Starting off, the leader pick for the US was pretty poor. I decided to hand them in for a second pick as there are good quality Airborne troops there and got a better hand (I need to get my hands on some Airborne leaders...). The defense took advantage of the +40 wooded hill adjacent to the crossroads where I put my mech and artillery. The crossroads was defended by mostly single stacked Inf and Para's in a honeycomb around hex 0709. In retrospect, I should have double stacked these hexes as I quickly wanted to reinforce them. Also, the big bonus for the defenders will be Op Fire against advance grenadiers and single units lack the muscle.

Some history for those interested in what units were involved (don't see enough of this detail in Elsenborn): 4SS PanzerGren Rgmt, 2nd SS Pz Div: 3rd Battalion enters from the west, mechanized 1st and 2nd Battalions from the south supported by the few panzers from the 2nd SS Pz Rgmt

At the crossroads, elements from some US units identified as: Elements 598 Field Arty Bn, of course, 106 Div Elements 203 AA Bn, 7th Arm Div Elements 3rd Arm Div (the M4/76) D Troop, 87 Cav Squadron, 7th Arm Div and 2nd Bn, 325 Glider Rgmt, 82nd Airborne Div

A company of Para's plus all the odd Inf and and HMG units made up the area around the crossroads, while much of the 2nd Bn, was in the adjacent woods to the N and E. I set up my troops on the highest ground and this paid off for the escape but not the control of the crossroads.

In my assault, 3rd SS Bn, unloaded on the NW edge to infiltrate the woods and try to assault the high ground, which became like a citadel. The 1st and 2nd SS Bn's with Pz IV's assaulted in a two pronged attack from the south. Early on, the Panthers were waiting and I foolishly moved them to hex 0909 just one hex ahead of the infantry. The US infantry in the two adjacent honeycomb hexes then had a golden (or foolhardy) opportunity to hunt these beasts down with a close assault and potential bazooka attack. One of the two platoons was allowed an AT fire in close assault but just missed getting a hit. Also, the M4/76 in 0607 blew it's cover to take an Op Fire. This bounced off the Panther, which also missed it's shot at the M4/76 (using Armor efficiency move and fire optional rule). The German inf closed on the exposed GI's and finished off the hex after about 3 or 4 turns.

When the Pz IV's closed, the M4/76 used Op Fire again and just one number short of a hit! That Pz IV got a modified 13 and blasted the Shermans out of the game. Success for the Glider Bn was had at the citadel however, where I assembled all my other mech forces out of harms way of the Panzers. 3SS Bn backed away from the citadel and started edging eastwards. At this point, I decided the US would lose the same as the crossroads were being contested and so I relaxed the Poor Cohesion rule to allow a full retreat and fighting withdrawal. I wanted to see what could be salvaged from the situation. Interestingly, this is when the 3SS encounted some heavy casualties by getting in the way of the fighting withdrawal.

The remaining GI's were able to get on the northbound road or fight to the western edge of it and only half of the 2nd Glider Bn escaped. Most of the regular army infantry was lost at the crossroads with a few leaders, the towed 105's, and one halftrack. But the rest of the mechanized forces and every single truck escaped!

The American's were unlucky with quite a few AT roles and Assault roles. Had that Panther been damaged in the counterattack, it would have been quite exciting! Great scenario, though I think you'd have to sacrifice the entire Airborne Battalion to try to win it. Enjoy if you play it!

December 23, 1944: At the vital Baraque de Fraiture crossroads in the northern sector of the still-expanding Bulge, a mixed bag of US Army and Airborne troops – collected from whatever bits and pieces were immediately available – are about to get hit hard by elements of the 2nd SS Panzer Division. The Germans will be approaching from the east (a solo platoon of Panthers), west (halftrack-borne GREN, HMG and 81mm) and south (non-motorized GREN, HMG and 81mm, plus two platoons of PZ-IVH.) The Americans’ best armor, a platoon of M4/76, is placed in the light woods at the east crest of the large hill upon which the crossroads rests, anticipating the approach of the Panthers. The other US AFV’s – one M8 unit, one Scott unit, and an M-16 “meat chopper” halftrack – start under cover in light woods, hopefully able to move to where needed. (Due to the lack of coordination between the disparate fractions of commands, American units need to pass a die roll for voluntary movement, though they can fire and Assault normally.) At the crossroads itself, one Army INF and HMG, with the best US leader – a 10-1-1 Major – are dug in, and hopefully as the Germans get close a third unit will be able to join in; if the extra unit is brought in too soon, German OBA and mortar fire will get a favorable shift. The rest of the Army units support the crossroads, while the PARA units deploy generally facing the southern approach. On the western slope, 4 platoons of M3 halftracks await the enemy. And, as far north and as deep into the light woods as possible, the towed 105mm guns and the reduced M7 Priests await calls for bombardment support.

