Panzer Grenadier Battles on April 27th:
Arctic Front Deluxe #40 - Children's Crusade Broken Axis #14 - Târgu Frumos: The Second Battle Scenario 3: Sledge Hammer of the Proletariat
Army Group South Ukraine #6 - Consternation Road to Berlin #73 - She-Wolves of the SS
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Goering's Elite
Elsenborn Ridge #15
(Attacker) Germany vs United States (Defender)
Formations Involved
Germany 3rd Fallschirmjager Division
United States 1st "Big Red One" Infantry Division
Display
Balance:



Overall balance chart for ElsR015
Total
Side 1 1
Draw 0
Side 2 7
Overall Rating, 8 votes
5
4
3
2
1
2.88
Scenario Rank: 783 of 913
Parent Game Elsenborn Ridge
Historicity Historical
Date 1944-12-19
Start Time 11:00
Turn Count 24
Visibility Day
Counters 58
Net Morale 0
Net Initiative 0
Maps 2: 22, 23
Layout Dimensions 86 x 28 cm
34 x 11 in
Play Bounty 88
AAR Bounty 165
Total Plays 8
Total AARs 2
Battle Types
Urban Assault
Conditions
Off-board Artillery
Terrain Mods
Scenario Requirements & Playability
Elsenborn Ridge Base Game
Introduction

Expected to play a major role in the offensive, the 3rd Parachute Division failed to make much progress against very weak opposition. At one point, an entire Fallschirmjager regiment was held up for a day by a single American platoon, suffering hundreds of casualties. No longer "the best damn soldiers I ever saw" as one American colonel had called them six months earlier, the division dawdled along behind the SS panzers until ordered to resume attacking a newly-arrived American unit.

Conclusion

Third Parachute Division made only what the U.S. official history called "desultory attacks" on the American position, showing little enthusiasm. Massive casualties during the Normandy campaign had led to the division being rebuilt with an infusion of surplus Air Force ground crews and raw recruits, but nothing could replace the experienced junior officers who had been lost. The Big Red One's 16th Infantry Regiment easily fought off their attacks.


Display Relevant AFV Rules

AFV Rules Pertaining to this Scenario's Order of Battle
  • Vulnerable to results on the Assault Combat Chart (7.25, 7.63, ACC), and may be attacked by Anti-Tank fire (11.2, DFT). Anti-Tank fire only affects the individual unit fired upon (7.62, 11.0).
  • AFV's are activated by tank leaders (3.2, 3.3, 5.42, 6.8). They may also be activated as part of an initial activating stack, but if activated in this way would need a tank leader in order to carry out combat movement.
  • AFV's do not block Direct Fire (10.1).
  • Full-strength AFV's with "armor efficiency" may make two anti-tank (AT) fire attacks per turn (either in their action segment or during opportunity fire) if they have AT fire values of 0 or more (11.2).
  • Each unit with an AT fire value of 2 or more may fire at targets at a distance of between 100% and 150% of its printed AT range. It does so at half its AT fire value. (11.3)
  • Efficient and non-efficient AFV's may conduct two opportunity fires per turn if using direct fire (7.44, 7.64). Units with both Direct and AT Fire values may use either type of fire in the same turn as their opportunity fire, but not both (7.22, 13.0). Units which can take opportunity fire twice per turn do not have to target the same unit both times (13.0).
  • Demoralized AFV's are not required to flee from units that do not have AT fire values (14.3).
  • Place a Wreck marker when an AFV is eliminated in a bridge or town hex (16.3).
  • AFV's do not benefit from Entrenchments (16.42).
  • AFV's may Dig In (16.2).
  • Prime Movers: Transports which only transport towed units and/or leaders (May not carry personnel units). May or may not be armored (armored models are open-top). All are mechanized. (SB)

Display Order of Battle

Germany Order of Battle
Luftwaffe
  • Mechanized
  • Towed
United States Order of Battle
Army
  • Towed

Display Errata (1)

1 Errata Item
Overall balance chart for 39

Reduce strength direct fire value be came 5-5 in Army at Dawn.

