Normandy 1944: The Grimbosq Bridgehead 6-7 Aug 1944

Historical Overview

The village of Grimbosq is a small and rather unremarkable village sandwiched between a large forest and the steep banks of the River Orne.  A rural farming community, its peace had previously only been disturbed by the train line running north from Thury-Harcourt. It was an unlikely place to become the focus of some of the fiercest fighting of the Normandy campaign.

In support of Operation TOTALIZE by Canadian forces to the east, 59th (Staffordshire) Infantry Division was ordered to attack towards Thury-Harcourt, on the River Orne.  The main thrust of this offensive was to be southwards, on the west bank of the Orne.  However, in what appears to have been an opportunistic move, Brigadier Fryer’s 176th Infantry Brigade was assigned the task of establishing a bridgehead over the River Orne.

In a possibly unexpected turn of events, at 1840 hours on the 6th of August a suitable fording place for infantry was found opposite Grimbosq.  During the night the infantry battalions of 176th Brigade, with support from two squadrons of the 107th Regiment RAC, established a bridgehead 1000m deep on the steep east bank of the Orne to the south of Grimbosq.  By 0800 hours on the 7th August the destroyed bridge at Le Bas, just to the west of Brieux, had been repaired and construction work was progressing on a more substantial Bailey Bridge.  Two counter-attacks by the 271st Infantry Division failed to dislodge the British and during the day 176th Brigade enlarged its bridgehead to a width of about 3km and depth of 1.5km.  Once the Bailey Bridge was completed, Churchill tanks from 34th Tank Brigade were able to reinforce the bridgehead.

Although the Grimbosq Bridgehead was established as an operational accident, it was soon apparent to both sides that it was of immense importance, as not only did it outflank the strong Thury-Harcourt position to the south, it also outflanked German positions to the north and protruded deep into the German left flank at a time when they were under extreme pressure from 1st Canadian Army’s Operation TOTALIZE to the north.  It was clearly time for Sepp Dietrich, the commander of I. SS-Panzer-Korps, to deploy part of his armoured reserve, and so he ordered Kampfgruppe Wünsche from 12. SS-Panzer-Division Hitlerjügend to restore the situation.

The Scenario

This game was our annual ‘Big Bovvy Bash’ game at Bovington Tank Museum in July 2013 and Paddy Green wrote the scenario.  I was particularly keen to play, as I’d only just done a tour of the Grimbosq Bridgehead a couple of months earlier.  The rules used (as always) were ‘Battlefront: WWII’ by Fire & Fury Games and the full scenario can be found on the Fire & Fury website here:

http://www.fireandfury.com/scenarios/bloodhonourgrimbosq.pdf

The models were mainly from Paddy Green’s and Richard de Ferrars’ collection, with a few minor contributions by me (mainly aircraft, engineering vehicles and the roadside calvary for the calvary crossroads).

Here’s the map for our Bovington game:

The Game

With a bridgehead already established east of the Orne River by infantry wading the river, 59th (Staffordshire) Division Engineers built two bridges just downstream of Le Bas Hydro-Electric Power Station. The first bridge to be finished was a repair of the (breached) existing bridge at Le Bas. This was capable of taking Class 9 traffic, such as trucks and light AFVs, but nothing heavier.  The Churchill tanks of 107 RAC were therefore waded across, aided by winches and bulldozers provided by the Royal Engineers.  After considerable effort, a Class 40 pontoon bridge was built, enabling Churchill tanks and other heavy AFVs to easily enter the bridgehead.

One of the most significant events of the actual battle was the sudden appearance of a wing of Allied medium bombers, which plastered the Forêt de Grimbosq, but apparently suffered from 12th SS anti-aircraft fire. These were probably RAF Mitchells, but we couldn’t get our hands on sufficient models. A handful of Boston squadrons were still serving in the same wings as Mitchells, so we opted for a trio of lovely Boston models from Dave Schmid at Armaments In Miniature.

The bombers sweep in from the south, plastering the western edge of the forest, just to the east of Brieux. However, the sheer volume of 20mm flak results in a few downed bombers and throws off the survivors’ aim somewhat.  Nevertheless, they succeed in ripping the heart out of the 271st Infantry Division company that was due to assault La Bogtierre – an event that was to have significant consequences.  However, one bomber manages to drop its bombs on the Norfolks, aiding the German assault on the southern flank.

