"The Paratroop Stomp in Pont L'Abbé"

The German player usually has few offensive threats available in the early part of the game. That being so, the ones he does have are all the more vital. A major threat near the Utah front is the "paratroop stomp" in Pont L'Abbé.

To set up the stomp, the German player will typically mass a large attacking force in Valognes; position his artillery adjacent to Pont L'Abbé; move the 101 Nebelwerfer unit into Pont L'Abbé; bombard the two parachute units once or twice; and then assault in force, ideally when the weather is overcast. The assault itself will be constrained by the fact that a maximum of five units can cross a given bridge in a single impulse. Launching the assault from Valognes, the bridge problem can be circumvented by sending in the more mobile units, those with MF 4 or 5, via St. Sauveur-le-Vicomte. Alternatively, since the assault is non-mandatory, the infantry units could simply cross the river without using the bridge and the other units could travel via the Valognes/Pont L'Abbé bridge.

An effective assault force adding up to 19 Attack Factors might consist of:

  • 91/1058 and 91/pak in Valognes supported by 91/art in St. Sauveur-le-Vicomte
  • 243/920 and 243/922 in Valognes supported by 243/art in St. Sauveur-le-Vicomte
  • 709/729 and 709/739 in Valognes supported by 709/art in St. Sauveur-le-Vicomte
  • 1/30, 2/30 and 932 flak units and AOK7 infantry in Valognes

The force just described can be set up as follows:

  • 1/30/flak, 2/30/flak, 932/flak, 709/739 and 709/art regroup to Valognes on the night of June 6; 709/art regroups to St. Sauveur-le-Vicomte on the night of June 7.
  • 243/920 and 101NW regroup to Cherbourg on June 6; 101NW moves through flak cover in Valognes to Pont L'Abbé during June 7 and 243/920 regroups to Valognes in the night of June 7.
  • 243/922 and 293/art regroup to Bricquebec on the night of June 6; on the night of June 7, 243/922 regroups to Valognes and 243/art to St. Sauveur-le-Vicomte.
  • 709/729 regroups from St. Pierre-Église to Valognes on the night of June 6.
  • AOK7 regroups from Barfleur to St. Vaast-La-Hougue on the night of June 6, and to Valognes on the night of June 7.
  • 91/pak regroups from St. Sauveur-le-Vicomte to Valognes on the night of June 6; 91/art regroups from St. Sauveur-le-Vicomte to La Haye-du-Puits on the night of June 6, and to St. Jores on the night of June 7.

The attack force can be unleashed on June 8, started with a bombardment by the Nebelwerfer and following up with an assault. If, thanks to the Nebelwerfer, one parachute unit is spent and the other D1, and if the weather is clear, the assault will be 19-7. The Area will be cleared if the German player rolls -6 or better, a 97.3% probability. An overrun will be achieved, killing two Allied units, if the roll is -5 or better, an 94.6% probability. If the weather turns overcast before the assault is launched, the German player needs only -8 or better to expel the Allies (probability of success 99.6%) and -7 or better to realize an overrun (98.4%). Run two infantry from the 243rd division, two from the 709th division and AOK7 into Pont L'Abbé directly from Valognes and bring the remaining units, those with MF 4 or 5, in through St. Sauveur-le-Vicomte.

If the Nebelwerfer bombardment is a whiff, or if the assault must be launched urgently before there is time to bombard, one of the Allied defenders will still be fresh and the other spent. This raises the Defense Value from 7 to 9 and makes it considerably more difficult to free the Area. The German player needs to roll -2 or better (probability 76.1%) to clear Pont L'Abbé and -1 or better (66.4%) to achieve an overrun.

The above scenario is really just one of a number of possible "stomps". If circumstances permit -- a long June 6 with a weather change, for example, with few threats to respond to from the Allied player -- you can sometimes set up the assault for June 7 instead of June 8, although it would probably involve fewer than 19 Attack Factors.

If the "stomp" succeeds, the German player will probably want to rebuild his units in Pont L'Abbé and regroup some or all of them the same night into St. Jores, where they can contribute to the defense of Carentan.

All of this sounds like a good bet for the German player. It threatens to take back an Area the Allied player was contesting, kill or severely disrupt two American units, and maybe grab the Advantage and subtract one from the Sunset DRM. However, he should not fail to take the following factors info account.

  • The Allied player may succeed in clearing St. Mère-Église before the Pont L'Abbé assault can be launched. American forces can then reinforce the Area, nullifying the menace. In this case, all the German preparations are for naught.
  • If the German player was fortunate enough to seize the magic bridge on June 6, he will need to deploy his forces so as to permit ongoing reinforcement of St. Mère-Église across that bridge. The "stomp" stratagem will probably be ill-advised under these circumstances.
  • If you try the "stomp" and don't quite succeed, leaving an Allied unit in Pont L'Abbé, the cost of rebuilding all those German units will be punishing.
  • If the weather changes to overcast on June 6 or 7, the German player should seriously consider sending some of the infantry, flak or artillery down to defend Carentan, while he has the opportunity. This may mean abandoning the "stomp".
  • Indeed, whether the weather changes or not, the German player must always be wary of the situation near Carentan. If it starts to look dangerous, prudence may dictate dropping all thoughts of a "stomp" and shifting units southward.
  • The possibility of an Allied attack through Montebourg should not be ignored either. If the German player commits too many units to the "stomp", he may see the battle carried up the coast toward Barfleur.

The best approach is often to threaten the "stomp", but to be hesitant in actually using it. The growing threat will worry the Allied player, encouraging him to devote more impulses to the Utah front than he might otherwise. It may also cause him to hesitate in clearing Omaha Beach via the "CA triple play", so he can retain that means of regaining the Advantage should the German player take it away via the "stomp".