Crossing Stavelot Bridge in Wacht am Rhein

Hello all,

In this mission on German side the 3 timed arty strikes and the 80mm mortars are listed in Turn 6 reinforcements. It seems odd to me that you shouldn’t be able to use the timed strikes before turn 6. Is this meant to be or is it a typo?

Thanks in advance.

Kind regards,

Louis

I believe it is correct as written, because a big problem for the Germans in the campaign was moving up their artillery - mostly still horse drawn - into range in time to support the mechanized assault forces

Stuart J is quite correct - managing the traffic on the limited road infrastructure was a major problem for the Germans, and particularly for KG Peiper as it raced forward as fast as Peiper could make it go. However, Peiper did have a battery of Grille SPA that he kept in his hip pocket, and those vehicles were actually found abandoned at practically the limit of his advance after he began his exfiltration retreat. That battery would most likely have been husbanding it’s ammo, though, and put to use mainly for tactical targets/reducing local resistance. TOT missions would normally be handled by a higher echelon arty unit, and those were definitely jammed up in the rear. The 80mm mortars, on the other hand, aren’t as easy to explain, IMO. As Bn assets they would have been right up behind the lead elements. Maybe some delay getting them into action, but typically highly responsive. I’m not sure about the specific historical facts for this particular engagement, but I believe Peiper’s column had just suffered a pretty effective air attack while strung out on the road approaching Stavelot, so the scenario designer may be representing rhe confusion and disorganization caused by that.