This CMBN scenario – “Wittmann’s Swords at Villers Bocage” is number one in a two part series that recreate s two actions which were key to creating the myth of German Panzer Ace Michael Wittmann. This scenario recreates the battlefield and OOB around his daring, oft discussed, criti-cised and very much mythologised attack against the spearhead of 7th Armoured Divi-sion at Point 213 just west of Villers Bocage. For his part in this action Wittmann was awarded the Swords to his Knight’s Cross with Oak Leaves (He’d won the Knights Cross and the Oak Leaves for destroying 117 Soviet tanks whilst serving on the Eastern Front in early 1944). The following scenario – “Wittmann’s De-mise” recreates Wittmann’s final action which saw him and his crew killed whilst attacking Allied armour near Gaumesnil.
| WHAT VERSION OF COMBAT MISSION IS THE FILE FOR? | CM : BATTLES FOR NORMANDY |
| WHAT IS THE SCENARIO / MAP TITLE? | Wittmann’s Swords at Villers Bocage |
| FILE TYPE? | SCENARIO VS AI ONLY |
| DOES THE SCENARIO / MAP REQUIRE BATTLEFRONT DLC OR MODS? | YES [PLEASE ADVISE WHAT IS REQUIRED IN DESCRIPTION FIELD] |
| WHAT SIZE IS THE BATTLE? | MEDIUM |
| WHAT TYPE OF BATTLE IS THIS? | MEETING ENGAGEMENT |
| WHAT IS THE LENGTH OF THE SCENARIO? | MORE THAN 1 HOUR 29 MINUTES |
| WHERE IS THE SCENARIO / MAP BASED? | FRANCE [BATTLES FOR NORMANDY] |
| WHEN IS THE SCENARIO BASED? | JUNE 1944 |
| WHAT TIME OF DAY IS THE SCENARIO BASED? | DAWN |
| WHAT IS THE WEATHER IN THE SCENARIO? | OVERCAST |
| NATIONALITY OF SIDE ONE | German |
| NATIONALITY OF SIDE TWO | British |
| THIS SCENARIO IS BEST PLAYED AS… | H2H, SIDE ONE VS AI |
George MC
About Author
This is a very long and large but fun scenario. The author warns about long load times for some users, so players should be prepared for this.
I won a total victory when the AI surrendered with 0:34 left (out of a total of 2:00).
There is really NO REASON the player should EVER lose this against the AI. You have so many Tigers and the AI has no real answer to that. The player is given lots of “eyes” in the form of scout team and Aufklarung units. If you use them wisely, you will never be surprised and you should get the drop on the AI every time.
The CW forces do have Fireflies, so you need to watch out. They most definitely can take out a Tiger. So don’t just “rush in” assuming you can’t be touched.
One really neat thing GeorgeMC did is he used a reinforcement slot at one point in the game that was only a kubelwagon locked into a patch of woods at the back of the map (so it had no effect on anything in the battle) and he used that reinforcement to tell you that your first “real” reinforcements are coming in 10-15 minutes. So it is a way to simulate a radio message to the player from higher up in the game. I thought that was really clever and it really helps the player to plan. If a column of tanks was coming to your relief I can appreciate that you would not know exactly when they were arriving, but you would know when they were 10-15 minutes away as they radioed ahead. That is something more scenario designers could do.
I recommend this scenario. It was fun to play. Not a whole lot of challenge, but I think it simulates what happened in RL very well. The allies just got caught with their pants down by driving right into Wittmann’s column.
Hi John
Good to see you are still about. I well mind your useful feedback and comments from the old Providing Grounds days. Good to see you are still about.
Thanks for your comments and review of this scenario. I must admit I kept away from doing this action in Combat Mission for a long time – the ‘borg spotting’ in CMX1 really hampered this type of action. I must confess I’ve always been interested in it since I first heard about it as part of Panzer 44 scenario (the old boardgame). However I just was not convinced it would make a good scenario. In the end, and after a great deal of research I decided that it was possible within CMX2 and I’d have a go at it. It was never going to be challenging in the true sense of the word without totally re-writing history but as least in game play terms it would be fun (It’s odd eh – we enjoy playing these scenarios and find them fun but the actual event would have been anything but fun for the individuals actually involved).
I’m glad you like the radio message idea. I’ve used it in several scenarios, but you are one of the first to truly appreciate it! Thanks 🙂
The map the action takes place over I painstakingly recreated using period top maps and also using period aerial photos (downloaded from the National Archive). Given the game engine constraints when it comes to mapping, this is about the most realistic I could make a map of an area in this time period. Oh I also used a great many photos from the action (well post action) to try to get the little details correct. Look at the view from the top of the hill and compare it to period photos of the same point.
Thanks again for your play through and feedback John. Greatly appreciate ta 🙂
Hello George,
Yes, the map is really beautiful. Players should be prepared to spend a lot of time just wondering which avenue or route of advance to take. It has a lot of options, but because you were so faithful to the reality, it “feels” real – meaning roads are important. Intersections and junctions are important. Farm outposts that overwatch intersections (providing valuable intel about the enemy route of travel) are important. Just like in the real world.
Great job on that map, for sure.
Yes I am still chugging along with CM. I hope they get the new Proving Grounds up and running. I always enjoyed testing new scenarios and working to make them better. The only difference now is that I do NOT use FRAPS, so I can’t take screenshots and annotate them for DAR or AAR’s the way I used to, which I feel can help the designer understand what the play tester is describing. I really don’t want to have to download or run anything else just to get screen captures, so I haven’t done it to this point.