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rico21 -> Team Desobry *Bastogne1/...* (6/23/2017 3:03:22 PM)
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Team Desobry
Tuesday, 19 December 1944.
Around midnight, the Desobry team began deploying in Noville, and two hours later Major Desobry and the bulk
of its troops set up barriers on the access roads to the village. After a brief stop in Bourcy, the 2nd Panzer Division
headed for the Noville crossroads. In the middle of the morning, the fog rises and under the eyes of the men of Desobry,
a cloud of Panzers appears, advancing towards the village. Desobry realizes that he has in front of his team a division
Armored vehicle. He saw that the village was between ridges and that its defense was difficult or even impossible.
Around 10.30 am, the combat began and a barrage shot, using all the cannons, bazookas and machine guns
available breaks the German advance. Roberts, Brigadier General Higgins and Colonel Sink decided to send the 1st
Battalion of the 506th in reinforcement in Noville while the 2nd and 3rd battalions settle in Foy.
Major Desobry asked to leave Noville. Roberts tells him that reinforcements are coming in and Desobry answers:
"I'm going to prepare a counterattack. About 13.30 hours the first battalion of the 506th, under Lieutenant
Colonel La Prade arrived in Noville.
Around 14:30, the attack is launched by the Americans but it is stopped net. The infantry are kept at the bottom
Of the hill in front of the village of Vaux but the men must retreat.
The Germans counterattack with sixteen tanks. The American shoot down the Panzers while Noville is in
flames. The visibility is zero and the Americans retreat to Noville.
Higgins arrives in Noville and promises reinforcements for the next day. A conference between La Prade, Colonel Sink, Major
Desobry and Major Harwick takes place and during this conference an 88 mm shell passes through an enormous wardrobe and kills
La Prade.
While a splinter wounds Desobry to the head. Desobry is evacuated to the 101st Field Hospital in Barriere-Hinck where he
will be made prisoner. Harwick is in charge of the defense of Noville and Hustead replaces Desobry.
All night, Noville was bombarded by German artillery. Two tanks are trying to invest the village but they
destroyed. The Americans are holding on. Sink and Higgins ask Mc Auliffe for permission to withdraw to Foy. Middleton
refuses but at night, the 506th retreats to Foy.
Noville encircled, Mc Auliffe orders to attack Recogne and join Noville to break the encirclement. Noville must be
abandoned: one can not sacrifice more men.
Shortly after noon, the evacuation of Noville was prepared. The order of retreat arrives at about thirteen o'clock. After many
losses, theColumn that evacuates arrives at Foy at nightfall. The column will continue its withdrawal as far as Bastogne.
The losses are enormous, there are four tanks out of fifteen and the 506th has lost thirteen officers and a hundred and
ninety-nine soldiers to Noville. The Germans lost seventeen Panzers and three Mark IV. Twenty-five others are damaged. An
entire battalion of Grenadiers is decimated and one hundred and forty-two are prisoners. On December 20, Noville was occupied
again by the Germans.
During this battle, the crossroads of Noville, which was successively taken over five times by the forces involved, was
considered as a strategic point just as important as one of those of Bastogne.
German --> ] American *Bastogne1/...*
Scenario Length: 7 Game Turns - LOS 14 Hexes
Victory objective: The side with the required Victory Points is the winner. Both sides gets VPs for owning VP Objectives.
Scenario designer: ASL'Men [ From Combat Mission Beyond Overlord]
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