pprtunity t deply snipers begins as sn as German frces have crssed the railway. At the start f every German mvement phase where there are German frces nrth f the railway, rll a d10 and mdify the by +1 fr each bjective BUS cntrlled by the German player. Mdified rll 7,8,9 One unit deplyed 10+ Tw units deplyed These snipers were appearing mainly in and arund Putt. They must be deplyed within 5 f a Putt BUS which is n the higher elevatin (t prevent them being used simply t disrupt re-supply) They must deply in cver f an rchard, cleared wd, crnfield r BUS. They are deplyed in basic imprved psitin. They are placed n the table suppressed and may nt mve (r clse assault) until released. They must take Maneuvre rlls in the nrmal manner but assume a default 50% casualties until incrprated within anther ME. Snipers may be released when within 1 f anther German unit, at the expense f 1 maneuvre actin frm the ther German unit, t reflect taking ver cmmand They are then attached t the relevant ME. They mve / take maneuvre rlls nrmally with that ME and thereafter cunt twards that ME s size and casualties. Maintaining Ammunitin Supply The Canadian frward psitins prved vulnerable t getting cut-ff and running lw n ammunitin. In this scenari, the German player has the pprtunity t interfere with the re-supply f the frward elements. The tw rad junctins that are marked with red circles represent the main pints f cmmunicatin with the rear areas. If, at the end f the Canadian player Clse Cmbat Phase, the German player has trp stands n ne f these rad junctins, then all Canadian ME s drp a discipline rating fr the fllwing turn. If, at the end f the Canadian player Clse Cmbat Phase, the German player has trp stands n bth f these rad junctins, then all Canadian ME s drp tw discipline ratings fr the fllwing turn. If the Canadian player frees up ne, r bth junctins, then the effect is amended apprpriately frm the start f the fllwing player turn (Canadian r German). Defending Bruay III/26 III Batallin f Panzer-Grenadier Regiment 26 was deplying between Bruay & Cristt. Sme elements did becme invlved in the battle fr Putt. During this scenari, the German player has limited use f sme elements f III/26 Batailln arund Bruay. The Canadian player has the ptin f deciding whether r nt t defend Bruay. Bruay is cnsidered defended at the start f the game if there are 6 infantry stands and ne AT gun within 5 f any f the Bruay BUS (nrth and suth f the railway). During the curse f the game, Bruay remains defended if there are at least 4 infantry stands and / r gun stands within 5 f any f the Bruay BUS (gd rder, suppressed r disrdered). Whilst Bruay remains defended, the units frm III/26 Batailln n the German Orbat must remain within the triangle frmed by the west bard edge, the railway line t the cutting bridge, and the paved rad running back suth-west t the bard edge. On any player turn that the German player has any unit n the street sectin in the centre f Bruay, the Canadian player must declare whether Bruay is defended. Once the German player establishes that Bruay is nt defended, the units frm III/26 Batailln may deply and fire withut restrictin fr the rest f the scenari. Hwever, units frm II/26 may nt act as bservers fr indirect fire fr the 251/9 s.. Definitin f Armur Fr Maneuvre Check purpses, a Bren Carrier nly cunts as armur if it has an embarked MG and a Sherman OP tank nly cunts as armur if the FOO is embarked.
German Order f Battle
Recmmended Optinal Rules Grazing fire Sneak maneuvre actin Engineer / imprved psitin rules British artillery replacement f FOO casualties Multi-level BUS Victry Cnditins VP s are awarded fr enemy casualties (rulebk page 12 see belw). Units transferred frm HQ / supprt cmpanies t ther ME s cunt twards casualties with the ME they were attached t. In additin, VP s are als given fr cntrl ver Putt BUS. One VP is awarded fr each f the specified BUS in Putt that are cntrlled by the player at the end f their Clse Cmbat Phase f turns 5,10 and 15. The remnants f infantry regiment 736 d nt cunt as a separate ME in VP calculatins. Victry Pints Table 1VP Each enemy maneuvre element with 25% casualties OR ne kncked ut armured vehicle / gun. 2VP Each enemy maneuvre element with 50% casualties OR tw kncked ut armured vehicle / guns. 3VP Each enemy maneuvre element with 75% casualties r greater OR three kncked ut armured vehicles r guns. 1VP Each additinal kncked ut armured vehicle r gun. Canadian German Majr Victry Retain cntrl f all bjective BUS Gain duble the VP s f the German player Gain cntrl f all bjective BUS Gain duble the VP s f the Canadian player Minr Victry Retain cntrl f 3 bjective BUS Gain mre VP s than the German player Gain cntrl f 3 bjective BUS Gain mre VP s than the Canadian player Selected Bibligraphy & Surces The 12 th SS - The Histry f The 12. SS-Panzerdivisin Hitlerjugend Hubert Meyer Battlezne Nrmandy: Jun Beach Ken Frd Battlezne Nrmandy: Battle fr Caen Simn Trew & Steven Badsey Bld and Hnur: The Histry f the 12th SS Panzerdivisin Hitler Yuth, 1943-45 - Craig Luther Bridgehead Battles 7 June 12 June 1944 (http://inf.wlu.ca/~wwwmsds/bksguidechapter.pdf) Grenadier Kurt Meyer Hlding Jun Mark Zuehlke Maple Leaf Rute: Caen - Terry Cpp and Rbert Vgel The Panzers and the Battle f Nrmandy Gerges Bernage Steel Infern I SS Panzer Crps in Nrmandy Michael Reynlds