NSWRPF Archive Operation Overlord

It's only been four days since his last post. Give him time. DRL has a nasty reputation of getting in the way for days.

oocf course oddball jump back in,an have fun glad to see your back

OOC: Sorry about all that. I am finishing College and there are only about a billion things going on. But I will ahve time (more than I will know what to do with) very shortly. As Mitthy said, DRL gets in the way.

IC:

Night 6/7 june 1944

The news of Banville's fall is flashed across the channel to SACEUR HQ. Most of the newspaper articles on 6 june have been triumphant. Many reports of c casualties have been suppressed, and people are under the general impression that the landings were a rousing success. Although they were successful, this is somewhat of an exaggeration. SACEUR is trying to speed up reinforcements comign to France from England becuse they realize the precarious position.
On the German side, everything teeters in the balance. Two flank attacks are planned for 7 June, and much depends on early morning fog and cloud cover protecting their forces from Allied planes. It is also only a prayer that is holding back the spearheads form Utah Beach from enveloping th 352nd and 353rd divisions.

St. Aubin Arquenay

Hanley, Morton and finaly had returned from their patrol with their exhausted paratrooper. He had reported to the Lieutenant that Banville had fallen, and taht he had sliped by significant Panzer Forces in the regions south of the Orne. This news had been flashed quickly over to Allied Command in England.
Now the men were back in their foxholes, awaiting the attack. It was about 2 Am, and the men were just beginning their two hours watches. In the distance they strained their ears and eyes watching and listening for Tanks or Infantry sneaking up on them.
It heartened them a little bit to know that they were reinforced by a company of Cromwell Tanks, and that soem Shermans had been deployed along the riverbank on their flank. But still, If there was an ENtire Panzer Corps waiting on the other side of the Orne, how could they stop it from rolling over them all?
It would be a race to see between the Panzers and Allied Airplanes. Which would reach the front first when the inevitable attack began? All of these thoughts weighed heavily on all the men, but especially those in command, like Sergeant Hanley.
The Governor had given him his stripes back at HQ, and he'd taken the time to sew them on his uniform after he got back to his hole. He decided to walk the line.
Scratch that, he'll CRAWL the line tonight.
he crawled over to Mortons hole and softly called out the password.

Vierville,
As the reserve company moved in to their positions, Wulf could see the men beginning to prepare themselves for battle. Some excessively checked their weapons, some played cards, some read the newsheet (it was all propaganda, but there was nothing else to read), a number of men penned what Wulf had taken to calling "last letters", because they knew tomorrow's fight would be hard, and might well be their last.
The officer form the heavy weapons company came up and saluted.
"Everything is ready sir. fifteen Rounds per mortar tube as asked. The Heavy MG's are in position as directed to give covering fire. The artillery is scheduled to begin at dawn. The Panzer commander says he will not start his engines until after the barrage begins to keep the element of surprise. Oh, and you probably heard, the Assault guns arrived about fifteen minutes ago. They are dispersing to your assigned jump off positions."
He was incredibly jump and nervous and it showed.
Plitz appeared on Wulf's other flank:
"OK, all is ready. Just give the word."

101st ad hoc force
The men caught much-needed sleep. Sleep came much easier tonight, knowing they had men from Utah as well as tanks protecting their flanks.
"Hey," a silhouette appeared before scubensky and his foxhole mate Taylor. "Orders sir. We're moving out on the attack at Dawn."
he moved to the next foxhole, Billy's
"We attack at dawn. Good luck."

TAG: Morkai, Hanley, Mortoan, Taylor, Scubensky, Billy

IC: Sgt. Hanley, St. Aubin CP

It was early morning, 2am by Hanleys watch, and the light breeze was enough to make most men shiver. Jake had spent quite a while sewing on his extra stripe, his hand shook violently at the most inopportune times. With his three chevrons sewn on securely, Jake took a moment to think of what lay ahead. The fall of Banville, and the inevitable counter-attack from the Panzer Corps just across the river Orne could not escape his mind.

