Army Showcase: German Heer

As our campaign has been delayed for a little while I thought it would be nice to follow up from the US Army showcase with a look at the German forces which have stared in the Normandy battle reports!

The army is loosely based on Western Europe 1944 and could be used for Normandy, Market Garden or perhaps even later in the final days of the war in 1945. I have tried to keep the army diverse in unit types and they could be fielded as a inexperienced (Polish conscripts), Regular or Veteran force.

2nd Panzer Grenadier Division:

 

Let's have a look at the units:

Lieutenant and man:

I used a sprue from the SS infantry box to make my HQ. I've given the Lieutenant the broom handle mauser for the rule of cool and his man has a Stg44 so we just play it as 2 assault rifles. The peaked cap is iconic of WII German officers so I decided to not go for the helmet even though I usually try and give my guys helmeted heads.

Heer Grenadier Squad 1:

I have 3 identical squads for this army which are NCO with SMG, 4 riflemen (1 with panzerfaust) and LMG team. The NCOs pointing hand is from the US airborne infantry sprue and for this squad I decided to have the loader bending down and feeding the belt ammo to a standing machine gunner. I didn't like that the only option for the Grenadier sprue is having the gun slung over the shoulder.

Heer Grenadier Squad 2:

Next grenadier squad. I modeled this squad to be on the move with the MG team moving and the panzer faust holder on the run. The men are made from a mix of SS and grenadier parts. 

Heer Grenadier Squad 3:

Final grenadier squad. For this one I had the NCO throwing a grenade and the machine gunner crouching while the loader runs over to him. Once again the men are made from a mix of SS and grenadier parts. 

Veteran Squad with Assault rifles:

 

This veteran squad is fully decked out with assault rifles and SMG NCO. Not sure a full squad of assault rifles is historically accurate and I often break them up and scatter them throughout the grenadier squads when making lists. I like to imagine these guys are veterans from the Eastern front (hence the captured PPSh on the NCO) and have been sent to the West for leave or to train some new recruits who are taking it easy in France. The NCO was originally my 2nd Lieutenant from the original Band of Brothers starter set but I demoted him to NCO when I got the SS sprue. 

Sturmpioniere:

This squad was made from my left over bits from the SS and grenadier squads. I wanted to have a squad of Sturmpioniere after reading about their role in the Battle of Stalingrad. I feel like the crouched and pointing position of the NCO and the bandaged head on the guy front left really sells that these guys are veterans. The backpacks are spares from the US airborne sprue and also help distinguish these guys from regular Heer grenadiers. The flamethrower team at the back are a mix of panzerfaust parts, a miliput sculpted flamer tank, paperclips and the 'loader' is carrying an MG42 barrel case but represents some kind of engineer explosives. I'm really happy with how they turned out. 

Sniper team:

 

The sniper team is simply made from grenadier bits and the foliaged helmet from the SS box. The scope on the sniper rifle is a rifle grenade trimmed down and painted. I wanted to capture the scene that the spotter has called out the location of a target and the sniper is about to fire. 

Medium Machine Gun Team:

 

This MMG team was a fun little project to put together and is made from a mix of parts. The 'spotter' is just heer grenadier with the ammo belt and binoculars. The gun team are firing from a position of miliput sandbags and the prone loader is actually the prone US airborne body and arms with an SS head and Grenadier webbing and breadbag. On the table they look the part and this MG team has shot down many paratroopers in the campaign so far!

Mortar Team:

 

I prefer plastic models to the metal sculpts and so when I saw the plastic mortar sprue on the Warlord website (I believe it is for a Hanomag) I thought it would make a great alternative to the metal mortar team. The loader and man covering his ears are directly from the sprue and just stuck on bases. The crouching man with the map and the spotter are from the Grenadier sprue. The spotters radio is made from a US browning ammo box and e-tool handle. The spotter also doubles as an artillery observer. All in all I'm very happy with it and glad I could avoid those metals!

Pak40:

The Pak40 is from Rubicon and was an absolute treat to put together compared to the metal US airborne 57mm anti tank gun. As always the Rubicon kits are a mile above Warlords! I painted the gun with a 'splinter camo' inspired theme and think it came out nicely. My only gripe is that the scale of the crew is slightly smaller than the Warlord figures and so the head swaps I did look a bit giant on the smaller bodies. Maybe one day I'll redo the crew when I have some spare Warlord German infantry bodies lying around.

