BATTLEGROUP WACHT AM RHEIN

TM

BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN

BATTLEGROUP

WACHT AM RHEINTABLETOP WARGAMES SUPPLEMENT FOR 15mm & 20mm MINIATURES

by WARWICK KINRADE


2


3


4

CONTENTSIntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

THE BATTLE OF THE BULGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

DUELS IN THE MISTSpecial Rules for Battlegroup Wacht am Rhein . . . . 25US Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Armoured Reconnaissance Infantry Platoon . . . . . . 29

THE ARMY LISTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30Unit Availability Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

vOLKSGRENADIER ARMY LIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

BATTLES IN THE BULGE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41Ardennes Terrain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 Roadblock. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Roadblock at Antoniushof Farm. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45Battle of Wallerode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

DRIvE FAST AND HOLD THE REINS LOOSE . . . 49Kampfgruppe Peiper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50Breakthrough at Lanzerath . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52Ambush at Ligneuville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56Crossing Stavelot Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59Assault on Stoumont. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61Stoumont Halt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66St Edouard Sanatorium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68La Gleize, the Battle of So L’Hesse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70

CREDITSWritten by . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Warwick KinradeArchive Photography from . . . . . . . . . . US National ArchiveMiniature Photography by . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Warwick KinradeArt and Sketches by. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dave PentlandProduction by . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Artorus Games LtdProof Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Andrew Hubback

Playtesting by: Warwick Kinrade, Ken Kinrade, Russ Mason, Andy Fox, Andy Edwards, Sean Allen.

The book contains models from a number of companies, including AB Figures, Elhiem Figures, Battleield/Blitz Miniatures, Wartime Miniatures, CP Models, Lancer Miniatures, Wargames Foundry, The Plastic Soldier Company, SHQ Miniatures, Grubby Tanks, MMS

Models, Armourfast, Dragon, Airix, Zvezda and Hasagawa.

Miniatures and models from the collections of Warwick Kinrade and

Ken Kinrade.

Terrain Models shown from the following manufacturers: Lancer Miniatures, Last Valley, Hovels, Woodland Scenics, Battleield Models and a large tub of baking soda. With special thanks to all those that

helped out, in large or small ways, including Piers Brand and Will

Townshend at Plastic Soldier Company.

Produced by Iron Fist Publishing Ltd. First published in Great Britain,

in 2016. The contents are © Iron Fist Publishing Ltd and may not be

reproduced without the prior permission of the publisher.

All archive photographs are used under licence and with permission,

except where they are recognised as being in the public domain. The

copyright of all images is recognised and no claim is intended. Images

may not be reproduced without the prior permission of the copyright

holder.

Printed in Lithuania, 2016 ISBN: 978-0-9573132-7-9

Battlegroup TM Iron Fist Publishing Ltd


5

BATTLEGROUP

WACHT AM RHEINWelcome to Battlegroup Wacht

am Rhein, the irst of a new format of supplements to the

Battlegroup rules; a shorter format to

deal with other (secondary) theatres

or periods of the war. This isn’t the

full Battlegroup treatment, mainly

because the forces involved are

so closely related to ones we have

already covered in earlier books.

In Wacht am Rhein’s case, that book

would be Battlegroup Overlord.

Between summer 1944 and December

1944, very little had changed with the

Allied armies in north-west Europe.

American and British divisions still

used the same orders of battle and the

same equipment, with the addition of

one or two new vehicles and pieces

of kit. Also, the tactics remained the

same. So, rather than simply repeat

a lot of information that has already

been published (mainly the army

lists), this books builds on them.

Most importantly for Battlegroup,

however, the character of the ighting had changed. Unlike in Normandy,

in the Ardennes we have the

German Army in full attack mode

and the Americans mostly on the

defence. Also, the winter weather

has a big role to play (especially in

lying conditions for the important American air support), as does the

close nature of the terrain amidst

the hills and woods. This book

incorporates these factors into the

main rules to create a WWII game

with a very different feel, even

compared to those closely-related

battles in the ields of Normandy ive or six months earlier. In the meantime, the Germans had

introduced a new formation to their

order of battle, the Volksgrenadier

division. Although in some ways

little more than an updating of

the infantry divisions, a new army

list is included here because the

Ardennes offensive was the new

Volksgrenadier divisions’ baptism of

ire and their different organisation tables offer some nice alternatives to a

standard 1944 infantry division force

(although, of course, the same models

can be used perfectly well with both

lists).

In order to play Wacht am Rhein

games, players are going to need

Overlord’s army lists and vehicle data.

No apologies are made, here, because

the Overlord book is really the basis

for gaming all the ighting in north-west Europe in 1944 and into early

1945, until we reach the end of the

war and Germany’s last desperate

stands (covered by the Battlegroup:

Fall of the Reich book). On the positive

side, those with the miniatures to

play Normandy games already have

the right collection to play Wacht

am Rhein games without changing

anything. They can jump right in.

If this book proves a success, then

we’d eventually like to look at other

‘secondary’ theatres or operations

that offer a different character

and feel, including such battles

as Operation Market Garden or

breaking through the West Wall at

Aachen, in the Hürtgen Forest or for

General George Patton’s battles in

the Lorraine. This doesn’t have to

be restricted to NW Europe, either,

as smaller formats could cover the

ighting in Sicily and mainland Italy; Burma and the Philippines, the Siege

of Leningrad or the late war battles in

Budapest and the rest of Hungary.

These smaller books won’t

replace the larger format

hard-back ones. It is still

intended that Battlegroup

will eventually cover all

the major theatres/periods of the war with these, so

North Africa, the Paciic, the Eastern Front in 1942

(Stalingrad) and 1944

(Bagration) are all still on

the main ‘to-do’ list. But,

until then, enjoy reighting the US Army’s greatest

battle of WWII.


6

THE BATTLE OF THE BULGEIn autumn 1944, the German High

Command (OKW) knew it was facing defeat. The Battle for Normandy had been lost and the western Allies were rapidly advancing east, closing up to the German border. Losses had been very heavy and it seemed the German Army was on the point of capitulation. On the Eastern Front, the situation was, if anything, even worse. The massive Russian summer offensive in Belorussia had all but destroyed Army Group Centre and torn a large hole through the German frontlines. Russian forces were now rapidly pressing west, into Poland as far as the river Vistula. Soon, the German Fatherland itself would face the prospect of invasion from two directions.

Wherever OKW and Hitler looked, the war’s strategic situation looked bleak for Germany. Their considerable remaining forces could still ight a defensive war and hold on for as long as they could, but a purely defensive strategy gave them no hope of ultimate victory. In order to win, the Germans had to seek to attack again and reclaim the initiative. Hitler, perhaps inspired by his personal hero, Frederick the Great (who had faced a similar situation, surrounded and outnumbered by a formidable enemy alliance during the Seven Years War), demanded that OKW must launch a new offensive. The only place with any reasonable (if slim) chance of changing the course of the war was on the

Western Front. In the east, Germany just did not have the forces to inlict a crippling defeat on the Russians. Even a successful offensive that destroyed 20 or 30 Russian divisions would make little impact on the overall situation. On the Western Front, however, such heavy losses could be catastrophic for the Americans and British.

Like Frederick the Great, Hitler hoped that inlicting such a heavy blow on his enemies would see their alliance against him fall apart. Winning the war in western Europe would then free up the German armies currently facing west to turn about and meet the far larger Russian threat, where they could then hope to at least ight the Red Army to a stalemate and save Germany itself.

Many high-ranking oficers in OKW saw little hope in a new attack; their forces were too badly worn down and, post-Normandy, tank strength was at an all time low, with the panzers outnumbered almost 10:1 by British and American armour. But, by careful husbanding of forces and by directing almost all the new tank production to the panzer divisions ear-marked for the offensive, a force that could conceivably inlict a serious defeat on the British and Americans could quickly be rebuilt. Such a plan would mean denuding the rest of the front of armour, and that was a major risk, but new divisions were already being raised and equipped and the Anglo-

American offensive itself was running out of impetus, as their over-stretched supply lines snaked back across France. The new offensive would be a huge gamble, but it was one Hitler was prepared to take to try and conjure an unlikely victory from what was soon to be an assured defeat.

In October 1944, Hitler ordered that an offensive plan be created, with the aim of encircling enemy units and destroying them. At least seven locations were considered, but the best prospect was an attack to capture Antwerp, the major port supplying the British and American forces in the region; cut off Allied units in Luxembourg, Belgium and Holland and drive them back to the North Sea, creating what Hitler described as a ‘new Dunkirk’. At irst, it was known as the ‘Luxembourg’ option. It would be a left hook, starting in the weakest-held American sector of the front, in the Belgian Ardennes.

An initial attack would smash through the thin enemy lines, drive west and south of Liège to the Meuse river (the major natural obstacle in the offensive’s path), capture its bridges intact and then push on north and north-west to Antwerp and the sea. To neutralise Allied air superiority, the attack would have to take place in poor lying weather. Late November was the irst date set for the attack, but later this would be moved back to early, then mid-, December to allow

extra time for more forces to be moved into place and larger stockpiles of fuel and ammunition to be gathered.

The entire plan was top secret. All the planners signed personal oaths not to the reveal anything and no telephones or radios could be used to discuss plans or preparations - couriers were employed instead. Troops would be mustered behind the attack sector in complete secrecy, under the guise of training, and in forested areas to avoid the prying eyes of Allied


7

German Forces“We gamble everything!”

Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt on Operation Wacht am Rhein

For the start of Wacht am Rhein, the Germans gathered 19

divisions, divided between three armies, with 6th Panzer Army in the north, 5th Panzer Army in the centre and 7th Army in the south. Each had its own objectives and roles. Behind them, further divisions were gathered as a potent reserve, to be committed once the Meuse was crossed.

To achieve ultimate success, the irst phase of the offensive would rest upon its strike force of ive panzer divisions. These would provide the combat power that would, irst, race to and capture the Meuse bridges and then the fresh divisions would move up and take over the lead to press on for Antwerp.

Supporting the ive panzer divisions were 12 Volksgrenadier infantry divisions and two Fallschirmjäger airborne divisions. Their initial task was to force a breech in the American front, into which the panzer divisions would then strike, allowing the tanks to immediately break free of the frontline defensive zone without losing valuable men and vehicles and then drive deep into enemy territory to exploit the breakthrough. Behind them, the

infantry (and various equivalents) would advance to mop up any remaining centres of resistance that had been bypassed by the panzers in their race for the Meuse. They would also secure the occupied territory and provide protection from enemy reinforcements threatening the northern and southern lanks of the offensive’s gains.

To aid the breakthrough, sow confusion amongst American rear echelon troops and secure important road junctions and bridges on the routes west, the entire offensive would be aided by Otto Skorzeny’s Operation Greif (Grifin). It would be a commando operation, utilising disguised tanks and specially-selected English-speaking troops in US uniforms to iniltrate the American lines, cut communications, misdirect trafic and generally upset the rapid deployment of more US troops into the Ardennes.

American ForcesIn mid-December 1944, the sector carefully chosen by the Germans for their attack was weakly held by just three American infantry divisions - the 99th, 106th and 28th. Each was holding a front far longer that would normally be expected and, as such, they were stretched thin. The 99th Infantry Division was in the north; a new division yet to see combat, it had only arrived in the European Theatre of Operations (ETO) in

November. The 106th Infantry Division was in the centre; another unbloodied, rookie division seeing its irst deployment in the ETO. The veteran 28th Infantry Division was in the south, holding a ‘quiet’ sector, recovering from its heavy losses sustained during the Hürtgen Forest ighting and absorbing its many new recruits. These three divisions were not alone, attached were the 14th Cavalry Group, for reconnaissance operations into Germany, and various extra engineer battalions for rear area logistical work. These engineers would play a vital role in blocking roads during the early days of the German breakthrough.

On hand, just north of the attack sector, was the 2nd Infantry Division, a veteran unit, at full strength and currently engaged in a renewed attack towards the Roer dams. As the nature of the German offensive became plain, this attack into Germany would be hastily cancelled and the division would redeploy south to assist the 99th Division.

Immediately behind the Ardennes front was the 9th Armoured Division, another green unit with very little combat experience, acting as VIII Corps’ reserve. Its units were spread out, scattered behind the entire front, while its Command A was already committed to supporting the Roer dams offensive. It would not ight as a single cohesive division. Just south

aerial reconnaissance. Supplies would be built up using trains only running at night. Surprise, to prevent the Allies using their superior numbers to smother the offensive, would be key. The new offensive must come as a complete shock and make rapid gains if it was to achieve its ambitious objectives. As part of the deception plan to disguise German intentions, the new offensive was given a ‘defensive’ codename: Wacht am Rhein (Watch on the Rhine).

On the Allied side, after the Germans’ defeat in Normandy, it was thought that all the enemy could manage was a desperate defence to try and prolong the war. When, in September 1944, the British plan to get over the Rhine and into Germany using airborne troops failed at Arnhem, it was decided that

a broad offensive to pressure the enemy everywhere and slowly press east to the Rhine along the entire front would be too much for the thinly-spread German armies to stop. There would be no more bold, narrow-front offensives to make quick gains; just a relentless, steady, attritional advance to begin in the spring when the winter weather cleared and the ground and lying conditions improved.

For the Americans, the Belgian Ardennes was regarded as a ‘quiet’ sector. Neither side was seeking to attack here and, as winter set in, the Americans used it as an area to re-it divisions battle worn from hard ighting in the Hürtgen Forest and to ‘blood’ green divisions, new to the European theatre. No-one at Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary

Force (SHAEF) suspected that the German Army still had the strength to launch a major counter-offensive and, even if they had, the hills, rivers and forests of the Ardennes seemed an unlikely battleield through which to drive a major armoured counter-attack.

Also, if the Germans were planning an offensive, then the Allies had ‘Ultra’ intelligence to warn them. The broken German codes and signals intercepts would mean that SHAEF would soon hear of any plan and be able to react to meet it. But, for once, German secrecy held and no word of the plan leaked through Ultra decryptions. Wacht am Rhein, to be re-titled Operation Herbstnebel (Autumn Mist) for the actual attack, would have the element of surprise.


8

of the Germans’ main attack sector, in Luxembourg, was the veteran 4th Infantry Division - another division recuperating after heavy losses in the Hürtgen Forest.

Beyond the Ardennes front, the large US Army in the ETO was already stretched to capacity. In December, only two divisions were held in strategic reserve for the entire Western Front: the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions. Every other US division was already deployed to its own duties and sector. One unit that would have a big role to play was V Corps’ reserve, the 30th Infantry Division, situated in the Spa area. They would be readily at hand to deploy southwards to meet 6th Panzer Army’s advance. Two inal reserve forces that could also be rapidly deployed to the Ardennes were the 7th Armoured Division’s Combat Commands A, B and R and 10th Armoured Division’s Combat Command B. 7th Armoured was held as a local reserve in the Heerlen area on the German/Dutch border. As a fully mechanised unit, it could be quickly directed south to meet any enemy breakthrough and be in place to ight in just a few days. CCB, 10th Armoured, was to the south, in Luxembourg, and would shift north just in time to help hold Bastogne.

Beyond this irst response, the strength of the US Army in Europe would soon begin to tell. More divisions, including 3rd Armoured, 2nd Armoured and 1st, 75th and 84th Infantry would all quickly be redeployed to Belgium, capitalising on the important time the hard-

pressed frontline units had bought, to establish a new front against the panzers with fresh, well-equipped troops that would then be facing battle-weary and damaged enemy units. Finally, moving up from the south, across Luxembourg, could come more units of Patton’s Third Army, led by his favoured 4th Armoured Division.

The Attack PlanAt approximately 5.30am on the night of December 16th, the German guns, mortars and rocket artillery opened ire with a heavy preliminary bombardment of the forward US positions, in preparation for the infantry attacks to follow. The eastern skyline lit up with thousands of muzzle lashes as a prelude to the surprise offensive along its 160km front. As the artillery thundered in the pre-dawn darkness, the irst German infantry began their advance. It was dark, damp and misty. In some places, there had been a light snowfall but, as yet, the full winter snows hadn’t arrived. Heavier snow would not begin to fall over most of the Ardennes until December

21st, ive days into the offensive. Behind the opening barrage the infantry would use the cover of the shelling and darkness to move up and iniltrate through the American front lines. After dawn, they would then attack the surrounded enemy positions and seize the road networks, vital for the panzer units still waiting to follow them. The irst day or two would see the German Volksgrenadiers take advantage of the surprise to seize more villages, road junctions and bridges and clear the way for the waiting second wave. Their irst task was to push open the door.

The second wave would be the panzers and their supporting mobile infantry and artillery. With the door pushed open, the panzers would then crash through it and, following their pre-described routes west, rapidly cleave through the weak American rear echelons to break through and strike for the Meuse bridges. They had to move fast, getting across that major river was the irst priority before the next phase of the offensive could begin, when the reserve

6th Panzer Army (Obergruppenführer Joseph ‘Sepp’

Dietrich)

1st SS Panzer Corps (Obergruppenführer Herman Priess)

1st SS Panzer Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler12th SS Panzer Division Hitler Jugend277th Volksgrenadier Division3rd Fallschirmjäger Division12th Volksgrenadier Division150th Panzer Brigade

67th Corps (Generalleutnant Otto Hitzfeld)

326th Volksgrenadier Division

5th Panzer Army (General Hasso von Manteuffel)

47th Panzer Corps (General Heinrich von Lüttwitz)

2nd Panzer DivisionPanzer Lehr Division26th Volksgrenadier Division

57th Panzer Corps (General Walter Krüger)

116th Panzer Division560th Volksgrendier Division

66th Panzer Corps (General Walter Lucht)

18th Volksgrenadier Division62nd Volksgrenadier Division

7th Army (General Erich Brandenberger)

80th Corps (General Franz Beyer)

212th Volksgrenadier Division276th Volksgrenadier Division340th Volksgrenadier Division

85th Corps (General Baptist Kneiss)

5th Fallschirmjäger Division352nd Volksgrenadier Division

German Order of Battle for the initial phase of Operation Wacht Am Rhein

American Order of Battle for the opening phase of Operation Wacht Am Rhein

First US Army (Lt General Courtney Hodges)

v Corps (Major General Leonard Gerow)

2nd Infantry Division99th Infantry Division30th Infantry Division

vIII Corps (Major General Troy Middleton)

106th Infantry Division28th Infantry Division4th Infantry Division9th Armoured Division


9

armoured forces would take over and push on north for Antwerp and the coast.

These reserve armoured forces, including 2nd SS Panzer, 9th SS Panzer, 3rd and 15th Panzergrenadier divisions and the Führer Begleit (Escort) Brigade, were not be used for the initial exploitation; their combat strength had to be husbanded for the battles still to come. In the event, with no clean breakthrough, most of these units were committed earlier than anticipated to assist the drive for the bridges.

A inal element of the attack plan was the Luftwaffe. Powerful air support was promised (as it always was) but (as usual) almost completely failed to materialise. The weather conditions, chosen to ground US air support, would do likewise to the Luftwaffe but, even as the skies cleared, German ground attack aircraft would be a rare sight over the Ardennes. Their main contribution would be for Operation Bodenplatte (Baseplate), on January 1st 1945. In an ambitious attempt to cripple the

Above: 12th SS Panzer’s grenadiers loot superior American boots from casualties, after the surprise

attack overran unsuspecting US forward positions.

the enemy operation was and many units reported their situations to be ‘holding’ and ‘under control’.

Back at SHAEF, near Paris, General Dwight Eisenhower, the overall Allied commander, did suspect from the irst reports reaching him that the German effort was something larger than a local counter-attack. He immediately took steps to reinforce the Ardennes front, releasing elements of 7th Armoured Division to the north and 10th Armoured Division to the south (much to Patton’s disapproval) to quickly move to counter the irst German penetrations. This swift precautionary action would go a long way towards slowing and eventually halting the enemy offensive.

The Americans had not faced a major panzer attack on the offensive’s irst day so the threat seemed less

Allied air forces in northern Europe, the Luftwaffe would gather over 900 aircraft to simultaneously attack airields in France, Holland and Belgium and catch enemy aircraft on the ground. The mission had only very limited success. Allied losses of some 200-300 aircraft were made good in about two or three weeks. German losses of some 300 aircraft could not be replaced. Bodenplatte would almost break the Luftwaffe and German forces on the ground felt almost no respite for the sacriice.

The First American ResponseAfter the irst day’s attacks it was still unclear to the US commanders how large or serious the German offensive was. General Omar Bradley, commander of the Twelfth Army Group, which comprised the majority of US troops in north-west Europe, had expected a local, spoiling counter-attack in response to his on-going Roer dams offensive and it seemed like this attack might well be it. Even to the three US infantry divisions engaged in the ighting, it was still unclear how extensive


10

than it actually was. Therefore, after the initial 24 hours’ ighting, there was little sense of urgency or of an impending crisis. It was not until the following days that the enemy plans began to come into focus and the scale of the attack started to be recognised. Only then would steps be taken to move up reserve troops and free other divisions to deploy into the Germans’ path west.

At the front, caught by surprise, some small American units had quickly folded or retreated in panic, but many more had stood and fought and had offered sterner resistance than the Germans had expected from the ‘weakest’ of their Allied enemies. In small villages and at road junctions, US infantry companies and platoons (often ad hoc units of armed cooks,

clerks and MPs), reinforced by a few tanks, had already slowed the German advance and many had paid the ultimate price for their bravery. Some artillery units, caught unawares by iniltrating enemy infantry, had been forced to lower their guns to minimum range and ire over open sights at the encroaching enemy. Many of these smaller ‘road-block’ positions had become isolated as German troops moved around them and pushed on west, leaving them cut-off and ighting alone for the next few days, before either escaping or surrendering.

6TH PANZER ARMY IN THE NORTHFailure at Elsenborn RidgeHeld by the US 99th Infantry Division’s three infantry regiments,

the northern shoulder of the offensive had the shortest distance to cover to reach the Meuse west of Liège, over the forested Elsenborn Ridge. The initial attack would be conducted by the 12th and 277th Volksgrenadier Divisions, with the 12th SS Panzer Division behind, ready to advance to exploit the infantry’s breakthrough and, once over the ridge, utilise the improved road network (aided by a link-up with Operation Stosser – see below) to quickly reach the Meuse bridges and establish the irst bridgeheads towards Antwerp. For ten days, the Germans would repeatedly attack the American defences on and around the ridge, and for ten days they would be rebuffed by a steadfast defence by, irst, the 99th Infantry Division and then the 2nd , 1st and 9th Infantry Divisions.

1. Elsenborn Ridge attacks2. Operation Stösser3. Kampfgruppe Peiper4. Kampfgruppe Hansen5. Schnee Eifel encirclement6. Battle of St Vith7. Vielsalm pocket8. 116th Panzer

9. 2nd Panzer10. Panzer Lehr 11. 5th Fallschirmjåger12. 7th Army attacks13. Siege of Bastogne14. 116th Panzer second advance15. 2nd SS Panzer16. 2nd Panzer and Panzer Lehr advance to Celles


11

After a preliminary bombardment, Volksgrenadier infantry initially advanced and seized routes through the forests east of Elsenborn and, supported by tanks of 12th SS Panzer Division’s Kampfgruppe Müller, forced the 99th Division’s frontlines to withdraw to twin villages in front of the ridge itself. Krinkelt and Rocherath would become the key positions in the ensuing days’ battles, with the Americans holding them against repeated direct attacks and attempts to encircle their positions to the north and south. Shermans of 741st Tank Battalion (attached to 99th Infantry Division) became heavily engaged with the panzers and suffered severe losses in the irst three days.

The Shermans fought the Jagdpanzer IVs of 12th SS Anti-Tank Battalion at point-blank ranges in the streets of Rocherath. Disguised in the thick mist around the twin villages, US infantry armed with bazookas also exacted serious losses on the panzers.

By midday on the 17th, the Elsenborn Ridge positions were being constantly attacked by elements of three German divisions. It was clear that holding the twin villages was vital to the defenders and massed US artillery ire was directed to screen them from German assaults. Troops of the 2nd Infantry Division were also recalled from their own offensive and quickly sent south as reinforcements.

On December 18th, the furious assault was renewed, including attacks by the Jagdpanthers of 560th Heavy Anti-Tank Battalion. Again, massed artillery was the Americans’ saviour, with the guns now positioned behind the ridge and providing withering barrages on demand. The American tanks continue to suffer heavy losses but their sacriices were buying valuable time for more US reinforcements to reach the Elsenborn area, including the veteran 1st Infantry Division, now digging in on the ridge itself to add depth to the American frontline.

The lost time was critical for the Germans, as ever more frantic orders were coming down the chain of

vOLKSGRENADIER DIvISIONS

The heavy defeat in Normandy and the almost complete destruction of Army Group Centre in Belorussia and the Ukraine in summer 1944 saw both the German Western and Eastern fronts in crisis and rapidly retreating. To help replace the lost divisions and their manpower, OKW quickly conceived and recruited a new type of division. They were to be named Volksgrenadier (People’s Grenadier), to better appeal to the population’s sense of national unity and tradition.

The new divisions would have a new order of battle, cutting a division’s manpower requirement from almost 17,000 in the old pattern infantry divisions, to just 10,000 for the Volksgrenadiers. The manpower would be drawn from the survivors of shattered infantry units, as well as by combing-out support units from the Luftwaffe and Kriegsmarine; renaming second line ‘fortress’ battalions (designated to occupy the West Wall defences) and by conscripting Volksdeutsche, foreigners with ethnic German heritage that had previously not been eligible for conscription for military service, notably Poles and Czechs.

The Volksgrenadier division’s primary role would be defensive, to help protect the borders of Germany. The cut in manpower would be compensated for by an increase in overall irepower, with additional

automatic weapons (many of them captured) and issuing the new Sturmgewehr 44 assault riles in large numbers. The new divisions each had three Volksgrenadier regiments, each with two battalions, whilst the supporting artillery regiment would have four battalions. Many of their weapons would also be captured ones, especially Russian ield guns and howitzers, of which the Germans had very large stockpiles. One artillery battery was to be equipped with lighter weapons: 75mm leFK 18s or FK40s, or captured Russian 76.2mm ield guns. Each division would also have its own anti-tank battalion (again, captured Russian guns would be ielded alongside German ones), an engineering battalion and a reconnaissance battalion, with much of its infantry on bicycles. There was a chronic shortage of trucks for the Volksgrenadiers but, given their primarily defensive role, this was not seen as major problem.

Conscription of the Volksgrenadiers began at the start of September 1944 and recruits were given just six week basic training before being shipped to their units – and much of this ‘training’ involved clearing rubble in Germany’s bombed cities. When the plan for an offensive in the Ardennes was conceived, Hitler ordered that the newly-forming Volksgrenadier divisions be ear-marked for the attack and not deployed to hold the front lines (ironic, given they had been created for a defensive role). For their new role leading the offensive and

creating the irst breakthroughs for the following panzer units to exploit, they would be reinforced by supporting assault guns.

Despite their new name, new order of battle and new equipment, the Volksgrenadiers were really nothing more than a renaming of the infantry divisions and fulilled exactly the same roles. So poor were many of the recruits that the Allies came to regard Volksgrenadiers as second-rate formations, even though the Germans regarded them as regular units. By the end of the war, 89 Volksgrenadier divisions had been rapidly recruited.

Using the volksgrenadier Army List in 1945This book contains an army list for the Volksgrenadiers, designed for use in games set in the Ardennes battles against the Americans in late 1944 and early 1945. Volksgrenadier divisions remained in combat on the Eastern and Western fronts until the end of the war and, as such, the list can also be used for battles in Germany in 1945 as an alternative to the Defenders of the Reich army list (see the Fall of the Reich supplement). As noted in that book, when using Panzer, Infantry and Fallschirmjäger lists in 1944, this army list must then use the Fall of the Reich Battle Rating counters and also use the Defenders of the Reich Defences and Additional Fire Support sections instead of its own. In addition, in 1945, a ‘Greif’ iniltration team cannot be used, as they are speciic to the Ardennes offensive.


12

command to capture the villages and ridge. Obersturmbannführer Hugo Kraas, commander of 12th SS Panzer Division, was given overall command of the Elsenborn operation, but his forces had already suffered heavy losses in the irst days and, increasingly, the Americans were reinforcing their positions, digging in with more men and guns. Any chance of capturing the ridge was fading by the day.

12th SS Panzer shifted their attack south, to open up the main road from Bullingen and Malmedy, via the village of Butgenbach. There was very heavy ighting around Butgenbach as the panzers launched repeated attacks, only to be repelled each time. Meanwhile, ighting continued in Krinkelt and Rocherath as well.

