Target for Today - Part 1

Mission 1

Date: December 4th 1943

Base: Foggia, Italy

Unit: 304th Bomber Wing, 456th Bomber Group, 745th Bomber Squadron, 15th Air Force

Target for Today: Osoppo Airfield, Northern Italy

Position in formation: Middle Cell, Plane #6

After two consecutive scrubbed missions due to bad weather, we finally have good weather. We take off without a hitch for Osoppo in Northeastern Italy. Moral is high, in part due to a heavy friendly escort of fighters.

On our first leg over the Adriatic our formation is attacked. A lone ME-110 climbs from below, but luckily Sgt Pat Sorya is quick on the trigger. The twin engine fighter has its right wing shredded and the crew bails out.

We are soon on the receiving end of another, heavier, Luftwaffe attack, but no enemy fighters get to us.

No other attacks until we are flying over Northern Italy and closing on the target. At first, we meet only light resistance and our airplane is not targeted, but once we are near Osoppo, enemy fighters swarm our formation. Luckily we have still have some fighter cover and only two enemies get through to us. An ME-110 comes in low from our six o'clock and again Sgt Pat Sorya is quick on the trigger. The twin engine fighter takes substantial damage in the nose area and its pilot lose control. In front, an Italian MC205 attacks from twelve o'clock high, but Sgt JF Paquette in the top turret takes care of him. Bullets smash the fighter's cockpit, wounding or killing the pilot and the plane goes down.

Over the target we pass through light flak without issue and soon the lead bomber signals to drop our bombs. Lt Max Britten drops the bombs on target, with an estimated 50% accuracy. On the way out, more light flack, but again with no effect. Two more enemy fighters engage us; a FW-190 from twelve o'clock high, which is driven off by our escorts, and an Me-109 coming in from one thirty level. Our gunners miss him and likewise he misses us, after which he peels off.

On the way back to Foggia our formation is attacked sporadically, but no enemy fighters get to us. Back over our airfield, the weather is still good and we land without difficulty. A mission well done with no damage taken.

Mission 2

Date: December 8th 1943

Base: Foggia, Italy

Unit: 304th Bomber Wing, 456th Bomber Group, 745th Bomber Squadron, 15th Air Force

Target for Today: Marshalling Yard at Verona, Northern Italy

Position in formation: Low Cell, Plane #9

We take off in good weather, but as we fly over the Tyrrhenian Sea we are surrounded near constantly by heavy cloud banks. The formation suffers almost no attacks, between the clouds and good fighter cover we are relatively safe. 

Over Verona, we find the target mostly obscured. We face no flak going in and on the signal of the lead bomber, Lt Max Britten drops our bombs on target, with an estimated 20% effectiveness. As we circle back to head home, we encounter some light flak, but take no damage.

A captured B-17 shadows us until we reach the coast. The formation is attacked vigourously and the germans even take to bombing us mid air, which temporarily breaks up our formation. We are unscathed, as good escorts and cool nerves see us through these dangers.

The journey back over the Tyrrhenian Sea is uneventful and we make a safe landing back at Foggia.

Mission 3*

Date: December 12th 1943

Base: Foggia, Italy

Unit: 304th Bomber Wing, 456th Bomber Group, 745th Bomber Squadron, 15th Air Force

Target for Today: Ploesti Oil Fields, Romania

Position in formation: Low Cell Leader, Plane #7

We take off in good weather and quickly hit some bad weather over the Adriatic Sea. Sgt Stephane Tanguay hears the recall order on the radio, and the formation loops back towards Foggia. We drop our bombs off the coast of Yugoslavia, just before the germans hit us. 

What little fighter escort we have is unable to help and we find ourselves in the crosshairs of four german fighters. Three of them attack us head on, while the last one comes in from three o'clock low. Sgt JF Paquette shoots one of the FW-190 in the engine and it falls from the sky, trailing smoke. Meanwhile, Sgt Pat Sorya shoots the FW-190 coming from three o'clock in the left wing, fouling up its attack run and forcing it to abort. The remaining FW-190 hits our, thankfully, empty bomb bay, shredding our rubber rafts, the Me-109 does only superficial damage.

On its second pass, the FW-190 attacks from ten thirty high, but a burst from Sgt Amine Sadiqi hits its fuel tank and the german fighter explodes. The Me-109 comes in from six o'clock high and takes superficial hits from Sgt Alexandre Desy and Sgt JF Paquette. Its fire does superficial damage to our nose and tailplane, also destroying what was little was left of our rubber boats, before breaking off.