Sd.Kfz.251 (Hanomag):

 

The Hanomag is from the Band of Brother starter and was actually pretty nice to put together. I decided to go with a dusty German grey rather than a dunkelgelb and I also didn't put the Pak38 gun in instead deciding to go with the machine gun. The machine gunner is actually the loader that comes with the Pak38 gun with trimmed down US airborne binocular arms.

Sd.Kfz. 234 (Puma):

The Puma is a warlord kit and was terrible to put together. I just skipped all of the tedious suspension on the bottom of the vehicle as you can't see it anyway and it was very fiddly to put together. I painted the Puma with Tamiya XF-60 to get that dunkelgelb and then gave a 'splinter camo' type scheme to match the Pak40. The messy camo scheme is a result of my shody brushwork as I don't have an airbrush but I kind of like it as historically the camo was painted on the front by the crew using whatever mops they had handy (at least that's how I justify it!). The stowage on the back is an ammo box from the Rubicon Pak40 kit with a tissue soaked in PVA as a tarpaulin.

Panzer IV:

 

Finally the Panzer IV.  I actually got this as part of the 'offset shipping' promo that Warlord was running to international buyers. It was a decent kit to put together and I decided to skip on the side schurtzen as I don't like way it makes the tank look so boxy. Painting this tank was an absolute disaster. I bought the Tamiya 'Mustard Yellow' spray thinking it was much darker and closer to XF-60 in colour but it came out way too bright yellow. I then tried to strip the paint job using 'detol' antiseptic following a guide I saw on youtube but it didn't strip properly and just turned the yellow an even stranger yellow colour with a very grainy texture. I decided to press on and continue with the model and paint some splinter camo and weather the tank but it really looks way too bright especially next to the Puma and Pak40. I might sacrifice this tank as a terrain piece for a future project and buy another kit to paint properly but for now it will remain part of my list!

That's it for the German army, I believe the whole thing comes out to about 1200+ points depending on if you take regular or veterans. I still have a few things to add before it is complete such as a Stug III, a Tiger I Ausf E, another medium MG team, a Panzershrek team and a quad 20mm Flakvierling 38. Maybe even another Grenadier squad! 

It's been a treat putting this army together and I've really loved jumping into the hobby both from a playing and painting/building perspective. Having both US and German armies also has helped break up the painting and made it easy to play some games with friends as I have everything at home ready to go. I'm looking forward to expanding this force out and, who knows, maybe even adding a 3rd army in the future(!!!!!).

Signing out,

Chewie

Scenario 7: Counter attack at Carentan

Finally we are ready for the final battle of our Normandy campaign - The German counter attack at Carentan. This scenario will be the same as Scenario 6 but with the Germans as attackers and the US forces defending - once again the objective will be for the attackers to capture 3 key positions on the battlefield.

Background:  In the afternoon of the 12th of June the 501st and 506th PIR were tasked with holding the freshly captured town of Carentan from the inevitable German counter attack. Having heard that Carentan has been lost, the Furher has ordered that the town be taken back. The 17th SS Panzer Grenadiers, led by their commander Werner Ostendorf, arrive in the area and prepare to attack the town with the support of the 6th Fallschirmjager and 37th SS panzer grenadiers.

 

In response the 2nd Armored division (US) are promptly sent to help reinforce the paras defending Carentan. 7am June the 13th the battle begins. Lead by armored STUG tank destroyers the German counter attack begins and the Americans must hold until their Armor arrives.

The bocage of Normandy greatly favored defenders providing natural barricades.

 

Scenario: Attackers vs Defends. 

 

Forces:

American infantry holding the hedgerows in Normandy.

