All,

Long term I've found a new project that I'm dying to get into.  I've always had a keen interest in the fighting around Caen during the Normandy campaign, June to August 1944, between (mostly) the Commonwealth forces (throw some Poles in at the end) and the German SS (thrown in a couple Wehrmacht formations and the odd Luftwaffe unit).  I've played half a dozen fights in 10mm from Operation Jupiter, but I've always wanted to play out the campaign from beginning to end, and now I've resolved to do it.  I was inspired by this blog:

http://wargamesinthedungeon.blogspot.com/search/label/Blitzkrieg%20Commander

Please head on over to my new buddy Matt Crump's blog.  Lots of cool stuff going on, but what got me was all his 6mm Blitzkrieg Commander games.  There are several Caen battle reports, and an absolute boatload of East Front games.  I already had a bunch of 6mm WWII from Heroics and Ros; I'm currently re-basing them, and I put in a new order for a bunch of stuff I was missing (Churchills and Cromwells, in particular), so I'm working on getting all that taken care of, and I'm doing a bit of research.  So far, here's what I'm looking at:

-Operation Overlord, 6 June: not the landings, but the initial push by 3rd Canadian Infantry Division towards Caen, halted by 12th SS

-Operation Perch, 10-14 June: 50th ID, 51st HD, and 7th AD strike Tilly Sur-Seulles, Cagny, and Villers-Bocage against 25nd ID, Panzer Lehr, 12th SS, and 101st Hvy Pz Bn

-Operation Martlet, 25 June: 49th and 50th ID attack Rauray against 12th SS

-Operation Epsom, 26-30 June: 15th and 43rd ID, 11th AD attack west of Caen (Cheaux area), cross Odon, take (mostly) Hill 112 against 12th SS, counterattacked by 1st, 2nd, 9th, and 10th SS

-Operation Windsor, 4-5 July: 2nd Canadian ID attacks Carpiquet versus 12th SS

-Operation Charnwood, 8-11 July: 3rd and 59th ID attack Caen against 12th SS and 16th Luftwaffe

-**Fighting around Hottot, can't find a named operation associated, 8-18 July: 50th ID vs Panzer Lehr (read about Pz Lehr counterattack, not sure what/if other German units involved)

-Operation Jupiter, 10-11 July: 15th and 43rd ID, 4th Arm Bde Hill 112, Maltot, south towards River Orne, versus 9th and 10th SS, 102nd Hvy Pz Bn

-Operation Greenline, 15-17 July: 15th, 43rd, and 53rd ID attack Hill 112, Evrecy, attack 12th SS, 102nd Hvy Pz Bn

-Operation Pomegranate, 16-17 July: 49th and 59th ID attack Noyers-Bocage against 9th SS

-Operation Goodwood, 18-20 July: 7th, 11th, and Guards AD, plus 3rd ID and 51st HD attack through Caen towards Bourgebus Ridge versus 16th Luftwaffe, 1st and 12th SS, and 21st Panzer Div

-Operation Atlantic, 18-21 July: 2nd and 3rd Canadian ID attack Colombelles, Verriere Ridge, against 272nd ID and 1st and 12th SS

-Operation Spring, 25-27 July: 2nd and 3rd Canadian ID, 4th Canadian AD attack Verrier Ridge against 272nd ID and 9th and 12th SS

-Operation Bluecoat, 30 Jul-7 Aug:  15th, 43rd, and 50th ID, 7th and 11th AD attack vire and Mont Pincon from Caumont versus 326th Inf Div, 654th Hvy PzJgr Bn

-Operation Totalize, 8-9 Aug: 2nd and 3rd Canadian ID, 2nd and 4th Canadian AD, 51st HD, 49th ID, 33rd Canadian Armd Bde, 1st Polish AD attack Verriere Ridge and through towards Falaise, against 85th, 89th, and 272nd Gren Div, 12th SS, and 102nd Hvy Pz Bn

-Operation Grouse, 10-13 Aug: 3rd ID and Guards AD, 6th Guards Tk Bde pursuit in vicinity Mount de Cerisi versus 9th SS and 3rd FJ Div

-Operation Tractable, 14-21 Aug: 2nd and 3rd Canadian ID, 2nd and 4th Canadian AD, 51st HD, 49th ID, 33rd Canadian Armd Bde, 1st Polish AD attempt to close Falaise Gap versus 1st and 12th SS, 102nd Hvy Pz Bn

If you've got any insight into the Normandy fighting around Caen, please take a look and let me know if I'm missing any named operations, if there are any significant (Division-sized) actions that are not named but that I'm missing  (like Hottot, above), or if I've got any details above (dates, units involved) incorrect.  I'd greatly appreciate any help!

V/R,
Jack

Pretty comprehensive I would say!

Great list and someone after my heart.  I also want to do this with my 6mm stuff .... when I finish it.

While not Division sized as you requested, these give variety:

- fighting for the Douvre la Deliverande radar station and / or Hillman.  The radar station gives some varity and allows use of barbed wire, minefields and Funnies

- Pegasus Bridge - although you may have considered that when not doing the landings

- if not the initial landings then the Battles for Breville and the ridge

Will watch with a lot of interest.

