Microsoft Close Combat Reference Manual Download Page 116

Page: 116 / 163

Chapter

Terrain

115

Orchard

Height: Very tall
Concealment: Good
Visual hindrance: Blocks view
Protection from aimed fire: Very good
Protection from HE shells: Very poor

Bocage

Height: Tall
Concealment: Very good
Visual hindrance: Blocks view
Protection from aimed fire: Excellent
Protection from HE shells: Poor

Hedge Fence

Height: Short
Concealment: Good
Visual hindrance: Blocks view
Protection from aimed fire: Poor
Protection from HE shells: Poor

Stone Fence

Height: Short
Concealment: Good
Visual hindrance: Blocks view
Protection from aimed fire: Very good
Protection from HE shells: Poor

Dirt Road

Height: Flat
Concealment: Very poor
Visual hindrance: None
Protection from aimed fire: Very poor
Protection from HE shells: Poor

Paved Road

Height: Flat
Concealment: Very poor
Visual hindrance: None
Protection from aimed fire: None
Protection from HE shells: Poor

Bridge

Height: Flat
Concealment: Very poor
Visual hindrance: Fair
Protection from aimed fire: None
Protection from HE shells: Poor

Summary of Contents for Close Combat

Page 1: ... Turn music on off ALT O M Turn videos on off ALT O V Remove trees CTRL T or ALT O T COMMAND T Remove soldiers KIA CTRL K or ALT O K COMMAND K Pause Close Combat F3 COMMAND P Stop a game CTRL A or ALT G A COMMAND A Exit Close Combat ALT F4 or ALT G X COMMAND Q Get Help F1 COMMAND H Issue a Move command Select a team then press Z Select a team then press Z Issue a Move Fast command Select a team th...

Page 2: ... The campaign ends 20 miles inland at the strategic town of Saint Lô During those six weeks soldiers of the Allied and German armies endure some of the closest and most vicious combat of World War II across one of the most bizarre terrains ever contested in any war the Norman hedgerow country the bocage It s a place where rulebook tactics don t hold up where a defense based on infiltration and amb...

Page 3: ...obots or superheroes but like human beings Your troops human behavior doesn t mean their reactions are out of your hands however The better you lead your men the better they respond to your orders Players who lead their squads into trouble whose decisions result in squads becoming overly fatigued suppressed by incoming fire ambushed captured or killed will find that their units performance deterio...

Page 4: ...se chance to hit depending on the distance to the target and the type of ammuni tion used and hitting a target doesn t guarantee its destruction The game resolves the effect of each hit based on target protection in eight directions on the weapon s penetrating power and on its blast effect and lethal radius Dynamic Play Balancing Means No Two Games Play the Same A major feature in Close Combat is ...

Page 5: ...g troops in Soldiers show no fear mode before starting a game but you can t switch them out of this mode during play and units may follow orders with such enthusiasm that they sustain far more casualties Choosing Soldiers show no fear mode is not only risky but also makes game play less realistic To learn how to play Close Combat turn the page For a detailed history of the Normandy Campaign depict...

Page 6: ...bled To set up Close Combat in Windows 95 1 Insert the Close Combat CD into the CD ROM drive Windows 95 displays the Close Combat AutoRun screen 2 Click the Install button at the bottom of the dialog box After installation is complete the Close Combat AutoRun screen launches each time you insert the game CD To set up Close Combat in Windows 95 if AutoRun is disabled 1 Insert the Close Combat CD in...

Page 7: ...sh System Configuration System Configuration Personal computer with Pentium Macintosh with PowerPC processor processor 8 megabytes RAM 12 megabytes RAM 16 MB recommended 16 MB recommended 20 MB of free hard disk space 20 MB of free hard disk space 2X CD ROM drive 2X CD ROM drive 640x480x256 color video 800x600 13 inch monitor 15 inch or higher resolution recommended or larger monitor recommended S...

Page 8: ...during campaign play the Off The Beach operation is composed of one to three battles The number of battles you fight depends on your success if you don t win a battle you may find yourself fighting for the same terrain again just as the 29th and 352nd Divisions did in the Normandy Campaign Replays Replays are movies of a battle you played and saved You can create Replays at the end of a battle Man...

Page 9: ... level of difficulty you want for the upcoming game Easy Normal Hard or Custom The default setting is Normal 6 Click Begin to load the game The game starts in Deploy mode 7 Examine the game map drag your teams to the positions you want then click Begin again to start game play Once you begin play you issue commands Move Move Fast Fire Smoke Defend or Hide until you win or lose When the game is ove...

Page 10: ...e terrain viewing exercise covers the screen elements in the View Area play area It shows you the landscape and how to move around the map to see the battle Monitors and Toolbars This exercise describes the screen elements surrounding the play area and teaches you how to interpret soldier information You learn about changes displayed in the game monitors and how to use those changes to your benefi...

Page 11: ...e cohesion of your teams at the end of each battle is carried over to the next battle Campaign Play When you start a Campaign the Game screen appears with Close Combat in Deployment mode You can deploy your teams where you want them on your side of the battle line then begin the battle When the battle starts you issue commands until you win lose click End Battle or choose Abort Battle from the Gam...

Page 12: ...g campaign play Campaigns are automatically saved when each battle ends If you exit Close Combat at the end of a battle during campaign play Close Combat displays the next battle when you restart your Campaign If you save a Campaign as a Replay only the battle you were playing is saved for Replay If you save Hedgerows 2 as a Replay you only play Hedgerows 2 when you load the Replay When you finish...

Page 13: ...cribed in the following sections Menu Bar Three items appear on the Close Combat menu bar Game File on the Macintosh Options and Help The menu bar appears on all four Close Combat screens Game Buttons Four game buttons appear on the Command screen the button you select determines what is displayed in the scrollable list The four buttons are Boot Camp button When you click the Boot Camp button the ...

Page 14: ... network or modem Level Of Difficulty Buttons You use the four Level Of Difficulty buttons to determine how hard a game will be to win For a two player game the initiator controls the settings for both players For example if the initiator chooses Easy then the opponent s level of difficulty is Hard conversely if the initiator chooses Hard the opponent s level of difficulty is Easy The initiator ca...

Page 15: ...mbat starts a game based on the selections you ve made Game Screen You use the Game screen to play Close Combat the Game screen appears when you click Begin on the Command screen The Game screen consists of the following View Area Toolbar Command menu Game monitors View Area The View Area is the portion of the Game screen you use to play Close Combat The battle map appears in the View Area the map...

Page 16: ...that the portion of the roof above the craters has been blown away Buildings or locations with flag symbols are Victory Locations As the Americans capturing Victory Locations is your primary goal it s how you win the game As the Germans holding Victory Locations and pushing back the Americans is your primary goal Structures with German flags are American Victory Locations structures with American ...

Page 17: ... priority in the Message monitor Team Monitor The Team monitor lists the teams that compose your fighting force during a battle The Team monitor lists all your teams each team is represented by a panel Each panel consists of fields that list the team name team type team quality current status and the enemy threat indicator For more information on using this monitor during a game see Using the Team...

Page 18: ... Gun Attack Fired at by artillery Ambushed Attacked by unknown enemy while exposed Outnumbered More enemies than friendly teams are seen Tank Attack Fired at by a tank Encircled Fired at from opposite sides Exposed Pinned by fire in poor cover Anti Stress These events help reduce the effect of stress Outnumbering More friendly teams than enemy teams Ambushing Catching an enemy team in the open Coh...

