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ACTION AT ANHEE

Spontin- Wehrmacht Base

I walked through the gates of our base in Spontin, the supply truck I had hitched a ride with disappearing in a cloud of dust. I was returning to my regiment after recovering from wounds suffered in the initial blitzkrieg, but something was wrong. Things were too quiet. No troops running about, no panzers being worked on in the motor pool or Stukas having their engines tuned in the hangers. I checked in at the ready room, and noticed to my horror that Spontin was the lone German base in the sector! The Allies must have counter-attacked, but where were our forces now?

Suddenly the radio crackled to life: "Action at Anhee town!" the British voice shouted. "There's a German trooper in the town!" a Frenchman exclaimed. Aha! Now I knew where the fighting was! If we could retake Anhee, we would have a foothold across the Meuse and could attack down both sides of the river. I stabbed the transmit button "What support do we need in Anhee?" No reply. My comrades must be engaged in fierce fighting, but I had no idea what was needed at the front. Suddenly a Messerschmitt burst from the hanger with a throaty roar, turned into the wind and raced towards the west. That settled it; I sprinted to the motor pool and quickly signed out a Pzkw IIIf. The ability of the driver to use a periscope to navigate while buttoned up would be vital in urban combat. With air support already on the way, we needed to counter the inevitable armored support that would sally from Anhee base. I was in 6th gear before I cleared the front gates. "Panzer en route to Anhee!" I broadcast. No reply. The fighting must be tremendous.

As I arrived at Anhee Bridge, I slowly crept up the ridge crest above the valley. As I searched for the enemy around the bridge approaches, the radio crackled to life: "Panzer at the bridge!" A Spitfire swooped down the river valley and began to bank. Blast! Knowing that survival depended on crossing the Meuse before Allied armor could move into position, I slammed my tank into gear and began my run.

My trump card over the French tanks was my speed. I paused at my end of the bridge, searching for an ambush. I was alone. I hurtled across the span and headed for the nearest section of forest. I had to reach cover before that Spitfire could pinpoint my location for the French armor.

Arduously picking my way through the trees, I crept through the forest until I had a view of Anhee town. The Spitfire reappeared, strafing some nearby woods. My comrades must be pinned in the forest! I opened up with the twin coaxial machine guns, attempting to track the English pilot’s gyrations. He made one or two halfhearted strafing runs on my position, but seemed unsure of my exact location.

After the Spit left, I dashed from cover to cover until I was in the woods he had attacked. There were no German troops to be found. After working my way through the woods to a position where I could cover both the town and the approach from the base, I heard the welcoming wail of a Stuka as it dropped from the sky onto the town. Soon, smoke and flames were rising above Anhee. I emerged from my position and began shelling the town.

   

I had to prevent reinforcements from reaching the town until the second wave of German forces could arrive. I could still hear reports of snipers in the town, so opened fire upon their positions.

Suddenly it dawned on me: There were no more German troops in the town at all! The Allies had begun a savage battle amongst themselves, undoubtedly due to friendly fire. I broke my cover and rolled into town. If I could neutralize the last of the Allied troops, I could use the buildings as cover against the French tanks. As I drove alongside a building and prepared to turn into the town square, my panzer was struck twice from behind! Two rounds had penetrated the rear armor and traveled through the entire tank, slamming into the driver’s position. Struck in the legs and torso, the driver’s lifeless body slumped against the controls. A Renault had lay hidden in a hull-down position and waited for me to break my cover. He had held his fire until I had given him the perfect shot. I never saw the devil, and had to endure his gloating as my panzer slowly passed the cathedral and rolled downhill towards the Meuse, out of control. Adding insult to injury, a sniper’s bullets rang against my armor. I rewarded his impertinence by razing the entire town. Let that teach him the folly of sniping a tank!

At least I would soon be out of range of the town, and could evacuate my crew across the Meuse to await our troops…

Anhee Base

Battles have raged today in Anhee. Apparently a German trooper had infiltrated his way into town and provoked a firefight between a British and French squad. To make things worse, a Stuka appeared over the town after our air cover had left to rearm and refuel, and then a panzer attacked from the woods. Most of our armor is undergoing repairs from the recent fighting, but an R 35 sortied against the Germans and managed to knock the panzer out. Our commander has kept us on the base until things could be straightened out, and now we are moving to reoccupy the town (or what is left of it) with armor support. Reconnaissance reports another German force on the way. This time, they shall not find us unprepared! We have two Renaults to strengthen our defenses and an RAF Spitfire will provide forward reconnaissance and close support.

The lead element entered the town square and secured the perimeter. We infantry held back near the arch while the buttoned-up tank reconnoitered.

We became aware of a throaty growl rapidly approaching. As we looked eastward, suddenly a German fighter burst through the smoke!

He made a number of passes, and we waited for him each time, but neither could see the other through the smoke in time to make a shot. He disappeared, so we could only assume that the Spitfire had chased him off. The Germans knew we still held the town. Now we waited for the inevitable attack. As the panzer approached, it set fire to the buildings facing it so that we troopers could not get a vantage point from which to try and shoot the tank commander. One of our Renaults had suffered mechanical failure, so it was up to the remaining tank to hold the town. As the German panzer tried to acquire the French tank through the ruins, the commander of the Renault sped around the corner of the building for a snap shot. Fortune smiled as the round landed square on the driver's hatch!

Seizing this happy chance, the French commander poured shell after shell into the panzer. After all was said and done, the Germans had once again been stopped. Anhee had held another day.