Guderian's View - Merry Christmas! - Guderian v Feldgeneral Hoth (No peeking Chema!)

[Guderian]

Title: Merry Christmas!
Date: December 25, 1944
Turns: 18
Weather: Very Thick Fog
Ground: Snow
Visibility: 2
Designer: Keith Schur

Bastogne Perimeter: With Patton's Third Army rapidly approaching from the south, time was running out for the German besiegers of Bastogne. Field Marshal Model ordered Fifth Panzer Army to seize Bastogne at once to "lance the boil." At 0330 hours on Christmas Day the Germans played Santa Claus by delivering an all-out attack against Bastogne. The 77th Grenadier Regiment of the 26th Volksgrenadier Division hit the left half of the 502nd Parachute Infantry's line while Kampfgruppe Maucke of the 15th Panzergrenadier Division hit the right part of the 327th Glider Infantry. This would prove to be a bitter Christmas for the veteran paratroopers of the Screaming Eagles division.

  Overview.JPG (Size: 266.67 KB / Downloads: 94)

Objectives:
Clear a corridor from Rouette to Bastogne via Champs and Hemrolle.
Ignore minor objectives along flanks.
Use fog to protect flanks and infiltrate enemy lines.
Hold corridor against enemy counterattack.
Exit friendly units at Bastogne exit hex.

Orders:
The 77th Grenadier Regiment will attack Champs via Rouette.
Kampfgruppe Maucke will attack Hemrolle via Mande St. Etienne.

Turn 1:
I. Battalion, 77th Grenadier Regiment masses for attack in front of Champs.

  Turn 1 - 77th.JPG (Size: 358.4 KB / Downloads: 88)

Kampfgruppe Maucke prepares to thread the needle between suspected enemy positions enroute to Hemrolle.

  Turn 1 - Maucke.JPG (Size: 334.15 KB / Downloads: 77)

[Guderian]

Turn 2:

I. Battalion, 77th Grenadier Regiment are assembled and ready to attack. The battalion beat back a parachute platoon and destroyed an LMG section that advanced out of Champs. The battalion lost a volksgrenadier squad in an ambush when the platoon ventured into line-of-sight (LOS) of the forest to the right of Champs. The Americans are now alerted to our presence in front of Champs.

  Turn 2 - 77th.JPG (Size: 371.57 KB / Downloads: 59)

Kampfgruppe (KG) Maucke's lead panzergrenadier platoon comes under fire. The advance has been discovered. KG Maucke realizes it will now need to use force to penetrate the American lines. The panzergrenadier battalion deploys to clear the road. The battlegroup decimates the American parachute platoon that opened fire on the lead platoon, leaving one section alive. The panzer company advances to shell the .50-cal MG platoons. An American TD platoon opens fire and destroys II. panzer platoon. III. panzer platoon returns fire and destroys the American TD platoon. The surviving panzers pull back out of LOS in case additional TD platoons are ahead. Tank tracks were heard during the replay, but it was thought that the tanks were further away.

  Turn 2 - Maucke.JPG (Size: 356.39 KB / Downloads: 52)

[McIvan]

Keep em coming, am enjoying the read :) Nice work!

[Guderian]

Thanks McIvan! Glad to know someone is reading them. :)

Turn 3:

I. Battalion, 77th Grenadier Regiment bombards and then smokes an overwatch position that the battalion intends to occupy. The MG platoons from 4. and 13. company occupy the orchard and draw fire from two parachute platoons. 4. company losses a MG section to the effective fire. An unseen leader is directing the fire of the parachute platoons. The overwatch platoons from 1. and 2. company advance into position. Neither company draws fire. The overwatch platoons are the rifle and MG platoons of each volksgrenadier company. 1. company is behind the stone wall and 2. company is in the orchard. 3. company is in reserve. The rifle and MG platoons open fire on the Americans, but the Americans are unshaken. The Americans occupy strong positions and undoubtedly have high morale. Meanwhile, the volksgrenadier platoons of 1. and 2. company are ready to assault Champs via the paved road to expend the minimum amount of action points next turn.

  Turn 3 - 77th.JPG (Size: 376.98 KB / Downloads: 47)

KG Maucke bombards and disrupts the two .50-cal MG platoons on the high ground. The KG also drops smoke on the road to provide cover. 1. panzergrenadier company advances on the left while 2. company advances on the right. 3. company is in reserve. The right .50-cal MG platoon is pushed back by a flamethrower halftrack (FT HT). .50-cal MG platoons have zero assault strength. 1. company is unable to assault, destroy or retreat the remaining .50-cal MG section on the left. As a result, the .50-cal MG section will direct effective artillery fire on the KG next turn. Unseen in the picture, a parachute platoon advanced towards the KG's position from Marche Highway. 2. company's overwatch platoons forced the parachute platoon to retreat. 4. company deployed an MG and ATG platoon to further protect that flank.