The Panther is the first to enter at 1600, and quickly loses a step to the M4/76 – but the Panther answers back in Turn 2, eliminating the long-barreled Shermans. The German approach from the west is met by the M8 platoon (able to move to meet it, unlike its co-hex Scott platoon), which uses the optional efficient AFV move/fire rule to take out a loaded SPW-251 halftrack as it enters; it then drops another loaded halftrack on Turn 2, and then an unloaded one, before falling to the Panther in Turn 4.The presence of the M8 leads the remaining SPW-251’s – except the one carrying the 81mm mortar, which spends a few turns sweeping around to the south of the hill to drop its cargo off adjacent to the foot mortars – to unload early. This gives the US M3’s a chance to blast the unloaded soft targets with DF, followed up by three M3’s assaulting a lone, demoralized HMG. Somehow the HMG not only survives but recovers, is joined by a GREN, and (after the GREN takes out one M3 with AT fire) the twain wipe out the halftracks

On the south, the 81mm mortars offload in a sheltered position, soon to be joined by the 81mm arriving from the west. Thanks to the deep snow, it takes a few turns for the southern GREN and HMG units to gain the crest of the hill’s southern slope, where they take some morale hits from the US onboard bombardment – though the M16’s only shot (after moving to that front) misses before the PZ-IVH’s remove it from the map. The Panzers then are able to move up to the Airborne lines for a couple of point-blank shots; these, combined with German OBA (2 x 16) and the now-gathered mortars (3 x 8), play havoc with the dug-in PARA’s, sending several to the rear in flight (and reducing three of them with follow-up bombardment.) Meanwhile some of the western troops have made their way into the US rear, assaulting the M7, Scott, and the 105mm as daylight wanes.

By the beginning of the 1730 turn (Turn 7), darkness has fallen. The only AFV support left to the Amis is the Scott, which is reduced and demoralized, well off in the light woods. The artillery support is engaged by German infantry, and the southern foot troops have closed in on what is left of the Airborne lines. And, by the time 1800 rolls around, the demoralized Scott platoon is the only non-infantry left to the defenders. The Germans combine direct fire, bombardment, and assault to wear down, (and encroach upon) the Americans. The crossroads itself – reinforced after dark by an adjacent INF platoon, relying on the -1 mod for darkness to counteract the +1 for 3 combat units – comes under attack, first by OBA and mortars and then by the two PZ-IVH platoons, which establish themselves at point-blank range. At 1900 the reduced Panther platoon (having aided some infantry in a just-concluded assault) joins the Panzers, and at 1915 the armor comes charging into the intersection for an assault, guns blazing. Initially it doesn’t go so well - the GI’s demoralize the Panther and disrupt a PZ-IVH before the armored beasts even get to fire, thanks to the “first fire” advantage of being dug in. (Still, one of the INF in the hex demoralizes, fails to recover, and flees.)

When the Panther flees, a GREN and leader join the crossroads fracas, only to see the GREN reduced and disrupted in the next round. Realizing that the assault is getting nowhere in a hurry, the Germans use a three-activation opening string on the 2000 turn to pull out of the hex (the reduced GREN screens the armored withdrawal then survives the parting shot from the remaining INF and HMG) then open up a blistering 2-hex point blank fire of small-arms and MG’s – 36 points. This flips over and disrupts both remaining US defenders; they recover in their activation, but at 1915 the opening German activation is a reprise of the previous turn’s withering direct fire. This clears the hex (including the Major in charge), allowing the Panthers, followed by some infantry, to grab the vital crossroads.

