The Roadblock

In the confusion of the scattered air drop of the 101st Airborne, Lt. Colonel Vandervoort was ordered to turn his 2nd Battalion towards the already-taken village of Ste. Mere-Eglise and abandon his initial objective – a blocking position astride Route 13 to the north. Hedging his bets, he sent …

1944-06-06

18

In the confusion of the scattered air drop of the 101st Airborne, Lt. Colonel Vandervoort was ordered to turn his 2nd Battalion towards the already-taken village of Ste. Mere-Eglise and abandon his initial objective – a blocking position astride Route 13 to the north. Hedging his bets, he sent a platoon to organize a roadblock in Neuville. The platoon beat a strong German column to the Neuville by only 20 minutes. The much larger German force, consisting mainly of the 1058th Grenadier Regiment of the 91st Infantry Division, counterattacked and half of the defenders were killed or wounded in a heavy 8 hour battle. Eventually two of the American defenders, Sergeant Robert Niland and Corporal James Kelly, volunteered to remain behind. They held the German force off long enough for the rest to escape before both were killed.

Neuville-au-Plain, France

The U.S. airborne landings in Normandy were the first U.S. combat operations during Operation Overlord, the invasion of Normandy by the Western Allies on June 6, 1944, during World War II. Around 13,100 American paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions made night parachute drops early on D-Day, June 6, followed by 3,937 glider troops flown in by day. As the opening maneuver of Operation Neptune the two American airborne divisions were delivered to the continent in two parachute and six glider missions.

German

American

Scenario Type = Standard