I've been wanting to do an Operation Art of War LP for months and since Hawkeye Fierce got Normandy I'll take the south of France. Operation Dragoon was the southern counterpart to Normandy. Beginning in the middle of August 1944 several Allied divisions would land along the Mediterranean coast between Toulon and Nice. The Rhone valley to the Italian border The offshore embarkation area at the bottom-right corner are my starting position. The blue units on the mainland are Maquis forces. There are more than ten of these units and while they start off weak they'll become more powerful as the scenario goes on. Allied Landing Zones The initial landing will consist of the 3rd, 36th, and 45th Infantry Divisions. All three are motorized with significant armoured contingents. Additionally there are three regiments from the 1st Special Forces Brigade and several units of French Commandos. Finally there is an airbourne taskforce composed of American and British units.
Initial Allied Landings Allied forces will land between Cape Negre and the Frejus Gulf. A secondary landing will be made by airborne forces several miles inland along the Argens River. Within that area are around a half dozen anchorages which will be able to supply the invasion with supplies. Coastal defenses seem to be limited besides Cannes and Ste. Maxime. In the south the 3rd Infantry would land at Cavalaire. Further up the coast the 45th Infantry would land on a broad front around the port of Ste. Maxine. Between these two landings the Special Forces Brigade would land in an attempt join the beaches as soon as possible. 36th Division Landing Zone American forces were to find an undefended landing zone around Camel Force Area. Coming ashore the 36th Infantry Division easily overpowered the local garrison to establish a safe zone around the port of Agay. A front of more than 10 kilometers was established. 1st Airbourne Taskforce The last element of the invasion was the airbourne taskforce. Each landing group was composed of units at the battalion and regimental level. Soon after landing it was determined that a German regiment was entrenched at Le Puy. A further battalion of anti-tank destroyers seemed to be encamped at the town of Les Arcs, further west.
3rd Infantry Division During the rest of the first turn the other allied divisions land without much issue. The 3rd Infantry Division would land just north of Cavalaire. Coming ashore they would easily destroy local German resistance and would fan out towards Cape Negre and as far inland as the town of Colgolin. Maquis units in the Massif des Maures seemed to be quite near. 45 Infantry Division and Special Forces Brigade Ste. Maxime was to be the landing zone of the 45th Infantry Division. Once again the landing was nearly uncontested and they came ashore with little problems. Half of the division was to proceed south in order to link up with the 3rd Infantry and the Special Forces Brigade. These men landed north of Cape Camarat and made their way inland in an effort to take St. Tropez. 36th Infantry Division Landing near Agay the 36th Infantry Division were almost able to link up with their 45th Infantry counterparts. A broad front had already been established and during the day of August 15th advanced forces of the division were able to move into St. Raphael.
The Luftwaffe is destroyed Throughout the early morning hours repeated attacks by the Army Air Force are able to destroy several hundred Luftwaffe planes in northern Italy and central France. Allied losses are far more modest - 56 fights and bombers in total. Thousands of interdiction missions are also logged in an effort to paralyze the Wehrmacht, especially around the Rhone. 36th Infantry Division moves towards Cannes By the afternoon of the 15th Allied forces had largely cleared their landing zones and began moving towards their next objectives. The 36th Infantry Division, having landed furthest east, would begin moving towards the Italian border. Along with some units of the Maquis they would look to liberate Cannes and Nice. Both were to be important supply ports if an advance towards Marseilles would be successful. Taskforce Butler links up with the airborne landings Near Le Muy the various units of the 1st Airborne Taskforce have reorganized and reestablished their command structure. They have been joined by the first unit moving inland, a large mechanized regiment code-named "Taskforce Butler." Together they've surrounded a regiment of grenadiers. American forces begin moving towards Toulon Furthest west the 3rd and 45th had already begun clearing out the isolated pockets of resistance on the way to Toulon. Around Cavalaire Bay the Special Forces Brigade was able to move inland to St. Tropez, linking up with the 45th Infantry. The attached French units were quickly withdrawn in order to begin clearing out some of the coastal islands. The best progress was made by the 3rd Infantry. Leading elements of the division had already moved upwards of twenty kilometers west, past Cape Benat. Behind them the 45th would attempt to move inland towards Le Luc.