(plloyd1010 on 2015 Jul 31)

Display AARs (2)

SHOOTING GALLERY
Author splat99
Method Solo
Victor United States
Play Date 2008-11-01
Language English
Scenario ElsR015

In my limited PG experience, this is the most one-sided scenario I've yet played. Which still made it interesting and fun as a solo player; my impression was that a German FtF player might find this a very tough go. (Though I see in the results that one player so far has won with the Germans...)

Essentially, a bunch of Luftwaffe infantry - with just 1 81mm mortar and one 75mm ATG in support, plus 1 x 16 OBA - faces an American force about half its size - but a force supported by 1x24, 3x18 OBA. The Germans have to cross two boards and take a town on the second one. But they enter in an open area, subject to DF from defenders in woods and the powerful offboard guns. The Germans did their best to spread out, presenting many target hexes but usually doubling up units in a hex to maximize firepower (but never three in a hex!) The result was a slaughter - I think the Luftwaffe boys lost half of their number, and very few penetrated past the first belt of woods. None made it anywhere near the objective town.

It might be a better plan for the Germans to just advance quickly in a flood, no more than one unit per hex - too many targets for Opportunity Fire, and minimal return for OBA efforts. But in this first playing, the result was pretty much as listed in the scenario's "conclusion": The Big Red One's 16th Infantry Regiment easily fought off their attacks.

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Goering's Bums
Author campsawyer
Method Solo
Victor United States
Play Date 2010-08-13
Language English
Scenario ElsR015

Just finished this scenario as it was a route for the Germans. Main reasons, initiative and morale of the Germans and American OBA. The Americans will most always get the first move so they can hit the Germans with OBA to knock out any forming attack. But let me give a breakdown of the scenario.

The Germans have the numbers, more infantry than the Americans, but that is about it. The Americans have OBA, morale, initiative and the setup. Given this the Americans can setup kill zones that the Germans cannot respond in their attack. Given the configuration of the boards board 22 has clear terrain in the south, where the Germans are advancing. To the north, woods and hills that extend onto board 23. The Americans get to setup here and wait for the Germans to attack.

The victory conditions support this setup as it is a "kill them all" and "urban assault" and the towns are only located in the north on board 23. The paratroops have no chance with any American defense. I had a reinforced company with a couple of leaders in the woods on board 22, the rest where just behind them on board 23 and then the AT guns were in the towns as a last defense as they had no tanks to shoot at.

Turns 1 to 3 are spent with the Germans trying to move up to the American lines. American OBA harassed them and disrupted and demoralized some units. This started to divide the German attack.

Turns 4 to 8 have the Germans trying to get into assault positions but cannot with the OBA and American Op fire. The Germans lose 6 steps trying to get close. The only bright spot was a couple of reduced platoons making it on to the low hill on the north of board 22. Two American platoons move to block any turning movement and the OBA stops them completely.

Turns 9 to 12 the Germans finally get the volumne of troops working for them and are able to assault the American platoons in the north woods of board 22. These assaults tie up the Americans but cannot kill them, while other Germans infiltrate past the hexes to attack the second line. American mortars come into action and disrupt some of the units that advance. American Op fire provides the final kills to some of the advancing Germans.

Turns 13 to 19 the assaults in the initial American lines resolve, most of the Germans are pushed back only 1 of the 4 is successful for the Germans. This gives the Americans to attack rears of the paratroops that moved by while the assaults were going on. This becomes devastating to the Germans with demoralization and step losses from morale checks. OBA keeps any attempt to reinforce them away. At this point the step losses are 12 German steps 5 American steps.

Turns 19 to end, after couple of activations it is quite clear that the Germans have no chancre to win with there loses and demoralization levels. Americans with a major victory 28 to 5.

This scenario could be a interesting one but there are too many factors against the Germans. Changing one factor, like initiative, could make this a more balanced scenario. I may have to experiment with this in another play.

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