GAJO Games

We recently finished the morning of July 26, 1944 turn in our Operation Cobra campaign, and a pivotal battle was fought out around the Norman village of St. Sauveur Lindelin, just southwest of Periers.

The German 91st Luftlande Division, which had been holding Montsurvent along the Atlantic coast, had been cut off by the fast moving American spearheads. The German high command ordered a counterattack and breakout, with the 91st Luftlande attacking east toward St. Sauveur Lindelin, while the German 275th Infantry Division assaulted the town from the east. Success would allow them to cut off the US spearheads to the south, while ensuring the escape of the Luftlande division's troops and equipment from the Montsurvent pocket. The mission we played was outflanked, with Bart running 120 points of Germans, including both a Beach Defense Grenadier Co, with the 275th command card (10.5cm Howitzers) and a Fallschirmjager company, with the Von Der Heydte command card. Gary countered with a strong infantry force drawn from the veteran US 9th Infantry division, and deployed solidly among the hedgerows to cover the objectives.

The fighting was heavy frmom the start, with the German forces pushing aggressively directly on both objectives, and not taking advantage of the spearhead / flank attack possibilities of the mission. Despite taking heavy losses from US fire, Bart pushed everything at the objectives. A series of StuG assaults on Gary's left objective came close to winning, but were turned back. The FJs pushed hard on Gary's right objective, and made it through a hail of defensive fire to assault the large US infantry platoon covering it within the hedgerows.

The Germans got to contesting the objective, and with a final assault could have cleared it from the battered US platoon, but Bart failed two saves on defensive fire and the impossibly brave FJs were wiped out to a man..

This was a tense and very balanced fight, a real nail biter to the end. Although the US Held, the 91st Luftlande was able to withdraw to the south, to regroup back in supply. Much more action to come!