Do the Germans get enough forces to form a coherent front, or do they form local garrisons/ pockets of resistance?
Until turn 4 allied air forces will keep the Germans from making any significant movements. After that they'll start getting more forces, including the 11th Panzer division. I haven't played the scenario for several years but I do remember heavy fighting going up the Rhone.
Le Muy is captured Before the end of the day Taskforce Butler is able to begin its attack on Le Muy. Surrounded and cut off from their supporting elements in Les Arcs and Draguignan the grenadier regiment dissolves with only minimal Allied losses. During the early morning hours of the 16th the combined allied forces were able to advance on a broad front to the north of the Argens river. Cannes is surrounded Having brushed aside most of the coastal garrisons south of the Masif de l'Esterel the 45th Infantry is now on the outskirts of Cannes. In addition to the static garrison inside the town the only German force of any strength is a motorized regiment from the German 148th Infantry. They've also been surprised by the landing of the British 2nd Parachute Brigade to the east of the town. Finally the French have made a successful landing on St. Marguerite Island which opens the area to more seaborne shelling. The road to Toulon Two American divisions are now approaching the important port of Toulon. Along the coastal road the 3rd Infantry is making good progress and as gotten as far as Hyeres. They are already being reinforced by units of the 1st French Armored Division. Inland the 45th Infantry have reached the motorway which should put them on a direct path towards Marseilles.
Cannes is secured Unexpectedly the garrison of Cannes has surrendered to the approaching Allied forces - apparently almost two days of naval shelling have sapped their will to fight. The British have thereafter managed to move within a few hexes of Nice. The 36th Infantry remains around Cannes to refit and take care of that last regiment of German troops. The race to the Route Napoleon begins! It was only a matter of time before Les Arcs and Draguignan fell into our hands. We've now managed to destroy the limited amount of German forces blocking the path inland towards Digne. That will be our next stop on the long road north to Grenoble. The Americans have now been joined by a division of Algerian troops. They are making their way the Fayence road to get to the motorway which runs between Digne and Cannes - the Route Napoleon. Taskforce Butler will hang back a bit in order to resupply after a day of heavy fighting. Allied forces are making good progress around Toulon The outskirts of our first major objective are now in view of the 3rd Infantry. Inland a traffic jam has started with the 45th Infantry, the 1st Algerian, and General de Lattre's French Army B HQ. There won't be an attempt to take Toulon just yet as my forces could use some time to catch their breath.
Nice and Monaco beckon There is almost no opposition on the coastal road to Italy. As the third day of Operation Dragoon begins the 36th Infantry has entered Nice in conjunction with the British airborne brigade. Much of the 36th is still encamped around Cannes since its not believed that the whole division will be needed to clear out the remaining German nests. No resistance is encountered up the Route Napoleon The 3rd Algerian have no made their way to the Route Napoleon and are halfway between Cannes and Digne. If their pace continues they'll reach the town in the next turn or two, so long as there aren't any blocking forces. The airborne forces aren't doing as well. A lack of trucks have forestalled their advance and they'll likely need to halt in the next day or so. Hopefully they'll be able to setup defensive positions west of the Lac de Ste Croix. Their southern flank will be held by the freshly arrived 9th Colonial Division. They are another French formation which is setting off on the motorway from Draguignan towards Aix-en-Provence. Allied forces are making quick gains throughout southern France The scope of my advance is rather staggering. So far we've encountered no resistance north of Draguignan. Still the most important part of the campaign lies along the coast where we'll need to liberate Toulon and Marseilles quickly if we want to improve our supply situation. After that we'll need to swing up the Rhone where most of our objectives are. So far we've most been encountering static divisions or coastal garrisons but within the next few turns the 11th Panzer will have reorganized and should start contesting our advance towards the Rhone.
