Operation Martlet: The Last Ditch at Rauray (Table 6, Turn 10)

 At last, Rauray, the end zone. After this, they'll have earned their rest. The Duke of Wellington Regiment is sending their 6th Battalion towards Rauray, with A Company attacking the town itself. Clavell's  platoon is to push on the left flank, supported by a Churchill AVRE and an additional rifle section from a company in reserve. The panzergrenadiers have been attached to Sturmbannfuhrer Wünsche's kamfgruppe, charged with defending Rauray. Schnatz' platoon is holding the crossroads and chateau on the east side of town, and have just had time to dig a tank scrape for their Panzer IV. Oberscharfuhrer Graf is leading in Schnatz' stead.

The ground leading into Rauray

The British line of advance

Clavell's patrols return, reporting German activity in the cluster of buildings to the east, with some possible presence along the hedges. They're able to secure ground towards the southern edge of the wheat field, as well as within spitting distance of the western hedges.

British Jump Off Points

German JOPs

Clavell's supporting rifle section deploys to the wheat field, eyeballing the gap in the hedges ahead of them. Behind, a Churchill AVRE presses up the road, adjacent to the wheat, his gun trained on the road to their front. 

The AVRE surveys its front

Scharfuhrer Bergander commands his men to hold their fire. He's prepared each MG-42 a firing position in the house overlooking the wheat, and he waits as the khaki clad troops move closer. On his signal the Spandaus open fire, and the khaki disappears into the what, at least one killed. Off to his right, the dug-in Panzer IV fires from his position, but the shell soars harmlessly over the Churchill.

The Panzer IV in its ambush position

The whine of the shell passing over their turret, the AVRE commander orders the turret to traverse left. Between the hull down panzer and the MG position firing on their infantry, the commander has a decision to make. He orders the gunner to fire on the house. The shell passes through a window, debris erupts from ever opening in the house, and the machinegun fire within ceases. No one exits the house - in one blast, the threat is totally neutralized. The infantry in the wheat field press hard across the road, the MGs silenced.

The panzer gunner, consumed with guilt - his missed shot leading to the complete annihilation of Bergander's squad, fires three 75mm rounds in quick succession. The first two bounce of the thick side armor of the AVRE, but the third punches home and the machine is silenced. The armor threat neutralized, the panzer commander directs his driver to reverse out of their tank scrape, and to maneuver towards the woods.

AVRE knocked out - though not before it wiped out Bergander and his squad

Sgt Buckley and Cpl Holmes push hard on the flank with his rifle section, throwing smoke in the road to cover their advance. They cross the hedges and move up to the patisserie, looking to swing wide around the German position. Seeking to put pressure on a broad front, Cpl Goodman deploys into the wheat, following in the footsteps of their attached rifle section, with an aim to reach the woods on the far side. Cpl Erickson and his section move up to the hedges around the patisserie, followed by Lt Clavell, the PIAT, and the 2" mortar.

Sgt Buckley moves his men around the flank

The panzer laying in wait for the approaching Tommies

Cpl Goodman leads his men forward

The panzer moves up toward the road, catching Erickson's section. MG fire is directed at the elderly corporal, and he takes a round through the leg, but pushes on, getting his section out of sight. The PIAT fires its ordinance at the German tank, but the round misses, exploding in the wheat field. The 2" mortar team drops a smoke shell between the tank and the British on the road, temporarily shielding them from sight. Clavell gathers his HQ elements and gets them over the hedge, while directing Goodman's section to press hard down the road further into town.

The panzer creeps into the road, putting pressure on the British flank

Cpl Erickson and the PIAT defend themselves

Goodman's section presses into town

The Panzer IV drives behind the British troops, clearing and securing all but a sliver of their line of communications. Clavell pushes forward all the same, coordinating his troops down the road and towards the objective, eyes set.

The British LOC becoming jeopardized

Holmes, his section, and Sgt Buckley move deeper into town, observing the chateau, the supposed German platoon HQ. Appearing quiet, Buckley directs Goodman's section to move past the woods towards the back door, while he and Goodman's section move up the road along the buildings flank. Immediately, the windows light up in MG-42 fire, half directed at Goodman's section, while the rest is directed at Buckley and Holmes. Buckley takes a round, leaving him breathless, while all of the riflemen are cut down in the open. Holmes and his remaining men drag their platoon sergeant back behind a nearby building, and out of sight.

Buckley and Holmes prepare for the assault on the HQ

Caught in the open!

Likewise, Cpl Goodman's section gets caught in the open, between the machine guns and the trees. Six men quickly fall dead as Goodman's advance is halted. They hastily withdraw into the cover of the woods, shattered. The additional rifle section pours fire into the building, covering the two sections' retreats. Clavell leads Erickson's section down the road, bringing the PIAT team with them as they hear the panzer moving to support the Germans in the chateau.

Clavell organizing the men in the woods

The Panzer IV sidles up next to Graf's HQ, where Ruel and Peppler's squads sprung their trap on the advancing British troops. Within the chateau, Oberscharfuhrer Graf takes control of Ruel's squad, as the return fire from the forest has blasted masonry into the scharfuhrer, stunning him momentarily. As the remaining British fade back into the forest, the machinegunners set their eyes out for targets. 

