This is a scenario I just finished covering the Battle of Lanzerath Ridge.  This battle took place 71 years ago, on Dec 16th, 1944, and it was the first encounter between American and German forces in the Battle of the Bulge.


Description:
[Lanzerath, Belgium]:[Either][HIS]:  The Battle of Lanzerath Ridge was fought on December 16, 1944, the first day of the Battle of the Bulge.  It was fought between a squad of 18 men belonging to the American Intelligence and Reconnaissance platoon, 394th Regiment, 99th Infantry Division, and four men from the US Forward Artillery Observers, and a battalion of about 500 German paratroopers of the 1st Battalion, 9th Fallschirmjaeger Regiment, 3rd Division.  The Germans also had 50 soldiers from the 27th Fusilier Regiment, 12th Volksgrenadier Division.  The mission for the Germans was to quickly advance from Lanzerath in the morning and blaze a path to Murringan, where the Allies housed their fuel and supplies.  Kampfgruppe Peiper was going to spearhead the initial invasion, and the American I&R platoon, just outside Lanzerath, lay right in their path.  20 year old American Lt. Lyle Bouck, after confirming about 500 German soldiers were in Lanzerath, radioed for artillery support, but the response from headquarters was "you must be seeing things".  The severly outnumbered 18 American reconnaissance soldiers were dug in inside well fortified wooden bunkers they made, and were armed with M1 Garand rifles, BAR's, and .30 cal machine guns.  The German Fallschirmjaeger soldiers, armed with Mauser rifles, light machine guns, and grenades, after spotting the American position, prepared to attack across the open ground.  Lt Bouck tried again to radio for reinforcements, but this time the word coming down from headquarters was "hold the Germans at all costs".  The American I&R platoon held their gound, inflicted dozens of casualties on the German Fallschirmjaegers that just kept advancing up the open terrain, which helped to bottle up the advance along a key route for the 1st SS Panzer Division, which had been selected to spearhead the advance of the entire German 6th Panzer Army.  The Germans finally flanked the American forces at dusk, capturing them.  They were lined up to be shot, but a German officer arrived just in time and called off the shooting.  Only one American was killed in the battle, and 14 were wounded.  German casualties totaled 92 ( 16 killed, 63 wounded, 13 missing ).  The Germans had paused, believing the woods were filled with more Americans and tanks.  Only when SS-Standartenfuhrer Joachim Peiper and his tanks arrived in Lanzerath at midnight, twelve hours behind schedule, did the Germans learn the woods were actually empty.  After the war, Lt Lyle Bouck and his men learned they had prevented lead elements of the German infantry from advancing and had delayed by about 20 hours their armored units' advance.  On October 26, 1981, every member of this unit were finally recognized for their valor on this day, making them the most decorated American platoon of World War II.  References: Wikipedia and other online sources, and a tv program "Shootout!: Battle of the Bulge".



Here are some videos that cover the Battle of Lanzerath Ridge:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5I2sw7J36fs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQmJRv9FCLk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er76AFUR7VQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_bNpDWqb7bQ



Enjoy... Jeff



