WF: Six days of Battle of Arracourt - Now in Scenario DB

[Crossroads]

I am happy to report another set of fine scenarios by Alan R. Arvold are now available in Scenario DB over the coming weeks. Let us begin with Arracourt: The First Day. Download page available by clicking at the scenario title in this and upcoming posts:

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Arracourt: The First Day

Turns: 70
Complexity: 8
Size Modifier: 10
First Side: Axis

Alan R. Arvold
19 September, 1944

[30 Kilometers East of Nancy, France] [ALLIED/AXIS/H2H] [HIS] [GD]

After crossing the Moselle River on the 12th of September, CCA of the 4th Armored Division spent the next six days exploiting a breakthrough in the enemy lines and advancing 45 miles behind them.

By the evening of the 18th the American force was in positions north and east of the town of Arracourt. The next day the Germans counterattacked the forward positions of CCA with elements of the 113th Panzer Brigade. However their attacks were conducted in a piecemeal fashion, allowing the Americans to defeat each in detail, and resulted in the crippling of the 113th as a fighting unit.

Late in the day the German 111th Panzer Brigade arrived on the scene but was too late to do anything that day so they settled into positions for the night.

[ALL: OPT AF] [2.02]

[Crossroads]

Arracourt: The Second Day

Turns: 70
Complexity: 9
Size Modifier: 10
First Side: Allied

Alan R. Arvold
20 September, 1944

[30 Kilometers East of Nancy, France] [ALLIED/AXIS/H2H] [HIS] [GD]

After the defeat from the day before, the Germans settled down into a defensive stance in hopes of resuming the offensive when more reinforcements arrived.

The American 4th Armored Division on its part, figuring that the Germans had fled, was ready to resume the offensive, with an axis of advance to the northeast. In fact two task forces from CCA had already moved out by 9:00 AM. However they were called back when a German tank probe from the 113th Panzer Brigade managed to penetrate to within 1500 meters of Arracourt.

The tank probe was obliterated by fire from artillery, tanks, and tank destroyers, but the attack served to warn the Americans that there were still German forces in the area. Task Force Abrams moved out to southeast at about 3:00 PM and also immediately ran into elements of the German 111th Panzer Brigade, precipitating a rather fierce tank battle. After beating them off, Abrams perform a sweep through Moncourt, destroying a German infantry battalion in the process, and then bivouacked for the night around Lezey. The Germans on their part withdrew further east during the night.

[ALL: OPT AF] [2.02]

[Crossroads]

Arracourt: The Third Day

Turns: 50
Complexity: 10
Size Modifier: 10
First Side: Axis

Alan R. Arvold
22 September, 1944

[30 Kilometers East of Nancy, France] [ALLIED/AXIS/H2H] [HIS] [GD]

At the end of the second day of the Arracourt battles, the Germans withdrew all their forces north of the Marne-Rhine Canal several miles to the east in order to reorganize and regroup.

The American 4th Armored Division's CCA on the next day (21 September) conducted another sweep through the area around Bures and Concourt down to the Marne-Rhine Canal and aside from running into a few rear guard individual tanks and recon units, found nothing else. As a result they pulled back into their positions of the day before and went into a one day maintenance standdown.

However, during the night of the 21st, the Germans moved back west and reassumed their old positions in preparation for an attack on the 22nd of the September. The German 113th Panzer Brigade was to assume a defensive mission while the 111th Panzer Brigade, reinforced by units from the 11th Panzer Division, was to attack CCA from the north through Juvelize. The attack was delayed three hours due to the late arrival of the units from the 11th Panzer and then it was only one panzergrenadier battalion that showed up. This unit was put into the defensive line in order to release the 111th's remaining good infantry battalion so it could support the armor in the attack.

The attack started off well as the armor, using the cover of fog, was able to move into Juvelize and push aside the American armored cavalry units there. However, a tank destroyer company located nearby ambushed the lead German elements and brought the attack to a temperary halt, giving time for the American tanks and armored infantry in Lezey to maneuver and attack the Germans in Juvelize from the northwest. This broke up the German attack and with the fog lifting American fighter-bombers roared in completing the destruction of the 111th Panzer Brigade as a viable unit.