Only on December 19th did the US defenders inally abandon the twin

villages, to pull back behind a new main line of resistance, with the 9th Infantry Division now arriving to support the dug-in 1st Division. The Germans, now desperate to get their failing attack moving, committed the 3rd Panzergrenadier Division from the reserve, but even their assistance was not enough to break through the US 1st Infantry Division’s defences on the Elsenborn Ridge, which commanded excellent ields of observation and ire. Each German attack was met with a deluge of artillery and anti-tank ire. The artillery concentrations were now so great as to make the Elsenborn position all but unassailable.

Still, Kraas tried again, with two more big attacks. The inal attack, led by 277th Volksgrenadier Division on December 26th, was smashed by artillery ire before it had even got started. To add to the German woes, the clearing skies were now

dominated by US ighter-bombers. In ten days of ighting on the northern shoulder of the ‘Bulge’, the Germans had failed to break through and suffered a heavy defeat. In all, ive German divisions had been badly mauled in the battle for Elsenborn, including the 12th SS Panzer and 3rd Panzergrenadier divisions. Elsenborn Ridge, just 18km from the German start lines, never fell.

Kampfgruppe Peiper1st SS Panzer Division’s race to the Meuse would be led by Kampfgruppe Peiper, built around 1st SS Panzer Regiment. A potent force, including King Tiger tanks, the elite SS battlegroup would strike via the Losheim Gap, along the Ambleve river valley, moving fast to secure important bridges and capitalise on the Americans’ initial confusion.

Their target was any of the Meuse bridges that remained intact between

OPERATION GREIFHitler’s favoured trouble-shooter and special operations expert, SS Obersturmbannführer Otto Skorzeny, was given command of a covert mission designated Operation Greif. Skorzeny was ordered to recruit a unit, under the cover name Panzer Brigade 150, for operations behind enemy lines. The men would have to speak English, preferably with a US accent, and would be quickly trained in the use of American equipment and in US orders of battle. Disguised in US uniforms and issued with US equipment, their role would be to iniltrate into the American rear and sow confusion, sabotage road routes used by US reinforcements and seize vital objectives before the panzers could arrive, including some of the Meuse bridges.

In the weeks before the attack, Panzer Brigade 150 gathered together captured American uniforms (most taken from prisoners of war), weapons and vehicles, including jeeps, trucks and armoured vehicles. There were not enough vehicles for the proposed scale of the operation - only a single working Sherman tank could be found - so, as an emergency measure, Skorzeny had a few

German vehicles converted to mimic US versions. Panther turrets were altered with mild steel plates to look like(ish) M10 tank destroyers whilst StuG assault guns and German-made Ford trucks were painted green and given large Allied white stars.

All this equipment was to support 6th Panzer Army’s attack, with the commando units joining the American retreat in disguise and then spreading confusion by redirecting trafic, marking false mineields, turning road signs around, destroying supply dumps and gathering intelligence on the arrival of US reinforcements. Some teams would be equipped with demolition equipment to destroy bridges that the Americans would be using. Other teams were to prevent bridges from being destroyed by removing any enemy demolition charges.

Each man knew that, if caught ighting in enemy uniform, he could be shot as a spy but the exact nature of the mission was kept secret. Some of the volunteers believed they were to iniltrate across France to relieve the besieged garrison at Dunkirk; others that their mission was to reach Paris and attack the Allied supreme headquarters itself. Only a

few days before the mission began were the unit commanders inally briefed on the exact plan to support Wacht am Rhein.

In the event, Operation Greif was only a limited success. A few Greif teams may have reached the Meuse bridges but in such small numbers they could do little once there. Given the nature of the mission, it is still unclear if some attempted acts of sabotage on bridges were conducted by Greif teams or actually by US engineers with orders to block roads and destroy bridges anyway. The disguised armour was a complete failure, all being discovered and knocked out en route. However, while the commandos achieved few practical results, they did have a far wider psychological effect. Rumours of iniltrators spread like wildire through US ranks. Suspicion became rife and sentries quizzed all they stopped about baseball teams or US state capitals. Even their own generals were stopped and interrogated - one was arrested. There were also a couple of friendly ire incidents when paranoid US troops opened ire on their own men. One Greif team was captured and three of them were executed by iring squad as spies.


Liège and Huy. After a rapid and bold penetration, the Kampfgruppe became stalled, and then surrounded, in heavy ighting in the vicinity of the villages of Stoumont and La Gleize. Out of fuel and with no hope of a relief force or fresh supplies reaching them, the unit’s commander, Obersturmbannführer Joachim Peiper, was eventually forced to escape the pocket he was trapped in on foot, abandoning all his vehicles, equipment and wounded men. Moving by night, the SS men eventually found their way back to German lines but, despite achieving the deepest penetration of US lines by any unit of 6th Panzer Army, they only ever got about halfway to their objectives.

Whilst Peiper was surrounded at La Gleize, two other 1st SS units, Kampfgruppe Sandig and Schnellgruppe Knittel, were ighting to keep his vital line of supply open, around Stavelot and Trois Ponts. The Americans cut the supply route forwards when they recaptured Stavelot and demolished the bridge. En route west, the military discipline of much-vaunted men of the Leibstandarte had failed them,

and they instituted a campaign of terror against the ‘weak’ American defenders and Belgian civilians. There were repeated executions of prisoners of war (notably, but not only, at the Malmedy Massacre) and deliberate attacks on civilians in which Belgian women and children were executed in cold blood. They were the terror tactics the SS had become used to on the Eastern Front, where they had habitually burned villages and massacred civilians. Designed to intimate the enemy, it probably had the opposite effect and only increased their resolve and a desire for revenge. There was no doubt that Pieper and his senior oficers knew full well what their men were doing and gave tacit approval to it. After the war, Peiper and many of his oficers and men would be charged with war crimes and put on trial for their illegal and immoral conduct during the Battle of the Bulge. With damning evidence against them, most were found guilty.

Far from being the glorious, elite, iercely loyal and battle-hardened soldiers that their later reputation would suggest, many SS men proved

13

Above: A Jagdpanzer IV of 1st SS Panzer Division’s anti-tank battalion, photographed by a propaganda unit during Kampfgruppe Hansen’s

advance towards Poteaux.

themselves to be little more than vicious fascist thugs, allowed to give full rein to their worst instincts by their Nazi oficers.

Peiper’s offensive is covered in full detail in the campaign section, ‘Drive Fast and Hold the Reins Loose’.

Kampfgruppe HansenJust south of Peiper’s planned route to the Meuse, a second Kampfgruppe of 1st SS Panzer Division was also moving west. Built around 1st SS Panzergrenadier Regiment, with supporting anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns and artillery including Nebelwerfer rocket launchers, the unit’s initial attack irst saw it advance rapidly through the villages of Hallschlag, Ormont and Kehr. By mid-afternoon on December 17th it had occupied Amel and its vanguard had reached Born. On December 18th, it surprised a column of vehicles belonging to the US 14th Cavalry Group on the road to


14

Poteau and destroyed all the enemy light armour in detail. However, they then ran into units of the rapidly-deploying US 7th Armoured Division’s Combat Command R (Reserve) near the village of Recht, where Kampfgruppe Hansen was halted for the next two days by heavy ighting. The Kampfgruppe’s men did succeed in pushing CCR back and capturing Poteau itself but they were then ordered to disengage and ind another route west, via Wanne. They were replaced at Poteau by fresh elements of 9th SS Panzer Division, moved up from reserve, who continued the ight for the town against a counter-attack by CCA of 7th Armoured Division.

Moving west again, over dificult secondary roads and forest tracks, Kampfgruppe Hansen then made its way through Wanne and on to the Trois-Pont/Petit-Spa area. After skirmishing in the woods with 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment’s forward lines and being repulsed when trying to cross the Salm river, Sturmbannführer Hansen was ordered to attempt to relieve the surrounded Kampfgruppe Peiper at La Gleize. Whilst crossing the small bridge over the Ambleve river at Petit-Spa, the weight of one of the Jagdpanzer IVs caused the light bridge to collapse into the river, taking the tank destroyer with it. The rest of the men crossed on the remains of the bridge but heavier

equipment had to be left on the south bank. Over the next two days, an attempt by the Kampfgruppe’s pioneers to build a pontoon bridge at Petit-Spa was thwarted by US artillery ire.

Regardless, Hansen’s infantrymen then attacked into the hills north of the Ambleve river valley, advancing north-west. They briely captured the village of Biester and fought a battle for the village of Ster. They also overran the village of Aret de Coo and captured a forward aid post, destroying at least two of the M5 light tanks left to guard the hamlet. But, lacking heavy armour (it could not get across the river), the SS men could not drive ‘Taskforce Lovelady’

OPERATION STÖSSERA second special operation to support the offensive was designated Operation Stösser (Auk). It would be an airborne drop, using paratroopers to capture important roads and road junctions just ahead of 6th Panzer Army’s northern advance. It would be led by the veteran Fallschirmjäger commander Oberst Friedrich von der Heydte. He was ordered to enlist a special battalion of 900 experienced men, recruited from across all Fallschirmjäger units, who had combat jump experience or at least parachute training (the Fallschirmjäger had not been used as airborne troops since 1941).

The mission would be a night drop into the Hohes Venn area, ahead of 12th SS Panzer Division’s planned route of advance through Elsenborn. 27 Ju-52s transports were found to carry the men and their equipment drop pods. The mission went badly awry from the start. Von der Heydte had warned that, without pilots experienced in airborne operations (the Germans had none), the plan was highly unlikely to succeed as, without tight formation lying, his men would be scattered. In reply, Field Marshal Walter Model, Wacht am Rhein’s overall ield commander, asked if von der Heydte felt his mission had a 10% chance of success, to which he agreed. That was good enough as the entire Wacht am Rhein operation also had, in Model’s

opinion, a mere 10% chance of success - but it was the only chance they had as every other option would mean eventual defeat for Germany.

As predicted, the inexperience of the Ju-52 pilots proved critical. After a 24 hour delay because the aircraft weren’t ready, the drop still went ahead (at the front, the SS armour still hadn’t advanced as far as had been planned, so the Stösser plan was still viable). En route, two aircraft were shot down by US air defences. The route from the airield was lit by searchlights and tracer ire on the ground, for the pilots to follow, but, after the irst wave of aircraft passed, the ground lights were mistakenly turned off. The second wave of aircraft got lost and the pilots panicked (200 men were dropped near Bonn!).

The irst wave of aircraft attempted to ind the actual drop zone but the rookie navigators had got to the front by dead reckoning, not taking into account the wind speed (miscalculated by the Luftwaffe’s meteorologists anyway) they had lown into. As a result, most of the paratroops missed the target area. Von der Heydte himself, in the irst aircraft, hit the mark, but then collected just 25 men. By dawn, he had gathered around 100 men, still not enough for the mission, although the number would rise to about 200 over the next few days as stragglers arrived.

The Fallschirmjäger had no radio equipment to communicate their situation and only enough weapons and ammunition for a single engagement with the enemy. Von der Heydte planned that this would be the battle to seize and hold the Haut-Beaumal road junction, when he heard the 12th SS approaching. But the advancing armour of 12th SS Panzer never got past Elsenborn to reach him and the Fallschirmjäger stragglers, cut off with no more supplies, withdrew north and set up an all-round defence in the woods north of the village of Drossarf. Their rations then ran out (each man had carried just 24 hours worth and stretched it to 48 hours) and now they had nothing left to eat. A supply drop that found them landed only water (something they had plenty of all around them, as it was snowing).

After being located by a US patrol acting on rumours that paratroops had landed, von der Heydte order his men to move eastward, back towards German lines. After another ire ight in the woods, with the ammunition now almost gone, he ordered his hungry, weary survivors to split into small teams of two or three men and make their own way back to German lines. About 100 made it, including the commander himself. The others were captured or surrendered en route. Operation Stösser had been a iasco and achieved nothing.


15

further back. Unable to break through the Americans’ thickening ring of forces around Peiper, the battle in the woods raged all day on December 23rd, including Nebelwerfer strikes and heavy mortaring, but it all gained Hansen’s men little ground. When Kampfgruppe Peiper abandoned La Gleize and escaped, Hansen’s under-equipped relief attempt was also aborted and his men fell back to the south, back across the Ambleve river (which was wadeable in places). They had failed to reach the Meuse and then failed to break through to Peiper’s stricken Kampfgruppe.

5TH PANZER ARMY IN THE CENTRESurrender on the Schnee EifelThe upland area east of the river Our known as the Schnee Eifel was part of the long, weakly-held front manned by the US 106th Infantry Division. When the offensive began, the 18th and 62nd Volksgrenadiers’ plan of assault included an attack from the north and south to surround the area and capture the Our river bridges beyond, thus sealing the American forces into a pocket and opening the

way towards the vital road hub town of St Vith. Within the pocket would be large a proportion of the 106th Division, including the 422nd and 423rd Infantry Regiments and much of the division’s artillery support.

The initial German attack in the north went well, capturing the village of Auw, and, to the south, Bleialt was captured but then quickly lost to an American counter-attack, stalling the encirclement. The 293rd Volksgrenadier Regiment was given very urgent instructions to retake the village, and did so on the morning of December 17th. The US commanders within the developing pocket did not see their imminent danger and held their positions. Divisional HQ had given its regiments east of the Our orders to withdraw but, in the confusion, these hadn’t been followed. It was only when the German advance reached the town of Schonberg and captured the bridge over the Our there that the impending threat become obvious. Still, the US reaction was slow. The Americans did start to pull out of the Schnee Eifel, but not with much

Below: US anti-tank gunners manhandle their 57mm gun. Winter conditions and heavy armoured vehicles would quickly turn the narrow roads into quagmires.

urgency. The German advance from the south continued rapidly until the two pincers met at Schonberg and sealed the pocket.

Trapped within it were almost 9,000 US troops, who, after a couple of days of being surrounded, were running short of supplies and ammunition. Artillery and mortar shells, in particular, had completely run out. Several weak attempts were made to escape west, but each was thrown back by the reinforced Germans holding the ring. On December 19th, cut-off, out of supplies and with no relief effort forthcoming to save them, the American units began to destroy their weapons and surrender.

It was the largest military defeat suffered by the American military in Europe, and the second largest of the entire war, after the surrender to the Japanese at Bataan in the Philippines in 1942. The mass surrender also left


16

a large hole through the centre of the US frontline in the Ardennes, into which they would scramble to throw any available forces to hold back the German tide.

Cometh the OurSouth of the Schnee Eifel, the Germans directly faced the River Our, along which ran the long front line of the 28th Infantry Division, stretching down into northern Luxembourg. In the north of their sector, the line was held by 112th Infantry Regiment. At Ouren, the German, Belgian and Luxembourg borders meet and here 116th Panzer Division (Windhund) would spearhead the offensive, supported by the 560th Volksgrenadier Division. Their combined initial infantry attacks seized bridges over the Our at Reuland, Oberhausen and Ouren but the latter was found to be unable to support 116th Panzer’s heavy tanks and they had to move south to ind a new route across the river. Over the coming days, and despite light US resistance, the Windhund division’s advance would be dogged by further such delays and frustrations: repeated small roadblocks, clogged roads, blown bridges and orders from corps commanders to retrace their steps as the division’s three Kampfgruppen struggled slowly west on a winding route. Quickly realising they were facing a far larger force, the US 112th Infantry Regiment offered a limited defence and then fell back. Soon cut-off from their own 28th Infantry Division to the south, they withdrew north-west until they eventually joined the defenders of St Vith.

On the irst days of the attack, 116th Panzer Division should have had an easier route and could have broken through altogether but they suffered chronic fuel shortages. Only the fortuitous capture of a 30,000 gallon American fuel dump at Samree, on December 20th, allowed them to continue their drive at all, and then they ran headlong into the deploying taskforces of the US 3rd Armoured Division’s Combat Command R. By then, the Windhund had already captured the crossroads towns of Houffalize and La Roche with its bridges over the river Ourthe. The Americans tried to counter-attack to retake Samree but were thrown back

in a battle north of Dochamp, whilst the 116th Panzer’s Kampfgruppe Bayer became embroiled in heavy ighting for Hotton and Dochamp against the 51st Combat Engineers Battalion and tanks of 3rd Armoured’s Taskforce Hogan and Taskforce Orr. Here, the 116th’s drive west was stalled, until the division received orders to move south again and begin a new drive from the Ourthe river bridge at La Roche.

The centre of the 28th Infantry Division’s front line was actually on high ground between the Our and Clerf river valleys (just to the west), with only outposts on the Our itself. These outposts were withdrawn to safety each night. This procedure had been noted by the German commanders - their troops could get across the Our unseen and, under cover of darkness and the morning mists, begin iniltrating through the 28th’s frontlines, in order to get to the bridges over the Clerf beyond.

Behind the German infantry, engineers spent the irst day building two heavy pontoon bridges at Dasburg and Gemünd to allow the tanks and vehicles of 2nd Panzer and the Panzer Lehr divisions to cross the Our. By the time they were across, and after having negotiated the narrow tracks out of the Our valley, the Clerf bridges should already be in German hands, so the panzers could then speed to their irst main objective on the way to the Meuse, the road hub town of Bastogne.

Cutting short the preliminary bombardment, 26th Volksgrenadier Division’s infantry and some dismounted Panzergrenadiers of 2nd Panzer crossed the Our in boats in darkness and moved cautiously west, around the US garrisons holding the villages of Heinerscheid, Marnach, Hosingen, Consthum and Holzthum. In the morning mists, there was skirmishing and a few small engagements, but the Germans were content to leave the isolated US positions to following troops. They surrounded Marnach and Hosingen.

In the early hours of December 17th, with the two pontoon bridges now complete, the two waiting panzer divisions were unleashed to drive for Bastogne and the Meuse beyond.

December 17th saw the US positions at Holzthum, Weiler, Munhausen and Marnach all attacked and overrun. A brief counter-attack by Sherman tanks of the 707th Tank Battalion (attached to the 28th Infantry) was launched towards Marnach, but it was repulsed by the 2nd Panzer Division’s tanks. Soon after, there was heavy ighting in Clervaux, on the Clerf river, with tanks of 2nd Panzer shelling the town and the US troops of the 110th Infantry Regiment’s HQ being pushed back until they only held the town’s castle, whilst the bridge fell into German hands and was soon open to westward trafic. Colonel Fuller, commanding the 110th Infantry Regiment, escaped Clervaux but was captured two days later trying to get back to American lines. Now, 28th Infantry Division’s commander, Major-General Norman Cota, saw the full scale of the offensive he was facing and realised his single division was ighting alone against at least ive advancing German ones (including three well-equipped Panzer divisions). The 28th Infantry’s regiments began to swiftly fall back before the tide, whilst, behind them, units of CCR, 9th Armoured Division, scrambled to establish roadblocks on the main routes west, with Taskforces Rose, Harper and Hayze.

The race for Bastogne now began in earnest. With the 28th Infantry in some disarray, US commanders searched for any available unit to hold the vital town. The 101st Airborne Division, then resting as SHAEF’s theatre reserve back in Mourmelon in France, was urgently ordered to move via road to Bastogne. There was no time for anything beyond basic preparations, its men were short of supplies, ammunition and winter clothing, but needs must, and the Screaming Eagles’ truck convoys were soon racing through the night for southern Belgium. Also en route for Bastogne was CCB, 10th Armoured Division, just now reluctantly released from Patton’s command in Luxembourg. They sped north and reported to VIII Corps headquarters in Bastogne. A plan was hatched to deploy the arriving tanks and armoured infantry in three more taskforce roadblocks, north, north-east and east of Bastogne. Respectively, these were Taskforces Desobry, Cherry and O’Hara.


Coming the other way were the 2nd Panzer Division and the Panzer Lehr, who had crossed the Clerf at the village of Drauffelt after it was attacked and captured by 26th Volksgrenadier’s advance. Both panzer spearheads were on a collision course with the US armoured roadblocks. On December 18th, Taskforce Rose, CCR, 9th Armoured, was destroyed in detail by 2nd Panzer Division’s vanguard east of Allerborn. Likewise, near Fetsch, Taskforce Harper lost 24 Shermans and its commander that evening as it, too, was surrounded and overrun. Longvilly, just held by Taskforce Cherry, looked set to be the scene of the next encounter, but 2nd Panzer Division turned north-west to move around Bastogne to the north, following their prescribed route to the Meuse. If Longvilly had fallen, Bastogne, just 10km behind, was all but undefended. Further south, Taskforce Hayze held the village of Derenbach, but it was also bottled up and then annihilated by the Panzer Lehr Division’s vanguard. The Lehr division’s swift advance then bogged down when its lead tanks took a wrong turn up a farm track and had to move cross-country in quagmire conditions. On December 19th they took the village of Neffe from Taskforce Cherry and they were ighting just east of Mageret, just 6km from Bastogne. Attacks on Marvie and then on Wardin were repulsed by Taskforce O’Hara, but the Lehr division moved south-west around the town – its reconnaissance battalion reached St Hubert unhindered. The noose was tightening around Bastogne.

Even as it did so, on December 19th, the irst of 101st Airborne’s troops had arrived and were quickly marching through Bastogne. The 501st Parachute Infantry and 327th Glider Infantry Regiments established new blocking positions in a ring east and south of the town, from Bizory to Senonchamp. The 506th and 502nd Parachute Infantry would soon follow them to hold the line to the north and north-west, at Foy, Noville and Longchamp. Bastogne had been held just long enough to get a solid defence in place, but now, with German forces already north, east and south of the town

and still moving west, the Americans would soon be trapped. The cold paratroopers dug-in for a siege.

7TH ARMY IN THE SOUTHHolding the Southern ShoulderThe role of General Erich Brandenburger’s 7th Army in the Wacht am Rhein offensive was to secure and screen the southern lank of the main attack sector and hold it against the arrival of American reinforcements from the south, thus freeing 5th Panzer Army’s divisions to drive west at speed and not to be too concerned with their exposed lank security. Apart from one Fallschirmjäger division, 7th Army consisted entirely of Volksgrenadier divisions and its limited attacks would drive south-west into Luxembourg, gaining no more than 10-15km, and pin US units down and, hopefully, draw in local enemy reinforcements.

7th Army’s irst task was to get across the Our and Sûre rivers, along which their frontline ran. Then, once across, their engineers would build bridges to bring the artillery and the army’s few armoured vehicles into the battle. Under cover of darkness and thick mist, Volksgrenadiers crossed the rivers in rubber boats and moved south-west amid heavy ighting for the villages of Diekirch, Bedufort, Echternach and Diekweiler.

Only 5th Fallschirmjäger Division would make signiicant gains into Belgium, advancing on, and then capturing, the town of Wiltz, before moving west towards Bastogne and helping surround the town to the south. But even this success was a failure for a screening force; being a foot-bound division they had little hope of being able to keep pace with the motorised panzer troops advancing to their north. 5th Fallschirmjäger did achieve their objectives but, when the American Third Army’s relief drive began from the south, it could not be stopped by the weak forces positioned to stop them.

5th PANZER ARMY IN THE CENTREThe Battle for St VithBeyond the Schnee Eifel and the upper Our, the town of St Vith lay at the centre of the road network and

was an important early objective for 5th Panzer Army’s advance. After the US 106th Infantry Division’s surrender, there was not a lot in the American reserve to ill the gap left by their defeat. The irst unit dispatched to St Vith was CCB, 7th Armoured Division. Moving south from Heerlen, via two routes which cut directly across the path of 6th Panzer Army’s advance, the American tanks, armoured infantry, self-propelled artillery and supporting units had the speed and mobility to reach their objectives with only a few run-ins with the advancing Germans that crossed their path along the way. The unit’s move was mostly delayed by retreating US units blocking the roads, but the tanks forced their way south throughout December 17th.

By December 18th, CCB, 7th Armoured had arrived in strength and was rapidly deploying east of St Vith, supporting the sole surviving regiment of the 106th (the 424th Infantry Regiment had been left to hold the town alone against two advancing German divisions). Fortunately, the German advance had been slowed by its own huge trafic jams on the roads west, the need to bring up horse-drawn artillery and in dealing with the Schnee Eifel pocket. The 18th and 62nd Volksgrenadiers only probed west towards St Vith as their forces regrouped for the main assault. Meanwhile, the defenders reinforced their positions when the 112th Infantry Regiment of the 28th Infantry Division, retreating from the Our river valley, was added to the defender’s ring around St Vith. The defence was anchored along a ridge of hills known as the Prumerberg. It was not until December 21st that the Germans were ready for a maximum effort assault to capture the town.

To assist this effort the two Volksgrenadier divisions had been bolstered by the release of the Führer Begleit Brigade from reserve. This was another ‘elite’ unit (usually used to guard Hitler’s headquarters) and it had speciic orders to take St Vith and Vielsalm (15km west of St Vith). The Führer Begleit Brigade was commanded by Oberst Otto Remer and it had special priority for equipment and manpower. It was well-equipped with Panzer IV

17


18

tanks, StuGs, armoured infantry, engineers, self-propelled artillery and 88mm anti-aircraft guns. However, Remer was more concerned that his prized unit should now play a more prominent and glorious role in reaching the Meuse than becoming caught-up in attritional ighting for St Vith. His irst attacks, on December 19th and 20th, were half-hearted attempts and he was soon repulsed. Remer then ordered most of his men to move on west and left St Vith to the following Volksgrenadier divisions.

The main attack inally struck on December 21st, behind a very heavy artillery barrage from every gun and Nebelwerfer the Germans could bring to bear. All three of 18th Volksgrenadier’s regiments were committed to the assault, supported by StuGs and six Tiger tanks and the last of the Begleit Brigade, along with 62nd Volksgrenadier

Division pushing up from the south. Throughout the day, there was heavy ighting for the Prumerberg just east and south-east of St Vith. The 294th Grenadier Regiment, supported by StuGs, broke through the defences along the main Schonberg road. CCB, 7th Armoured retreated into the town but, with the Germans so close behind, they panicked and withdrew further west again to attempt to establish a new defence line on the high ground. That night, German troops captured the town and began looting the large stockpiles of US stores left behind. To the south-east, to avoid being cut-off, the 112th and 424th Infantry Regiments also both had to pull back west to re-establish a new line. Alarmingly for the American commanders, St Vith had fallen, but the local German forces, exhausted by their previous battles, had little impetus to quickly exploit their success. Later, St Vith was targeted by RAF heavy bombers and obliterated, to prevent its roads being easily used by the Germans. By the time the town was recaptured by the Americans in January 1945, barely a house remained standing.

The Siege of BastogneThe last road into Bastogne was cut by the German advance at Sibret on December 21st. The defenders were surrounded but most of the panzer units had already moved on west, still making for the Meuse at Dinant, leaving the 26th Volksgrenadiers, Kampfgruppe 901 of the Panzer Lehr Division and some of 5th Fallschirmjäger to reduce the Bastogne pocket and force its surrender. The defenders would endure ive days cut-off behind enemy lines, with only limited resupply by airdrops (when the winter weather permitted). On December 21st snow fell and the ill-equipped paratroops began to freeze in their new foxholes. German artillery repeatedly shelled the frontlines and Bastogne itself, whilst Luftwaffe bombers also hit the town in repeated night raids. The besiegers made probing attacks against the 101st Airborne’s men and captured Flamierge but, at Senonchamp and Marvie, the paratroopers, with their tanker support, just held the line.

On December 22nd, German oficers approached the American positions

Above: Sherman crews of 4th Armoured Division watch on as formations of C-47 transports approach Bastogne to parachute their supplies to the troops inside the surrounded town.


19

on the road from Remoifosse under a white lag of truce. They came to ask for Bastogne’s surrender. Escorted to 101st Airborne’s HQ in Bastogne, they received short-shrift from General Anthony McAuliffe, the stand-in commander of the besieged forces: ‘Nuts!’ The Americans would ight on, even if they were surrounded.

Christmas Eve was a quieter day, as both sides reformed as best they could and the USAAF dropped supplies in to the defenders. The defence of Bastogne remained a thorn in the German side and the 15th Panzergrenadier Division had been activated from reserve to move west, with its Kampfgruppe Maucke deployed to join the ring around the town and help eliminate the pocket. Maucke’s tanks would conduct an assault from the west, via Champs and Hemroulle, on Christmas Day.

That attack began at 02.45 on December 25th, with mortar and artillery ire. 77th Volksgrenadier Regiment assaulted Champs in hard, house-to-house ighting and 18 Panzer IVs and StuGs broke through the 327th Glider Regiment’s lines towards the village of Hemroulle and then divided into two: one group attacking Champs, the other Hemroulle, just 2km from Bastogne. By irst light, the Americans were scrambling any forces they could to meet the penetration which threatened to undo the entire Bastogne perimeter.

