The Battle For Villers-Bocage

D-Day: Waffen-SS The Battle For Villers-Bocage
Villers-Bocage sits upon a major road hub. This road hub contains one of the only north-south roads in the area, while the east-west roads lead directly to Caen in one direction and Avranches in the other. This road structure is critical to supplying the German troops engaged with the British.

Panzer Lehr Arrives
After his Tiger tank was damaged during his solo attack on Villers-Bocage, Obersturmführer Wittmann retired with his crew on foot. Realizing the gravity of the situation, Wittmann headed directly to the headquarters of the Panzer Lehr Division where Generalleutnant Fritz Bayerlein was scrounging together a force of Panzer IV tanks to take on this threat to his rear.
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Wittmann immediately headed back to Point 213 in a Schwimmwagen amphibious jeep to brief the gathering forces of 101. Schwere SS-Panzerabteilung. Meanwhile a Kampfgruppe of fifteen Panzer IV tanks and a small group of infantry under the command of Major Helmut Ritgen advanced towards Villers-Bocage. Their mission was to seal off the exits from the town to the west and south. The Kampfgruppe soon came under fire from hidden anti-tank guns and began to skirt the defences, moving southeast. Near Point 213 they linked up with the SS Tiger tanks.
The Battle For Villers-Bocage
The British Dig In
After running Wittmann out of Villers-Bocage, the British begin organising an attempt by B and C Squadrons 4 CLY to rescue A Squadron trapped on Point 213. But long before they are ready, A Squadron sends its last frantic message and then all contact is lost. With the fall of Point 213, the fighting moves to Villers-Bocage.

While the armour seeks a way forward, the infantry of 1/7th Battalion of The Queen’s Royal Regiment prepares to hold Villers-Bocage against the inevitable counterattack. The railway yard is secured by A Company, while B and C companies take up positions in the town guarding the main approaches. D Company is placed in reserve covering the western flank. The battalion’s 6 pdr anti-tank guns are concealed throughout the town. All around the British troopers can be heard the clank of heavy steel tracks advancing down the roads towards the town. The battle is about to begin.
The Battle For Villers-Bocage

The Tigers Attack
After conferring with Wittmann and Ritgen, Obersturmführer Möbius leads his eight remaining Tiger tanks from 1. Kompanie, 101. Schwere SS-Panzerabteilung towards Villers-Bocage supported by some of his own infantry. Ritgen takes the tanks of Panzer Lehr off to the flank. The Germans advance quickly, but in a fragmented manner, with small groups of tanks moving along streets of the town centre and the railway station area.

In the close confines of the streets Tiger, Panzer IV, Cromwell and Firefly tanks all stalk one another in a furious game of cat and mouse. The longer-ranged guns of the German Panzer IV and Tiger tanks are largely negated by the close-in fighting, giving the agile British Cromwell tanks a chance.

The light 6 pdr anti-tank guns engage the heavy Tiger tanks from the sides and rear as they pass. At this very close range, even their small 57mm round, with a bit of luck, can penetrate a Tiger. One by one the large cats are damaged and abandoned, left behind until recovery crews can retrieve them.

British infantry move about in the buildings, waiting for the chance to ambush tanks with their dreaded (or is that dreadful) PIAT anti-tank projectors. The tranquil French town of Villers-Bocage becomes a killing field of great steel behemoths. Even the dreaded Tigers are not immune to death in this place of hewn stone and timber.

The Battle for Point 213...

Wittmann's Wild Ride...


Last Updated On Thursday, July 9, 2020 by Wayne at Battlefront