Page 19: ...higher Squad leaders can affect the men on all the teams under their command You can also determine a team leader s rank in the hierarchy by the size of the leadership circle that surrounds each team leader If the circle is thick the team leader is also the company commander A medium sized circle represents a platoon leader If the circle is thin the leader is a squad leader Leadership quality is i...

Page 20: ...med east the direction of the Americans If you issue a Defend command to a team you manually set the arc the team uses to scan for threats A blue circle appears which you use to set the width of the arc the team uses to scan for threats This arc is used to scan the terrain for cover and potential ambush points the scan arc works in the same manner as the scan for threats For example at the start o...

Page 21: ...eases ability to withstand injury and perform tasks without becoming rapidly fatigued Mental Improves reaction time when ambushed ability to repair and unjam weapons and ability to learn quickly from combat experience Leadership Increases team cohesion which reduces the chance that other soldiers in the leaders team will break and run Morale Decreases likelihood of a soldier being panicked or supp...

Page 22: ...he last order you issued or the last order the team has decided to carry out Again the same color coding is used Green indicates the team is following the order you issued and red indicates the team is acting against your order based on local battlefield conditions Team Effectiveness Firepower The small graph indicates the vehicle s weap ons rating in both antipersonnel Anti Pers and antitank Anti...

Page 23: ... list the weapons with which the vehicle is armed Vehicle weapons are color coded green indicates the weapon is operational red indicates it s not operational Each vehicle may have one or more of the following weapons Status field Description Main Gun The vehicle s primary weapon For example on a Tiger tank the main gun is an 88 mm high velocity cannon Bow MG Bow mounted machine gun Coax MG Coaxia...

Page 24: ...er A gray dash or black line shows that the unit is not capable of delivering that type of fire For example if an infantry team has gray lines in the Anti Tank portion of the graph it means the team has no antitank weapons Note that most German infantry teams have antitank capabilities even though the team may not have any antitank weapons listed in the Soldier monitor This reflects the fact that ...

Page 25: ...Watch Soldier is looking for targets Holding Fire Soldier has loaded weapon and sees a target but chooses not to fire Suppressed Soldier is suppressed by enemy fire takes cover but will still fire Pinned Soldier is pinned down by enemy fire hides more than he shoots Cowering Soldier is pinned down but rarely fires and refuses to move Routed Soldier is running away from the battlefield Panicked Sol...

Page 26: ...n an infantry team Soldat German infantryman G I American infantryman Cmdr Commander leader of a vehicle team Driver Driver of a vehicle Gunner Fires vehicle s main weapon Loader Loads vehicle s main weapon The next three components of the panel describe a soldier s physical state Health mental stability Emotional State and level of fatigue Fatigue Level Only one factor determines a soldier s phys...

Page 27: ...ero Heroic yellow text on Soldier fights aggressively and is capable black background of heroic acts Stable black text on Soldier s default setting in full control of green background emotions Panic black text on Soldier is emotionally unstable and must red background be rallied to become effective Routed black text on red Soldier is running away from the background battleground Fatigue Level Show...

Page 28: ...when teams complete moves when teams come under fire and when a tank hits a target For more information on using this monitor during a game see Using the Message Monitor The message text is color coded according to the importance of the message red indicates the most important messages while green indicates the least important You can filter out less important messages if you want You filter messa...

Page 29: ...ements described in the following sections Victory Information This portion of the Debriefing screen displays the side that won and the type of victory decisive major or minor Score Summaries Two score summaries appear on the Debriefing screen one for the American Army and one for the German Army These summaries display the points each side earned based on casualties inflicted and terrain captured...

Page 30: ... com mands which stops the playback and gives you the opportunity to complete the game as if it were a Maneuver For more information see Replays Play Next Battle Button You use the Play Next Battle button only during a Campaign You click this button to start the next battle in the Campaign without displaying the Command screen Debriefing Details Screen To view the Debriefing Details screen click t...

Page 31: ...nd are listed in the rows Columns representing the soldier s health status scoring and performance delineate each row into fields Text characters and numbers symbols and colors are used individually and in combinations to indicate a soldier s health status scoring and performance Rank and Name The first two columns in the Debriefing table are not labeled The first column displays the soldier s ran...

Page 32: ...les The amount depends on how well they perform and how easily they learn mental condition Experi enced soldiers tend to perform better than inexperienced soldiers Color is used to show a soldier s experience Green indicates the highest level of experience elite while black indicates the lowest conscript Because soldiers can only gain experience and not lose it only the up arrow symbol is displaye...

Page 33: ...lative total of medals awarded during a Campaign Distinguished Service Cross American Awarded for bravery The number displayed is the cumulative total of medals awarded during a Campaign Silver Star American Awarded for bravery The number displayed is the cumulative total of medals awarded during a Campaign Bronze Star American Awarded for bravery The number displayed is the cumulative total of me...

Page 34: ...e Maneuver you want to play by clicking it in the scrollable list The Maneuver is selected and Play the Operation Maneuver Battle as American or German on Difficulty appears in the status bar 3 Select the side you want to play by clicking the American or German button 4 Select the number of players by clicking the one or two player button For information about how to set up a two player game see P...

Page 35: ... Average displayed in the text box and list box 2 Click the up or down button next to the strength list to display the strength you want 3 Point at the strength you want The strength you want is selected 4 Click the text box or press Enter The selected strength appears in the text box German Strength You use this list box to select the strength of German forces the available l evels of strength ar...

Page 36: ...earless regardless of battlefield conditions To make American units are fearless Click the check box When a check mark appears in the check box this option is enabled German Units Always Obey Orders You use this check box to make German units always obey your commands regardless of battlefield conditions To make German units always obey orders Click the check box When a check mark appears in the c...

Page 37: ...en is displayed To start a new Campaign 1 On the Command screen click the Campaign button Any saved Campaigns appear in the scrollable list with New Campaign at the top of the list 2 Select the side number of players and level of difficulty 3 In the scrollable list double click New Campaign The New Campaign Game popup appears 4 Type your commander s name then press TAB You can use up to 11 alphanu...

Page 38: ... want to play The unfinished Campaign is loaded and the Game Play screen appears with Close Combat in Deployment mode You have the opportunity to move your teams before you start playing 3 Click Begin The Campaign resumes and you can begin issuing commands Starting Replays When you start a Replay you can choose to end playback and take command of the game at any time by issuing a command To start ...

Page 39: ...om Omaha Beach to Saint Lô If you play as the Americans and complete all six operations in 43 days or less you win the Campaign If you play as the Ameri cans and complete all six operations in more than 43 days the Germans win Scoring Close Combat scores games based on casualties inflicted incurred and Victory Locations captured held Casualties and Victory Locations captured are scored as shown in...

Page 40: ...ctory Location depends on the strategic value of the location Locations with nominal strategic value are worth 1 to 19 points locations with moderate strategic value are worth 20 to 39 points and locations with vital strategic value are worth 40 to 100 points The strategic value of any Victory Location is indicated by the size of type that marks it the larger the type the higher the strategic valu...

