Operations

**Operations** are essentially mini-campaigns and each of them is, in fact, broken down into them.

## Tunisia

### First Blood (operation)

Axis forces were able to throw back the first Allied push toward the major ports of Tunis and Bizerte. Regrouping for a second offensive, the British 1st Army is now poised to jump off. One battalion of the US 1st Infantry division is sent to hold a key hill, recently captured by the British. A hill the 10th Panzer Division plans to retake. It will be the 1st Infantry Divisions first battle against the German foe.

* First Blood: A single battalion from the US 1st Infantry Division is sent to hold a strategic hill recently captured from the Germans. The German 10th Panzer Division plans to take it back.

### Kasserine Pass

With US forces in position strike east and block his retreat from southern Tunisia, German commander Erwin Rommel mounts a surprise attack and smashes most of the US 1st Armored Division at Sidi bou Zid. With the front torn open, elements of the 1st US Infantry division are rushed into position to try to halt the Afrika Korps from pushing into the Allied rear.

* Bou Chebka: Following disasterous defeats at Sidi Bou Zid and Kasserine Pass, US forces must regroup and block the Afrika Korps further advance to the major Allied logistical hub at T bessa.
* Kasserine Pass: Following the Axis breakthrough at Sidi Bou Zid, a lone infantry battalion from the US 1st Infantry Division is rushed to Kasserine Pass to help shore up the US defenses there.

### Sbiba

With US forces in position strike east and block his retreat from southern Tunisia, German commander Erwin Rommel mounts a surprise attack and smashes most of the US 1st Armored Division at Sidi bou Zid. With the front torn open, elements of the US 1st Infantry division dig in south of Sbiba to block the German attack.

* Sbiba Town: Having failed to halt the German attack south of Sbiba, the US 1st Infantry division is forced to fall back to Sbiba and regroup. The 21st Panzer Division is hot on their heels.
* Sbiba Ridge: Axis forces have broken through the US 1st Armored Division at Sidi Bou Zid, and a regiment of the US 1st Infantry division has been ordered to dig in south of Sbiba and halt the advance of the German 21st Panzer Division.
* Sbiba Counter-Attack: Having thrown back the 21st Panzer Division, the US 1st Infantry pursues the withdrawing German force into the desert south of Sbiba.

### El Guettar (operation)

US forces have recovered from their defeat at Kasserine Pass. The US II Corps, now under command of General George Patton, take the offensive in an attack that threatens the rear of Axis forces facing the British 8th Army in southern Tunisia.

* El Guettar: The 1st Infantry Division attack has failed and US troops have been driven back to their starting lines at El Guettar. The German 10th Panzer Division is now advancing on the town. Can the Americans regroup and turn the tables on the panzers?
* Djebel Berda: Axis forces are dug in on the high ground southeast of El Guettar and must be cleared before the US II Corps can attack south and west toward the Tunisia coast.
* Djebel Keddab: Having cleared the first line of enemy strongpoints on the high ground southwest of El Guettar, the US 1st Infantry Division attack continues over the hills toward Gum Tree Road.
* Gum Tree Road: Having broken through the Axis defensive positions west of El Guettar, the US 1st Infantry Division exploits eastward, straight into a counter-attack by the German 10th Panzer Division.
* Djebel Keddab Defense: Having broken the enemy defenses southeast of El Guettar, the US 1st Infantry Division halts and digs in the face of a counter-attack by the German 10th Panzer Division.

### Mateur

With British, French, and American forces attacking from the west and the British 8th Army attacking from the south, Axis forces in Tunisia are being compressed into a defensive perimeter around the major ports of Tunis and Bizerte. The US II Corps is shifted north attacking along the Tine river valley towards Mateur.

* Hill 350: The US 1st Infantry Division begins its final offensive toward Mateur. Dug-in German troops await them in the hill country north of the Tine valley.
* The Mousetrap: Having cleared the entrance to the Tine river valley, US forces attempt to advance up the valley road. Axis resistance is expected to be heavy.
* Hill 278: The US 1st Infantry Division's offensive toward Mateur continues through the rugged hill country north of the Tine valley. A major strongpoint blocks across the spine of an east-west ridge now blocks their advance.
* Tine Valley: The Axis front has cracked and Allied forces are streaming toward Bizerte and Tunis. But the German forces facing the US 1st Infantry Division continue to offer stubborn resistance in the hills just south of Mateur and Division has ordered one more offensive in an effort to break through and join the pursuit.

## Sicily

### Gela

The Allied invasion of Sicily has begun. Chaos, scattered resistance, and the fog of war envelop the beachhead as elements of the 1st Infantry Division push north toward higher terrain and the town of Niscemi. The Italian Livorno Divison and the Hermann G ring Panzer Division are positioning for an attack to strike the vulnerable beachhead. Time is critical, and so are the narrow Sicilian roads.

* Gelafarello: American troops, leaving the confusion and chaos of the beaches behind, ascend higher ground and encounter a thin line of Italian infantry in their path.
* Piano Lupo: The road to Piano Lupo is an important stepping stone north between the Allied invasion beaches and Niscemi. Italian coastal units attempt to regroup to halt the American advance.
* North Road: American infantry and supporting units continue their advance along the North Road towards Niscemi. They collide with German tanks and panzergrenadiers from the Hermann G ring Panzer Division.
* Niscemi: The 1st Infantry Division has yet to gain the field, but Herman G ring Division is having a difficult time counterattacking toward the beachhead. The battle in and around Niscemi is a contest for a secure lodgement beyond the beach.

### Nicosia (operation)

American and British make progress north and west in Sicily as German and Italian forces contract northeast toward Messina. Meanwhile, a mix of Italian troops defend the road to Nicosia against the US 1st Division s assault while the 15th Panzergrenadier Division prepares to defend against a deeper incursion.

