Battle Of Carpiquet

The municipality of Carpiquet located west of Caen has an aerodrome which represents a major objective for the Allies. This 
airfield was already used by the French before the war and is occupied by the Germans. It consists initially of a 1,800 meter 
long cement track.

Carpiquet and his airfield must pass under the control of Allied soldiers from June 6, 1944. But on D-Day, the soldiers landed 
on the beaches take a significant delay at the start of the action, and German soldiers take the opportunity to install a 
strong defensive line to deny access to the city of Caen.

Carpiquet remains for nearly a month in the hands of the German soldiers of the 12th SS Panzer Division commanded by 
Oberfuehrer Kurt Meyer, which gives them time to set up formidable combat posts despite the permanent allied bombing. which 
force the "Panzer" to emboss. The 3rd company of S. Panzergrenadier-Regiment 26 (reinforced by the 1st section of the 1st 
company) is in position west of Carpiquet. Elements of the 4th company are banned in the east. The staff of the 1st Battalion 
and the other elements of the regiment are located south of the airfield, taking advantage of the defensive installations of 
the airfield set up before the start of the Battle of Normandy. The infantry is supported by tanks of the SS Panzer Regiment 12 
(five Panzer IV tanks of the 9th Squadron under the orders of Obersturmfrher Buettner) located to the south-east of the 
airfield and having a complete view of the whole of the site. Gunners of the 3rd Regiment of S.S. Panzerartillerie-Regiment 12 
also support the defense of the sector.

General Montgomery, commander of the Allied Land Forces in Normandy, is planning a first operation to seize Carpiquet: 
Operation Ottawa, part of Operation Epsom launched on June 26, 1944. Due to the losses encountered during Epsom, Ottawa is 
canceled. We have to wait until July 4 and the launch of Operation Windsor to see the situation evolve.

The Windsor operation is preceded by extensive artillery preparation from the 21 field batteries of 248 tubes of different 
calibres as well as 408 mm and 380 mm pieces aboard the British battleships HMS Rodney and HMS Roberts in Manche. . A first 
deception attack by the Royal Winnipeg was launched on July 4 at 5 am in the direction of the airfield hangars. At the same 
time, the Canadians of the La Chaudire and North Shore Regiment (8th Infantry Brigade) assault the town of Carpiquet. The 
tanks of the Sherbooke Fusiliers (2nd Armored Brigade) manage to cross the minefields north of Carpiquet but face a fierce 
defense from the SS soldiers who also take the North Shore Regiment under fire. The Canadians, backed by tanks from the 10th 
Armored Regiment Fort Garry Horse (2nd Armored Brigade), enter Carpiquet at 6:32 am when heavy street fighting begins against 
the SS of the 12th Panzer Division. Shortly after 08:30, the Allies seize the town and then concentrate their efforts on the 
airfield.

The Royal Winnipeg Rifles is relaunching its offensive, which this time aims to seize hangars and airfields, but Canadians must 
cross the great break that separates them from German positions. They suffer heavy casualties: several Sherman tanks are 
destroyed and, while they are halfway through the hangars, Canadians retreat to their starting point. No report goes back to 
General Keller who is convinced that everything is working according to the plan initially planned: the front forms a salient 
that is unfavorable to the Allies, but the Germans remain in a defensive position and do not exploit the temporary withdrawal 
of Canadians. . In Carpiquet, the men of the 8th Infantry Brigade set up their defensive positions in anticipation of possible 
counter-attacks. They are located 1600 meters from the first homes of Caen and represent a very important threat for the German 
forces: they have concentrated their defense north of the capital of Calvados and the presence of Canadian soldiers on their 
left flank is largely unfavorable. Allied forces are likely to use their off-center Carpiquet bridgehead to bring down the 
German lines of defense.

In the early afternoon, the Royal Winnipeg revived its offensive towards the airfield, supported this time by two squadrons of 
Typhoon aircraft that go hunting German armor and guns. They manage to reach the hangars north of the airfield but the SS of 
the 12th Panzer do not bend and launch several counter-attacks with their tanks from the hangars to the south: again, the 
Canadians are forced to retreat to their starting point despite the intervention of their aviation. The Allies lost thirteen 
tanks during this first day of Operation Windsor.

Canadian (Elements 8th Brigade, Canadian 3rd Division) -->[ German (SS-Panzergrenadierregiment 26, 12th SS Panzer Division)

Best played on Canadian SIDE first / with LOS: 8 Hexes / with RULE: Historics Objectives / with MOD: Yours / etc.

Scenario Length: 8 Game Turns 
Victory objective: The side with the required Victory Points is the winner. Both sides gets VPs for owning VP Objectives.
Scenario designer : ASL'Men [ Battles of Carpiquet ]
