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FH2 MINI-CAMPAIGN - RISING TIDES, SOARING SKIES - IS NOW OPEN

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BATTLE #6 - PHILIPPINE SEA / MIDWAY - WILL START IN:

FH2 CAMPAIGN #17 WILL START SOON
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Quicksilver

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    CMP FH2 Campaign #14: Their Finest Hour Battle #8: Metz History "The first U.S. attack was launched by the 95th Infantry Division, in which they attempted to capture a bridgehead to the north of Metz. This attack was repelled by the German forces, as was another attack on the city that followed. In another attack, the US forces captured a small bridgehead across the Moselle to the south of Metz. By the end of September, German forces positioned to the north had moved to the southern area of Metz. Some troops were also withdrawn from Metz. After this development, the XII Corps launched another attack but was countered by the German defenders. In the following two weeks, the U.S. forces limited themselves to small scale attacks and patrolling in the Metz area. During this time, the XX Corps underwent a training program, experimenting with methods of reducing the defenses of the fortress. By this time, the U.S. command had decided to attack Metz from its rear, coming from the east. On 3 November a new attack was launched by the U.S. forces, which resulted in the capture of the outer defenses with the aid of the tactics developed during the training process. On 14 November Generalleutnant Heinrich Kittel was appointed as the new commander of the German forces. By 17 November, U.S. forces had managed to isolate most of the forts, and were attacking the city. German forces had been retreating since 17 November, and U.S. forces pursued them for the following two days. U.S. forces entered Metz on 18 November, and on 21 November Kittel was wounded and subsequently captured. Although the city itself was captured by U.S. forces and hostilities formally ceased on 22 November, the remaining isolated forts continued to hold out. Direct assault was forbidden against the holdout forts in order to preserve artillery ammunition for the XX Corps' advance to the Sarre River and the isolated forts subsequently surrendered one by one following the surrender of Fort Verdun on 26 November. By the end of November, several forts were still holding out. The last of the forts at Metz to surrender was Fort Jeanne d'Arc, which capitulated to the U.S. III Corps on 13 December." --- --- --- ---
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    CMP FH2 Campaign #14: Their Finest Hour Battle #7: Mont Castre History "In 1944 the Germans had dug themselves in on Hitler’s orders to stop the American advance to the south. They called it the Mahlmann Line and it was defended by an elite Regiment the 15th Regiment of the 5th Parachute Division. Cherbourg had already fallen to the Americans and they now turned their attention to a southern breakthrough. On July 3rd at 05:30 the attack began with three Infantry Divisions, from east to west they were 79th and 82nd Airborne, plus the 90th starting in a line from Port Bail to Pretot. The main assault on the hill was made by 1 battalion of the 358th and two battalions of the 359th, both from the 90th Division. By the evening of the 5th they had fought their way to the foot of Hill 122 but it took a further four days to drive the Germans from the hill. It took until July 12th to reach Plessis-Lastelle at enormous cost to both armies, over 5,000 casualties in the 90th Division. To put the battle into perspective, the 90th Division had 26% of all the causalities suffered by the Allied Army’s in all theatres of the war during that week. The 3rd Battalion of the 358th Regiment which started with 19 officers and 582 men lost 11 officers and 343 men in a single days fighting. It took a further five days fighting to reach the town of Periers just eight miles away." --- --- --- ---
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    CMP FH2 Campaign #14: Their Finest Hour Battle #6: Argentan History "The town of Argentan is an unassuming little town on the Orne River. However, like most unassuming French towns it was thrust into the limelight in the bitter months of 1944. Heavily bombed by allied planes during the intial D-Day landings, the towns fame came during the push by the American 3rd army to cut of the Germans in the Falaise Pocket from the south. While the Candian/British forces attacked from the north in Operation Totalise and Tractable, and the Poles fought to hold Hill 262, the first American units began their push into Argentan. The American 80th Division led the attack and soon ran into serious German opposition. German machine guns and 88mm guns were used to good effect but were unable to halt the American advance. Many American tanks were lost during the fighting, including four out of five tanks in a single squadron, knocked out by a single 88mm gun as they tried to advance through a gate in a column formation. The last tank survived by chance as it got stuck and so didn't expose itself to the Germans. By the 20th of August the town was liberated and the American forces would soon link up with their British counterparts. Around them they saw the abandoned vehicles and wreckage of the retreating and soon to be annihilated German 7th army." --- --- --- ---