  Turn 3 - Maucke.JPG (Size: 373.99 KB / Downloads: 37)

[Guderian]

Turn 4:

During the replay, the two parachute platoons in Champs fire on 1. company behind the stone wall, killing a rifle and MG section and causing the rifle platoon to retreat. The parachute platoons then retreat out of LOS into Champs. A LMG section to the left of Champs (unseen in the picture, but located at the red hex) finishes off the MG platoon (ouch!). During the German turn, the volksgrenadiers of 1. and 2. company advance to the edge of Champs. They don't enter Champs because they will be out of action points and the outer hexes are probably targeted by artillery. The overwatch teams of 2. and 3. company move forward and draw fire from Champs and the woods to the right of Champs. Based on this information, I estimate that there is one company in the woods to the left and right of Champs and one company in Champs itself.

  Turn 4 - 77th.JPG (Size: 385.15 KB / Downloads: 32)

KG Maucke gains the high ground, but can they hold it? Note that I am being drawn into a fight to clear my flanks even though I originally didn't want to. Chema keeps attacking me from his flank positions. When I push him back out of LOS of the road, I am pushing him back to his own prepared positions. I then feel compelled to clear those positions. 1. company got plastered by artillery during the replay. In addition, I lost a FT HT and an AA truck. My losses are equal to Chema at this point.

  Turn 4 - Maucke.JPG (Size: 368.48 KB / Downloads: 28)

[Guderian]

Turn 5:

During the replay, the Americans re-filled the forward positions and took pots shots at my troops. Casualties were taken, but I had enough forces massed in front of Champs that it did not matter. During the German turn, my artillery plastered the American positions, disrupting everyone in LOS. I advanced two platoons to clear the hexes behind the forward Americans, which corralled a third parachute platoon into the pocket. After cutting off the American's line of retreat, three volksgrenadier platoons and the regimental commander assaulted the American pocket, capturing a company of paratroopers.

  Turn 5 - 77th.JPG (Size: 389.3 KB / Downloads: 33)

  Turn 5 - 77th end.JPG (Size: 392.29 KB / Downloads: 29)

KG Maucke disrupts and captures a parachute platoon near the 25 point VP at the bottom. I got greedy and tried to capture a second platoon occupying the 25 point VP hex, but the panzergrenadier platoon draws fire from an American TD and is retreated to the highlighted hex. 3. company advances up to the high ground to support the lone 2. company platoon to the right of the 25 point VP at the bottom, but I am concerned that 3. company is too bunched up and vulnerable to artillery fire. 1. company captures the 25 point VP on the left, but I don't know if they can hold it.

  Turn 6 - Maucke.JPG (Size: 391.88 KB / Downloads: 31)

[Gris]

Guderian,

Really enjoying the AAR. I like how you have it broken down by unit with comments and screen-shots. Easy to follow the action.

Good show!

[McIvan]

How are the victory conditions going? What, in your estimation, do you have to achieve to win the scenario?

[Guderian]

Turn 6:

I. Battalion, 77th Grenadier Regiment pushes forward hex by hex in Champs. The battalion is urged to push foward as fast as possible to thwart American artillery fire.

1. company advances on the right and 2. company advances on the left. Both companies are in column with volksgrenadier platoons in the lead to take advantage of their high firepower at short range. 3. company is behind 1. and 2. companies, and 13. company, with its artillery deployed, is behind 3. company. II. Battalion is seen entering the picture towards the rear.

Champs is a small town, so the platoons are bunched up more than normal. Hopefully, the American artillery is plotted on the hexes that have been passed this turn so the artillery will fall unspotted the following turn. Hence the reason for pushing forward as fast as possible.

I. Battalion has destroyed one company of American paratroopers. The battalion has taken casualties, but it still has three companies in fighting shape. A second American company is hanging on to the last two hexes in Champs. It is unknown whether this company came from the flanks or is from a second battalion.

It is assumed that there is only one battalion around Champs. If there are two battalions, Chema should use his second battalion to block Champs. The American companies to the left and right of Champs do not appear to be counterattacking. We will count the number of 60mm mortars fired next turn and watch which direction American reinforcements come from to estimate enemy strength.

Orders are as follows:
I. battalion will remain in the lead and push forward to Hemrolle.
II. Battalion will follow behind and defend Champs from counterattack.

  Turn 6 - 77th.JPG (Size: 388.92 KB / Downloads: 30)

[Guderian]

Turn 6:

The panzergrenadiers are hit hard by artillery this turn. Fortunately, they do not break, but many of them have low morale.

The panzergrenadiers are on the verge of destroying an American parachute company on the right. On the left, the panzergrenadiers just hope to hang on to the high ground.

1. company on the left is in the worst shape. 2. and 3. companies on the right are in better shape.

The American TD has its opfire set to fire on any target. The panzers plan to use that to their advantage in the following turns.

KG Maucke will not clear the high ground in front of them. Instead, KG Maucke will cut to the left and attack Hemrolle once the positions to the immediate left and right of the road are secured.

A panzergrenadier company will be left behind to protect the flank positions. Most of the Americans have come from the right and not the left.

  Turn 6 - Maucke.JPG (Size: 391.88 KB / Downloads: 40)