The 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment’s headquarters at Rolle Chateau was evacuated as the attack threatened to overrun them, but some tank destroyers had engaged the enemy tanks and heavy machine gun ire had the accompanying Panzergrenadiers pinned down. At Champs, three panzers were knocked out by two M18 tank destroyers; then two more panzers were disabled by bazooka ire. One tank broke into the village itself but it, too, was hit by bazookas and knocked out. The dangerous attack was repulsed and by the evening 327th Glider Regiment’s men were back holding the line. The attack had cost 15th Panzergrenadier Division 200 casualties and all 18 Panzer IVs and StuGs.

he had to save whatever forces he could, whilst he could. The 82nd Airborne Division’s 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment had arrived and was establishing a new front, some 10km to the west. They represented a degree of safety for the hard-pressed former defenders of St Vith. The Führer Begleit Brigade and elements of 9th SS Panzer were attacking from the north, whilst 18th and 62nd Volksgrenadiers still pressed the pocket to the east and 2nd SS Panzer was on the move to the south. The pocket’s evacuation would have to be quick.

Ordered to disengage and make their way via the Vielsalm bridge to regroup near Malempre, the irst American units began pulling out on December 23rd – CCB, 9th Armoured being irst, abandoning Beho. CCB, 7th Armoured would act as the rearguard whilst the surviving 112th and 424th infantrymen then pulled back, leaving 7th Armoured as the last to escape possible encirclement.

They would ight running battles throughout December 23rd, trying to force a passage through Kampfgruppe Krag at Salmchateau and pursued by the Führer Begleit Brigade’s tanks. Taskforce Jones, the rearmost retreating unit, was run down and surrounded near Bovigny and destroyed. Soon after, engineers from 82nd Airborne Division demolished the Viersalm bridge to prevent the Germans using it.

Despite the lost taskforce, 20,000 men had escaped the pocket after stalling the German advance through St Vith for four more days. It was valuable time which the Germans could not recover and now, because of the delay, more American units were in place to block the westward routes to the Meuse. The Germans had won the bitter battle at St Vith, but their victory had been too slow and there was no clean breakthrough or swift drive to the Meuse.

Halted in the Centre116th Panzer Division’s renewed effort to the reach the Meuse began from La Roche on December 24th. The divisional commander, General Siegfried von Waldenburg, had been promised that the Führer Begleit

A inal attempted to break into Bastogne would be launched on December 26th, by 26th Volksgrenadier Division, again near Hemroulle. Supported by Jagdpanzer IVs, the attack was repulsed by heavy defensive artillery ire. It was now too late - news reached the Germans that the vanguard of 4th Armoured Division had broken through the siege at Assenois, south of the town - Bastogne was no longer surrounded.

Following Maucke’s defeat, on December 27th it was declared that ‘the Führer has ordered that Bastogne be taken at all costs.’ To execute Hitler’s orders, the Führer Begleit Brigade and units of 1st SS Panzer, 9th SS Panzer, 12th SS Panzer and 3rd Panzergrenadier Division were all transferred south, from 6th Panzer Army to 5th Panzer Army, and were either arriving or en route to the Bastogne area. By New Year’s Day, elements of nine German divisions were involved in the battle for the surrounded town. Most were now very weak, 12th SS Panzer could list only 25 working tanks and its grenadier battalions were down to just 125 men. Meanwhile, General Patton was busy reinforcing the relief corridor his men had created to the south.

Escape from the Vielsalm PocketThe deteriorating situation at St Vith had left CCB, 7th and 9th Armoured and 28th and 106th Divisions’ remaining infantry now ighting on three sides as a salient developed just west of the town of Vielsalm and its vital bridge over the Salm river. Kampfgruppe Krag had been committed to the south, the irst unit of 2nd SS Panzer Division to be released from the offensive’s armoured reserve. It was built around 2nd SS Reconnaissance Battalion with artillery and pioneers in support. They had raced up towards Salmchateau unhindered and captured bridges in the area, threatening to seal off the Vielsalm pocket entirely. The battered US units inside the pocket had a narrow timeframe in which to escape encirclement, only whilst the bridge at Vielsalm was still in US hands. General Robert Hasbrouck, the commander of 7th Armoured, decided on December 22nd that the situation was untenable and


20

Brigade would cover his northern lank but no sooner had they arrived than they quickly moved out again, having been sent further south to the ‘priority’ Bastogne area. Lack of lank protection would be a major problem for the Windhund division as its leading element, Kampfgruppe Bayer, ran into the thickening defences of the rest of the US 3rd Armoured Division near Marche and the newly-deploying, fresh, 84th Infantry Division. Fuel was again becoming a problem for the Germans. Bayer’s tanks and half tracks did not get far, only reaching Verdenne and Marche, 15km away, before US counter-attacks cut off some of his force in the Verdenne woods. Surrounded, Bayer held on and awaited relief for two days, but this never arrived and the Kampfgruppe eventually had to breakout and withdraw with whatever it could salvage. For the battle-weary Windhund troops, there were no

longer any routes west that were not held in strength by the enemy. Von Waldenburg ordered his division to go over to the defensive; they would not be attacking again during Operation Wacht am Rhein.

Although elements of the 2nd SS and 9th SS Panzer Divisions had already entered the battle for St Vith, the main bodies of these two reserve armoured divisions formed II SS Panzer Corps, and they began their main move west on December 22nd, south of St Vith, in the centre of the offensive’s front, advancing in the wake of 116th Panzer’s earlier attacks. Their route turned north-west, seeking to utilise the main N15 road, linking Bastogne to Liège. Their offensive would be seriously hampered by poor roads, lack of fuel (again) and Allied air strikes. 9th SS Panzer attempted to cross the Salm river but ran headlong into 82nd Airborne’s front lines, reinforced by survivors from the Vielsalm pocket in the Bra area, and, while they made a few small gains, they failed to break through.

On December 23rd, 2nd SS’s advance ran into an American roadblock

position at the Baraque de Fraiture crossroads, held by a scratch force of artillery, cavalry light tanks, some glider infantry from 82nd Airborne and anti-aircraft half-tracks. Fighting throughout the morning halted the Germans’ progress, with the Americans calling in heavy artillery support to hold their positions.

However, despite this, the SS had the defenders of Baraque de Fraiture surrounded by the afternoon. That evening, they launched a fresh attack which overran the Americans, who lost 17 tanks in the battle. In darkness, the Germans reformed to continue the advance towards Manhay.

That night, they ran into another scratch force of paratroopers, armoured infantry and Sherman tanks, Task Force Brewster, who stopped them again. On December 24th, 2nd SS could not continue their drive. Instead, the day was spent regrouping, resupplying (although fuel remained critical) and supporting an attack by 560th Volksgrenadier which took the village of Odiegne as a preliminary to a major attack to capture the

Below: Sturmgeschütz assault guns would reinforce the Volksgrenadier Divisions for the initial attack. Note the captured M3 half track in use behind.


21

crossroads town of Manhay and open the N15 to the north and south. The battle for Manhay began in earnest on the night of December 24th. In a night march, Panther tanks and SS grenadiers quickly overran two roadblock positions of CCA, 7th Armoured, south of the important town. Fleeing US survivors spread word of the approaching Germans and there was a panic in Manhay, with American troops abandoning the town in disorder.

In the confusion, German Panthers were soon rolling through the streets of Manhay unmolested. Here, their route divided with some SS forces heading towards Grandmenil and others along the road to Werbomont. Cut-off by the Germans in Manhay, the remains of Taskforce Brewster quickly abandoned all their vehicles and escaped on foot (for this act, its commander would later face a court martial). The new penetration at Manhay was a serious danger to the US frontlines in the centre of the

Ardennes sector, especially 82nd Airborne’s positions to the north, which were being outlanked.

On December 25th, the Americans responded in force. Manhay was shelled into ruins as CCB, 3rd Armoured Division, moved rapidly to counter-attack 2nd SS’s breakthrough. US infantry and tank destroyers halted the German advance through Grandmenil towards Erezée when a bazooka shell knocked out the lead Panther on a narrow lane and blocked it. Very heavy shelling forced the SS grenadiers to withdraw from the village the next day. Taskforce McGeorge, despite having been bombed by its own air support, then led an attack on Grandmenil on December 26th, but lost all but two of its Sherman tanks in the attempt. A second attack in the afternoon did recapture the village. Meanwhile, 7th Armoured Division had regrouped its routed forces and they now joined the counter-attack by striking directly

at Manhay. However, their attack was repulsed after heavy losses to accurate German tank ire. Further north, US glider infantry were starting to envelope the town in hard ighting with 4th SS Panzergrenadier Regiment.

Surrounded on three sides, in danger of becoming cut-off in Manhay and under the repeated air attacks which were hourly straing and bombing the town, the SS troops pulled back that night. On December 27th, US troops retook the ruined town and 2nd SS’s drive for the Meuse was halted.

Advance on Dinant

2nd Panzer Division and the vanguard of the Panzer Lehr Division had bypassed Bastogne to the north

Above: The US commanders’ response to the offensive was swift and, although slowed by the snow

falls, it paid a large part in halting the German advance.


22

and south and driven on west. Very little serious opposition remained in their path to stop them reaching the Meuse bridges around Dinant. It was the same route the Germans had used in 1940 during the invasion of France, and it had succeeded then, but now it would be the closest they would come to securing any of the Meuse bridges.

2nd Panzer was led by its reinforced reconnaissance battalion, Kampfgruppe von Böhm, and by December 23rd they had reached the village of Foy Notre Dame, just 4km short of the Meuse. Its leading scouts had already investigated the bridges, which remained intact, and a ‘Greif’ jeep team had scouted the

river at Rocher Bayard only to be destroyed by a mine. Now facing 2nd Panzer was the British 29th Armoured Brigade’s 3rd Royal Tank Regiment, which had rushed into place from Holland with instructions to hold the Meuse and prevent any German crossing. The German light reconnaissance troops now paused whilst 2nd Panzer Division’s potent armour, under Kampfgruppe von Cochenhausen, moved up behind them with plans to assault the Dinant bridges on December 24th. Von Cochenhausen’s Panthers and supporting grenadiers were dogged by air attacks but laagered in the Celles area. Short on fuel, both Kampfgruppen awaited urgent resupply.

Whilst the British tankers prepared to block the dangerous German breakthrough, the Americans had not been idle. In complete secrecy, they had rushed their 2nd Armoured

Division’s CCA and CCB south, and these fresh troops (completely unknown to the Germans) were now massing east of the Meuse and just north of Celles. With the enemy’s strength unknown, they held their own attack until all their units were in place.

South of 2nd Panzer’s bold dash for the river, the Lehr Division, having left a lot of troops to aid the siege of Bastogne, was also moving west and had fought a ierce battle to capture the town of Rochefort, with its bridge over the Lomme river. A single battalion of the US 84th Infantry Division’s 335th Infantry Regiment put up a stern ight for Rochefort and delayed the Lehr Division for two days. Only on Christmas Day did the remaining US infantry inally withdraw from Rochefort and allow Panzer Lehr to continue west.

Below: The bitter woods. Heavy snow would dominate the later fighting in the Ardennes. Here, US infantry endure their frozen foxholes.

BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEINBATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN

23

Delayed by lack of fuel, and with supply units failing to reach von Böhm and von Cochenhausen, the threatened attack on the Dinant bridges never materialised. On Christmas Day, American and British forces launched their own joint counter-attack against Foy Notre Dame and Celles from the west and north. CCB, 2nd Armoured, divided into two task forces, moved to surround Celles whilst the British and 2nd Armoured’s 82nd Reconnaissance Battalion smashed von Böhm’s troops at Foy Notre Dame.

Meanwhile, 2nd Armoured’s CCA, further east, quickly moved south to cut off the extended German spearhead from any reinforcements from the west. Here, CCA would encounter the irst units of 9th Panzer Division (released from reserve to reinforce the ‘successful’ Dinant thrust), as they fought to get through

to Celles and restart the advance. All 9th Panzer’s attempts to ind a way through were repelled, thwarted by US and British air superiority, now lying round the clock missions, and by potent artillery directed by aerial observers (at one time, ive spotter aircraft were noted circling in the skies over Celles).

The Panzer Lehr Division also launched a relief attempt towards Celles from Rochefort. It was halted by 2nd Armoured Division’s 67th Armoured Regiment, supported by very heavy artillery ire near the village of Custinne and the relief column, called Kampfgruppe Holtmayer, was destroyed in detail. In Foy Notre Dame, von Böhm’s reconnaissance Kampfgruppe had also been wiped out as the Americans retook the village.

Outmatched, on December 26th, von Cockenhausen’s Kampfgruppe was forced to withdraw, escaping south-east to Panzer Lehr’s lines near Rochefort with just 800 survivors and having lost all the Panther tanks of its 3rd Panzer Regiment’s 1st Battalion, along with many of its half-tracks, anti-tank guns and artillery units. As they escaped, 9th Panzer Division also suffered a further reverse, losing the village of Humain after ten hours of heavy ighting with 2nd Armoured Division. Their westward advance had also been completely halted by the new American armour. 2nd Panzer and the Panzer Lehr had paid a very heavy price for their success in getting so close to the Meuse bridges.

The Relief of BastogneOn December 26th, Colonel Creighton Abrams led a small task force of 4th Armoured Division tanks and half-tracks through the snow in a risky direct attack against Assenois, south of Bastogne. His bold attack swept the surprised Germans aside and achieved the irst link up with troops of 101st Airborne inside the siege’s perimeter. As yet, the relief effort hung by a narrow thread but, over the next few days, more of Patton’s forces would arrive to defend and widen the new corridor.

In response, the Germans planned and mustered the forces for a major attack on December 30th, to simultaneously strike from east

and west, cut the relief corridor and inally take Bastogne. The attack from the west failed when it ran into troops of CCB, 11th Armoured Division moving up from the south, although the Führer Begleit Brigade did capture Sibret in heavy ighting.

However, 3rd Panzergrenadier Division sustained heavy losses to American artillery and made little headway. To the east, there were four days of ighting in the Lutrebois area as the defenders held off the last rag-tag armoured forces of 1st SS Panzer and the remains of Panzer Lehr’s Kampfgruppe 901. Patton’s Third Army was now moving north towards Bastogne in increasing strength and imposing itself on the battleield south of the town. 35th Infantry and 4th and 11th Armoured were all holding the southern corridor while 6th Armoured and 87th Infantry would soon follow.

Fighting continued around the Bastogne perimeter and relief corridor until January 6th 1945, with the last gasp being that of 12th SS Panzer as they fought, and failed, to capture Bizory. On January 7th the Hitler Jugend were inally ordered to withdraw. The Germans around Bastogne now lacked the combat strength to defeat the reinforcements arriving from the south and so, against the odds, Bastogne had been held.

General Hasso von Manteuffel, commanding 5th Panzer Army, later commented that ‘the defence of Bastogne, undertaken in apparently hopeless circumstances, was decisive in foiling our offensive plans.’

A Gamble LostThe crushing defeat at Foy Notre Dame, Celles and then Humain would effectively see the end of the German offensive and any hope of crossing the Meuse, if not the end of the ighting in the Ardennes. Only 5th Panzer Army had come within sight of the Meuse bridges, but they had failed to capture any. Wacht am

Rhein had been a huge gamble - and it had been lost.

The cost to the Nazi war effort was severe. The offensive had incurred approximately 70,000 German casualties - over 10,000 dead, 34,000 wounded and 23,000 missing. For


24

RETAKING THE ARDENNESThe German offensive had been stopped, the panzers had failed and the surviving tanks were soon withdrawn from the front, leaving the infantry to hold the ‘bulge’ that had been captured across southern Belgium. The Americans, with some British aid, set about the task of recapturing the lost ground. It would take most of January 1945, ighting in deep snow, to retake it but now the Americans’ massive advantage in manpower and war matériel could be fully brought to bear. For the Germans, on the defensive again, it would be a retreat back to their original starting positions and beyond.

The salient the German offensive had thrust west was now in a dangerous position and the Americans planned counter-offensives from the north and south to cut-off and encircle 10-12 German divisions within it. To the Germans, the ground they now held was of little value but the troops and equipment were. Aware of their precarious situation, they

started to pull their units out - irst the armour, then the infantry - as they collapsed the bulge back to the Our river while being careful not to weaken the perimeter too much. The American forces meanwhile pushed north, south and east again, retaking ground they had already captured once. The US First Army, advancing from the north, and Third Army from the south made contact at Houffalize on January 16th – exactly one month after the German offensive had begun. By then, however, the only panzer division still in Belgium was 116th Panzer, and they were already pulling back, pursued by enemy artillery ire and air attacks. The enemy units the Americans had hoped to surround had escaped back to the east.

By January 21st, all that remained of Operation Wacht am Rhein was a small German perimeter guarding the Our bridges at Dasburg and Vianden. The last defenders made a brief stand on the Clerf river but the US 26th Infantry retook Clervaux, which had fallen on December 18th, on January 26th. It took ive more

days to mop-up the last Germans west of the Our.

To the south, the American 4th and 5th Infantry Divisions had counter-attacked over the Our and Sûre rivers, recaptured Diekirch and the pressure on 7th Army was mounting. The survivors of 2nd Panzer and the Panzer Lehr Divisions were both moved south to shore up the lagging Volksgrenadier divisions and avoid an American breakthrough that could still result in them being surrounded and then a disaster further to the north.

The withdrawal was rapid and (as ever) well-organised while deepening snow slowed American progress and poor weather protected the retreat against roving Allied air power. By the start of February, the Americans were back on the front lines they had occupied in mid-December and the Germans had saved the remains of their divisions engaged in Belgium.

the Americans (and the few British troops involved), the casualty lists would read over 8,000 dead, 47,000 wounded and 29,000 missing.

Between December 16th and 31st, the German Army recorded the loss of 324 panzers, although the US claimed 413 knocked out. Meanwhile, the Germans claimed to have destroyed 1,742 US tanks; a ludicrously high total, with the US igure of 733 lost being far more likely. Although severe, the US losses would be replaced – the German ones could not be.

Despite the casualties being relatively even, the German strategic situation had, despite the sacriice, only deteriorated. After Wacht am Rhein, their last major armoured forces on the Western Front were now spent. Many of the best German panzer divisions were gutted in the ighting and, with a mere trickle of replacements to rebuild them, they could not launch any further threatening offensives. Never again would the Western allies face massed

panzers; only pockets of resistance and local counter-attacks once Germany itself was invaded.

The ‘last blitzkrieg’ had failed, ultimately lacking the numbers to sustain the attack and, vitally, retain the initiative over the Americans.

Insuficient troops had meant the armoured spearheads had been weakened to maintain lank protection, and even then it wasn’t enough to prevent momentum-sapping US counter-attacks. The US response had been too quick. Even the much-vaunted Waffen SS panzer divisions had, in truth, performed poorly. With the shortest distance to cover, 12th SS Panzer had failed to break through at Elsenborn Ridge. 1st SS, even with Peiper’s dash, had only reached halfway before his forces were out of fuel, stranded, surrounded and destroyed. 2nd SS joined the ighting late and then failed to break through at Manhay. Those divisions redeployed to Bastogne had failed there too. Only the regular army divisions of 5th

Panzer Army: 2nd Panzer, the Lehr Division and 116th Panzer, had come anywhere close to achieving their missions - but lack of fuel had inally crippled them.

The failure in the Ardennes would perhaps have its greatest implications on the Eastern Front where German units were denuded of fresh supplies of tanks, men, fuel and ammunition and denied the support of the divisions which had been husbanded for Wacht am Rhein. The Russian army would soon launch a massive offensive from its Vistula river bridgeheads that would sweep aside the German Army in western Poland and result in the Soviets reaching the Oder river in just two weeks.

The German defenders simply lacked suficient forces to hold them and an increasingly desperate defence was all that was left to them. After gambling on Wacht am Rhein and losing, the fall of the Reich was now inevitable.


25

DUELS IN THE MISTSpecial Rules for re-fighting the Battle of the Bulge

NEW US SPECIAL RULESWild Rumours . . . . . . . . . 10 ptsThis is a new HQ choice for any American battlegroup (Armoured Division, Infantry Division or Airborne Division).

American troops have heard rumours of disguised iniltrators and that SS units have been executing prisoners of war in cold blood. This may well make Americans troops more reluctant to surrender, for fear of being shot, or it might spook them. Before the irst turn, roll on the table below.

1 SpookedThe rumours have spooked the men and they are fearful of facing a vicious and callous enemy. Reduce the Americans starting BR total by a D6.

2-3 OKYour units have heard the rumours but are OK, they ight as normal.

4-6 DeterminedThe troops have heard the rumours and are now more determined not to give in and surrender and to take some measure of revenge on the enemy. The US Battlegroup’s starting BR total is increased by a D6.

Germans Low on Fuel . . . 15 ptsThis is a second new HQ choice for any American battlegroup (Armoured Division, Infantry Division or Airborne Division).

Fuel supply (or lack of it) was a constant problem for German armoured formations throughout the offensive. This special rule means that the enemy you will face today is already suffering from fuel shortages.

If the US player draws an Air Attack counter, he can chose to use it either as an Air Attack as normal (see Low Cloud Cover for further rules) or as an Out of Fuel counter. As an Out of

Fuel counter, play the counter on a single German vehicle anywhere on the table and roll a D6.

1.The vehicle has just enough fuel to keep going for the rest of the game.2-4. The vehicle can make one more move, then its fuel tanks are empty and it is immobilised. 5-6. The vehicle is completely out of fuel and the crew abandon it. It counts as destroyed. Take a Battle Rating counter for the loss.

NEW US UNITSFor the Ardennes in 1944, the following new vehicles can be added to the US Armoured Division, Infantry Division and Airborne Division lists (see Battlegroup Overlord for the full lists). Add these to the relevant sections of the army lists.

Above: A SdKfz 251/3 radio half track of 116th Panzer Division (Windhund) advances through the

mist. Behind, an M10 tank destroyer lies wrecked.


26

TANK UNITSSelf-Propelled Tank DestroyerM18 Hellcat . . . . . . . . . . 38 pts 2-r BR

(Restricted)M36 Jackson . . . . . . . . . .46 pts 2-r BR

(Restricted)

Self-Propelled Tank Destroyer BatteryOption:Upgrade all M10 Wolverines to:M18 Hellcats . . . . . . . . . . . +4 pts each

(Restricted)

RECONNAISSANCE SUPPORT UNITS

Light TankM24 Chaffee . . . . . . . . . .48 pts 2-r BR

(Restricted)

Jeep Reconnaissance TeamOption:Upgrade Jeep to:Armoured Jeep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +4 pts

US CAVALRYAdditional American units for Armoured Divisions, 1944-45

Forming part of the initial US defenders on the Ardennes front was the 14th Cavalry Group. Attached to V Corps for reconnaissance operations over the border into Germany, the 14th Cavalry Group was composed of two cavalry squadrons. Each squadron was formed with a HQ and service troop, a medical detachment, three

reconnaissance troops, a light tank company and an assault gun company. These last two units were generally divided to support the reconnaissance sections and were not intended to ight as coherent units themselves. Each Armoured Division also had two cavalry squadrons (each of two troops) attached.

The heart of the cavalry squadron was the three reconnaissance troops. Each consisted of six jeep teams - half MG-armed, half 60mm mortar-armed - and a three-vehicle armoured car section of M8 Greyhounds. Again, the troops did not generally operate together as one unit but would usually form into smaller sections,

For each Troop you may choose 4 Support units

Platoon Composition: 1 Troop HQ Jeep, 2 Scout Jeep

MG Teams, 3 Scout Jeep mortar teams, 1 Armoured Car

Section and up to 5 Troop Support Options.

Special Rules: Unique, Scout2

Troop HQ Jeep

Unit Composition: 3 men

Transport: Jeep with pintle-mounted MG

Special Rules: Oficer, Artillery Spotter

Scout Jeep MG Teams


Transport: Jeep with pintle-mounted MG

Scout Jeep Mortar Teams

Unit Composition: 3 men with 60mm mortar

Transport: Jeep

Armoured Car Section

Unit Composition: 3 M8 Armoured Cars

1 M8 (Oficer, Artillery Spotter)2 M8s

Troop Support Options

The Troop may take up to 5 Troop Support Options.

Each option cannot be taken more than once. The Light

Tank platoon counts as a single choice.

M8 HMC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 pts 2-r BR

Bazooka team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 pts 1-r BR

Unit Composition: 2 men with a Bazooka

Transport: Jeep

Stretcher Bearer team . . . . . . . . . 14 pts 1i BR


Transport: Jeep

Special Rules: Medic

Light Tank Platoon . . . . . . . . . . . 90 pts 6-r BR

Unit Composition: 3 M5 Stuarts

1 M5 (Oficer, Artillery Spotter)2 M5s

Add up to 2 additonal M5s

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +30 pts each +2-r BR each

Anti-tank Gun. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 pts 2-r BR

Unit Composition: 57mm anti-tank gun with 3 crew

Include a 3 man loader team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +10 pts

Beep Tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +4 pts

M3 half track tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +10 pts

Supply Half Track . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 pts 1-i BR

Unit Composition: 1 M3 half track

Special Rules: Resupply

Cavalry Reconnaissance Troop. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170 pts 9-r BR


27

of jeeps and armoured cars, for their roving scouting role (these are already represented in the American army lists as the Recce Support Assets). These small units would also be reinforced by light tanks, anti-tank guns (when defending a position, these would be on detached service from other local units) and self-propelled assault guns. Again, the troop was not supposed to ight as a whole but, during the early Ardennes ighting, the 14th Cavalry had little choice as it was caught up in the irst German attacks and required to hold the line as best it could.

A Reconnaissance Troop can be added to the American Armoured Division Battlegroup list for 1944 and the American Battlegroup list for Fall of the Reich in 1945. It counts as an Infantry Asset (because it is not being used in its standard scouting role, but for frontline combat duties).

As only a single Troop was included in each Infantry Division, it cannot be included in this list, as it would be used for its main role, reconnaissance, and not as a main combat unit and so is already represented by the army list’s Recce Support Assets.

NEW GERMAN SPECIAL RULES

InfiltrationThis is a new HQ choice for any German battlegroup (Panzer Division, Infantry Division or Fallschirmjäger Division).Along the front, German units have been iniltrating into US lines, and rumours of already being outlanked or surrounded are spreading confusion and panic amongst the troops. At the start of the game, the US side must take a Battle Rating counter because his men are now ‘windy’. Also, a single Reconnaissance support Foot Patrol may start the game with the ‘Behind Enemy Lines’ special rule.

New Unit Special Rule DisguiseThe Germans are using some disguised vehicles and troops to try to get through the lines and sow confusion in the rear. A German unit with the Disguise special rule cannot be ired at by any American unit (they think it’s their own side, after all) unless they irst roll a 6. This check is made before rolling any other dice for shooting (i.e. rolling to spot, etc). If a 6 is rolled, any iring is then resolved as normal. If a 6 is not rolled, then the Open Fire order is wasted.

The requirement to roll a 6 is lost if the Disguised unit opens ire at an American unit, after which it is treated as an enemy unit as normal.

NEW GERMAN UNITSThe following new units can be added to the German Panzer Division, Infantry Division and Fallschirmjäger Division lists (see Battlegroup Overlord for the full lists). Add these to the relevant sections of the army lists.

TANK UNITSCaptured US VehicleThis has been recently captured from the Americans and turned against them (whilst the ammo lasts). A captured vehicle cannot be resupplied during a game.

Unit Composition: 1 US VehicleM8 Greyhound . . . . . . 21 pts 1-r BRM5 Stuart . . . . . . . . . . . 30 pts 2-r BRM3 Sherman. . . . . . . . . 50 pts 3-r BRM3 Sherman (76mm) . 54 pts 3-r BRM10 Wolverine . . . . . . 34 pts 2-r BRM18 Hellcat . . . . . . . . . 38 pts 2-r BR

Special Rules: Unique

VEHICLE MOVEMENT ARMOUR ARMAMENT

Off-Road Road Special Front Side Rear Weapon Mount Ammo

M36 Jackson 9" 14" - M N O 90mmL53 Turret 5 Open-Topped MG Hull -



M18 Hellcat 14" 24" - M N O 76mmL53 Turret 5 Open-Topped MG Pintle -



M24 Chaffee 12" 18" - L N N 75mmL40 Turret 5 MG Co-axial - MG Bow -



Armoured Jeep 6" 24" - O O O MG Pintle - Open-Topped


28


Greif Team . . . . . . . . 31 pts 2-v BRUnit Composition: 3 men with 1 demolition charge, in a Jeep.Special Rules: Scout2, Behind Enemy Lines, Disguise, Unique

Disguised Panther (Restricted)Unit Composition: 1 Panther, disguised as M10(-ish)Panther . . . . . . . . . . . . 100 pts 3-r BRSpecial Rules: Scout, Disguise, Unique

PANZER AUFKLÄRUNG ANGRIFF!Additional Unit for German Panzer Divisions, 1944-1945

Throughout the irst days of Operation Wacht am Rhein, as the panzer divisions searched for the fastest routes west, they were invariably led by their reconnaissance units, often operating as independent Kampfgruppen, roving ahead of the main bodies, deep into the US rear. As well as inding routes west, these light reconnaissance units also had to assist in clearing the way for the main body against American roadblock positions thrown in the advance’s path and in capturing any important bridges. Each leading Kampfgruppe was not simply the reconnaissance battalion alone but an effective, combined-arms unit built around the reconnaissance battalion, including attached support from the panzer battalions, anti-tank and anti-aircraft battalions and a range of divisional and corps artillery ire support (when still in range).

