Red Horse Recon

The swampy areas of the Cotentin peninsula led Allied command to misundcrstand bocage country. Only as the U.S. First Army attempted to reach the line formed by the towns of Coutances, St. Ló, and Caumont would that terrain's true nature be discovered. In its designed reconnaissance role, the 113th Cavalry …

1944-07-08

AP138

The swampy areas of the Cotentin peninsula led Allied command to misundcrstand bocage country. Only as the U.S. First Army attempted to reach the line formed by the towns of Coutances, St. Ló, and Caumont would that terrain's true nature be discovered. In its designed reconnaissance role, the 113th Cavalry Group (Red Horse) led by Col. William S Biddle was one of the first units across the Vire-Taute canal. It was assigned the task of screening Leland Hobb's 30th Infantry Division from the 7. Armee of General der Waffen SS Paul Hausser while the 30th crossed the canal in force. Operating offensively in an area of dry ground west of the canal, Biddle was expecting little if any resistance from lnfanterie Bataíllon 639 “Ostermark.” After taking the town of Goucherie, the Red Horse continued southward, maintaining the screen on the right flank of the VII Corps advance.

Goucherie, France

The Battle of Saint-Lô is one of the three conflicts in the Battle of the Hedgerows, which took place between July 7–19, 1944, just before Operation Cobra. Saint-Lô had fallen to Germany in 1940, and, after the Invasion of Normandy, the Americans targeted the city, as it served as a strategic crossroads. American bombardments caused heavy damage and a high number of casualties, which resulted in the martyr city being called "The Capital of Ruins", popularized in a report by Samuel Beckett.

American

German

Scenario Type = Standard