0930_02_Overloon "The Unlucky Seventh" - PzC 24 Scheldt '44

Battle of Overloon, 30 September 1944: Sylvester's division had only arrived in Northwest Europe
after the breakout from Normandy. Galloping through France and liberating Dreux, Château-
Thierry, and Verdun against minimal resistance, it seemed as though the men of the 7th Armored
had arrived just in time for the war's end and the division was soon dubbed "the Lucky Seventh."
The 7th's luck ran out on September 7th when its lead elements reached the Moselle and became
entangled in difficult fighting around Metz. Toward the end of the month the division was abruptly
transferred to XIX Corps for operations against the Maas Salient, concentrating north of Overloon
on September 29th. Despite 7th Armored's difficulties at Metz, Sylvester discounted the Germans'
capacity for resistance. Ignoring warnings from the British that the German defenders, belonging to
Kampfgruppe Walther and Panzer-Brigade 107, were entrenched and tenacious, Sylvester
committed his forces to the attack on the afternoon of September 30th without first conducing a
proper reconnaissance. The general's haste and arrogance would prove costly, and 7th Armored
Division's misfortunes would last well into October...
[Size: Small]
Design Note: Though deployed in the UK VIII Corps zone, 7th Armored Division remained under
US XIX Corps command. The absence of XIX Corps HQ is intentional given the exceptional
distance which separated it from 7th Armored. It is suggested that the Allied player refrain from
using corps attachments to attach 7th Armored to the UK VIII Corps.
This scenario should be played with the "Indirect Fire and Airstrikes by the Map" optional rule to
enable certain British artillery units to fire in support of the Americans.