He was unsure he could perform. Sure, he was worried about that when he was a Corporal, but now it wasn't just his life on the line if his decisions went FUBAR. If he made a mistake now it could cost the lives of his entire squad.

Crawling up and out of his foxhole, Jake stayed in prone as he edged closer to Mortons foxhole, not five metres from his own. As he reached the hole he softly called out the password and tapped Morton on the shoulder...

TAG: DV, Deiskrad

OOC: Sorry, but I have no idea what the password is

ic:Billy,101st

::Billy awoke from being tapped on the shouder,and then a sillohette saying we attack at dawn.He nodded and sat up in his foxhole.he hadnt gotton much sleep but it was better then no sleep at all and he felt rested.All he chould do now was wait for the signal to move out.he watched jake edge to the next foxhole,and then began to check his rifle,and ammo::

tag:101st,Deis,all

OOC: Umm, masterjedi, my last post with Jake Hanley, that was for the british

Actually he's responding to Deiskrad's post.

GeneralFeldmarschal Erwin Rommel

Near Banville, South of Ranville

They could not afford to lose the coastal artillery. Especially when a counter-attack was about to begin over in the west. Any damage the artillery could cause to the enemy would be a major help to the attacking forces. But neither did he want an entire division of troops encircled and captured. Rommel stared at the map in front of him and the grease marks where the enemy was reported seen. "The batteries are to hold out as long as they can but they are to pull out the moment the danger is too clear and present for them. Those batteries will be needed in helping the counter-attacks."

After folding up the map, Rommel stepped back into his command car. "21st Panzer's front field headquarters," he ordered Daniel. Soon the counter-attack would begin and he planned on leading from the front once more. From there he could make split second decisions that could decide the battle. A risk to his own life, certainly, but it was only fair to his own men. Not to mention that it would be a morale boost that could help win the battle.

TAG: Deiskrad

ooc:sorry sabre my bad

OOC: Dont worry about it masterjedi, Sabre is just overly strict with forums...

OOC: Oh be quiet DV, or I'll bust back down to buck Private!
masterjedi,
Hanley=British
Taylor=82nd(with the 101st)

IC: Cpl. Taylor, 82nd Airborne, 101st CP

Scott heard the runner from a mile away. He had not been able to sleep and the night was so quiet even the tiny mans footsteps could be heard as loud as a gunshot.

As the runner approached Scotts foxhole, he shuffled around into a more comfortable position and tapped Scubs awake.

"We attack at dawn." He said. Scubs, even though first light was hours away, got up and out of his foxhole and warned his soldiers of the latest news.

As he returned to the foxhole five minutes later Scott looked at him and said, "You run a great bunch here Scubs. Think the boys at HQ would ever allow a transfer?"

Scubs chuckled at the comment and replied, "Not bloody likely Scotty, you will be transported back to your unit after this next assault."

Staring down at his feet, Scott brushed off some dirt on his trousers. "Better make it a good one then..."

TAG: Scubs, 101st

OOC:
Oddball, by all means, hop right back in. Grab a rifle and get in your hole. :-D

IC: Hauptmann Gierhardt Wulf CO 2nd Kommpannie 5th Fallschirmjaeger RGT/ Kampfgruppe Wulf

Vierville De Cote

Gierhardt looked at his watch, then slowly lifted his head to face the coming dawn "God be with you all boys...do your jobs and i'll see you on the otherside" he said to the men nearest him. Turning to Piltz he nodded, Johann then turned and barked an order at the radio man who relayed it. Within seconds the sound of whistling shells broke the cold dawn air, the American lines were immeadiately thrown into confusion as the barrage hit. Gierhardt waited the prearranged time and raised his arm before bringing it down in a chopping motion, he leapt out of the trench line and ran for the American lines, his men streaming behind him. The three separate elements that comprised his spearhead slammed into the American lines at the same time. Throwing grenades ahead of themselves Gierhardt lead his men into the enemy lines the Tanks and assault guns tearing chunks out of the American area as they moved unison with the infantry, it was all or nothing...they would turn them now or they would never stop them.