Of course, such leading units make excellent forces for a wargame, to ight (historically accurate) engagements against the American roadblocks, but the Panzer Division army list is designed to recreate a division’s main combat forces and their support, not these lighter reconnaissance units. In order to recreate units like Kampfgruppe Krag (2nd SS), Kampfgruppe von Böhm (2nd Panzer), Kampfgruppe Fallois (Panzer Lehr) and Schnellgruppe Knittel (1st SS) the following additional Armoured Reconnaissance Infantry Platoon can be added to the Panzer Division army list.

Each German Panzer Division included is own ‘organic’

reconnaissance battalion (Aufklärungbattalion), constituted of a HQ, a heavy and a light armour car company and two light infantry companies as their infantry support.

From 1942, the light infantry companies began to replace their standard issue motorcycles and light car transports with the new SdKfz 250 series of light half tracks, to improve their off-road speed and mobility (seen as vital when leading tracked vehicles which could/would move cross-country). The replacement vehicles came into service gradually but, by 1943, all the Panzer divisions were to have equipped their reconnaissance battalion’s infantry with the new transports. At irst, most divisions could only re-equip one of their two reconnaissance infantry companies, with the planned re-equipping continuing into 1944. But, even by 1945, (and despite the introduction of a new, easier to manufacture version of the 250 half track) many of the companies were still ielding some wheeled transports and motorcycles. On paper, in late 1944, each of the light infantry companies consisted of three platoons of armoured infantry. Each platoon was organised as follows.

A platoon command squad of four men, including the platoon commander (an oficer or senior NCO); a two man stretcher bearer team and the oficer’s aide (radioman, messenger, dog’s body). They were transported in two vehicles, a standard SdKfz 250/1 and a 37mm-armed SdKfz 250/10 (or 28mm Panzerbuchse 250/11). Both vehicles also had drivers. Each of a platoon’s two rile squads had 12 men in total. These were again split over two SdKfz 250/1 half tracks, with teams of six men to each vehicle. Each team included a light machine gun, in addition to the machine gun mounted on the transport itself. Each squad also had to provide two drivers and two gunners for its vehicles (these men have been removed from the teams listed; it is assumed they remain with the vehicle to provide ire support). Each platoon would then be supported by machine guns, mortars and anti-tank guns deployed from the company’s heavy weapon’s platoon.

For the purposes of this list, it is assumed that the reconnaissance platoon is ighting in a standard infantry role, rather than in their more advanced scouting role, so they are selected as an Infantry Asset (not Reconnaissance Support, where reconnaissance patrols are already listed).

Each MG team counts as its machine gun for Rate of Fire (RoF) - the extra man doesn’t provide additional RoF, but is a spare crewman and ammunition bearer.

This new unit is available to German Panzer Division battlegroups in 1944.

SCENARIO SPECIAL RULEAny of the Battlegroup scenarios can be adapted to be played in an Ardennes setting, for their deployment zones, objectives, etc. But, if they are, the following scenario special rules must be included.

Low Cloud CoverThe German offensive was timed to utilise the weather conditions, to minimise the US advantage in airpower. Low cloud, mist and then snow all greatly hindered American air support. In any scenario set in the Bulge in the winter of 1944-45, before the start of the game, the German player should roll for cloud cover.1-2 Clear Skies

The skies are currently clear. Air Support operates as normal in this battle.

3-4 Overcast The low clouds are impeding air support. If an Air Attack counter is drawn, roll for an aircraft’s arrival as normal. If the roll is successful, then re-roll the result and the second result must be used. A unit with the Air Spotter special rule is also affected by these conditions and must re-roll. Timed air strikes are not affected by the overcast conditions and arrive as normal.

5-6 Fogged in The low cloud and mist is too thick - no aircraft can operate. Any Air Attack counter drawn counts as a 1 instead - do not roll for the arrival of an aircraft. All timed air strikes are cancelled and do not take place. Any aerial artillery observers are grounded and removed from the Battlegroup. Also reduce the Battlegroup’s total BR by the aerial observer’s value.


29

For each Platoon you may choose 4 Support units

Platoon Composition: 1 Reconnaissance Platoon

Command Squad, 1 Stretcher Bearer Team, 1

SdKfz250/10, 4 MG Teams and up to 5 Platoon Support

Options.

Special Rules: Unique, Scout2

Reconnaissance Platoon Command Squad


Transport: SdKfz 250/1 half track

Special Rules: Oficer, Mortar Spotter

Options:

Upgrade Mortar Spotter to Artillery Spotter

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +10 pts

SdKfz 250/10

Unit Composition: 1 SdKfz 250/10

Options:

Upgrade to SdKfz 250/11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . free

Stretcher Bearer Team


Transport: In platoon commander’s SdKfz 250/1


4 MG Teams

Unit Composition: 4 men with bipod MG34


Options:

Team may take a Panzerfaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . +5 pts

Upgrade any MG34 for a bipod MG42 . . . . . +4 pts

Platoon Support OptionsThe entire platoon may be upgraded to Veteran for . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +20 pts +5-v BR

The platoon may include up to ive of the following additional units. No unit may be taken more than once.

Heavy Machine Gun team . . . . . 18 pts 1-r BR

Unit Composition: 3 men with a tripod MG34

Replace MG34 with tripod MG42 . . . . . . . . . . +4 pts


Mount in SdKfz 251/1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +12 pts

Panzerschreck team . . . . . . . . . . . 22 pts 1-r BR

Unit Composition: 2 men with a Panzerschreck

Transport: May squeeze into Platoon Command

Squad’s SdKfz 250/1 or 250/10

Medium Mortar team . . . . . . . . . 23 pts 1-r BR


Anti-tank Gun. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 pts 2-r BR

Unit Composition: 50mm PaK38 gun with 3 crew

Upgrade anti-tank gun to 75mm PaK40 . . . . +20 pts


Opel Maultier Tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +8 pts

SdKfz 250/1 tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +12 pts

Light Armoured Car . . . . . . . . . . 20 pts 1-r BR

Unit Composition: 1 SdKfz 222

Special Rules: Scout

Replace with SdKfz 250/9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . free

Heavy Armoured Car . . . . . . . . . 22 pts 1-r BR


Special Rules: Scout

Replace with SdKfz 234/2 Puma . . . . . . . . . . +6 pts

Replace with SdKfz 234/3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +12 pts

SdKfz 250/8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 pts 1-r BR

Armoured Reconnaissance Infantry Platoon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 pts 16-r BR

Armoured Reconnaissance Squad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 pts 3-r BR

Squad Composition: 1 MG Team in SdKfz 250/1

MG Team

Unit Composition: 4 men with a bipod MG34


Options:

Team may take a Panzerfaust . . . . . . . . . . . . . +5 pts

Upgrade any MG34 for a bipod MG42 . . . . . +4 pts

Upgrade squad to Veterans. . . . . . .+4 pts +1-v BR

SdKfz 250/11


THE

ARMY LISTST his section contains a single Army

List, for battlegroups constructed

from the new Volksgrenadier

divisions, a new organisation for

German infantry, which would

replace the standard infantry

divisions, but lacked manpower and

included many captured weapons,

especially artillery.

The other army lists that can be

used for playing battles during the

Ardennes offensive can all be found

in Battlegroup Overlord. US Armoured,

Infantry and Airborne forces can all

be used, with very few changes to

those formation which had fought

the Normandy campaign. The few

additions to these army lists have

been included in the Special Rules

sections of this book.

Likewise, for the German forces, from

the Battlegroup Overlord book, the

following army lists should be used:

Panzer Division, Infantry Division

and Fallschirmjäger Division. The

few additions to these army lists have

been included in the Special Rules

sections of this book.

FRONT LINE ASSETSForward Headquarters

This is the battlegroup commander

(that’s you) and any specialist units

that are attached to him, such as

Communications units. The Forward

Headquarters can sometimes be a

ighting unit, right up to operating in the tank, whilst attached to it might

be radio vehicles, messengers or other

sub-commanders.

For each Forward Headquarters

unit in your battlegroup, you can

include a single unit chosen from

either Logistics, Specialist Units or

Additional Fire Support.

Infantry

These are the ground-pounders,

the squads and platoons of ighting infantry, which might be directly

supported by infantry-borne heavy

weapons like machine guns or lighter

mortars.

For each infantry unit in your

battlegroup, you can also include

a single unit chosen from either

Engineers, Reconnaissance or

Specialist Units.

Tanks

The front line armour, squadrons of

the main ighting vehicles, including self-propelled guns as well as the

tanks.

For each Tank unit in your

battlegroup, you can also include a

single unit from either Engineers,

Logistics, Reconnaissance or

Specialist Units.

Artillery

These are the guns dedicated to

supporting your own battlegroup.

Above right: A Sherman tank column on the move to the front.

Each Army List is organised into ten

different types of units, divided into

two halves. The irst half is called Front Line Assets. This consists of

the principal combat units of the

battlegroup, its infantry, tanks and

artillery, along with its battleield command and any prepared

defences.

The second half is called Support

Assets, second line and specialist

units which lend aid to the front

line. These include such specialists

as Reconnaissance units, Engineers,

Logistics, Additional Fire Support

and Specialist Units.

Support Assets can only be taken

by irst including Front Line assets. For each Front Line asset included

in your battlegroup, you are allowed

to purchase a unit from a Support

section. The Support section you

can take is dictated by which Front

Line Asset was chosen. The details

are covered below, and again in the

Army Lists themselves.

30


31

UNIT AVAILABILITYThe Army Lists also place some

restrictions on how many units your

battlegroup can include.

Infantry Platoons

A battlegroup must include some

infantry. It cannot function without

infantry to support the tanks and

hold the ground it captures. The

Allied player and German player

have different maximum limits,

because of the different character

of their ighting forces and the quantities of infantry each side

could historically ield. The size of the game also dictates the minimum

and maximum amount of infantry

your force can include, shown on

the Infantry Requirement Table

above. As noted in the army lists

themselves, some may vary from

this.

Restricted Units

The army lists note some units as

being ‘Restricted’. These are rare

units to which an army just would

not have easy access. Restricted units

are limited by the size of game. In a

Squad-level game, you may take two

restricted units. In a Platoon-level

game you may take three Restricted

units. In a Company-level game,

you may take four Restricted units.

In a Battalion-level game, you may

take ive Restricted units. You can take more than a single unit of a

Restricted unit, but each one still

counts as a Restricted choice.

Unique Units

Some units have the ‘Unique’

special rule. This means you can

only include one of them, regardless

of the size of the game. Some

very rare units are rated as both

‘Restricted’ and ‘Unique’; this means

you only have one, and it counts as

one of your restricted choices.

INFANTRY REQUIREMENT TABLEGame Level Max Restricted German Infantry US Infantry

Points Units Min Max Min Max

Squad 350 2 1 squad 1 platoon 1 squad 1 platoon

Platoon 750 3 1 platoon 2 platoons 1 platoon 2 platoons

Company 1500 4 2 platoons 3 platoons 2 platoons 4 platoons

Battalion 3000 5 3 platoons 6 platoons 3 platoons 9 platoons


32

They might be deployed in close

support, as actual models on the

table, or a bit further to the rear

as off-table support. These are the

battalion’s, regiment’s or division’s

own ‘organic’ guns. Larger guns from

the supporting corps, army and front

level artillery units must be taken

from Additional Fire Support.

For each Artillery unit in your

battlegroup, you can also include

a single unit from Additional Fire

Support.

Defences

This part of the army list can only be

used if the battlegroup is the defender

in an Attack-Defence scenario, in

which case they may be dug in to

prepared positions, behind mineields and anti-tank ditches, inside pillboxes

and strongpoints, etc.

Defences do not allow a battlegroup

to include any extra support units.

SUPPORTING ASSETSReconnaissance

Any battlegroup can be supported

by its parent division’s (or corps’)

reconnaissance units, seeking out

the enemy for them and aiding the

battlegroup commander by providing

him with good intelligence on the

enemy’s positions and movements.

Reconnaissance units vary from

infantry patrols on foot, to fast

moving units on motorcycles (or

even horses), to armoured cars and

light tanks and can also include aerial

reconnaissance units.

Logistics

Second line logistical support units

include supply vehicles, that bring

extra ammunition and fuel to the

front lines, and the medical support

of aid posts and combat medics. They

aren’t ighting units, but still fulil an important role.

Engineers

Negotiating a battleield requires many engineering tasks, from

building bridges and clearing

mineields, to attacking enemy strongpoints with special weapons

like lamethrowers. Engineer support includes all this, in the form

of pioneer (or sapper) units and

specialised engineering vehicles, like

bridge-laying vehicles, demolition

units and recovery vehicles.

Additional Fire Support

Beyond your battlegroup’s parent

division, there is a whole army of

extra artillery units that can lend

support. Demand upon these units

is always great, and no battlegroup

commander can have all the aid he

would like, but corps, front and army

command can lend the support of

heavier guns, as well as providing

a few useful tactics, like counter-

battery ire missions to attack off-table enemy artillery or pre-timed

barrages and air strikes.

This section also includes the army’s

Close Air Support Table, which is

used should an aircraft arrive to aid

the battlegroup.

Specialist Units

These are the oddities and rare units.

These are units or vehicles that don’t

easily it into the other categories, as well as rare units which, whilst

present in the 1944-45 ighting, would not have formed the backbone of

a battlegroup – often this includes

uncommon heavy anti-tank or anti-

aircraft guns or some unique, ‘Elite’

rated units.

USING THE BATTLEGROUP ARMY LISTSThe Army Lists included allow you

to select a (hopefully) balanced force

to play a game. The easiest way of

doing this is to use a Battlegroup

Organisation Chart (see Appendix).

This chart contains all the different

types of unit and places to note down

points values, Battle Ratings, how

many Oficer units it includes and how many Scout units.

When creating a battlegroup, units

are ‘bought’, using points. Before a

game, the players should have set a

points limit, for example 1,000 points,

and these points are spent on units.

As you select a unit, note it down on

the Organisation Chart along with

its Battle Rating, until you have no

points left. You should only expend

the points available to you; do not

exceed the total.


– ARDENNES 1944 to 1945 –

VOLKSGRENADIER DIVISION

BATTLEGROUPFORWARD HEADQUARTERS UNITS

Each unit taken from Forward Headquarters allows a support choice from either: Logistics or Additional Fire Support

Forward Headquarters . . . . . . . . .21 pts 3-r BR


Transport: Kübelwagen

Special Rules: Senior Oficer, Artillery Spotter, Unique

Options: Replace Kübelwagen with:

Heavy Car. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +2 pts

Schwimmwagen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +2 pts

Forward Signals Unit . . . . . . . . . . 17 pts 1-i BR


Transport: Radio medium truck or radio van

Special Rules: Communications, Unique

33

Iniltration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 pts 0 BRAlong the front, German units have been iniltrating into US lines and rumours of already being outlanked or surrounded are spreading confusion and panic

amongst their troops. At the start of the game, the US side must take a Battle Rating counter because his men

are now ‘windy’. Also, a single Reconnaissance Support Volksgrenadier Foot Patrol may start the game with the ‘Behind Enemy Lines’ special rule. Wire Team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 pts 0-i BR


Transport: None

Special Rule: Wire Communications

Comms Relay Team . . . . . . . . . . . 13 pts 0-i BR


Transport: None

Special Rule: Communications

Motorcycle Dispatch Rider . . . . 11 pts 0-i BR

Unit Composition: 1 man

Transport: Motorcycle Special Rule: Dispatches


34

INFANTRY UNITSEach unit taken from Infantry allows a support choice from: Reconnaissance, Engineers or Specialist units.

For each Platoon you may choose 4 Support units

Platoon Composition: 1 Volksgrenadier Platoon

Command Squad, 3 Volksgrenadier Squads and 3 MG Teams and up to 3 Platoon Support Options.

Volksgrenadier Platoon Command Squad


Special Rules: Oficer, Mortar Spotter

Options:

May take up to 2 Panzerfausts . . . . . . . +5 pts each

3 Volksgrenadier Squads


Options:


Squad may replace all riles with SMGs . . . . . . free

Squad may replace all riles with assault riles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +10 pts

3 MG Teams


Options:

Upgrade any MG34 for a bipod MG42 . . . . .+4 pts

Platoon Support Options

The platoon may include up to three of the following additional units. No unit may be taken more than once.

Combat Medic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 pts 0-i BR


Special Rule: Medic

Light Mortar team . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 pts 1-i BR



Heavy Machine Gun team . . . . . 18 pts 1-i BR

Unit Composition: 3 men with a tripod MG34 Replace MG34 with tripod MG42 . . . . . . . . . . +4 pts


Panzerschreck team . . . . . . . . . . . 22 pts 1-i BR


Medium Mortar team . . . . . . . . . 24 pts 1-i BR



Anti-tank Gun. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 pts 2-i BR

Unit Composition: 50mm PaK38 gun with 3 crew

Upgrade anti-tank gun to 75mm PaK97/38 . +13 pts

Upgrade anti-tank gun to 76.2mm PaK36(r) . +17 pts

Upgrade anti-tank gun to 75mm PaK40 . . . . +20 pts


Horse and Limber tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +2 pts

Medium Truck tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +4 pts

Opel Maultier Tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +8 pts

SdKfz 6 half track tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +8 pts

Infantry Gun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 pts 1-i BR

Unit Composition: 75mm infantry gun with 3 crewInclude a 3 man loader team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +10 pts

Horse and limber tow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +2 pts

Heavy Car tow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +2 pts

Volksgrenadier Platoon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 pts 7-i BR

Volksgrenadier Squad . . . . . . . . . 20 pts 1-i BR

Squad Composition: 1 Volksgrenadier squad

and 1 MG Team

Volksgrenadier Squad


Options:


Squad may replace all riles with SMGs . . . . . . free

Squad may replace all riles with assault riles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +10 pts

MG Team


Options:

Upgrade any MG34 for a bipod MG42 . . . . . .+4 pts


35

TANK UNITSEach unit taken from Tanks allows a support choice from: Reconnaissance, Engineers, Logistics or Specialist units.

PantherUnit Composition: 1 Panther

Panther A or G . . . . . . . . . . 90 pts 3-r BR (Restricted)

Panzer IVUnit Composition: 1 Panzer IV

Panzer IV G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 pts 3-r BR

Panzer IV H . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 pts 3-r BR

Captured US TankUnit Composition: 1 Tank

M5 Stuart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 pts 2-i BR

M4 Sherman (75mm) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50 pts 3-i BR

M4 Sherman (76mm) . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 pts 3-i BR

M10 Wolverine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 pts 2-i BR

Special Rule: Unique

StuG III Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120 pts 9-r BRUnit Composition: 3 StuG III Gs

1 StuG III G (Oficer, Mortar Spotter)2 StuG III Gs


For a StuG Battery you may take 3 Support units.

Hetzer Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140 pts 9-r BRUnit Composition: 3 Hetzers

1 Hetzer (Oficer, Mortar Spotter)2 Hetzers


For a Hetzer Battery you may take 3 Support units.

You may include a StuG battery or a Hetzer battery, not both.

Assault GunUnit Composition: 1 Assault Gun

StuG III G . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 pts 3-r BR

StuG IV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50 pts 3-r BR

Hetzer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 pts 3-r BR


36

ARTILLERY UNITSEach unit taken from Artillery allows a support choice from: Additional Fire Support.

Forward Observer Team . . . . . . 16 pts 1-r BR


Transport: Kübelwagen

Special Rules: Artillery Spotter+

Towed Artillery GunUnit Composition: 1 gun and crew

75mmL26 Light Howitzer with 4 crew . 26 pt 2-i BR

Options:


Horse drawn limber . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +2 pts


105mmL28 Howitzer with 4 crew . . . . . 34 pt 2-i BR

Options:





Options:



Heavy Truck tow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +6 pts

Of-Table Mortar Fire Unit Composition: 1 Battery

2 80mm mortars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 pts 0 BR

2 120mm mortars. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 pts 0 BR

Heavy Mortar Team . . . . . . . . . . . 26 pts 1-i BR

Unit Composition: 120mm mortar and 3 crew

Options:


Mount in Medium Truck or Heavy car . . . . . +4 pts

Of-Table Artillery Fire Unit Composition: 1 Battery

2 75mm (L26) ield guns . . . . . . . . . . . 70 pts 0 BR

2 76.2mm (L54) ield guns . . . . . . . . . 70 pts 0 BR

2 105mm (L28) howitzers . . . . . . . . . . 90 pts 0 BR2 122mm (L23) howitzers . . . . . . . . . . 116 pts 0 BR

2 150mm (L30) howitzers . . . . . . . . . . 135 pts 0 BR

2 152mm (L24) howitzers . . . . . . . . . . 125 pts 0 BR

2 150mm Nebelwerfer. . . . . . . . . . . . . 135 pts 0 BR

2 210mm Nebelwerfer. . . . . . . . . . . . . 208 pts 0 BR

Captured Russian Towed Artillery GunUnit Composition: 1 gun and crew

76.2mmL54 Field Gun with 4 crew . . . . 26 pt 2-i BR

Options:





Options:





Options:




Forward Observer Team


37

DEFENCESEach unit taken from Defences allows no support choices.

May only be taken if your battlegroup is the Defender in an Attack-Defence scenario.

Improvised Barricades . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 pts 0 BR

10" of improvised barricades made of earth-illed boxes, rubble, furniture, destroyed vehicles etc. Counts as hard cover for infantry behind it.

Machine Gun Dug-Out . . . . . . . . . . . 32 pts 1 BR

3 men and a tripod MG34 in reinforced cover. The cover is lost if the MG team moves.

Machine Gun Pillbox . . 54 pts 1BR (Restricted)

3 men and a tripod MG42 in hardened cover. The cover is lost if the MG team moves.

Mortar Pit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 pts 1 BR

3 men and an 80mm mortar in reinforced cover. The

cover is lost if the mortar team moves.

Fortified Building . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 pts 0 BR

A single, chosen building, anywhere on the table, it counts as reinforced cover rather than hard cover.

Foxholes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 pts 0 BR

Deploy up to 10 infantry in foxholes; they count as in reinforced cover until they move.

Trenches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 pts 0 BR

Up to 10" of trenches which count as reinforced cover for infantry in them.

Sniper Hideout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 pts 0BR

A single sniper in reinforced cover. It can be placed anywhere outside of the opponent’s deployment zone. The cover is lost if the sniper moves.

AT Gun Dug-out . . . . . . . 20 pts+gun 0 BR+gun

Reinforced cover for a single anti-tank gun and crew

until the gun moves. The gun must be purchased from

the army list.

Minefield . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 pts 0 BR

A single mixed anti-tank and anti-personnel mineield.

Command Bunker . . . . . 30 pts 3 BR (Restricted)

Special Rules: Senior Oficer, Mortar Spotter, UniqueA command post in a wood and earth bunker. 4 men in hardened cover. The cover is lost if the command

unit moves.

Artillery Observation Post . . . . . . . . 26 pts 1 BR

Special Rules: Artillery Spotter+, UniqueA Forward observer team in reinforced cover. The cover is lost if the FAO team moves. Includes an Forward Observer Team.

Booby-Trapped Building . . . . . . . . . 25 pts 0 BR

A chosen building anywhere on the table has been wired with booby-traps. The irst time an enemy unit enters the building roll a D6. On a 2+, it detonates and the unit take a 3/3+ HE hit. On a 1, there is a fault and the booby-trap fails to go off!

Barbed Wire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 pts 0 BR

Up to 10" of barbed wire. It is an obstacle for vehicles

and infantry.

Improvised Road Block . . . . . . . . . . . 5 pts 0 BR

Something large and heavy across a road. Place on any road or track, anywhere on the table. It counts as an obstacle.

Anti-Tank Ditch/Embankment . . . 20 pts 0 BR

(Restricted)

10" of ditch or embankment, impassable to vehicles without a bridge.

Off-table 88 Anti-Tank Shot . . . . . . . 5 pts 0 BR

The positions are covered by 88s well-camoulaged behind the lines. You may take a single 88mmL56 Aimed Fire – Armour-Piercing shot at an enemy vehicle within 30" of your table edge. The shot will hit on a dice roll of 6, with a penetration value of 6. This requires no orders to use.


38


Sniper. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 pts 1-r BR


Special Rules: Sniper Scout

Options:

Add a spotter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +5 pts

Spotter: A sniper with a spotter increases its maximum range from 30" to 40", hitting on a 6.

Motorised Reconnaissance Patrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 pts 1-i BR

Unit Composition: 3 men with a PanzerfaustTransport: Kübelwagen

Special Rules: Scout, Mortar Spotter

Armoured CarUnit Composition: 1 Armoured CarSpecial Rules: Scout, Mortar Spotter

SdKfz 222 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 pts 1-i BR

Captured M8 Greyhound (unique) . .26 pts 1-i BR

ENGINEER SUPPORT UNITSAssault Pioneer Squad . 40 pts 3-r BR (Restricted)

Squad Composition: 1 Assault Pioneer Squad

and 1 MG Team

Assault Pioneer Squad

Unit Composition: 5 men with a Panzerfaust and 2 demolition charges

Transport: Mount in a Medium truck . . . . . . . +4 pts

OR mount on bicycles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +4 pts

Options:

May replace all riles with assault riles . . . . +14 pts

Squad may take a lamethrower . . . . . . . . . . . +10 pts

Squad may take a mine sweeper. . . . . . . . . . . +5 pts

MG Team

Unit Composition: 3 men with a bipod MG34Transport: Transported in Squad’s vehicle.

