The Forgotten Front

The 66th Infantry Division was typical of many raised from draftees in preparation for the invasion of Europe. Yet when the “Panthermen” arrived, they found themselves relegated to a relative backwater – containing the isolated German pockets around Lorient and St. Nazaire. Their war was no less bitter, …

1945-02-09

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The 66th Infantry Division was typical of many raised from draftees in preparation for the invasion of Europe. Yet when the “Panthermen” arrived, they found themselves relegated to a relative backwater – containing the isolated German pockets around Lorient and St. Nazaire. Their war was no less bitter, however, as both sides continuously probed and raided opposing lines. The village of Hennebont lay in “no-man’s land” north of Lorient. On this nondescript day, a limited American assault was laid on. As the infantrymen left the shelter of the ruined village, to which they had probed without incident, fire from a bunker raked their ranks. The Americans sheltered behind armored cars coming to their support, but a flanking bunker opened fire also. Sgt. Chun Fat – who saw his entire squad go down – charged straight at the bunker, found the entrance and with phosphorus and explosive grenades, silenced the machinegun nest. Leaving the bunker, he stumbled into a German communications trench and ambushed the enemy within. The American attack, despite heroism like this, was stymied. The bitter “little war” continued. The German forces in Lorient did not surrender until the collapse of the Reich.

Hennebont, France

The Atlantic Pockets were locations along the coasts of the Netherlands, Belgium and France chosen as strongholds by the occupying German forces, to be defended as long as possible against land attack by the Allies. As well as concentrating men and matériel to control the surrounding area, their purpose was to deny the use of port facilities to the Allies and to secure their continued use by German submarines in the Battle of the Atlantic. In addition, so long as they remained in German hands, they had propaganda value. On 19 January 1944 Adolf Hitler declared fourteen places along the Atlantic Wall to be fortresses (Festungen), to be held until the last man or the last round—the so-called Atlantikfestungen (lit. "Atlantic strongholds"; known in English as "Atlantic pockets"). Other locations were added after the Allied invasion on 6 June 1944 in further directives of 17 August and 4 September.

American

German

Scenario Type = Standard