We then receive some german rockets, lobbed from our aft, which do no damage but breaks up our formation temporarily. Just before reaching the coast of Italy, more fighters attack, but those targeting us are driven off by other friendly bombers.

We finally reach Foggia under some pretty bad weather, but land without a problem.

*Does not count for the 30 missions required to complete a tour of duty.

Fall Blau (Clearing the Don Bend)

The pocket and counterattack of the 1st Tank Army before Kalach-na-Donu from 22July to 2 August 1942.

The German offensive begins to drive away the Soviets around Surovikino.

Surovikino is nearly surrounded as the Soviet defenders continue to pull back.

Running out of time, the Germans send out some of their best forces towards the bridgehead of Novogrigoryevskaya.

Just in time, the Germans capture the bridgehead and Surovikino for a Minor Victory.

Clash of Giants II: Galicia 1914

Galicia 1914 pitted the armies of Tsarist Russia and Habsburg Austria-Hungary in a ferocious struggle along a 200 mile front. The Austrian commander, General Conrad, refused to wait for the arrival of his 2nd Army, which had been initially deployed to the Serbian front, before going onto the offensive. The Austrian attack began on 19 August, with Conrad's 1st and 4th Armies on the Austrian left flank striking the Russian 4th and 5th Armies on the Tsarist right. The Austrians outnumbered the Russians on this flank, and initially drove them back, and Conrad began to dream of pocketing the entire Russian army group. But the absence of the Austrian 2nd Army gave the Russians an even greater numerical advantage on the opposite flank, as two Russian armies (the 3rd and 8th) struck the Austrian 3rd east of Lemberg (Lvov). Soon it was Conrad's armies that were in danger of being cut off and destroyed. The campaign was a catastrophe for Austria-Hungary, but in the end the result was a fatally incomplete victory for the Russians.

The Russians juggernaut begins its advance from the East. Russia's westernmost army, Salza's weak 4th army, finds itself on the path of Dankl's 1st army's rapid advance. It seems Austria-Hungary has taken the iniative.

The Russian 4th army is surrounded and badly mauled by Dankl's 1st army. Yet, around Lemberg, the Austro-Hugarian armies are pushed back by Plehve's 5th army and Rusky's 3rd army.

With the Russian 4th army destroyed, the Austro-Hungarian 1st and 4th armies attack the Russian flank, in an effort to relieve Lemberg. In the East, Brusilov's 6th army is advancing against the understrenght defenders of the Austro-Hungarian 2nd army.

The battle turns into a stalemate, each side preparing for the next offensive. The Austro-Hungarians pull back some troops west in expectation of Russian reinforcements. 

The Russians renew their offensive. Plehve's 5th army pushes back the center of the Austro-Hungarian line, while Brusilov's 6th army halts an enemy offensive. 

In the face of Russian reinforcements, Dankl's 1st army and Auffenberg's 4th army begin to withdraw to a more defensible position. 

The Austro-Hungarian army establish their new defensive live, while the Russian army prepares for a major attack.

The Russian onslaught pushes back the Austro-Hungarians at great cost for both armies. Lemberg falls into the hands of the Russians.

The Russians try to capitalize on their gains with several more attacks, but their army is too exhausted to acheive much. 

With both armies unable to launch anything more substantial than local attacks, the battle of Galicia ends in a convincing Austro-Hungarian victory. (Austria-Hungary: 7 VP, Russia 3 VP)

Mississippi Fortress

By the sping of 1863, Grant was ready with another plan to seize Vicksburg. He would march down the west side of the Mississippi and rely on the Union naval forces being able to run the batteries and meet him south of Vicksburg. The ships would then allow the Union army to cross the Mississippi and interpose itself between the two Confederate armies of Johnston and Pemberton. Finally, Vicksburg would be attacked from the south and east.

By April 25rd, the better part of Grant's army had crossed the Mississippi at Briarfield, with a small force moving south at Port Gibson. The Confederates shuffled their troops around, trying to guess Grant's next move.

On April 28th, Grant's concentration of forces at Briarfield was nearly complete and a Union cavalry probe on Yokena resulted in a breakout. Union cavalry moved up to Warrenton catching the battery there by surprise and destroyed it, despite the intervention of the Confederate cavalry.

The Union advance from their landing results in the battle of Yokena. 

