Breville Gap

8/12/2019 Breville Gap

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AXIS OF ATTACK: THE BRVILLE GAP

June 1944: In the early hours of D-Day troops of the British6th Airborne Division of Major-General Richard WindyGale dropped by parachute and glider into Normandy. Teyseized key bridges and villages in the area between the Orneand Dives Rivers on the eastern flank of the invasion beaches,forestalling German counterattacks from this region. Laterthat day Lord Lovats commandos fought their way throughfrom Sword Beach to reinforce the hard-pressed paras.

In the days that followed, the troops of the 6th AirborneDivision clung precariously to the bridgehead they had seized

east of the Orne River, resisting German counterattacks ofvarying intensity at points all across the bridgehead. In par-ticular, a build-up of German forces in the village of Brville,strategically situated atop the Bavent ridge, proved a majorthorn in the side of the British and Canadian troops.

Te understrength 9th Parachute Battalion, occupying thewoods of the Bois de Mont, came under daily attack fromthe Germans in Brville from 8 June. Te Germans, toughgrenadiers of 346. and 711. Infanteriedivisionen, soughtto force a gap in the Allied perimeter through which theycould reach the bridges over the Orne River and Caen Canal.Even as the first of these probing attacks were repelled, more

were brewing against other Allied positions within strikingdistance of Brville.

Can the Allied perimeter hold against these strong and

increasingly determined attacks? Or will a crack appearthrough which the German forces can strike at the bridges?Here, east of the Orne, amongst the grassy meadows andpeaceful orchards, the very fate of the Allied invasion hangsin the balance.

ALLIED BRIEFINGYour hard-pressed troops have battled courageously againstthe odds to complete their daring mission of seizing a bridge-head across the Orne, but now your units are woefully un-

derstrength and the men are tired. Yet, somehow, they musthold on a little longer.

German resistance has proved stubborn, particularly thatemanating from the village of Brville. Tere, substantialenemy forces are well-situated to strike against your perimeterat points of their own choosing. If they can achieve a break-through, it would be no exaggeration to say that the securityof the entire beachhead could be in danger. You must repelall enemy thrusts from Brville and marshal your strength tostrike back. Tis nest of Nazi vipers must be eradicated, andit must be done soon!

GERMAN BRIEFINGTe Allied invasion caught your forces off guard, and theBritish paratroopers quickly seized the bridges over the OrneRiver and Caen Canal. But you have one ace up your sleeve,

a strongly-held position in Brville from where you can probethe Allied bridgehead in force, searching for a weakness. Ifone can be found, your hard-fighting troops may be ableto strike through in the direction of the Orne River bridge.Te recapture of this key crossing would trap the enemy intheir own bridgehead where they could be smashed to pieces.Te way would then be open to attack the main body of the

Allied invasion force beyond the river.

WHEREISTHELUFTWAFFE?Allied air superiority is total. Not a single German plane canget anywhere near the battlefield.

Te German player may not receive any Air Support for theentire campaign.

ORNE

RIVER

ORNERIVERBRIDGE

AMFRVILLEBRVILLE

BOISDEMONT

RANVILLE

Strong German forces are poised like a dagger to strike at the heart of the Orne bridgehead.

+++D+50: US 2ND ARMOURED DIVISION BREAKS THROUGH GERMAN LINES+++

NORMANDY

THE ORNE BRIDGEHEAD


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SITUATION REPORTAt the start of the campaign the German forces are striking outfrom Brville against one of the neighbouring Allied positions.

Tis is an Axis of Attack campaign. Use the rules on pages 237to 239 of the Flames Of Warrulebook to play this campaign.

Te first battle of the campaign is fought at either Amfrville orBois de Mont at the choosing of the German player, using the

Hold the Line mission with the Germans attacking. Both sidesbegin the campaign with 0 Victory Points.

TERRAINTe terrain east of the Orne River, unlike many other areas inNormandy, is not Bocage country. Instead it is comparativelyopen, dotted here and there with woods and settlements in afairly typical Western European fashion.

Once you have placed sector-specific terrain for the battle, usethe Western European errain Chart on page 243 of the FlamesOf Warrulebook to generate additional terrain features.