[ALL: OPT AF] [2.02]

Enjoy!

[Crossroads]

Arracourt: The Fourth Day

Turns: 50
Complexity: 10
Size Modifier: 10
First Side: Axis

Alan R. Arvold
25 September, 1944
[30 Kilometers East of Nancy, France] [ALLIED/AXIS/H2H] [HIS] [GD]

After the battle on the 22nd of September, the remnants of the destroyed 111th Panzer Brigade were sent south to the 15th Panzergrenadier Division to serve as replacements. The 113th Panzer Brigade, which was spared any serious fighting on the 20th and 22nd, was assigned to the 11th Panzer Division which started arriving in the area on the 22nd.

The 11th Panzer, besides being short on tanks, had several of its subordinate units elsewhere in France and would not link up with it for about a week, so the 113th Panzer Brigade was a welcome reinforcement. General Manteuffel, commander of the 5th Panzer Army determined that the next attack would be by the 11th Panzer Division north of the main American salient towards the town of Vic-sur-Seille in order to effect a link up with 1st Army units there.

The drive to Vic-sur-Seille was successful, encountering only American cavalry units, which were easily brushed aside. Upon completion of the drive, Manteuffel then ordered an attack south into the northern flank of the American saliant. This was easily beaten off by the Americans and Manteuffel called off any further action that day.

[ALL: OPT AF] [2.02]

[Crossroads]

Two more days of bitter fighting to come! Stay tuned

[Crossroads]

Arracourt: The Fifth Day

https://www.theblitz.club/scenarios/the-...o&id=11165

Turns: 60
Complexity: 10
Size Modifier: 10
First Side: Axis

Alan R. Arvold

27 September, 1944

[30 Kilometers East of Nancy, France] [ALLIED/AXIS/H2H] [HIS] [GD]

After having deflected Manteuffel's blow on the 25th of September, the Fourth Armored Division adopted a defensive stance. To do this it had to pull back its most forward elements on the 26th, thus giving up the towns of Juvelize and Coincourt to the Germans. The 320th Infantry Regiment (-) also pulled out but the Fourth Armored's CCB was released by the 35th Infantry Division and moved down and occupied the 320th's former positions.

The Germans moved up and occupied the towns and established a solid front line for the first time during the campaign. During the lull on the 26th the Germans took the opportunity to take in what few replacements they had received, with the 113th Armored Brigade getting the lion's share as it was the most depleted formation. However, the retaking of the contested grounds allowed the Germans to finally recover a lot of their vehicles that had been knocked out in the battles of the past week and even repair a few and return them to service.

On the 27th, Manteuffel renewed his attacks against American salient around Hill 265 and for most of the day bent in but could not break through the American line there. Later in the day he switch his attacks further north against the town of Juvrecourt but had no better luck there. Meanwhile the steady attrition of five days of battle was wearing his forces down.

[ALL: OPT AF] [2.02]

[Crossroads]

Arracourt: The Sixth Day

https://www.theblitz.club/scenarios/the-...o&id=11166

Turns: 60
Complexity: 10
Size Modifier: 10
First Side: Axis

Alan R. Arvold

28 September, 1944

[30 Kilometers East of Nancy, France] [ALLIED/AXIS/H2H] [HIS] [GD]

By the 28th of September, Manteuffel was on the ropes. His 11th Panzer Division was down to minimal offensive capability, although it still had a fairly strong infantry component. Still under pressure from above to eliminate the American bridgehead over the Moselle River, Manteuffel committed one last attack in the Arracourt area, this time against Hill 318. This time he assaulted the Americans at night in order to give his meager forces a chance at success. The attack drove the Americans off the hill but a quick counterattack gained it back. Through out the rest of the night and into the morning of the 29th, Hill 318 exchanged sides several times.

Finally in the late morning after the morning fog had burned away, American fighters appeared in the skies and wreaked havoc on the German forces, finally forcing Manteuffel to call off the attacks once and for all.

[ALL: OPT AF] [2.02]

[Crossroads]

So here they are!

Again my sincere thanks to Alan R. Arvold for sharing his work with the community!