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    CMP FH2 Campaign #14: Their Finest Hour Battle #5: Hill 262 History "The success of Operation Cobra provided the Allies with an opportunity to cut off and destroy most German forces west of the River Seine. American, British and Canadian armies converged on the area around Falaise, trapping the German 7th Army and elements of the 5th Panzer Army in what became known as the Falaise pocket. On 20 August Generalfeldmarschall Walter Model ordered a withdrawal but by this time the Allies were already blocking his path. During the night of 19 August, two battle groups of the Polish 1st Armoured Division (Maajor-General Stanisław Maczek) had established themselves in the mouth of the Falaise pocket on and around the northernmost of the two peaks of Mont Ormel ridge. On 20 August, with his forces encircled, Model organised attacks on the Polish position from both sides of the pocket. The Germans managed to isolate the ridge and force open a narrow corridor. Lacking the fighting power to close the corridor, the Poles directed constant and accurate artillery fire on German units retreating from the pocket, causing heavy casualties. The Germans launched fierce attacks throughout 20 August which inflicted losses on the Poles on Hill 262. Exhausted and dangerously low on ammunition, the Poles managed to retain their foothold on the ridge. The following day, less intense attacks continued until midday, when the last German effort to overrun the position was defeated at close quarters. The Poles were relieved by the Canadian Grenadier Guards shortly after noon; their stand had ensured the closure of the Falaise pocket and the collapse of the German position in Normandy." --- --- --- ---
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    CMP FH2 Campaign #14: Their Finest Hour Battle #4: Brecourt Manor History "June 6th, 1944. A German gun battery was reported to be placed 6 miles off Utah beach, in the vicinity of Brecourt Manor. It was firing at causeway #2, inflicting heavy casualties on the troops of the U.S. 4th Infantry Division that were trying to clear the landing zones and advance inland using that route. On this morning Capt. Thomas Meehan III, the CO of E Company, 2nd Bn, 506th PIR, 101st Airborne Division, was killed in action when his C-47 transport plane was shot down while approaching the drop zone. So the command of EASY company was passed on to its XO, 1st Lt. Richard Winters. After linking up with his parent unit at the hamlet of Le Grand Chemin, Winters was ordered to eliminate the gun position with his company." --- --- ---
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    CMP FH2 Campaign #14: Their Finest Hour Battle #3: Gold Beach History "On the morning of the 6th of June 1944, the 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division landed on the beaches between the Normandy towns of Le Hamel and Ver sur Mer. The code name given to this landing ground was Gold Beach. Opposing the landing was the 716th Static Infantry Division, formed from Germans unfit for the Eastern Front and conscripts from occupied nations. The initial bombardment and the support of the "Funnies" from the 79th Armored Division led to the creation of a beachhead six miles wide and deep by the end of the day." --- --- --- --- ---
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    CMP FH2 Campaign #14: Their Finest Hour Battle #2: St. Marie-du-Mont History "In the night of 6 June 1944 more than four hundred planes dropped the American parachutists of the 101st Airborne Division in Normandy. The 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment landed on drop zone C near Sainte-Marie-du-Mont. The units were widely scattered. A group of about a hundred men gathered under General Taylor who commanded the division and Lieutenant-Colonel Ewell who commanded the 3rd battalion of the 506th Regiment. They moved toward Utah Beach to take control of the exit n°1. On the way they neutralized a German strong point near Sainte-Marie-du-Mont. Another group of parachutists destroyed a battery west of the town. Several paras hit the ground in the middle of the town, American and German troops killed each other in great confusion. In the afternoon Sainte-Marie-du-Mont was liberated by a group of paras of the 501st and 506th Regiments. The Americans took by surprise the Germans who were pushed back by the Landing on Utah Beach" --- --- ---
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    CMP FH2 Campaign #14: Their Finest Hour Battle #1: Omaha Beach History "Of all five landing beaches on D-Day, "Omaha Beach" was without a doubt the bloodiest of the day. The assault troops of the 29th Infantry Division and 2nd Ranger Battalion landing in Dog Green and Charlie sectors had the difficult task of securing the beachhead and clearing the road leading inland at Vierville-sur-Mer. The draw off the beach was heavily defended by the German Wehrmacht's 352nd Infantry Division, at 15 strongpoints also known as 'Widerstandsnester' (Resistance Nests). Each strongpoint was armed with machine guns, mortars and anti-tank guns interconnected by trenches and tunnels. These defences created a murderous cross-fire for any would-be attackers moving inland." --- --- --- --- ---
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    You can only receive the password to join the battle server once you have signed up for the campaign (choosing a regiment on the Allied or Axis team) and then joining our Teamspeak server and requesting the password from person in charge of your regiment. Please make sure you have added in your regimental tags on both Teamspeak and in the game, otherwise you will be kicked from both.