Page 41: ... enemy and return fire effectively Whether the team completes a Move or Move Fast command satisfacto rily depends on several factors including how far the team must move available cover team leadership and enemy fire For a more detailed description of the factors affecting team moves see Chapter 3 Tactics To issue a Move command 1 Point at the team you want to move or click the team to select it W...

Page 42: ...stination you want 5 Click to place a destination marker When a team completes a successful Move Fast command the Message Monitor displays the message Redeploying Successful and the destination marker disappears Issuing Fire and Smoke Commands To shoot at a specific enemy unit or at a suspected enemy location you issue the Fire command To place smoke screens that conceal your forces movements from...

Page 43: ... command The effectiveness of your proposed fire is denoted by the color of the target marker As you drag toward the target it changes from red to green to black like the weapons graph in the Soldier monitor To issue a Smoke command 1 Point at the team you want to order to fire smoke shells or throw smoke grenades or click the team to select it When you select a team the View Area displays blue bo...

Page 44: ...am to defend its present position When you issue a Defend command you manually set the team s scan arc to specify the direction in which you want the team to watch for the enemy For American teams if enemy soldiers move into the team s defensive scan arc and are visible the defending team automati cally opens fire For German teams if enemy soldiers move into the team s defen sive scan arc and are ...

Page 45: ... arc Moving the cursor around the circle aims the scan arc in the direction you want 5 Click to set the scan arc and place a defense marker Issuing a Hide Command You issue a Hide command when you want a team to take cover in a safe position and keep their heads down When you issue a Hide command the View Area displays a hide marker on the team indicating that it s looking for the best nearby hidi...

Page 46: ... click this button the view zooms in one level Zoom Out reduces the size of the map so you can see more of it in the view area There are three zoom levels the closest view almost directly overhead the normal view a bird s eye view and the farthest view that you might see from a plane Each time you click this button the view zooms out one level Begin starts the battle with the troops in position as...

Page 47: ...all friendly troops to defend when enemy units are sighted This order causes your teams not only to defend themselves but to take advantage of ambush opportunities as well Clicking the Pull Back button issues a blanket order to all friendly troops to retreat or fall back Forces receiving this order return to previously occupied areas looking for adequate cover and protection Clicking the End Battl...

Page 48: ...move the mouse pointer You can also scroll the View Area by using the arrow keys the numeric keypad or the number keys 1 through 9 You can use the arrow keys to scroll the View Area pressing the LEFT ARROW key scrolls the View Area to the left You can use the numeric keypad to scroll the View Area For example pressing the 4 key on the keypad scrolls the View Area to the left pressing the 7 key on ...

Page 49: ...pears only when you select a team in either the Team or View Area To select a soldier click the appropriate panel in the Soldier monitor When you select a soldier a yellow box surrounds the soldier s name in both the Soldier and View Area If you select an enemy team its members appear in the Soldier monitor However question marks may appear in some portions of the panel if you don t have complete ...

Page 50: ...in the View Area Using the Overview monitor is often a faster way to move around the View Area than scrolling To use the Overview monitor 1 Move the mouse pointer to the Overview monitor The mouse pointer changes to a magnifying glass 2 Move the magnifying glass to the part of the map you want displayed in the View Area and click The View Area displays the part of the map you want Pausing a Game T...

Page 51: ...s describe each method for ending a game Ending a Game You use the End Battle button to end any game without exiting Close Combat However ending a battle is the equivalent of withdrawing from the battlefield the side choosing to end any battle automatically suffers a minor defeat or worse To end a game 1 On the Toolbar click End Battle A popup appears asking if you re sure you want to forfeit the ...

Page 52: ... 2 In the popup click Exit The popup and the Game screen disappear and Close Combat exits or Press ALT F4 To exit Close Combat from the Macintosh 1 From the File menu choose Quit A popup appears asking you if you re sure you want to quit Close Combat 2 In the popup click Quit The popup and the Game screen disappear and Close Combat quits Saving Games You can save any Close Combat battle as a Repla...

Page 53: ...o the Replay Replay names and Campaign names are governed by the same rules You are limited to 31 alphanumeric characters 3 Click OK The dialog box disappears the Debriefing screen is still displayed You can continue playing or exit Close Combat When you display the Command screen your Replay is added to the scrollable list of Replays Remember when you save a Campaign battle as a Replay only the j...

Page 54: ... on off 1 Using the mouse choose Music from the Options menu 2 To turn music back on repeat the process or 1 Using the keyboard press ALT O M Windows 95 2 To turn music back on repeat the process Turning Videos On Off You can turn videos Introduction Force Deployment What Really Happened and Game End on or off To turn videos on off 1 Using the mouse choose Videos from the Options menu 2 To turn vi...

Page 55: ...OMMAND T Removing Displaying Soldiers Killed In Action You can remove soldiers killed in action at any time during a game To remove soldiers killed in action from the map Click Remove KIA Soldiers on the Options menu To again display the soldiers killed in action repeat the process or In Windows 95 press ALT O K or press CTRL K On the Macintosh press COMMAND K Minimizing Close Combat You can minim...

Page 56: ... the Help File From the Help menu choose Help Contents or press F1 Click the Help Contents tab to browse through topics by category To view the index of Help topics click the Index tab then scroll through the list or type the word you re looking for and press ENTER Getting Context Sensitive Help While you re playing you may want information about Close Combat screen features including game control...

Page 57: ...56 Close Combat ...

Page 58: ...r team around the enemy s flank When your flanking team reaches its position it can enfilade the enemy s position Shoot It Out The second basic tactic is to just shoot it out with the enemy You should use this tactic when you can bring superior forces and firepower against the enemy all other things being equal the side with superiority in numbers and firepower will eventually prevail Frontal Assa...

Page 59: ...onitoring the Game in Chapter 2 Setup and Game Play Don t order your infantry teams to move through open terrain within the enemy s line of sight unless you provide suppression fire Don t order an assault against an enemy position unless you have numerical or firepower superiority You should not order a team of five soldiers with rifles to assault a position held by 10 enemy soldiers with a machin...

Page 60: ...ect your teams Teams that move long distances are more susceptible to ambush the enemy may react to a long move by assault ing the moving team s flank Ambushes and flanking fire reduce effectiveness and morale Orders to move a long distance also increase fatigue which in turn reduces the team s effectiveness Don t order a team to move or fire if their condition is not conducive to the order For ex...

Page 61: ...le Each gun on the vehicle is rated for what angle the gun can fire at 360 degrees 180 degrees 90 degrees and so on Fire outside of that arc will cause the soldier firing that gun to rotate the hull or turret as necessary in order to fire Exposed Each gun is denoted as to whether or not the soldier must be exposed in order to fire that particular weapon Being exposed makes the soldier much more vu...

Page 62: ...erman commander you should try to conserve your resources this is especially true when playing a Campaign because the Americans will receive far more reinforcements than you again reflecting the history of the Normandy Campaign Halftracks armored cars and other vehicles are fast but vulnerable Use them for rapid maneuvers where tanks and antitank weapons are not likely to be deployed For example y...

Page 63: ...e not firing Quality Likelihood of the weapon jamming or malfunctioning Chances are increased as heat builds up Bayoneted Whether or not the weapon has a bayonet Assault fire Whether or not the weapon can be used on the run Back blast Whether or not the weapon causes a back blast Blast size This is rated by ammo type and determines how big a crater the shot makes Ammo types are AP HE Special Smoke...