The 45th Infantry and 1st Algerian are bearing down on Aix-en-Provence American forces are still pushing hard towards Aix-en-Provence. Taking the town will give us a commanding position along the Arc river. German forces would then have to take the much longer route along the Étang de Berre to get to Marseilles. The French lead the way! The 3rd Infantry has now made great strides towards capturing Toulon by capturing Mont Faron - a mountain which overlooks the town and the coastal roadway. Naval and air elements are now begging to pound the town in an effort to soften up the garrison. Isolated detachments of coastal artillery are being left for the Special Forces Brigade (Yellow on Tan) to clean up. Lucian Truscott's HQ for the US VI Corps has also now moved up as far as Solliès-Pont. Corps artillery should be available if needed. Sadly our eventual assaults towards Toulon and Nice aren't very successful.
It's nice to be in Nice By the start of turn six Nice had been liberated and the British had kept on moving down the road towards Monaco to find that town undefended. The 36th infantry was now in need of a bit of a rest before it could start moving back towards the real front. The local Maquis and our British brigade should be enough to take the remaining objectives before relaxing around Monte Carlo. Digne is still a long way off I've been a bit optimistic about the progress of the Algerians. They've now been slowed down after moving past Castellane and into alpine terrain. At least they are doing better than the airborne troops who badly need to stop and reorganize around Riez. Supply issues are now becoming a problem. Aix-en-Provence! Good news in the south. The column which includes the 45th Infantry and the 1st Algerian have made it to Aix-en-Provence and have found it abandoned by the Germans. They'll have roughly one day to prepare defensive positions around the town before the 11th Panzer division gets released from around Avignon. The 11th Panzer division - oh my. My intelligence is fairly good so I'm fairly certain we are looking at two regiments of mechanized infantry, a regiment of armor, and another regiment of self-propelled artillery. Another infantry division seems to be positioned around Marseilles.
Toulon is completely enveloped The 17th saw heavy fighting inside Toulon. By the end of the day the 7th Infantry Regiment had managed to capture the city centre, though substantial forces were still fighting around La Seyne-sur-Mer. Until that key area of the city had been taken the battle for Toulon would continue. Despite some reinforcement all three regiments of the 3rd Infantry are down to 70-80% strength. The road(s) to Marseilles That German infantry division which was spotted has now begun to move towards Toulon along the Route Nationale 8. Blocking forces are now in position around La Ciotat and Signes. Along the coastal road the French are close to moving on Marseilles itself, though half their strength is still loitering east of Toulon. The Germans aren't coming that way though. Instead they look to be bearing down on the Special Forces Brigade. They've encamped at the crossroads town of Signes and are entrenching as quickly as possible - aided somewhat by the local Maquis. If there is time Taskforce Butler, currently encamped at Brignoles, should be able to roll in just in time to meet the oncoming Germans. Allied forces have successfully taken Aix-en-Provence With nothing to stop them the Algerians have liberated Aix-en-Provence and began to fortify their positions before an expected German counterattack. The 45th Infantry have been kept to the south of the town to rest and refit before moving south to help bottle up the garrison at Marseilles. de Lattre has also arrived, which is going to allow the Algerians the usage of Corps artillery. The French 9th Colonial is also coming up quickly on the road from Varages. With any luck they'll be able to extend our lines north to the Durance river.
French forces continue northwards Digne has been captured by the 3rd Algerian. Supplies are running low so I intend to rest them around the important crossroads town of Chateau-Arnoux. From there the motorway proceeds straight north to Grenoble. That is our ultimate objective. We'll need to take the city in order to cut off the retreat of the German 19th Armee. They'll begin to fall back as soon as Allied forces breakout of Normandy. In order to protect the flank of my Algerians the parachutists have now arrived around Greoux. They'll rest here before moving north of Oraison to cut off the improved motorway. The coast is clear Monaco, Monte Carlo, and Menton are all liberated early on the 18th. A single regiment has been left in the region to clear up any remaining German units. The rest of the 36th has begun moving west to act as a general reserve. I'm unsure of whether they'll proceed north or be needed around Marseilles.