271st Infantry charge into the gap created by the RAF!

With the 271st Infantry reeling from the bombing, Siebken is forced to divert his 10th SS Panzer-Grenadier Company to assault La Bogtierre. A Vickers MMG section causes significant casualties on the panzer-grenadiers, stalling their initial assault.  However, the Vickers MMG is soon silenced by massed MG42 fire.  The supporting Pzkpfw IVs are engaged by two M10s, resulting in a KO’d Pzkpfw IV, but the loss of both M10s.  A 6pdr hidden in La Bogtierre Farm claims another Pzkpfw IV, but the gun is forced to make good its escape when assaulted by vengeful panzer-grenadiers.

In the centre, the Tiger company seems strangely reluctant to get stuck in to the fight. The Panthers on the German right flank show no such reluctance, however!

The British at Brieux and Le Bas are arrayed in considerable depth and strength. Siebken meanwhile, has only two panzer-grenadier companies with which to fight through these positions and one of his companies is already being chewed up at La Bogtierre!  Only a few British tanks and anti-tank guns have revealed themselves, but there must be more…

Wünsche’s main attack quickly takes the Calvary crossroads and drives on against determined British resistance at Grimbosq and the Chateau. German artillery slams down onto the houses, but 59th Division is giving as good as it gets, with large artillery missions being fired against the attacking panzers and panzer-grenadiers.

At the north-east corner of the bridgehead, panzer-grenadiers and Panthers push into Grimbosq.

At the western end of Grimbosq, things seem relatively quiet.

West of La Bogtierre, a 2-inch mortar team lurks behind a hedgerow, ready to deal out instant death to any Germans that come their way. The crew sharpen their bayonets and take a few practice-swings with the mortar-tube.

In the south, the 271st are faced with a succession of defended stream-lines, held by the Norfolks. Undeterred, the Germans push forward, infiltrating a significant force, including pioneers, up the thickly-wooded river bank.

Another view of the bombers’ attack.

The Norfolks attempt to plug their defences with the Carrier Platoon, but the Germans come on with increasing fanaticism!

Pioneers push forward as the Norfolks’ first defence line is breached.

At the south-east corner of the bridgehead, an isolated company of Norfolks fights a desperate rearguard action against the 271st.

With their second assault on La Bogtierre also having stalled, Siebken’s 10th Company suffers the ignominy of seeing a platoon from 271st Infantry seizing La Bogtierre with ease!

Siebken also now suffers the further humiliation of losing his prized flamethrower halftrack…

With Siebken’s 10th Company starting to suffer serious losses, the plan unravels even further as 11th Company is forced to dismount to complete the assault on La Bogtierre. German mortars crash into Brieux in an attempt to suppress British defenders there and keep them from intervening.

Panzer-grenadiers and Panthers are now pushing deep into Grimbosq and the Chateau is now largely overrun. Caught up in the moment, Wünsche does something rather rash…

Part of Wünsche’s headquarters element pauses at the Calvary crossroads.

Another view of the bitter, close-quarters fighting in Grimbosq.

Max Wünsche was last seen pushing forward for a better view of his objective…

With the commitment of his 11th Company, Siebken finally overwhelms the defenders of La Bogtierre. His battalion mortars lay smoke as 11th Company pushes on to assault the southern flank of Brieux.

Siebken’s exhausted 10th Company, aided by close support from armour, finally push the Norfolks out of La Bogtierre’s orchards. Some Churchills attempt to intervene on the southern edge of the farm, but are quickly knocked out by Pzkpfw IVs after a brief duel.

A single section of flamethrower-armed pioneers manage to establish a foothold in the south-east corner of Brieux. However, the rest of the panzer-grenadiers are thrown back in disorder.  If Siebken had done his reconnaissance properly, he would have noticed that 2-inch Mortar (see 12) and would never have attempted anything so foolish against such battle-hardened hand-to-hand specialists!

The pioneers, disordered by fire from a previously-unobserved Churchill parked outside the front door (!), are assaulted by Staffordshire infantry, but succeed against the odds in beating off all British counter-attacks!

The defenders of Grimbosq are now almost completely overrun. The fighting has now reached the church and the cemetery at the western end of the village and the Staffordshire men prepare to make their last-stand.  However, the Germans are rapidly running out of panzer-grenadiers!

