Normandy France, July 1944: Colombelles was an industrial town northeast of Caen, east of Hérouville and the Orne River. The entire area was dominated by the smokestacks of the Société Métallurgique de Normandie (Metallurgic Company of Normandy), a giant steel factory at Colombelles. The smokestacks were the ideal observation posts over the battlefield for the Germans. General Bernard Law Montgomery decided on an operation to take these smokestacks out. The operation was aptly called Operation STACK.
StW 1 –
Secure the Crossroads: To provide a foothold from which to launch
the attack into the Steelworks, the 5th Black Watch was tasked with
conducting a night attack to capture the crossroads northeast of the
factory.
StW 2 –
“Hunt the Hun”: While the 5th Black Watch was securing the
crossroads, to the west the 1st Gordons were fighting their way through
Colombelles, clearing the town in the face of stiffening German
resistance.
StW 3 –
Tiger Attack: By first light the 5th Black Watch had secured the
train garages and gained a foothold in the northern perimeter of the
factory grounds. Suddenly the air was filled with the sound of “moaning
minnies” and out of the factory rumbled Tiger tanks!
StW 4
– Knock them Down! With Monty himself directing the smokestacks
of the Colombelles Steelworks to be knocked down, the plan called for
the British 153rd Brigade to dart in, blow up the stacks, and be back by
lunch. This plan couldn’t have turned out worst.
The Steelworks contains:
- one 35" x 27" map with one inches hexes
- one countersheet with 140 x 1/2" counters
- the Steelworks Special Rules including for Luftwaffen troops and British Pipers
- five ASL scenarios