Operation Dragoon on the 18th of August 1944 Toulon was now sure to fall and Allied forces were poised to move towards Marseilles. Still it was clear that a German counterattack was coming. The 11th Panzer division has shown signs of movement and the Maquis have identified a company of heavy armor on the western bank of the Rhone. With the French divisions still lacking most of their armor around Aix-en-Provence it looks like a significant fight is now brewing.
Toulon is almost completely liberated Hard fighting continues through the morning of the 18th. La Seyne-sur-Mer has now been captured after repeated assaults by the 7th Regiment, backed up by divisional armor. Only a small group of Germans now retain a foothold south of the town. Ho ho ho. Trouble going down the road Germans? North of town the Special Forces Brigade has set fully setup their defensive lines. The infantry division coming down Route Nationale 8 has been hampered by constant Allied air attacks. Through the morning the oncoming German division hasn't made more than five kilometers of progress. Taskforce Butler has also managed to encamp within a few kilometers of the frontline. I'd declare this a fort The Panzers still haven't left Avignon - apparently talking to dead Popes. This has given the 9th Colonial enough time to start setting up defensive positions as far north as the Durance. I'd like to start moving the 45th Infantry towards Marseilles but supplies remain low throughout. Further north the Airborne Brigade remains stationary. The 3rd Algerian makes some progress by crossing the river and advancing as far as Sisteron.
Spoilsport, using the military police to hold Toulon. Typical of the red caps to turn up just for the liberatin' and fraternisin' and traffic controllin' after all the real fighting has happened
Marseilles next! The rest of Toulon is taken by the end of the day. What remained of the German forces surrender without much of a fight. Already forward elements of the 3rd Infantry are moving up the coast road to join with the French around Cassis. We can only hope that the supply situation gets better soon. The Maquis strike! Moving into the 19th the Maquis have decided to step up their activities. Arranged upon a company level four units have descended into the region around Aspres. This is midway between Dignes and Grenoble, and therefore vital for any advance. A single company has managed to take the crossroads down to Aspres. Another three have moved towards Gap. Only a small German force remains there to try and hold them off. Taking down villages will allow Allied forces to have an easy route towards Grenoble. Allied forces move towards Marseilles A new day sees Toulon pass into Allied hands. The last defenders are now gone and the 3rd Infantry have begun moving up the coastal road to support the French. They have managed to clear out the coast as far as Marseilles itself. Behind them VI Corps, TF Butler, and the Special Forces Brigade have moved forward to attack the 244th. Due to air attacks they've been strung out and unable to deal with the rapid movements of Allied forces. Finally the 45th has moved south to put the northern part of Marseilles under siege.
Can the Algerians get into a blocking position on the Rhone North of the 11th Panzer, or is the terrain too rough even for the spahis?
Too long of a distance. There are also one or two German divisions appearing from the west at this time.
American forces protect the crossing at Oraison With the Maquis holding their positions to the north it is now important that the Algerians move forward with all speed. A days rest has allowed them to begin moving forward again with the Airborne forces holding their rear. They'll find the 36th Infantry coming up quickly from Cannes. Cut and run The 11th Panzer has decided to get out of Avignon, but has taken the northern route. They are now moving away from the coast with surprising speed. They've left what I believe to be about two motorized divisions in their wake.
Marseilles is surrounded Before the end of the 19th the whole of Marseilles is surrounded by three divisions of Allied troops. Already the outlying German elements are being pushed back into the centre of the city. It is clear that resistance is stronger though. There is upwards of a full division holding the town and as such we've needed to divert a lot of our forces to clear the port. The chase is on With Marseilles clear of counterattack the French are now let loose to pursue the Germans. Within twelve hours Avignon is almost within their grasp. Foolishly a regiment of Germans stay back to defend the crossing to Senas. It didn't take the Algerians very long to push them back across the river.