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    Axis Training For FH2 Campaign TeamSpeak Server: ts.cmp-gaming.com You will need to be on Teamspeak for both training and for the battles. If you are not on Teamspeak, you will be kicked from the server! FH2 Campaigns - What You Need To Know
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    Allied Training For FH2 Campaign TeamSpeak Server: ts.cmp-gaming.com You will need to be on Teamspeak for both training and for the battles. If you are not on Teamspeak, you will be kicked from the server! FH2 Campaigns - What You Need To Know
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    CMP FH2 Campaign #14: Their Finest Hour Scrimmage
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    A new FH2 campaign will be starting around mid-September to play through 12 maps (and at least one scrim). The campaign will end before Christmas. We need players to volunteer for various leading roles. If there are no volunteers to lead, then the campaign will NOT go ahead! For all those that complain during campaigns that their HQ, CO's or SL's do not know what they are doing - this is your time to shine and prove you're more than just talk! 82nd Airborne vs 130.Panzer-Lehr-Division We currently need: 1 Axis HQ (and 2nd HQs) If you are interested then post below, or PM @RayderPSG, @Sir_Kowskoskey or @RAnDOOm and let them know which side you wish to play on, in which regiment and what role you'd like to take (HQ, CO, LT, NCO). We don't have long left, so the sooner we can fill up these leadership spots, the sooner we can get this campaign started!
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    The 13th FH2 Campaign: Operation Avalanche Has Ended From all of the Committee, Admins and Moderators we want to thank everyone who took part in our thirteenth FH2 campaign. Even though FH2 is an old game (but thankfully still receiving updates due to a small and dedicated team), it has been great to see our battle sever fillled with players looking to enjoy a more organised version of the game they still play on the public servers. We hope that CMP will be able to continue hosting and supporting FH2 campaigns for many more years into the future - and yes, we do have plans for campaigns reaching all the way into 2025! Some interesting statistics from the campaign: In total there were nearly 62,000 kills over the course of the 12 battles (including team kills). The top three military hardware on the battlefield were artillery (both teams), and the Panzer IV H sitting in second place between Allied and Axis artillery. There were a total of 1,060 kills made with bayonets, knives, entrenchment tools and spades. 828 players were unlucky enough to step on an anti-personnel mine. Get all the stats from Campaign 13 here You can also view the scoreboard for Campaign 13 here Before we thank those who have been involved in helping to bring this campaign together and helping to keep everything running throughout the past 14 weeks or so, I wanted to bring up a few talking points that occasionally arise during campaigns, but are usually ignored or forgotten about: "This player is definitely using wall hacks / aim-bots / voodoo magic to cheat in the game!" The admins hear this alot. And, as we all know, this is an old game with plenty of vulnerabilities that people will try to exploit. But, what we don't want in our community are CMP members who will openly accuse others of cheating, without evidence, just because they get killed when fighting a certain player. That is not what this community is about. There is every chance that you're just not as good as the other player and you need to deal with that. We won't tolerate public accusations of cheating, and you could find yourself kicked and banned from battles, Discord and the forums, and if needs be, the CMP community. However, that isn't to say they we don't take reports of cheating seriously. In the 13th campaign we received reports of players who were "definitely, 100%, without a doubt cheating" and for these players, the admins requested that they record and post their battle videos online for us to review. In some cases, players who were accused of cheating were already actively recording their own ganes and posting them online on a weekly basis! As you may be able to tell from the lack of notices from us, we didn't see any of those reported for cheating, actually cheating, when we reviewed their battle footage (although voodoo magic is a little harder to check). In those instances, we consider them closed cases. If you do feel that someone could be cheating in-game, do not post something in chat, on Discord, or the forums! Just PM one of the Committee members or an Admin and tell them of your concerns and it will be looked into. "Arrgghh! My SL / CO / HQ sucks! Why didn't they attack / defend x flag instead?!" We all love to think we are the greatest armchair generals, and