AAR 1/4/2012, 113th v "C" 116th, 29th ID

REPORT OF ACTIONS

In combat against Company C, 116th Regiment, 29th Infantry, the 113th met their opponents in combat amongst the ruins of Poteau; the combat was divided into two stages - an attack and defence.

The Attack - Conducted as Axis

Action opened up with light shelling from 57mm fire; rated as inaccurate and clearly meant to break us up as we concentrated for the attack, it fell 200 meters to the left of our position; but illustrated to us clearly that the enemy was aware of our movements and general location.

With the Jagdpanzer IV kept in reserve and with 2 Gruppes abreast; the Zug crossed open ground and searched the tree-line for the enemy; a sniper was encountered and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with Pfc. Saunders (2nd Squad, Acting SL) who killed the enemy and acquired his rifle. The tree-line was cleared with little further incident, but mortar fire well to the rear of the Platoon caused the Zug-Fuhrer to be knocked out of action by shrapnel wounds. Sgt. Dreek assumed command of the platoon therein and proceeded to direct the tank onto the high ground NE of the town.

At this point a lively firefight began; with the enemy making clear but uncontested moves ( a severe failure on our own part) to our left flank - the first of several attempts to bring detpacks close to our Jagdpanzer were repelled with fire, causing light and insignificant losses upon the enemy. The enemy scout car was a non-factor in the fight; committed only once and repelled with light fire from hand-held anti-tank weapons. The enemy infantry however, counter-attacked our position with skill, using the courtyard of an intact house to cover their forces; exposed as we were, the Zug could barely defend itself, let alone press the advance.

The attack faltered as losses mounted; the attack can only be called a failure - calls for better communications and less hesitation in the use of High-Explosive ammunition have been made towards Zugfuhers to avoid further such debacles. Enemy losses are hard to estimate, but cannot be above 7.


The Defense - Conducted as Allies

Using a French tactic known as 'strong-point' defence, the Platoon attempted to encourage the enemy to attack around a central position and leave themselves open to a counter-attack; to draw them in, Third squad was put well forward and unsupported in a tree-line, and was ordered to fall back upon contact with the main enemy body. Second was to hold the selected strong-point, the abandoned infirmary (the only intact structure in the village) and draw the enemy in with a stiff defense. First squad, with support from a Greyhound, was to wait in reserves to counter-attack the enemy while they were invested on our strong-point. While the defense would be conducted to plan, the enemy would prove themselves just too resilient to fold under our crippling counterattack.

Action opened up with Third's skirmish line claiming three enemy lives and identifying the main axis of the German advance. After a brief exchange of fire with the main body, they retreated in good order, losing only one man, and took position to the left of the strong-hold. For the remainder of the round they would combat with skill an enemy half-track and a handful of infantry, shooting with such accuracy that they would remove the halftrack from combat through shooting its pintle-gunner. Through attrition the enemy would roll up our flanks and destroy 3rd.

The destruction of 3rd allowed the enemy to conduct a two-pronged advance into the village, the main thrust coming from 3rd's abandoned positions, with high-ground to the Northeast (the same used on our own attack) used to cover. Upon entering the village they were immediately taken under heavy fire from our strong-point and, as hoped, began to attack it vigorously and with unrestrained aggression. The enemy temper's were cooled when Pfc. Saunders and Pfc. Celpolski repelled the first entry-team; and the enemy were content to shell ineffectively while they gathered their wits. At this time, with the enemy clearly focused on taking this immediate position, they were subjected to our counterattack, guided forward through the thick fog by Pfc. Hatsune. Through skill and awareness, the enemy Jagdpanzer would repel the attack on its rear, destroying the M8 sent to bolster the counter-attack, but a bulk of the enemy's infantry and leadership were removed from combat in the process of doing so. The counter-attack had done all that could be asked of it, and the battle would be decided by a final assault upon the infirmary.

The second attack on the infirmary would be a short affair, the enemy would - at great cost - clear the ground floor, and in their eagerness they rushed up to the second with little regard for their own safety - and were promptly gunned down by the remaining men of the 113th. Retreating into the attic due to yet another assault, the enemy would secure victory when HE shells would put the troops holed up in the attic out of action.

In two hours of fighting spread over two rounds, the enemy would narrowly secure for himself a victory; an elusive prize when fighting the 113th. We can only commend them on the skill and level of training displayed on their part in securing one of only three victories ever gained by an enemy force over the 113th Cavalry Group.


Signed,
2nd Lieutenant Victor Rinaldi,
Platoon Leader, C Troop
113th Cavalry Squadron, 113th Cavalry Group