The Rhone is getting rather crowded It's now the 20th of August and the Germans have retreated as far north as Pont St. Esprit. This is at least 40 to 50 kilomters north of our leading French divisions. Maquis forces have identified two motorized divisions - the 189th and 198th Infantry. Both are travelling along the western bank of the river and have only two available crossing points to the north. To make matters worse for the Germans the nearest group of Maquis are able to successfully blow the bridge running north out of Pont St. Esprit. Bridges are blown near Arles and Avignon The French are prevented from easily crossing to the other side of the Rhone. The important bridges around Arles have been destroyed for almost a week and the crossing point at Avignon was blown soon after. Therefore the whole Allied force would have to move up the Route Nationale 7 - a distance of about 100 kilometers. Marseilles shall be mine! Though the three divisions I've dedicated to taking the city are low on supplies it doesn't take long for them to move in towards the city centre. The 45th Infantry takes the brunt of the fighting as they make three big pushes into the northern suburbs throughout the 20th. The 3rd Infantry have a better time of it thanks to their better supply situation - they have direct access to the rail network and a nearby motor pool. With things so close to victory the French begin to pull out before midday.
The Maquis have cut the bridges! It doesn't take long for Marseilles to fall after the outer limits are breached. We are now about halfway through the scenario and our last major objectives are to advance north to take Grenoble and the exit hexes towards Lyon and on the border with Italy. Several German divisions are now attempting to reach Montelimar on the road towards Lyon and Grenoble. Amazingly a lone company of Maquis has managed to enact a fighting retreat up the west bank of the Rhone - destroying the bridges at Pont St. Esprit and near Montelimar. German progress has therefore been slowed considerably. It seems like a traffic jam extends as far south as Avignon. Allied forces rest and refit for the drive north The Maquis have now given our weary divisions enough time to rest for several days. With most elements down to 30 or 40% of their maximum supplies it's something each division needs badly. That said most of them are now at their jumping off points for the coming battle. In the south the 1st Algerian is resting near Avignon in preparation for a movement across the Rhone. They'll be joined by the 3rd and 45th Infantry if needed. Up along Route Nationale 7 the Special Forces Brigade, 9th Colonial, and TF Butler are awaiting the kickoff. Acting as a strategic reserve is the strong French armored force which is almost out of supplies. The Capital of the Maquis - Grenoble I can afford to be a little slow in initiating the chase because of my good luck further inland. Here three divisions worth of troops have penetrated past Aspres and Gap to get to within 50 kilometers of Grenoble. Around the city Maquis units have set up defensive perimeters on the roads coming from the Rhone. This should also allow the 3rd Algerian and 36th Infantry to rest for two days before resuming their march north. Elsewhere the remaining American paratroopers are busy taking hold of the various routes to Italy. That should probably keep them occupied for the next week.
3rd Infantry liberates Nimes Two days of rest is enough to get our divisions along the Rhone back into fighting shape. As predicted the Maquis have been able to delay the Germans sufficiently to keep them in the noose. The first phase of our attack is put into action late on the 22nd when the 3rd Infantry slips across the Rhone at Arles and Tarascon. With the bridges still out of commission divisional recon and armor are unable to follow. Still there isn't any problem taking Nimes. The 1st Algerian slip across the Rhone Further north the Algerians have managed to lay a new bridge at Avignon. With that accomplished they move to the west bank and begin closing in on some lagging units of the 19th Armee. American armor is also able to move up, intent on rejoining the 3rd Infantry. Allied forces begin their main drive north towards Montelimar The main thrust was up the east bank. From their starting line two divisions advance as far as Orange before coming into contact with the 11th Panzer's mobile artillery. It is hoped that within a day Allied forces will be able to drive as far north as Montelimar. Maquis forces across the river have reported that part of the 11th Panzer and the bulk of the 189th are reorganizing in the region.