as the admins sit in the Teamspeak channels, or read the various posts on Discord and the forums, we hear plenty of players who think they know of better tactics to win battles and ways in which their CO's are failing to lead, or their HQ is failing to do their job. But, most of these people never take on any roles of responsibility such as leading a squad, or volunteering for HQ roles. They simply complain after every battle if there is a loss for their team. I feel that now is the time for those people to put up, or shut up. We have a new campaign starting in September (dates to be confirmed), that will take place in Normandy and last for the usual 12 battles. We are now looking for Squad Leaders, Commanding Officers and people to lead as HQ for both Allied and Axis. This can be in an international regiment, or one of the language regiments for either side. For all those players that complain of poor tactics and lack of good leadership, now is your time to shine! Simply post a reply below this message and state that you'd like to part of the leadership in the next campaign, and what role you'd like to take. If you decide you don't want to get involved in leadership roles in future campaigns, then please keep your thoughts to yourself on "how the battles should be fought". We are giving you a chance to prove that your tactics are sound, but if you won't step up then you have no right to complain about those who volunteer to lead at any level. And Now For A Big Thank You To Everyone Who Made This Campaign Possible Our HQ's, CO's And SL's Thank you to all those that helped to lead armies and squads in this campaign. CptBocquier - Pr0z4c - Blander - SgtAlex RayderPSG - Erwin - Kerst- Haraldt - Watchtower - Beariale Nightwing - dumbbPunk - pozzo - GeoPat - Vlasov - Hawk - Swedish Green - Alan King Magnet_Butt - Meadow - Sancho Panzer - Otto - TOBU94 - Diegothic Without you volunteering to help lead, we would not have been able to run this campaign! Mapping and Mapping Support Papillon and Geopat There is a very small number of people who have volunteered their personal free time to work on the maps that are played in our campaigns. They have families, jobs and lives to lead that restricts how much time they can put into getting maps ready for campaigns. Time and again, Papillon and GeoPat step up to help in getting the maps ready in time for training and battle during the campaigns (amongst other mappers who have helped in previous campaigns as well). And again, for this campaign they have done all they can to get the maps ready to play. A huge thank you to them for everything they've done! Without the mappers we would not be having these wonderfully created custom campaigns, and instead you'd be playing the public maps and hoping they worked in a more organised setting. We need more people willing to take the time to learn to map, and will help in creating new maps, or refreshing existing maps. If you're interested, please also post below and we'll send you some links to resources on how to get started. Game Servers and Teamspeak kummitus Always working behind the scenes to keep the servers and Teamspeak running, and to keep things streamlined for the mappers as they edit and build the maps for release to the players. Without kummitus at the helm of working on the technical challenges of running the campaigns, Teamspeak, the forums and Discord, we would not have many of the features that help to bring a campaign together. Many thanks to him for all he does! Forums, Graphics, Social Media and Community Support RAnDOOm Sir_Kowskoskey Hawk RayderPSG Erwin RAnDOOm does a lot of the background work to get the campaigns ready, by helping to set up the forums, campaign interface, medals, ads, social media promotions, help officers and HQ get access to the forum areas. When we set the campaign live and open for everyone to register, you can guarantee that RAnDOOm has done a large proportion of the work to make all of this ready in time. Without him, we would surely struggle to get the campaign running in the short timeframes we have to have two campaigns per year! Sir_Kowskoskey, RayderPSG and Hawk are always hard at work speaking with the various language regiments and players to try and "gently" persuade them to sign up for leading roles in regiments, and to check on potential player numbers and preferences of side for each campaign. Their help in making sure that we have HQ and officers to lead in each campaign, and that for the most part everything runs smoothly, is greatly appreciated! Hawk and Erwin are the reason you see the wonderful campaign ads (Hawk's adverts for our campaigns are always masterpieces!) and Erwin does a great job of researching and creating the atmospheric map loading images you see on each of the campaign map (usually with an interesting quote from someone during WW2). They really help to put some shine and finishing touches to the campaigns and