Liberation 1944:
Scenario Preview, Part One
By Mike Bennighof, Ph.D.
October 2024

Liberation 1944 brings the late-war British Army to Panzer Grenadier. This is Britain’s Last Army: they’re experienced, well-armed with both American and domestic tanks, and have plentiful artillery and air support. They’ve also been at war for a very long time. They’re deeply averse to casualties, and some of the most experienced divisions are also the most burned out.

Yet they went back to war, to destroy the fascist menace to the entire world, and its future. It’s a story of bravery and sacrifice, of a determined fight against an enemy defending a loathsome regime and its ideology of hate.

Designer Mike Perryman tells their story in 41 scenarios. Let’s have a look at them. You can see all of the previews here:

• Scenario Preview, Part One
• Scenario Preview, Part Two
• Scenario Preview, Part Three
• Scenario Preview, Part Four
• Scenario Preview, Part Five
• Scenario Preview, Part Six
• Scenario Preview, Part Seven

Chapter One
The Sixth of June
The British Army returned to France on 6 June 1944 in a well-planned, well-supported and well-executed operation. British troops landed on two separate beaches, with Canadians assaulting a beach in between them. One division spearheaded each landing, supported by a wealth of commando units, assault engineers, and the specialized tanks of the 79th Armored Division, known as “Hobart’s Funnies.”

Sherman Fireflies of the 3rd County of London Yeomanry prepare to move off Sword Beach.

The German battalions manning the beach defenses initially put up strong resistance, but could not stand up to the British assault and fell back to meet up with reinforcements stationed behind the beaches. The British pushed inland, and there the fighting resumed.

Scenario One
Surprise at Le Hamel
6 June 1944
The seaside village of Le Hamel stood at the very western edge of the British landing beaches, and dominated the approaches to Gold Beach. Invasion planning identified the village as one of the essential objectives for the invasion’s first day. The plan called for the 1st Hampshires to hit the beach then move quickly to subdue the village aided by some specialized “Funny” armor. In the confusion of battle the infantry arrived in good shape five minutes ahead of schedule, but the tanks ran into difficulties and only a handful supported the attack.

Conclusion
The massive preliminary bombardment from aircraft and naval gunfire spared Le Hamel to a great extent, and the Germans made generous use of mines in fortifying the area. To make matters worse, the defenders were not the handful of fourth-line fortress troops expected, but rather a full battalion of the 352nd Infantry Division. Not a very good unit, but given the fortifications and the vulnerable invasion force, they didn’t have to be. The Germans turned back the first attack of the 1st Hampshires, killing their commander and his second-in-command. After regrouping and receiving an infantry company from the second wave as reinforcements as well as some late-arriving armor, they launched another attack. This time they gradually forced back the Germans, and by 1600 Le Hamel fell into British hands. After a short break, the British advanced further westward and seized Arromanches before calling it a day.

Notes
This is a relatively small scenario, with British infantry backed by the “funnies’ of 79th Armoured Division pressing forward against well-fortified defenders. Besides the support of close-support tanks, the Brits also have rocket-firing Typhoon fighters on call and some pretty awesome naval gunfire support. They’re going to need them all.

Scenario Two
Malta Brigade
6 June 1944
The 1st Dorsets spent the first half of the war as part of the Malta garrison, and then took part in assault landings on Sicily and at Reggio di Calabria in Operation Baytown. Well-experienced in hitting enemy-held shores, the Dorsets managed to clear their sector of Jig Beach (the right flank of Gold Beach) quickly, then started their advance inland towards Bayeux. With the landing going smoothly, reinforcements soon arrived to help.

Conclusion
The 1st Dorsets gathered up the ready armor and two infantry companies from the second wave and worked their way far enough to the south of Le Hamel to avoid becoming entangled in the vicious fighting there and swung west. While unable to reach Bayeux they did subdue Ryes. These accomplishments, along with the capture of Arromanches, secured the beachhead from the west.

Notes
This time the Germans aren’t quite as well-fortified, which is a good thing for the British “Malta Brigade” because they can’t call on quite as much support as last time. It’s another tough infantry fight over three boards.

Scenario Three
Collision Course
6 June 1944
On King Beach, the left flank of Gold Beach, the flail tanks and AVREs landed with the first wave on schedule, clearing the beach in an orderly manner. The only rough spot appeared when the left-hand battalion briefly stalled at the seawall, but a call to the supporting naval vessels quickly straightened that out. Afternoon found the 6th Durham Light Infantry and their supporting armor passing through Villiers le Sec and turning west towards Bayeux. This put them on a collision course with Battle Group Meyer which, after a futile attempt to locate American paratroopers around Carentan, had returned and attacked towards Crépon, the first town on the road from the seaside to the objective of Bayeux, about three miles inland.

