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AAR - Preliminary, Day 3, Night Patrol on La Fueillie
Feb 26, 2015 13:34:53 GMT -5
Post by Saunders[41stAIR] on Feb 26, 2015 13:34:53 GMT -5
Map: Englesqueville
SITUATION Preliminary Action to Battle 3, July 15-16th, 1944
14 Volunteers equipped for a night-raid, detached from C Troop, 113th Cavalry Squadron. Tasked with clearing the advance of the 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division.
REPORT OF ACTIONS
Temporarily detached from TF Biddle and attached to Bolster the 29th Cavalry Troop (Divisional Reconnaissance of the 29th ID), the small patrol was tasked with entering the town of "La Fueillie", of the sector of the same name, to attempt to capture enemy prisoners and, if lightly held enough, to secure the key crossroads in the village in anticipation of further offensive action by the 29th Infantry division.
The Patrol, lead by Sgts. Saunders and Masterson, consisted primarily of dismounted Troopers, armed with only light equipment; rifles, carbines and submachineguns. Prior to the commencement of the attack, 2nd Lt. Rinaldi arrived personally carrying a .30 cal taken from a M3 left in the rear, and Cpls. Anderson and Pelt, who brought a M1A1 Rocket Launcher and a M2 Mortar, respectively. These would prove vital in giving the lightly-armed patrol enough firepower to sweep the enemy from the crossroads.
Sneaking into a farm on the outskirts of town, the Patrol let loose a fusillade of sustained fire at suspected enemy positions - no response. Caution creeped into the Trooper's hearts, the enemy may have been aware of them before the firing started....an ambush perhaps? Caution suddenly thrown to the wind, attempting not to trod on the NCOs toes, I suggested strongly we smoke the crossroads and enter via irrigation ditch while under the cover of the MG; if the enemy were in the village, they'd have to reveal themselves eventually. So they did, with Pvt. Padavic being wounded by sniper fire from the Church and putting him out of action. The shooter at the Church received 3 bazooka rounds in quick succession, and firing from this location ceased immediately. The crossroads was cleared with little further incident, under sporadic MG fire from the East road.
A small, probing firefight began as the patrol weighed its options and re-organized; Sgt. Masterson had been taken out of combat safely guiding his Troopers across the road one at a time under MG-fire, Cpl. Anderson and 2nd Lt. Rinaldi took over his element of the patrol, and quickly deployed them in a house overlooking the Crossroads, and began trading fire earnestly with MGs and riflemen down the Eastern road. The enemy had several men deployed in the graveyard by the local Church, and were either scattered or killed by mortar fire concentrations guided in excellently by Cpl. Pelt's mortars. As they took fire from the Crossroads position. The rest of the Patrol was pre-occupied in sweeping the South, dislodging Snipers from the hedges in the moonlit night at great cost.
Soon, a call for ammo was made, 3 men volunteered to go back to the Farm to pick up this ammo, and blundered into German infiltrators, who killed the three troopers with MG fire and hand grenades. Alerted to the sudden danger to our rear, Cpl. Anderson dashed back to ensure the Mortars safety, calmly informing 2nd Lt. Rinaldi about the contact to his rear - the .30 cal was swung 180 degrees and immediately cut a scythe across the open field in which the enemy were advancing; killing 4 enemies in quick succession of one another. At this debacle, the Axis defense crumpled, and the Patrol, suffering from heavy losses and scattered as they were, reorganized and pushed towards the Church, clearing houses with hand grenades and Tommy guns, all under the cover of 2nd Lt. Rinaldi (who was wounded by Sniper fire at the end of the combat). The remaining Germans, believing capture or death were imminent, fell back under the cover of darkness, not realizing just how disorganized and bled-out this small patrol was.
The Patrol has been reinforced by advanced elements of the 116th IR, and this surprise coup has been taken full advantage of by the Regimental HQ of the 116th. Unfortunately, the fighting was so savage that no German prisoners were taken, but the body of a German NCO was recovered with maps marking out intact bridges over the River Taute.