Smoke slowly engulfs the building, 2" shells surrounding them, blinding the troops within. With the infantry shrouded in smoke, Clavell orders Erickson's section to draw the panzer's fire, hoping to push up the PIAT at the opportune moment. The old man and his section book it through the edge of the woods, drawing fire from the main gun and the hull MG. With the attention directed at Erickson, the PIAT team surge forward and launch a round at the behemoth.

Dirt and shrapnel rain down on the panzer, and the driver goes full reverse, backing into the stone stables behind them with a crash. A second PIAT round launches from the forest in front of them, shearing their front and detonating inside. The remaining crew bail, and fall back well behind friendly lines as their machine begins to burn.

The knocked out Panzer IV

The Panzer IV neutralized, Clavell brings the 2" mortar up along with the remains of Goodman's section to clear the previous German defensive points. Using smoke and quick movement, they scout the abandoned tank scrape and farmhouse by the wheat field, no signs of additional Germans. It seems they've all fallen back to the HQ or the stable, the knocked out panzer joining the buildings to create a strong defensive perimeter.

Lt Clavell links up with the 2"

The 2" lays down fair amounts of smoke

The smoke from the German perspective

With his flank now exposed, Graf pulls Ruel on to his feet and directs him and his squad to follow him to the stables next to the HQ. They reclaim the ground outside of the stable and, seeing the immediate area clear, they catch their breath. He sets up Ruel's MGs in the windows and they just catch glimpses of movement through the smoke beyond. Out, just beyond their sight, Clavell clears the outer perimeter of the former German positions. They know they're losing ground, but there's nothing that Oberscharfuhrer Graf can do about it.

Graf and Ruel's squad maneuver through the courtyard

Clavell leads Goodman's section around the west flank

As Clavell clears the surrounding area, he decides to send a section back to the woods to prepare for the assault. On their return to join with Sgt Buckley, now back on his feet, and the rest of the platoon, the 2" mortar team forgets momentarily to lay low. MG-42 fire emanates from the top floor of the chateau, cutting down the two men.

Clavell and Goodman hold the cleared flank

Graf hears gunfire rip the silence and is alerted to trouble at the chateau, falling back to that position, followed shortly by Ruel's squad. Peppler stands unresponsive in the corner, shocked beyond consoling. Immediately a group of Tommies rush the windows, posting grenades inside. The blast kills two of Graf's men, the survivors choking on the dust. He abandons the downstairs, and leads Peppler and Ruel's men to the second floor as he sees the assaulting British fall back towards their positions in the woods - preparing for a final, bloody assault. 

The rifle team posting grenades inside the chateau

He sets his men in the windows, Ruel's MGs to face the woods and Peppler's to face the stable and courtyard. Ruel's men start trading fire with the Brits in the woods as Graf directs their fire. The return fire from the woods kills one of his MG assistants and Graf himself takes a bullet through the arm. The odds are not looking good.

The Brits in the woods trade fire with the panzergrenadiers

From below, Sgt Buckley directs the fire on the chateau while Lt Clavell takes Goodman and his reduced section around the side, hoping to capture the stables while the Germans are occupied. Unfortunately, he draws fire from Peppler's men as they lean out of the windows with their MG-42s. He looses two men, leaving Clavell and Goodman with just the Bren gunner. They throw smoke and rush into the cover of the stables.

Clavell's charge to capture the stables

Graf, seeing Clavell's advance unfold, draws Ruel and his men to the ground floor in an attempt to retake the stables. They hurl grenades through the stable windows, but they fail to do damage in the large, open building. 

With squad leaders killed and wounded, their retreat nearly cut off, and their morale at rock bottom, Graf's platoon begins to unravel as his men route from the field. The British capture the abandoned chateau, and have finally ejected the Germans from Rauray.

The German platoon routed from the west side of Rauray. Five men had been killed to include Scharfuhrer Bergander. Six more were out of action, lost or wounded, and though Ruel and Graf were seen leaving the field, no one had heard from them since. Peppler, wounded in the HQ, was captured by the advancing British. This essentially cripples Schnatz' platoon, leaving very little left with which to fight. Lt Clavell lost seven men dead, with four more who would need time to rest and heal. His CO is thrilled, and grants Clavell's thoroughly exhausted men some rest. Though slightly behind the proposed schedule, Rauray has been captured at the close of the second day since the initiation of Operation Martlet. Operation Epsom is concluding its first day off to the east, its flank secured.

Well that's it, Operation Martlet complete! My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed this campaign and are looking forward to our next one. We'll probably switch theaters and try out The Gembloux Gap, a PSC that looks at 3 Panzer pushing against the French 1 DIM in Belgium. Either that, or we'll check out The Scottish Corridor, a natural follow-on to Operation Martlet. Time will tell. I hope you enjoyed reading through this campaign as much as we enjoyed playing it. We'll catch you on the next one!

Caleb