Overlord: Photo Thread + AAR

[insterburger]

All I can say is WOW, what an event. Nate once again did a great job and really outdid his previous tremendous stagings. He deserves tremendous thanks for his dedication as a host.

So, with the FJ unit failing to show and many members of Heeresgruppe Nord-Ost unable to make it, we only had three genuine German attendees. Nate did a great job pulling locals on to the field, and with the help of my vast (how the @*&#*&#@!!! did it get so vast?) collection of loaner gear and weapons, plus what Jer had to offer, we were able to take on and outfit all comers, so by the middle of the day Saturday we had quite a respectable German force-- nine men at the high point. From a command point of view, we actually had an interesting and somewhat historically plausible constitution to our unit: A small leadership cadre of experienced officers/NCOs in charge of a band of what were essentially conscripts, guys put into uniform with little or no knowledge of WWII airsoft and varying interest in going to bat for the Vaterland. Considering that the Americans had mostly experienced troops who knew their way around a WWII tactical and for the most part had fought together, I was very proud of how our group distinguished themselves.

So, on to the narrative... the night before was a simple encampment, with all of the routines that go with camp... work details and rifle training.








Unbeknownst to the Germans, American troops are preparing to airdrop in the wee small hours. A hasty dinner before bed:

[insterburger]

In the predawn darkness, German troops are awakened by the sounds of gunfire. A patrol is organized to investigate.

A German soldier wears his Zeltbahn to keep out the morning chill:



While another quickly loads his magazine pouches:



And a junior officer prepares to head out with his men:

[insterburger]

The first action did not go well for the Germans. Not only were we attacking a force twice our size, but in the earliest stages the Amis were ensconced in the woods while we were tasked with moving in on them from an open clearing. In the early morning light, this meant we were perfectly silhouetted against the rising sun while our enemy was almost impossible to see in the blackness of the woods. With pretty much no conditions for success being evident, the outcome was inevitable. Still, after the first two attempts were wiped out, we came again with stronger weaponry and from a less disadvantageous direction and made some headway in an attempt to take back the crossroads, but with at least 6 (and I think by the end up to 8) defenders against three attackers, there really was no hope of winning.

After the early morning action, both sides paused for a quick breakfast.

[insterburger]

The next action was another German assault, this time on Allied-held gun positions. With a slightly larger force we could use more inventive tactics, but again were limited by the fact that we were attacking a numerically superior opponent. With two highly competent NCOs (especially Jerry), I was able to lay out a battle plan and entrust the conduct of individual forces to the sergeants. I would join one force or the other, and try to find places to exploit weaknesses in the enemy defenses. Unfortunately due to the size of our force, the only reserves I had to commit were... me. So more than once I found myself engaging in wide encirclements on my own. With the main assaults in the capable hands of the sergeants, I did that in this engagement and singelhandedly took down four GIs before getting taken down myself. At the end, the battle became a no-respawn fight to the last man, and while the Americans took this one again, we once again did very well against a far stronger force.

Hauptfeldwebel Herrmann in a contemplative mood:

[insterburger]

The next two actions were, for me, the definitive events of the day. While both were intense and together constitute the finest WWII airsoft engagements I have ever been part of-- including the fabled Remagen Bridge defense-- the first of the two was for me the more exciting of the two.

Both sides were able to increase the size of their forces, and with additional men we were able to really work out a strong and effective defensive plan. With the American now on the offensive, their superior numbers helped to make this a balanced contest that was intensely fought. The first of the two actions was the defense of a coastal artillery position. The American forces were given 30 minutes to occupy and silence the guns in relief of the troops on the beaches.

My brother had learned some lessons from attacking the position in the morning, and with his and Jerry's help, we plotted out our defensive strategy: Two essentially independent forces, each to a trench, with a well-concealed MG42 providing fields of fire over both positions. The MG had better vision on our left flank, so the right was bolstered with a Panzerfaut crew and under my command. With the coast behind us, we were fairly certain of the Allied avenue of advance. There was only one blind spot-- one which Nate exploited brilliantly, and which might have won him the battle.

After many tense moments of waiting, we on the right could hear combat ensuing on the left. Within a few minutes, we were surprised by Nate coming through the one blind spot in our defenses, and he nearly rolled up the entire right flank. If he had been able to get his troops to move in faster he might have overrun us, but the MG42 and other troops delivered enough fire to slow them down until reinforcements arrived from respawn-- on the flank of the American's left hook. That force was eliminated, and our forces adjusted to keep the avenues of attack pinned down on our right.

