Hold Your Ground!


South of Wickerschwihr, France, January 27th, 1945: The French 1st Army had been stymied by the ferocious resistance
of the German 19th Army in front of Colmar since the beginning of December. Toward the end of January 1945, the French 
launched a general offensive to eliminate the "Colmar Pocket". 2nd Corp was ordered to liberate the city with the help of
U.S. troops of the 21st Corp. The first objective: the Colmar Canal to the east. The Americans quickly lost momentum.
General Monsabert decided to throw in 4th Combat Command in an extra effort to first cross the canal then push on to the 
south. Detachment A were to the fore, their objective; the bridge at Wickerschwihr. Platoon Bethouard, accompanied by a 
detachment of Legionaires, were the first to arrive at the Canal. A patrol found that the bridge had been partly demolished.
It was impassable to vehicular traffic, but could still be crossed by foot. The French took up position, awaiting the arrival
of the rest of the detachment. Very soon, a german company approached from the direction of Bischwihr.

Game Length: 10 Turns

For the French to win they must defend the north bank of the canal from the oncoming Germans
For the Germans to win they must capture VP's on the north bank of the canal

French: Squads, MTR, ATR, LMG's, AFV's
Germans: Squads, MMG's, LMG's, AFV's

Boards: #12, #16, #40

Aftermath: The Germans, clothed in their white camouflage, advanced on the canal with weapons slung. The French openned fire
at 400 meters, throwing the enemy ranks into utter confusion and forcing them to take cover. Then mortar barrage from Bischwihr
landed on the Cuirassiers and Legionaires. The Germans attempted to attack again, this time infiltrating onto the northern bank.
However, it was all in vain: 40 of them were soon captured in the woods just north of the canal. Even the intervention by a
light anti-tank gun was not enough to reverse the course of the battle. The French maintained their control of the position and
welcomed the arrival of the first American troops around 1600 hours. The defenders had successfully held their ground with the 
only casualty being a slightly damaged tank.


Source: Tactiques Magazine ASL TAC 64, Hold Your Ground!
   