With panzer-grenadier strength reaching critical levels, the Panthers are forced to mount even bolder attacks – pushing deep into the narrow streets with minimal support.

At the southern end of the battle, the 271st suffer a crisis of confidence at a critical moment, giving the Norfolks vital respite and a chance to plug the gaps in their lines.

The British view of the fighting in Brieux (described above).

The survivors of the Norfolks rally and form a new defensive position south of the Le Bas bridges.

Having secured their initial objectives, the 271st consolidate before pushing on to Le Bas.

The north-east corner of the British bridgehead has now been totally eliminated by the 271st Infantry.

The RAF mount photo-recce runs over the battlefield for future Ian Daglish books.

A Boston passes over Brieux just as the Tigers finally start to roll forward… and run into a screen of 17pdrs…

As it passes over Grimbosq, the German high-water mark can clearly be seen – the last panzer-grenadiers are battling the British for possession of the church, while both British and German tanks burn near the river.

A Boston in close-up.

Having remained largely idle for much of the day, the Tigers finally move forward, but suffer catastrophic losses to British anti-tank guns.

Having beaten off the British counter-attack, the 11th SS Panzer-Grenadier Company consolidates and expands its foothold in Brieux and prepares to attack that Churchill…

With British positions in Brieux finally identified, Siebken’s armour opens up on the hamlet.

The remnants of the 10th SS Panzer-Grenadier Company push forward from La Bogtierre as the Pzkpfw IVs engage in a duel with a Churchill.

The panzer-grenadiers finally take Grimbosq Church as the British survivors grimly hold their ‘Alamo’ position in the cemetery.

With serious casualties and lacking infantry support, there is little more the Panthers can do to push forward against the bridges. Nevertheless, a foolhardy Flakpanzer decides to have a go…

The other Flakpanzer wisely stays back at the Calvary.

As the Germans attempted to encircle Grimbosq with armour, a half-squadron of concealed British Churchills attempted to mount a counter-attack. The British tanks were quickly destroyed, but the Germans were halted by their sacrifice.

As the Staffords dig in among the graves and mausolea of Grimbosq cemetery, the German armoured thrust is annihilated on the banks of the Orne.

59th (Staffordshire) Division’s Commander Royal Engineers (CRE) breathes a huge sigh of relief and gets on with bridge-building…

West of Brieux, British reserve companies wait for the final German assault on the bridges.

As night falls, Siebken’s battlegroup consolidates its positions and waits for orders. Will they be renewing the attack at dawn?  Or will they be ordered to quietly slip away during the night…?

Well, we would never find out, as our Bovington weekend had come to an end! However, what was clear to all was that the Germans had shot their bolt. The 12th SS had almost run out of infantry and the Panther and Tiger companies had suffered heavy losses during their charge past Grimbosq, not least of which was the loss of their CO!

The raw 271st Infantry Division had done remarkably well against the Norfolks, though had run out of steam and were faced with fresh British infantry companies dug in around the bridges. The result would probably have been the same as the historical one – some continued skirmishing during the following morning, followed by a general withdrawal to Falaise by the 12th SS.

Thanks to all who played and especially to Richard and Paddy for putting on the game. Richard’s take on the scenario can be found here:

http://www.fireandfury.com/conventions/grimbosqaar.pdf

[Edited to add]

Here’s a link to my tour of the Grimbosq Battlefield that I took in 2012 [hopefully this link is now fixed]: www.fireandfury.com/conventions/grimbosqtour.pdf

This entry was posted in 15mm Figures, Battlefront: WW2, Bovington Show Games, Games, Scenarios, World War 2, World War 2 - Normandy 1944. Bookmark the permalink.

34 Responses to Normandy 1944: The Grimbosq Bridgehead 6-7 Aug 1944

  1. Well written and simply superb

  2. Rod Robertson. says:

    JF:

    A great read and a sumptuous visual treat to boot. You and your mates certainly put on fine looking games which stand the test of time. Thank you for posting this on your outstanding blog. Keep up the great work, it is much appreciated and very inspiring.

    Cheers.
    Rod.

    • jemima_fawr says:

      Thanks Rod! And may I say what a pleasure it is to get a message from someone who isn’t a Chinese spammer trying to sell me clock kits (of all things)…

  3. jemima_fawr says:

    I’ve edited the article to add a link to my Grimbosq battlefield tour photo-album.