Options:

Upgrade any MG34 for bipod MG42 . . . . . . . +4 pts

Recon Platoon Command . . . . 35 pts 2-r BR

Unit Composition: SdKfz 222Special Rules: Oficer, Scout, Artillery Spotter, Unique

Volksgrenadier Foot Patrol . . . . . 26 pts 1-i BR

Squad Composition: 1 Volksgrenadier squad

and 1 MG TeamSpecial Rules: Scout, Mortar Spotter, Behind Enemy

Lines*

Volksgrenadier Squad


Options:

May take up to 2 Panzerfausts . . . . . . . . . +5 pts each

May replace all riles with assault riles . . +10 pts

MG Team


Options:

Upgrade any MG34 for bipod MG42 . . . . . . . +4 pts

Options:

Mount entire patrol on bicycles . . . . . . . . . . . .+4 pts

Light Bridging Unit. . . . . . . . . . 18 pts 2-r BR


Transport: Heavy Truck with a BridgeSpecial Rules: Bridging

Flammpanzer 38 t HetzerUnit Composition: 1 Flammpanzer 38(t) Hetzer

Flammpanzer 38(t) Hetzer . . . . . . . . .48 pts 3-r BR


Recovery VehicleUnit Composition: 1 Recovery VehicleSpecial Rules: Vehicle Recovery, Vehicle Repair

SdKfz 9 ‘Famo’. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 pts 1-r BR

Bergehetzer. . . . . . 24 pts 2-r BR (Unique, Restricted)

‘Greif ’ Iniltration Team . . . . . .31 pts 1-v BRUnit Composition: 3 men with a demolition charge

Transport: Captured JeepSpecial Rules: Scout2, Engineers, Mortar Spotters, Behind Enemy Lines, Disguised, Unique


39

Stretcher Party . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 pts 1-i BR



Ambulance . . . . . . . . . . 14 pts 2-i BR (Restricted)

Unit Composition: 1 Kübelwagen AmbulanceSpecial Rules: Medic

Options: Upgrade Kübelwagen Ambulance toAmbulance Medium Truck . . . . . . . . . . . +2 pts

Supply Column. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 pts 1-i BR

Unit Composition: 1 Horse drawn wagon

Special Rules: Resupply, Unique

Options:

Add up to 2 Horse drawn wagons . . . . . +3 pts each

Forward Aid Post . . . . 20 pts 5-i BR (Restricted)

Unit Composition: 4 men with a tent

Special Rules: Medic, Unique

LOGISTICS SUPPORT UNITS

Panzerjäger Team. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 pts 1-i BR


SPECIALIST SUPPORT UNITS

Assault HowitzerUnit Composition: 1 vehicle

StuH 42 G. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 pts 3-r BR (Restricted)

Sturmmörser Tiger . . . . . . . 90 pts 4-r BR (Unique)

Towed Anti-Aircraft GunUnit Composition: 1 anti-aircraft gun with crew

20mm FlaK with 3 crew. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 pts 1-i BR



SdKfz 10 halftrack tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +8 pts

37mm FlaK with 3 crew. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 pts 1-i BR




20mm FlaK Vierling with 3 crew. . . . . . 41 pts 1-i BR




Heavy Anti-Aircraft Gun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 pts 3-i BR (Restricted)

Unit Composition: 88mm FlaK36 AA/AT gun, 4 crew

Options:

Add 3 man loader team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +10 pts

SdKfz 7 tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +8 pts

Self-Propelled Anti-Tank GunUnit Composition: 1 vehicle

Marder II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 pts 1-r BR (Restricted)

Marder III H . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 pts 1-r BR (Restricted)

Marder III M . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 pts 1-r BR (Restricted)

Marder 38t (36r) . . . . . . . . . 34 pts 1-r BR (Restricted)

Jagdpanzer IV (L48) . . . . . . 52 pts 3-r BR (Restricted)

Jagdpanzer IV (L70) . . . . . . 64 pts 3-r BR (Restricted)

Transport Column . . . . . . . . . . . 4 pts 1-i BR

Unit Composition: 1 Medium Truck


Options:

Add up to 5 medium trucks . . . . . . . . . . +4 pts each

Anti-Tank Gun Battery . . . . . . . 94 pts 4-i BR

Unit Composition: 2 75mm PaK40 anti-tank guns each

with 3 crew

Options:

Add 3 man loader team . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +10 pts each

Horse and limber tow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +2 pts each

Medium truck tow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . +4 pts each



40

ADDITIONAL FIRE SUPPORT

Of-Table Artillery Support Request3rd Target Priority (5+). . . . . . . . . . . . 5 pts 0 BR

2nd Target Priority (4+) . . . . . . . . . . . 10 pts 0 BR

1st Target Priority (3+) . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 pts 0 BR

Volksgrenadier Fire Mission Requests

Regimental Battery (3+ comms test)1-4 2 80mm mortars

5-6 2 120mm heavy mortars

Divisional Battery (4+ comms test)1-2 2 75mm (L26) ield guns2-4 2 105mm (L28) howitzers5 2 122mm (L23) howitzers6 2 150mm (l30) howitzers

Corps Battery (5+ comms test)1-2 2 150mm (L30) howitzers3-4 2 152mm (L24) howitzers5-6 2 150mm Nebelwerfers

Army Battery (6+ comms test)1-3 2 150mm Nebelwerfers

4-5 2 210mm Nebelwerfers

6 2 280mm Nebelwerfers

Pre-Registered Target Point . . . . 15 pts 0 BR

Counter-Battery Fire Mission . . 10 pts 0 BR

The counter-battery ire mission is effective on a 5+

Timed 75mm Barrage . . . . . . . 5 pts 0 BR

Fired by a battery of four 75mmL26 light ield guns. Before the game, write down which turn the guns will ire on. The points cost includes a pre-registered target as the target point of the barrage.

Timed 122mm Barrage. . . . . . . 20 pts 0 BR

Fired by a battery of four 122mmL23 howitzers. Before the game, write down which turn the guns will ire on. The points cost includes a pre-registered target as the

target point of the barrage.

German Close Air Support Table 1944

D6 Aircraft

1-3 Bf109 G

1-4 No bombs

5-6 2 small bombs

4-5 Fw-190 G

1-4 8 small bombs

5-6 1 large bomb and 4 small bombs

6 Choose

Select any of the above aircraft

You may always choose an aircraft from lower down the

table over a higher roll. You must still roll for armament.

Timed 80mm Mortar Barrage . . 5 pts 0 BR

Fired by a battery of four 80mm mortars. Before the game, write down which turn the guns will ire on. The points cost includes a pre-registered target as the


Timed 150mm Nebelwerfer Barrage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 pts 0 BR

Fired by a battery of two 150mm Nebelwerfers. Before the game, write down which turn the rockets will ire on. The points cost includes a pre-registered target as

the target point of the barrage.

Timed 105mm Barrage . . . . . . 10 pts 0 BR

Fired by a battery of four 105mmL28 howitzers. Before the game, write down which turn the guns will ire on. The points cost includes a pre-registered target as the



41

BATTLES IN THE BULGE

December 1944 and January 1945 saw some very heavy ighting

in the Ardennes; irst as the Germans broke through the frontlines and as they pushed westwards and then when they were inally brought to a halt. The second phase saw the Americans, with some British aid, launch a counter-offensive to retake the lost ground and drive the Germans back to their start lines and beyond. By the end of January 1945, the Germans had retreated back to where they started and were on the defensive again.

Playing games set during this period of the war on the Western Front have their own character and unique factors which this supplement brings to the fore. In general, though, the forces engaged were very much like those that had previously fought the Battle of Normandy. These forces were covered in detail in the Battlegroup Overlord supplement, and, as such, will not be repeated here.

The Battle of the Bulge was largely fought between US and German forces. The small part the British played in the counter-offensive phase is not covered but, should you wish to play using British forces, then the

list in Overlord will work just ine with no modiication.

US ForcesTo play with US forces, use the following three lists from Battlegroup Overlord: US Armoured Division, US Infantry Division or US Airborne Division. To save space, cost and repetition, these three lists will not be repeated here. Added to these three lists are the new units and Special Rules described in this book’s ‘Duels in Mist’ section.

German ForcesTo play with German forces, use the three lists from Battlegroup Overlord: Panzer Division, Infantry Division or Fallschirmjäger Division. To save space, cost and repetition, these three lists are not repeated here. Added to these three lists is the entirely new list for Volksgrenadier Divisions included in this book. Also added to the three lists from Battlegroup Overlord are the new units and Special Rules described in this book’s ‘Duels in Mist’ section.

ScenariosAny of the previously published generic scenarios from other Battlegroup supplements can easily

be adapted to use in the Battle of the Bulge. This book also contains a new generic scenario for the Ardennes, called Roadblock.

For players who would like to randomly generate a scenario, rather than just chose one, here is table to roll for. Roll a D6.

1-2 Meeting Engagement. Roll again.1 Flank Attack (see rulebook)2-4 Attack/Counter-Attack (see rulebook)5 Recce Screen (see Battlegroup Overlord)6 Bridgehead Breakout (see rulebook)

3-6 Attack/Defence. Roll again.1-3 Roadblock (US forces are defending)4 Defence Line (see rulebook, US forces are defending)5 Delaying Action (see Battlegroup Fall of the Reich. US forces are defending)6 Die Hexenkessel (see Battlegroup Fall of the Reich. US forces are defending)

ARDENNES TERRAINThe Belgian Ardennes is a rural area of hills, valleys, fast-lowing rivers and streams and large forests, scattered with small farming hamlets and villages with occasional larger towns at the centre of the area’s network of winding roads. These towns became important objectives, as did the many bridges over the region’s small water courses. An important part of playing battles set during Wacht am Rhein is recreating this tight terrain. This can be done in any mutually acceptable way but, for ease, a terrain generator is included here.

Using and Positioning TerrainBefore playing a battle, you will need to lay out a battleield. There are various methods of doing this, but one common method is to use a terrain generator. A terrain generator is included here to cover


42

the broad type of terrain fought over in the Ardennes. This is not the only method of creating a battleield. Players should feel free to use any method they ind works for them.

Using the Terrain GeneratorTo use the terrain generator, irst divide your table roughly 24" by 24". Then roll a D3+1 for each square, this is the number of terrain pieces in that area. Next, roll two different coloured D6s and cross reference the terrain table.

When generating a table, it is less important that you follow the rules strictly than that you create an interesting battleield. Terrain can spill over the edges of its designated 24" x 24" area, by up to about half its size. Roads, tracks and streams should lead from one table edge to another table edge or to some suitable feature. For tracks, this is likely to be a building or farm complex. If a road crosses a stream, then there will be a bridge (or the remains of a bridge) or a ford. As it is winter, fords are not likely to be easily crossable.

In the end, try and use common sense when generating your terrain and make the miniature world ‘work’.

Terrain TypesSmall HillA low hill (hillock) up to 10" square. Small hills may be placed on large hills to create higher hills.

Large HillA hill up to 20" square.

Hedge or FenceUp to 20" of hedgerow or fencing, following a track or road or marking ield boundaries.

CopseA small area of trees up to 10" square. Units may ire up to 5" through woods. Any copse or wood can be placed on a hill. Trees were often pines.

WoodAn area up to 20" square. Units may ire up to 5" through woods.

Large WoodAn area up to 30" square. Units may ire up to 5" through woods.

StreamA fordable stream. It is dificult ground for vehicles and should be edged by bushes and trees.

MarshAn area up to 10" x 10" of boggy ground. Dificult ground for vehicles but provides soft cover for infantry willing to get wet.

Small BuildingA single cottage, animal shelter or small barn. A cottage may have a small walled garden attached.

Large BuildingA larger house, barn, grain silo, a small rural church, hotel or perhaps a warehouse or timber mill.

FarmTwo or three small buildings, such as a cottage, stable, barn, chicken coop etc, clustered together. A track must lead to it from another road or a table edge.

VillageFour to six stone buildings with a track leading to it. Buildings are usually closely-packed together. Buildings might have outbuildings and walled gardens.

Track/RoadTrack, one vehicle wide, or a wider road, two vehicles wide. All are earth roads; there were very few metalled surfaces in 1944. Roads and tracks are often narrow and twisting as they round, climb or descend the hillsides. A track or road must lead from one table edge to another, or to a building.

WrecksA few destroyed or abandoned vehicles, most likely US soft-skins. They can be arranged along a track.

Railway LineIn a cutting or on an embankment running from one table edge to another. Often railway lines followed the course of streams and river valleys.

Lake/PondA pond or lake up to 20" square. It is impassable to vehicles or infantry (unless the vehicle is amphibious).

SPECIAL TERRAIN FEATURE HEAVY SNOWIt had already snowed lightly in various areas of the Ardennes when the Germans attacked, but it was not until December 21st that heavy snow fell and turned the battleield into a winter-wonderland. So, games set earlier in the campaign need not be under snow, they were simply cold, damp and misty days, but a snow-covered board can look very effective and will make your Ardennes games feel very different from other battles in the European theatre.

Recreating light snow on the tabletop requires no extra rules, it doesn’t hinder men and vehicles very greatly but just looks nice. Heavy snow, however, does affect movement. If a game is to take place in heavy snow conditions, the following extra rules apply.

1. All vehicle movement counts as cross-country. There is no road movement.

2. Wheeled soft-skin vehicles (not half-tracks) count all off road movement as Dangerous Ground. They can only move a D6".

3. All water features (streams, lakes, marshes) are frozen and count as open ground for movement.

ARDENNES TERRAIN GENERATOR 1 2 3 4 5 6

1 Small Hill Small Hill Small Hill Small Hill Large Hill Large Hill2 Hedges Hedge Hedge Copse Wood Large Wood3 Copse Copse Wood Wood Large Wood Large Wood4 Stream Stream Stream Marsh Marsh Pond/Lake5 Small Building Farm Farm Farm Village Large Building6 Track Track Track Wreck Wreck Railway


43

Scenario Type: Attack/Defence. In this scenario, the US forces are always defending and the Germans are always the Attackers.

Situation ReportGerman forces have broken through the front and confusion and panic are starting to spread amidst US forces in the area. Some units are moving to counter the breakthrough; others are pulling back in good order, while still others are simply running for their lives. In the close terrain, the German advance will be restricted to the roads and, thus, crossroads and other road junctions become vital objectives.

In order to slow the enemy advance, a local American commander has been ordered to gather an ad hoc force of any troops he can ind (even the cooks, mechanics and drivers will do) and form a roadblock at one of these junctions. Their mission is to hold up the German advance for as long as they can.

Meanwhile, the German commander has orders to push west as fast as he can as time is of the essence.

Any delays will prove costly as the Americans move reinforcements into place so any opposition must be quickly eradicated. In order to do this, he has sent part of his force on an outlanking move, to get behind the defenders and cut off their retreat.

TerrainThere must be at least one road or track running from one side of the table to the opposite side. Approximately half way across the table, is a junction where a side road leads off. This is the position the US roadblock is trying to hold.

As this is the Ardennes, hills and forests dominate. Use the random terrain generator or any other mutually acceptable method to create the battleield.

VictoryThe side that exceeds its Battle Rating must withdraw and loses the battle. The US player cannot claim an All Objectives Secured victory, but the German player can.

Special RulesLow Cloud Cover: Use the scenario special rule, with the German player rolling for lying conditions at the start of the game.

Time is Pressing: The German player does not have long to remove this obstacle to his advance. If, at the start of turn 5, the US forces are still ighting, then the German player must take a Battle Rating counter at the start of each of his turns. If, at the start of turn 10, the US forces are still ighting, then the German player must take two Battle Rating counters at the start of each of his turns.

Deployment1. Determine table edgesBoth players should roll a dice and add the number of scout units he has in his Battlegroup. The player that scores the highest total may chose which table edge he will deploy from.

ROADBLOCK

Above: A US M1 76mm anti-tank gun and crew deployed to cover the approaches

to the Vielsalm bridge.


44

His opponent automatically gets the opposite table edge.

2. Place ObjectivesPlace D3+1 objectives on the table. The irst objective must be the road junction. After that, starting with the attacker, place objectives anywhere on the table, but not within 10" of any table edge and not within 10" of another objective.

3. Determine Defender’s Initial ForcesAt the beginning of the game, place all the US player’s Defences and

a D6+6 units. These units can be freely chosen from the US player’s battlegroup. Any units which are placed in Defences, such as infantry in foxholes or guns in dug-outs, do not count towards the D6+6 total. 4. Defender DeploysPlace all the Initial Forces and defences anywhere in the US deployment zone, which is 2/3 of the way across the table from his table edge. Any units not deployed are US reinforcements.

5. Ambush FireA D6 US units may start the game on Ambush Fire.

6. Deploy Attacker’s Initial ForcesThe German player then places all the units chosen from the Reconnaissance section of his army list and 2D6+6 additional units, freely chosen from his Battlegroup, anywhere in his deployment zone, up to 10" from his table edge. Any units not deployed are the attacker’s lanking force.

7. First TurnThe Germans are attacking and automatically get the irst turn.

8. Attacker’s Flanking ForceAny of the German player’s units not initially deployed for the attack are his lanking force, attempting to work around the roadblock on the left or right.

Before the game, the German player should write down whether his lankers are moving to his left or right. From the start of turn 4, start rolling for the arrival of the German lanking force. On a 4+, they arrive and a D6 units are placed on the left or right table edge (as pre-chosen), within 10" of the centre point. Units placed on the table edge can then be given orders from there as normal.

A D6 units will continue to arrive in each subsequent turn until the entire lanking force is on the table.

9. Defender’s ReinforcementsAny US forces not initially deployed are reinforcements, en route to help hold the junction, and will arrive throughout the game.

From the start of turn 2, roll a D6. On a 4+, US reinforcements have arrived. A D3* units may be placed on the US player’s table edge and can be given orders from there. Roll for reinforcements at the beginning of each US turn.

* In Company games roll a D6.In Battalion games roll 2D6.

German Table Edge

US Table Edge


45

Game Size: Platoon

Situation Report2nd Panzer Division’s run for the Meuse began on December 17th with a brief ight for the bridge over the River Clerf at Clervaux. Once the American defenders had been defeated and bridge was open, the division’s leading edge, a kampfgruppe of reinforced reconnaissance troops under Hauptman von Böhm, was released to ind the route west.

Early on December 18th, von Böhm’s light armour set off, skirting north of the villages of Donnange and Lullange, but ran into their irst enemy resistance at the Antoniushof farm, a roadblock position quickly thrown into place by Task Force Rose of CCR, 9th Armoured Division. Having quickly scouted the US positions, von Böhm requested a smoke screen be ired to cover his attack, which he then launched in the early afternoon. With his reconnaissance troops supported by an attached platoon of Panzer IVs, his attack quickly knocked out seven Sherman tanks and strong mortar and artillery ire forced the accompanying dismounted US armoured infantry to withdraw.

With the road open, 2nd Panzer’s reconnaissance troops moved on and fought another stiff ight at Baroque d’Allerborn that evening where, in a 15 minute battle, they knocked out more Shermans of Taskforce Harper (Lt-Col Ralph Harper, commanding, was also killed in the ighting).

Von Böhm’s men then pressed rapidly on through the night and reached Noville, north of Bastogne, by irst light on December 19th. Finding it held in strength by Taskforce Desobry of 10th Armoured Division, von Böhm bypassed Noville by turning north at Bourcy, leaving it to the following 2nd Panzer tanks of Kampfgruppe Cochenhausen, advancing about an hour behind

his own units. Von Böhm then raced for his irst objective, a bridge over the Ourthe river at Ortheuville.

Fighting a third successful engagement against deploying troops of 327th Glider Regiment at Herbiamont, von Böhm’s men then moved on and seized the bridge intact to allow the rest of the following division to continue west.

This scenario recreates the Kampfgruppe’s irst encounter at Antoniushof Farm on December 18th, under the dense pall of a smoke screen.

DeploymentThe Germans are attacking and the Americans defending. The Americans deploy irst, placing all their initial forces within 30" of their table edge. The German smoke screen has warned them that the enemy is coming and 3D6 units may start the game on Ambush Fire.

The Germans then deploy, placing their entire force within 20" of their table edge. As the attackers, the Germans take the irst turn. The Americans have been out-scouted and must take a Battle Rating counter at the start of the game.

ObjectivesThere are three objectives on the table: two roads junctions and the largest farm building.

The TerrainPlay the game on a (roughly) 6' x 6' table. Set up the terrain as shown on the map. The woods north of

the road are all dense and tangled. They are impassable to vehicles and even count as dificult ground for dismounted infantry. Two US roadblocks, of felled trees, can be placed anywhere on the table, but must be on the roads.

Special RulesHeavy Smoke Screen: Before attacking, the Germans have ired a thick smoke screen which covers the entire table. Before the battle, roll a D3+1. This is the number of turns the smoke screen lasts.

Whilst the smoke screen is in place, all iring on the table may only be Area Fire, no Aimed Fire is allowed. On the turn number rolled (the last turn), the smoke screen is thinning. All iring returns to normal but with an additional -1 to all spotting tests for that turn only. After this, the smoke screen has cleared and iring continues as normal for the rest of the game.

Low Cloud Cover: There is low cloud cover. Air Attack counters can only be used on a roll of 6, instead of the usual 5-6.

ROADBLOCK AT THE ANTONIUSHOF FARM

US

Tabl

e Ed

ge

Germ

an Table Edge


46

Wild Rumours: (for US player, see ‘Duels in the Mist’ Special Rules).

US Reinforcements

From turn 2, roll for US reinforcements at the start of each US turn. On a 5-6, the extra Sherman

tank platoon arrives. Place them on the northern table edge, within 10" of the road, and then give the tanks orders from that position.

Alternative Forces

Historical forces are given but players can replay this scenario using forces they have selected themselves.

The German player can take 750 points of forces, chosen from the

Panzer Division army lists. The American player can take 650 points of forces, including Defences, chosen from the US Armoured Division army lists.

Above: A photograph taken during the recapture of the Ardennes. US infantry and observers prepare to attack uphill.

GERMAN FORCES

(all German forces in this battle are Regulars)Forward HQ, 3 men in SdKfz 250/3Forward Signals Unit in SdKfz 223Armoured Reconnaissance Infantry Platoon - each MG team has an MG42 and a Panzerfaust. Oficer upgraded to Artillery Spotter

Heavy MG42 team in SdKfz 250/1Pak40 AT gun with loader team and Maultier tow2 SdKfz 234/1 armoured cars1 SdKfz 234/2 PumaPanzer IV Platoon - 5 Panzer IV Hs (1 officer)Battery of 2 80mm mortars (off-table)3 1st Priority Artillery Requests

Officers: 3 (including senior oficer)BR: 38

US FORCES

(all US forces in this battle are Inexperienced)Dismounted Armoured Infantry Platoon (no half-tracks present).50 cal HMG team in a foxholeCombat MedicSherman Tank Platoon - 4 M4 Shermans (1 officer)Battery of 2 82mm mortars (off-table)2 improvised roadblocks (felled trees) – place anywhere on the roadsFoxholes for 10 men2 3rd Priority artillery requests1 Fortiied Building (the farm house)

Reinforcements

Sherman Tank Platoon - 4 M4 Shermans (1 officer)

Officers: 3 BR: 34 (+ Wild Rumours result)


47

Situation Report December 21st, 1944. When the Ardennes offensive began on December 16th, a vital early objective for 5th Panzer Army’s attack was the road hub town of St Vith. By December 18th, the US 7th Armoured Division had rushed its Combat Command B into place to plug the gap around the town created by the defeat of the 106th Infantry Division on the Schnee Eifel in the previous days. The US tankers had a few days to get into position and hold off the initial enemy probing attacks whilst the Germans regrouped their main forces, brought up extra artillery and moved the Führer Begleit Brigade from reserve for the assault on St Vith.

The vanguard of the Führer Begleit Brigade would support the main attack by the 18th and 62nd Volksgrenadier divisions. After a heavy artillery bombardment, the Volksgrenadiers advanced, supported by their own StuGs and Hetzers and some of the Begleit Brigade’s Panzer IVs. There was ighting all along the frontline north-east, east and south-east of the town, but the Germans soon made gains with the 295th Grenadier Regiment and the attached Sturmgeschütz Brigade 244 attacking along the main St Vith-Schönberg road from the west. Here, lanked by the dense woods of the Bois de Wallerode, the Germans made progress all afternoon, until the woods gave out to rolling farm pastures just south of the village of Wallerode, only 3km from St Vith itself.

At Wallerode, the 7th Armoured Division met the threatening advance with the Shermans of 31st Tank Battalion and men of 38th Armoured Infantry, supported by M10s and M36s of 814th Tank Destroyer Battalion. But, throughout the early evening, the Volksgrenadiers’ strong attack still made ground towards St Vith, forcing the US tankers to withdraw back to the town. Closely pursued by the enemy, the US troops panicked and abandon St Vith that

evening. By midnight, German tanks and troops were in the streets of St Vith, looting US stores. The road hub town had fallen.

TerrainThis game recreates the early evening battle south of Wallerode, just outside St Vith, where the forests end and the German attack continued over the open farmland around St Vith, as marked on the map below.

ObjectivesThere are six objectives on the table, two in each 4' section. From north to south, these are: a house, a hilltop, a road junction, a farm, another house and a small wood. All are marked on the map.

DeploymentThe game is played across a 12' x 6' table. Each of the three forces gets a 4' section of the front line to deploy in. Players should agree which forces will take which sector. All the available German forces start within 15" of their table edge. All the available American forces start with 20" of their table edge. US Defences can be placed up to halfway across the table, including any units occupying these defences.

A D6 US units from each battlegroup may start the game on Ambush Fire. The Germans are attacking and so take the irst turn.

Command and ControlAt the start of each turn, a side will roll 5D6 for orders and divide the rolled total between their three forces in any way they wish. Each player may then add his own oficer total to that score to get his orders total for that turn. There should be a time limit on each side’s turns, so the game moves along fast, 20 minutes per side is enough to get everything done.

Battle RatingEach force ights with its own separate BR rating, keeping their own BR counters. Once a force has lost all its BR, the battlegroup withdraws.

The irst side to lose two of its three battlegroups due to withdrawing loses the game.

Special RulesSnowfall: Today is the irst day of heavy snowfall. The ground is now covered by light snow (this has no effect on movement) but heavy snow is still falling. No aircraft are available in this battle. All air attack counters count as 0s instead, do not roll for the arrival of aircraft. Any timed air strikes are aborted and lost.

Reserves: Before deployment, each player should roll 2D6. This is the number of units from his battlegroup that he must leave in reserve. These can be any of his units, freely chosen from his battlegroup.

Reserves begin to arrive from the start of turn 3, at a rate of D6 units per turn. Reserves must be placed on a player’s table edge in his own 4' sector of the table. They are then given orders from there.

Picking ForcesEach player should select their own 750 pt force from the relevant army lists. They may not include any of the following: Forward HQ, Forward Signals Unit or Forward Aid Post.

One of each of these units will be given to each side for free. Only the Americans may take Defences; no Defences may be taken by the Germans.

GERMAN FORCESThere are three German forces, each of 750 pts. These are two companies of the 295th Grenadier Regiment, both chosen from the Volksgrenadier Division army lists, and a Führer Begleit Brigade battlegroup, chosen from the Battlegroup Overlord Panzer Division army lists, with some restrictions.

Führer Begleit Brigade Battlegroup RestrictionsAn ‘elite’ unit for the defence of Hitler’s own HQs, the Führer Begleit

BATTLE OF WALLERODEA MULTI-PLAYER SCENARIO FOR THE DEFENCE OF ST VITH


48

Brigade was re-equipped, upgraded and sent as part of the armoured reserve for the Ardennes offensive. The brigade consisted of a Panzer IV battalion, a StuG battalion, two fully-armoured Panzergrenadier battalions, a pioneer company, an anti-aircraft battalion (mostly with towed 88mm guns) and a self-propelled artillery battalion equipped with Wespe and Hummel SP guns.Use the Battlegroup Overlord Panzer Division army lists, 750 pts, with the following restrictions:• No Panther tanks allowed• No Tiger tanks allowed• No towed artillery allowed (must be SP guns)• No Brummbär allowed

US FORCESThe Wallerode area is held by units from CCB, 7th Armoured Division (31st Tank Battalion and 38th Armoured Infantry) and 18th Cavalry Squadron of 14th Cavalry Group.

There are three US forces, each 750 pts: two 7th Armoured Division battlegroups and an 18th Cavalry Squadron battlegroup. All are chosen from the Battlegroup Overlord US Armoured Division army lists. 18th Cavalry Squadron has some restrictions.

18th Cavalry Squadron RestrictionsA light armoured unit deployed in the Ardennes for reconnaissance operations before the offensive struck, in previous days it have been retreating before the German attack until it was forced to stand at St Vith and was then reinforced by 7th Armoured Division’s tanks.

Use the American Armoured Division battlegroup army lists, with the following restrictions:

• Must include a Reconnaissance Troop• No M4 Sherman tanks (any variants) allowed• No self-propelled artillery allowed• No Engineer Support units allowed


DRIVE FAST AND HOLD THE REINS LOOSE

A narrative campaign for Kampfgruppe Peiper’s drive for the Meuse December 17th-22nd, 1944

This campaign is a series of seven linked historical battles, to be

played in chronological order, as the 1st SS Panzer Division’s column advances along the Ambleve river valley to Stoumont and La Gleize.

The battles have been chosen (from many potential options) to provide interesting and closely-fought tabletop games of various sizes. As historical reights, they are not all ‘even ights’ – often, one side does have an advantage in forces, but such it was at the time.

A battle may provide the winner with a small advantage in a future game. Where this is so, it is noted in the scenario’s victory gains and in the affected scenario’s force lists. Once played, the winner of each battle is awarded campaign points. The player with the most campaign points at the end of Game 7 is the overall winner.

As well as playing these battles in order, player may wish to use them as stand-alone scenarios, to provide an evening’s gaming entertainment.

The Battles 1. Breakthrough at LanzerathSize: SquadVictory Advantages: Time for extra US reinforcements at Ligneuville, scenario 2.

2. Ambush at LigneuvilleSize: SquadVictory Advantages: Time for extra US reinforcements at Stavelot, scenario 3.

3. Crossing Stavelot BridgeSize: PlatoonVictory Advantages: US Artillery observer team arrives sooner at Stoumont, scenario 4.

4. Assault on StoumontSize: CompanyVictory Advantages: US reinforcements arrive on 2+ instead of 4+.

5. Stoumont HaltSize: SquadVictory Advantages: Extra US M10 reinforcement for scenario 6.

6. St Edouard SanatoriumSize: PlatoonVictory Advantage: None

7. La Gleize, the Battle of So L’HesseSize: Platoon

Picking your own forces or using historical refight onesThe campaign allows for two approaches. Players can either play the seven battles as a series of historical reights using the forces listed for both sides in the scenarios.

Or, the players can use the scenarios as the basis of their own ‘what-if’ battles. In this case, both players can pick their forces from the army lists given, up to the points value given, including any additional new units from this book. There are some extra restrictions on the German player, to better represent the forces deployed for the offensive, so that each game will still feel like a battle involving Kampfgruppe Peiper, even if the forces aren’t exactly as they were on the day.

Players should also feel free to mix and match these two approaches, playing some battles as straight historical reights and picking their own forces in others.

Using the American Army ListsThe US army lists in Battlegroup Overlord can be used without further restriction. Most of the campaign’s battles will be fought using the Infantry Division lists.