By the end of the 1915 turn, just two of the US defending groups – part of the original PARA position – are still Dug In to their original locations, several hexes from the crossroads. What’s left of the rest of the infantry is strung out, fleeing or egressing towards the light woods to the north, and almost all of them are disrupted or demoralized. Belatedly, the Scott platoon has fully recovered and advanced back towards the fray, just in time to greet the battered remnants. Clearly, the chances of the savaged Americans getting in any shape to try and re-take the objective – or to survive the massed German combat power in range to gather around the dearly-won crossroads – are just about nonexistent. Time to call the game, after 18 of the 30 possible turns have elapsed.

Fortunately for the 2nd SS Panzer, the sole condition of victory is to clear the crossroads of any non-demoralized Americans, and this has been done. The cost has been quote heavy, although the defenders have gotten the worst of it. The losses, in steps:

GERMAN: 12 GREN, 5 SPW-251, 1 Panther, 3 Leaders.

US: 10 INF, 2 HMG, 8 PARA, 4 M3, 2 M4/76, 2 M8, 2 M16, 1 M7, 1 Scott, 1 105mm, 1 Truck, 4 Leaders.

The sheer volume of German combat power in this one- with plenty of time and plenty of maneuver room, plus (for once) an edge in OBA (2 x 16 German, none US) leads me to think this is seriously unbalanced – yet I do know someone who has won as the U.S. The balance is the only criticism I have of this scenario – like the other Elsenborn (and Bulge) scenarios I’ve played, it is evocative, interesting and fun, regardless of balance.

This is an interesting scenario where the Americans are defending the legendary Parker's crossroads during the Bugle offensive. In reading about this it was quite the mixed up fight with serveral different commands involved and the scenario does a fairly good job recreating it. I will say it is a very tough for the Americans as their mobility, and recoveries, are limited by the SSR's. The Germans are also limited by the deep snow rules for movement so it will take sometime before the battle gets going.

The Germans are SS units advancing on three sides of a defending American mixed force of paratroops, infantry and armor support. The Germans have the edge in armor, number of troops, morale, OBA and setup (given they can setup on three sides of the board). The Americans hold the high ground and can dig in. American setup should be studied carefully because of movement restrictions.

In my solo effort the Americans setup in a horseshoe ring around the crossroads. The infantry units hold the western high ground and the crossroads, the para's hold the southern edge of the ridge with dugin troops and PMG's. To the east, the armor with a company of PARA's are dugin the light woods by the road. The Americans won't have too much time to move around so placement was key.

For the Germans they have a force move on from the west edge. This is a reinforce company with halftracks for mobility. The setup adjacent to the road leading on board 25. The southern force enters on board 22 at the southern road hex. They include the main strike force with two companies of GRENS with HMG's and PzIVH's. The eastern force is a lone Panther platoon moving on to board 22 via the eastern road. They will link up with the southern force to attack the American armor defending the eastern force.

The first three turns have the maneuveringuevering through the snow and along the roads. Some early fight occurs on the western edge of board 25 with the German SS company establish a firing position on the Americans holding the heights. German OBA demoralizes the M16 stationed there. This proves crippling to them as they never get a chance to recover for the rest of the game. GREN/HMG fire open up on the dugin Americans, but the heights tough for the company to suppress so most of the fight goes to keeping them from reinforcing the eastern or southern defenses. To the south a mounted company of GREN's look to pin the American PARA's defending the road. They are slow to get their and the Americans were able to shift a company of PARA's to the eastern defenses. In the east, the German attack splits, with one force moving north west after entering the board. This will allow them to strike the Americans while the other force moving up the roads and though the towns on board 22, to strike from the northeast.

The German forces take several turns to get into position. The Americans take advantage an target them with BF that scores a step loss and several disruptions. But the American guns are targeted by German OBA and Panther tank fisilenceds silinced quickly. But this buys a little time for the shifting PARA's to dig in along the east west road. The Germans are able to get the attack going by turn 6 and the southeast force hits the American PARA's on the hill demoralizinglosingep lossing several platoons. With losses mounting the mobility of American troops falls just as it is needed, when the German north east attack hits. The American M4/76 is hit by PzIVHcourageouscouragious PARA's charge the German tanks and destroy a step and demoralize the rest, but the PARA's are demoralized too. Soon they are overwhelmed by supporting GREN's. pressurehe presssure increase with each turn. The Germans press forward but are they get deeper into the American lines American fire steps up and demoralizes many GREN's and leaders making the German advance bog down. Several turns are spent recovering these German units but they are in position next to the crossroads to attack with their panzers. German DF reduce the last American defenders but turn 18 and win the day.