  4. Peter Pulford says:

    Hi
    I came across this page while researching my Grandfather’s war record. He fought in this battle as a tank crewman for 107th Regiment RAC. His tank was knocked out and he had to swim back across the river under fire. In a letter he described it as “the worst day of my life”.

    • jemima_fawr says:

      Hi Pete,

      That’s fascinating. Oddly enough, when I first posted my battlefield tour article on The Miniatures Page (TMP), another son of a 107 RAC crewman got in touch (he’d found the article while googling for the Battle of Grimbosq) and actually came to meet us when we did the game at Bovington. I’ll try to find that discussion on TMP for you.

      If you’ve never been, Grimbosq is a fascinating place to visit, as it’s barely changed since the day of the battle.

      • Ben brooker says:

        If you ever reenact the Battle of Grimsbosq I would love to come to watch and meet you all. I am desperately trying to understand more about the battle. Your game might be just the answer.
        Thanks in advance, Ben Brooker 07737684949

        • jemima_fawr says:

          Hi Ben,

          Thanks for your comments and great to hear about your Grandfather! It’s always great when I get comments and e-mails from the relatives of veterans and there have been a lot just lately! 🙂

          When you say ‘MK’, do you mean ‘MM’ (Military Medal)? That was an incredible achievement and you must be enormously proud of him.

          John Foley, author of ‘Mailed Fist’ (a superb fictionalised account of going to war in a Churchill but based on his own experiences with 107 RAC) won his Military Cross at Grimbosq and it was an incredibly hard battle for the regiment, who had little possibility of reinforcement and no chance of retreat.

          Funnily enough, when we did our game at Bovington Tank Museum we were joined by the son of another 107 RAC veteran, as mentioned to Peter above. Sadly, his e-mail address now seems to be defunct. 🙁 If we ever play the game again, I will definitely let you know, but it’s unlikely to be any time soon, sorry.

          If you haven’t been to the Grimbosq/Brieux battlefield, please do so! It’s that most remarkable of things – a completely unspoiled battlefield that is almost completely unchanged from the day your grandfather arrived there. Unfortunately that link to my battlefield tour seems to be broken, so I’ll try to fix it now. In the meantime try this one: http://www.fireandfury.com/conventions/grimbosqtour.pdf

          • Ben brooker says:

            Thank you so much for your detailed reply! Yes of course I meant MM, my predictive text often catches me out!!
            I will definitely be looking into John Foleys account of the battle. I am so interested to learn more.
            Such a shame the old email for the son of another veteran is defunct. The more information we can gather and share the better.
            I am definitely looking to ride down to the Grimbosq/Brieux battlefield this year hopefully. My late Uncle managed to do the trip and described it very similar to yourself. He managed to find a building identical to that in a black and white picture. I have found the location on street view on Google maps so cannot wait to find it myself. I am also looking to try and get someone to help me merge the two photos together.
            Your photos of your tour just make me want to go and visit it today, but will have to wait until the lockdown is lifted.
            If you do ever re-enact the battle I would love to come and watch. It would make it so much easier for me to grasp what actually happened.
            I’m so glad I come across your great site. Thanks for being so helpful.
            Keep safe, Ben Brooker

          • jemima_fawr says:

            You’re most welcome! You can read the account of our game above, but our game reports can cure all but the most hardened insomniacs! 😉

            Are you ok if I forward your e-mail address to Peter? I can see both your e-mail addresses – better to do that than have a bot harvest your email address.

          • Peter Pulford says:

            I have a copy of Mailed Fist. It’s a good book but I don’t really understand why he fictionalised it. The real story is just as interesting. I was thinking he may have possibly fictionalised it because some people in the story were still alive.

          • jemima_fawr says:

            Nice! I foolsihly loaned my copy out many years ago (this is a common theme on my blog…). Yes, I think that’s the reason. A lot of veterans used ‘noms de guerre’ for their comrades when writing memoirs, but even then they still upset people (as happened to George MacDonald Fraser when he wrote ‘Quartered Safe Out Here’ – he used nicknames throughout, but some of his old comrades were still annoyed at him!

          • Peter Pulford says:

            Have you read Tank Twins by Stephen Dyson? He served in 107th along with his twin brother. There is also a facsimile regimental history available.