If the US player so wishes (and he has the correct model collection), then he can substitute US infantry division battlegroups with US airborne troops in his own ‘what-if’ scenario – assuming that the attack is actually launched in a sector that was being held by one of the airborne divisions rather than regular infantry. This option is only included so that players with an airborne force can use the campaign and it should be either used throughout the campaign or not at all; do not switch army lists between battles.

49


50

Campaigns PointsVictory in the campaign is achieved by winning campaign points. The winner of each battle is awarded campaign points and both sides keep a running total through the seven battles. The side with the most at the end of the campaign is the winner, with the margin of victory rated by the difference between the point totals.

Using the Battlegroup Overlord Panzer Division army lists as Kampfgruppe PeiperIn order to better replicate the actual forces deployed by Kampfgruppe Peiper, there are few extra restrictions on the lists as they appear in Battlegroup Overlord.

During this campaign, the German lists are modiied as follows:

Infantry Units• May include a single Fallschirmjäger Platoon or squad from the Fallschirmjäger army list as a unique choice.

Tank Units• No StuGs

Artillery Units• No Wespe • No Hummels• No Panzerwerfer half-track rocket launchers• Off-table artillery may only be 105mm

Reconnaissance Support Units• No Armoured Cars (except an SdKfz 234/1 (unique))• No Recce Platoon Commander• No mounted Panzergrenadier patrol

Engineer Support Units• No Flamethrowers• No Bergepanzer III armoured recovery vehicle

Specialist Support Units• No Heavy anti-tank guns• No self-propelled anti-tank guns• No assault howitzers• No Tiger Is

Additional Fire Support• No Timed 150mm Nebelwerfer barrage • Maximum of Divisional-level Artillery Fire Requests allowed

Campaign Points Table

US Victory German Victory Decisive Victory Bonus

1. Breakthrough at Lanzerath 1 2 +0

2. Ambush at Ligneuville 1 1 +1 (Special)

3. Crossing Stavelot Bridge 3 1 +1

4. Assault on Stoumont 3 3 +2

5. Stoumont Halt 2 3 +0

6. St Edouard Sanatorium 2 1 +1

7. Battle of So L’Hesse 2 3 +2

Decisive Victory: If one side wins a battle by reducing his opponent’s BR to zero, and his own battlegroup still has over half its BR total remaining, then he has won a decisive victory and gains the bonus campaign points listed for it.

(Special): There is also an additional campaign point bonus for this scenario, see the scenario for details.

KAMPFGRUPPE PEIPER

The mission of 1st SS Panzer Division (Liebstandarte Adolf Hitler) in Operation Wacht am Rhein was to rapidly get over the Meuse between

Liège and Namur, in the Huy area, utilising the intact bridges that had already been identiied by aerial reconnaissance lights over the river. After an initial infantry-led breakthrough, the division’s vanguard would rapidly advance through the US rear towards Huy. Then, after establishing a solid bridgehead over the Meuse, three fresh SS panzer divisions would take over the lead and strike north-west to capture Antwerp itself.

For its prominent role in the offensive, 1st SS Panzer Division was divided into four combined arms Kampfgruppen, each named after its commander. The largest and most potent, to lead the race to the Meuse, would be Kampfgruppe Peiper - formed around the tanks of 1st SS Panzer Regiment and its commander Obersturmbannführer Joachim Peiper.

This would be supported by three other units from the division: Kampfgruppe Hansen, formed around 1st SS Panzergrenadier Regiment; Kampfgruppe Sandig, formed around 2nd SS Panzergrenadier Regiment and Schnellgruppe Knittel, formed around 1st SS Reconnaissance Battalion. These three groups would play a supporting role to the main tank strike force led by Peiper. Each Kampfgruppe would also be allotted its share of divisional assets such as artillery, anti-aircraft and anti-tank units, but only Peiper would have the panzers.

For their critical role in capturing the Meuse bridges intact, Peiper’s Kampfgruppe was a combined arms unit drawing forces from many of the division’s sub-units, as follows.

1st SS Panzer RegimentCommanded by Sturmbannführer Werner Poetschke (but with the unit’s actual commander, Joachim Peiper, now in overall command). The division’s panzer regiment should have been formed of two tank battalions, one of Panzer IVs and the other of Panther tanks, but crippling losses in Normandy could not quickly be replaced and the regiment was still below half strength. Instead, it had been reformed as a single composite battalion of four companies. The irst two companies, 1 and 2, were equipped with Panthers. The second two companies, 6 and 7, were equipped with Panzer IVs.


51

501st SS Heavy Tank BattalionCommanded by Obersturmbannführer Heinz von Westernhagen. To make up for the division’s shortfall in panzers, the King Tiger tanks of the 501st SS heavy tank battalion were attached to it. This unit was also well under strength, as its organisation should have included 45 Tiger IIs in four companies, but for the operation this was reduced to just 14 in three companies. The hills and forest of the Ardennes region made a poor hunting ground for these very heavy tanks. Requiring a lot of fuel and maintenance, Peiper regarded them as too slow and cumbersome for the needs of his rapid advance and so initially relegated the Tigers to the rear of his column.

3rd Battalion, 2nd SS Panzergrenadier RegimentCommanded by Hauptsturmführer Jupp Diefenthal, 2nd SS Panzergrenadier Regiment formed the basis of Kampfgruppe Sandig, but one of its battalions was detached and placed under Peiper’s command to provide the bulk of his infantry support. Only the battalion’s irst company was equipped with half-track carriers, and thus operated towards the forefront of the march column, while the rest of the battalion’s companies were carried in trucks and followed on further behind.

3rd SS Panzer Pioneer CompanyAttached to Peiper from the division’s pioneer battalion, under the command of Obersturmführer Franz Sievers, the company’s four platoons were split. Two were carried in half-tracks and two in trucks and on bicycles. Only the half-tracked pioneers operated in close support of the lead tanks.

1st SS Panzer Artillery BattalionThe division’s artillery should have been equipped with self-propelled Wespe 105mm and Hummel 150mm guns but a shortage of these vehicles meant none were available. Instead, the Kampfgruppe’s artillery support, commanded by Hauptsturmführer Ludwig Kalischko, would be provided by regular 105mm light ield guns, each towed by a truck. The artillery battalion had three batteries, each of six guns. Ammunition, and its resupply, would be the artillery’s major problem throughout the advance.

9th SS Panzer Pioneer CompanyHauptsturmführer Erich Rumpf’s combat engineering company operated as an integral part of the panzer regiment, with two platoons being entirely equipped with half-tracks whilst the third platoon rode on the panzers themselves to providing close engineer support to the tank crews.

10th SS Panzer Flak CompanyPart of the division’s anti-aircraft battalion, Obersturmführer Karl-Heinz Vogler’s three platoons were equipped with various self-propelled anti-aircraft weapons. One platoon had four self-propelled 37mm guns on half-tracks; a second had four quad 20mm lak guns and the third had three Wirbelwind quad 20mm armoured self-propelled guns.

Elements of 84th Luftwaffe Flak BattalionRecognising the threat from the USAAF’s ighter-bombers, this non-divisional unit was attached to provide additional air defence during the operation. Major von Sacken’s weak battalion (not all of the unit was present) was equipped with 37mm and 20mm guns, both towed and self-propelled variants.

SS Panzer Repair CompanyObersturmführer Ratschko’s unit provide limited recovery and repair facilities for the panzers.

SS Panzer Supply CompanySturmbannführer Unger’s supply trucks had their work cut out keeping the Kampfgruppe supplied throughout the mission on the Ardennes narrow, winding roads. Fuel was critical - there would not be enough - so Peiper was under instructions to capture and use American stockpiles wherever he could.

Despite the tank regiment being well below strength, Kampfgruppe Peiper was the best the Germans

could muster in November-December 1944 and was still powerfully equipped.

Even after its heavy losses in France, the division had been reitted in Holland and was again a very good ighting force. It would begin its mission with 4,800 men and 800 vehicles. These included 117 tanks (Panzer IVs, Panthers and Tigers IIs); 149 SdKfz 251 half-tracks of various marks; 30 anti-aircraft weapons; 18 105mm ield howitzers and six 150mm self-propelled Grille infantry guns (part of 3rd Panzergrenadier battalion’s heavy weapon’s company).

Its manpower was very good with a core of battle-hardened veterans of Russia and Normandy, many of whom were also fanatical Nazis. Added to these were good, if young, new recruits who had arrived as replacements since Normandy, many of them indoctrinated Nazi ‘believers’ from the Hitler Youth organisation. There were also a few foreigners including some Rumanians and even a few Belgians.

The commanders were all very experienced soldiers, again mostly hardened (and some ruthless) Nazis that had all already seen the toughest of ighting on the Eastern Front and in Normandy.


52

Game Size: Squad

Situation ReportDecember 16th, 1944The Intelligence and Reconnaissance (I&R) platoon of the 394th Infantry Regiment, 99th Infantry Division consisted of some 26 chosen men. All had trained together for a specialist scout role before shipping out to England and eventually moving on to France. They inally reached the frontlines in Belgium in November 1944. Their role, for which they had extra training, was in patrolling, observation, map making and intelligence gathering, often sneaking into German lines at night. Sometimes their mission was to capture and return with a German sentry for interrogation and the platoon had men handpicked

because they were luent German speakers. Under its commander, Lieutenant Lyle Bouck, the platoon operated under the direct control of the 394th Infantry Regiment’s HQ intelligence staff and was not supposed to be deployed as a regular infantry platoon.

That was the plan but, as is so often the way, it would not be so in the ield. Pressed for men to cover the 99th Division’s large sector on the quiet Ardennes front, the I&R platoon was given positions to occupy and hold on a slope overlooking the village of Lanzerath. They were now in a ive mile gap between the 99th Division and its southern neighbours. Here, they dug-in to endure the hard winter nights on the line, just a mile from the Germans’ own front lines.

The Lanzerath PositionsHolding the line was not part of the platoon’s regular duties, but

they had their orders and arrived above Lanzerath in seven jeeps on December 10th to help ill the gap in the lines on the 99th Division’s right lank. The platoon was outside the division’s oficial boundary and isolated. To reinforce the positions, they built dug outs on the slope above Lanzerath, with grenades slung on trip wires close to them. Also, the platoon commander, Lt Bouck, took a trip back to the divisional ordnance depot and cut a deal. Circumventing normal channels, he traded the platoon’s booty of German ID tags, medals, watches, prized Lugar pistols and the like for an armoured jeep. The vehicle was not prescribed for his platoon’s stealthy scouting role, but the Lieutenant igured its pintle-mounted .50 cal MG would be a useful addition because his light platoon lacked irepower - and it would also provide the platoon with some mobility and transport to save

SCENARIO 1

BREAKTHROUGH AT LANZERATH

Below: The infantry soldier’s lot, a cold foxhole. A M1919A1 .30 cal machine gun team keeps a watch on the line. Note the tarpaulin cover behind, to keep the snow out and some heat in.


53

their feet and assist in keeping it in contact with the units to his left and right.

Haggling complete, Bouck quickly drove the illicit jeep back to Lanzerath and had it dug-in to a scrape covering the farm track up the slope out of the village, with only the .50 cal showing.

The village itself was occupied by a tank destroyer unit of Task Force X, from the 14th Cavalry Group, with four 3" towed guns, covering the road into the village and back towards Buchholz and Hünningen. The guns were, in turn, protected by a small reconnaissance unit equipped with a half-track and two more jeeps.

Lanzerath was also the position of a forward observer team from Battery C, 371st Artillery, under Lt Warren Springer, watching the German front lines from an observation post in a house on the edge of the village.

The Battle

The platoon’s position, along with the entire front facing the German attack, came under sustained artillery and mortar ire at about 0530 hours of December 16th. The incoming shells air-bursted in the trees and shredded the woods and the ield in front of the men’s foxholes was torn up by the shelling, leaving some deep craters. However, the reinforced foxholes had strong top cover and only a direct hit was likely to cause any losses. As the men hunkered down in their dug outs, the shells crashed about them for an hour and a half, but there were no casualties.

At irst light, the sound of vehicle engines could be heard coming from Lanzerarth. It was the anti-tank gunners hitching up their guns and withdrawing, along with their infantry support. The gunners had new orders to reinforce the defences at Losheimergraben. Lt Bouck found his pre-laid telephone lines had been cut by the shelling but his jeep’s radio (hidden back in the woods) reached Regimental HQ, who ordered him to stay put and hold his sector, despite being on his own. Reinforcements would be sent, so they said. Lt Springer’s artillery observer team in Lanzerath also withdrew, but joined the platoon’s positions on the

tree line, along with their own radio jeep. Two of these four men would serve as ammo carriers and extra riles whilst the others remained as spotters.

Lanzerath was now empty, so Bouck decided to maintain his own observation post on the edge of the village and sent three men forward to occupy the old position, with its good views of the approaching roads. It wasn’t long before German infantry appeared, marching in column, weapons slung, obviously not expecting to meet any resistance. Up to 500 men, a full battalion, were counted and the distinctive shape of their Fallschirmjäger helmets noted. Lt Bouck again radioed his HQ and advised them of what he could see through his ield glasses, only to be told he was ‘seeing things’. He replied that his vision was 20/20 and German paratroops were in Lanzerath in force. He dispatched a two-man rescue party to recover his trapped observers, but they couldn’t get into the village without being spotted. One observer crept out and made it back to the lines, whilst the other two tried to hide in an attic, but were discovered and captured.

Having paused in the village, the Germans now started to move out again into the surrounding ields, still unaware of the US troops in foxholes watching them, weapons trained. The platoon held its ire and prepared to hit the Germans with a devastating ambush when they were in the open and at short range. Then, a German oficer was warned by a local girl who was seen gesturing up the hill in the platoon’s direction. The previously casual Germans suddenly scattered and vanished into cover. Aware the game was up, Bouck ordered his men to open ire and pin those Germans down before they could organise an attack. M1 riles and BARs rattled rounds down into Lanzerath - the ight was on.

It took some time, but the Germans attacked up the slope from the village at about 0800. Bouck requested artillery ire, but his small unit was out of the divisional area and no guns could respond. The Fallshirmjägers, however, were inexperienced and launched a frontal assault, straight up the open slope from the village,

reaching a 4' high barbed wire cattle fence across the ield, where the irst wave were cut down by MG and rile ire. It was a ‘fairground duck shoot’, one GI later explained. In just a few minutes, the much-vaunted paratroops had fallen back to cover in the village and surrounding ditches, leaving their dead scattered across the ield between the woods and Lanzerath.

Fire was exchanged intermittently for the next two hours as the Germans regrouped and then launched a second direct assault. At 1100, they emerged again and raced up the open slope, again the barbed wire slowed them and again the GIs’ rile ire (now joined by the .50 cal machine gun from their left lank) cut them down. Under withering ire, the paratroops tried to return ire, often seeking cover amongst the shell craters in the ield, but the strong foxholes kept the GIs within safe, even as rile grenades landed amongst them (one GI, Private Kalil, was hit in the face by a rile grenade which failed to go off).

Lt Springer, the artillery oficer, got through to his battery and called in ire. A single bombardment hit the edge of the village, but soon ceased, causing no observable losses. The observer’s jeep was then hit and the radio destroyed, meaning no more artillery support would come to the platoon’s aid. By now, several of the platoon’s men had been wounded, but all kept ighting regardless.

Skirmishing and exchanges of ire continued into the afternoon, but the US troops were running dangerously low on ammunition. Without support, Lt Bouck decided he had no choice but to pull back. He crawled from foxhole to foxhole and told his men to be ready to pull out on his whistle. Ahead of his withdrawal, he sent two men back as runners to try and ind Regimental HQ at Hünningen and report the situation at Lanzerath. These two men were later captured in the woods.

At 1500, the Germans attacked again, this time pinning the US troops to the front with heavy ire and forcing the armoured jeep’s crew to abandon it and seek better cover. Meanwhile, more Fallschirmjäger worked their


54

way around the US right lank and crept up through the woods. The Germans thought they were facing a full strength company and were surprised to ind only a platoon holding the woods, with no support and no units left or right of them.

Several Germans were wounded by the tripwire grenades as they closed in. Before Lt Bouck could blow his whistle, the barrel of an MP40 came pointing through his dug-out’s entrance. He pushed it aside, but the burst of ire hit Private James in the face, seriously wounding him. The Lieutenant came out, hands up and an MP40 was pressed into his back. The enraged German pulled the trigger, but the magazine was empty, and he then pushed the fortunate Lieutenant away. Other dug-outs had already been found and the men forced out. The position had been overrun and Bouck, wounded in the leg, felt he had failed, losing his entire platoon in the process.

AftermathOne by one, the US troops surrendered and were led down into Lanzerath. One man was dead, Private Queen of the 371st Artillery. 14 out of 18 I&R men had been wounded and they helped the two seriously wounded as best they could, before being rounded up into the Cafe Scholzen, where the Fallschirmjäger had set up their battalion command post and aid station. At about midnight, Lt Bouck, sitting in a corner, would witness Peiper’s arrival at the command post and overhear his conversation with the Fallschirmjäger commanders.

Only then did he realise his men had delayed a major armoured thrust at the head of a surprise German offensive. A few stragglers from Bouck’s platoon made an attempt to escape into the woods, trying to avoid the Germans now advancing from Lanzerath. After a few quick skirmishes, these men also ran out of ammunition and surrendered, or their hiding places were discovered and they, too, were rounded up. German losses at Lanzerath were recorded as 16 killed, 63 wounded and 26 missing.

Over the next weeks, the US prisoners would be shipped to two POW camps, whilst the badly wounded went to German hospitals, which saved their lives. The long trip to the prison camps was arduous, with little food and their transport trains were twice strafed by Allied aircraft.

Lt Bouck and a few others would eventually be rescued from Hammelburg camp in Patton’s infamous March 1945 tank raid, although Bouck himself was by then close to death from hepatitis. Rushed to hospital, he survived, as, miraculously, did all the other I&R men. Only much later would their role in stalling the German panzer thrust for the Meuse be recognised. Lt Bouck himself was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross (having been turned down for the Congressional Medal of Honor), but then worked to get his men’s valour recognised. It took years, but in the end every member of the I&R platoon

was decorated for his part in the ight. Eight DSCs, ive Silver Stars and nine Bronze Stars for heroism were awarded, along with a special unit citation for the platoon for holding the line for so long against such odds.

Terrain The battle takes place on a hillside, but rather than represent the hill with small ‘hillocks’, the entire board could be sloped up slightly. Failing that, leave it lat and use your imagination. For terrain, there is a large pine wood in the south-west corner, a few of Lanzerath’s agricultural outbuildings in the north-west corner, from where a farm track leads up the hill. There are a few low hedges with occasional trees (bare in December) and two barbed wire cattle fences across the slope. The open slope has three or four impact craters scattered about it from the earlier shelling. Light Snow: It had snowed in the area and the ground was covered in thin snow, which will make the board look pretty. As they are attacking uphill, German infantry movement is reduced to 4" instead of the usual 5".

Barbed Wire Fence: The 4' tall barbed wire cattle fences across the slope between Lanzerath and the tree line were a signiicant impediment to the Germans. It counts as an obstacle for all movement, including infantry.

Reinforced Foxholes: Each foxhole had been improved into a mini-bunker, with good top cover cut from pine logs, extra logs for cover to the front and all well disguised with cut foliage. The US positions were hard to spot and resistant to German small arms ire. To represent this, the American foxholes are treated as hardened cover, giving those inside a 2+ Cover save. This will make each foxhole a very tough nut to crack for infantrymen lacking heavy weapons.

DeploymentRecreating this historical action is pretty straightforward. The game has three ‘phases’, all mini-battles which combined to make the day’s action. You’ll need I&R Platoon’s 20 men, an armoured jeep and a radio jeep. You’ll also need a couple of German Fallschirmjäger platoons, which can

German Table Edge

US Table Edge


55

be re-used for all three phases of the battle.

Phase One: The Germans’ irst attack with one platoon. Deploy the German forces within 5" of the eastern table edge. The Germans get the irst turn, but all the US units start the game on Ambush Fire, because they are well aware the enemy is in Lanzerath and are expecting the attack. Once the German player gets to within 5 points of his total battle rating, he may, if he so wishes, cancel the attack and redeploy for Phase 2. Or he may continue until broken as normal.

Phase Two: The German player now re-deploys, adding a new, fresh platoon to any survivors from the Phase 1 attack. Again, these units are all placed within 5" of the eastern table edge. The Germans get the irst turn but, again, the US troops are alert and waiting for them and all American units start the game on Ambush Fire. Once the German player gets to within 5 points of his total battle rating, he may, if he so wishes, cancel this attack and redeploy for Phase 3. Or he may continue until broken as normal.

Phase Three: The German player now re-deploys, adding a new, fresh platoon to any survivors from the Phase 1 and Phase 2 attacks. All these units are placed within 5" of the eastern table edge. The Germans get the irst turn again but the US troops are waiting for them and all American units start the game on Ambush Fire. This time, play the game to its conclusion as normal. The winner of this phase of the battle is the overall winner.

Fire Superiority: Equipped with semi-automatic M1 riles, the US infantryman has a serious advantage in irepower over his German counterparts. The weight of ire an American rileman could put down has its effect. US troops with M1 riles count any Area Fire as one level better than their rate of ire. So, a unit with a RoF of 3, uses the 5-8 band instead of the 1-4 band for Area Fire.

Grenade Booby-traps: To protect their foxholes, the I&R platoon has strung up grenades on tripwires close by. If a German unit attempts a close assault against a foxhole, the defenders may add a D3 to their rate of ire for their booby-trap defences. The US player only gets this bonus once per foxhole.

GERMAN FORCES3rd Fallschirmjäger had gained a reputation as a top-rated combat unit in Normandy, mostly for its long defence of St Lo, but the division was decimated in the ighting and, by December 1944, had been rebuilt with new recruits. These were mostly under-employed Luftwaffe personnel who had been drafted in and they had received very little combat training. Their uniforms may have been those of the Fallschimjäger, but, apart from a few veteran NCOs, the unit’s ighting spirit was not. Their inexperience showed in this battle and cost them dear as two frontal assaults were repulsed with heavy losses.

2nd Company, 1st Battalion, 9th Fallschimjäger Regiment – 84 men(All Fallschirmjäger units are rated as Inexperienced)

Phase One ForcesFirst PlatoonPlatoon HQ - 3 men (officer, mortar spotter) (1 BR)3 Rile Squads – each 5 men (1 BR each)3 Medium MG teams – each 3 men with a MG42 (1 BR each)Company HQHQ – 3 men (senior officer, artillery spotter) (2 BR)BR 9, 2 Oficers

Phase Two ForcesSecond PlatoonPlatoon HQ - 3 men (officer, mortar spotter) (1 BR)3 Rile Squads – each 5 men (1 BR each)3 Medium MG teams – each 3 men with a MG42 (1 BR each)2 off-table 80mm mortars (0 BR)Also add any surviving units from Phase One.BR +7 added to remaining from Phase One - +1 Oficer

Phase Three ForcesThird PlatoonPlatoon HQ - 3 men (officer, mortar spotter) (1 BR)3 Rile Squads – each 5 men (1 BR each)3 Medium MG teams – each 3 men with a MG42 (1 BR each)Also add any surviving units from Phases One and Two.BR +7 added to remaining from Phases One and Two - +1 Oficer

US FORCES The I&R platoon is rated as Veteran

PHQ – 2 men with M1 carbines (officer) (1 BR)2 BAR Teams - each 2 men with an M1 rile and a BAR (ire superiority) (1 BR each)4 Rile Teams – each 3 men with M1 riles (ire superiority) (1 BR each)1 armoured jeep with pintle-mounted .50 calibre machine gun, dug-in to a scrape (2 BR)FAO Team, 2 men with radio jeep (officer) (1 BR)3 x 3rd Priority Artillery Requests. If successful, only Regiment or Division guns can be requested.Reinforced Foxholes for 20 men (these provide hardened cover, a 2+ Cover save)

Officers: 2BR Total: 10 (+2D6)

Special RulesExtraordinary Valour: ‘Hold to the last bullet’; those are the orders and the American platoon will follow them. Roll at the start of each phase of the battle, and add 2D6 to the US BR total.


56

Victory GainsIf the US player wins this battle, then he has bought more time for the defenders behind him to prepare. The US player gains the additional reinforcements listed in his force lists for Scenario 2. If the German player wins, then the US player does not get the additional reinforcements.

If the US player wins, he gains 2 campaign points. If the German player wins, he gains 2 campaign points. There are no extra campaign points for winning a decisive victory.

Alternative ForcesShould the players wish to re-ight this scenario with their own forces, the German player can select a 360 pt force using the Fallschirmjäger, Infantry or Volksgrenadier Division army lists. Before the battle, he must divide his battlegroup into three sub-forces of 120 pts, one for each phase of the attack. He starts with only his Phase 1 forces, then can add his Phase 2 forces (with their extra BR and oficers) and then add his Phase 3 forces (with their extra BR and oficers).

The US player can select a 250 point battlegroup using the US Infantry Division army lists. He may take Defences and can include an extra Defence for this scenario, the reinforced foxholes. These use the rules given above and each dug-out is large enough to hold a squad for the cost of 20 pts and 0 BR. The US battlegroup does not get the Extraordinary Valour special rule if the player selects his own force.

This scenario was first published in Wargames, Soldiers and Strategy

magazine.

SCENARIO 2

AMBUSH AT LIGNEUVILLE

Game Size: Squad

Situation ReportDecember 17th, 1944Once through Lanzerath, Peiper’s armoured column was inally underway, making its way along the main road (in German, Rollbahn) towards its irst vital objective: the crossing over the River Ambleve at Stavelot. 800 vehicles now had to pass this way and the vanguard would reach Stavelot only as the rear was still passing through Lanzerath.

Before irst light, the armoured vanguard rolled into the hamlet of Bucholtz Station, brushing past the few Americans and their aid station. Next, at about 0500, they

reached Honsfeld to discover the Americans still asleep and the village undefended. The irst vehicles raced through, leaving the parked light tanks and armoured cars of the US cavalry group to be captured by the following main body, whilst the column leaders pushed on. 15 US prisoners were later massacred in the village.

The vanguard, under Obersturmführer Werner Sternebeck, but with Peiper also very close behind, raced on, up the Ambleve river valley through Bullingen, Moderscheid, Schoppen, Ondenvaal, Thirmont and Baugnez, where they encountered a column of 140 US artillerymen in trucks

coming in the opposite direction. The surprised American soldiers quickly surrendered after coming under tank and machine gun ire. These men would later be rounded up and murdered in a nearby ield by following SS troops in an infamous war crime that became known as the Malmedy Massacre.

Around midday, as the massacre was taking place, Peiper’s vanguard pressed on - no time could be lost. It was not until the column leaders reached the hamlet of Ligneuville, with its own small bridge over the Ambleve, that they encountered any serious American resistance. Sternebecke’s leading spitzen (sharp edge) consisted of just two Panzer IVs and two half-tracks carrying their supporting pioneers but, just a minute or so behind, followed the irst Panther. Sternebecke had orders to halt at the Ligneuville bridge, secure it and await the arrival of the following tanks.

Ligneuville was home to the HQ of 49th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Brigade, at the Hotel du Moulin. Here, Brigadier-General Edward Timberlake, the brigade commander, had a narrow escape. On hearing the Germans approaching, he abandoned his lunch, jumped in his waiting jeep and sped away west. Minutes later, Sternebecke halted his Panzer IV in front of the hotel, where the

US

Tab

le E

dg

e


57

manager was awaiting for him. He told the panzer commander that the American general had just left. Inside, Sternbecke found the general’s lunch and coffee still warm, his cigarette still burning in the ashtray. Sternbecke remounted his tank and pressed on round the bend, towards the bridge.

At the bridge, the SS pioneers dismounted to check the bridge for demolition charges and suddenly came under machine gun ire. Several men were wounded and the medics came forward to recover them. The US troops stopped shooting as the medics worked.

As Sternebecke gunned his tank over the bridge, Peiper and some of his staff were entering the village behind Untersturmführer Fischer’s Panther. As his Panther made for the bridge, it was hit from behind by a Sherman dozer tank and started to burn. As they evacuated the stricken tank, the crew came under rile and machine gun ire from the surrounding houses. Peiper’s own SdKfz 251/3 command half-track laid down covering ire into the buildings to give the tank crew a chance to escape.

Fischer was wounded. The Sherman lined up its gun on Peiper’s half-track, but the driver reversed out of sight just in time. The Kampfgruppe’s commander dismounted, took a Panzerfaust and headed off to engage the Sherman. (The US tank had been lurking, covering the bridge, and why it didn’t ire on Sternebecke is a mystery – maybe the crew weren’t present!). Meanwhile, Sternebecke’s lead tanks were engaged by two more Sherman tanks that had been moving up the N32 (probably heading to join 9th Armoured Division at St Vith).