CASAULTIES
12x Riflemen
+1 MG M1919
Signed,
2nd Lt. Rianaldi,
113th Cavalry Squadron
SITUATION Preliminary Action to Battle 3, July 15-16th, 1944
14 Volunteers equipped for a night-raid, detached from C Troop, 113th Cavalry Squadron. Tasked with clearing the advance of the 116th Infantry Regiment, 29th Infantry Division.
REPORT OF ACTIONS
Temporarily detached from TF Biddle and attached to Bolster the 29th Cavalry Troop (Divisional Reconnaissance of the 29th ID), the small patrol was tasked with entering the town of "La Fueillie", of the sector of the same name, to attempt to capture enemy prisoners and, if lightly held enough, to secure the key crossroads in the village in anticipation of further offensive action by the 29th Infantry division.
The Patrol, lead by Sgts. Saunders and Masterson, consisted primarily of dismounted Troopers, armed with only light equipment; rifles, carbines and submachineguns. Prior to the commencement of the attack, 2nd Lt. Rinaldi arrived personally carrying a .30 cal taken from a M3 left in the rear, and Cpls. Anderson and Pelt, who brought a M1A1 Rocket Launcher and a M2 Mortar, respectively. These would prove vital in giving the lightly-armed patrol enough firepower to sweep the enemy from the crossroads.
Sneaking into a farm on the outskirts of town, the Patrol let loose a fusillade of sustained fire at suspected enemy positions - no response. Caution creeped into the Trooper's hearts, the enemy may have been aware of them before the firing started....an ambush perhaps? Caution suddenly thrown to the wind, attempting not to trod on the NCOs toes, I suggested strongly we smoke the crossroads and enter via irrigation ditch while under the cover of the MG; if the enemy were in the village, they'd have to reveal themselves eventually. So they did, with Pvt. Padavic being wounded by sniper fire from the Church and putting him out of action. The shooter at the Church received 3 bazooka rounds in quick succession, and firing from this location ceased immediately. The crossroads was cleared with little further incident, under sporadic MG fire from the East road.
A small, probing firefight began as the patrol weighed its options and re-organized; Sgt. Masterson had been taken out of combat safely guiding his Troopers across the road one at a time under MG-fire, Cpl. Anderson and 2nd Lt. Rinaldi took over his element of the patrol, and quickly deployed them in a house overlooking the Crossroads, and began trading fire earnestly with MGs and riflemen down the Eastern road. The enemy had several men deployed in the graveyard by the local Church, and were either scattered or killed by mortar fire concentrations guided in excellently by Cpl. Pelt's mortars. As they took fire from the Crossroads position. The rest of the Patrol was pre-occupied in sweeping the South, dislodging Snipers from the hedges in the moonlit night at great cost.
Soon, a call for ammo was made, 3 men volunteered to go back to the Farm to pick up this ammo, and blundered into German infiltrators, who killed the three troopers with MG fire and hand grenades. Alerted to the sudden danger to our rear, Cpl. Anderson dashed back to ensure the Mortars safety, calmly informing 2nd Lt. Rinaldi about the contact to his rear - the .30 cal was swung 180 degrees and immediately cut a scythe across the open field in which the enemy were advancing; killing 4 enemies in quick succession of one another. At this debacle, the Axis defense crumpled, and the Patrol, suffering from heavy losses and scattered as they were, reorganized and pushed towards the Church, clearing houses with hand grenades and Tommy guns, all under the cover of 2nd Lt. Rinaldi (who was wounded by Sniper fire at the end of the combat). The remaining Germans, believing capture or death were imminent, fell back under the cover of darkness, not realizing just how disorganized and bled-out this small patrol was.
The Patrol has been reinforced by advanced elements of the 116th IR, and this surprise coup has been taken full advantage of by the Regimental HQ of the 116th. Unfortunately, the fighting was so savage that no German prisoners were taken, but the body of a German NCO was recovered with maps marking out intact bridges over the River Taute.
CASAULTIES
12x Riflemen
+1 MG M1919
Signed,
2nd Lt. Rianaldi,
113th Cavalry Squadron