The Confederates begin to regroup in Vicksburg. 

In early May the Confederates at Yokena shadow the Union advance on Vicksburg, resulting in the battle of Warrenton.

By May 8th, Vicksburg is completely surrounded. Pemberton and his army are waiting for Johnston and his army slowly arriving at Jackson. 

A week later, Johnston is nearing Vicksburg and the confederate relief force splits up in an attempt to spread out the besiegers. 

In the night of the 19th to 20th of May, Pemberton breaks out of Vicksburg. At the crack of dawn he faces the Union force standing between him and Johnston's relief column. It would be a bitter fight, as the Union pours in all the reinforcements they can find to annihilate Pemberton's battered army.

Despite the Union's best efforts, Pemberton reaches the safety of Johnston's fresh army. The Union army regroups to face the combined force. Neither side feels strong enough to commit to battle, resulting in a stalemate.

In the end, the Union had acheived its goal of capturing Vicksburg, but at too high of a cost in blood. (Union 87 VP - Confederate 144 VP)

Air & Armor: Attack to Relieve a Pocket

Caught without warning and pummeled from the air, the commander of the 3rd Mechanized Division felt that he had lost the fight before it was even begun. By the end of the first day, half of his command was destroyed and the rest was completely surrounded. However, he still had enough troops and munitions to hold out for a while, maybe even a couple of days, if he was given time to fortify the city. VII Corps wouldn't hear of it. The 3rd Division was going to be rescued... somehow. Taking a great risk, the commander of the 4th Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group voluntereed to rail his command up to Kitzingen. CENTAG approved, and the Canadians and West Germans railway workers labored desperately over the long night to get the brigade loaded up and routed over the badly-bombed rail net to Kitzingen. By dawn of D+1, the tank squadron had already disembarked and was probing towards Schweinfurt from the southeast. The rest of the brigade was still en route. Meanwhile, the two brigades of the 12th Panzer had regrouped and were preparing to break into the pocket from the southwest. Help was on the way, if the 3rd Mech could just hold out a bit longer.

D+1 0600: Elements from the two Soviet division begin their assault on Schweinfurt, supported by the 8th Guards artillery, they make short work of the defenders. Meanwhile, the West German 36th Brigade, fresh and equipped with Leopard 2s, smash into the remnants of the Soviet 57th Tank Regiment. A subsequent sally by most the remaining American tanks in Schweinfurt shatter the 57th. Nearby, the depleted West German 35th Brigade take on the fresh Divisional Tank Brigade from the Soviet 57th Division and after exchanging some losses, pushes them back.

D+1 0800: Block by block, Schweinfurt falls to the Soviets. The 8th Guards Army artillery provides devasting support fire to the Soviet regiments and the few remaining elements of the American 3rd Division are pushed back to the south of the city. The two West German brigades take on the 39th Tank Regiment and the Divisional Tank Battalion of the Soviet 39th Division. When the dust settles, the 39th Tank Regiment is no more. Finally, the remainder of the Canadian brigade arrives, ready to attack. Yet despite the string of successes by the relieving forces, the unspoken question remains: Are we too late?

D+1 1000: A renewed Soviet attack in Schweinfurt sees the American defenders holding on precariously on the south bank of the river Main. The exhausted West Germans, with some timely air support, manage to open the way to the city. Yet they now have to surmount entrenched Soviet infantry to reach the beleaguered Americans. With little hope of relief by the West Germans, it is up to the Canadians to mount a relief effort. Supported by American helicopters and all available artillery in the area, the infantry of the 4th Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group goes on the attack. After some heavy fighting, they are less than two miles away from Schweinfurt. 

D+1 1200: After six hours of bloody fighting, the objective is in sight. A call is send for CF-18s to clear the way and the remaining Canadian infantry from 4CMBG breaks through to Schweinfurt.

Americans and Canadians hold a brief celebration until they are interrupted by the unrelenting artillery from the 8th Guards Army accompanied by a heavy attack of Soviet infantry. A hard battle ensues in the suburbs of Schweinfurt and the Canadians sell their lives dearly. While their sacrifice buys a bit more time to the relief force, in their overall weakened state it is a forgone conclusion that Schweinfurt will be lost. The Soviets too are near breaking point, but with Schweinfurt nearly taken, the rest of the 8th Guards Army is preparing to reinforce the offensive with the goal of a breakthrough. NATO must withdraw if they do not want a defeat to turn into a catastrophe.