ALLIED FORCESTe initial airborne landings around the Orne River wereconducted on D-Day by the men of the 6th AirborneDivision. Later that day they were reinforced by the com-mandos of Lord Lovats 1stSpecial Service Brigade movingup from Sword beach. Over succeeding days the commandostogether with the paras battled to consolidate the bridgehead,occasionally supported by tanks of the 13th/18th Hussars.On the night of 10/11 June elements of the 51st(Highland)Division, including the 1st and 5th/7th Battalions Gordon

Highlanders and the 5th

Black Watch, arrived to reinforcethe bridgehead. Tese were followed by more commandos,this time from the 4thSpecial Service Brigade.

o represent these forces you could field a British ParachuteCompany or Airlanding Company from D Minus 1 or aScots Rifle Company or British Commando Company fromFestung Europa.

THEBATTLEFORSWORDBEACH

Te outcome of the British landings at Sword Beach onD-Day was very important to the Allied troops withinthe thinly-held Orne bridgehead. Sheer weight ofnumbers meant that the British must ultimately prevailon Sword Beach. However, any reverse suffered by theBritish in that battle, even if temporary, could have hadfar-reaching effectsLord Lovats Commandos mayhave been delayed in reaching the 6thAirborne Divisionand Allied attempts to consolidate the bridgehead may

have suffered a serious setback.

If both players agree, they may play the Battle for SwordBeach (page 31) prior to beginning the campaign. Tevictory points each player wins in the battle will be theirstarting victory point total for the campaign.

GERMAN FORCESTe troops garrisoning the area of the airbornelandings were from 711. Infanteriedivision, withelements of 21. Panzerdivision in the form of Kampfgruppevon Luck. Very quickly following the invasion these troops

were reinforced by 346. Infanteriedivisionmoving in fromthe Le Havre area. Te strong forces holding Brville werecomposed mainly of 857. Grenadierregiment and 858.Grenadierregiment of 346. Infanteriedivision. Tese grena-diers carried the bulk of the counterattacks, supported bya small number of Panzer IV tanks from Kampfgruppe vonLuck as well as their own StuG and Marder self-propelledanti-tank guns.

o represent these forces you could field a GermanGrenadierkompanie or Pionierkompanie from Festung Europa.

WHATIFFORCESAlternatively, you could play a What if campaign to seewhat would have happened if different forces fought in the

Orne bridgehead and use any company you have.

+++D+54: US THIRD ARMY LIBERATES AVRANCHES, BREAKING OUT OF NORMANDY+++


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BOIS DE MONTTe woods of the Bois de Mont offer an ideal jumping offpoint for patrols or attacks on the surrounding areas. Withinthe woods is the large Chateau St. Cme and attached thor-oughbred stables that have produced many a famous derby

winner. Not far away is the much smaller summer bungalowof the mayor of Brville. Either of these buildings could beused as a command post, if they can be held! Not an easytask given the surrounding woods.

TERRAINTe table is divided into two halves by a road running from

one players table edge to the other. In the centre of one halfis the large chateau and a few smaller buildings housing thestables. A long wide driveway runs to the road. At the backof the chateau, towards the Allied players table edge is abroad meadow, elsewhere are scattered woods.

In the other half of the table near the Allied players table edgeis the bungalow surrounded by scattered woods. A sunken laneflanked by imposing hedgerows runs from the building to theroad.

DIVERSIONARYATTACKTe buildup of German forces within Brville is such that, atthe outset of the campaign, they have the strength to launcha diversionary attack in conjunction with their main attackelsewhere. Te unsuspecting British wont know where themain attack will fall!

If the German player loses the first game of the campaign, theymay declare this to have been a diversionary attack. If they do so,the next mission of the campaign, and the main German thrust,takes place in Amfrville using the Hold the Line mission withthe German force as the attacker.

RANVILLETe central position of Ranville in relation to the northern,eastern and southern sectors of the Allied bridgehead makethis village an ideal site for Divisional Headquarters. Inaddition, its proximity to the bridge over the Orne Rivermeans that any German thrust at the bridges that penetratesthis far must be stopped here. Close by the village are thefields known to the Allied paras as Landing Zone N, stillstrewn with the debris of the Allied airborne landings.