Page 64: ...he tank to be disabled Remember Close Combat reflects the reality of the Normandy Campaign you ll need either numerical superiority or superior firepower to engage German tanks Don t order your machine gun teams to fire at a fixed target too long when you want suppression fire You should switch the target at least once to maximize the effect of the suppression fire If cover for both sides is equal...

Page 65: ...efend order with a very narrow scan arc in the direction you want the team to cover This causes the team to reevaluate their cover based on the new scan arc and position themselves better Rallying troops doesn t happen immediately Any leader can help to rally a soldier the chance of doing so is based on the leader s proximity and leadership ability A soldier can also rally himself given enough tim...

Page 66: ...units who have put up fierce opposition to the invading forces first on the beaches then inland through coastal villages then at the river Aure and finally in the hedgerows marshes hills and draws After six weeks 20 miles and 200 000 casualties the two armies face off in the bombed out rubble of Saint Lô An American victory here will allow the First Army to launch a drive across France and into Ge...

Page 67: ...n the U S and the U S S R and determine that the bulk of the U S Army will fight Germany and Italy while the task of combating Japan will be the primary responsibility of the U S Navy In early 1942 Wedemeyer s Victory Program finds a strong supporter in General Dwight D Eisenhower who submits a revised version to Chief of Staff General George C Marshall on March 25 That same day Marshall presents ...

Page 68: ...ados coast in Normandy roughly between the town of Cabourg and the Cotentin Peninsula in northwest ern France Although this stretch of coastline is a greater distance from England than the Pas de Calais and the Cotentin Peninsula it is less fortified and has fewer natural obstacles and better beaches for landing craft than either of those locations The Normandy beaches are also within range of All...

Page 69: ...g with his belief that the only way to repulse Fooling the Germans with Fortitude While Rommel speeded his preparations German forces in France increased to 55 divisions many of them far from Normandy In particular the German Fifteenth Army remained in the Pas de Calais to repel an invasion force that would never strike there This was partially due to a brilliant Allied deception called Operation ...

Page 70: ...ds in western France Despite these numerous difficulties six infantry divisions of the German Seventh Army commanded by Colonel General Friedrich Dollmann and covering Normandy and Brittany are available to oppose the Allied invasion A single Panzer division is in reserve near Caen with three more held inland and effectively out of Rommel s reach by the German High Command These divisions can be r...

Page 71: ...major port for bringing in additional supplies Because Hitler is asleep during the morning of the invasion and has given orders not to be awakened he does not release the German Panzer reserves until the afternoon By then it is too late to stem the invasion German resistance on the four landing beaches is relatively light and although the Allied troops do not push as far inland as they had planned...

Page 72: ...w seasick soldiers disembark they are blasted by well aimed German gunfire By 0915 as U S casualties mount General Bradley fears he will have to call off the Omaha landing as his forces are pinned down on the beach huddled behind a seawall for survival Slowly inexplicably the tide of battle turns as scattered groups of U S soldiers press forward prompted by their own bravery by the desire simply t...

Page 73: ...he beach became strewn with dead wounded and shelter seeking soldiers They reached the low stone wall but the safety offered there was temporary Our mortar crews had waited for this moment and began to lay deadly fire on preset coordinates along the sea wall Mortar rounds with impact fuses exploded on target The shell splinters wall fragments and stones inflicted severe casualties The waves of att...

Page 74: ...have counted on to keep the U S forces from advancing far inland The 175th Division s victory thwarts Rommel s plan to stop the invasion on the beaches Three days later Omaha and Utah beaches are linked together After capturing Isigny American units cross the river Aure at various points along the line many of them slogging across areas previously Allied supplies pour inland from the Normandy beac...

Page 75: ...American sector The initial Allied assaults are also aided by the belief of many German commanders including Hitler that the Normandy invasion is a diversion The main invasion they insist is still to come at the Pas de Calais Because of this German Fifteenth Army troops that could fight in Normandy remain stuck in Calais defending against a landing that never comes Reinforcements for those German ...

Page 76: ...ugh patchwork terrain connected by a network of dirt roads sunken far below field level by centuries of use The towering hedges shade these roads further decreasing visibility Every field a fort is a phrase that recurs throughout the literature of the Normandy Campaign It sounds like poetic exaggeration but it s true Allied troops advancing into a hedgerow enclosure are walking into an area soon t...

Page 77: ...ly vulnerable in the bocage until the Allies develop tactics to enhance mobility and improve tank infantry cooperation First Encounters in the Bocage To reach Saint Lô the Americans have to traverse 20 miles of what Bradley calls the damnedest country I ve seen Upon encountering the bocage Allied infantry tend to stick to tactics learned in training advancing two companies forward into a hedgerow ...

Page 78: ...f less than 300 yards Worst of all after penetrating one hedgerow the U S troops are faced with the task of taking another then another then another After two weeks of heavy casualties the 29th grinds to a halt exhausted Clearly they need to devise new tactics to keep the hedgerow battle from degenerating into a bloody stalemate The hedgerows aren t the only natural phenomenon that hinders the All...

Page 79: ...ankment then back away the pipes leave two deep holes for explosive charges Packing the explosives into empty artillery shell cases before placing them in the holes focuses the explosions even more effectively However blowing holes in the hedgerows involves one big drawback The explosions announce to the Germans when and where an attack is beginning and provide a handy aiming point for all types o...

Page 80: ...m the hedgerows on either side and throwing grenades over the hedgerow to disrupt defenders on the other side When the infantry has advanced far enough to block the tank s field of fire the tank backs away and the engineers place and detonate explosives in the holes the pipes leave in the embankment The tank then rolls through the resulting hole provid ing close support for the infantry while the ...

Page 81: ...rance propels them through the bocage toward Saint Lô Going for the High Ground Hill 192 and Purple Heart Draw While the 29th battles its way through the bocage VII Corps is slowly advancing up the Cotentin Peninsula toward the heavily defended port of Cherbourg Contradictory orders from the confused German chain of command make it unclear whether the defenders on the Cotentin are to head north to...

Page 82: ...hey could see everything from the coast to Saint Lô including the attacking Americans Instead of forming a defensive line the Germans had built a series of strongpoints that could support the gaps between them with covering fire All The Germans adjusted much better to new conditions than we did British intelligence officer Brigadier Bill Williams V i r e R i v e r Balleroy SaintÐL Hill 192 Purple ...

Page 83: ...vily fortified by the Germans Supported by four tanks that are stopped at the edge of the draw one platoon attempts to cross it German mortar and artillery hold their fire until the Americans have reached the bottom of the draw then open up nearly wiping out the platoon Another platoon attempts to outflank the defenses in the draw and the U S tanks turn their attention to German defenders inside s...

Page 84: ... ridges and valleys west of Saint Lô opposed by German Panzers For the 29th Division progress along the eastern ridges is slow Many airstrikes must be canceled due to bad weather and although the advancing U S troops are aided by artillery they are slowed by German Hill 192 The main assault on Hill 192 falls to the First and Second Battalions 38th Infantry Regiment Following 100 meters behind a ro...

Page 85: ...t Lô leaving a few pockets of determined resistance in and near the town itself On the morning of July 18 a task force of the 29th Division is assembled under Brigadier General Norman Cota to move into Saint Lô which is in ruins after an intense U S aerial bombardment Despite resistance by the Second Paratroop Corps no reserves remain to support the defending Germans and the U S task force quickly...

