WW1 – action near Le Cateau (1918)
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Another view of the German left flank attack, supported by the sniper team and 37mm anti-tank gun in the foreground.
Robert
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The German squads inflicted multiple casualties and pins on the British right flank infantry section. The German FO managed to call in a barrage to help the assault. One of the signallers had managed to roll out the cable connecting the FO to the rest of the artillery battery in the advance guard. The signaller was awarded the Iron Cross Second Class for his actions. The off-table guns had been in action almost continuously during the withdrawal from the Hindenburg Line. The rifling in the barrels was worn. Tragically, the rounds landed on the Minenwerfer team. The whole team was wiped out. A large Litko explosion marker can be seen in the attached photo, indicating where the blue-on-blue incident occurred.
Robert
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The Germans were not alone in suffering from a friendly fire incident. The Hotchkiss gunner in the armoured car was still mildly shocked and disoriented. Peering through the narrow observation port, he spotted what appeared to be German infantry through the aftermath of the Granatwerfer explosion. The gunner opened fire. Shouts and frantic gesticulations went out from the British infantry section. Too late though. A Tommy went down, mortally wounded.
Robert
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The British Vickers MG team recovered from their shock. The gunner drew a bead on the German field gun again. One of the German gunners went down. The remainder of the gun crew were pinned.
The Granatwerfer team tried again. The team was under pressure though. The lanyard was jerked too hard or the base plate had shifted. One of the two; it was hard to tell with the incoming fire. The spigot-mounted fragmentation bomb landed further from the target this time. There wouldn’t be another opportunity. The last British section arrived on-table, following on from the armoured car. The British infantry advanced with guns at the port. The NCO spotted the Granatwerfer team. The men took aim. The beaten zone of .303 bullets landed all around the Granatwerfer, killing one of the crew. The pressure was beginning to tell on the German right flank.
Robert
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Attention shifted to the hotel by the crossroads. It was still held by a German squad, now recovered largely from the HE round early on. A British infantry section had moved into the ground floor of the building opposite. The British opened fire, killing two with a mix of small arms fire and a rifle grenade through one of the ground floor windows at close range. The German squad tried to push up to the first floor but the shock was too great.
The other British section recovered quickly from the friendly fire incident. Leaping the low wall, the men advanced towards the hotel too. They inflicted more shock but not more casualties.
Robert
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The German MG08 team had repositioned itself slightly, after the first target (the British right flank infantry section) had moved into a concealed position. Spotting the Vickers MG, the German machine gunners returned in kind. The 7.62mm rounds smacked into the window surround and through the opening. The British machine gun team was pinned by the fire. The German sniper team could just see the window opening as well. The shot missed. On the same left flank, the 37mm anti-tank gun continued to move forwards tentatively.
The German squad exiting the farm on the side nearest the crossroads fired on the British infantry section protecting the 18 pounder field gun. The German light machine gun team opened fire first. The gunner fired the MG08/15 from the hip, with the sling over the right shoulder.
Although the British were hugging the ground as best they could, several men were killed or severely wounded. Several stick grenades added more casualties and increased the shock effect.
Robert
German pressure continued on the left flank. The near side German squad launched into close combat fighting with the British infantry section. The British flank protection collapsed. The German left flank squad pushed forwards as well, opening fire on the 18 pounder field gun. One of the gunners went down but the others, sheltering behind the gun shield, fired on the nearest German squad. Three German infantry were killed. To make matters worse, the Stokes mortar team now came into play. A Stokes HE bomb arced overhead and landed in the middle of the squad. The high explosive and fragmentation effects decimated the remainder of the squad.
Robert
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The German MG08 and the 77mm field gun targeted the British Vickers MG again. The net effect was only a further pin. The centre British infantry section assaulted the hotel. The remnants of the German squad on the ground floor were mopped up. The left flank British infantry section annihilated the Granatwerfer team. The right flank British infantry section, which had been stationed in the house next to the crossroads, now reoriented towards the German left flank squad threatening the 18 pounder. The German Zugführer had played an aggressive hand. He had attempted to control the centre and had refused the right flank. Unfortunately it hadn’t quite paid off.
We thoroughly enjoyed playing the game. This sort of terrain is unusual for a WW1 encounter battle, though it is quite typical of what the British were up against in the last few weeks of the war.
Robert
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