 

HQ:

Regular 2nd Lieutenant and Man

 

Infantry:

 

Regular Paratrooper Squad

1 NCO with Submachine gun

1 B.A.R

7 Riflemen

 

Regular Paratrooper Squad

1 NCO with Submachine gun

1 B.A.R

7 Riflemen

 

Regular Paratrooper Squad

1 NCO with Submachine gun

1 B.A.R

7 Riflemen

 

Veteran Pathfinder Squad

1 NCO with Submachine gun

1 B.A.R

2 Submachine guns

1 Rifle

 

Regular MMG team

 

Regular Bazooka Team

 

Regular 57mm Antitank gun

 

Regular Sherman M4A1

Pintle mounted HMG

 

 

German Fallschirmjager

 

German:  Counter Attack Force

HQ:

Regular 2nd Lieutenant and Man

 

Infantry:

Regular Heer Grenadier Squad

1 NCO with Submachine gun

4 Riflemen (1 Panzerfaust)

1 Machine gun with 1 loader

 

Regular Heer Grenadier Squad

1 NCO with Submachine gun

4 Riflemen(1 Panzerfaust)

1 Machine gun with 1 loader.

 

Regular Heer Grenadier Squad

1 NCO with Submachine gun

4 Riflemen(1 Panzerfaust)

1 Machine gun with 1 loader.

 

Regular Heer Grenadier Squad

1 NCO with Submachine gun

2 Assault Rifles

4 Riflemen (1 Panzerfaust)

 

Regular MMG team

 

Regular Mortar Team

Spotter

 

Regular SdKfz 234/2 Puma

 

Regular STUG III Ausf H

 

 

Special Rules:

 

As a boon to winning the last game we will play with the following rule:

 

The Cavalry:  US armored units must be left in reserve on this scenario and can only attempt to come onto the battlefield in turn 3.

 

Looking forward to a ripper final game to wrap up our campaign!

Signing out,

Chewie

Battle Report: The Battle for Carentan

 

As dawn turned to morning on June 12^th the men of easy company arrived at their objective - a T-junction at the French town of Carentan. Little did the Americans know but the German commander Feder von Hydle had pulled back his forces from the town to link up with the 2^nd Panzer division and left a single division of Fallschirmjager to hold back the allies until a German counter attack is launched. Eying the quiet of the town, Captain Dick Winters of easy company orders his men forward across the fields and down the main road.

The T-junction in Carentan and the locations of the 3 American objectives.

Leutnant Wagner hushed his men as the Americans advanced, his machine gun teams holding fire till the US forces were within range. Suddenly, a pair of allied fighters soared overhead and strafed the buildings of the town containing the Germans, however, the aircraft were ineffective with the majority of their shells striking empty lots and throwing rubble and dust in the air. With the battle now begun the German guns sprung to life firing onto the advancing Paratroopers as they crossed the farms and hedges on the edge of town.

Winters directs his men down the road towards Carentan.

A concentrated fire on the American forces began to whittle their number as MG42 bullets peppered the exposed infantry. As Sergeant Baker of Charlie squad was killed instantly by the storm of lead the remaining men began to waiver, however Lt Winters kicked them back into shape and they held their nerve. Leutnant Wagner waited till the US forces concentrated on the main road of the town before signalling to his radio operator to call in a barrage from the nearby 88 Battery. He would just need to hold until the guns could range in. Meanwhile, American mortar fire began to rain down onto the buildings the Germans were occupying, causing a squad of infantry to relocate into the adjacent terrace to avoid the mortar blasts.  

The German artillery bombardment landed amongst the paratroopers

Caught in an exposed position, Lt  Winters had no choice but to keep his men moving towards the town and to capture their objective. He snapped to action his engineers and they advanced firing ineffectually at the German machine gun positions. An American .30 cal barked loudly as it covered the US advance and killed a few German soldiers. As Winters stood there directing his men, a German sniper positioned in the town fired a shot at the American Lt. The bullet did not hit its mark but did succeed in pinning down Winters and halting his assault.

The battle raged fiercely with the German infantry dominating the field with machine gun and rifle fire. Right as the American forces began their big push to seize the town, they were smashed by the withering barrage of 88 fire, pinning the infantry down again. Leutnant Wagner, taking advantage of his opponents exposed position rushed forwards to lead a counterattack. As he brought his Stg44 to bear he was hit but the crack shooting of the veteran paratroopers.  With a gurgle he fell to the ground dead.

German reinforcements take position in a ruined building to stop the American assault

With their leader killed, the German infantry were without command, but their orders were clear enough - keep firing until there was no Americans left. The German left flank began to thin as a well-placed mortar shell killed an entire Grenadier squad, however, reinforcements were able to retake the position and keep the advancing paratroopers from seizing their objectives. With the barrel glowing hot the MG42 fired again and again into advancing infantry, cutting down many of the Americans as they charged into the machine gun nest. A vicious melee broke out between Grenadier and Paratrooper with men fighting with bayonet, shovel and fist. As the dust cleared the surviving Germans looked about at the broken bodies around them – they had killed the American squad to the man.