Page 86: ...e For days the Americans pound Saint Lô and the surrounding area with air strikes and up to 14 000 artillery rounds a day On July 18 General Cota assembles Task Force C a force consisting of reconnaissance tank tank destroyer and engi neer units to race down the Saint Lô Isigny road and capture Saint Lô The task force rolls at 1500 hours with infantry units joining along the way By 1900 hours afte...

Page 87: ...edly find themselves outflanked or bypassed Since a significant portion of the German forces are still engaged against the British and Canadians to the east there are no reserve troops or Panzers to fill in any holes in the front line near Saint Lô The Americans soon begin to make rapid progress pushing 56 kilometers east toward Brittany and capturing the coastal town of Avranches on July 31 By th...

Page 88: ... Canadian armies converge from the north south and west virtually all the German troops in Normandy are trapped between them in the ever shrinking Falaise pocket a 24 kilometer wide salient along the river Orne The only hope of escape for the remnants of the fifty divisions of the Seventh Army is to retreat to the east As the Allied armies move in the retreat becomes a rout and within five days th...

Page 89: ... battles ever fought With these momentous events the first phase of the invasion is over and the race to the Rhine is on Cherbourg Falaise Lisieux Argentan Seine River D iv e s R iv e r Orne River V ir e R iv er The Falaise Pocket August 13Ð20 1944 Caen German 5th Panzer Army Panzer Group Eberbach British 21st Army Group Montgomery U S 12th Army Group Bradley ...

Page 90: ...he feeling of security the weighty 45 provided It remained the standard U S sidearm until 1984 Colt 45 model 1911 Walther P 38 Operation Semiautomatic Caliber 9 mm Parabellum 354 in Muzzle velocity 350 mps 1 149 fps Capacity 8 round magazine Weight 0 96 kg 2 lbs Overall length 21 3 cm 8 25 in Effective range 30 m 32 yds The Walther P 38 semiautomatic pistol which eventually replaced the Luger P 08...

Page 91: ... 5 round internal magazine Weight 4 2 kg 9 38 lbs M1903A4 sniper model with scope Overall length 110 5 cm 43 5 in Range 550 m 600 yds Officially designated U S Rifle Caliber 30 Model of 1903 it was better known as the Springfield the Springfield 03 or simply the 03 This bolt action rifle was adopted by the U S Army in 1903 and remained the standard issue rifle of America s armed forces until 1936 ...

Page 92: ...r bolt action rifles Its only weakness was that partially fired clips were so difficult to reload that GIs tended to simply fire off the remaining rounds and insert a new clip Gewehr 43 Semiautomatic Rifle Operation Semiautomatic Caliber 7 92 mm 31 in Muzzle velocity 745 mps 2 445 fps Capacity two 5 round magazines Weight 4 55 kg 10 lbs Overall length 114 3 cm 45 in Effective range 550 m 600 yds T...

Page 93: ...e small arm for mortar machine gun and bazooka teams The M1A1 variant with its folding stock was specifically designed for paratroops Operation M1918A1 selective fire fully and semiautomatic M1918A2 fully automatic Caliber 30 7 62 mm Muzzle velocity 853 4 mps 2 800 fps Capacity 20 round detachable box magazine Weight 8 33 kg 18 5 lbs Overall length 119 4 cm 47 in Rate of fire 550 rounds per minute...

Page 94: ...d 20 000 Thompson submachine guns in 1941 the Army ordered an additional 319 000 One of the main assets of the Thompson submachine gun was reliability it performed better than most submachine guns when exposed to dirt mud and rain The main complaints against the Thompson were its weight over ten pounds its inaccuracy at ranges over 50 yards and its lack of penetrating power a common complaint with...

Page 95: ...y one of the workhorse weapons of the American infantry MG 42 Machine Gun Operation Fully automatic Caliber 7 92 mm 31 in Muzzle velocity 755 mps 2 478 fps Capacity 50 round belt Weight 11 5 kg 25 3 lbs Overall length 121 9 cm 48 in Rate of fire 1 200 rounds per minute Range 1 000 m 1 100 yds The MG 42 was one of the best light machine guns ever made variants of this weapon are still in widespread...

Page 96: ...ntitank rifles used in World War I Early tanks had thin armor that was easily pierced by such rounds The U S Ordnance Department turned to John Browning to design a machine gun that would use a high velocity 50 caliber cartridge and Browning delivered a prototype gun the day after the Armistice was signed While the vast majority of U S 50 caliber machine guns both air and water cooled were used in...

Page 97: ... charge As in all small arms cartridges and unlike the electri cally fired Bazooka and Panzerschreck launchers the charge in the tube was ignited by percussion firing a 44 mm hollow charge antitank grenade from the tube When the grenade left the tube spring steel fins deployed to stabilize its flight Early models were effective only at close range about 30 meters Later models improved the range fi...

Page 98: ... in 60 mm Muzzle velocity 84 mps 275 fps Weight 8 1 kg 18 lbs Overall length 154 9 cm 61 in Range 455 m 500 yds In response to the need for an infantry antitank weapon Leslie A Skinner and Edward G Uhl of the Ordnance Department developed the bazooka a metal tube that used an electrical firing mechanism by early 1942 Until then American infantry had lacked an antitank rocket capable of stopping a ...

Page 99: ...charge container for the original metal head The smaller lighter and less powerful egg grenade encased a TNT charge in a thin sheet metal container The grenade was armed by unscrewing a metal cap on the top and pulling the exposed ring of the friction igniter As with the stick grenade the TNT charge exploded after a four to five second delay American Hand Grenades Mark II Fragmentation Grenade Gre...

Page 100: ...n Army The largest mortars that saw extensive use in combat were 120 mm mortars usually mounted on wheels used by both the Germans and Russians The smallest mortar used by American troops was the 60 mm mortar Like most mortars it consisted of a smooth bore barrel or tube base plate and bipod Designated Mortar 60mm M2 and Mount M2 the 60 mm mortar was almost identical in design construction and ope...

Page 101: ... mm 3 18 in Muzzle velocity 213 mps 700 fps Weight 61 2 kg 136 lbs Overall length 115 6 cm 45 5 in Rate of fire 18 rounds per minute normal 35 rounds per minute maximum Range 2 994 m 3 290 yds The 81 mm mortar used by the Americans had its roots in the mortar invented by Sir Frederick Wilfrid Scott Stokes known as the British Stokes mortar This earlier mortar consisted of a smoothbore tube with a ...

Page 102: ...s often mounted on the M3 Halftrack and T49 GMC Gun Motor Carriage to provide improved mobility Caliber 50 mm 1 97 in Muzzle velocity 550 to 1 200 mps 1 800 to 3 940 fps Weight 916 kg 2 016 lbs Barrel length 3 17 m 10 ft 4 96 in Armor penetration 159 mm 6 25 in at 100 m 110 yds The German 50 mm Pak 38 antitank gun introduced in 1941 replaced the earlier 37 mm gun in an effort to keep pace with the...