Conclusion
Lt. Col. Ernst Meyer’s battle group, his own 916th Infantry Regiment with some attached units, formed LXXXIV Corps’ only reserves. Before he could move against the British, Seventh Army ordered him to detached his assault guns and an infantry battalion to deal with problems at Omaha Beach. Without these forces the battle group failed to stop the British, who stormed into their assembly area before their attack could even begin. When the smoke had cleared Meyer had been killed and his troops driven over the Seulles River (just to the south of the scenario map) with heavy loss of life. Some German accounts say less then ninety men worked their way back to friendly lines.

Notes
A mob of low-morale German infantry, with a scattering of tank support, takes on a high-morale battalion of Brits backed by tanks and air power. It’s not going to be pretty for the Germans, who have a lot of troops and are going to see most of them wiped out.

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Scenario Four
Careful Planning at Ranville
6 June 1944
Just west of the small town of Ranville, a bridge spanned the Caen Canal leading from the objective city to the sea. Two British parachutes battalions, with additional support, had to take that bridge in the early hours of the invasion and hold it until seaborne troops arrived. With 60 percent of their men accounted for at 0230, the 12th Parachute Battalion moved out to liberate Le Bas de Ranville, the neighborhood directly along the canal. By 0400 they managed to take the village and the surrounding high ground without encountering the enemy. Meanwhile, the 13th Parachute Battalion overcame the defenders of Ranville itself. While the Paras completed their work, gliders carrying antitank units landed and the gunners quickly moved to support them.

Conclusion
Thanks to the crucial importance of Ranville, the 125th Panzer Grenadier Regiment launched a substantial effort to reclaim Ranville. However, the British had chosen their positions wisely and the high ground around Le Bas de Ranville allowed them to dominate the fighting. The German attack never threatened to capture Ranville. The Germans regrouped and tried again but found no more successful than they had the first time.

Notes
The Paras mark their first appearance in the Panzer Grenadier series, including airborne tanks. The Brits have sky-high morale and actually outnumber the Germans, who are tasked with attacking these supermen from the sky.

Scenario Five
St. Gabriel
6 June 1944
The 5th East Yorkshires landed near La Riviere, just where Gold Beach met the Canadian sector of Juno Beach, where the German defenders immediately pinned them down behind the seawall. A call to the supporting naval vessels soon brought supporting fire that suppressed or eliminated the enemy. The Yorkshires then encountered a concrete gun emplacement that a flail tank knocked out, and next clearing La Riviere at a frightful cost. The troops then advanced to Ver sur Mer where they passed through the Green Howards and assaulted Crépon. The attack ran according to plan until the battalion neared St. Gabriel, a small town about two miles from Crépon and four miles from the beaches.

Conclusion
Before leaving Ver sur Mer the battalion combined Companies C and D due to heavy casualties. In the fighting at St. Gabriel the new company commander fell wounded while leading his men. Nevertheless, the British prevailed and pushed on to Brecy just 2,000 yards shy of their objective before ceasing their attacks for the day at 2300 hours.

Notes
This is a one-board scenario, with the British on the attack against a small group of German defenders. The Brits have numbers, tanks and naval support; the Germans just have to do the best they can.

Scenario Six
Beyond Sword Beach
6 June 1944
The British 3rd Infantry Division, led by Scotsman Maj. Gen. Tom Rennie, had seen no action since leaving France over the beaches of Dunkirk in 1940. Returning over a different set of beaches four years later, the division would land on Sword Beach with the objective of capturing the ancient city of Caen by day’s end. The 8th Infantry Brigade spearheaded the landing supported by a battalion of duplex-drive Sherman tanks. As soon as possible after the landing 1st South Lancashires would clear Hermanville sur Mer, just on the other side of the dunes, and press southward down the road to Caen.

Conclusion
With 31 of the 40 Shermans making it ashore in addition to a number of “Hobart's Funnies,” the British cleared Hermanville sur Mer rather easily. By 0945 they’d opened six of the eight exits from the beach and anticipated the second wave of commandos who would relieve the paratroopers holding two bridges to the east. By 1030 the next infantry brigade and General Rennie had assembled ashore. Unfortunately, although the Brits quickly cleared Hermanville sur Mer, the Command Post for the German 736th Grenadier Regiment (Codename Strongpoint Hillman) held out until late afternoon complicating British efforts to advance inland.

Notes
This is a big scenario, with all four boards in play and large forces from each side. The Germans have entrenchments and minefields to bolster their positions, but the Brits bring flame-throwing tanks, air support and naval gunfire to back their assault.

And that’s all for Chapter One. Next time, it’s Chapter Two.

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Mike Bennighof is president of Avalanche Press and holds a doctorate in history from Emory University. A Fulbright Scholar and NASA Journalist in Space finalist, he has published a great many books, games and articles on historical subjects; people are saying that some of them are actually good. He lives in Birmingham, Alabama with his wife, three children, and new puppy. He misses his lizard-hunting Iron Dog, Leopold.

Daily Content includes no AI-generated content or third-party ads. We work hard to keep it that way, and that’s a lot of work. You can help us keep things that way with your gift through this link right here.