Richard

Epsom: wasn't sPzAbt 101 committed there along with one of the Churchill brigades?

Hi Jack

You might want to have a look here:

http://www.fireandfury.com/scenarios.shtml#NWEurope1

Scenarios for 'Battlefront WWII' rules, but tons of useful information.


Cheers Paul

Thats a very detailed list - I thought I knew a fair bit about Normandy, and only recognise about half of those operations!

I suppose as this list of operations are generally the responses to earlier operations, and their outcomes, then you perhaps need less detail on some of the later ones, as your own campaign will drive some of these outcomes. I'm sure you will want to set some broader parameters to encompass what is happening elsewhere in Normandy.

One thing I realised when looking at some of the battles to the west of Caen was just what a small space a lot of the actions took place in. Which could lead to wargames forces moving forward a lot more easily than what happen in reality. 

Lemmey - Definitely, this should keep me in games for the next twenty years!

RCT - Yeah, I don't really want to do the initial landings (sea or by air), but I don't mind doing stuff later on 6 June, pushing south.  I'll take a look at the other fights you mentioned; division-sized is not an absolute must, but it does help keep me at least somewhat focused, and ensures that it makes sense for a BKC-level game (a stand=a platoon).

Dave - Not sure, but I'll look into it!

T13A - Yeah man, I've been over to the Battlefront scenarios, and I've got some use for them, though a lot of them are smaller in echelon than what I'm looking for.  A lot of 'battalion of infantry and a company of tanks'-type games, which isn't enough stands for a 'proper' BKC game.  I've thought about seeing if I can 'tie' some of the scenarios together to make a larger, higher-echelon fight, but I haven't given it a serious look yet.  And I agree, lots of good info!

Fred - Yeah, definitely a lot to work with there, and plenty of operations I wasn't familiar with!  You bring up a great point about the 'flow' of the campaign, with follow-on operations based on the results of earlier (failed) operations.  I think my very basic plan is to 'hand-wave' the historical results and carry on, staying on track with the historical timeline and operations. 

For example, lets say the tabletop games encompassing Operation Epsom are widly successful for the British, taking not only the highground south of Caen (Hills 112 and 113), but defeating the reinforcing 1st and 2nd SS Panzer Corps, then looping east to encircle Caen, linking up with 6th Airborne and leading to the collapse of the German forces in the "Caen Pocket," culminating in the fall of Caen by 3 July 1944. 

Rather than playing a series of tabletop fights that sees/allows that to happen, I'll play the first fight as the attack on Cheaux; if the Commonwealth troops succeed (as they did historically), the next fight(s) occur, pushing to the Odon, securing a bridgehead over, then pushing on and securing a foothold on Hill 112, before withdrawing under counterattacks on the 'Scottish Corridor.'  If the British attack on Cheaux fails, after the fight I write in the narrative that British reserves were committed and Cheaux fell, leading to the next fight(s) occuring, pushing to the Odon, securing a bridgehead over, then pushing on and securing a foothold on Hill 112, before withdrawing under counterattacks on the 'Scottish Corridor.'

So I think, rather than having a free-flowing campaign, I'll sprinkle a little fairy dust here and there to keep things moving the way I need them to move, regardless of what happens on the tabletop.  That might seem a little odd or uninteresting to some folks, but the point for me is to play out these historical battles (which is very much at odds with my normal way of playing games!).  And so, along those lines, I'm not too worried about what else is going on in Normandy, though I could see myself at some point playing the US breakout and pursuit battles (no real desire to play the 'hedgerow hell' fights).

Thanks again everyone!

V/R,
Jack

I love the Normandy campaign, probably because our first games as kids were based around the Normandy campaign, as that's all we really knew about IIRC. Looking forward to seeing how this unfolds .

Quote from: bigjackmac on 21 August 2018, 02:12:21 AM
So I think, rather than having a free-flowing campaign, I'll sprinkle a little fairy dust here and there to keep things moving the way I need them to move, regardless of what happens on the tabletop.  That might seem a little odd or uninteresting to some folks, but the point for me is to play out these historical battles (which is very much at odds with my normal way of playing games!).  And so, along those lines, I'm not too worried about what else is going on in Normandy, though I could see myself at some point playing the US breakout and pursuit battles (no real desire to play the 'hedgerow hell' fights).

Sounds a perfectly sensible approach and a good way to get an understanding of the campaign

If you did want to decide a 'winner' you could keep track of how much better/worse each side did in each battle and tally up at the end

Dont forget that up to 70% of the German formations were horse-drawn so you need a lot more horses than German tanks.

Steve - Yep, I oughta paint all my German vehicles gray!

Paul - Yeah, I was thinking just a straight up 'win-loss' record.

Holdfast - Bite your tongue!  We want big cats, not horses!  I didn't order any Tiger IIs, but I did order some Jagdpanthers.

V/R,
Jack