Page 103: ...of the M5 and rebarreled many of them as 105 mm Howitzers 75 mm Antitank Gun Pak 40 Caliber 75 mm 2 95 in Muzzle velocity 450 to 990 mps 1 476 to 3 250 fps Weight 1 425 kg 3 136 lbs Barrel length 3 45 meters 11 ft 4 in Armor penetration 174 mm 6 88 in at 100 m 110 yds The German 75 mm Pak 40 antitank gun introduced in 1942 was one of several larger bore antitank guns introduced that year to deal m...

Page 104: ...zle velocity up to 1 130 mps 3 705 fps Weight 3 636 kg 8 000 lbs Barrel length 6 58 meters 21 ft 7 25 in Armor penetration 206 mm 8 1 in at 100 m 110 yds The most famous and the most feared antitank weapon of the war was the German 88 mm gun Introduced in 1934 as a mobile antiaircraft gun in models designated Flak 18 36 and 37 its effective ness against ground targets was soon recognized In the co...

Page 105: ... a mounting ring in place of the standard M5 turret Both of these soldiered on until the end of the war Weight 19 800 kg 43 659 lbs Maximum speed 40 km h 25 mph Main gun 50 mm 1 97 in L 60 Armor 12 to 50 mm 0 31 to 3 15 in The German Panzer III medium tank manufactured from 1936 to 1943 was the primary German tank at the beginning of the war Main armament in early models was a 37 mm gun to meet th...

Page 106: ...h Main gun 75 mm 2 95 in Armor 25 to 51 mm 0 98 to 2 in The American M4 medium tank nicknamed the Sherman was the primary tank of the Allied armies between 1941 and 1946 over 40 000 were built Although more reliable than most German tanks the Sherman was handicapped by its high profile thin armor and inadequate main gun M4A1 Shermans were routinely knocked out and set ablaze by hand held antitank ...

Page 107: ...constricted hedgerow country of Normandy the Panther could not take full advantage of its superiority Panther variants included the formidable Jagdpanther Hunting Panther tank destroyer which carried an 88 mm gun Weight 32 285 kg 71 027 lbs Maximum speed 47 km h 28 7 mph Main gun 76 2 mm 3 in or 105 mm 4 13 in Armor 38 to 63 5 mm 1 5 to 2 5 in The American M4A3 Sherman medium tank was a better arm...

Page 108: ...a wider field of fire Other StuG variants mounted larger guns including the 150 mm howitzer as main armament Tiger I Heavy Tank Weight 57 000 kg 125 685 lbs Maximum speed 37 km h 23 mph Main gun 88 mm 3 46 in L 56 Armor 25 to 100 mm 0 98 to 3 94 in Introduced in 1942 the Tiger I heavy tank was larger heavier better armed and better armored than any previous German tank For most of the war it was m...

Page 109: ... 1942 and December 1943 7 000 M10s were built they figured prominently in the fighting in Normandy where their mobility and firepower were put to the test Weight 9 700 kg 21 340 lbs Maximum speed 42 km h 26 mph Main gun 76 2 mm Pak 36 Armor 10 to 50 mm 0 4 to 1 97 in The Marder III was one of several German self propelled artillery designs based on the Czech LT 38 light tank chassis Its 76 2 mm Pa...

Page 110: ...e Some tank battalions used Jagdpanthers instead of tanks but as with most self propelled artillery the limited traverse of the main gun proved to be a liability Weight 28 120 kg 62 004 lbs Maximum speed 48 km h 29 8 mph Main gun 90 mm 3 54 in Armor 12 to 50 mm 0 47 to 1 97 in The Gun Motor Carriage M36 tank destroyer was the most powerful American antitank weapon of World War II Its modified 90 m...

Page 111: ... based on the SdKfz 11 three ton prime mover chassis M3A1 Halftrack Weight 6 660 kg 14 800 lbs Maximum speed 74 kph 45 mph Armament Various Armor 6 mm 24 in The American military used a variety of halftracks during World War II these half tank half truck vehicles were used both as infantry carriers and weapons carriers because halftracks could traverse terrain that trucks could not and they enable...

Page 112: ...nd one 7 92 mm MG 34 machine gun Armor 8 to 18 mm 0 3 to 0 7 in The SdKfz 231 heavy eight wheeled armored car was manufactured from 1937 to 1942 It mounted one heavy machine gun and one light machine gun in a rotating turret and carried a four man crew Variants and successors included radio communica tions antitank and assault vehicles ...

Page 113: ...agen sport utility model called The Thing Weight 1 090 kg 2 400 lbs Maximum speed 105 km h 65 mph Engine 2 200 cc 134 2 cu in 72 hp 4 cyl First produced for the American armed forces in 1940 the Jeep probably derived its name from the designation GP for General Purpose vehicle Small and nimble but stoutly constructed and relatively powerful this four wheel drive open vehicle served with American B...

Page 114: ...y poor Visual hindrance Very poor Protection from aimed fire Very poor Protection from HE shells Poor Grass Height Flat Concealment Poor Visual hindrance Very poor Protection from aimed fire Very poor Protection from HE shells Poor Tall Grass Height Short Concealment Fair Visual hindrance Fair Protection from aimed fire Very poor Protection from HE shells Poor Wheat Height Short Concealment Fair V...

Page 115: ...air Visual hindrance Very poor Protection from aimed fire Good Protection from HE shells Very good Woods Height Very tall Concealment Fair Visual hindrance Very good Protection from aimed fire Poor Protection from HE shells Very poor Brush Height Short Concealment Fair Visual hindrance Very good Protection from aimed fire Poor Protection from HE shells Poor Civilian Terrain Civilian terrain elemen...

Page 116: ...ion from aimed fire Poor Protection from HE shells Poor Stone Fence Height Short Concealment Good Visual hindrance Blocks view Protection from aimed fire Very good Protection from HE shells Poor Dirt Road Height Flat Concealment Very poor Visual hindrance None Protection from aimed fire Very poor Protection from HE shells Poor Paved Road Height Flat Concealment Very poor Visual hindrance None Prot...

Page 117: ...ual hindrance Very poor Protection from aimed fire Very good Protection from HE shells Very good Foxhole Height Flat Concealment Good Visual hindrance Very poor Protection from aimed fire Very good Protection from HE shells Very good Fortified Height Flat Foxhole Concealment Very good Visual hindrance Very poor Protection from aimed fire Excellent Protection from HE shells Very good Bocage Height ...

Page 118: ... Fair Protection from HE shells Poor Stone Barrier Height Short Concealment Good Visual hindrance Blocks view Protection from aimed fire Very good Protection from HE shells Poor Stone Rubble Height Medium Concealment Very good Visual hindrance Blocks view Protection from aimed fire Very good Protection from HE shells Fair Metal Barrier Height Short Concealment Good Visual hindrance Blocks view Pro...

Page 119: ...t Tall Concealment Very good Visual hindrance Blocks view Protection from aimed fire Fair Protection from HE shells Poor Door Height Tall Concealment Very good Visual hindrance Blocks view Protection from aimed fire Fair Protection from HE shells Poor Fortified Door Height Tall Concealment Very good Visual hindrance Blocks view Protection from aimed fire Good Protection from HE shells Poor Window ...

Page 120: ...ells Fair Door Height Tall Concealment Very good Visual hindrance Blocks view Protection from aimed fire Very good Protection from HE shells Poor Fortified Door Height Tall Concealment Very good Visual hindrance Blocks view Protection from aimed fire Excellent Protection from HE shells Poor Window Height Tall Concealment Very good Visual hindrance Blocks view Protection from aimed fire Very good P...