During this action, I came up and took out three GIs in the space of several seconds. Moving up to their position, I saw a flash of OD #7 in my peripheral vision, turned, and fired twice-- right into the chest of a medic. I had been making a point of trying not to fire on them. Sorry, Schwerpunkt!

There was one particulary pesky Tommy gun harrassing our right, which was exceedingly difficult to dislodge. On my second attempt (after first getting killed) I was able to sneak up on a blind spot and lob a grenade into the Allied position. The half hour ended with the German forces still in control of both guns (and, thanks to one of our guys, firing periodically through the action!).

I really have to give credit to my troops on this defense and the subsequent one. It was a tough battle, and the team that was thrown together fought hard and honorably (for the most part, anyway). Like in a real conscript army, there were a variety of attitudes, but most of the guys I fought with here I would be glad to have on my team again.

German troops assemble for the defense of the guns:





Their sergeant drills them briefly:



And, along with the Leutnant, shares some words of encouragement:




German troops move out to their defensive positions:



One last cigarette before the march:







Meanwhile, confident US troops test their weapons:













While the medics get ready for what they know will be a rough day:



Finally, the American commander moves his troops out:

[insterburger]

And the battle for the guns begins:

American forces shoot from cover:



While their commander shows surprise at the stiffness of the German defense:



The attack continues:



A German field telephone lies abandoned in a forward position. Unfortunately for the GIs, they wouldn't get much farther:



A medic treats a downed soldier in the open:



The MG42 delivers withering fire from heavy cover:



A German soldier about to eliminate an American submachine gun position:

[insterburger]

The original intention was for the next assault to flow directly from the coastal artillery scenario, but the arrival of additional German troops who needed fitting out with loaner gear led to a pause in the action.

The American commander was given a fresh objective: A German headquarters building, known as the "Schwarze Festung" (Black Fort) was known to have sensitive intelligence and high-value German personnel. If the fortress could be taken within 30 minutes, the assets would be captured.

We set up a strung-out defense with the intention of falling back to the fort in stages. I placed my MG42 on the right flank, knowing that in the event of an advance anwhere in the center, it would have an excellent field of flanking fire up the road. Worst-case, it would be able to pin down the Americans in the event they decided to move up our right flank.

Of course, it was the worst case scenario. Nate brought a strong force up the right and a fierce contest ensued. I was in the center where I could keep track of the various American attempts, and Nate seemed to have troops coming at us from everywhere. The soldiers holding our left flank did a great job, I really have to give them all credit. In the center, I encountered a corpsman with a Thomspon, and got into an intense firefight when my gun malfunctioned (dead battery). I was able to take the GI down with my pistol, when a medic and a gunner came up. I opened fire, and down went the medic again (I really wanted to get the gunner!) When additional reinforcements arrived (Migs) I knew that my position was too exposed and fell back.

By this time I knew that the Amis were running out of time (as did they), so as troops fell, I marshalled them at the fort for a final stand. By now the right flank had collapsed (partially due to our MG42 breaking down) and we were fighting off GIs actively on that side. But the Americans in the center, though largely unopposed, moved up only slowly, and the left held. A desparate attempt to infiltrate our rear in the last few minutes was effectively thwarted, so at the end of the day the whistle went off and the American attack failed. Another hard-fought battle with intense pressure placed on us by the American forces.

German troops discuss strategy before the battle:



German troops gear up and move into position:





GIs fight from a well-protected emplacement:



Germans return fire:



American troops keep up the pressure:





But the casualties are high:





A German Fallschirmjaeger in the flush of victory:



And a couple of art shots can't hurt:

[insterburger]

The last action was a little bit of a trail-off. We were tasked with taking back an American-held bridge within a 30 minute time limit. Some of the guys on both sides left, so our options as an attacking force were limited, especially as we were once again a smaller force attacking a larger one. Our battle plan was complex but workable: A feint down the middle with a narrow flanking to the right and a wide flanking to the left. The plan might have worked, but everything that could go wrong did. The right flank force was pushed up across the river to the center. There I had gun problems, so I could only fight with a pistol and later a Panzerfaust. The left flanking force, which was the key to success, achieved progress, but one of the men tasked with it refused to follow through with his orders and left the sergeant to do it himself. In the end we advanced right up to the bridge itself, but were unable to wrest it from Allied hands.