Back at the bridge, the ighting continued. A second SdKfz 251 had arrived behind Peiper’s and been hit and set ablaze by tank ire. The elusive Sherman was then hit itself, probably by a 75mm shell from a 251/9 that had arrived and moved into position to engage it. With the troublesome dozer tank knocked out, the advance over the bridge could continue. Sternbecke had also won his engagement south of the river: both the other Shermans had been knocked out. The rest of the US troops in the village surrendered as ever more SS men arrived in the following convoy.

The Kampfgruppe’s advance paused in Ligneuville for two hours to regroup and resupply before moving out for Stavelot.

TerrainThe battleield is the hamlet of Ligneuville and its stone bridge. The Ambleve river runs east to west across the board with the bridge in the centre. The river is lined with dense bushes, scrub and trees. The village itself consists of 10 buildings, ive south of the river and ive north of it, including a church (with spire) and the large Hotel du Moulin. The other buildings are cottages and barns.

A narrow farm track leads west from the main road, north of the river. A secondary road leads east along the Ambleve just south of the bridge. In the surrounding ields there are a few hedges and copses. In the river valley, the ground is lat (it actually gradually slopes down from north and south towards the river, but not enough to be represented on the tabletop).


58

DeploymentAll US troops are deployed anywhere south of the river or up to 10" from the river to the north. The only exception to this is the Forward HQ, which must be positioned in the Hotel du Moulin, with its jeep parked outside. All US reinforcements enter via the N32 main road from the west. The initial German attackers are placed in column on the N32, up to 15" from their table edge. All German reinforcements enter via this road.

Special RulesAmbush: 1D6 US units may start the game on Ambush Fire.

‘Get the Hell Outta Dodge!’: The Brigadier-General has no intention of becoming a prisoner of war. If he escapes via any table edge, then the German player must take a battle rating counter but the US player also loses his only oficer (and all the advantages of a senior oficer) for the rest of the game.

Time is Pressing: The Germans are in a big hurry and cannot afford to be delayed long by these scratch US units. From turn 5 onwards, if the US forces have not been broken, then the German player must take a battle rating counter at the start of each of his turns. This continues for the rest of the game.

Victory GainsIf the US player wins, he has gained time for the defenders of Stavelot to be reinforced. He gains the extra reinforcements listed in Scenario 3’s force lists. If the Germans win, then the US player does not get the extra reinforcements listed.

If the US player wins, he gains 1 campaign point. If the German player wins, he gains 1 campaign point. If either side win a decisive victory, then they gain a bonus 1 campaign point.

In addition, if the German Forward HQ is wiped out (including Peiper and Diefenthal), somebody else will have to take over command from the dead or wounded oficers. Then, the US player gets an additional +2 campaign points.

Alternative ForcesIf using alternative forces, the German player can take 350 points using the Panzer Division army lists, including all of Kampfgruppe Peiper’s additional restrictions. These forces should be split into a D6 units deployed in the initial force, then one unit arriving per turn from turn 2 onwards. This can be any order the commander chooses.

The US player can take 250 points from the Infantry Division army lists. He may not include any Defences (there has been no time or warning to prepare any). Infantry may not be upgraded to Regulars (these are rear echelon troops). No Additional Fire Support can be taken, as this is a surprise attack and an ad hoc defence.

If the US player won Scenario 1, he still gets the bonus M10 tank destroyer for free and +2 BR.

US FORCESAll US infantry are Inexperienced, being rear echelon troops,

like the 49th AAA’s clerks and staff. Initial ForcesForward HQ – 3 men with a jeep. Must start the game in the Hotel du Moulin. Jeep is parked outside.3 Rile Teams – each of 3 men2 BAR Teams – each of 3 men with a BARBazooka Team – 2 men with a bazookaMedium MG team – 3 men with .30 cal MMG and a 3 man loader teamM4 Sherman Dozer

Reinforcements (arriving via the N32 from the south-west on turn 3)

2 M4 Shermans

Bonus Reinforcements (only include if the US player won Scenario 1; arrives with the Shermans)

1 M10 Wolverine Officers: 1 (including senior oficer)BR Total: 19 (21 if using the bonus reinforcements)

GERMAN FORCESAll German infantry are Veterans

Initial Forces (deployed on the road into Ligneuville)Panzer IV (officer)Panzer IVSS Pioneer squad, 6 men with a Panzerfaust, demo-charge and mine sweeper in SdKfz 251/1SS Pioneer squad, 5 men with a Panzerfaust, demo-charge and mine sweeper in SdKfz 251/7Combat Medic (in 251/7)

Reinforcements (all arrive up the road from Baugnez)On turn 2

Panther GOn turn 3

Forward HQ – 4 men with a Panzerfaust in SdKfz 251/3 (senior oficer)

On turn 4Panzergrenadier squad, 5 men with 2 Panzerfausts, 3 men with MG42, in SdKfz 251/1

On turn 5SdKfz 251/9

Officers: 2 (including senior oficer)BR Total: 23


59

SCENARIO 3

CROSSING STAVELOT BRIDGE

Game Size: Platoon

Situation ReportDecember 18th, 1944As darkness fell on December 17th, the lead tanks of the German column encountered a small American roadblock (no more than a handful of engineers with a bazooka) on the hilltop above Stavelot, at Vaux Ricard. The US troops briely opened ire then quickly withdrew but, not knowing what enemy positions lay ahead, Peiper called a halt for the night. The advance would resume in the morning.

Part of the Kampfgruppe (its Panzer IVs and some supporting infantry) would be split off and advance via the village of Wanne to ind a back route to the important bridges at Trois Ponts without having to cross the Ambleve at Stavelot. The rest of the main column would quickly take the Stavelot bridge, race through the town and turn west again, continuing up the main road to Trois Ponts, where the two groups would be reunited to press on westwards.

Throughout the night, the Americans in Stavelot were not idle. Much activity was noted by the Germans from their high vantage point, as lights could be seen moving into and out of the town. These lights were the arriving troops of A Company, 526th Armoured Infantry, supported by towed guns of A Battery, 825th Tank Destroyer Battalion, being positioned to hold Stavelot’s bridge over the Ambleve, or demolish it.

The plan to blow the bridge failed: the charges placed earlier had been removed, most likely by one of Skorzeny’s Greif teams posing as US engineers amidst various stragglers moving through the town. Instead, some mines were scattered over the bridge. On the northern bank, Major Paul Solis, commanding the newly-arrived US forces, sent a detachment

south, to form a new roadblock on the road down the hill towards the bridge. It consisted of Lieutenant Harry Willyard’s 2nd Armoured Infantry Platoon, two 3" guns and an extra 57mm gun. These troops would be the irst to face Pieper’s dawn advance.

At 0630, after the Kampfgruppe’s 105mm artillery opened ire on the town, men of 10th Company, 2nd SS Panzergrenadier Regiment, led the way down the hill, followed by Panthers of 1st Company, 1st SS Panzer Regiment, led by Obersturmführer Kremser’s own tank. As the panzers advanced, they came under ire from a 3" gun positioned across the valley on the opposite hillside and Kremser’s tank was knocked out.

However, the US supporting ire was not enough to halt the SS advance, which overran Willyard’s initial roadblock positions and they, in turn, hitched up their surviving guns and quickly fell back down the hill towards the bridge, ighting a desperate rearguard action as they went. Most of the half-tracks were lost in the retreat and many of the men scattered. Meanwhile,

more of 526th’s Armoured Infantry (Lt Jack Doherty’s 1st Platoon) had dismounted (their half-tracks were parked in the town square) and occupied the buildings of Stavelot around the bridge and positioned another 3" anti-tank gun to cover the bridge and its immediate approach along the main road.

Under ire, the survivors of Willyard’s roadblock fell back over the bridge whilst the valley reverberated with cannon and MG ire. Shells were landing in Stavelot itself and, by 0800, the panzers and grenadiers were approaching the still-intact bridge. First, they rushed it, but were driven back by US machine gun ire and the grenadier company commander, Heinz Tomhardt, was badly wounded leading the attempt.

Behind the infantry, the irst Panthers ground down the road making for the bridge. MG, mortar and artillery ire kept the heads of the US troops down as German pioneers rushed forwards and cleared the mines from the bridge. Then, Rottenführer Eugen Zimmerman’s lead Panther swung onto the bridge, coming face to face with the waiting US anti-tank gun. It ired, hit, but failed to penetrate


60

the Panther’s frontal armour, whilst Zimmerman’s gunner also missed with his return shot. However, his driver gunned the Panther and drove directly into the gun, its crew now already running for their lives. The following SS panzergrenadiers were quickly across behind the irst tanks and began clearing the local buildings, whilst the Americans fell back before the assault.

Major Solis, believing the German objective was a 2.2 million gallon fuel dump hidden just a few kilometres north of Stavelot on the road to Francorchamp, ordered his men back that way. Fearing the SS men were right behind him, he then ordered a small garrison of Belgian troops, detailed to guard the fuel dump, to set it alight. Major Solis was mistaken. Peiper did not know about the fuel dump (it wasn’t marked on his map, although other smaller ones were) and he continued to drive west at top speed, for the bridges at Trois Ponts. His following men secured a narrow corridor through the town’s

streets and his many vehicles began to rapidly roll across the bridge and through Stavelot, still under sporadic enemy ire. It was a very tenuous hold that the SS had on the vital bridge, a hold that the Americans would prise from the Germans in a few days’ time, cutting off Peiper’s only supply route, but, for now, the Kampfgruppe’s route west, towards the Meuse bridges, was open.

TerrainThe battleield is the outskirts of Stavelot and its stone bridge over the Ambleve. The river Ambleve splits the table in half. South of the river are six or seven buildings, including a large warehouse almost on the bridge itself, and the approach roads to the bridge. North of the river, are 14 or 15 houses and industrial buildings along with their yards and trees/bushes along the river itself. The town is being shelled, so many of the buildings are already damaged.

There are four objectives on the table. The bridge (obviously), the

large warehouse next to the southern end of the bridge and two buildings north of the bridge. The US player cannot win an All Objectives Secured victory.

DeploymentThere are a few US troops south of the river, survivors from the roadblock, and escaping anti-tank guns. These retreating survivors must start deployed south of the river, but within 15" of the bridge itself. The rest of the US troops are deployed anywhere north of the river.

German forces arrive on the turn given via the road down the hillside from the south-east corner of the table. The Germans are attacking and automatically take the irst turn.

Special RulesAmbush: 1D6 American units may start the game on Ambush Fire. These must be selected from troops deployed north of the river. Troops south of the river are too busy falling back (running!).

GERMAN FORCESAll German infantry are Veterans

Turn 1Armoured Panzergrenadier Platoon (dismounted)PHQ – 6 men with a Panzerfaust (oficer)3 Squads – each 5 men with a Panzerfaust and bipod MG423 MG teams – each with 3 men with MG42Combat Medic (attach to one squad)

Turn 2Panther tank

Turn 3Panther tank

Turn 4Panther tankArmoured Assault Pioneer Squad in SdKfz 251/15 men with a Panzerfaust, 2 demo charges and minesweeperMG team - 3 men with MG42

Turn 5Panther tank

Turn 6SdKfz 6 with 37mm AA gunBattery of 2 80mm mortars, off-table3 Timed 105mm artillery barrages

Officers: 1BR: 28

US FORCESAll US forces are Regulars

South of the RiverArmoured Infantry Platoon HQ – 10 men with BAR and Bazooka (officer) in M3 half-trackMedium MG team, 3 men with .30 cal MG3" anti-tank gun with 3 crew and M3 tow57mm anti-tank gun with 3 crew and M3 tow1 Mineield (must be positioned in the centre of the bridge)

North of the RiverArmoured Infantry Platoon (dismounted)PHQ – 10 men with BAR and Bazooka (oficer)1st Squad – 10 men with BAR and Bazooka2 Medium MG teams, each 3 men with .30 cal MMGLight Mortar Team, 3 men with 60mm mortar3" anti-tank gun and 3 crew8 off-table 76mm anti-tank shots

Reinforcements (arriving via eastern table edge, north of the river, on turn 3)

2nd Squad – 10 men with BAR and BazookaBonus Reinforcements (only include if the US player won Scenario 2, arriving from eastern table edge, north of the river, on turn 5).2 M10 Wolverines

Officers: 2BR: 20 (24 if using the bonus reinforcements) + Wild Rumours bonus

BATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEINBATTLE GROUP • WACHT AM RHEIN

61

Off-table gun: The US have placed a 3" anti-tank gun high to the north on the hillside overlooking the bridge. It can target any German unit south of the river, but not on the bridge, hitting on a 6. It may only ire once per turn, but has 8 shots for the battle.

Time is Pressing: The Germans are still in a big hurry and cannot afford to be delayed long at the river crossing. From turn 7 onwards, if the US forces have not been broken, then the German player must take a battle rating counter at the start of his turn. This continues for the rest of the game.

Wild Rumours: For US player, see ‘Duels in the Mist’ special rules.

Victory GainsIf the US player wins, he has gained time for the defenders of Stoumont to be reinforced. He gains the extra reinforcements listed in Scenario 4’s force lists. If the Germans win, then the US player does not get the extra reinforcements listed.

If the US player wins, he gains 3 campaign points. If the German player wins, he gains 1 campaign point. If either side wins a decisive victory, then they gain a bonus 1 campaign point.

Alternative ForcesIf using alternative forces, the German player can take 600 points using the Panzer Division army

lists, including all of Kampfgruppe Peiper’s additional restrictions. These forces should be split into a D6 units deployed in each turn, starting from turn 1.

The US player can take 450 points from the Armoured Division army lists. He may include any Defences (there has been a night to prepare them).

If the US player won Scenario 2, he still gets the bonus M10 tank destroyers for free and +4 BR.

SCENARIO 4

ASSAULT ON STOUMONTGame Size: Platoon (see special rules below)

Situation ReportDecember 19th, 1944On reaching Trois Ponts, the German vanguard of Panther tanks came under ire from American engineers and an anti-tank gun. What was worse, the bridges over the Salm and gateway to the fastest route to Werbomont had already been blown. Thwarted, the tanks turned north, having knocked out the anti-tank gun, to ind a second route via a bridge over the Ambleve at Cheneux.

It was a slower, more winding route that would cost Peiper time. Having reached Cheneux, the tank column was spotted by US ighter-bombers and subjected to long bombing and straing attacks, with the anti-aircraft defences called into full use.

Peiper now sent half-tracks forwards on a reconnaissance to ind the way back to the main road and secure bridges over a small stream called the Lienne to the west. Here, too, the leaders would encounter more defending engineers. The bridge at the village of Neufmoulin was blown as the irst Germans approached but a second bridge at Les Forges was found and used. It was not able to

support the weight of tanks, so only the half-tracks crossed. Meanwhile, Peiper ordered the tanks to turn around and return to Cheneux and head for La Gleize and Stoumont, on a new route to the Meuse.

That night, the half-tracks east of the Lienne got lost and were later ambushed at Neufmoulin. Four were rapidly destroyed by an M10 tank destroyer and infantry with bazookas. The others withdrew back the way they had come via Les Forges. The route to Werbomont was abandoned.

Having laagered in the vicinity of La Gleize for the night, on the morning of December 19th Peiper’s Kampfgruppe looked to resume its rapid advance west. Unable to reach the Meuse via Werbomont after the bridges had been blown the evening before, the route to the objective now lay on roads further north.

On this route, the irst obstacle to be overcome was the nearby hilltop village of Stoumont, now occupied by US troops in roughly battalion strength. Peiper instructed his panzer regiment commander, Obersturmbannführer Poetschke, to lead the capture of the village in an early morning assault to clear the road west.

Since the German breakthrough, the Americans had been racing any available units into blocking positions to slow the enemy advance.

At Stoumont, the 3rd Battalion of 30th Division’s 119th Infantry Regiment, under the command of Lt Colonel Fitzgerald Jr, had arrived in trucks on the evening of December 18th to set up the defence, assisted by anti-tank guns of A Battery, 843rd Tank Destroyer Battalion and C Battery, 143rd Anti-Aircraft Artillery. The battalion’s three rile companies I, K and L, each reinforced by support weapons from the battalion weapons company, were divided. I Company held Stoumont facing east, L Company the nearby village of Rouat, just to the north, with K company behind, facing south and west and providing the battalion’s reserve. The roads were covered by the 76mm anti-tank guns, whilst in the village itself two 90mm M1 heavy anti-aircraft guns had been drafted in to fulil a stand-in anti-tank role as well.

One of these guns was lost before the battle when it and its M3 tractor slid into a ditch and, in trying to recover the gun with the tractor’s winch, the heavy gun became jammed into the tractor’s cab and could not be freed. Later in the ighting, tracer rounds


62

would ignite the stranded tractor’s fuel tank, which, in turn, set off the 90mm ammunition stored on board and the whole thing detonated, destroying both tractor and gun (this accidentally lost gun has not been included in the US forces for the battle).

Behind the American infantry, the 743rd Tank Battalion’s C Company was also on the move towards Stoumont to provide armoured support for their blocking position. Peiper’s panzers attacked as the vanguard Shermans of 1st and 2nd platoons were just arriving. These 10 US tanks split, with four heading into Stoumont itself; four heading into Rouat to aid its defence and two initially held back in reserve (they did join the battle later).

As part of their defences, the US had quickly reinforced some buildings as strong-points and laid two mineields, one across the main N33 road from La Gleize and the other across a farm track also leading into the village from the east. The US infantry had no artillery observers attached and so had, for a long while, no artillery support. Later, an artillery liaison team did arrive, and a brief barrage from 420th Armoured Artillery’s Priests did hit the village, but it was then too late to halt the Germans’ progress.

The assault began at 0100 in darkness and thick fog, with a reconnaissance probe along the farm track. As the lead SdKfz 251 approached the village it ran over the mineield and was knocked out. Using the very poor visibility, dismounted SS assault pioneers began their attack, iniltrating carefully forwards towards Stoumont and overrunning the irst two outlying anti-tank gun positions in sharp ire-ights. The

gunners and their infantry protection streamed back into Stoumont to escape. The pioneers then cleared the mines from the N33, preparing the way for the following panzers.

Still in heavy fog and darkness, the attack paused for the Germans’ supporting artillery to begin its work. The Kampfgruppe’s only available ield artillery was its battery of four 105mm light howitzers as the rest of the guns had not made it through Stavelot. And even this battery was already running short of ammunition. The guns now began to shell the village, along with the infantry’s mortars, sending the defenders running for cover and into the basements of the houses. The barrage was kept up for as long as the ammunition lasted, keeping the enemy pinned as the panzers moved up for the inal assault.

Leading the assault, approaching along the N33 road from La Gleize, were Panthers of 1st SS Panzer

Above: A still from a staged propaganda film of 1st SS Division’s grenadiers of Kampfgruppe Hansen after their successful ambush of a 14th Cavalry Group column on the Poteaux road. Abandoned American equipment blocks the road.


63

Regiment’s 2nd Company, in a single column. SS pioneers and some Fallschirmjägers (still with the Kampfgruppe since Lanzerath) advanced alongside and hugged the cover and ditches at the roadside. The irst Panther, commanded by Rottenführer Prahm, approached the irst house on the road (Doctor Robinson’s house) as it curved right towards the village church. As Prahm’s Panther cautiously edged round the corner, it came under ire.

A 76mm anti-tank gun positioned by the church scored four quick hits, all ricocheting off the Panther’s front armour. Reacting, it tried to reverse but was then hit from the left by 90mm shells ired by the heavy anti-aircraft gun on the other side of the church. The irst shot jammed the tank’s turret. The second sheared through the tank’s 75mm barrel close to the mantlet, leaving it disabled. Unable to return ire, the crew abandoned the tank (via the turret’s rear escape hatch) but

most of them were wounded in the process by small arms ire from the surrounding houses. The driver lost a leg and Prahm would later die of his injuries. The other crewmen hid in the roadside ditch before escaping back along the road. More incoming rounds hit the stricken tank until it started to burn.

The following panzers, seeing the irst hit and burning, halted as the pioneers and Fallschirmjägers worked their way forward. They later stormed Doctor Robinson’s house, capturing a US squad in the process, and secured their irst foothold in the village.

Meanwhile, Poetschke demanded his tanks get moving, allegedly threatening the company commander, Oberscharführer Christ’s own tank with a Panzerfaust if he didn’t press the attack. Instead of facing whatever was waiting at the curve in the road, Christ pulled off the road to the right, climbing the slight embankment, and led seven tanks in an attack across the ields, aiming to break into town further along the road, beyond the church.

Here, his tanks began to exchange ire with the Shermans, both in Stoumont and Rouat. With three tanks moving and four covering, the seven Panthers scored no kills, but for no losses in return, and the lead tanks (Ropeter’s, Brauschke’s and Knappich’s) used the farm track to get into the village near the church. Their cannon and MG ire knocked out the 76mm anti-tank gun by the church and started to rake the buildings. In the lead, Ropeter narrowly missed a Sherman with two shells, which then reversed away out of sight. The American position was unravelling. Behind them, the other four Panthers were still shelling Rouat to suppress ire coming from the village and were later joined by two 75mm howitzer-armed SdKfz 251/9s to support the infantry. During the later infantry attack against Rouat, both of these vehicles were knocked out by US tank ire.

Once Rouat was silenced, the Panthers in the ield turned about and headed into the village via the N33, pushing past Prahm’s burning tank (by then, it had ignited the

house on the right of the road, which burned down). They moved up the N33, unmolested by the last 90mm AA gun. This dangerous weapon, located just west of the church, had been abandoned after a mortar bomb hit an M3 half-track full of ammunition and it exploded just 5m away. The surviving crew ran.

The SS pioneers and grenadiers were now pressing further into the village, and their supporting half-track carriers arrived along the N33, accompanied by a Panzer IV from the panzer regiment’s 6th Company. The Panthers methodically ired a shell into each house. Three tanks turned left off the main road and swept around the church, grenadiers clearing the buildings as they steadily advanced into the centre of the village.

The Americans had been pushed back north, beyond the church, and held on there for a while, aided by heavy tank ire and, inally, some limited artillery and mortar ire support. It was too late. Their tanks began to run low on ammunition and fuel. By 1000, the order had been given to withdraw from Stoumont. Even the last survivors of L Company and the tanks in Rouat fell back north to avoid becoming cut-off and surrounded. The Germans mopped up the last resistance. They had taken Stoumont.

The material losses for Kampfgruppe Peiper had been slight: a Panther and three or four half-tracks (infantry losses are unknown). The 116th Infantry had lost 241 men from its 3rd Battalion (almost half). Eight were conirmed dead, 30 were wounded and 203 missing in action (most had surrendered after hiding in basements). I Company had borne the weight of the losses, with only 24 men to answer roll call on December 20th. All three of the battalion’s own 57mm anti-tank guns had been lost in Rouat. Remarkably, no Sherman tanks had been lost (the fog being a major contributing factor to the poor gunnery by both sides). All the tank destroyer battery’s 76mm guns had also been lost, along with the two 90mm AA guns.


64

Terrain

Play the battle on a 6' x 8' table, or thereabouts. The battleield is the eastern edge of Stoumont village and the southern edge of Rouat and the pasture ields to the west, crossed by two farm tracks.

Stoumont is a village of 11 buildings, mostly grey stone and half-timbered houses, with a single church with a spire. Around these buildings, are various small gardens with hedges and walls. These occupy most of the western edge of the table. The edge of Rouat is represented by three buildings on the northern table edge.

The N33 road swings through the village. It is wide enough (just) for two tanks, but any wreck in the road will count as an obstacle. Along the road’s northern length to the village, there is a shallow cutting into the hillside and a ditch. This does not have to be represented, or can be shown with scattered bushes etc. This low embankment counts as an obstacle to vehicles; is hard cover for infantry behind it (or in the ditch) and any

vehicles on the road ired at from the north count as obscured. South of the road, the battleield slopes way, getting steeper down to the Ambleve river. It is wooded and too steep for any vehicles. No vehicles can move on the tabletop south of N33 road as far as the doctor’s house.

GERMAN FORCES

SS Assault Pioneer Platoon (dismounted, Veterans). One squad starts mounted in an SdKfz 251/1

PHQ: 6 men with 1 Panzerfaust (oficer, engineers, mortar spotter)3 Squads - each 5 men with 1 demolition charge and 1 Panzerfaust (engineers)3 MG teams - each 3 men with an MG422 Panther tanks (must start deployed on the N33)2 Fallschirmjäger Squads. Each squad has 1 Panzerfaust. Both MG teams have MG42s (Regulars)Battery of 2 80mm mortars (off-table)Pre-Registered Target Point (must be in either Stoumont or Rouat village)

German Reinforcements

Turn 3

Battery of 2 105mm guns (off-table) with only enough ammunition for 3 ire missions in the game. Keep a record of how many times the battery ires.Battery of 2 105mm guns (off-table) with only enough ammunition for 3 ire missions in the game. Keep a record of how many times the battery ires.

Turn 4

2 Panther tanks (arrive via the N33 road) (1 officer)Turn 5

SS Assault Pioneer Platoon (dismounted, Veterans. All MG teams have MG42 upgrades, all squads have a Panzerfaust). (Arrive anywhere along the western table edge)

Turn 6

2 Panther tanks (arrive via N33 road)Turn 7

1 Panther tank (senior officer) (arrives via N33 road)Turn 8

2 Panther tanks (arrive via N33 road)Turn 11

2 SdKfz 251/9s (arrive anywhere along the western table edge, north of the N33 road).

Turn 14

3 SdKfz 251/1s (arrive via N33 road) all are currently empty1 Panzer IV J (arrives via N33 road)


US FORCES

Forward HQ – 3 men with jeep (must start deployed in Stoumont)Infantry Platoon (Inexperienced, must start deployed in Stoumont).30 cal MMG teamBazooka teamCombat medicInfantry Platoon (Inexperienced, must start deployed in Rouat).30 cal MMG teamBazooka team2 57mm anti-tank guns2 76mm anti-tank guns with loader teams and M3 half-track tows1 90mm anti-aircraft gun with loader team and M3 high speed tow3 Fortiied Buildings (3+ Cover save, freely chosen by player)2 Mineields (1 on N33 road, 1 on the farm track as marked M on the map)

US Reinforcements

Turn 7

2 Shermans (75mm) (1 officer) (arrive via N33 on northern table edge)

Turn 8

2 Shermans (75mm) (arrive via N33 on northern table edge)

Turn 9

2 Shermans (75mm) (arrive via Rouat)Turn 10

2 Shermans (75mm) (1 officer) (arrive via Rouat)Turn 11

Infantry Platoon (Inexperienced, arrives road from western table edge)Bazooka teamBattery of 2 82mm mortars (off table), only available from turn 11.

Turn 12

2 Shermans (75mm) (arrive via N33 on northern table edge)

Turn 13

Artillery Observer Team in a Jeep2 2nd Target Priority Artillery Requests (on success, each request automatically gets a battery of 4 105mm guns; do not roll communications tests for other results).

If the Americans won scenario 3, then this observer team arrives on turn 4, instead of turn 13.



The pastures between the road and villages are lat, gradually going uphill slightly (again, no need to represent this) but divided by several wire cattle fences. These do not count as obstacles or cover (and thus can be ignored as terrain), but the wire fences will add to the look of the battleield.

The main farm track from the north, around Rouat into Stoumont, is in a shallow dip in the ground, lined by a few trees and bushes as well as more wire cattle fencing. Any infantry on this track count as in soft cover. It is too shallow to count as obscured for any vehicles or guns on the track.

DeploymentThe initial German forces are deployed up to 20" from the western table edge, unless otherwise stated (see German Forces). The initial US forces deploy up to 45" from the western table edge, unless otherwise stated (see US Forces).

ObjectivesThere are four objectives on the tabletop. The doctor’s house (irst on the left as the N33 road enters the

village), the church, a house in Rouat and the junction of the two farm tracks.

The US player cannot win an All Objectives Secured victory, but the Germans can.

Special RulesDuel in the Fog: The battle starts in darkness and thick fog, but it gets gradually lighter and the fog lifts throughout the game.

In turns 1-5, the maximum range for spotting and iring for any unit is 10"In turns 6-10, the maximum range for spotting and iring for any unit is 20" In turns 11-15, the maximum range for spotting and iring for any unit is 30".

In turns 16-20, the maximum range for spotting and iring for any unit is 40".

After turn 20 (if the game lasts that long), all spotting and iring ranges revert to normal.

Because of the fog, all spotting tests for aimed ire have an additional -1 modiier until turn 20 of the battle. After that, the mist has lifted enough for normal spotting rules to apply.