maps! Map Balancing and Feedback Hawk RayderPSG A perhaps thankless task, because there are always plenty that complain about the weapons balance on campaign maps, but Hawk and RayderPSG do an amazing job of testing and researching the weapons, vehicles and planes used on the maps to do their best to keep everything as balanced as it can be. Behind the scenes there is a lot of discussion about what should be placed on a map, and both Hawk and RayderPSG focus on balance without bringing in any personal bias if they happen to also be playing in, or leading a squad. A huge thank you to them for trying to make each battle equal and fair for both teams! AND FINALLY A MASSIVE THANK YOU TO YOU, THE PLAYERS WHO JOINED OUR CAMPAIGN! We are so pleased that many of you have come to find CMP as a home where you can enjoy gaming with likeminded people. We hope that we can continue to grow this community, expand the games we play, and encourage others to take the lead on new games that we can come together and play. If any of you have a game you are passionate about and think it fits with our community, then PM a Committee member, or an admin and tell us about it! We may be able to help support you in setting up a group within CMP. Donating To CMP Without donations to help cover the costs for servers and software we cannot continue to create and host FH2 campaigns, support new games when possible; as well as run the forums, Teamspeak and Discord channels. We are midway through 2023 and we need members to step up and donate whatever they can afford to help cover the monthly community costs - even a few Euros will help. You can use the button below to make a single or monthly donation to CMP, or use the buttons on the side bar of the Home page.
  15. Quicksilver
    Share your opinions about the battle. Replies are ok, but no flaming, keep it clean! Any posts containing complaints about map balance, assets, or other complaints will be removed and the person posting will have their posting privileges removed. Copy and paste below: Best: - Worst: - Funniest: - Most hated player: - Most loved/liked player: - Other: -
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    Share your opinions about the battle. Replies are ok, but no flaming, keep it clean! Any posts containing complaints about map balance, assets, or other complaints will be removed and the person posting will have their posting privileges removed. Copy and paste below: Best: - Worst: - Funniest: - Most hated player: - Most loved/liked player: - Other: -
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    TT = Total Tickets Remaining | T RVP = Round Bonus Modifier | T TVP = Total Tickets Bonus Modifier RVP = Round Victory Points | TVP = Total Victory Points
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    CMP FH2 Campaign #13: Operation Avalanche Battle #12 History "On the night of 10/11 April, British V Corps launched Operation Impact Plain to widen and deepen its bridgehead in the Wedge: 40th (Royal Marine) Commando advanced along the raised causeway bordering the lake while, from 56th (London) Division, 169th (Queen's) Brigade advanced on the commando's left across the flooded margins of the lake with two battalions in LVTs. The 56th Division's 167th Brigade advanced from the Wedge along the Reno flood banks. The commando column met stiff resistance at the bridge north east of Menate and took heavy casualties but were able to take the objective with the assistance of air support. 42nd Jaeger Division seems to have been taken by surprise by their opponents' amphibious capacity and seemed somewhat unnerved by the LVTs emerging from the water so that by daylight on 12 April all three columns had made some 4 miles (6.4 km) headway, linking up in the Menate-Longastrino area. 169th Brigade then pushed forward on the road towards Filo and 167th Brigade continued up the Reno, rolling up the German defences as far as the confluence with the Santerno river to link with the Italian Cremona Combat Group which had advanced from the south. Reacting to the Allied attack, von Vietinghof ordered 29th Panzergrenadier Division south to reinforce the Argenta gap. Its 15th Panzergrenadier Regiment arrived to reinforce 42nd Jaeger Division on 12 April but the rest of the division had been north of the Po and, delayed by air damage and fuel shortages was not in position until 14 April." MAP PICTURES WILL BE POSTED HERE SOON