ScottCollins deserves a special mention here-- he was harassing us from close range (maybe not quite for ten minutes, but plenty long enough) until I finally launched the Panzerfaust at him point blank. He was a tough nut to crack.

So at the end of the day, who won? The defense. Of the five actions fought, not once did any attacking force achieve their objective. I'm proud of what the German side accomplished-- outnumbered all the time, with a force that was cobbled together from whatever locals Nate could get to come, led by Jerry, my brother, and myself, I think we really distinguished ourselves well. That said, the American forces as led by Nate were relentless, expertly commanded, and effective, a true honor to have fought against. I want to thank everyone who came to this, especially those who came a long distance (i.e. Maryland or Michigan), and also to everyone Nate got to come down who put on (thick, swelteringly hot) Feldgrau to make this game happen. Carissa deserves a special shout-out for taking so many of the pictures here, and ALL of the combat shots (you can pose all day, but nothing can really imitate pictures taken during actual action). But most especially I want to thank Nate for making this happen and putting so much effort and care into every aspect of the day. This is one that will be long remembered.

[Jerry-ADK]

Great job Mark with the AAR and arranging the pics into a story, really enjoyed reading it!  I had a great time and enjoyed seeing you all again and meeting the new comers, Drackles and Tracy, welcome to the fold! And meeting Schwerpunkt for the first time. I was kinda glad that I left Saturday night though and missed the down pour, sounds like Nate spared the rest of you who stayed from having to sleep in soggy tents.  None the less, great event, despite the initial low numbers of Germans, we got around that pretty well having a  true Quarter Master on our side.  I hope all you got over to our camp to see and appreciate the contribution that Mark has made by investing in all the German loner gear and guns he has, it was truly impressive to behold. With out that there wouldn't have been much of a realistic looking German force.  Mark you should show a picture of all your gear spread out so people can see what you bring to the table.

[insterburger]

Thanks Jer, especially for bringing up Schwerpunkt. In all my thanks I forgot to mention him, but not only did he do great work serving as the American dedicated medic and provide deep and thoughtful conversation throughout, but after the action he provided tremendous help in sorting and packing out the massive amount of German gear that was used, without even being asked to do so. A class act all the way.

[brownien]

Geat AAR Inster! the photos really do a nice job illistrating! I would like to tell the tale from my prespective on the Allied side.

This event, in my opinion, has been one of the most action packed events I have ever participated in! It was also one of the most tiring, but well worth every drop of sweat!

The initial action in the early hours of Saturday started with a Para drop. Two sticks of jumpers went out into the night at around 0500hrs with the objective of grouping at and holding a crossroads in the vicinity. The crossroads were essential for Germans to move troops and supplies to the beachhead. We managed to dodge the German patrols and link up at the crossroads. quickly digging in, we spotted a squad of Germans who were suspicious of our whereabouts, and were closing fast at our 12'o. The first contact was brief, but stirred up a hornets nest, as other enemy partols began converging on our location. Being mostly small groups, and we being very well conceiled in the shadows, picking them off wasn't too difficult. I remembered from the briefings that there was a German Howitzer battery located nearby, so I broke off from my squad to locate it. Within minutes I had stumbled upon it and decided to deny German usage of the now abandoned guns, should their crew return. I moved a majority of my squad to the trenches around the guns and once again took up a defensive posture. It wasn't long before the crews returned, now that the sun was rising. Unfortunatly, being in a bit of a clearing allowed the enemy to attack us from more conceiled positions. We did very well repelling the first few waves of infantry, but once they had regrouped and began flanking us hard on either side, our defense began to fall. We started taking casualties, but without a location to fall back to, due to being surrounded, we had to move the wounded to a rear location behind cover to aid them. with our rear exposed, the Germans easily moved up from behind and took out our medic in the crossfire, dooming us. with no way to get back into the fight, our numbers dwindled, until the enemy was able to retake the guns.

More to come...

[2nd Bat]

Awesome, awesome awesome. So cool to see the pictures, see familiar and new faces and enjoy this event vicareously. Was thinking about this event all weekend long and wishing I could have been there. My work tours have worked out well in the past but as luck would have it, not this time.