Normandy '44 AAR

[CountryBoy]

Turn 73. 08:00 13 June 1944

Visibility is just one hex. Highlighted units are disrupted units.

Situation summary:

So it has been one week since the Allied landings and the German army is hanging in there. A defensive position has been established running roughly straight across the map, from the base of Cherbourg to Caen. The German defences rest on a number of key divisions: 21st Panzer, 12th SS Panzer, Panzer Lehr, 17th SS Pzgr and 2nd Panzer. There are another 5 or 6 infantry divisions in support, but they are really only making up the numbers as they are mostly very low quality and are unable to hold the line for long.

In detail, starting with the area east of Caen as usual. Not much change here, with artillery doing most of the work. I am focused on taking Troarn as it does command a view over of much of the area here. However German infantry here are weak and I'm fortunate the Allies are not pushing harder here.



Further west and looking at Caen itself and the area to its west. This area is defended by 21st Panzer and Panzer Lehr. They are well dug in with multiple lines of defence. The Allies have made only a little effort here and this section of the front has not changed for some time.



Further west again and we are looking at the area south of Bayeux. In the past few turns the Allies have increased activity here, with the US 1st Infantry and UK 50th Infantry starting to push south (highlighted by the yellow circles). You can see quite a few disrupted units on both sides here. That said, the German defensive line is at least three deep, although the terrain is only average in terms of defence. In the bottom right hand of the shot you can see me extending the defensive line so that it is 4 deep. 



Further west again and we are now north of St. Lo. This area is a problem, with the US 2nd Armored and 29th Infantry divisions still pushing hard. I have had to give up considerable ground, evidenced by the empty trenches north of the German lines. As soon as the frontline defenders are disrupted I have no choice but to retreat, trading hexes for lives.

Defending this area is a mish-mash of units, including Panzer Lehr armour and paratroopers.



The next shot is a zoomed out look at Cherbourg, where most the action has been taking place (as in real life). My plan to pull back to the base of the peninsula is working well thus far, with no units having been trapped by the Allies. You can see some units still making their way south, keeping a step or two ahead of Allied paratroopers.

The big problem here, which precipitated the withdrawal from the peninsula, is the push by the US 4th and 9th Infantry divisions, who are driving south and south-west. I'll have to try and collapse the salient while 17th SS Pzgr and 2nd Panzer stop the Allied advance. There is a gap south of St Jean-de-Daye which is defended by inferior German infantry, which is a bit of a concern, but so far the Allied advance has been limited here.



The next screenshot is a very zoomed out look at the entire battlefield. I'm not sure how useful or interesting this is, given the scale, however I have tried to show the general front line and positions of key German units.



A look at the jump map shows a similar situation. You can see the German defensive line taking shape. In parts it is up to 5 or 6 units deep.



And finally, a look at the victory points. German men losses have been mounting in the past few turns due to the now fairly widespread Allied push. German gun losses are high, although many were fixed units left behind in the retreat from Cherbourg.