D-Day Assault on Fox Green!

The Fox Green sector beach, prior to the battle...

Every year the SAG runs a game on or near 6 June to commemorate D-Day. This year we combined with one of SAG's sub-clubs, the YHP Bolt Action Club to reenact the Big Red One's assault on the Fox Green sector of Omaha Beach on 6 June 1944.

The game was designed by Wayne, a member of both SAG and YHP-BA, originally intended as part of Your Hobby Place - Fredericksburg's D-Day celebrations, but sadly the pandemic forced a venue change.

Wayne and the players (minus Paul) after the battle.

Instead, we ran it a the clubs normal meeting place.  Wayne and Allen did an outstanding job on the terrain, as usual.  The board was simply gorgeous and as always, Wayne's figures more then lived up to it, as you can see in the pics below. 

The scenario was centered on a draw that provided a natural exit from the beach. It was defending by a  Wiederstandnesten or strongpoint, WN-61 in this case, on one side of the draw. A nice, short history of the Fox Green assault can be found here.

For the game, German forces included several 'Tobruk' style machine gun bunkers, a couple 50mm AT pits and machine gun bunkers, some mortars, a Renault tank turret bunker, and a couple, squads of infantry. The most powerful asset was a PAK88 in a bunker. Myself and my son Ren ran the German defences. The germans also had one barrage of artillery support.

The Americans of the 1st Infantry Division came ashore  for our game, multiple squads of infantry, machine guns, mortars, bazookas, flamethrowers, and engineers in LCVPs and an LCM, there was also a floating Sherman. Allen, Matt, Al, and Eric ran the American assault troops. 

Wayne acted as our (obviously biased in favor of the Americans 😉) gamemaster. 

Looking down on the beach from above the Pak88's bunker.

Inside the Pak88's bunker.

In the first wave of landings, one of Matt's LCVP's hits a mined obstacle,
destroying the landing craft and leaving its troops stunned and scattered.

The German's initial fire is ineffective, allowing the Americans to move up the beach.

The Americans manage to knock out the 50mm gun pit, and
start climbing despite the fire of the Tobruk MG bunkers and
the Renault tank turret bunker,

Eric cackles as his Americans finish off the bunkers defending the Pak88's flank
and he moves up enfilade to assault it.

Across the draw, the German machine gun bunker and howitzer gun pit survive
despite withering fire and constant naval gunfire bombardment.

A squad of German infantry rush to reinforce the MG bunker
and howitzer while a dual- MG42 tries to stop the Americans
advancing up the draw.

Despite cross-fire from two Tobruk MG bunkers, 
American squads advance to their sign post objective.

Behind the Pak88 bunker, German grenadiers and
American riflemen square off.

The Americans take the Pak88 bunker, but in the confusion
a German flame throwing team rushes up to the front of the
bunker and roasts all of those inside.

In the end, the Americans managed to capture 3 of the 5 objectives by turn 9 (two of them in the final turn), earning the victory by the skin of their teeth. 

It was one of the better games Wayne has put on, and that is saying quite a bit!  My only regret is that I didn't take more pictures, for example, Wayne's floating Sherman was gorgeous and Allen used it to good effect, keeping it well out of the Pak88's arc of fire.