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    CMP FH2 Campaign #13: Operation Avalanche Battle #11 History "During the last week in August, U.S. II Corps and British XIII Corps started to move into the mountains to take up positions for the main assault on the main Gothic Line defences. Some fierce resistance was met from outposts but at the end of the first week in September, once reorganisation had taken place following the withdrawal of three divisions to reinforce the pressured Adriatic front, the Germans withdrew to the main Gothic Line defences. After an artillery bombardment, the Fifth Army's main assault began at dusk on 12 September. Keyes tried to flank the II Giogo Pass by attacking both the peaks of Monticello and Monte Altuzzo using the 91st Infantry Division (nicknamed the "Wild West Division") in a bold attempt to bounce the Germans off the positions, but this failed. Progress at the II Giogo Pass was slow, but on II Corps' right British XIII Corps were making better progress. Clark grasped this opportunity to divert part of II Corps reserve (the 337th Infantry Regiment, part of the 85th Infantry Division) to exploit XIII Corps success. Attacking on 17 September, supported by both American and British artillery, the infantry fought their way onto Monte Pratone, some 2–3 mi (3.2–4.8 km) east of the Il Giogo pass and a key position on the Gothic Line. Meanwhile, U.S. II Corps renewed their assault on Monte Altuzzo, dominating the east side of the Il Giogo Pass. The Altuzzo positions fell on the morning of 17 September, after five days of fighting. The capture of Altuzzo and Pratone as well as Monte Verruca between them caused the formidable Futa Pass defences to be outflanked, and Lemelsen was forced to pull back, leaving the pass to be taken after only light fighting on 22 September." --- --- --- ---
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    CMP FH2 Campaign #13: Operation Avalanche Battle #10 History "On January 22 the Allied VI Corps landed on the beaches near Anzio, 33 miles (53 km) south of Rome. The assault force included the U.S. 3rd Division, British 1st Division, and U.S. Rangers. In 24 hours the Allies landed 36,000 troops and 3,000 vehicles and took control of Anzio and the neighbouring town of Nettuno. Only two German battalions were present in the area, and a swift dash inland could have seized the Alban Hills—covering the immediate approach to Rome—or even Rome itself. However, the Allies’ plan had been based on the calculation that the Germans would immediately counter the landing. Thus, they were primarily concerned with consolidating the beachhead, while the main forces in the south were to take advantage of the anticipated weakening of the enemy’s resistance there. The Germans did not react in the way expected. When the lack of opposition near Anzio became clear, Gen. Harold Alexander, head of the Anglo-American Fifteenth Army Group, wished to quicken the move inland. VI Corps commander Gen. John P. Lucas opted for a more cautious approach, however, and no serious advance was attempted for more than a week. This allowed Kesselring ample time to switch his reserves to the scene, while he also held in check the forward drive of the main Allied forces on the Cassino sector. By the end of January, the VI Corps had been sealed in. On February 3, the 12th day after the landing, the Germans developed a powerful counteroffensive against the Allied position at Anzio. This in turn was checked, but the Allied force was left in an awkwardly shallow and narrow bridgehead." --- --- ---
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    CMP FH2 Campaign #13: Operation Avalanche Battle #9 History "Operation Diadem, also referred to as the Fourth Battle of Monte Cassino or, in Canada, the Battle of the Liri Valley, was an offensive operation undertaken by the Allies of World War II (U.S. Fifth Army and British Eighth Army) in May 1944, as part of the Italian Campaign of World War II. Diadem was supported by air attacks called Operation Strangle. The opposing force was the German 10th Army. The object of Diadem was to break the German defenses on the Gustav Line (the western half of the Winter Line) and open up the Liri Valley, the main route to Rome. General Sir Harold Alexander, Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Armies in Italy, planned Diadem to coordinate roughly with the invasion of Normandy, so that German forces would be tied down in Italy, and could not be redeployed to France. Four corps were employed in the attack. From right to left these were the Polish II Corps and the British XIII Corps, of the Eighth Army, and the French Corps (including Moroccan Goumiers) and the U.S. II Corps, of the Fifth Army. The Fifth Army also controlled the U.S. VI Corps in the Anzio beachhead, some 60 miles northwest." --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---