          • jemima_fawr says:

            No, I haven’t even heard of that one. Thanks for the tip! 🙂

    • jemima_fawr says:

      Hi Peter,

      Having looked back, I find that the gentleman actually e-mailed me directly. I’ve therefore e-mailed him with a link to this article and he will hopefully get in touch soon.

      Do you want me to send him your e-mail address?

    • Ben brooker says:

      Hi Peter, my Grandfather was a corporal of one of the tanks in this battle. He also belonged to the 107th Regiment RAC Kings Own. I would love to make contact with yourself and share any research we have found. He was awarded the MK and his citation is a truly overwhelming read.
      If anyone has any more details of this battle I would greatly appreciate it.
      Kindest regards, Ben Brooker 07737684949

    • Ben brooker says:

      Hi Peter my Grandad was a tank commander Corporal in the 107th Regiment RAC (Kings Own). His was awarded the MK for his actions in the battle of Grimbosq. I would love to make contact with yourself to share any research we may have. Kind regards Ben Brooker 07737684949

  5. Rina Lee says:

    Hello,
    It’s been really interesting reading through all of this. I am currently doing research on the battle of Grimbosq and I came across this and the battle scenario on fire and fury. It’s incredibly hard to find information. From what I have gathered, Paddy Green and Richard de Ferrars did a ton of research trying to piece together what happened on Aug 7-8 1944. I would love to get in touch with either one of them or with you, if you have more information on the battle. Any help would be much appreciated. Especially if you can somehow get me in touch with Paddy Green or Richard de Ferrars? I am located in Canada so I can’t physically get information from archives etc.
    Thanks so much
    Rina

    • jemima_fawr says:

      Hi Rina,

      I’ve just dropped them a line, so with luck they’ll appear here in a minute. I know for this one they didn’t go digging through the archives (unlike the ‘s-Hertogenbosch scenario, for which Richard went to the National Archives and pulled out all the operational orders and war diaries), so it was all based on published histories such as the official histories of 59th (Staffs) Division and 34th Tank Brigade, a few individual unit histories and the operational histories of 12th SS Panzer Division by Meyer and Reynolds. I know that the first two histories were available online at the time, but only had a very short print-run, so physical copies are incredibly difficult to find (the same is true of the battalion histories).

      I also did a research trip to the battlefield, which is incredibly well-preserved and unchanged since 1944: http://www.fireandfury.com/conventions/grimbosqtour.pdf

      Cheers,

      Mark

  6. Paddy Green says:

    Hi Rina, Ask away! I’ll see whatI can remember.

    • jemima_fawr says:

      Thanks Paddy! 🙂

    • Rina Lee says:

      Hi Paddy,

      thanks so much for replying and for what you shared below. From what I understand the Staffordshire Regiment Museum provided some info as well, right? Jeff Elson I think was mentioned from the museum?
      I feel like I have gotten a pretty good understanding on what happened on Aug 7 and 8 in Grimbosq (and farther south in Brieux, La Bas etc). One of the things I am still trying to piece together is information regarding some information on casualties on the German side. 24 KIA, 91 WIA and 7 MIA are the official numbers from Kampfgruppe Wuensche.
      In the northern part, where Comp A-D of 7 South staffs were fighting with parts of the 12th SS HJ most of those casualties would have happened (Grimbosq area). And since they retreated into the Foret de Grimbosq at some point in the afternoon of Aug 8 (and never came out again), the Germans could not have retrieved their fallen soldiers.
      The part I am trying to piece together is something to do with a landmine. An armoured personnel carrier drove into a landmine somewhere in/near Grimbosq on Aug 8 and those 7 MIA were either all or at least 5 or 6 of them grenadiers who were on that personnel carrier. And I am trying to find information on that incident. In your research and all the information you came across, does anything ring a bell with an incident with a landmine that destroyed a German armoured personnel carrier?
      Thanks so much
      Rina

  7. Paddy Green says:

    One thing I do remember is that there was very little information about Grimbosq. It fell in that time before Falise but after D-Day so the fighting was no longer novel and something to write about and many of the Germans fighting didn’t make it through the next few weeks. I remember having to piece together the scenario from many different sources and where faced with holes I used educated guesswork to fill them. However, having studied the forces for years while writing numerous scenarios I probably wasn’t far off the mark…..BUT it is a Wargames scenario and so balanced to give a good game. The 12SSHJ forces are probably a little stronger than they were historically.

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