What-if: XXX Corps in June: One Half of Operation Perch

[MengJiao]

Launched around June 12, Operation Perch was 2nd Army's first and last attempt to take Caen with pair of pincer-thrusts.  In its earliest form it included a parachute attack and in its final form, XXX Corps took a famous beating at Villiers-Bocage and counted itself lucky that nothing worse had happened.

In retro-spect, Operation Perch has many puzzling aspects: XXX Corps rushing to save parachutists who never parachuted, disappointment in the Orne Bridgehead, Wittmann's Tigers and so on.  Even more strangely, since over-all the Germans seem to have had heavier tank losses (mostly from artillery and AT guns), 2nd Army seems to have decided it could get away with such thrusts into the middle of heaps of panzers and it was tried on at least two more occasions (Epsom and Goodwood).

But what if XXX Corps had taken the panzers more seriously and launched 7 armored into Perch 24 hours earlier (as many say it should have)? With two days, could 7 armored have swung right in behind Caen and taken Hill 112 (the key to  the region it seemed later)?

I'd say, sure why not:  7 armored could have driven in with about 200 tanks/TDs.  In this scenario, they are opposed by about 40 German tanks (20 Panthers, 10 PZKWIV and 10 Tigers),  Since in theory these can each knock out 5 enemy tanks, it should be a fair fight -- though things might go the other way since at Lingevres (on this here map even) one Firefly knocked out 5 Panthers -- so there is an element of uncertainty.

The 13 red points are the victory hexes -- after two days, the possessor (last-passed thru) of the majority is the winner (the gray line is the out-of-play area where 50 Div and PZ Lehr are fighting):

[besilarius]

One of the great what ifs, and a great point of contention between Monty and the americans.
If you haven't read it, Keegan's Six Armies in Normandy has a pretty calm discussion of this, that makes fairly good appreciations.

[MengJiao]

One of the great what ifs, and a great point of contention between Monty and the americans.
If you haven't read it, Keegan's Six Armies in Normandy has a pretty calm discussion of this, that makes fairly good appreciations.

  I'm going to try to keep things simple: 24 hours earlier, Germans have what they had (plus a KG from I SS Corps): no artillery beyond Divisional, no airstrikes, no bicycles, no commandos, no telephones, and no parachutists.

[bayonetbrant]

NO BICYCLES!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

You...  you...  MONSTER!

[JasonPratt]

Based on recent photographic evidence, they hadn't clipped their corners to fit the hexes yet either.

>:D

[MengJiao]

NO BICYCLES!!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

You...  you...  MONSTER!

Bicycles infest the Sword/Orne sector.  Krug has two whole battalions of them (bicycle grenadiers presumably) and there are 3 or 4 battalions of bicycle commandos (oh oh oh oh and I forgot -- there are more bicycle grenadier battalions coming in from the east in the 711/346 kampfgruppen).  For this scenario, I wanted just the most basic possible stuff (basically tanks, tanks and more tanks).

So far the glory has gone to the German trucks -- which have gotten guns and infantry pretty far into the battle area by what is more or less 8 am June 12.

[MengJiao]

Based on recent photographic evidence, they hadn't clipped their corners to fit the hexes yet either.

>:D

  I believe the Vassal version of the game has a clipped option, so I always imagine all the counters have been virtually clipped in the
expectation of the eventual advent of a more ideal representation of the scenario in some alternative universe.

[MengJiao]

So far the glory has gone to the German trucks -- which have gotten guns and infantry pretty far into the battle area by what is more or less 8 am June 12.

But by around 8:30, the halftracks of the Rifle Battalion of the 22nd Brigade, rumble past the Green Lion and dismount in the bocage about 3 kilometers north of Villiers-Bocage, while the armored cars of the 11th Hussars (having gone the long way)  are 8 kilometers away on the other side of that objective.
But already things are slowing down.  The division isn't even going to start bringing up the artillery until after nine (that's the chit pull), and more definite orders for the brigades are not likely to arrive until 11am (that's the limited formation dispatch ability of the division).
Meanwhile the more limited staff and radio net of the ad hoc German force coming on the scene causes a similar slowdown (starting with half the command points as the 7th armored, but with half as many formations).  No formation orders are likely on the German side either.  A few lucky rolls around noon for either side could decide who makes an attack first.