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    CMP FH2 Campaign #13: Operation Avalanche Battle #8 History "The final battle of Monte Cassino would be launched months later, known as Operation Diadem. The lessons of rushed attacks and poor weather had finally convinced the Allies that nothing short of a large-scale, coordinated offensive across a wide front would break the Gustav Line. In order to accomplish this, more divisions were moved up, including American, Polish, and Indian forces along with a division of Canadian tanks. The Allies prepared this offensive over the span of two months, with small troop numbers moving and building along the front to avoid arousing German suspicion. This, along with fabricated training and communications, suggested to the Germans that a second naval landing would occur north of Rome, drawing away their reserves. Finally, after months of failed offensives, the Allies conducted a final, massive push on May 11th, reaching all the way from the mountains of the Rapido River to the coast. A number of factors helped the Allies in this fourth attempt, including far better weather and ground conditions, which allowed their troops to more easily advance. Furthermore, a large detachment of French colonial mountain troops was able to cross a section of the undefended mountain, believed to be impassable by the Germans, allowing them to threaten German supply lines and the flanks. Finally, by holding a bridgehead at the town of Cassino long enough, Canadian armor was able to push over the Rapido River and exploit the beachhead made by the infantry. Ultimately, it would be the Polish who reached the abbey first through brutal up-hill fighting, to the point where only a few men were left fit enough to climb the last stretch into the abandoned monastery to raise the Polish flag on May 17th." --- --- --- ---
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    CMP FH2 Campaign #13: Operation Avalanche Battle #7 History "The assault began at 2100 hours on January 18. A small red ball floated across the still, star‑spangled sky and landed gently as thistledown on a German post over the river. That was the signal. Five hundred guns of all calibres thundered a terrific bombardment. Under cover of a smoke‑screen and with covering fire by men of the London Irish and other supporting troops, the Queen’s Brigade and 167 Brigade swept across, some of the latter in assault boats manned by men of the battalion. As the British troops neared the opposite bank, German eighty‑eight’s spat viciously overhead or in the river. On the south bank mortars kept up a bombardment in close support; the three‑inch mortar platoon of the London Irish, under Lieutenant DA Hardy, alone fired over six hundred rounds in less than sixty minutes. The river was fifty to one hundred yards wide, and was running strongly and fast, owing to the winter rains. It was far too swift on the right, where the banks were precipitous, so that the 46th Division was unable to land. The crossings by the 56th (London) Division and the 5th Division, farther down the river, went according to plan. By dawn on the 19th, a bridgehead had been forced, including the small town of San Lorenzo which guarded the approaches to Castelforte and the valley beyond. On the evening of that day, German reaction developed and the London Irish were suddenly sent across to help make 167 Brigade’s landing secure, to occupy San Lorenzo, and to prepare to attack Castelforte at once." --- --- ---
  25. Quicksilver
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    CMP FH2 Campaign #13: Operation Avalanche Battle #6 History " By December 1943, the British Commonwealth's advance had broken through the German defences along the Moro river and now prepared to assault the area surrounding the seaside town of Ortona. General Montgomery believed that the Germans would retreat north of Ortona, in an area where the terrain provided good natural defence positions and that the coastal city would therefore be an easy prey. Things did not turn out that way… On December 20th, the 2nd Brigade arrived near Ortona. The following day the Loyal Edmonton Regiment got as far as Piazza Vittoria at the entrance of the town. In front of them, the corso Vittorio Emanuele leading to the Piazza Municipale, the heart of the city. Narrow side streets were blocked by barricades and rubble left by the Germans. The wide-open corso, the only street that tanks could use was booby-trapped. The Canadian infantry had to clear its way through houses on the side before moving forward, a dangerous and difficult task. The Canadians were first engaged by the 2nd Battalion of the Luftwaffe’s 3rd Parachute Regiment. This battalion bore the brunt of the defence until 24 December, by which time losses and exhaustion, added to the increasing weight of the Canadian attack, convinced General Heidrich, then commanding the 1st Parachute Division, to commit his divisional reserve, the 2nd Battalion of the 4th Parachute Regiment. The close-in nature of street fighting meant that the battle could not be controlled much above the section or squad level, and references to battalions or even companies are misleading. It is reckoned that little more than 100 paratroopers were in action in the town at any given time, with others resting in the town’s cellars and, particularly, its railway tunnels or they were re-deploying." --- --- --- ---
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