Page 121: ...or defensive purposes Interior Floor Height Flat Concealment Fair Visual hindrance Fair Protection from aimed fire Poor Protection from HE shells Poor Wall Height Tall Concealment Excellent Visual hindrance Blocks view Protection from aimed fire Excellent Protection from HE shells Poor ...

Page 122: ...is power In August 1934 he proclaims himself Führer leader and forces Germany s military to proclaim personal loyalty to him In March 1936 German troops occupy the Rhineland a direct violation of the Versailles Treaty The German High Command opposes the occupation but Hitler envisions a passive Allied response when there is no military action by the British or French Hitler is proven right The Füh...

Page 123: ...tion of armor air power and mobile infantry By September 8 the German Tenth Army is fighting in the suburbs of Warsaw The Poles refuse a demand for their surrender on September 16 The next day Soviet forces attack from the east knifing through Polish units pared of troops to fight the Germans By October 3 Polish resistance is crushed About 900 000 Polish soldiers are taken prisoner the number kill...

Page 124: ...he field compared to the Red Army s 1 200 000 yet the Finns kill 48 000 and wound 158 000 Soviet soldiers Because the Soviets have performed dismally given the disparity of resources Allied and Axis observers see the Red Army as ineffective Hitler decides Germany can defeat the Soviets the Allies see no point in sending supplies to an army that will surely be beaten Events will prove both sides wr...

Page 125: ... Brussels the next day Antwerp Three days later Guderian s Panzers reach the coast The Germans have mowed a swath 20 miles wide from the Ardennes to the Atlantic The French and British try to slice through the swath before it can be strengthened and widened Rommel s division is attacked by British Matilda heavy tanks near Arras These tanks make good progress because they can with stand most of the...

Page 126: ... Churchill s expectations the troops arriving in England have lost virtually all their heavy equipment and weapons On June 5 the German attack on the Somme River Line begins The French have reorganized their forces but there is little they can do to stop the Germans On June 6 the line is breached between Amiens and the coast Eight days later Paris falls German troops marching through the Arch de T...

Page 127: ...need a force several orders of magnitude larger than those that blitzed in France to defeat Germany The Battle of Britain England s victory in the Battle of Britain is one of the turning points of World War II and an important factor in the ultimate success of Operation Overlord The Allies first victory boosts morale immeasurably and lays the foundation for the Allied air superiority that will pla...

Page 128: ...and July 24 the Luftwaffe s effort is aimed at shipping in the Channel Both sides suffer losses 48 RAF and 93 Luftwaffe planes are blown from the sky The Germans do not aggressively push their numerical superiority which gives the British vital time to build up their forces From mid July through the early days of August the Germans lose more planes than the British but because the Luftwaffe has nu...

Page 129: ...o go will be made on September 10 The British lose 120 planes in the first week of September and the Germans lose 148 It appears that the Germans are still winning the battle of attrition but the British keep sending fighters up to meet the Luftwaffe it is clear the British are not yet beaten Between September 7 and 15 the Germans launch several major bombing raids against targets in Great Britain...

Page 130: ...ampaign Starting in early 1941 Axis and Allied forces surge back and forth across Egypt Libya Morocco Algeria and Tunisia for nearly 18 months The prize is control of the Mediterranean Sea the Middle East and most importantly enough oil fields to slake the victor s thirst for fuel This campaign is important for several reasons It involves a number of the key players in the Normandy Campaign includ...

Page 131: ...s Mountains The conquest of Russia is a major goal of the National Socialists in Germany It is a land of vast resources iron ore coal and oil that will fuel German industry It has a large population that will provide cheap labor And there is Lebensraum room for Germany to grow and room to exile the enemies of National Socialism Perhaps Hitler recalls his visit to Napoleon s tomb in Paris now that ...

Page 132: ...away many experienced Soviet com manders in their place are political generals with little or no experience This lack of experienced commanders plagued the Red Army in Finland and it will plague them again at the start of Barbarossa At 0300 hours on June 22 Germany looses its blitzkrieg on the Soviet Union The Soviets are taken by surprise Some German units advance 40 miles the first day In a week...

Page 133: ...ns and supplies have been hoarded for the counter offensive Stalin longs to launch On November 18 Guderian s forces are hit by the first Soviet counterattack Red Army troops fresh from Siberia attack the Germans several times over the next few days blunting the German drive on Moscow By November 27 the Germans push to within 30 miles of Moscow Two days later Panzer units fight their way across the...

Page 134: ...l often disregard their advice By year s end the losses on the Eastern Front are staggering The Red Army has endured at least 5 000 000 casualties and the Germans have taken 3 000 000 prisoners The loss of materiel is also immense 30 000 guns and 20 000 tanks The Wehrmacht German Army has also suffered huge losses The difference is that the Germans have not destroyed the Soviets ability to rearm b...

Page 135: ...rogram has kept the Allies in the war but now the full weight of America s industrial power will be brought to bear More importantly the American armed forces will add fresh troops to the battle thinned ranks of the Allied armies However the United States faces a dilemma how to fight a war on two fronts of the U S II Corps in North Africa After the invasion of Sicily he was promoted to the rank of...

Page 136: ...lead to victory In particular the disastrous British raid on the French port of Dieppe in August 1942 in which half of the attacking force of 6 000 become casualties shows that only a massive coordinated Allied invasion will provide a firm foothold on the continent The Dieppe Debacle Despite their commitment to a full scale invasion the British launch an ill conceived cross channel raid in August ...

Page 137: ...U boats against Allied escorts Over the next 18 months the escorts will steadily improve their submarine fighting capabilities Throughout 1942 the Allies make strides in improving their convoy system They also begin installing radio direction finders to locate U boats the Germans counter by installing radar search receivers that detect Allied signals before the U boat generates a return signal Bet...

Page 138: ...he Americans lose the carrier Yorktown but the American victory at Midway marks the beginning of the end for Japanese dreams of an empire in the Pacific By August 1944 the Americans have regained control of much of the territory lost to the Japanese in the first months of the war New Guinea the Solomon Islands including Guadalcanal Gilbert Islands including Tarawa Marshall Islands including Kwajal...

Page 139: ...e is the final drive on Stalingrad The Luftwaffe flies thousands of sorties dive bombing and strafing targets throughout the city The Soviets counter by luring many advancing German units into prearranged killing zones where they are decimated by automatic weapons mortar tank and artillery fire By October 18 the Red Army has fought the Germans to a standstill and they have done so with a minimum c...

Page 140: ...in to Army Group A headquarters and orders him to relieve the troops at Stalingrad These orders seem hollow Manstein has no troops and has to beg and cajole other commanders for men and machines Even if he is able to assemble Army Group Don named after the River Don as ordered Manstein fears he cannot accomplish his mission there are more than 1 000 antitank guns between him and Stalingrad Any att...

Page 141: ...ngrad Only two pockets of German resistance remain On January 31 Paulus surrenders the southern pocket the northern pocket surrenders on February 2 All across the Eastern Front those German units not cut off or encircled are retreating The tide of Operation Barbarossa has crested About 40 000 Germans are evacuated from Stalingrad most of them seriously wounded Another 90 000 are taken prisoner onl...