[MengJiao]

Around 11 am, Wittmann and company arrive near Villiers-Bocage:

[MengJiao]

Around 11 am, Wittmann and company arrive near Villiers-Bocage:

  By around Noon, things have taken an unexpected turn as 22 Armored Bde heads for a kind of gap between KG Schnozzle and the 1st SS Panzer Corps.  This rather opportunistic move may turn out very badly, but for now it looks good since (luck of the chit-pulls), 7 Div or 131 Bde will be the last moves of this turn or the first of next turn.  It also resolves 7 Div's problem with not-quite enough command points since this brings 22 Bde into range most economically while allowing 4 Armored Bde (HQ near the Green Lion) to cover the north flank and 131 the south while threatening Villiers-Bocage.  Of course this also makes it easier for the Germans to concentrate on the central thrust that 22 Bde is making -- but we will see!

[MengJiao]

Around 11 am, Wittmann and company arrive near Villiers-Bocage:

  By around Noon, things have taken an unexpected turn as 22 Armored Bde heads for a kind of gap between KG Schnozzle and the 1st SS Panzer Corps.  This rather opportunistic move may turn out very badly, but for now it looks good since (luck of the chit-pulls), 7 Div or 131 Bde will be the last moves of this turn or the first of next turn.  It also resolves 7 Div's problem with not-quite enough command points since this brings 22 Bde into range most economically while allowing 4 Armored Bde (HQ near the Green Lion) to cover the north flank and 131 the south while threatening Villiers-Bocage.  Of course this also makes it easier for the Germans to concentrate on the central thrust that 22 Bde is making -- but we will see!

  By Around 2pm, things are definitely not going very well for the Germans.  131 Bde attacked Villiers-Bocage and so far things are pretty bloody, but with things looking even worse up north for KG Schnozzle,  a counter-attack at Villiers=Bocage seems unwise.  I'll have to roll the dice and see what 1 SS Panzer Corps decides to do since not counter-attacking gives the XXX Corps a minor victory (7 out of 13 red squares) right away while counter-attacking might leave KG Schnozzle in a precarious situation indeed.
   As suggested above, KG Schnozzle has had some very bad things happen -- 10 Panthers gone, other tanks retreating, alarms confusion, horror, Just the kind of thing that made Dollmann (commander of the German 7th army in Normandy) kill himself.  On the other hand XXX Corps might be running out of steam.  The attack on Villiers-Bocage burned up a lot of command points.  So at this point things might still go either way, maybe.

[MengJiao]

Around 11 am, Wittmann and company arrive near Villiers-Bocage:

  By around Noon, things have taken an unexpected turn as 22 Armored Bde heads for a kind of gap between KG Schnozzle and the 1st SS Panzer Corps.  This rather opportunistic move may turn out very badly, but for now it looks good since (luck of the chit-pulls), 7 Div or 131 Bde will be the last moves of this turn or the first of next turn.  It also resolves 7 Div's problem with not-quite enough command points since this brings 22 Bde into range most economically while allowing 4 Armored Bde (HQ near the Green Lion) to cover the north flank and 131 the south while threatening Villiers-Bocage.  Of course this also makes it easier for the Germans to concentrate on the central thrust that 22 Bde is making -- but we will see!

  By Around 2pm, things are definitely not going very well for the Germans.  131 Bde attacked Villiers-Bocage and so far things are pretty bloody, but with things looking even worse up north for KG Schnozzle,  a counter-attack at Villiers=Bocage seems unwise.  I'll have to roll the dice and see what 1 SS Panzer Corps decides to do since not counter-attacking gives the XXX Corps a minor victory (7 out of 13 red squares) right away while counter-attacking might leave KG Schnozzle in a precarious situation indeed.
   As suggested above, KG Schnozzle has had some very bad things happen -- 10 Panthers gone, other tanks retreating, alarms confusion, horror, Just the kind of thing that made Dollmann (commander of the German 7th army in Normandy) kill himself.  On the other hand XXX Corps might be running out of steam.  The attack on Villiers-Bocage burned up a lot of command points.  So at this point things might still go either way, maybe.