* Enna: American infantry move north from Enna to clear the area and ultimately make a drive to the north Sicilian coast. Scattered Italian resistance and supporting assault guns offer to spoil American intentions.
* Petralia: Italian defenders continue to fight a delaying battle in the Sicilian badlands where endless hills and winding roads make offensive progress difficult.
* Gangi: A company of American infantry engages in a firefight with Italian infantry digging in their heels against the intractable American advance toward Nicosia.
* Nicosia: The US II Corps pivots to the east, with the 1st Division driving along the winding Highway 120 through the hills toward Troina. Elements of the German 15th Panzergrenadier Division take over for the depleted Italian blocking force, determined to halt the American advance.

### Troina (operation)

Occupying a key position in the Etna line, Troina and its neighboring hills and ridges offer a defender s paradise. Commanding views, long fields of fire, and convenient routes of withdrawal were what the 15th Panzer Grenadier Division needed to buy time for the ultimate German withdrawal to the Italian mainland. II Corps job, including two regiments from the 1st Infantry Division, is to roll up German resistance, capture Troina, and unhinge the door through the Etna line.

* Hill 1034: Hill 1034 offers a view into Troina and the German artillery positions beyond. One of the several towers supporting the fortress that is Troina, Hill 1034 has become an important location for II Corps to capture and hold against the inevitable German counterattack.
* Hill 1006: Hill 1006 is another key point in the defense of Troina. 1st Division infantry with little support is tasked with taking the hill and surrounding ground. Panzergrenadiers and their supporting artillery have other designs.
* Troina: After a difficult time taking the surrounding hills and ridges, II Corps is finally in a position to dislodge the remaining elements of the 15th Panzergrenadier Division from their fortress hilltop.

## Normandy

### Omaha Beach

Allied forces have crossed the English Channel and are landing along the Normandy coast at multiple invasion sites. The veteran 1st US Infantry Division objectives are to land at the eastern half of Omaha Beach, clear the beach of resistance and drive inland to expand the beachhead. Waiting to receive them at the surf line is a battalion of the German 352nd Infantry Division, a mix of new recruits and experienced soldiers from the Eastern Front.

* Omaha Beach: The Big Red One lands on Omaha Beach as part of Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings in France. They find the Germans defenses stronger than expected.
* Colleville: The Germans need to contain the damage and counterattack before the Allies gain further control, while the 1st Infantry Division must rush to seize Coleville and enlarge the beachhead as further reinforcements flood ashore.

### The Bocage

The Normandy countryside was filled with a maze of repeating hedgerows, narrow lanes, orchards, woodlands, enclosed fields, and small towns. Locally known as the bocage , it was the ideal defensive landscape for the Germans. For the 1st Infantry Division it was an unfamiliar, challenging, and costly landscape to wrestle from German control. This was nothing like fighting in Tunisia and Sicily where you could typically spot your enemy in the distance. The bocage created a perfect environment for guerrilla-style warfare, ambushes and counterattacks.

* Trevieres: A company of German grenadiers from the 352nd Infantry Division regroups and consolidates their position in the vicinity of Trevieres. A company of American Infantry and a couple of supporting Sherman Tanks are tasked with clearing the area.
* Le Molay: A 1st Division company is tasked with advancing along the east flank of V Corps in step with a broad attack south. There is no sign of a significant German counteroffensive in this sector, but a mix of 1st Division infantry and supporting tanks from the 745th Tank Battalion encounter German infantry and assault guns.
* Cerisy: Slow progress off the invasion beaches allows the battered German 352nd Division time to assemble a counter-attack force under cover of the Cerisy forest. But the German movement does not go unnoticed and the 1st Division moves to deal with this threat to its flank.
* Balleroy: An urban island within the bocage, Balleroy may bring the possibility of house-to-house combat. 1st Infantry units and supporting light armor encounter a screening force of German reconnaissance troops and supporting halftracks.
* Caumont: German resistance rebounds inside a Normandy villiage. American infantry and supporting tank destroyers encounter a group of German scouts with a mix of supporting guns and armor.

### Operation Cobra

After weeks of intense and bloody combat with very little ground gained, the Allies have mounted a coordinated air and ground offensive, cracking open the German line. A potent force of American infantry and supporting tanks rushes in and exploits the weakness. German forces reel and attempt to counterattack.

* Marigny: A company of Panzergrenadiers and supporting tanks attempt to hold off elements of the 1st Infantry Divison attached to the US 3rd Armored Division before an Allied breakout threatens the German front line.
* Percy Pursuit: The German front line has been breached and Operation Cobra has formally come to an end. Now the Allied exploitation begins. Elements of the 1st Infantry, attached to the 3rd Armored Division, resume the offensive west of Percy.
* Percy: The German front line has been breached and Operation Cobra has formally come to an end. Now the Allied exploitation begins. Elements of the 1st Infantry, attached to the 3rd Armored Division, resume the offensive west of Percy.
* Brecey Breakout: The Cobra breakout gains momentum and 1st Infantry division infantry and supporting armor encounter a small battlegroup of panzer grenadiers and with ad-hoc support. The road forks across the river and through hedgerow-lined fields.
* Brecey: The Cobra breakout gains momentum and 1st Infantry division infantry and supporting armor encounter a small battlegroup of panzer grenadiers and with ad-hoc support. The road forks across the river and through hedgerow-lined fields.
* Mortain: Forested ridges and roads run parallel through light bocage. A company of 1st Division infantry and supporting units rush to the edge of Mortain for an unexpected encounter with reconnaissance troops from the 2nd Panzer Division.