Page 142: ... it reaches Berlin The lessons of the Eastern Front are hard ones for both sides The Germans have lost over 1 000 000 men the Soviets have lost far more but the Soviet Union can absorb its losses and Germany cannot The impact of the fighting in Russia on Operation Overlord is undeni able Many of the German units that will meet the Allies in Normandy have been transferred there to recuperate from t...

Page 143: ...ut the British focus their counterattacks on Italian troops rather than the Afrika Corps itself As a result the Afrika Korps consumes precious fuel trying to reinforce the Italians On July 21 British intelligence intercepts Rommel s reports on troop strength and supplies When they learn Rommel has only 100 tanks compared to their 300 the British mount a major counteroffensive The infantry particul...

Page 144: ... s highest award for valor the Pour le Mérite In 1940 Rommel brilliantly led a panzer division in the campaign that led to the fall of France Early in 1941 he was promoted to lieutenant general and took charge of the fledgling Afrika Korps Over the next 18 months his legend grew with his success in driving the British out of Libya In June 1942 he captured Tobruk and became Germany s youngest field...

Page 145: ...Allied war effort depended but his own men loved the flamboyant Monty who knew how to talk to them soldier to soldier in terms they could understand In 1942 Montgomery took command of the British Eighth Army in North Africa His army was soon receiving modern equipment and ample reinforcements while his opponent German General Erwin Rommel had rapidly advanced beyond his own supply line Mont gomery...

Page 146: ...s in the fray the Germans are now badly outmanned and outgunned As the British Eighth Army continues to advance westward the Germans evacuate large quantities of supplies out of Tripoli and demolish many of the port facilities On January 26 after arguments with his nominal commanders the Italians Rommel is relieved of command He is to be succeeded by General Messe of the Italian Army but Rommel re...

Page 147: ...he Allies have learned a great deal that they will apply in Normandy The British have learned how to better coordinate infantry and armor something Rommel mastered before arriving in North Africa The British have also learned how to use their artillery effectively massing batteries rather than dispersing them along the front Finally they have realized the importance of air superiority over the bat...

Page 148: ...rgets in Brunswick Leipzig and Regensburg Another 800 bombers hit aircraft manufactur ing targets on February 25 Between February 20 and 26 medium bombers and fighters attack Luftwaffe installations in France Belgium and Holland many German aircraft are destroyed in the air on the ground and even while being transported to the front The Luftwaffe is now clearly taking a beating By the summer of 19...

Page 149: ...ing east of Cape Passero Both Patton and Montgomery are veterans of the war in North Africa both go on to play major roles in Overlord and the fighting in France These armies will face General Guzzoni s Italian Sixth Army Guzzoni commands roughly 250 000 men including about 75 000 Germans The Italian troops are poorly equipped and demoralized from their mauling in North Africa Guzzoni compounds hi...

Page 150: ...orcements to Italy The Americans use small amphibious landings on the north coast of Sicily to push the Axis forces back There are landings at Santa Agata August 8 Brolo August 11 and Cape Milazzo August 15 each compels the Germans and Italians to pull farther back When American and British units capture Randazzo on the north side of Mount Etna on August 14 Axis defenses begin to crumble On August...

Page 151: ...he beach But concentrated naval fire prevents the Germans from gaining a decisive victory as the Allied lines stabilize Eisenhower and Alexander agree on rapid reinforcement of the beachhead On September 13 and 14 General Ridgeway s 82nd Airborne Division parachutes onto the beach While the Germans continue to pound the Allied lines air support and naval fire again prevent them from breaking throu...

Page 152: ...o England to prepare for Operation Overlord the advance begins to slow By the end of 1943 both Allied armies find themselves bogged down by determined German defense and winter rain Despite the Allied advances since the September landings and heavy losses on both sides the Germans remain ready and able to fight None of their forces have been mauled the terrain favors the defender in Italy and the ...

Page 153: ...lsewhere the Fifth Army continues to hammer at the Gustav Line The U S 34th Division keeps trying to establish a foothold across the Rapido they finally succeed on January 26 Four days later the British Fifth Division finally cracks the Gustav Line by capturing Monte Natale On the same day January 30 the Allies begin attacking the German defen sive perimeter around Anzio They suffer heavy losses a...

Page 154: ...eir full strength to chase the retreating Germans The next line of defense for the Germans is the Gothic Line 150 miles north of Rome By August 15 the Eighth and Fifth Armies are in contact with the this line However the drain on resources for Operation Anvil the amphibious landings in southern France forces the Allies to wait before any attacks can be launched The value of air attacks and naval b...

Page 155: ...lion men As Supreme Allied Commander Eisenhower performed a task of supreme importance keeping the Alliance and its many forceful personalities most notably Montgomery and Patton focused not on their differences but on working together to win the war against Germany He said that he did not mind some one being called a son of a bitch but he was damned if he would have them called a British or an Am...

Page 156: ...ring that the creation of the Second Front remains the primary goal Most importantly Operation Barbarossa has turned out to be a hollow gamble Hitler can do no better in Russia than Napoleon did By the time Operation Overlord is taking place the relentless pressure of the Red Army is never far from the minds in the German High Command The End of Festung Europa With the breakout from Normandy the A...

Page 157: ...On the southern portion of the front the German armies are destroyed In the far north the Red Army drives relentlessly from Leningrad Hitler expects the Russians to overextend their resources other commanders expect the spring season of mud to slow the Soviet advance Neither occurs the Red Army slows only to gather itself for the next strike west On the morning of June 23 the Red Army begins attac...

Page 158: ...y Rundstedt and Model disagree with Hitler but to no avail Eight Panzer divisions are re equipped and ready to spearhead the assault aimed at four inexperienced or worn out American divisions The Germans maintain strict radio silence concerning Autumn Mist so for once there is no warning from the Allied codebreakers Even when forward units report increased activity on their fronts Allied com mande...

Page 159: ...ture remain out of reach The Allies begin counter attacking on Christmas Day the next day Patton s Third Army relieves Bastogne Montgomery attacks from the north cutting off the retreat of many German units Finally the weather clears and Allied fighters and fighter bombers take to the skies Allied aircraft prey on German formations from the clear winter skies the Luftwaffe is no longer a factor Fi...

Page 160: ...enhower has already decided to let the Soviets take Berlin he believes that casualties for British Canadian and American units will be too high if he tries to take the German capital Red Sky in the East the Soviets Capture Berlin In early April Stalin meets with his commanders Marshals Koniev and Zhukov to plan the final assault on Berlin The Germans have prepared three major lines of defense the ...

Page 161: ...y on May 2 the commander of force in Berlin drafts a surrender which the Soviets accept The Red Army ceases firing at 1500 hours Berlin has fallen The Final Surrender And Beyond After Hitler s death and the fall of Berlin the Third Reich collapses The Germans sign an unconditional surrender at Rheims on May 7 but Army Group Center fights on Surrounded by the Soviets near Prague they ignore broadca...

Page 162: ... interpret as a refusal Truman has already decided that if the Japanese fail to surrender he will use America s most powerful and most secret weapon the atomic bomb On August 6 the Enola Gay a B 29 bomber named after the pilot s mother drops the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima The resulting explo sion has the force of over 18 000 metric tons of TNT destroying 60 percent of the city and killing 80 0...

Page 163: ...162 Close Combat ...

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