  And by 3pm, 22nd Armored Bde has sort of broken through, though that might be as far as XXX Corps gets because Wittmann and Company have mangled 131 Bde and are free to go north and mangle 22nd Bde plus XXX Corps is pretty much out of command points while the Germans are doing much better in that area:

[MengJiao]

Around 11 am, Wittmann and company arrive near Villiers-Bocage:

  By around Noon, things have taken an unexpected turn as 22 Armored Bde heads for a kind of gap between KG Schnozzle and the 1st SS Panzer Corps.  This rather opportunistic move may turn out very badly, but for now it looks good since (luck of the chit-pulls), 7 Div or 131 Bde will be the last moves of this turn or the first of next turn.  It also resolves 7 Div's problem with not-quite enough command points since this brings 22 Bde into range most economically while allowing 4 Armored Bde (HQ near the Green Lion) to cover the north flank and 131 the south while threatening Villiers-Bocage.  Of course this also makes it easier for the Germans to concentrate on the central thrust that 22 Bde is making -- but we will see!

  By Around 2pm, things are definitely not going very well for the Germans.  131 Bde attacked Villiers-Bocage and so far things are pretty bloody, but with things looking even worse up north for KG Schnozzle,  a counter-attack at Villiers=Bocage seems unwise.  I'll have to roll the dice and see what 1 SS Panzer Corps decides to do since not counter-attacking gives the XXX Corps a minor victory (7 out of 13 red squares) right away while counter-attacking might leave KG Schnozzle in a precarious situation indeed.
   As suggested above, KG Schnozzle has had some very bad things happen -- 10 Panthers gone, other tanks retreating, alarms confusion, horror, Just the kind of thing that made Dollmann (commander of the German 7th army in Normandy) kill himself.  On the other hand XXX Corps might be running out of steam.  The attack on Villiers-Bocage burned up a lot of command points.  So at this point things might still go either way, maybe.

  And by 3pm, 22nd Armored Bde has sort of broken through, though that might be as far as XXX Corps gets because Wittmann and Company have mangled 131 Bde and are free to go north and mangle 22nd Bde plus XXX Corps is pretty much out of command points while the Germans are doing much better in that area:

  7pm -- a weird moment sort of -- 7th Div has the first move and if it rolls a large number of command points it could do some damage -- however, being its historically unaggressive self, nothing much will happen and the kind of horrific slaughter will go on: the Germans have enough command points to make counterattacks on the small and uncoordinated attacks the 7th is making, but they don't have the firepower to do anything else -- plus those counterattacks use up their otherwise good store of command points -- while on the other hand, the 7th has enough firepower to attack even without good command point numbers, but not enough to gain more than a German counterattack can slaughter.
  Anyway...some things could still happen before night fall and in the morning the 7th will have a tiny store of dispatch points to use to make at least one coordinated attack, if enough of their troops are still alive and not too demoralized (loss of cohesion and step points cause a lot of morale type effects).

[MengJiao]

  7pm -- a weird moment sort of -- 7th Div has the first move and if it rolls a large number of command points it could do some damage -- however, being its historically unaggressive self, nothing much will happen and the kind of horrific slaughter will go on: the Germans have enough command points to make counterattacks on the small and uncoordinated attacks the 7th is making, but they don't have the firepower to do anything else -- plus those counterattacks use up their otherwise good store of command points -- while on the other hand, the 7th has enough firepower to attack even without good command point numbers, but not enough to gain more than a German counterattack can slaughter.
  Anyway...some things could still happen before night fall and in the morning the 7th will have a tiny store of dispatch points to use to make at least one coordinated attack, if enough of their troops are still alive and not too demoralized (loss of cohesion and step points cause a lot of morale type effects).

  Well, twelve hours later and the sun comes up to find XXX Corps is about to make a big attack.  The 7pm, 9pm and the night went very oddly and not well for the Germans.  131 Bde attacked at night and secured Villers-Bocage and a victory hex.  The German counterattacks didn't do much damage anywhere and now the 7th armored is about to make a big attack: