Background
The Battle for Caen (June to August 1944) is the name for the fighting between the British Second Army and German Panzergruppe West in the Second World War for control of the city of Caen and vicinity, during the Battle of Normandy. The battles followed Operation Neptune, the Allied landings on the French coast on 6 June 1944 (D-Day).
Caen is about 9 mi (14 km) inland from the Calvados coast and is astride the Orne River and Caen Canal at the junction of several roads and railways, which made it an important operational objective for both sides. Caen and the area to the south was flatter and more open than the bocage country in western Normandy and the Allied air force commanders wanted the land captured quickly, to base more aircraft in France.
The British 3rd Infantry Division was to seize Caen on D-Day or to dig in short of the city if the Germans prevented its capture, masking Caen temporarily to maintain the Allied threat against it and thwart the possibility of a German counter-attack from the city. Caen, Bayeux and Carentan were not captured by the Allies on D-Day and for the first week of the invasion the Allies concentrated on linking the beachheads. The British and Canadian forces resumed their attacks in the vicinity of Caen and the suburbs and city centre north of the Orne were captured during Operation Charnwood (8–9 July). The Caen suburbs south of the river were captured by the II Canadian Corps during Operation Atlantic (18–20 July). The Germans had committed most of their panzer divisions in a determined defence of Caen, which made the fighting mutually costly and deprived the Germans of the means greatly to reinforce the west end of the invasion front.
Three infantry divisions and three armoured brigades of I Corps were to attack southwards through Caen to the Orne river and capture bridgeheads in the districts of Caen south of the river. An armoured column was prepared to advance through the city to rush the bridges to exploit the victory and sweep on through southern Caen toward the Verrières and Bourguébus ridges, opening the way for the Second Army to advance toward Falaise. New tactics were tried, including a preparatory bombardment by Allied strategic bombers to assist the Anglo-Canadian advance and to prevent German reinforcements from reaching the battle or retreating. Suppression of the German defences was a secondary consideration; close support aircraft and 656 guns supported the attack.
On the evening of 7 July, bombers dropped over 2,000 short tons (1,800t) of bombs on the city. Cautious planning to avoid attacking their own troops meant the bombs landed more on the city than German defences. The ground attack began at 4:30 a.m. on 8 July supported by a creeping barrage. By evening, the I Corps had reached the outskirts of Caen and the Germans began to withdraw their heavy weapons and the remnants of the 16th Luftwaffe Field Division to the southern side of Caen. The remnants of the 12th SS Panzer Division fought a rearguard action and then retired over the Orne. Mountains of rubble, [approximately] 20 or 30 feet [≈ 6 or 9 metres] high […] the dead lay everywhere.
The 12th SS Panzer Division withdrew during the night and early on 9 July, British and Canadian patrols entered the city and Canadians occupied Carpiquet airfield. By noon, the Allied infantry had reached the north bank of the Orne. Some bridges were left intact but were blocked by rubble and covered by German troops on the south bank poised for a counter-attack. Following the battle “In the houses that were still standing there slowly came life, as the French civilians realized that we had taken the city. They came running out of their houses with glasses and bottles of wine.”
Operation Jupiter, a VIII Corps attack by the 43rd (Wessex) Infantry Division and the 4th Armoured Brigade began on 10 July, to follow up a possible German retreat after Charnwood. The Germans had five infantry battalions, two Tiger detachments, two Sturmgeschütz companies and Nebelwerfer mostly from the 10th SS-Panzer Division, with elements of the 9th SS Panzer Division and the 12th SS-Panzer Division Hitlerjugend in reserve. The attack was intended to capture the villages of Baron-sur-Odon, Fontaine-Étoupefour, Château de Fontaine and recapture the top of Hill 112 by 9:00 a.m.
After the first phase, positions on Hill 112 were to cover an advance on Éterville, Maltot and the ground up to the River Orne. A bombardment of mortars and over 100 field guns was to precede the attack. The attack began after a naval bombardment, air attack and artillery fire but the Tiger tanks of the schwere SS-Panzer Abteilung 102 (Heavy SS Tank Detachment 102) out-ranged British Churchill and Sherman tanks. Neither side could hold Hill 112, the top of which was left as a no-man’s-land. Several villages nearby were taken and the 9th SS Panzer Division was sent from reserve to contain the attack, which achieved the Allied operational objective
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_for_Caen
The Game
This game represented the final day of Operation Charnwood, in which Allied forces captured the northern half of the City of Caen on July 9, 1944. The three Allied players used infantry companies from the 3rd British and 3rd Canadian Divisions, with the latter formation supported by an armored car patrol from the Inns of Court Regiment. The two German players commanded infantry companies from the 16th LW and 12th SS, representing the German rear guard elements holding out in the city.