Allied forces reach the Remoulins road Late on the 23rd Allied forces were across the Rhone in force and the 1st French Armored had moved up to Avignon in preparation for their drive up the road from Remoulins. The road is a straight shot up the west bank towards Pont St. Esprit. At that point I hope to have the bridges rebuilt. French engineers begin to bridge the Rhone The main drive is progressing nicely. That unit of mobile artillery has been destroyed by the Special Forces Brigade. Since then they've advanced as far as Bollene, opposite Pont St. Esprit. This now allows the French to get their engineers into place to rebuild critical bridge links in the area. To help support the ongoing movement the 45th Infantry is now being brought up after three days of rest around Sorgues. Grenoble surrounded In the mountains Allied troops are still resting as supplies come in at only a trickle. The 36th Infantry has managed to get into their advanced positions but is remaining out of supply. The Algerians are doing better and can now begin to advance at a pace of about 20 kilometers a day. For those reasons the Maquis have taken the lead. Six irregular units are now investing the city slowly. The Airborne Taskforce is also coming up from the east with mounting speed. They've made good time taking the first two passes towards Italy.
Gotcha! On the 24th Allied forces liberate Paris and the end game of this scenario begins. I've got five days to secure the rest of my objectives. I get a lot closer to victory during the AM turn as the 9th Colonial capture Montelimar. In doing so they cleave the 11th Panzer in two. Their recon elements are cut off from the main body and subject to several air raids. Then the Special Forces Brigade comes up to secure the eastern bank of the Rhone. They find the 189th Infantry rapidly entrenching but low on supplies. Back near Pont St. Esprit the French have repaired a second bridge over the Rhone. Liberation! Grenoble has fallen and it is all due to the Maquis. Since the Allied divisions couldn't move up fast enough the resistance went forward only to find the city garrison had retreated a few days earlier. The only remaining German unit is a small group left behind due to destroyed bridges and the persistent attacks of a small group of Maquis. It should be rather easy to take the remaining exit hexes (though these are beginning to flip on their own).
The Germans have been rooted out in the south By the early hours of the 25th the 1st Algerian and 3rd Infantry are able to clear the remaining German units south of Pont St. Esprit. Mostly composed of engineers, motorized artillery, and isolated headquarters units, they put up little fight. They are not able to get away from a strong group of Maquis garrisoning their only exit to the north. Further up the river an actual fight is now brewing. Montelimar becomes a battlefield Having stopped to scout their opponents the Germans were able to bring up some reinforcements during the night of the 24-5 of August. The Germans now have a fairly significant force opposing the Special Forces Brigade. It doesn't worry me though as VI Corps tanks are now at a crossing point near Loriol - 10 kilometers further north. That effectively cuts the Germans off from any retreat. The 189th surrenders Later in the day as the full Allied forces comes up the 189th Infantry surrenders en masse. Only isolated units of the 11th Panzer remain active in the region but these are now surrounded. The 9th Colonial has even managed to track down and cut off a mechanized regiment north of Livron. It's not really a fight by now. Without much effort all the remaining elements of the 11th Panzer are surrounded and destroyed, or otherwise surrender. Well that is it. An overwhelming Allied victory. Honestly I was looking forward to a bigger fight at the end but I suppose with about three times the number of troops it was only realistic for the AI to turn and run after Toulon and Marseilles fell. Shame that the 11th Panzer couldn't put up a fight but they were kind of screwed after I managed to blow the bridges along the northern Rhone. Really the worst thing the Allied player has to deal with is supply issues which I never really got over. That two day rest allowed me to move on Montelimar with speed but by the time they arrived they were once again nearing their limits. Had the Germans been in any condition to fight the end of this scenario would have turned out much worse.