No Air Support: Due to the thick fog, there is no air support for either side. All air attack counters drawn count as 1s instead.

The Fog of War: In the dark and fog, the ight was confusing and command and control was dificult. Although these are larger forces, only 2D6 are rolled for command and control each turn. Oficers are added to the total as normal, but this will help recreate the slower, cautious pace of the German assault that lasted over three hours.

Victory GainsThe irst side to lose all its BR is broken and must withdraw. The side with BR remaining is the winner. If the Americans win, they gain +2 Campaign points. If the Germans win, they gain +3 Campaign points. There are no bonus campaign points for winning a decisive victory in this scenario.

In addition to this, if the Americans win, then they will improve the chance of reinforcements arriving in Scenario 5, Stoumont Halt. Details are given in that scenario.

65

Germ

an T

able E

dg

e

US

Tab

le E

dg

e

Rouat


66

SCENARIO 5

STOUMONT HALTThis historical re-fight compresses two engagements near Stoumont Station into one game. The first is Lt Kent’s defence of the station while the second is Lt Powers’ bold attack along the road when the two tank columns encountered each other.

Game Size: Squad

Situation ReportDecember 19th, 1944Kampfgruppe Peiper had captured Stoumont, having ejected the American defenders from the village in the morning assault. The vanguard of 1st SS Panzer Division’s battlegroup now has instructions to push on westwards, along the river valley road, through the next small village of Targnon and beyond, to seize a potentially useful bridge over the Ambleve river. The battlegroup was now very short of fuel and it was racing against time to reach the distant Meuse bridges before the Americans could organise their defences and block Peiper’s new route. The leading Panthers pushed on west, down the road which descended the hill steeply from Stoumount, through switchbacks towards the valley loor.

At Targnon, the road joined the single railway line, following the line of the river through the valley. Here, the

railway went through a tunnel under the hillside and then emerged to run close to the river’s bank. After 1km, the railway passed the tiny goods halt of Stoumont Station. North and south, were steep hills covered in forests.

As the Germans organised for their next push, the Americans were reacting as best they could. To block the valley road west of Targnon, Lt Leon Kent of C Battery, 143rd Anti-Aircraft Artillery Regiment quickly towed his 90mm M2 anti-aircraft gun into place by the station buildings with orders to hold the road. With him, he had 15 gunners and an M4 tractor, equipped with a pintle-mounted .50cal machine gun. It was all that was available.

Behind him, at Remouchamps, was an ad hoc armoured unit of 740th Tank Battalion with old Shermans (two were DD tanks – without their skirts), an M10 and an M36 tank destroyer rounded up from repaired vehicles held at an ordnance depot. This motley collection of tanks was commanded by Lieutenant Powers and, once fuelled-up and armed, they quickly headed east. The two opposing tank forces ran into each other on the road just west of Stoumont Station.

Meanwhile, as Powers was heading west, Oberscharführer Ropeter’s Panther rounded the bend in the road at Stoumont Station and came directly into the waiting sights of the M2 gun. It was immediately hit, its muzzle brake torn off and its main gun disabled. The US gun crew reloaded and ired again and again, repeatedly hammering the Panther until it started to burn. Ropeter and two other crew tumbled out, badly burnt, while two of his crew died inside.

Behind Ropeter, came the Panthers of Krüger, Kauffman and Brauschke and they slewed around the

irst tank and returned ire. Several rounds glanced off the Panthers in an exchange of shells but the anti-aircraft gun was knocked out.

At the same time, Panzergrenadiers in a half-track advancing through the railway tunnel, moved along the railway line and soon came under ire from small arms and the US .50 calibre, the M4 tractor having been driven down the slope onto the tracks. The SS grenadiers disembarked and returned ire, but were pinned down in the ire-ight. Their half-track was hit and knocked out trying to reach the road. But, with the AA gun gone and big tanks advancing up the road, the US troops soon abandoned their tractor and withdrew.

Krüger now led the other Panthers passed the station, whilst, at the rear, Hauptscharführer Knappich halted his tank, gathered the wounded Ropeter from the roadside, laid him on his engine deck and returned up the hill to deliver his severely wounded comrade to the aid station in Stoumont.

Coming along the other way were Powers’ tanks with the M10 in the lead. In the misty afternoon, it saw the lead Panther irst, stopped and opened ire. Krüger returned ire before his tank was knocked out by a shell that glanced off the road and into the underside of the tank. It started to burn, but the M10 had been disabled too. Powers’ own Sherman passed the M10 and raced on, meeting Kauffman’s Panther just west of the station buildings.

Powers hit Kauffman’s tank with his irst shot at less than 200 yards, the 75mm shell glancing off the gun mantlet and ricocheting down through the thinner top armour. Ammunition cooked off inside and the tank started to burn. Kauffman died inside it.

Powers then opened ire on Brauschke’s Panther on the left side of the road but a shell jammed in his main gun. He waved the

US FORCES(All US forces are Inexperienced)

Initial DeploymentM2 90mm anti-aircraft gun with 4 crew and a 3 man loader teamM4 HS tractor with pintle-mounted .50 cal MG Infantry squad (Lt Kent and spare gunners): 3 men with riles. (Officer)Infantry squad (spare gunners): 3 men with riles

ReinforcementsM10 Tank DestroyerM4 Sherman (Lt Powers) (Officer)M36 Tank Destroyer (Looney)M4 ShermanM4 Sherman

Officers: 2BR: 20


67

next tank, actually the M36 under Sergeant Looney, passed to take the lead. Looney’s ire hit the Panther’s cupola, penetrated and killed the tank commander outright. The driver reversed away, but hit the roadside ditch and got stuck. The surviving crew bailed out and led. Four Panthers had been lost and the road from Stoumont was blocked. Here Powers halted, holding the road and waiting for infantry support to catch up. By nightfall, men of C Company, 1st Battalion, 119th Infantry Regiment were digging in at Stoumont Station.

Krüger’s burnt out Panther marked the most westerly point of Peiper’s race to Meuse, an advance which was now stalled and would never get started again. The following morning, the US troops would advance on Targnon and begin the battle to retake Stoumont.

TerrainThis game is played on a thin table, following the course of the road and railway line. As the steep forested hill is to the north and the River Ambleve to the south, these act as useful natural boundaries. A 6' x 2' table is recommended.

The Ambleve valley is heavily wooded. The station has two small brick buildings and a small goods yard between them (where the AA gun was in place). The road is slightly higher than the railway line, but the scrub- and tree-lined slope is gentle so doesn’t need to be represented.

The wooded hill to the north of the road is steep and therefore impassable to all vehicles and dificult ground for infantry. South of the railway line, are more woods, beyond which lies the Ambleve.The road is wide enough for two tanks abreast, but becomes blocked if two vehicles are destroyed next to each other. Otherwise, any wrecks on the road count as obstacles for moving past and around them.

DeploymentThe AA gun, tractor and spare gunners should all be placed within 10" of Stoumont station. The anti-aircraft gun starts the game on Ambush Fire. Ropeter’s Panther should be placed on the German board edge on the road. The Germans take the irst turn.

VictoryThe irst side to lose all its BR breaks and must withdraw, the other side is the winner.

Special RulesUS Reinforcements: The tanks are on the way, and Lt Kent and his men need to hang on. From turn 3, start rolling for the arrival of the irst US armour. It arrives on the road on a dice roll of 4+. From then on, one vehicle arrives via the road in each subsequent turn, in the order given.

If the American player won the previous battle, Assault on Stoumont, then they have bought extra times for Powers’ tanks to reach Lt Kent; they arrive on a roll of 2+ instead of 4+.

German Reinforcements: The German reinforcements arrive from the beginning of turn 2, on the turn given in the lists. The Panther tanks all arrive along the road. The infantry all arrive along the railway line.

Mine Strike Counter: There have been no mines placed, so the Mine Strike counter is not used - remove both the counters from the pot before the start of the game.

Air Attack: It is an overcast, misty day - no air support is available for either side. Any aircraft counter drawn counts as 1 instead of being an aircraft.

Railway Line as Cover: The railway line is in a slight dip and lined by bushes and scrub. Any infantry squad on the railway line is in soft cover, except for ire from another unit also on the line, in which case they are in the open.

Restricted 90mm AP Ammo: Not much armour piercing ammunition was issued to anti-aircraft units. Roll a D3. This is the number of AP shots Kent’s 90mm gun has in the game and, after that, it must use HE shells.

Victory GainsIf the Americans win,

they gain +2 Campaign points. If the Germans win, they gain +3 Campaign points. If either side wins a decisive victory, they gain no bonus Campaign points.

In addition, if the Americans win, they gain an additional M10 tank destroyer for scenario 6, St Edouard Sanatorium, Stoumont. See that scenario for full details.

GERMAN FORCES(All German forces are Veteran)

Initial DeploymentPanther G (Ropeter)

ReinforcementsTurn 2:

Panther G (Krüger) SS Panzergrenadier squad: 5 men with a PanzerfaustSS Medium MG team: 3 men with MG42Mounted in SdKfz 251/1

Turn 3: Panther G (Kauffman) (Officer)

Turn 4: Panther G (Brauschke)SS Panzergrenadier squad: 5 men with a PanzerfaustSS Medium MG team: 3 men with MG42Mounted in SdKfz 251/1

Officer: 1BR: 20


68

SCENARIO 6

ST EDOUARD SANATORIUM

Game Size: Platoon

Situation ReportDecember 21st – 22nd, 1944With the panzers halted and defeated at Stoumont Station, the Americans reinforced the area and dug-in for the night, with 1st Battalion, 119th Infantry Regiment sending its C Company furthest east to establish an outpost line between the station and the hamlet of Targnon. It would be supported by the tanks of 740th Tank Battalion when they arrived.

In the morning, the entire battalion had orders to clear Targnon and then press the attack home to retake Stoumont. In the night, the Germans established their own screen of infantry and MG positions in the woods around Targnon, whilst engineers of 3rd SS Pioneer Company illed a half-track with Teller mines and grenades and set about mining and booby-trapping the main N33 road in ive locations between Targnon and Stoumont. They also established positions on the western edge of Stoumont and their headquarters in the large Sanatorium building (variously referred to in reports as: the Chateau, the Monastery, the School and the Castle but actual a large home for handicapped children run by the Catholic church). The 260 civilians, priests, nuns and children still in the Sanatorium took cover in its large cellars.

At dawn, the American advance to retake Stoumont began, and soon encountered sporadic German resistance in the woods as the leading C Company platoons approached Targnon. The hamlet was soon brought under artillery ire, two houses began to burn and the Germans fell back rather than ight for the hamlet. By about 1000, US infantry were in the village and faced minimal resistance. So far, the advance had gone well but the

next objective, some 2km east up the wooded hillside, was the imposing Sanatorium building, standing in its own grounds and towering over the western approach to Stoumont. It had to be taken. In the afternoon, the renewed US advance soon ran into dificulty.

Only the twisting N33 road was passable to the Sherman tanks, and the lead tank was disabled by a Teller mine strike, which then blocked the way for all the other tanks behind. The infantry waited for engineers to come forward and clear the mines and grenade booby-traps and, for a while, all progress was halted. By mid-afternoon, they were cautiously moving again, with A Company coming up into line with C Company to the south and B Company taking the left lank, north of C Company in the centre. They encountered repeated small arms ire from hidden German machine guns, and called forwards tanks for supporting ire. The lead tank also hit a mine and lost both its tracks, again blocking the way whilst engineers with minesweepers cleared the road under 20mm cannon ire. Ahead of them, Stoumont itself was being intermittently shelled, targeting suspected German mortar positions near the church and half-tracks spotted in Rouat. At 1600, a direct attack on the Sanatorium building was launched by 119th Infantry’s B Company, swinging up from the south. The building and grounds were held by 2nd platoon, 3rd SS Pioneers, who lost their commander, Oberscharführer Buetner, in the initial ire-ight and then quickly withdrew. US infantry stormed the Sanatoruim, destroyed a Wirbelwind in the grounds and were soon inside the buildings, clearing the rooms. The Germans had already pulled back to Stoumont, but not before several SS prisoners were taken. Another Sherman attempted

to move up to the Sanatorium via the road but hit another mine, was immobilised, and was then hit by anti-tank ire from the direction of Stoumont (most likely a PaK-40 later found in a position overlooking the road). For the third time that day, a disabled Sherman blocked the road.

Peiper was unhappy to hear that the Sanatorium had fallen into American hands. Dominating the hill, it was the key to Stoumont. Whilst the SS men held it, they would hold Stoumont. If the Americans held it, then Stoumont would eventually fall. He ordered that an evening counter-attack be organised to retake the buildings and establish a fortress position in it. The man tasked with leading the assault would be Obersturmführer Franz Sievers, commander of 3rd SS Pioneers.

Over the next hours, Sievers gathered a force of about 75 men from his own company, 9th Pioneer Company and some Fallschirmjäger, along with a supporting heavy machine gun detachment and tanks from Stoumont.

They mustered on the northern road out of Stoumont, the Route de Spa, before launching a direct and ferocious 15 minute assault. Tank ire pummelled the Sanatorium, smashing holes through the walls, then infantry, heavily-equipped with extra Panzerfausts and under the cover of raking machine gun ire, dashed in, using the Panzerfausts to clear rooms as they burst back into the building. They captured the lower loor, with the Americans still holding the upper loors above, then used more Panzerfausts to blast holes through the interior ceilings. In intense room to room ighting, the Americans within were either killed or taken prisoner (often wounded). B Company, 119th Infantry, had lost all its platoon commanders in the sudden counter-attack and the


69

survivors were forced out of the Sanatorium by 20.30 and regrouped behind a hedge, just 30m away.

But the Germans hadn’t inished for the night. At 0200, a second attack, supported by tank and mortar ire, struck C Company to the south. Then, two hours later, a third attack led by two Panthers swept in north of the Sanatorium. Using lares for illumination, the Germans hit the US lines and broke through. The Panthers caught a stationary platoon of 740th tanks on the main road, behind the roadblock tank, and quickly knocked out three more Shermans. The others withdrew. The Sanatorium buildings had caught ire in places and tracer rounds were lying thick and fast through the night. Everywhere, the positions of 119th’s 1st Battalion were under intense pressure. In order to help relieve some of that pressure, heavy artillery was directed into Stoumont, with 155mm shells from 15 batteries called in to smother the village.

The attacking Germans pulled back at dawn, but still held the now reinforced Sanatorium buildings. The Germans would continue to hold the buildings, constantly under ire, until the afternoon of December 22nd, when they were ordered to pull back, as Peiper’s Kampfgruppe moved out of Stoumont and regrouped for its inal stand in La Gleize.

The GameThis scenario conlates the see-saw battle for the Sanatorium into one game, although the ighting lasted for over 12 hours through the evening and night of December 21st-22nd. It begins with B Company’s attack, followed by Siever’s counter-attack and then the second German attack.

Special RulesNight Fight: Only the initial attack takes place in daylight, after turn 7 use the night ighting special rules.

No Air Cover: There was no air cover for either side during the battle. Any air attack counters drawn count as 1s.

US Reinforcements: If the Americans won Scenario 5, then add to their Reinforcements 2, 1 M10 tank destroyer and +2 BR.

DeploymentThe initial German defenders are placed in the Sanatorium or within 5" of it, in the centre of the table. The initial US attackers are placed within 25" of the south-west corner, up to 5" onto the table. German Reinforcements 1 are placed on the eastern table edge. German reinforcements 2 are placed on the western half of the northern table edge. All US reinforcements arrive from their table corner, as for the initial attackers.

Victory GainsIf the Americans win, they gain +2 campaign points. If the Germans win, they gain +1 campaign point. If either side wins a decisive victory, then they gain a bonus +1 campaign point. There are no other victory gains.

GERMAN FORCESInitial Defenders

SS Assault Pioneer Platoon (Veteran) WirbelwindOff-table battery of 2 x 80mm mortarsOff-table 75mmL46 shot - may ire once per turn for no orders at any US unit within 36" of German table edge.

Reinforcements 1 (on turn 7)SS Assault Pioneer Platoon (Veteran) Fallschirmjäger Platoon (Regulars)Forward HQ - 3 men (Veteran)2 HMG-42 TeamsPanzer IV

Reinforcements 2 (on turn 12)SS Grenadier Squad (Veteran)2 Panther Gs

BR: 49 Officers: 4 (incluidng senior officer)

US FORCESInitial Attack (B Company, 119th Infantry Regiment)

Forward HQ - 3 men2 Infantry Platoons (Inexperienced)2 Bazooka TeamsSherman Tank Platoon (4 tanks, all 75mm. 1 Officer)3 Counter Battery ire missions

Reinforcements 1 (on turn 4)Infantry Platoon (Inexperienced) Bazooka Team.30 cal MMG TeamOff-table battery of 2 x 81mm mortars

Reinforcements 2 (on turn 11)2 Sherman tanks (75mm)1 M10 Tank Destroyer (optional)

BR: 46 (+2 BR with M10)Officers: 5 (including senior officer)

US Table Edge

Ger

man

Rei

nfo

rcem

ents

1

German Reinforcements 2


70

SCENARIO 7

LA GLEIZE THE BATTLE OF SO L’HESSE

Game Size: Platoon

Situation ReportDecember 22nd, 1944By mid-afternoon on December 22nd, the SS had pulled back from Stoumont, leaving no rearguard, and regrouped in La Gleize, establishing an all-round defence of the village with all the remaining troops and equipment they could muster.

Fuel had almost completely run out, the last of it had been drained from twenty half-tracks abandoned in a local orchard, and gathered for a small mobile reserve force in the centre of the village. The Luftwaffe had air-dropped some fuel but most had landed on the Americans and, of those meagre amounts that had reached Peiper, some were later set on ire by the constant American artillery bombardments that now battered the village into rubble. Fuel was not the only concern. Small arms ammunition was also low and tank crews were requested to surrender whatever supplies their vehicles had.

Low on fuel, ammo and rations, Peiper was still sure a relief attempt would reach him. He could hear the sounds of battle to the north and east and thought these were friendly forces closing on La Gleize. If not,

then he was still determined his survivors would ight to the last man.

The SS men dug in all around the village, with the almost immobilised panzers covering the main approaches. The defenders were still formidably equipped with 23 combat effective tanks and six Grille 150mm self-propelled guns, as well the infantry’s 80mm and 120mm mortars. The kampfgruppe was now surrounded. American troops had moved up and retaken Stoumont unopposed and were now patrolling east to ind the new German positions. A new attack could be expected from Stoumont at any time.

To the north and east, Taskforce McGeorge and Taskforce Lovelady of CCB, 3rd Armoured Division, were in place. Their irst probing attacks had been repelled by tank ire and now the two armoured forces faced each other across the hills, sniping at long range. To the south, the paratroops 504th Regiment of the 82nd Airborne Division held Cheneux and their artillery and spotters had a good view of La Gleize, up the hill across the river. Part of Peiper’s perimeter included La Venne, covering the approaches across the Ambleve valley from the south. The entire area was now under repeated 105mm and

155mm artillery ire and the Germans (and remaining civilians) crowded into the cellars or dug foxholes and covered them with felled trees and even vehicles. Troops only ventured out in the brief lulls in the shelling. The aid post in the church began to ill up with the wounded.

Pummelled by heavy artillery ire, the defenders received warning from their outposts of an imminent American attack at midday on December 23rd. The SS men scurried from their cellar hiding places to their ighting positions. Taskforce McGeorge’s armour led the assault, along the road from Roanne to the east. The Sherman tanks advanced, iring smoke shells into the village, which mixed with the day’s hazy mist. The Americans quickly captured a mill at Moulin Maréchal and the few Germans in their outposts either fell back or were captured or killed. The US tankers then pressed the attack further, behind another heavy 30 minute artillery barrage, while some US infantry remained behind at the mill to mop-up. Led by the men of King Company, 117th Infantry (attached to Taskforce McGeorge from 30th Infantry Division), the tanks of Item Company, 33rd Armoured Regiment, were road-bound as they moved up towards La Gleize, approaching the ields east of the village, known as So l’Hesse.

Visibility badly obscured, the Americans encountered heavy resistance here, with both sides’ tanks iring blindly into the thick mist and smoke. The US infantry pressed their attack along a side track, the Chemin de Miniéves, which ran parallel to the main road, after it completed an S-bend around the forest. For an hour, the two sides traded ire, until a Panther tank (number 201, commanded by Obersturmführer Friedrich Christ) arrived and took up a iring position in the So L’Hesse. It immediately received incoming ire

US

Tab

le Ed

ge

Ger

man

Tab

le E

dg

e

1

2

3

4

5 6


71

from a Sherman, which narrowly missed. The return ire destroyed the Sherman and seconds later a second Sherman was knocked out, blocking the road entirely. With their infantry pinned down by MG and AA ire and the road blocked to the following tanks, the Americans pulled back 300 yards, back up the lane screened by the forest, and called in more artillery ire to cover them. Their assault had failed to break into the village.

TerrainThe battle takes place across the So L’Hesse ields, east of the village. The edge of the village is represented by six buildings. From north to south, these are:

1. Delvenne House and forge2. Gregoire House3. Dumont House4. Alphonse Boulanger (with a command post in the cellar)5. Hankart Cafe6. Matthieu House

The road from Roanne snakes in from the east, around a wood. The narrow Chemin de Minieve track also approaches from the east, lined by hedges. The So L’Hesse ields have a few trees and bushes dotted about them.

The Americans are approaching up the hill, but the slope is not enough to be represented on the tabletop.

US FORCES(from Taskforce McGeorge)

Initial Attackers, from K Company, 117th InfantryInfantry Platoon.30cal Medium MG teamInfantry PlatoonBazooka team2 M4 Sherman Tanks (1 is an officer)Forward Observer Team 2 menOff-table battery of 2 x 105mm guns2 x Timed 105mm barrages, both must hit on turn 1, the end of the preliminary bombardment.

Reinforcements

On Turn 2

1 M4 Sherman tank (must arrive via the road)On Turn 3

Forward HQ, in M4 Sherman (must arrive via the road)On Turn 7

M4 Sherman Tank Platoon, 3 tanks (1 is an officer, must arrive via the road)

Officers: 6 (including senior officer)BR: 38

GERMAN FORCESInitial Defenders

Forward HQ. 3 men. (These must start in the Alphonse Boulanger)2 SS Squads (Veteran) - each with 2 MG42s and 2 Panzerfausts 2 Panther Gs120mm mortar team1 SdKfz 251/71 SdKfz 251/21 ‘Drilling’ AA1 SdKfz 251/92 SdKfz 251/1s2 Fortiied Buildings (the Dumont house and the Alphonse Boulanger)‘To the last Bullet’ +D6 BR

Reinforcements

On Turn 5

Panther G (officer) (must arrive on road from north)On Turn 6

SdKfz 251/9 (must arrive on road from south)

Officers: 2 (including senior officer)BR: 28+D6


72

The American had La Gleize surrounded, but breaking in was proving a dificult and too costly task. With their artillery zeroed-in, they contented themselves that the SS men were trapped, low on supplies and had no hope of any relief force reaching them. They could afford to wait out Peiper’s men in a siege, whilst intensifying the bombardment. Peiper could wait no longer. Without fuel, his position was hopeless, so he contacted his divisional commander to ask for permission to evacuate La Gleize. At the irst it was refused, the divisional commander, Wilhelm Mohnke, assured him relief and supplies were on the way. It was wishful thinking.

There was no route through to La Gleize; the bridge back at Stavelot had been recaptured and demolished by the Americans. On the evening of the 23rd, a second request was made by Peiper and this was accepted, with instructions to ight their way out east. Again, the order was not a viable option. The remaining vehicles had no fuel for an attack in any direction. Instead, it would require an emergency plan simply to save the men.

Peiper knew he would be unable to take his prisoners and wounded with him, so he left these under the charge of the chief medical oficer and American prisoners of war, with a request that his wounded men be exchanged for American POWs at a later date. He ordered all the

remaining vehicles blown up or disabled beyond use and the surviving men to gather for a stealthy night march to escape the encirclement and make their way back east, to German lines. In the early hours of December 24th, the last Germans crept south through la Venne, careful not to reveal to the Americans they were leaving. With them, they took ‘volunteered’ civilian guides and a single captured American oficer, Lieutenant McGown (he escaped under cover of a ire-ight). In single ile, the battle-weary SS men made their way down to the Ambleve river, crossed it on a footbridge and headed south, then east. Hiding by day under the forest canopy, Peiper would lead just 770 men, all that remained of his potent Kampfgruppe, back to the safety of the 1st SS lines near Wanne. On December 26th, the Kampfgruppe was oficially disbanded by the divisional commander and the survivors were returned to their parent units.

On December 24th, the Americans inally moved into La Gleize unopposed to ind the blasted detritus of the enemy scattered everywhere amidst the wreckage of the shattered village - Panthers, Tiger IIs, Panzer IVs, half-tracks, self-propelled guns, mortars, all badly damaged, most by internal explosions. The SS wounded were taken prisoner (and not exchanged) and the former POWs liberated and either returned to their units or sent to hospitals to recover irst.

AFTERMATH

DeploymentThis game covers the attack from about 2.30pm to 3.30pm, as the American advance reached the So L’Hesse ields on the edge of La Gleize.

The Germans are defending and deploy irst, anywhere in their half of the table. 2D6 units may start the game on Ambush Fire. The Americans then deploy, up to 10" from their table edge. The Sherman tanks must start the game on the road. The US are attacking and take the irst turn.

ObjectivesThere are 2 objectives on the table, the Matthieu House (6) and the Delvenne

House and forge (1). Only the American can claim an All Objectives Secured victory.

Special RulesMist, Dust and Smoke: The village was shrouded in mist, dust from the heavy artillery bombardments and the Americans also ired a lot of smoke rounds to cover their approach. Visibility

was very poor. Throughout the game, all Aimed Fire spotting rolls have an additional -1 modiier and all Aimed Fire (of any sort) is at an additional -1 modiier to hit. It might be worth relying more on Area Fire.

Running on Vapours: The German vehicles are almost out of fuel. Each time a German vehicle moves, roll a dice. On a 1, it completes the move but then runs out of fuel and is immobilised for the rest of the game. Note, on a ‘full speed’ order, a vehicle must roll twice. No BR counter is taken for this.

No Air Cover: There was no air cover for either side during the battle. Any

air attack counters drawn count as 1s instead.

Victory GainsThis is the inal battle of the campaign, so there are no additional victory gains to be had.

If the US player wins, he gains 2 campaign points. If the German player wins, he gains 3 campaign points. If either side wins a decisive victory, then they gain a bonus 2 campaign points.

Alternative ForcesIf using alternative forces, the German player can take 600 points using the Panzer Division army lists, including all of Kampfgruppe Peiper’s additional restrictions. It may include Defences. A D6 of these units, chosen by the German player, must start the game as reinforcements and arrive from the northern and southern roads on turns 5 and 6 respectively.

The US player can take 650 points from the Armoured Division army lists. He may not include any Defences.

PUBLISHING

DECEMBER 1944, THE BELGIAN ARDENNES... With the German army

seemingly on the verge of defeat,

the Führer ordered it to stage

a new surprise attack, aimed

at splitting the Allied army’s

advancing on Germany. Timed

to utilise the winter weather,

Operation Wacht Am Rhein

committed Germany’s last

reserves in an ambitious gamble

to turn the tide of the war.

On December 16th, the offensive

struck in the Ardennes forests.

The unexpected attack would

become the largest American

battle of the war in Europe...

• BACKGROUND

A general overview of Operation Wacht Am Rhein, from the initial infantry offensive on day one, to clear the routes for the following panzer attacks on day two. It covers; 6th Panzer Army in the north in hard ighting for the Elsenborn ridge and the deep penetration of Kampfgruppe Peiper. 5th Panzer Army’s drive in the centre and the surroundings of St Vith and Bastogne. 7th Army’s supporting attack in the south.

• ARMY LIST

Designed to be used with the army lists already published in Battlegroup Overlord, this book contains a single new army list, for the freshly raised Volksgrenadier Divisions, as well as many new additions to the Overlord army lists for reighting the battles of late 1944. It also includes units for the German disguised iniltration teams of Operation Greif.

• SPECIAL RULES

New special rules to adapt the core Battlegroup game to the winter battleields of 1944-45. The rules recreate the character of the Ardennes ighting, with German iniltration tactics, the morale effect of their powerful surprise attack and the winter weather’s limiting of Allied air support, along with the snow falling to impede operations on the ground.

All help to create games with the distinctive feel of the bitter ‘Battle of the Bulge’.

• SCENARIOS AND CAMPAIGN

Nine new historical scenarios, including a detailed narrative campaign for Kampfgruppe Peiper’s ill-fated race to the Meuse river.

TM

Documents

BATTLEGROUP WACHT AM RHEIN