Major Stautner of the 2nd Battalion, 139th Gerbirgsjager Regiment saw an opportunity to attack the isolated Norwegian 1st Battalion, 12th infantry in the Gratangen valley. The attack was launched early in the morning in a swirling blizzard...
A British Army Reconnaissance officer receives some delayed news from Norway...
It has emerged in allied reports that a serious skirmish occurred in the snow covered wastes of Norway. It appears as though local attempts to repel the oncoming hun have failed and only now are details coming to light about the incident in the form of a report received from a Sgt Binoche (a strange name for a scandinavian chap I am sure!)
What follows are extracts from his field diary that he has only just been able to send to us after evading capture from our persistent enemy!
... Sgt Gammalost (aka Rochefort, but such a cheese is not available in Scandinavia so I went for a local dairy product, ed)is leading the response to the German incursion. We believe we outnumber the Germans 2 to 1, though many in our ranks are poorly trained reservists. We also have the hill and the snow is setting in creating major issues for visibility. Though strung out we are confident that we can role the Hun over, by numbers alone we should be able to take them, besides the fact they are not suited to the local weather!
... our fire is ineffective, Gammalost has ordered myself and Sgt Durist to begin to make our way around the German flanks in an attempt to break through. The going is slow, we can't seem to find the motivation to move forward... even I am feeling the cold today!
There is a HMG in the building on the hill crest, i know he can only just see us but he knows we are here... The way the snow explodes around our feet is disturbing the troops!
... there has been a lull in the fighting and no movement the men are pinned... just like this freezing weather... rumours are beginning to spread amongst the men the Gammalost has fallen to the accursed HMG! If that's true i'm not sure what the men will do, they are a confident but disorderly bunch when not given direct orders. I worry that such a large group of men will not concentrate their fire as we need them too! I however, am pushing on through the snow, I seem to have less men than when we began this trek. Some of the young reservist seemed to have been slowed by the brush and pinned near the hilltop, we are so close, must push on.
-... the snow is clearing and the men can see the way out beyond the brush, they seem revived... we have broken through... Now I must try to get back and organise those men in the centre!
-... I have found my way to the bottom of the hill, but the majority of the men are still trying to flush out that HMG... they are too far away for me to give them direction, what was I thinking of coming down here? It's the hill were they needed me!!!
It's beginning to get dark and more rumour is spreading, now the men say the Germans are running, I am not convinced. Why would they? Why are my men just sitting there!?
-... I've lost contact with Durist he is somewhere to the right but has not sent any signal that he has made it to the objective on the hill... Up the hill to my left I hear screams, I believe a famous German officer may be involved. I worry for my men! We need to pull out!Send word to the men... we are too strung out... PULL BACK!!!
Back at the War Office
It is clear that the Norwegians have lost control of their homeland. This is bad news for the allies, the resources available to the Germans from that region will be invaluable. Damn those men, if only they had attacked more aggressively! And why didn't they just storm that house? I'm sure the hight advantage would have given them cover from the main German forces... We allies cannot rely on such disorganisation! Where's a plucky, logical British commander when you need him!
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So we missed this mission out thinking we didn't have the map, we went back to rectify the issue and randomised who was which force.
James claimed victory as the Germans simply through a combination of effective firepower and Norwegian (Dan's) incompetence, without a commander in the centre the limited blue deck was again troublesome and the decision to use the few move cards that came up on the flanks allowed the HMG free reign to terrorise the advancing troops. If those in the centre had moved onto the HMG through weight of numbers alone taking the building shouldn't have been an issue. Furthermore the resulting German response would have been slow and difficult to manoeuvre because of the snow (all german movement through terrain was doubled)
More lessons learnt for Dan as the Germans secure a comfortable 17VP victory, suffering no loses whatsoever!
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Thanks for reading, D&J
Next time: Surely the British can show their allies how to do whilst defending the bridge... SURELY!!!
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