TERRAINIn the Allied players half of the table a road runs from end to

end bisected near the middle by a crossroads where anotherroad leads off the Allied players table edge. Scattered aroundthe crossroads are a few buildings and at either end of thelong road are two large areas of woodland. Te Germanplayers half of the table is predominantly open terraindotted with two or three wrecked Horsa gliders that provideConcealment to any team targeted through them but notBulletproof Cover. Gliders are Very Difficult Going to teamsattempting to move across them. In addition, scatteredaround the gliders are up to a dozen discarded parachutes,each covering an area no larger than 2/5cm across. Teseparachutes are Difficult Going.

NAVALGUNFIRESUPPORTTe guns of the HMS Arethusa lying off the Normandy beachesare occasionally available to provide fire support to Allied troopsin the bridgeheadwhen the bloody radios work!

For all missions in Ranville, the Allied player may receive NavalGunfire Support (page 15) at no cost.

FALLBACK!If the German troops are repulsed at Ranville they will fallback via the axis along which they attacked.

Any time the Allied player wins a battle in Ranville as theattacker, the next sector in the campaign will be the one throughwhich the German player had most recently advanced, either

Amfrville or Bois de Mont.

+++D+56: FREE FRENCH 2ND ARMOURED DIVISION LANDS AT UTAH BEACH+++


5/5PAGE 52 +++D+61: GERMAN COUNTERATTACK LAUNCHED TOWARDS MORTAIN+++

On 10 June the German forces in Brville demonstrate thedangerous threat they pose by attacking on several axes atonce. A very strong attack with armoured support hits the1stCanadian Parachute Battalion in Le Mesnil but is beatenoff, at a high cost to the attackers, with the aid of navalgunfire from HMS Arethusa. Meanwhile, in yet another ofthe almost relentless attacks upon the 9thParachute Battalionin the Bois de Mont, the Germans capture the ChateauSt. Cme. o the north of Brville, a strong German attack

strikes the commandos in Le Plein, where it is thrown back,and Hauger, where the Germans almost breakthrough thedefenders flank.

Most dangerously of all, however, the Germans finally break-through a gap in the vicinity of the Brville-Ranville road andstrike across country toward the bridges. Tis perilous situa-tion is rescued for the Allies by the 13 thParachute Battalionstationed in Ranville, who stop the German thrust, and driveoff the attackers at the point of the bayonet. Te 7thParachuteBattalion follow this victory up by clearing the Le Mariquet

woods, where many of the attackers seek refuge. Te long,hard-fought day closes with the 9thParachute Battalion in the

Bois de Mont recapturing the Chateau.Early on 11 June the first troops from the 51 st (Highland)Division arrive in the bridgehead and immediately the5thBlack Watch move up to the Bois de Mont to reinforce

the hard-pressed 9th Parachute Battalion. From here theHighlanders launch a pre-dawn attack against Brville butare beaten off with heavy casualties.

Te next day the Germans again attack the Canadian parasin Le Mesnil, while a strong force, with armoured support,strikes the paras and Highlanders in the Bois de Mont. Lowon ammunition and with the Chateau in enemy handsLieutenant-Colonel Otway, the commander of 9thParachuteBattalion, sends an urgent request for assistance. A company

of Canadian paras rush to their aid and with their assistancethe Germans are driven off, but the 3rdParachute Brigade isnow in a perilously weakened state.

Realising the Germans in Brville have taken heavy casual-ties in the days fighting, and suspecting the survivors will beexhausted from their exertions, Major-General Gale orders ahastily-prepared attack from Amfrville for that evening. Teattack begins with a heavy artillery barrage, some of whichfalls short causing Allied casualties, including three seniorcommanders. With Brville ablaze, troops from the 12thPara-chute Battalion and the 12th Devonshires (an airlandingbattalion), supported by armour, attack across open ground.

After two hours of hard fighting, Brville is captured. Tevictory has come at a heavy cost to the attackers but, at last,the most ominous threat to the security of the bridgeheadhas been eliminated.

ORNE RIVER BRIDGETe recapture of the bridges over the Orne River and CaenCanal will effectively cut off the already weakened Britishtroops east of the Orne from reinforcement as well asthreatening the flank of the British Second Army beyondthe river.

THE END OF THE BRVILLE CAMPAIGN

VICTORYIf the German player reaches the OrneBridges they have won the campaign, and an op-

portunity to strike at the main Allied force from anunexpected quarter!

Breville Gap

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