The Head of the Mace

Elements of the 1st Polish Armoured Division had accidentally arrived in the gap through which the remnants of the German armies in Normandy were struggling to escape the “Falaise Pocket”. Atop the twin 262-meter peaks of Mont Ormel, which they termed “the Mace”, the Poles grimly resisted waves of …

1944-08-20

AP040

Elements of the 1st Polish Armoured Division had accidentally arrived in the gap through which the remnants of the German armies in Normandy were struggling to escape the “Falaise Pocket”. Atop the twin 262-meter peaks of Mont Ormel, which they termed “the Mace”, the Poles grimly resisted waves of elite German troops. Cut off from all supply, the defenders were conscious of the drama being acted out in their homeland, where the defenders of Warsaw were likewise besieged. Equally, they were determined to avenge the humiliation of 1939.. . A classic Falaise Gap situation. The Polish 1st Armoured Division, itself cut off and unsupported, plugs the gap, stopping the retreat of the German forces. Determined not to be trapped, the Germans throw the best of their depleted forces at the Polish troops, determined to break through.

Mont Ormel, France

The Falaise Pocket or Battle of the Falaise Pocket was the decisive engagement of the Battle of Normandy in the Second World War. A pocket was formed around Falaise, Calvados, in which the German Army Group B, with the 7th Army and the Fifth Panzer Army were encircled by the Western Allies. The battle is also referred to as the Battle of the Falaise Gap. The battle resulted in the destruction of most of Army Group B west of the Seine, which opened the way to Paris and the Franco-German border for the Allied armies on the Western Front.

German

Polish

Scenario Type = Standard