REPULSED*
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DATE: 16 June 1944*
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BATTLE TYPE: USA vs. Germany meeting engagement*
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Two-Player PBEM Game*
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LES FOULONS, FRANCE:  In the hedgerows of Normandy, any significant advance demanded that a village or road be cleared-and many bitter battles were waged over small settlements and crossroads. On Friday morning, the men of the 116th Infantry Regiment had jumped off from positions near Couvains, following an intensive artillery and mortar barrage. Their objective: clear the village of Les Foulons less then a 1000 yards ahead. But 1000 yards was a considerable distance in this country. Within minutes the "doughs" came under  machinegun fire along the road they were following, and so they took to the fields. In the course of the early afternoon, the regiment was split into two parts. On the left side of the road, after a grinding advance, two companies with three Sherman's in support finally sighted the walls of Les Foulons. Their officers readied the men for one last effort to reach the village.*
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AFTERMATH: Even as the GIs neared the village, the German defenders were unexpectedly reinforced with two tank destroyers. At about 1500 hours these opened up on the Sherman's, which had just rolled into view. One tank was immediately knocked out, another immobilized and abandoned. Under cover of this duel, American infantry dash across and into the houses on the edge of the village. They cleared several in a quick sweep, and so established a foothold. But German machineguns and small arms pinned them down there. As the GIs readied themselves to make another effort to cross the main street, firing broke out behind them-a  group of Germans had passed through a gap in the battalion line and cut behind. The order came to pull back to the former positions west of Couvains. But even as the Germans to the rear were overwhelmed and the disheartened Americans began pulling back, a hitherto silent heavy machinegun located on a top floor of a house on the edge of Les Foulons opened fire and caused yet more GI casualties. This made the withdrawal hazardous, but by dusk the bloodied regiment was back where it had started.*
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NOTES: This scenario is based off of Avalon Hill's Advanced Squad Leader (ASL) deluxe scenario 12 with some minor modifications. The map is not based on the scenario.*
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Sources:  Deluxe ASL Scenario 12*
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Design by:  Don Lazov*