TAG: All

OCC: Sorry rl lol.

ICFC Miller

Miller was holding his rifle and cheacking his ammo he knew what small unit action was like and it wasent pretty, knowing about the assault, problably be the last thing i ever do, he thought, "Boy I hope we make it out of this alive im tired of sitting in a foxhole waiting for somthing to happen I need to shoot somthing before i shoot one of you guys hahaha, you know i hope we all make it out cause I have a brother who is in the 29th infantry and onother in the Big red one so i just need to make it out so i can tell them about what i did here and all the great friends i made casue this sure beats the hell out of the pacific you know?.

TAG: 101st, 82 troops.

101st/82nd/US infantry Mixed position with Scubensky, Taylor, Billy, Scubensky and anyone else I forgot (lol) Dawn, 7th June


At the appointed time, the Shermans roared their engines and the Infantry jumped out of their foxholes and the advance began.
They moved through country that was patched with clutches of trees and a rolling field. Atop the high ground, was the dead French tank from yesterday?s fight. It still smoldered.
Was it really only yesterday? For Scubensky, Taylor, Miller and the other paratroopers it seemed far longer. For the regular infantry born ashore at Utah, it had not seemed as long. There had been less fighting.
Finally they cleared a wood, and the tanks halted briefly while officers checked maps.
?there?s a waypoint up there.? A 101st Captain said. ?A town beyond that hedge.?
He closed the mapbook and hefted his carbine.
?Let?s go get it.?
The infantry moved forward, and the Shermans gunned their engines and began rolling down the road once more.
They had hadvanced maybe 150 feet, when the roaring blasts of MG-42?s spat from the hedgeline. Tracers knifed through the air. A man screamed, another wentn down silently.
Everybody hit the deck. The bullets screamed overhead. One clipped Billy?s helmet, which made his head ring.
Taylor rolled into a depression that afforded him some cover. He was soon joined by Miller and Scubensky. The enemy MG?s continued to reap their harvest.
The Germans were well concealed, but they could at least see where the MG?s were firing from due to their tracer rounds. The riflemen were not so equipped and were less easy to spot.
The captain yelled for the three men in the depression to suppress the German machine guns, and soon there is a merry little firefight going.
All of this happened in less than thirty seconds.
Bullet spit up dirt around the depression. Then they abruptly ceased while the mostly-hidden Machine Gun traversed to spray a long stream of death at a headstrong squad that tried to rush the position. They quickly went to ground with one man shrieking.
Mortars whistled out of the sky and began pounding around the hapless infantry. Steel splinters rushed about, slicing the air, and occasionally, flesh. One such fragment opened up Billy?s cheek. It ran like a tap, but it was hardly worth summoning the medic over. He was busy trying to push a man?s guts back in.
A Sherman tank puttered up, nearly running over the three men in the depression in it?s eagerness. Its turret traversed, and the enemy Machine Gun ceased fire while it displaced to a new position. The Sherman spoke. A great gout of black dirt and vegetation erupted where the MG had been.
?OhGodOhGodOhGod? somebody said, voicing everyone?s opinion.

TAG: Miller, Scubensky, Billy, Taylor, et al.


Rommel & Entourage, Colombelles, Dawn 7th June

The convoy pulled up at the Town Hall in Colombelles, Field Headquarters of 21st Panzer. Rommel was saluted by the guards as he entered.
In the Command Center, Feuchtinger stood with his staff around a map. He saluted Rommel and offered his hand.
?Sir! 21st Panzer is prepared to attack. The attack begins in fifteen minutes. Everything has been prepared for.?
He indicated the much sought after bridge across the Canal. ?Pegasus? bridge, the britishw ere calling it, intelligence had learned.
?My artillery has begun an intense bombardment of the other side of the bridge just before you arrived. Right now, every battery available, as well as every mortar in range is firing. Hopefully it will knock out any British wiring to explosives they?ve no doubt planted to destroy the bridge in case of emergency. As soon as the barrage lifts, first platton of 2nd battalion of Panzergrenadiers seizes the bridge and hold it while breakthrough and exploitation units cross.?
It was simple. So simple. A matter of meters rather than kilometers.
Too simple, perhaps?

