Reconnaissance Before Pontecorvo - Page 5

No.1 Platoon prepare to move out across the Pontecorvo Road.

So, with the next Canadian initiative, No.1 Platoon began by sending one Section across the road to occupy the German position they had eliminated earlier in the morning, then the balance of the Platoon (two Sections and the PC) made an advance to the North-West into a copse by the road intersection. Meanwhile back to the North, No.2 Platoon's Sections conducted retreat moves out of the orchard once the suppressed Section had rallied - they had proved powerless to deal with the lone Sniper harassing them and had become rather inert in their orchard. Once out of the orchard they marched South across the road, adjacent to the Canadian Start-Line, to the position where No.1 Platoon had originally advanced from. Back at the road intersection No.1 Platoon began conducting RBF and they were immediately successful locating the enemy Mortar OP, as expected, in the large Farmhouse opposite the intersection. However a crossfire from the two Rifle Sections with the PC was unsuccessful and initiative passed back to the Germans. The Company Commander did successfully rallied the Sherman during the initiative though, meaning it was ready to back-up No.1 Platoon. The first Canadian Mortar OP was also able to rally and get back out of the copse and out of LOS of the two snipers that had been shooting it. He subsequently moved over into the orchard previously occupied by No.1 Platoon, observing events down the road.

The final advance of the day - No.1 Platoon sends one Section to occupy the German
position opposite the orchard, while the balance of the platoon advance towards the
road intersection and the German Mortar OP's suspected position.

Smack! The German 8cm Mortar OP immediately got his Section's mortars on target against No.1 Platoon - a Rifle Section was decimated and the survivor and PC suppressed. Elsewhere the German Snipers continued their deadly game, both targeting the No.3 Platoon Rifle Section, while the Sniper to the North changed positions, moving South into an orchard where he could view both the tail end of No.2 Platoon (marching South) and the Section of No.1 Platoon in the old German entrenchments. His harassing fire immediately suppressed the last No.2 Platoon Section and exposed the Canadian's line of withdrawal. In the following initiative this Sniper eliminated the end Section from No.2 Platoon with a subsequent suppression and then (about 1000) shifted his attention to the No.1 Platoon Section, effectively keeping them suppressed for the next hour and a half! The Canadians responded to this by retiring No.2 Platoon (somewhat ignominiously) off the table, and also retiring their Company Commander as well! In the South-West the original Sniper also put the No.3 PC out of his misery, as he was still suppressed in the open in the middle of the minefield and easily finished off.

No.1 Platoon gets hammered by 8cm Mortar Fire - A Section is eliminated and
another and the PC suppressed. Meanwhile a cheeky German Sniper has moved
forward (top right corner) and is now harassing the third Section of No.1 Platoon
(who are occupying the old German position in the upper right of the position).

Repeated attempts were made to eliminate the German Mortar OP - the Sherman blasted away with it's hull MG and 75mm gun, the first Canadian Mortar OP bombarded the house, but to no avail, the best result being a pin. The German mortars continued to pound the suppressed members of No.1 Platoon and soon another Rifle Section was gone, leaving the PC isolated and suppressed. It was decided it was time for a hasty Canadian withdrawal, as time was flying by (1000 was well passed), and in preparation a smoke screen was laid to the North by the second Mortar OP to screen off the Northern Sniper so the remnants of No.1 Platoon could try to withdraw. Unfortunately the rally attempt failed and the German mortars now shifted their attention up the road to the last Rifle Section, attempting to finish off what the Sniper to the North had started! To try and resolve matters to the South the Sherman reduced it's attempts at the house (leaving it's Hull MG to harass the German Mortar OP in that building) and brought it's main gun's attention to the Snipers to the South. This was unfortunately very unsuccessful.

Situation around 1000-1030 - the Canadians have taken heavy casualties and are having difficulty extracting the survivors.

Meanwhile the first German Sniper temporarily repositioned to the North-West and took out the suppressed No.1 Platoon PC with a well aimed shot! He then moved back to the South. The two Southern Snipers then eliminated the suppressed remnants of No.3 Platoon in the South over the course of two initiatives and the South-East Sniper moved up into the orchard that the Canadians had just recently been occupying. By this time it was 1100 and the Canadians had one last chance to try to save the remaining Section of No.1 Platoon... Needless to say it went poorly. Fire from the Sherman was ineffective, even though it had left the road and headed South, bringing it's Hull MG & main armament to bear on the third Sniper, in the orchard. However the German Mortars did fall silent, offering a reprieve, at least for a moment (in fact they had actually exhausted their ammunition).

Dealing with Snipers (rather ineffectually).

Then it was all over, a shot from the Northern Sniper finished off the last Rifle Section (from No.1 Platoon) and there was nothing left for the Sherman but to retire, it being 1130 by the time it returned across the start line. The two Canadian Mortar OPs covered the retirement, but the German forces showed no desire to make one last effort to chase them - and by 1200 it was all over, the Canadians had taken heavy casualties in the end, and only secured a limited amount of reconnaissance. It was a grim day for A Company, 48th Canadian Highlanders!

"Heading Home" - The Sherman withdraws at 1130 leaving just the two Mortar OP
teams in action covering the withdrawal...

The Final Tally:

* Should normally be only 13 possible in total. Totals exclude Snipers.

11-15 Victory Points = German Victory.

Finished >>