Operation Martlet: Probe into Fontenoy (Game 2)

Stalled at the first hurdle the British decided to take no chances in their second attack on Fontenoy, Cavendish had asked for more armour and was given a Churchill tank to back up his Sherman, the tanks were going to take the lead and the infantry would follow.

Again the preliminary bombardment had little or no effect apart from keeping the heads of the Germans down for a short time as the tanks rumbled forward on the British left, now and again both loosed off shots at the entrenchments in the German centre, this meant those particular Germans were to remain in cover.

Knowing the Allied tanks were the main threat Weber moved his Panzer IV forward to uncover the Sherman, his first shell slammed into the Sherman and brought it to a halt, the infantry of both sides awaited the result of the duel. Paige's crew returned fire and a lucky shot brought the panzer to a halt as it sprung a track, Sergeant Newby now threw caution to the wind and advanced the Churchill to get a bead on Weber. The six pounder shell destroyed the enemy tank, this meant both British vehicles could now shoot with impunity into the German defences, albeit the Sherman from a distance.
 

Cavendish saw his opportunity and pushed forward the infantry, although the main defence were still cowering in their trench the others opened up with machine gun fire, the British however got off lightly.

As it looked like the attack might stall it was Newby again who took the initiative and ran his tank up and over the nearby German defences, as he drove forward a panzerfaust hit but did not explode, the defenders, who had also taken punishment from the advancing British broke and ran. Taking advantage of this a squad rushed the German commander and his escort looking for an easy kill but instead Braun managed to fight them off and escape.

Braun's men on the flanks withdrew now that their centre had collapsed and the road ahead was clear for the British. Cavendish radioed HQ but as he looked around he could see that although the price was not as heavy as the day before, some good men would not be going home.

The tanks were needed to weaken the defences and keep the defender's heads down before the infantry attempted the long, open march to the crossroads, thankfully the Sherman had only been disabled and its gun remained a threat to the enemy. The Churchill had also been lucky knocking the Panzer IV out on its first shot, an admirable feat, its advance on the German centre was crucial in allowing the infantry to get forward, although they also did well maintaining their movement despite the amount of fire directed at them. The German fire was not as lethal as it had been the day before which helped enormously. Cavendish may need reinforcements for the next action as his squads are now down to seven men while the SS are down to six, but they still have the edge in firepower. Next, Cavendish must clear the rest of the village before pushing onwards.