TAG: Rommel


12th SS Panzer Division, Hauptsturmfuhrer Michael Wittman & Company.

All was prepared. The scout cars had fed them information about crossing points and had a general

IC: Cpl. Morton

Jeremy was sitting in his foxhole when he felt a tap on his shoulder and then heard Sgt. Hanley speak the password. Jeremy got up and stretched. He was about to go and get a drink when he heard a man scream
"Panzers... Bloody Tanks!"
"TANKS?!?" Jeremy screamed, "DO WE HAVE AN ANTI-TANK MAN?"

TAG: Deiskrad, Sabre

IC: Sgt. Hanley, 50th Division, Outskirts St. Aubin Arquenay...

Everything had been quiet for the last few minutes. Jake almost went into his own little world. When the artillery started anyone who wasn't already awake didn't take long to poke their heads out from their foxholes.

Then Jake heard another sound, this one more deeper and wretched. It was what he had feared. This fact was made even more clear when Eccleston jumped out of his socks and screamed "Panzers... Bloody tanks!"

"Runner!" Jake shouted at the top of his lungs as he scrambled from the building to the forward foxhole. The runner was not far behind. Panting he asked the Sergeant, "Yes Sir?"

Keeping his eyes trained on the track leading through the trees, Jake replied "Get back to town, report to HQ we have Panzers inbound, require reinforcements. GO!"

As the young Private took off towards town Jake yelled out again,"Everyone get ready! And where the hell are my Bazookas?"

Taking his eyes off the road, Jake looked back across the field at his squad. Everyone was setting themselves quickly, and the two Browning .30 cals were being loaded. Some 'liberated' MG-42s were also being put to use in the small forward trench behind Jakes current position.

Jake just hoped the men were ready for what lay ahead...

TAG: Morton, Deiskrad

OOC: Man I love this RPG! Cant wait for the fighting to start

IC: Cpl. Morton

Jeremy heard seargant Hanley yell "Where the hell are my Bazookas?"
Jeremy looked around and saw a Bazooka and a few rockets.
"GET OVER HERE AND GIMME A HAND WITH THIS" He yelled to a passing private.
The two carried the Bazooka and rockets over to Sgt. Hanley's position.
"There's one here sir" Jeremy said, reloading the bazooka and getting it ready for when the panzers started at them,
"Do we have any friendlies on the way? We're gonna be pressed to keep them back once they start coming."

TAG: Sabre, Deiskrad

I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade, but the British were not equipped with bazookas. Those were only carried by American Soldiers. What the British did have was this little baby, called the PIAT:

http://www.geocities.com/Augusta/8172/panzerfaust13.htm
http://www.arnhemarchive.org/equip_piat.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PIAT

IC: PFC Miller

"Those tank are going to kill us if we dont have any AT weapons!," Miller then remembered his friend who was part of the 2nd ranger battalion show him how to contruct a sicky bomb."Anyone got some TNT?"


TAG: people in the battle.

ic:Billy,101st

::Billy had held his hand to his cheek to stop the bleeding his other hand holding onto his rifle,he stopped trying to push the mans gut back in and threw miller some TNT:: here you go bud :;He took aim with his rifle finding one of the less concealed germans and shot him in the neck,He moved out of the way as the sherman tank took aim again and blew apart a bunker.It was more adreleline then anything that kept billy going. ::He hid himself in the dirt from the mg42 as it opened fire again:: he looked at Miller:: Got what you wanted Miller you get to shoot someone now ;:He half smiled but went back to what he was doing::


tag:101st,all

ooc:glad the battle started

IC: Miller

Miler caught the TNT, "Thanks bud" he ran to the foxhole billy was in and grab medical suppies from a dead medic adn gave it to billy," youll need this!" now he took of his shoe and pulled out his sock,"Now I need axel grease Damn!" Germans were firing toward his position he returend fire with his recently acuired garand, then moments later he heard thumps and explosions. "MORTARS!!"