The 8X5′ table was covered with 32 square feet of urban terrain and ruins, with the Orne River running along the southern edge. Prior to the battle, the city had been heavily bombed and bombarded, with the devastation tapering off near the river. Except for the road and the strip of park land next to the river, all other open ground and all streets on the table were covered with rubble, providing bulletproof cover and being impassible to vehicles.
In the NW corner of the table, in the Canadian set up zone, was an undamaged block of town. This represented the historical no-fire zone around the Abbey des Hommes where many French civilians took shelter. A special rule required all Canadian units deployed in this area to start the game pinned down by the happy throngs of liberated citizens. Once they unpinned, each unit would gain a base of “volunteers” represented by a rifle team. Each volunteer would enable the unit to which it was attached to hit the enemy with a +1 and to range in artillery with a +1. This bonus reflected the citizens pointing out the German positions.
We adapted the Fighting Withdrawal scenario from the FoW rulebook to fit our table and forces. The Germans held two forward objectives, in both of the large, grey, undamaged houses, and one rear objective at the crossroads in front of the bridge. One of the forward objectives would be removed on Turn 6, the other on Turn 8, and the rear objective on Turn 10. To win, the British had to capture both forward objectives or the rear objective before they were removed. The capture of only one forward objective would result in a draw. Starting on Turn 2, the Germans had to withdraw a platoon at the beginning of each turn until they were below six platoons on the table.
The Germans set up first in a defensive perimeter that stretched across their 60-inch wide by 24-inch deep deployment area, placing three minefields in no-man’s land. The SS held the left (western side) and LW held on the right (eastern side). The Allied players could start on the table near their baseline on the northern side of the table, and/or enter from the eastern and western sides of the table on Turn 2 or later, at their choice.
The Allied players deployed with most of the Canadian company in the no-fire zone in the NW corner so as to gain the advantage of the French volunteers, with one infantry platoon and the armored car patrol held off table to enter from the western flank. The Canadian FO was placed in the cupola of the abbey, with a good field of vision over the town. The Canadians would focus their efforts on the SS company holding that side of the city. One British company deployed on the table facing the LW company, and the second British company started off table to outflank the LW from the eastern side. The British FO found a good perch on a tall smokestack. Each FO had a four-gun 25-pounder battery on call for artillery support.
The LW troops quickly found themselves under a lot of pressure from both British companies. Realizing they could not hold this side of the table, the German players decided to sacrifice that forward objective and play for a draw. On Turn 2, the Germans began withdrawing one LW platoon from the table each turn.
Meanwhile, the Canadians made slower going against the SS, not passing any of their movement orders for the entire game. German machine-gun fire, snipers and limited counterattacks also slowed the advancing Canadians. Attrition was high on both sides. Although closely pressed, the SS were able to hold their forward objective until it was removed on Turn 6.
Unfortunately for the Germans, the LW collapse was complete. A British platoon rapidly advanced toward the rear objective along the river road, followed by a second one a turn later. The other British platoons mopped up the LW in the center, captured the forward objective, and pressed toward the final objective. The LW commander and two other remaining teams were left huddled next to the bridge, where they came under fire from Canadian armored cars coming down the river road from the other flank.
The SS tried to redeploy back toward the bridge to contest the rear objective, but it was too little, too late. Under artillery fire and surrounded, the SS formed a kessel and prepared to sell themselves dearly. The end came swiftly when a British platoon charged through the defensive fire and won a prolonged melee, leaving the SS platoon wiped out and only one British survivor still standing, later to be awarded a VC. At the end, only the two SS command teams, a HMG team, and a sniper remained on the table on the German side.
It was a very good game, with a historical Allied victory. The ruined urban terrain provided an interesting and unusual environment. To the merriment of all, at different points of the game, all three Allied players moved their troops through a minefield. Even though the minefield markers were in plain sight on the table, among the clutter of ruined buildings and rubble, the players failed to notice them!
- Tony