A desperate assault on the machine gun nest leaves many US dead

Surveying the situation, Winters could see that he would need to pull back and regroup and assault the town again with more reinforcements. Continuing like this would mean suicide for the men of the 101^st. As the Americans retreated the remaining German forces, now leaderless, began to fall back and abandon their positions. They had successfully repelled the initial US attack as ordered, buying time for the bulk of the force to regroup with the 2^nd Panzer before the big counter attack.

 

A convincing win for Germany with 8 to 2 victory points. Once again the German machine guns proved too much for the US infantry with those extra shots really coming in handy. The US were also exceptionally unlucky with their preliminary bombardment rolling four 1's and leaving all the MG teams able to ambush on the first turn. As always the game was an absolute ripper and I can't wait for the next match which will be the final for the campaign - the counter attack on Carentan!

Signing out,

Chewie

Scenario 6: The Battle for Carentan

With a draw in our last battle for the Douve River, we are both keen to get cracking on the next scenario for our Normandy campaign - the Battle for Carentan. This is an iconic battle which has been immortalised in HBOs Band of Brothers and was also a cracker of a level in the original Call of Duty.

Background:  Both sides have realised the importance of the town of Carentan in joining the American beach fronts of Utah and Omaha. Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, who is managing the defence of Normandy beaches has ordered the 17th Panzer Grenadier Division and 6th Fallschirmjäger Regiment to hold the town of Carentan from Allied hands. German Commander Von Der Heydte, charged with holding the town realises that his forces will be destroyed by the American forces in their current state. Late on the 11th of June, he orders a withdrawal from Carentan and he leaves one depleted company in the town to delay the US attack. On the morning of June 12th the men of the men of 506th PIR launch their assault into the town to be met by fierce German resistance and fatally accurate artillery.

Carentan was a key objective for the Allies in the days following D-Day.

Scenario: Attackers and Defenders - The Americans (attackers) must capture the town from the German forces (defenders) who must resist the American attack. Players score 1 victory point for each enemy unit destroyed and 2 victory points for each objective held (total of 3 objectives). We will roll for a preliminary bombardment.

Forces:

US: 506th PIR

 

HQ:

Regular 2nd Lieutenant and Man

 

Infantry:

 

Regular Paratrooper Squad

1 NCO with Submachine gun

1 B.A.R

7 Riflemen

 

Regular Paratrooper Squad

1 NCO with Submachine gun

1 B.A.R

7 Riflemen

 

Regular Paratrooper Squad

1 NCO with Submachine gun

1 B.A.R

7 Riflemen

 

Veteran Engineer Squad

1 NCO with submachine gun
2 Riflemen

1 Flamethrower and Loader

 

Veteran Pathfinder Squad

1 NCO with submachine gun
2 Submachine guns

1 BAR

1 Rifle

 

Regular MMG team

 

Regular Bazooka Team

 

Regular Medium Mortar Steam
Spotter

American Airborne forces in the town following the fierce battle.

 

German:  FallschirmJäger Regiment 6

 

HQ:

Regular 2nd Lieutenant and Man

 

Regular Forward Artillery Observer

 

Infantry:

Regular Heer Grenadier Squad

1 NCO with Submachine gun

4 Riflemen (1 Panzerfaust)

1 Machine gun with 1 loader

 

Regular Heer Grenadier Squad

1 NCO with Submachine gun

4 Riflemen(1 Panzerfaust)

1 Machine gun with 1 loader.

 

Regular Heer Grenadier Squad

1 NCO with Submachine gun

4 Riflemen(1 Panzerfaust)

1 Machine gun with 1 loader.

 

 

Regular Heer Grenadier Squad

1 NCO with Submachine gun

2 Assault Rifles

3 Riflemen (1 Panzerfaust

 

Regular Heer Grenadier Squad

1 NCO with Submachine gun

2 Assault Rifles

4 Riflemen (1 Panzerfaust)

 

Regular MMG team

 

Regular Sniper Team

 

The 6th Fallschirmjäger Regiment plan their defence of the town

 

Once again looking forward to a great game 6th and the 2nd last battle in our Normandy Campaign!

Signing out,

Chewie