TAG: anyone.

OOC:
The Germans are not fielding any tanks in the fight with the 101st mixed group (miller, Billy, Taylor, Scubensky). It's mostly Osttruppen. Fighting in the hedges was extremely difficult and deadly for the allies. I am trying to recreate an accurate representation of said fighting. Bunkers were not really necessary as the hedges were natural defensive structures. It was a defensive army's dream to have such terrain. Most bunkers were located at the rear of such positions and only contained the CP.

Here are some examples of typical Hedgerow conditions

A sunken road that just screams Ambush: http://www.oldhickory30th.com/Normandy%20Hedgerow%20road.jpg

Here's an example from the British/Canadian sectors. Note how easy it would be to hide and take out even a tank with a Panzerschreck or Panzerfaust: http://www.fmft.net/archives/sherman1/1.jpg

Some pictures of what actual positions would've looked like. It includes pictures of captured German positions. you can see what kind of fields of fire they could get while having good protection in return: http://1-22infantry.org/pics2/wwpagetwo.htm

From the air: http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/reference/normandy/TS/OD/notes/252.jpg

Hopefully this will clear up some misconceptions that are my fault. I assumed that you guys would know about the Hedgerows and how they worked, and I also should have been clearer about what you were engaging.

ooc:your doing a excellent job deis



are we also going to do that drop into holland as shown in Band of Brothers?(one of the best war series ever! )

ic:Billy 101st

::Billy took the medkit,and heard morters.He cursed to himself and took the closet cover he chould find covering a man whos neck was bleeding.he called around looking for a medic:: MEDIC!!

tag:all in fight

IC: Hauptmann Gierhardt Wulf CO 2nd Kommpanie 5th FJGR RGT/ Kampfgruppe wulf

Vierville De Cote

Gierhardt waved his hand at and American machine gun position "Johann take out that position" he screamed over the din of battle "The rest with me lets MOVE" he said as he and several men lobbed grenades into the Ami positions and followed them in themselves. Gierhardt leapt into a foxhole next to a Ami and brought the butt of his Assault rifle down in the side of the mans head, he followed it with several more viceral blows before standing and firing off a controlled volley and the nearby enemy. A tank rolled by him and opened up with its machine gun as Gierhardt could hear the sound of Piltz's men eliminating the enemy machine gun crew.

The fight was close and brutal as the Fallschrimjaeger and their support drove into the americans, hand to hand combats and close range firefights raged, tracer fire burning the air as the Americans fought back savagely. The German troopers pushed in and through, the tanks taking a terrible toll on the lightly equiped Americans. Gierhardt knelt in a shattered section of hedgerow with his command squad, yelling fresh orders into the radio set and realigning the two wings of his attack with his central spear to maintain momentum. Waving his men forward he weaved through the trench lines, his men leapfrogging squad by squad cutting through and around the americans and driving deeper towards their rear.

A burst of fire sent him and the men nearby spralling to the ground as a soldier next to him was nearly cut in half by fire, as Gierhardt pulled his face out of the dirt a grenade landed infront of him. Without thinking he picked it up and lobbed it back, as it exploded he and three men crashed through the bushes into the soldiers there. A man lunged at him with a bayonet but he swayed to the left bringing the butt of his rifle into the mans nose before firing a burst into his chest, at that moment a fountain of earth sent men from all sides flying and Gierhardt landed five feet away, his breath exploding out of his lungs as he landed on his back. He rolled over and began firing again as more of his men took up positions nearby and opened up "GO GO GO" he screamed as once again he forced himself up and forward "DONT STOP MOVE MOVE MOVE" he yelled.

TAG: all

OOC: My bad on the Bazooka thing. While I knew the british didn't use them, I merely forgot to write 'Panzerschrek', as I had meant to ask for what would be expected to be liberated German supplies. That was my intention. Even a Panzerfaust would do.