Battle of the Bulge Mini Campaign

Fellow Gamers,

Started a mini-campaign using the Rapid Fire Bulge campaign book.  For the OOBs, just bathtubbed down so basically each company is a platoon.  Also had to simplify to match what figs and models I have.  SO far have played the first game.  Next game is planned for tomorrow.  Here follows a short AAR of the first game, a convincing American win, BTW.

German OOB was essentially a 1st SS KG force consisting of a Forward HQ (SdKfz 251/3), a Panzergrenadier platoon, with supports.  Plus a Panther squadron (4 Panthers), a Fallschirmjager squad and HMG, 120mm mortar, and a SdKfz 10/4 2cm Flak.  Germans also had a 2-gun section of 105mm artillery off board.  SS force was elite and all FJ was regular.  BR was about 50 (I've lost my notes on this) with 2D6+3 orders.

American starting OOB was element of 2/119 Inf Regt,  BR 36 and 2D6+2 Orders
Platoon HQ, 3 x Rifle Squads, 3 x Bazooka Teams, MMG Team, HMG Team, 60mm Mortar Team, 81mm Mortar Team, and a 57mm ATG Team + Truck
FO with 105mm Artillery Off board (3 guns)
Attached:  3 x M-10 TD, 3” ATG Team + Truck

Reinforcements arriving on Turn 3 was an advance party of 82nd AB which included Gen Gavin and a small escort (MMG and Bazooka), but it did give the Americans a FWD HQ.  Arriving on turn 7 was a platoon of 82nd AB, with MMG and 81mm mortar.  So Americans gain 2 officers and 25 more BR.

The Germans plan was to focus all their efforts on the northern axis, using the northern Lienne stream bridge to drive quickly up the road to the Route de Bastogne crossroads, then turn south to drive on Werbomont.  Not knowing this, of course, the Americans positioned their
M-10 TDs just east of the small hillock on the northern road, while the remainder of their forces were deployed to cover the main road and the road from the southern Lienne stream bridge.

On the first turn, the leading German halftrack discovered the M-10’s and radioed back.  This caused the Germans to modify their move, swinging their Panthers to bring the tank destroyers under fire.  The German halftrack was quickly destroyed by the M-10’s, losing 3 of the embarked squad.  But the Americans quickly lost two M-10’s to fire from the Panther and from a Panzerfaust shot from a SS squad, who had quickly debarked from their transport.  In fact, the rest of the infantry followed suit, moving south towards the forested hill.
Their move was forestalled by American infantry and a .50 cal. HMG team lying in wait.  The Germans were thrown back (taking advantage of the Battlegroup “Fall Back: rule, which allowed them to move back to the nearest cover, taking only 1 casualty but becoming Pinned).  The Germans fought back, slamming the HMG with 20mm fire from an AA gun across the stream and destroying it.  

Over the next four turns, the fight for this hill was fierce.  By the game end, the Germans had lost a platoon command group and two squads attacking into the Ardennes woodland.  But the Americans held the forest area, losing a MMG team, a BAR squad and an infantry squad.
North of the forest, the last M-10’s had accounted for another halftrack before discovering that engaging in a short-range duel with a Panther was a losing proposition.  The Americans sprung two ambushes with their anti-tank guns, destroying another halftrack but bouncing several 57mm AT rounds off the frontal armor of a Panther.  The AT guns did not survive long after they were revealed.

The American Battle Rating was starting to flag.  Luckily, darkness descended at the end of Turn 4, and they were bolstered on Turn 3 by reinforcements arriving in Werbomont (Gen Gavin and the advance party of the 82nd AB Division).  On Turn 7 (lucky die roll), more 82nd AB troops arrived at US 1.  Despite the Germans lofting illumination rounds from their mortars, the Americans proved mostly elusive.

The game was played till the end of Turn 8.  At that point, the Germans agreed that they could not win or draw the game, so this was an American win.
The effect on the campaign of this German loss will be a later German arrival on the next game, which means the game length is shorter.  In addition, KG Peiper has lost a Panther, 3 halftracks and two full infantry squads.  These losses will affect the KG’s strength in the next game.  Of course, other forces may reinforce KG Peiper.  We shall see in the next game, as KG Peiper attempts to force a crossing over the Ourthe River near Hamoir.

Very nice AAR! I see you are not that far from us, if you ever visit Staunton, look me up!

Sure, will do. I'm a member of the Potomac Wargamers. We usually meet monthly (pre-pandemic) and may start again soon. Drop me an email (pzivh AT hotmail DOT com) and I'll give you some details.